The longer I live...

­The longer I live, the more I consider and the further I examine, the clearer my understanding becomes with Satan misleading objectives on mankind. He is the prince of darkness and although he looks to lead all down a garden path with lots of delicacies that are filled with lies and rotten to its core; it is though his subtleties that I begin to understand this a little purer; “we are not ignorant of his devices”. He may outwit many but when God by the power of the Holy Spirit begins to reveal the wicked ones technique, his traps are not so easily disguised for the seasoned traveler. From the beginning, way back in the Garden, he looked to highjack what God said and he still looks to capture all of God’s great accomplishments and fill them with distorted lies. The celebration of Easter and Christmas is no different. He does not do this sounding a trumpet! He slinks in the shadows subtly twisting the truth feeding off the sinful natures of mankind to lure his victims. However, even though we may have the Easter date wrong, let the truth be told Jesus did die and He rose again from the dead. Even though chocolate Easter egg hunts look to distract the minds of people from what actually took place, they will never change what really happened. Jesus did die in the place of sinners and all who look to Him in repentance for their sins will find forgiveness.

I am not for one minute professing to be a professor with a doctorate when it comes to the “Fathers of lies” craftiness, but what I will say is that I know enough to understand that he will always challenge the Word of God looking to create doubt in the minds of the foolish. Even the scholars can be split on many meatier portions of scripture. I have lived enough and am able to look upon my physical scars that remind me of my rebellion growing up as a child of God; sin taking hold of my instability and ensnaring me with lying unsatisfied lust that could never be quenched, leaving me on a number of occasions in the pigs pen. But God, who is rich in mercy, has always come through for me and patiently waited for me to learn the lesson of the hour. For this I will always be grateful even when Satan looked to utterly destroy my faith, my Saviour stood by my side as I was taught the error of my ways, until I came to my senses and returned to my Father with a broken and contrite heart, kicking myself as I asked the question, “how on earth did I end up here?” The answer in hindsight was always obvious!

Sins taps, entice our senses, and if caught without God’s armour we are vulnerable, falling into the ambush of sin. The Apostle John puts it like this; “For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1John 2:16) – In other words worldliness does not come from God but from the devil. We are correctly taught that if a brother does not work, he does not deserve to eat. But even this is twisted as worldliness begins to take priority in believer’s lives at the expense of their commitment to the body of Christ. Our existence here is all about the will of God our Father and the way Satan looks to stop that process is by high jacking the Words of God. Looking to cause doubt in the hearts of the young, vulnerable and even at times those who should know better.

Questions that deviate from the accomplishments of Christ work upon that cruel Roman cross, giving other alternatives when in fact there is no alternative whereby a person may be saved, other than the work that the Lord Jesus Christ achieved for us by dying for our own sin. It is simple for God has shown it to us through His Word; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) – Everything outside of this truth is a LIE, LIE, LIE! And it is governed by the father of lies, Satan!

Because of our sinful natures we may sadly fall into sin when we shouldn’t but we have no excuse entertaining that which is contrary to the Word of God, that my dear friend is very dangerous ground. I am not implying that there won’t be times when we don’t understand the depth of the text, but when we question the obvious that is a NO NO! This is Satan’s objective and it always has been. He lures people to challenge the Word of God! The buck must stop with the unadulterated Word of God. We don’t always have to understand the text to believe it! God has said it so believe it!

If God has said it, it will come to pass!

Bless the name of Jesus now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone