March 12, 2018 - - Fighting the devil
/Our avowed enemy, Satan, is relentless. In order to be prepared for his onslaught, recognize these five tactics of the Devil, the Liar. (All the bible quotations are from the ESV)
1. Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil. Isaiah 5:20
Consider the fact in our culture it is okay to be passionate about sports, all kinds of sexual perversion, but it is not okay to be a passionate Christian in public. Satan tries to make good into evil and evil into good.
2. He will try leading you from lesser sins to greater sins. "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to si, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." James 1:14-15 Those sins which we consider to be "small sins" leach away our fear of God and hatred of sin.
3. Sometimes the enemy is simply, doggedly persistent. Consider Delilah with Samson, constantly, relentlessly pressing him until he yielded (Judges 16:16). Think of a child, wearing down a parent's resistance by begging for a cookie.
4. “Satan attacks the conscience and assurance of believers with false reasoning. He might use a false syllogism such as, ‘This sin cannot remain in a true child of God. But it remains in you. Therefore you are not a true child of God.’” The fact is, sin is in us as the Spirit of God is purifying us by the blood of Christ, it is ebbing away. Sin is no longer our master. "Let not sin reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions." Romans 6:12
5. You know you shouldn't do something, but you feel you can do it anyways and repent later. This is deadly. "...like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." Hebrews 12:16b-17
These notes from Pastor Stephen Richardson's sermon of Sunday March 11th in the AM. I have added to them as well.
As we are reminded in Ephesians 6, the way to fight the devil is: to pray to God to discern the attacks of the enemy and for God's protection, to go to the Word of God, and to stand with fellow believers in the work of God.
God You alone are the Source of All Truth. Thank You for the accomplished work of Jesus Christ, in Whose Name there is forgiveness for sin.Thank You for the fact that Jesus disarmed the enemy at the cross and made a public spectacle of him. Spirit of God, root out sin from my heart and motivate me to walk with integrity as I follow Jesus. Thank You for the powerful Word of God--Spirit, make the reading of the Word sweet to my soul and a delight to my heart. Amen.
