2002-01-01
Good Morning Fellow Believers,
I find it compelling that God has given us the lesson of what happened in Ephesus, so that we won't think we are the only ones who fight spiritual warfare and that we can indeed rely on Him to guide us through it. With that in mind, He leads me to discuss what goes on in the front lines of battle between the Spirit-led and flesh-led belief systems. We must begin with a restatement of the definition of faith found in HE 11: 1. "To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." To this, let's also restate Les Feldick's definition: "Having faith is taking God at His word." If we look at the spiritual condition of Ephesus at the time of the early church, we see a city which is embedded in the occult and living in fear of what they could not see. With the exception of those who came to faith in the church, Ephesus was a city without faith. With faith comes the comfort that only God can give us. PHIL 4: 6-7, "Do not worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus."
As often as I return to RO 1: 18-27, I find it to be wonderful "combat intelligence" that God has given us to understand the mechanism by which Satan and his followers steal the minds and hearts of those without faith. Let's look at these words again, so we can understand better. "God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God Himself made it plain. Ever since God created the world, His invisible qualities, both His eternal power and His divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things God has made. So those people have no excuse at all! They know God, but they do not give Him the honor that belongs to Him, nor o they thank Him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say they are wise, but they are fools; instead of worshipping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortal men or birds or animals or reptiles. And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. They exchange the truth about God for a lie; the worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator Himself, Who is to be praised forever and ever! Amen. Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing."
I don't often put a citation that long in my messages, but this one really deserves our examination. At first, we find that people are born with a God-consciousness, no matter who they are or what culture or era to which they were born. Secondly, we see that mankind can perceive God's divinity and power in the things that He created. That leaves people who reject faith in God without an excuse for their decision. Once the decision to reject God is made, then the devil takes over causing that person to exchange the truth about God, and may I say the salvation that His Son's Atonement made possible on the cross, for a lie. Deception and lies are the business of the devil. Once the mind is perverted, then this perversion manifests itself in evil actions taken by the flesh-led person. If one looks at Baalism, the pagan worship of Baal and his wife, the fertility goddes, practiced by all the countries surrounding ancient Israel, the very same actions described in RO 1: 26-32 are a regular part of it. The same can be said for the practice of witchcraft, the occult, and necromancy (the calling up of the spirits of the dead) that was practiced in Ephesus at the time of the early church. What lead Ephesus to this evil belief system of magic and sorcery was fear of death, i.e. the lack of faith that God gives.
I'm virtually certain that God gave us RO 1: 18-32 not to frighten us, but to let us have the discernment to recognize unrighteousness when we see it. It is important for us to know exactly what we need to avoid in order to please our loving Deity. One need only turn on the TV and look at what sells copy in today's society to know that this unrighteousness is all around us today. However, I leave you with the belief that by remaining faithful, trusting and obeying our Lord, and by staying connected to Him in the word and by prayer, that we are protected from this evil. God knows that we will endure spiritual warfare. Battling it is necessary to our spiritual growth. But, we can go into this battle knowing that with the things of God mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, we will be winners in Christ's name. As I write this message, I am ill with pneumonia, but I am already feeling the power of prayer and the wisdom God gave my doctor to prescribe the meds I need, which are leading me to improved health and strength. I'm feeling better than before, and with endurance in faith, we will all show the devil what a loser he really is!
PRAYER: O Lord, in PS 8: 1-2, You have given us an important message to consider. "O Lord, our Lord, Your greatness is seen in all the world! Your praise reaches up to the heavens; it is sung by children and babies. You are safe and secure from all your enemies; You stop anyone who opposes you." The mention of children and babies tells us that the innocent love You. We can be innocent in our decision to say, "Yes, Lord, I repent, believe in Your Son, will live according to Your teaching, and will fight spiritual warfare with trust, courage, and diligence." You deserve great praise for Your faithfulness and goodness. PS 34: 1-3, "I will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising Him. I will praise Him for what He has done; may all who are oppressed listen and be glad! Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness; let us praise His name together!" You have given us hope that we will one day inherit Your Kingdom with Christ as joint-heirs [RO 8: 17]. We who have the hope to share Your glory with You need not fear death. That is why You have given us the peace that goes beyond human understanding. We praise You for giving us the faith we need, discernment through Your word, and the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. We praise You for giving us Your full armor to do battle with the adversary, while knowing that if we persist in this, we will do so to victory in Christ Jesus. It is with this praise and our humility that we confess our sins and offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, honor, glory, and utmost thanksgiving. In Christ's name, amen./p>
The story of front lines battle is not complete. There is more to say about this vital issue for tomorrow's message. No one deserves our praise and continual, prayerful attention more than God does. He is our Creator, our Refuge, and our Defense. For that and so much more, He deserves our heartfelt love. Every day of our lives He returns that love to us in ways so numerous we can't count them. We are truly victorious when we abide in Him. Peter and I send our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn