Sunday, September 15, 2013
Messages From Heaven: How You Can Win Against Satan?
Messages From Heaven: How You Can Win Against Satan?: There is an important truth I want you to know to be spiritually victorious throughout your life. It is simply this: You are under spiri...
How You Can Win Against Satan?
There is an important truth I want you to know to be spiritually victorious throughout your life. It is simply this:
The Bible teaches that every Christian is under spiritual attack. Scripture tells us we are aliens in this world, and Satan, as the ruler of this world, is constantly seeking the spiritual demise of every Christian.
If you think you are at home in this world, you have been misled. Do you realize that to embrace the values of the world is to place yourself in hostility toward God (James 4:4)? The world's values are not eternal, but temporal. And to embrace those values aligns you with the values of Satan himself.
But, if you are walking with God, embracing eternal values, you are secure against Satan and his attacks because of your relationship with Christ. Christ has already won the victory and Satan knows that.
But there is a danger when you realize the position you have in Christ. It is easy to seem invincible. After all, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you indeed are in Christ.
This may lead you to ask, "What else could I possibly need? He is my portion, isn't He? He has overcome the world, hasn't He?"
The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" I want to assure you, as long as you are walking with Christ, you have nothing to worry about. You indeed are secure in Him.
But this can create a complacency that is so dangerous. Here’s why:
Now, if Satan has declared war, then the sensible thing to do would be to find out just as much as we can about our enemy, how he is likely to attack us, and how we can overcome him.
The first place to start is with a right perspective. One big problem in the church today is that many get so worried about the devil that they see demons behind every bush. That is a wrong perspective.
"Oh, I have a spirit of lust, of greed, of desire. I'm being attacked by this and attacked by that." While the war Satan has declared is very real, not everything wrong in your life can be blamed on Satan.
So what is the right perspective? And how do we become victorious in our fight against Satan?
The right perspective is to understand you are indeed under spiritual attack…but you can be victorious!
That victory begins with what the Bible tells us in James 4:7: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Too often as we find ourselves battling Satan, we simply fail to resist him. While he's always looking for the perfect opportunity to tempt you and me with something attractive, something seemingly irresistible, he only wins when we play his game.
So the first principle is this:
Submit to God…and resist the devil. Make that your habit.
You are under spiritual attack…in an all out spiritual war…as Satan does all he can to cause you spiritual defeat.Whether you realize it or not, you live in a spiritual war zone. It's a battle for your heart and soul.
The Bible teaches that every Christian is under spiritual attack. Scripture tells us we are aliens in this world, and Satan, as the ruler of this world, is constantly seeking the spiritual demise of every Christian.
If you think you are at home in this world, you have been misled. Do you realize that to embrace the values of the world is to place yourself in hostility toward God (James 4:4)? The world's values are not eternal, but temporal. And to embrace those values aligns you with the values of Satan himself.
But, if you are walking with God, embracing eternal values, you are secure against Satan and his attacks because of your relationship with Christ. Christ has already won the victory and Satan knows that.
But there is a danger when you realize the position you have in Christ. It is easy to seem invincible. After all, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you indeed are in Christ.
This may lead you to ask, "What else could I possibly need? He is my portion, isn't He? He has overcome the world, hasn't He?"
The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" I want to assure you, as long as you are walking with Christ, you have nothing to worry about. You indeed are secure in Him.
But this can create a complacency that is so dangerous. Here’s why:
Too frequently we are lured, enticed, or dragged away from Christ through the deception of Satan. The devil bombards our thoughts, our desires, our emotions in almost imperceptible ways, and we get tricked or seduced into believing his lies.This is where the battle takes place. Satan will do all in his power to pull you away from walking in Christ and His victory. This battle is very real…and the reason why so many Christians today live in defeat and lack the joy God intends for them.
Now, if Satan has declared war, then the sensible thing to do would be to find out just as much as we can about our enemy, how he is likely to attack us, and how we can overcome him.
The first place to start is with a right perspective. One big problem in the church today is that many get so worried about the devil that they see demons behind every bush. That is a wrong perspective.
"Oh, I have a spirit of lust, of greed, of desire. I'm being attacked by this and attacked by that." While the war Satan has declared is very real, not everything wrong in your life can be blamed on Satan.
So what is the right perspective? And how do we become victorious in our fight against Satan?
The right perspective is to understand you are indeed under spiritual attack…but you can be victorious!
That victory begins with what the Bible tells us in James 4:7: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Too often as we find ourselves battling Satan, we simply fail to resist him. While he's always looking for the perfect opportunity to tempt you and me with something attractive, something seemingly irresistible, he only wins when we play his game.
So the first principle is this:
We must submit to God, and we must resist the devil, or we are sure to fail.Satan has his eyes fixed squarely on you. He has you in his sights. In fact, you may feel that you're always under attack. And you may feel like you are constantly failing in the battle. Here is my challenge to you:
Submit to God…and resist the devil. Make that your habit.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Messages From Heaven: The End of the World As We Know It?
Messages From Heaven: The End of the World As We Know It?: Like many others on the morning of September 11, 2001, I turned on the television to see the World Trade Center on fire. Was it an acci...
The End of the World As We Know It?
Like many others on the morning of September 11, 2001, I turned on
the television to see the World Trade Center on fire. Was it an
accident? But when the second plane crashed into the other tower, it
became clear that this was no accident. It was a terrorist attack on
the United States. Then to hear that the Pentagon had been hit...and
then to see the World Trade Center collapse...what seemed like the
impossible unfolded before our very eyes.
The inevitable question arises after a tragedy like this: "Why?" Some have even asked, "Why did God allow this to happen?" But God did not do this at all. This was done by the wicked heart of man, because deep inside, humanity is twisted and sick spiritually. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (NKJV).
When God created humans, He gave us something called a free will. This means that we all have the ability to choose right or wrong. You might say that free will is our greatest blessing, and in other ways, it is our greatest curse. We were uniquely created in the image of God Himself and have been given this ability to choose. But we usually make the wrong choices.
If you don't believe the human heart is wicked, then visit the Yad Vashem in Israel, a museum dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews who were senselessly slaughtered by Hitler and the Nazis.
If you don't believe the human heart is wicked, then recall the reactions when the news of the attacks reached Osama bin Laden, who thanked "almighty Allah," and some Palestinians, who rejoiced and danced in the streets.
If you don't believe the human heart is wicked, then take a long look at what you saw on September 11, 2001.
Some well-meaning but misguided people might say these events must have been God's will. I disagree. It wasn't God who did this. It was Satan, working in concert with wicked man, who did this. The Bible tells us that the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). Satan did this through wicked people who were bent on destruction.
What should we do as we see horrible things happening? Jesus gives us some important answers in Luke 21. He says: "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (v. 28 NKJV). It's a reminder that He is coming soon.
In light of that fact, how should we be living? We find the answer a few verses later: "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come upon you unexpectedly" (v. 34).
This means that if you are waiting for the return of the Lord, you need to be living a godly life. You don't want to be doing something that is displeasing to God. Instead, you want to have your life right with Him.
In His Word, God has given us His warning about these things. Each of us must ask ourselves: Am I doing anything that I would be ashamed to be doing if Jesus Christ were to come back tonight? If the answer is yes, then you need to stop doing it right now. The Bible says that He will come again to those who are looking for Him.
Is it the end of the world as we know it? Only God knows that. But I will tell you this much: It was the end of many people's world on September 11, 2001. What if you died tonight? What if Jesus came back today?
That is why you want to be ready. That is why you need to be sure you're right with God. You don't know when death will come or when Jesus will return. The Bible says that we don't know "the day or the hour the Son of Man is coming" (Matthew 25:13). Be ready to go. All of the time.
