Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I hope you all begin each day by offering praise for the bountiful blessings you receive from your “Abba Father. So many are common-place, and if not careful, we can take them for granted. But every day and every breath is a blessing, and every heartbeat is a blessing. If you’ve been aware of either the sunrises or the sunsets lately, you know how absolutely inspiring they are, especially at this time of year. Now ponder this for a moment…the same God that displays this incredible majesty and artistry is the same God who desperately wants a relationship with us…each and every one of us. (I’m giving you conversation fodder as we approach Thanksgiving Day.) 🙂
I have a dear friend who has been struggling with various addictions. Maintaining his sobriety and his sense of worthiness is a constant battle. He wrote to me last week and asked if I would consider writing about “changing direction” and acceptance. He knows what to do; he knows what the answer is, but he is still struggling with staying the course. Can any of you reading this relate to that dilemma? Well, if you are breathing and still have blood in your veins, I know you can relate to that situation. How do I know that? Because we are all in the same spiritual war, and the truth is, “we’re not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world; against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits of the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
My friend is in-Christ, which means he is “perfectly equipped” to be “victorious over all the evil schemes of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). But here is the truth: Unless he, or anyone in that same downward spiral, exercises their position of authority over their life, satan will continue to have his way with them. Satan may be a defeated foe, but he is relentless in his effort to stymie the growth and perfection of God’s children. Remember, that is his only way to get back at God, and he is a master at his craft. Even Jesus referred to him as the “Father of Lies” (John 8:44); Apostle Paul referred to “the evil schemes of the devil” (2Corinthians 2:11); and Revelation 12:10 refers to him as “accuser of the brethren.” Do not mistake this truth: at the first chink in our “Armor of God”, satan and his evil minions are there like flies at a picnic ready to wreak havoc with our vulnerability! Satan, the Prince of Darkness, does not want us to move from his domain and experience the love and joy to be found in the Kingdom of Light.
This is a war, a spiritual war for your very soul. Make no mistake about that. Apostle Paul words this perfectly in Ephesians 6:11, 13: “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies and tricks of the devil. Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle, you will still be standing firm! Stand your ground by putting on the sturdy belt of truth…” So what is God’s armor? The Word of God! What is the sturdy belt of truth? The Word of God! Standing on the truth found in The Holy Bible is our only defense against satan’s lies, deception and schemes. This principle cannot be minimized: The only way to combat a lie is by knowing, and standing on, the truth! And what is the Word of God? It is Truth…God’s truth.
Jesus demonstrated this perfectly when he was tempted by satan in the wilderness. Notice Satan’s tactics in his three temptations. Matthew 4:1-11: “Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights He ate nothing and became very hungry. Then the devil came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.” (notice that satan showed up when Jesus was weak from hunger. He challenged His identity and appealed to His physical need.) “Jesus replied, ‘It is written…People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.” (Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3)
“Then the Devil took Him to Jerusalem to the highest point of the Temple and said, ‘If You are the Son of God, Jump off. For the Scriptures say; ‘He orders His angels to protect You. And they will hold You with their hands to keep You from striking Your foot on a stone.” (notice that satan also knows scripture. {Psalm 91:11-12} He challenged Jesus to prove that He was the Son of God; to see if He would trust in the truth of scripture.) “Jesus responded, ‘It is written…Do not test the Lord your God.” (Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16)
“Next satan took Him to the peak of the very high mountain and showed Him the nations of the world and all their glory. ‘I will give it all to You if You will only kneel down and worship me.” (notice satan is appealing to His own pride, envy, and is challenging Him to compromise.) “Get out of here, Satan! For it is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only Him.’ (Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13) Then the devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.” Notice that Jesus preceded each of his responses by stating “it is written.” If that happened three times, that fact is important to copy.
There is NO substitute for knowing the truth of God’s Word. These truths (Scriptures) make up our platform of faith, and we must have a platform of faith on which to stand. And each plank in that platform is a Scripture. There is no getting around this. We are living in a fallen world, and Satan himself is the ruler of this world. Distractions are part of his weaponry: TV, smart phones, computers, social media, worldly entertainment; commercials and advertisement that bombard our minds and numb our senses. Coupled with that, we are living in these fleshly bodies which succumb to titillating presentations that arouse our carnal desires. Unless we’re prepared, before we know it, we are yielding to temptation. This is the world in which we live, and even for the most committed Christ-follower, there are times when we get caught-up in it, just like my friend. It’s not a matter of if…it’s a matter of when. And when that battle ensues, just like the one Apostle Paul talked about earlier, will you still be standing after it is over??
Well…here’s the good news. God wants us to succeed! But he also knows that we can’t overcome our flesh, this fallen world, or satan through our own volition. We proved that from Creation until 2020 years ago (the coming of Jesus). Therefore he gave us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit so we could each become the person He created us to be. This is spelled out in Ephesians 1:14: “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised, and that He has chosen us to be His own people.” Galatians 5:16-18;22-23 tells us why we are already victorious: “So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other and our choices are never free from this conflict. But when we are directed by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer subject to our sin nature. But with the Holy Spirit directing our lives, we will produce this kind of fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
Couple that with these three truths. 1. “Because we are in Christ, He has given us authority over all the evil schemes of the devil. No harm will come to us.” (Luke 10:14) 2. Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But fear not; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Therefore, because we are in Christ, we too have overcome the world. We’re already victorious. We just have to know it, claim it, and stand on it. 3. And 1John 4:4 tells us: “He that is in me (Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in this world.” (satan) We are…ARE…ARE already victorious! We just have to take authority over the defeated enemy, and claim what is rightfully ours, just like Jesus did. “Get behind me, satan!” Or, “It is written…”, followed by one of the scriptures in your platform of faith. Keep doing this and don’t stop. Another truth is, “Satan flees at the name of Jesus.” (James 4:7) So when you rebuke satan, do it in the name of Jesus Christ. You have that right and authority! It’s time to flex your “gifted” spiritual muscle.
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May God Bless You abundantly,
Dan Presgrave, (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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