God gave a friend of mine a powerful message to preach a couple years ago in Zambia. That message demonstrated powerfully that Satan is no match at all for our Saviour Jesus Christ. He doesnt compete, he cant win, he cant even be pitted fairly against my Jesus.
Let me ask though, if today there was a broadcast on TV, radio and the papers that advertised the fight to end all fights - a bout that has the entire universe on the line - supreme authority for all of eternity over all of creation -
Yes, Jesus vs. Satan for control of the universe
What do you suppose would be the response?
We know Christ could look at Him, wave His hand, speak or just breathe toward him and it would be the end of this wicked enemy. It is only his longsuffering for the souls yet to be saved that He has stayed His wrath on this enemy and all that will reject Him. Yet I would venture to guess that there would be throngs and throngs of people that would rise up in support of Satan - millions if not billions that would somehow think that this will at least be a difficult fight - endless souls that would analyze the tale of the tape out of concern for who will win and what impact it would have on them...
Can I suggest that this was not the case from creation. Surely when God created Adam and Eve there was no consideration of someone that could challenge the Creator and yet somehow Satan began to sway people.
And as I'm certain we all know - he did it through subtlety.
If today, there are many that would at least think he'd be in the fight (perhaps even many professing Christians) then Satan has been making strides in accomplishing his goals.
Isa 14:13-14 For thou (Satan) hast said in thine heart,
- I will ascend into heaven,
- I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
- I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
- I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
- I will be like the most High.
Satan has used his subtle attacks throughout the generations to build for himself an army of followers to him, lulled others completely to sleep through false gods - money, cult beliefs, humanism, idolatry of celebrities and sports figures and rendered many of the third party - the saved, less effective through fear, through distractions, through allurements, through worldliness, through shedding doubt on the word of God etc etc.
He has much of the world sold on evolution and a worldview of everyone doing what is right in his own eyes. Past that, he has influenced a watered down Christianity where the souls of men, the thirst for the word and a literal belief of what it says is of little importance. God's word has not changed. Yet even though the words on the pages stays consistent with the KJV (which is always under attack) - the reverence for it and adherence to it have been thwarted. I fear a good part of Christianity would rather find ways to explain things away then study it out and recognize how we need to change.
Satan's will
(2Ti 2:26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
His will is to snare people, to take them captive and to bring them under his bondage and control through sin, addictions, worldly pleasures and worship of anything but the One True God
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Satan desires to keep the lost walking according to the course of the world and to convince the saved that the course of this world is not too bad and that it is ok to still take pleasure in most of it. His most effective strategy for this generation has been just taking the same old worldiness and attitudes, repackaging it and adding some religious verbage and trinkets to it.
God doesnt need snares, He doesnt need allurements - where Satan uses subtlety - God uses the most recognized event (The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ) in all of history to draw people in a clear manner away from the sin that was damning and turning them to that event.
It is that gospel and the living, cutting, sharp, fiery, hammerlike, unbound, true, perfect, preserved, holy, wonderful love letter that will accomplish what God pleases - The King James Bible in the hands of Christians who have the privilege to share it that does the work.
Almost done (purely for my journaling at this point - anyone else checked out 4 paragraphs ago)
Today I was reading in Numbers again and came across a word that I immediately recognized from a commonly quoted verse but I didnt remember having seen it anywhere else.
WILES -
(Num 25:18) For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.
WILE, n. A trick or stratagem practiced for ensnaring or deception; a sly, insidious artifice.
That ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph 6.
WILE, v.t. To deceive; to beguile.
You know the pattern for Numbers and here it is again - no matter how blatent God's power and deliverance was - the disciplines needed to avoid trouble drops, the standards for protecting the eyes, mind, heart and family are forsaken, the flesh starts getting its desires met and left unchecked - sin lieth at the door.
They didnt see it coming, they didnt intend for it to happen...but it did and not just the 2 involved paid the price but 24,000 others...
Why?
because the subtlety of the enemy gradually swayed people from God's will...
Lest Satan should get advantage of us - we must never be ignorant of his devices
1 comment:
I think you make a great point contrasting the way God interacts with mankind vs. Satan. God has not hidden His message, Christ did not hide when He came. Paul testifies that those things were not done in a corner... I know He doesn't always tell us in what way He is working, but His main intent and purpose, He has made plainly known --- through His Word. Great post.
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