Category: ThinkAbout

There is a movement of God now to take back the countries and areas of the earth that have long been under Satan’s influence. Powers and principalities are mentioned all through the Bible as hindering Gods plan or ruling over regions. This is most clear in Moab and Egypt. It was also clear with the giants at Mt Hermon.

The uprisings we have seen and are seeing around the world, to include this country are for two reasons. Demons are running scared as they see the power of God manifesting – and conversely as the power of God is manifesting, we see people getting “fed up” with corruption and fraud.

So, as you see unrest growing, do not be afraid. As an example, some fear that if a certain person wins the election here, there will be violence and chaos, and they conclude they would be better off if that did not happen. The point they miss is that such fear-based manipulation will never stop if it sees ANY success. Such tactics will always be used to gain the desired result if they are met with the desired result.

So, do not be afraid. Realize you are fighting from a position of strength. If you are a Christian you do battle by praying to God and by speaking His word. You can declare and decree – BY THE POWER OF THE KING OF KINGS JESUS CHRIST – that evil is being exposed and defeated in your life and in the issues about which you are concerned.

There is no doubt, as the Apostle Paul told us, that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities and rulers in the heavenly places. Do not fear them. God has given us dominion over them IN HIS NAME.

Pray without ceasing and declare the word of the Lord. No weapon formed against the church of God and His people will prosper.   

The lyrics of a popular Christian song at the time of this writing is “do what you are famous for”. There are so many amazing things God has done that it would be impossible to capture them all in this blog entry. Here is one of my favorites.

Assyria had defeated the Northern Kingdom of Israel and taken them captive or killed them. Shortly thereafter they came to the area surrounding the Southern Kingdom of Judah and laid siege to it to destroy it and take the people captive.  

The words of the king of Assyria sent by messenger to King Hezekiah of Judah. 2 Kings 19:11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

Hezekiah’s prayer. 2 Kings 19 (KJV) 14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 16 LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. 17 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore, they have destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

The result. 2 Chron 32 (KJV): And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. 21 And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So, he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword. 22 Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side. 23 And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

There were times in the Bible when God called His people to fight. Sometimes when things were so bad and they were so outnumbered, God just told them to stand still and hold their peace and watch God work. A classic example of this is Exodus 14, when the Pharaoh was pursuing the Israelites to destroy them. Moses tells them:

Ex 14 (KJV): 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

The rest is history.

When faced with trials, pray with all of your might to God almighty. Do what He tells you to do and believe that He is with you to save. Sometimes you just need to stand and watch, because the enemy is just too powerful for you – BUT NOT FOR OUR GOD.

I write this at the time of the 2020 election.

Most of us in the United States enjoy great blessing. Even the poorest among us rank highly in terms of quality of life compared to most of the rest of the worlds billions of terribly poor people. We are for the most part enjoying prosperity rather than enduring persecution.

Even our western U.S. version of the Christian faith seems, in many cases, to promise nothing but good for the believer. Faith is sometimes taught as the ticket to a carefree, blessed and prosperous life. Many teachers imply we should give in order to get. That we should never expect to experience any pain or loss or sickness. This theology is not found in scripture.

Take for an example Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons. He was hated by his brothers because he was favored by his father Jacob. They cast him into a pit and left him for dead. He was picked up by a passing caravan and sold in Egypt as a slave where he served many years with distinction. One day he was approached by his master’s wife who wanted to lie with him. He refused, but she accused him of attempted rape. So, he ended up spending about 13 years in jail! Eventually he was released and a series of events caused him to be exalted to second in command in Egypt.

As another example, take the prophet Daniel who was a devout and respected member of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian courts after he was taken captive as a young boy from Judah. He was set-up by those around him who were jealous of the favor he had with the leader, and as a result was placed into the lion’s den to be killed – but God protected him.

Take the thousands of Christians who were burned at the stake, made to be human torches in Rome, thrown to the lions and boiled in oil. Or the many millions of Christians today who live in countries where they are constantly in fear for their lives, and are often martyred.

