Bible Studies 8 (For newest Bible Study see "Bible Studies 19")
Why Are We Murmuring? (added 9/17/13)
Last week I had two job interviews. One of them I thought I did well at and had a pretty good chance of getting the job. Yesterday I found out they passed on me. I hate to admit it, but my very first reaction was one of disappointment and I even said something like, “That’s a bummer. I can’t believe this.” I had to quickly repent of my “murmurings” and ask forgiveness from God. He lovingly, and rightfully, chastised me and reminded me of a few things:
* I prayed and asked for HIS will. Not mine.
* His will is perfect.
* He is in control. Not me.
* I must serve Him and let Him lead me in His timing and direction.
* I would not have been happy in that job.
The Bible says God is “righteous in all His ways” and His thoughts are above our thoughts (Psalm 145:17, Isaiah 55:9). When I tell my Father I trust Him and ask for His will to be done, who am I to then say, “God I don’t think you’re handling this right. I’ll take charge of it for now.” That is at least until I mess it up again!
We (and I’m talking about us, yes we “Christians”) murmur (complain, grumble) just like the Jews when God delivered them out of bondage to the Egyptians. We complain about our job, our life, our finances, our food, our clothes, our car, our faith, our house, and on and on and on. We are never satisfied and truly thankful.
Exodus 5-15 is the story of how God delivered the nation of Israel out of the hands of Pharaoh by performing 10 miracles (in the form of 10 plagues each of which demonstrated God’s power and control over the Egyptian gods). Then He caused the Red Sea to part to allow the children of Israel to cross the sea on dry land and Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the sea when God caused it to close back up. The people murmured because they were thirsty, against Moses and Aaron, because they were hungry, against God, etc… (Exodus 15:24, 16:2, 3, 8). This is a people who had miracles performed in front of them and for them: The 10 plagues, crossing the Red Sea, water out of rocks, food from heaven, more birds than they could eat miraculously appearing yet the people never appreciated all God did for them. They continually complained and whined, never being satisfied.
When will we learn God only wants what’s best for us and He knows what’s best for us? In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus said, “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
I am not saying we will not have difficulties and go through trials and tribulations, but we need to continually strive to be like Paul: content in all things, in all circumstances. He said in Philippians 4:11-12, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” You see Paul understood what we really need to come to terms with, that which we really need to grasp: Nothing matters except God. We are here because of Him and we are here to serve Him (Psalm 139, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Joshua 24:15).
One thing to remember: We have something the children of Israel did not have. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-8)! God dwells in us. He equips us to overcome all temptation and to conquer every emotion (Romans 8:37-38, John 16:33, Ephesians 1:12-14, 1 John 4:4)
And finally Psalm 23 is an excellent way to close this study. It reminds us to rest in the Lord, to not live in fear, that we are anointed for His work, to know God will supply all of our needs and protect us from the enemy, and that we will live in the house of the Lord forever.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Now that’s a pretty good reason not to murmur. :-)
Last week I had two job interviews. One of them I thought I did well at and had a pretty good chance of getting the job. Yesterday I found out they passed on me. I hate to admit it, but my very first reaction was one of disappointment and I even said something like, “That’s a bummer. I can’t believe this.” I had to quickly repent of my “murmurings” and ask forgiveness from God. He lovingly, and rightfully, chastised me and reminded me of a few things:
* I prayed and asked for HIS will. Not mine.
* His will is perfect.
* He is in control. Not me.
* I must serve Him and let Him lead me in His timing and direction.
* I would not have been happy in that job.
The Bible says God is “righteous in all His ways” and His thoughts are above our thoughts (Psalm 145:17, Isaiah 55:9). When I tell my Father I trust Him and ask for His will to be done, who am I to then say, “God I don’t think you’re handling this right. I’ll take charge of it for now.” That is at least until I mess it up again!
We (and I’m talking about us, yes we “Christians”) murmur (complain, grumble) just like the Jews when God delivered them out of bondage to the Egyptians. We complain about our job, our life, our finances, our food, our clothes, our car, our faith, our house, and on and on and on. We are never satisfied and truly thankful.
Exodus 5-15 is the story of how God delivered the nation of Israel out of the hands of Pharaoh by performing 10 miracles (in the form of 10 plagues each of which demonstrated God’s power and control over the Egyptian gods). Then He caused the Red Sea to part to allow the children of Israel to cross the sea on dry land and Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the sea when God caused it to close back up. The people murmured because they were thirsty, against Moses and Aaron, because they were hungry, against God, etc… (Exodus 15:24, 16:2, 3, 8). This is a people who had miracles performed in front of them and for them: The 10 plagues, crossing the Red Sea, water out of rocks, food from heaven, more birds than they could eat miraculously appearing yet the people never appreciated all God did for them. They continually complained and whined, never being satisfied.
When will we learn God only wants what’s best for us and He knows what’s best for us? In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus said, “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
I am not saying we will not have difficulties and go through trials and tribulations, but we need to continually strive to be like Paul: content in all things, in all circumstances. He said in Philippians 4:11-12, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” You see Paul understood what we really need to come to terms with, that which we really need to grasp: Nothing matters except God. We are here because of Him and we are here to serve Him (Psalm 139, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Joshua 24:15).
One thing to remember: We have something the children of Israel did not have. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-8)! God dwells in us. He equips us to overcome all temptation and to conquer every emotion (Romans 8:37-38, John 16:33, Ephesians 1:12-14, 1 John 4:4)
And finally Psalm 23 is an excellent way to close this study. It reminds us to rest in the Lord, to not live in fear, that we are anointed for His work, to know God will supply all of our needs and protect us from the enemy, and that we will live in the house of the Lord forever.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Now that’s a pretty good reason not to murmur. :-)
What is Being Stolen from You? (added 10/13/13)
This is one of the hardest things I have ever admitted. I have never told anyone this. Until this week I have always believed I was not worthy to be counted among our Nation’s Warriors. Since I never heard a shot fired in anger and since I did not achieve the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, but retired one grade lower, I have always felt like I did not measure up. Please don’t get me wrong. I served honorably and retired after 21 years. I repaired fighting aircraft and I was an instructor who taught others how to repair aircraft and how to save each other’s lives and limbs. I was a Senior Master Sergeant who was a Shop Chief, Line Chief, Flight Chief, and when I retired I was being groomed to become a Maintenance Superintendent (Chief Master Sergeant position in charge of all maintenance and all enlisted troops in a 400-man unit) and would’ve made Chief in the next cycle or two. I always performed my duties to the very best of my ability.
Why am I admitting this? Because all this time Satan has been stealing my life. My whole life I always felt I didn’t quite measure up. That is one reason I retired when I did. I thought I wouldn’t be a good Chief. That I wouldn’t be able to measure up and do the job. And this is not the only area of my life he has done this. Every aspect, every facet of my life has been affected. In John 10:10 Jesus says “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Well, that’s what the enemy, Satan, has been doing my whole life: Stealing, killing, and destroying my peace of mind, my joy, my life. Satan is pure evil and he deceives and distorts the truth. And I didn’t even realize he was doing it. Sad huh?
So, why am I admitting this? What do I hope to accomplish by writing this out? I am admitting this “out loud” because I am fed up! Fed up with Satan and his lies! And I refuse to live under bondage to him anymore! And I am praying you too will look deep inside and find that which he is stealing from you. What is he stealing from you? Is it your health, peace of mind, joy, relationships, love, finances, your very salvation? Take it back!!! Take control of your life back.
Easy to say huh? :-) How do we go about doing that? Well, the answer is easier than the execution. We’ll find the answer right there in John 10:10 if we continue to read the verse and don’t get caught up on what the enemy is doing. The second part of that verse (remember Jesus is still speaking) says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Jesus gives us the answer right there. He is the answer.
Satan tries to control our thoughts and minds through his lies and deception. Ephesians 6:12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” And 2 Corinthians 10:4 says “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” So, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his evil spirits for control of our very minds. Satan knows if he can control our thoughts, he can keep us from remaining in God’s presence under His mighty authority, and thereby he can keep us from becoming the Men and Women of God our Creator has designed each of us to be. Satan keeps us from doing our Father’s business.
In Mark 8 Jesus told His disciples that He was going to be rejected, suffer, and die and Peter rebuked Him (to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand) and said he would not allow it. So Jesus “rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” And in Matthew 4 after Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days fasting Satan came and tempted Him. Jesus did not allow Satan’s temptations and lies to enter into His mind, but instead He rebuked him and stood on God’s holy Word quoting scriptures. Jesus countered and conquered Satan’s lies and deceptions with biblical truth – with what God says.
Anything that is contrary to what God says is a lie. So, what can we do, and what does God say about us? Let’s explore shall we?
First we need to do exactly what Jesus did to Satan when he tried to speak through Peter and also when he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. We need to not listen to him, but instead rebuke him and stand on scripture.
There is nothing more powerful on the face of this earth than the Word of God being spoken by a Believer. We have been given authority from God and His Son, Jesus to proclaim the Word of God in Praise and Prayer. We are instructed to use God's Word to defeat the enemy and all forces that are aligned against us.
In her book “While America Sleeps … the Coming Judgment” my Aunt Helaine Mercer wrote "We are equipped with God’s own Holy Ghost power from upon high. We now have been given power to bind Satan (the strongman) through God’s Word using the authority of Jesus’ name, and through the provisional force of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 16:19, 'And I will give unto thee (us) the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' We, Christian believers, have been given all authority over the wicked one.”
So when you pray here would be an example: “Satan I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. God’s word says that I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me and that I have all power over the enemy and nothing will hurt me. So, I claim victory in Jesus’ name and I declare healing and restoration of my mind. I will not listen to the lies of Satan any longer, but I will sing unto my King a new song and I will glory in the promises of God I find in His Word. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.”
We must resolve in our minds we will fight Satan at every turn, on every subject, in any moment. We cannot, we must not, allow him to continue to lie, and deceive, and destroy our lives. So please stand on God’s promises and on His Word. We are to have victory over Satan in all circumstances.
Here are quite a few scriptures I pulled up that describe who we are in God, in Jesus, and how much power and might we have in Jesus:
* 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (I really like this one.)
* Proverbs 2:7 “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity.”
* Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
* 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
* John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
* Revelation 3:21. “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
* Psalms 44:5, “Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.”
* Luke 10:19, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.”
* Romans 8:5-6, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
* Romans 8:15-17, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
* 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
* Colossians 2:13-15 “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
* 1 John 3:8 “The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
* 1 John 4:4 “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
* Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
* Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
* Job 23:10 "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
* Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Satan Worship and the Occult (added 12/18/13)
(*** Update on 12-22-16 There is GREAT news concerning my loved one. He submitted to God and accepted Jesus into his heart and is now living for Christ. NEVER give up on someone! God doesn't. Jesus doesn't. The Holy Spirit doesn't. Always continue to lift them up in prayer and petition before God. God performs miracles every single moment.)
My world just got rocked. Someone I am very close to and who I love very much just told me he was into Satan worship and the occult. Wow! Blew my mind!
I talked with him at length about his beliefs and about Jesus. And we discussed the consequences of different paths we choose. In my mind this was BAAAAD news! I did not want to hear this. But then I got to thinking…
No matter how insidious Satan worship and the occult are, no matter how much he is able to take control of one of his followers, no matter how deeply he is able to control their minds and their actions, is this really very much different than someone who is just lost anyway? Don’t get me wrong. I am very, very afraid for my loved one’s soul and it hurts me all the way deep into my core, in my spirit, to think about what he’s into and where he’s headed. But is his ultimate eternity (if he doesn’t accept Jesus and repent of his sins) any different than those whose sins may not be so “bad?” Whose sins may be just “little white lies” or someone who just “takes what is owed to me” (you know when they steal from their employer or someone else) or someone who was a “good person,” but never really accepted Jesus as their Savior before they passed away? Are these different people really all that different?
When a person is not living their life for Jesus, it is real easy for them (read that as “us”) to be led down the wrong path.
So, what is the wrong path? Like I’ve written before, anything that takes your focus off of Jesus and serving Him is the wrong path. If you allow anyone or anything to be what you strive for, what you love most, what you cherish and “worship” then you are serving that person or that object as your god, as your master.
The first three of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-7) are commandments concerning sinning against God. They are:
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (this is called blasphemy: using God’s name or Jesus’ name as a curse word, an expletive or in phrases like “OMG” – like an exclamatory remark - all blasphemy); for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
In other words, we are not to put anything or anyone ahead of God in our priorities, time, and devotion. We are to worship Him alone. Matthew 6:24 in the Amplified Bible tells us, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).” Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In this we see sin separates us from God and condemns us to eternity without God. To eternity in hell.
How then do we live for Jesus in this fast-paced, fallen, lonely world which does its best (through Satan and his pawns) to beat us up and break us down? We live faith-to-faith as Paul says in Romans 1:17 “For in it (the gospel of Christ) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” This means we go from moment to moment as we are guided by the Holy Spirit, placing our complete trust and faith in Jesus and His saving grace and love to get us through each moment, every thought, deed, remark – EVERY, EVERY, EVERY thing that tries to keep us from His glorious love and presence. We are given strength in our weakness by our Lord and we can do all things though the strength He supplies for us (2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13).
There two verses I absolutely love and I want to share with you.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” In other words we must bring into obedience every thought in our minds BEFORE we allow the thought to cause us to sin. We do not have to be controlled by Satan. WE decide how we will react to someone or something. What we will do, see, say, think, etc… WE make the choice who we will serve. Who are you serving?
This is one of the hardest things I have ever admitted. I have never told anyone this. Until this week I have always believed I was not worthy to be counted among our Nation’s Warriors. Since I never heard a shot fired in anger and since I did not achieve the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, but retired one grade lower, I have always felt like I did not measure up. Please don’t get me wrong. I served honorably and retired after 21 years. I repaired fighting aircraft and I was an instructor who taught others how to repair aircraft and how to save each other’s lives and limbs. I was a Senior Master Sergeant who was a Shop Chief, Line Chief, Flight Chief, and when I retired I was being groomed to become a Maintenance Superintendent (Chief Master Sergeant position in charge of all maintenance and all enlisted troops in a 400-man unit) and would’ve made Chief in the next cycle or two. I always performed my duties to the very best of my ability.
Why am I admitting this? Because all this time Satan has been stealing my life. My whole life I always felt I didn’t quite measure up. That is one reason I retired when I did. I thought I wouldn’t be a good Chief. That I wouldn’t be able to measure up and do the job. And this is not the only area of my life he has done this. Every aspect, every facet of my life has been affected. In John 10:10 Jesus says “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Well, that’s what the enemy, Satan, has been doing my whole life: Stealing, killing, and destroying my peace of mind, my joy, my life. Satan is pure evil and he deceives and distorts the truth. And I didn’t even realize he was doing it. Sad huh?
So, why am I admitting this? What do I hope to accomplish by writing this out? I am admitting this “out loud” because I am fed up! Fed up with Satan and his lies! And I refuse to live under bondage to him anymore! And I am praying you too will look deep inside and find that which he is stealing from you. What is he stealing from you? Is it your health, peace of mind, joy, relationships, love, finances, your very salvation? Take it back!!! Take control of your life back.
Easy to say huh? :-) How do we go about doing that? Well, the answer is easier than the execution. We’ll find the answer right there in John 10:10 if we continue to read the verse and don’t get caught up on what the enemy is doing. The second part of that verse (remember Jesus is still speaking) says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Jesus gives us the answer right there. He is the answer.
Satan tries to control our thoughts and minds through his lies and deception. Ephesians 6:12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” And 2 Corinthians 10:4 says “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” So, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his evil spirits for control of our very minds. Satan knows if he can control our thoughts, he can keep us from remaining in God’s presence under His mighty authority, and thereby he can keep us from becoming the Men and Women of God our Creator has designed each of us to be. Satan keeps us from doing our Father’s business.
In Mark 8 Jesus told His disciples that He was going to be rejected, suffer, and die and Peter rebuked Him (to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand) and said he would not allow it. So Jesus “rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” And in Matthew 4 after Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days fasting Satan came and tempted Him. Jesus did not allow Satan’s temptations and lies to enter into His mind, but instead He rebuked him and stood on God’s holy Word quoting scriptures. Jesus countered and conquered Satan’s lies and deceptions with biblical truth – with what God says.
Anything that is contrary to what God says is a lie. So, what can we do, and what does God say about us? Let’s explore shall we?
First we need to do exactly what Jesus did to Satan when he tried to speak through Peter and also when he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. We need to not listen to him, but instead rebuke him and stand on scripture.
There is nothing more powerful on the face of this earth than the Word of God being spoken by a Believer. We have been given authority from God and His Son, Jesus to proclaim the Word of God in Praise and Prayer. We are instructed to use God's Word to defeat the enemy and all forces that are aligned against us.
In her book “While America Sleeps … the Coming Judgment” my Aunt Helaine Mercer wrote "We are equipped with God’s own Holy Ghost power from upon high. We now have been given power to bind Satan (the strongman) through God’s Word using the authority of Jesus’ name, and through the provisional force of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 16:19, 'And I will give unto thee (us) the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' We, Christian believers, have been given all authority over the wicked one.”
So when you pray here would be an example: “Satan I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. God’s word says that I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me and that I have all power over the enemy and nothing will hurt me. So, I claim victory in Jesus’ name and I declare healing and restoration of my mind. I will not listen to the lies of Satan any longer, but I will sing unto my King a new song and I will glory in the promises of God I find in His Word. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.”
We must resolve in our minds we will fight Satan at every turn, on every subject, in any moment. We cannot, we must not, allow him to continue to lie, and deceive, and destroy our lives. So please stand on God’s promises and on His Word. We are to have victory over Satan in all circumstances.
Here are quite a few scriptures I pulled up that describe who we are in God, in Jesus, and how much power and might we have in Jesus:
* 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (I really like this one.)
* Proverbs 2:7 “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity.”
* Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
* 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
* John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
* Revelation 3:21. “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
* Psalms 44:5, “Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.”
* Luke 10:19, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.”
* Romans 8:5-6, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
* Romans 8:15-17, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
* 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
* Colossians 2:13-15 “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
* 1 John 3:8 “The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
* 1 John 4:4 “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
* Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
* Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
* Job 23:10 "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
* Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Satan Worship and the Occult (added 12/18/13)
(*** Update on 12-22-16 There is GREAT news concerning my loved one. He submitted to God and accepted Jesus into his heart and is now living for Christ. NEVER give up on someone! God doesn't. Jesus doesn't. The Holy Spirit doesn't. Always continue to lift them up in prayer and petition before God. God performs miracles every single moment.)
My world just got rocked. Someone I am very close to and who I love very much just told me he was into Satan worship and the occult. Wow! Blew my mind!
I talked with him at length about his beliefs and about Jesus. And we discussed the consequences of different paths we choose. In my mind this was BAAAAD news! I did not want to hear this. But then I got to thinking…
No matter how insidious Satan worship and the occult are, no matter how much he is able to take control of one of his followers, no matter how deeply he is able to control their minds and their actions, is this really very much different than someone who is just lost anyway? Don’t get me wrong. I am very, very afraid for my loved one’s soul and it hurts me all the way deep into my core, in my spirit, to think about what he’s into and where he’s headed. But is his ultimate eternity (if he doesn’t accept Jesus and repent of his sins) any different than those whose sins may not be so “bad?” Whose sins may be just “little white lies” or someone who just “takes what is owed to me” (you know when they steal from their employer or someone else) or someone who was a “good person,” but never really accepted Jesus as their Savior before they passed away? Are these different people really all that different?
When a person is not living their life for Jesus, it is real easy for them (read that as “us”) to be led down the wrong path.
So, what is the wrong path? Like I’ve written before, anything that takes your focus off of Jesus and serving Him is the wrong path. If you allow anyone or anything to be what you strive for, what you love most, what you cherish and “worship” then you are serving that person or that object as your god, as your master.
The first three of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-7) are commandments concerning sinning against God. They are:
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (this is called blasphemy: using God’s name or Jesus’ name as a curse word, an expletive or in phrases like “OMG” – like an exclamatory remark - all blasphemy); for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
In other words, we are not to put anything or anyone ahead of God in our priorities, time, and devotion. We are to worship Him alone. Matthew 6:24 in the Amplified Bible tells us, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).” Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In this we see sin separates us from God and condemns us to eternity without God. To eternity in hell.
How then do we live for Jesus in this fast-paced, fallen, lonely world which does its best (through Satan and his pawns) to beat us up and break us down? We live faith-to-faith as Paul says in Romans 1:17 “For in it (the gospel of Christ) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” This means we go from moment to moment as we are guided by the Holy Spirit, placing our complete trust and faith in Jesus and His saving grace and love to get us through each moment, every thought, deed, remark – EVERY, EVERY, EVERY thing that tries to keep us from His glorious love and presence. We are given strength in our weakness by our Lord and we can do all things though the strength He supplies for us (2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13).
There two verses I absolutely love and I want to share with you.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” In other words we must bring into obedience every thought in our minds BEFORE we allow the thought to cause us to sin. We do not have to be controlled by Satan. WE decide how we will react to someone or something. What we will do, see, say, think, etc… WE make the choice who we will serve. Who are you serving?