The inevitable question arises after a tragedy like this: "Why?" Some have even asked, "Why did God allow this to happen?" But God did not do this at all. This was done by the wicked heart of man, because deep inside, humanity is twisted and sick spiritually. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (NKJV).
When God created humans, He gave us something called a free will. This means that we all have the ability to choose right or wrong. You might say that free will is our greatest blessing, and in other ways, it is our greatest curse. We were uniquely created in the image of God Himself and have been given this ability to choose. But we usually make the wrong choices.
If you don't believe the human heart is wicked, then visit the Yad Vashem in Israel, a museum dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews who were senselessly slaughtered by Hitler and the Nazis.
If you don't believe the human heart is wicked, then recall the reactions when the news of the attacks reached Osama bin Laden, who thanked "almighty Allah," and some Palestinians, who rejoiced and danced in the streets.
If you don't believe the human heart is wicked, then take a long look at what you saw on September 11, 2001.
Some well-meaning but misguided people might say these events must have been God's will. I disagree. It wasn't God who did this. It was Satan, working in concert with wicked man, who did this. The Bible tells us that the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). Satan did this through wicked people who were bent on destruction.
What should we do as we see horrible things happening? Jesus gives us some important answers in Luke 21. He says: "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (v. 28 NKJV). It's a reminder that He is coming soon.
In light of that fact, how should we be living? We find the answer a few verses later: "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come upon you unexpectedly" (v. 34).
This means that if you are waiting for the return of the Lord, you need to be living a godly life. You don't want to be doing something that is displeasing to God. Instead, you want to have your life right with Him.
In His Word, God has given us His warning about these things. Each of us must ask ourselves: Am I doing anything that I would be ashamed to be doing if Jesus Christ were to come back tonight? If the answer is yes, then you need to stop doing it right now. The Bible says that He will come again to those who are looking for Him.
Is it the end of the world as we know it? Only God knows that. But I will tell you this much: It was the end of many people's world on September 11, 2001. What if you died tonight? What if Jesus came back today?
That is why you want to be ready. That is why you need to be sure you're right with God. You don't know when death will come or when Jesus will return. The Bible says that we don't know "the day or the hour the Son of Man is coming" (Matthew 25:13). Be ready to go. All of the time.
Messages From Heaven: Contentment - When Enough Is Enough!
Messages From Heaven: Contentment - When Enough Is Enough!: At some point, we all get caught up in our own misguided attempts to find peace and contentment by working ourselves to death. Reminds me ...
Contentment - When Enough Is Enough!
At some point, we all get caught up in our own misguided attempts to find peace and contentment by working ourselves to death.
Reminds me of the tycoon who encountered a fisherman just soaking in the sunset.
“Why aren’t you out fishing?” the tycoon asked.
“Cause, I’ve caught all the fish I need for today.”
“Well, why don’t you go out and catch more? Make a profit, buy a bigger boat, hire more men, become wealthy. Then you could just sit and watch sunsets.”
“What do you think I’m doing now?”
Contentment: Found and Lost
We were created by God to be content in our knowledge of Him and the world He provided, as Genesis suggests our first parents were. But when Satan tempted them with the possibility of becoming more than they were created to be — becoming as wise as God — the idea of being just a plain, content, human creature was no longer satisfying.
Ever since, man has been on a search for contentment. St. Augustine got it exactly right when he said, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” True contentment only comes when we reconnect with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Let’s face it — it’s a challenge to stay contented these days. Physically, we know we’re not one of the “beautiful people” (but would love to be). Emotionally, we live lives of stress, hard work, dirty diapers, and bills to pay (but wish we didn’t). Materially, we’re afraid we’re never going to “move on up to the East side and finally get our piece of the pie” (but wish we would). And spiritually we feel guilty for not being satisfied physically, emotionally, or materially. It’s a vicious circle.
I’m not rehearsing the evidence of our discontent to make us feel bad. I’m doing it to point us in the direction of true contentment.
Contentment Is...
I believe the most complete passage in Scripture on this subject is Philippians 4:10-20. The amazing reality about this passage on contentment is that Paul wrote it while in prison for his faith. Here’s his key thought: “...I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content...[for] my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (verses 11, 19).
1. Contentment is learned behavior. We learn to be content like babies learn to walk. And such an unnatural disposition is only by supernatural grace. With a spouse, good friend, or small study group, you must learn to resist, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the discontentment of our age; or you will be swept up in it and live an agitated life.
2. Contentment is not dependent on circumstances. If Paul can learn to be content regardless of circumstance, we can, too. The same Holy Spirit who indwelt him indwells us. The same fruit of the Spirit — peace and self-control — that were manifest in his life can be manifest in ours.
Discontent desires more — bigger, better, faster, newer, more comfortable. That is deception. If you are not content in challenging circumstances, the contentment you think you feel in other circumstances is not contentment but simply your satisfaction that things are momentarily the way you think they should be.
3. Contentment is a state of being, not a state of doing. Our flesh only feels content when we are doing. Being, however, does not end — it is not tied to activity. Paul said he had learned to “be content,” not “do contentment.”
4. Contentment is based on the riches of God in Christ Jesus. The Bible says that everything we need to complete our journey from earth to heaven will be supplied by God. Therefore, everything we feel discontented about is likely not something we need in order to make and complete that journey.
There’s nothing wrong with possessing things. But there is something wrong if we can’t be content without them. May God speak to your heart and help you seek, and find, contentment in Him.
Reminds me of the tycoon who encountered a fisherman just soaking in the sunset.
“Why aren’t you out fishing?” the tycoon asked.
“Cause, I’ve caught all the fish I need for today.”
“Well, why don’t you go out and catch more? Make a profit, buy a bigger boat, hire more men, become wealthy. Then you could just sit and watch sunsets.”
“What do you think I’m doing now?”
Contentment: Found and Lost
We were created by God to be content in our knowledge of Him and the world He provided, as Genesis suggests our first parents were. But when Satan tempted them with the possibility of becoming more than they were created to be — becoming as wise as God — the idea of being just a plain, content, human creature was no longer satisfying.
Ever since, man has been on a search for contentment. St. Augustine got it exactly right when he said, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” True contentment only comes when we reconnect with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Let’s face it — it’s a challenge to stay contented these days. Physically, we know we’re not one of the “beautiful people” (but would love to be). Emotionally, we live lives of stress, hard work, dirty diapers, and bills to pay (but wish we didn’t). Materially, we’re afraid we’re never going to “move on up to the East side and finally get our piece of the pie” (but wish we would). And spiritually we feel guilty for not being satisfied physically, emotionally, or materially. It’s a vicious circle.
I’m not rehearsing the evidence of our discontent to make us feel bad. I’m doing it to point us in the direction of true contentment.
Contentment Is...
I believe the most complete passage in Scripture on this subject is Philippians 4:10-20. The amazing reality about this passage on contentment is that Paul wrote it while in prison for his faith. Here’s his key thought: “...I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content...[for] my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (verses 11, 19).
1. Contentment is learned behavior. We learn to be content like babies learn to walk. And such an unnatural disposition is only by supernatural grace. With a spouse, good friend, or small study group, you must learn to resist, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the discontentment of our age; or you will be swept up in it and live an agitated life.
2. Contentment is not dependent on circumstances. If Paul can learn to be content regardless of circumstance, we can, too. The same Holy Spirit who indwelt him indwells us. The same fruit of the Spirit — peace and self-control — that were manifest in his life can be manifest in ours.
Discontent desires more — bigger, better, faster, newer, more comfortable. That is deception. If you are not content in challenging circumstances, the contentment you think you feel in other circumstances is not contentment but simply your satisfaction that things are momentarily the way you think they should be.
3. Contentment is a state of being, not a state of doing. Our flesh only feels content when we are doing. Being, however, does not end — it is not tied to activity. Paul said he had learned to “be content,” not “do contentment.”
4. Contentment is based on the riches of God in Christ Jesus. The Bible says that everything we need to complete our journey from earth to heaven will be supplied by God. Therefore, everything we feel discontented about is likely not something we need in order to make and complete that journey.
There’s nothing wrong with possessing things. But there is something wrong if we can’t be content without them. May God speak to your heart and help you seek, and find, contentment in Him.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Heaven in Deed - Assurance of Ownership!
As Christians, we’ve been given a genuine deed to heaven—the promise
of eternal life, an inheritance, and a mansion that can never be
foreclosed on. Our ownership in Christ is documented in the Word of God,
and our names are registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life. But many
Christians fear that a thief—the devil—is going to rob them of their
title deed. They have little assurance of ownership.
Paul’s attitude was, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12). “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Job said: “I know that... after my skin is destroyed... that in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25-26).
The Promise of Eternal Life
Jesus gives us the promise of eternal life in John 10:28: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Our salvation is guaranteed because Christ himself paid the price. He “purchased (us) with His own blood” (Acts 20:28) once for all—“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). He said, “I give them eternal life.” No mights, ifs, ands, or buts.
The Protection of Eternal Life
We also have the protection of eternal life: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we’re placed in His hand. And His hand is in the hand of the Father, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29).
We’re in a hand within a hand—safely enclosed in the hand of Christ, and the hand of Christ is securely encased in the hand of the Father. No one can pluck us out of those omnipotent fingers!
The Psalmist said, “Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” But we can say, “Because I am in His right hand, I shall not be moved”—not moved, afraid, insecure, or worried.
The Proof of Eternal Life
How, then, can you know you have eternal life? In John 10:27, we read, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Christians are not perfect, and all of us do sin along the way. But genuine Christians hear His voice and follow Him. As a Christian, when you know God has told you to do something, you do it. If we love Him, we’ll keep His commandments. A person who is genuinely saved is going to obediently hear what the Lord says.
God has given us His Word to assure us of our relationship with Him so that we may walk as Christians with confidence, knowing that our salvation is in Him. The aged apostle John put it this way at the end of his first epistle: “This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life…. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11, 13).
Your heavenly home was bought for a price, and that payment results in a title deed that can never be lost through foreclosure. You can go joyfully into your day’s activities and rest peacefully tonight knowing that your salvation is secure and your home in heaven is being prepared for you! “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14).
Paul’s attitude was, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12). “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Job said: “I know that... after my skin is destroyed... that in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25-26).
The Promise of Eternal Life
Jesus gives us the promise of eternal life in John 10:28: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Our salvation is guaranteed because Christ himself paid the price. He “purchased (us) with His own blood” (Acts 20:28) once for all—“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). He said, “I give them eternal life.” No mights, ifs, ands, or buts.
The Protection of Eternal Life
We also have the protection of eternal life: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we’re placed in His hand. And His hand is in the hand of the Father, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29).
We’re in a hand within a hand—safely enclosed in the hand of Christ, and the hand of Christ is securely encased in the hand of the Father. No one can pluck us out of those omnipotent fingers!
The Psalmist said, “Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” But we can say, “Because I am in His right hand, I shall not be moved”—not moved, afraid, insecure, or worried.
The Proof of Eternal Life
How, then, can you know you have eternal life? In John 10:27, we read, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Christians are not perfect, and all of us do sin along the way. But genuine Christians hear His voice and follow Him. As a Christian, when you know God has told you to do something, you do it. If we love Him, we’ll keep His commandments. A person who is genuinely saved is going to obediently hear what the Lord says.
God has given us His Word to assure us of our relationship with Him so that we may walk as Christians with confidence, knowing that our salvation is in Him. The aged apostle John put it this way at the end of his first epistle: “This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life…. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11, 13).
Your heavenly home was bought for a price, and that payment results in a title deed that can never be lost through foreclosure. You can go joyfully into your day’s activities and rest peacefully tonight knowing that your salvation is secure and your home in heaven is being prepared for you! “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14).
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