2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I am led to go on presenting and discussing citations that the Holy Spirit gives me that deal with "combat intelligence" on Satan and his followers. I was very unhappy to hear not long ago that a church in Islamabad, Pakistan not far from the U.S. Embassy was considered a "soft target" for hateful terrorists, wanting American Christians to know the evil they were willing to deliver. Relatives of a family in our congregation were at Sunday services that morning, when terrorists lobbed six grenades into the building, killing the mother and teen-aged daughter of this family and seriously injuring the father. The son was present to watch all this happen to his mother, father, and sister. This tragic incident points out the extent to which human beings are capable of going when they are deceived by the devil. While it scares us to think of this, it also reminds us that we must don God's full armor [EPH 6: 10-20] and go forth in battle just as our soldiers under General Tommy Franks are doing. Our war is a spiritual one with Satan and his followers [EPH 6: 12].
With something this terrible happening and the pain it brings, it would be easy for us to fear Satan. However, God, through the Scriptures, tells us that we should not. 2 COR 11: 14-15, "Well no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! So it is no greater thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve." God does not lie; He always tells the truth. Those terrorists and the ones who have killed Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal writer, will indeed meet with His justice and be sent to the lake of fire and sulfur. Make no mistake about that! There is an inherent warning for us in this message, one that was brought out vividly long before it in EZK 3: 17 when Ezekiel is called by God to be a watchman. "Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them for Me." We need to be alert and use the discernment that being in the Scriptures and prayer daily gives us. That is so we can recognize the "wolves in sheep's clothing" around us [MT 7: 15].
Paul gives us an apt description of these people who are deceived into giving Satan leadership over their lives in 2 COR 4: 3-4, "For if the Gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost. They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, Who is the exact likeness of God." How does this come about? That question is answered in 1 COR 2: 14, "Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God's Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them; they are foolishness to him, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis." Christ spoke about these people in MT 13: 19 as a part of His explanation of the Parable of the Sower. "Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in them." Timothy also received a warning from Paul about them in 1 TIM 4: 1, "The Spirit says clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey the lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons."
The discernment that Christ's connection to God gives Him is revealed in an incident between Him and Peter in MT 16: 23. Peter was in denial about Christ's impending death, burial, and resurrection of which Christ had been speaking. "Jesus turned around and said to Peter, 'Get away from me, Satan! You are an obstacle to My way because these thoughts of yours are not from God, but from men.'" Christ's rebuke here had nothing to do with not loving Peter, but He was able to see the adversary's attempt to snatch Peter's soul away and was chasing him off. At that time, Peter was young in his Christian faith and particularly vulnerable. Christ knew that. Our proof that he is not being unkind to Peter came before that in MT 16: 18-19 after Peter voiced his recognition in (16) that Christ is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God." MT 16: 18-19, "And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundations I will build My church and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven." Christ's trust in Peter, borne out of His omniscience which told him Peter would eventually mature in the faith to become a fine leader, was revealed in LK 22: 31, "Simon, Simon! Listen! Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff." God trusted Peter enough to share His purpose with him. He does the same with us. The discernment to recognize Satan and his followers that Christ had is also given to us through the Holy Spirit. The whole point of today's message is that when we yield to God's leadership in our lives, following Christ's example, we will have the discernment to recognize Satan and his followers when they try to deceive us. We will be fully equipped to battle them to victory in the name of Christ.
PRAYER: O Lord, Your first called Ezekiel to be a "watchman" [EZK 3: 17] for the Jewish people. Later, You revealed to him Your plan to be their "Good Shepherd," even though You didn't mention Your Son's name at that time [EZK 34: 11-31]. Your plan has never changed. Our Good Shepherd was revealed to us in Christ in JN 10: 14-15. The lesson that we should learn from this is Your plan to protect us has been consistent from the beginning and will remain so for eternity. Since we now have the Holy Spirit indwelt within us, we are to be "watchmen," to warn and help You protect us by encouraging others to do what we do by example-to remain daily in the Scriptures and in active prayer. Dearest Abba, we hear You and take Your commands seriously enough to obey them. We acknowledge that if we obey You, You have given us the power to recognize and overcome any attacks on us by Satan and his followers. The lady and her daughter in Islamabad who lost their physical lives while they were worshipping You, are victors. For they will dwell in joy and fellowship with You for eternity, while their murderers will be tormented in the lake of fire and sulfur forever. You are a wise and just God, so we can take You at Your word given to us in REV 6: 9-11. You are a Promise-Keeper, One Who has taught us by example to make keeping our covenant relationship with You our first priority. The Psalmist in PS 50: 3-6 puts us in touch with Your perspective. "Our God is coming, but not in silence; a raging fire is in front of Him, a furious storm around him. He calls heaven and earth as witnesses to see Him judge His people. He says, 'Gather My faithful people to Me, those who made a covenant with Me by offering a sacrifice.' The heavens proclaim that God is righteous, that He Himself is judge." Then You said in PS 50: 15, "Call to Me when trouble comes; and I will save you. You will praise Me." We pledge to do just that, and we offer You thanks for the protection You give us, for the goodness You bring into our lives, and for the honor of joining You in Your work to prove that Satan will never win. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
More "combat intelligence" from God is coming your way tomorrow. Isn't it awesome, how He gives us a different and true perspective on our spiritual warfare, so we don't have to live in fear? That's one of the many ways that God demonstrates His love for us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn