2003-01-28
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit leads me to write today about the evidence God has given us that His power to carry out spiritual warfare is greater than the adversary’s. There are times when going back to the original language a Scripture was written in gives us special illumination on its meaning. Such is the case with AC 1: 8, “But when the Holy Spirit is upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for Me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Greek word used here for “power” is “dunamis” [pronounced: doon a miss], which means power, ability, physical or moral power in action. One can certainly say that a person given this power also is being given the authority by the Father to take moral and/or physical action.
Let me give an example from the very same chapter found in AC 1: 16-20 being said by Peter to the believers. “’The scripture had to come true in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David [in PS 69:25 & 109: 8], made a prediction about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. Judas was a member of our group, for he had been chosen to have a part in our work. With the money that Judas got for his evil act he bought a field where he fell to his death; he burst open and all his insides spilled out. All the people living in Jerusalem heard about it, and so in their own language they call that field Akedalma, which means ‘Field of Blood.’ For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘May his house become empty; may no one live in it.’ It is also written, ‘May someone else take his place of service.’” Had the adversary’s power been greater than that of the Father, this punishment of Judas would have been prevented.
Here’s more evidence of the superiority of God’s power over the devil’s. 1 JN 4: 4, “But you belong to God, my children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit Who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.” If it were up to Satan, every believer would be full of doubts about whether or not God is telling the truth. The bottom line is that God never lies or does anything which is evil. It is the reason that we have been told that the power and authority to use that power that has been given to us is the same as that which God used to raise His own Son from death to life! [EPH 1: 18-20]. If, by now, you are getting sick of reading me say that, please don’t. To have strong faith, we must be convinced so thoroughly of the truth that none of the lies Satan tells can sway us from it. Remember, Satan is the “father of all lies” and a murderer according to JN 8: 44. Once again even if I sound like a broken record, I’m not ashamed to say that daily time with the Scriptures and frequent prayer give us the discernment to tell what is the truth that our loving Abba wants us to have. When we obey these commands, we can recognize and reject false teaching and prophecy when we are confronted with it. We must understand that all the concerns about letting our faith be weakened or adulterated that Paul had for the early church still apply to us today. As James says in JAS 4: 7-8, “So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. Come near to God, and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners!”
While power and authority are two separate issues, the combination of them given to us by God is unbeatable. 1 JN 2: 8, 13, 15-17 contains words to the wise. “However, the command I now write you is new, because its truth is seen in Christ and also in you. For the darkness is passing away, and the real light is already shining…I write to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have defeated the evil one…Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. Everything that belongs to the world-what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of-none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but he who does the will of God lives forever.” That last sentence is the kicker. Isaiah understood this principle back in his time [740-690 BC] when he wrote IS 64: 6, his statement about the sinfulness of Israel. “All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are as filthy rags through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind.” What beautiful humility he showed in his inclusion of himself in this statement, an acknowledgment that we are all sinners.
When we look at our own lives taking our circumstances into consideration, these truths written so long ago still apply to us today. 1) We are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God [RO 3: 23]. 2) When we have enduring and obedient faith, we have the power that the Father has given us to defeat the adversary in his bid for victory. 3) We can claim that victory on the grounds of the cross, where it was actually brought about. 4) God has given us power greater than that of the world to thwart the devil in his battles with us. 5) We need to spend daily time in the word and in prayer, so that we have the discernment to recognize a lie when we are confronted with it. 6) We must remain convinced of the truth, so that we never forget this power has been given to us and that we are to use it for God’s purpose. 7) We must always rely on the truth that God never asks us to do anything that is unrighteous; for He is always-righteous.
PRAYER: O Lord, we thank You for giving us a way to go back to the original language when we need to, so that we can understand the exact meaning of a word as key to us as “dunamis.” The power You give us to battle with the devil is supernatural. With our trust, faithfulness, obedience, and diligence in following Your commands, we have this power and must never forget that. We understand, Dear Father, that it is to be used only for Your purpose. For us to know and understand exactly what is Your purpose, we need to spend daily time with You through the word and prayer. We acknowledge that You have equipped us with Your full armor [EPH 6: 10-20] and that You have given us the discernment we need when we are obedient to you. That way we are prepared for successful battle. We are your foot soldiers who eagerly listen for Your commands and who submit to them even if it brings us to a place which isn’t comfortable or convenient for us. The thought a Pastor Jerry and Arlene Malak who spent three months in Iringa, Tanzania serving a mission to do Your work is brought to mind. Dearest Father, their love for You was so great that they dealt with attacking microbes, water shortages, lack of household conveniences, food shortages, lack of good roads to travel on, and so much material poverty. Yet, You showed them such an embarrassment of spiritual riches that they came home with their cup of blessing overflowing. They understand the power to beat out Satan, and related to us how the Gospel message of salvation and peace is spreading over Tanzania. Praise be to You, for only You could have empowered them to help bring that about! We humbly confess our sins and offer You our eternal adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, trust, obedience, thanks and praise. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, the Spirit leads me to share Scriptures that will reveal evidence that we have authority from Christ to do battle with the adversary and win. We don’t necessarily have to serve a mission in a foreign country to use the power God gives us to place snags in the devil’s path. We can use it right here at home in so very many ways. God has given each of us different talents to carry out different tasks [1 COR 12: 1-11]. The idea is for each of us to use the gifts we have been given to do such things as be a humble and faithful parent [probably the most important job of all], to spread the word of God, to teach, to heal, to prophesy, to perform service to others, to feed the hungry, and so many more. Sometimes our gifts can be used to show others what a real friend in Christ is. Each of us needs to bear in mind that God’s main agenda is to bring as many of His children back to Him as will listen and come. His greatest desire is to shower His children with His blessings. I believe that Pastor Bruce Wilkinson was so right when he wrote about all the blessings that await those who haven’t yet asked the Lord for them. God’s love can’t be measured, but it sure can be felt-even in the heat of battle with the enemy. Peter and I send each of you our heartfelt love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn