SATAN’S PLAN AGAINST THE BELIEVERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MARCH 24, 2025.

SUBJECT: SATAN’S PLAN AGAINST THE BELIEVERS!

Memory verse: "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3 vs 5.)

READ: Genesis 3 vs 1 - 6:

3:1: Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

3:2: And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;

3:3: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”

3:4: Then the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die.

3:5: For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

3:6: So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave her husband with her; and he ate.

INTIMATION:

Satan is enemy of the believers in Christ. He will do anything he can to get them to follow his evil deadly path so as to break their relationship with God. He tempts the believers to give in to his kind of life and give up on God’s kind of life. Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her to sin. Ever since then he is busy getting people to sin.

Satan’s plan against the believers in Christ is in five different ways, and I called them the 5Ds, namely; (1) Doubt—makes one question God’s Word and His goodness, (2) Discouragement— makes one look at one’s problems rather than at God, (3) Diversion—makes the wrong things seem attractive so that one will want them more than the right things, (4) Defeat—makes one feel like a failure so that one don’t even try, and (5) Delay—makes one put off doing something so that it never gets done. 

Adam and Eve fell to the devil’s temptation by his employing the doubt ploy. He tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God’s goodness. He implied that God was strict, stingy, and selfish for not wanting Eve to share His knowledge of good and evil. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her, and instead, focus on what God has forbidden. We fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on what God forbids rather than on the countless blessings and promises God has given us. He convinced her to doubt God’s integrity, love, and care for them. She became convinced that they were shortchanged, and her way was better than God’s. 

Again Satan diverted their attention from the numerous good and wonderful provisions of God for them, to just that single restriction—the forbidden fruit. Consequently, they were discouraged to obeying God. Rather than concentrate on God, they centered their attention on what God forbade them to do. They became defeated, self-conscious, and hid themselves. Again they delayed or put off the obedience to God’s instruction, and tried to excuse and defend themselves. 

 

Satan’s 5Ds appeal to our lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life (First John 2 vs 16.) The same tricks he used on Eve; she saw that “the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), the fruit was “pleasant to the eye” (lust of the eye), and the fruit “desires to make one wise” (pride of life). To defeat Satan one must crucify the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eye, and the pride of life. And these we can do by building a relationship with God. To build a relationship with God we must reverse these steps: (1) We must become convinced that God’s way is better than ours,(2) we must stop trying to hide from God, and (3) drop our excuses and self-defenses.

The battle with Satan is a difficult, ongoing struggle. This will be a lifelong battle that will not be over until we are face-to-face with Christ. Victory over sin and temptation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through our own efforts. If we obey Jesus and align ourselves closely with God’s purposes, Satan can have no power over us. We cannot master sin in our own strength. Instead, we must turn to God to receive faith for ourselves and to turn other believers to receive encouragement and strength. The Holy Spirit, our Helper, will help us master sin.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to be steadfast in You, in complete obedience and trust in You, so that Satan’s ploys will be completely unconvincing to me, and nothing shall by any means take my focus away from You, Ain Jesus’ Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Dear God by Dax

 

Ignorance Guarantees Ungodliness

 Ignorance Guarantees Ungodliness

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

I am amazed at the power that the Bible attributes to knowledge. 

Listen again to 2 Peter 1:3: “[God’s] divine power has granted . . . all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

Literally, all the power available from God to live and be godly comes through knowledge! Amazing! What a premium we should put on doctrine and instruction in the Scriptures! Life and godliness are at stake.

Not that knowing guarantees godliness. It doesn’t. But it seems that ignorance guarantees ungodliness. Because, Peter says, the divine power that leads to godliness is given through the knowledge of God.

Here are three implications, a warning, and an exhortation.

1. Read! Read! Read! But beware of wasting your time on theological foam and suds. Read rich doctrinal books about “the one who called you to his glory and excellence.”

2. Ponder! Ponder! Slow down. Take time to think about what the Bible means when you read it. Ask questions. Keep a journal. Let yourself be humbly troubled by puzzling things. The deepest insights come from trying to see the unifying root of two apparently antagonistic branches on the tree of truth.

3. Discuss. Discuss. Be a part of a small group that cares passionately about the truth. Not a group that just likes to talk and raise problems. But a group that believes there are biblical answers to biblical problems, and they can be found. 

Warning: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).“They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2). So beware of the deadly effects of ignorance.

Exhortation: “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3).

BE MINDFUL OF THE FRUIT YOU ARE BEARING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MARCH 23, 2025.

SUBJECT: BE MINDFUL OF THE FRUIT YOU ARE BEARING!

Memory verse: "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7 vs 16.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 17 - 20:

7:17: Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

7:18: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.

7:19: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

7:20: Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

INTIMATION:

In the passage we read today, fruit metaphorically denotes works or deeds. The fruit being the visible expression of power working inwardly and invisibly, and the character of the fruit being evidence of the character of the power producing it. Our speech and actions largely reveal our true underlying beliefs, attitudes, and motivations which are the fruits in our lives. What is in your heart, that is, the fruit in your life, will come out in your speech and behavior. And usually the good impressions (the good fruit in your life) you make cannot last If we are being deceptive. 

What then are the visible expressions of the power working inwardly and invisibly in your life—the fruit in your life? As the visible expressions of hidden lusts are the works of the flesh, so is the invisible power of the Holy Spirit in those who are brought into living union with Christ and produces the fruit of the Spirit. 

But our lives can even be of no fruit, and God abhors such life. Now, see what Jesus did to a fig tree in Matthew 21 vs 18 - 19; “Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fid tree withered away.”

The question is why did Jesus curse the fig tree? Jesus was showing His anger on religion without substance—Christianity without results. Just as the fig tree looked good from a distance but was fruitless on close observation, so is Christianity without commensurate good works. If you only appear to have faith without putting it to work in your life, you are like the fig tree that withered and died because it bore no fruit; fruitful in appearance only but spiritually barren. Genuine faith means bearing fruit for God’s kingdom. 

In the Scripture, in John 15 vs 16, Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” As Christians, we are evaluated by the kind of fruit we bear. Good Christians consistently exhibit good behavior and high moral standards as they seek to live out the truths of the Scripture. Jesus is not expecting a perfect character, but rather a show of genuine commitment in the works of the Christian toward His kingdom. It is only Jesus that will perfect us on His return, but our sanctification is continuous until His return (Hebrews 10 vs 14).

The Scripture in John 15 vs 1 - 8, Jesus gave us requirements for a fruit bearing believer. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. As the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15 vs 1 - 2; 4 - 5.)

Christ is the vine, the branches are His followers, and God is the vinedresser who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. The fruitful branches are true believers who by their living union with Christ produce much fruit. But those who become unproductive—those who turn back from following Christ after making a superficial commitment—will be separated from the vine because they are as good as dead and will be cut off and tossed aside. 

The fruit of Christian life are; godliness (crucified flesh with its passion and desires), faith, virtue, knowledge, perseverance, soul winning, answered prayer, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. All these are unified character of the Lord, hence the Scripture usually refers to them singularly as “fruit,” instead of “fruits.” They are all in contrast with the confused, and often mutually antagonistic “work of the flesh.” They are referred to in the Scripture as “The fruit of righteousness,” that is, all of the character traits flowing from a right relationship with God (Philippians 1 vs 11). 

In Hebrews 12 vs 11, the fruit of righteousness is described as “peaceable fruit”; the outward effect of Divine chastening sown in peace in the believer. It is also called the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5 vs 22 -24). The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control. To obtain the fruit, we must abide in Him  (join our lives to His), we must know Him, believe in Him, receive Him as our Savior and Lord, love Him, obey Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbors. 

Our desire as Christians should be to produce fruit in likeness of Christ and acceptable to God, and outlasts death. The Scripture, in Revelation 14 vs 13, says, “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” God’s people should produce fruit that survives even death. Yes, God will only remember our love, kindness, faithfulness, and our kingdom advancement endeavors. 

While it is true that money, fame, and possessions are good, but they are abandoned here on earth when you die, and God does not reckon such for you, but is only mindful of what you achieved with them in your relationship with Him and others while you lived on earth. Now, the choice is yours. What kinds of fruit are you bearing?

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to bear good fruits that survive even death, and are remarkable, and approved by You, that at the end I will receive the crown of life—eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Satan’s Candy Store

 Satan’s Candy Store

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. (1 Peter 4:1)

First it puzzles. Did Christ have to cease from sin? No! “He committed no sin” (1 Peter 2:22). 

Then it clicks. When we arm ourselves with the thought that Christ suffered for us, we realize that we died with him. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). When we die with him, we cease to sin.

It’s just like Romans 6. “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. . . . So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:6–7, 11).

Peter says, “Arm yourselves with this thought!”

Paul says, “Consider yourselves dead!”

The weapon for our warfare against sin is this thought — this consideration.

When the temptations of Satan come — to lust, to steal, to lie, to covet, to envy, to retaliate, to put down, to fear — arm yourself with this thought: When my Lord suffered and died to free me from sin, I died to sin!

When Satan says to you, Why deny yourself the pleasure of lust? Why deal with this mess, which you could avoid by lying? Why not go ahead and get that harmless luxury you covet? Why not seek justice by returning the same hurt you just received?

Answer him: The Son of God suffered (really suffered!) to deliver me from sinning. I cannot believe he suffered to make me miserable. Therefore, what he died to purchase must be more wonderful than the pleasures of sin. Since I trust him, my susceptibility to your allurements has shriveled up and died. 

Satan, be gone! My mouth doesn’t drool any more when I walk by your candy store.

SUBJECT: REAL GREATNESS COMES FROM SERVING GOD AND OTHERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 22, 2025.

SUBJECT: REAL GREATNESS COMES FROM SERVING GOD AND OTHERS! 

Memory verse: "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures." (Job 36 vs 11.)

READ: Exodus 23 vs 25 - 26: 

23:25: And you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread, and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.

23:26: No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of thy days.

INTIMATION: 

To serve is to meet the needs of and subject one’s will to that of another. Therefore, to serve God is to subject to the will of God. When we give our lives in service to God, we discover the real purpose of living; you live an exceedingly fruitful life and achieve greatness in God’s assessment. Real discipleship implies real commitment—pledging our whole existence to His service or will. 

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 23 vs 11 - 12, "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." To Jesus, greatness comes from serving—giving yourself to serve God and others. Service keeps us aware of others' needs, and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves. Jesus, the greatest man, came as a servant. Evaluate yourself to find out what kind of greatness you seek.

God requires our all in serving Him. In Matthew 16 vs 24 - 25, Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” In service to God, if we try to save our physical life from death, pain, or discomfort, we may risk losing our true eternal life. If we protect ourselves from the pains, and discomfort of this world, usually inherent in service to God, we begin to die spiritually and emotionally. Our lives turn inward, we become selfish, and we lose our intended purpose.

Service is a cure for selfishness. In Philippians 2 vs 3 the Bible says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Considering others' interests as more important than our own links us with Christ, who was a true example of selflessness. We are to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy. 

We are called to serve even at great cost to us. In Luke 1 vs 26 - 38, God visited Mary through an angel and asked her to serve Him. She was told that she will conceive in her womb and bring forth a Son. Mary wondered how possible this can be, since she knew no man and was only betrothed to Joseph. The angel assured her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and the power of the Highest will overshadow her. It is logical for her to have doubted because such has never happened in history, and she ought to have refused because of the enormous negative societal implications of conceiving and bearing a child outside marriage. 

A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her own family rejected her, and she cannot fend for herself as a single parent, she could be forced out into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. And Mary with her story about being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well. Still Mary said, despite the possible risks, "Let it be done to me according to your word." When Mary said that, she didn't know about the tremendous opportunity she would have. She only knew that God was asking her to serve Him, and she willingly obeyed. She never bothered about the bottom line before offering her life to God. 

God has a place for all to serve. He knows us more than we know ourselves, and we are called to serve God in specific ways. Therefore, avoid excuses when God calls you to serve. He that called you knows about you and will equip you for any tasks He gives you. Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses. But reminding God of our limitations only implies that He does not know all about us or that He has made a mistake in evaluating our character. Spend the time to make excuses on doing what God wants. 

Prayer: Abba Father, here I am send me. Give me the grace to serve You diligently and acceptably, according to Your Will for me on this earth, that I may live a purposeful and fulfilled life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 21, 2025.

SUBJECT : FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS!

Memory verse: "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for today I must stay at your house." (Luke 19 vs 5.)

READ: Luke 5 vs 27 - 32: 

5:27: After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow me.”

5:28: So he left all rose up, and followed Him.

5:29: Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.

5:30: And their scribes and Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

5:31: Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who  are sick.

5:32: I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

INTIMATION:

Unbelievers are those skeptical of matters of religious truth; not believing in God, and in the substitutionary work of His Son Jesus Christ for mankind. Consequently, they are not Christ’s followers.

Jesus taught his followers to befriend unbelievers or sinners and lead them to Him. Befriending unbelievers is necessary if the believers are to lead them to Christ. However, believers must be wary of those who are viciously evil, immoral, or opposed to all that Christianity stands for. Such people are more likely to influence them for evil than they are to influence them for good. It is obvious that believers should not disassociate themselves from unbelievers, otherwise they cannot carry out Christ’s command to tell them about salvation (see Matthew 28 vs 18 - 20).

But believers are to distance themselves from hypocrites; the person with pretense of piety—false or godless persons. Such person pretend or claim to be Christians, yet indulge in sins explicitly forbidden in Scripture by rationalizing his or her actions. By rationalizing sin, a person harms others for whom Christ died and dims the image of God in himself or herself.

Christians or believers usually wrongly interpret the apostle Paul’s teaching regarding association with unbelievers in Second Corinthians 6 vs 14 - 15. He said, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with unbeliever?” 

The apostle Paul urges believers not to be “unequally yoked,” that is, not to be burdened or bear burden together with unbelievers. That is burdens of partnerships in business or any associations of like manner, because this might weaken their Christian commitment, integrity, or standards. Because believers don’t share the same faith with unbelievers, common grounds are usually difficult in such partnership due to different believe systems. It would be a mismatch. 

Earlier, the apostle Paul had explained that this did not mean isolating oneself from unbelievers (See First Corinthians 5 vs 9 - 10). When believers in leadership positions become allied with unbelievers, values can be compromised and spiritual awareness dulled. Hence the Bible often warns against teaming up with unbelievers.

For married couples, the apostle Paul even urges Christians to stay with their unbelieving spouses if such marriages were consummated before any of the spouse becomes a believer (First Corinthians 7 vs 12 - 13). He wants believers to be active in their witness for Christ to unbelievers, but they should not lock themselves into personal or business relationships that could cause them to compromise their faith. Believers should do everything in their power to avoid situations that could force them to divide their loyalties. 

These verses also have strong application to marriage. The apostle Paul did not want single believers to enter into marriage with unbelievers. Such marriages cannot have unity in the most important issue in life—commitment and obedience to God. Because marriage involves two people becoming one, faith may become an issue, and one spouse may have to compromise beliefs for the sake of unity. 

Many people discount this problem only to regret it later. Don’t allow emotions or passion to blind you with someone who will not be your spiritual partner. For those who have discovered God’s light, there can be no fellowship or compromise with darkness (First Corinthians 10 vs 20 - 21.) 

Just as when a man and a woman fall in love, so also new believers rejoice at their newfound forgiveness. Associations with unbelievers when the new believers are not yet firmly rooted in Christ may cause them to lose sight of the seriousness of sin, and then they begin to lose the thrill of their forgiveness. In the first steps of your Christian life, you may have had enthusiasm without knowledge. Do you now have knowledge without enthusiasm? Both are necessary if we are to keep love for God intense and untarnished.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with divine wisdom, that I may walk circumspect in dealings with unbelievers that my faith will not be compromised, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!