Even Jesus Himself, the very Son of God, had to be made into a man, live on the earth under primitive conditions, and then suffer the worst death known to man at the time – crucifixion. And that was after severe whipping and beating.

The point of all of this?

If you have challenges in your life, fight the good fight. Do not interpret your circumstances to mean God is not with you. Have faith, and keep on going!

Even the famous Apostle Paul in 2 Cor 11 suffered enormous tribulation while going around the known world preaching the gospel and making new converts of the gentiles as he was commanded. 23: Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. ²⁴ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. ²⁵ Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶ In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷ In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. ²⁸ Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? ³⁰ If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. ³¹ The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. ³² In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: ³³ And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

It is a lie to believe being a Christian will make you free of all life’s challenges. Keep praying and believing if trouble comes upon you. If you are blessed, remember your obligation to help others. Call upon the Lord to protect you and to get you through if evil comes near. He will. We become Christians to serve the Lord and to be with Him forever. Our tribulations now are light compared to the eternal glory which is ours in Christ Jesus.

1 Samuel 15: 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Lev 26: 3 If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. Indeed, your threshing will last for you until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until sowing time. You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land.

Deut 28: Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:

John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.”

Romans 2: God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

Basically, obedience is the key to success in this life and in the life to come as it relates to God. If you are not truly inclined to obey and making at least some progress in this area in your life, despite perhaps many failures, then you may be self-deceived. Jesus tells us that we do not love Him if we do not obey Him. His disciples hear and obey His word. For me this has been a long journey with many failures, but I have seen his love and forgiveness the whole way, and I now have very little desire to sin.

Obedience is the key to receiving blessings from the Lord. Deuteronomy 28 gives an exhaustive list of all the blessings that come from obedience (v 1-14) and a different horrifying list of things that may happen when we disobey the laws of God. Now thankfully the New Testament tells us in Gal 3:13 that we are “redeemed from the curse of the law”, but the chastising hand of the Lord will be heavy upon us if we are His.  

Obedience is a strategy that helps protect us. If we are doing right the Bible tells us we need not fear God nor the laws of man. Disobedience opens up spiritual doorways that give Satan the legal right to impact your life in some cases.  

The Bible tells us that there are “courts of heaven”. In those courts, Satan acts as the prosecuting attorney (the accuser of the brethren). Jesus acts as our advocate or defense counsel before the father Who is the Judge. Willful sin can complicate our standing in the courts of heaven. Walk in the light as He is in the light, and the blood of Christ will continually cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 

Obedience to the laws of God also enrich our life experience. When we sin, there are often consequences in this life that are hard to escape. While we are promised forgiveness, we are not always able to avoid the real-life consequences that result from adultery or divorce or any crime that results in punishment. Additionally, God will deal with His children firmly and, as many can attest, it is not fun at all.

The secret to success is obedience, and the secret to obedience is learning to love God. We love God because He first loved us and died a miserable death on the cross for us. We can be assured that IF WE ARE TRULY HIS, His grace will always be there and He will willingly offer forgiveness to the true believer. And the true believer will always seek to honor God with obedience, despite frequent failures. Walk in the love of God and reckon yourself alive to God and dead to sin. Your life experience will improve dramatically.

ROM 6:14 (KJV): For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

COL 2 (KJV): And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Once men get a hold of something wonderful it will soon be spoiled. God gave the law to the Hebrew people through Moses and before long the religious leaders added so much detail and extra work that it became unbearable to live up to it. Jesus railed against this many times when telling the Pharisees that they themselves could not keep the laws they made, and he asked them why they laid these heavy burdens on others. It made Jesus angrier than He ever was at anything else. He hated religious legalists who were short on mercy and long on condemnation.

The same thing happened to the Christian church, which ultimately resulted in Martin Luther and the reformation. The list of religious laws added by the church on top of the Holy scripture was enormous. And the church assumed the place of God in the world. Both sets of leaders are actually quoted as saying that they were more authoritative than the scriptures.  

Both the Jewish and Christian leaders were guilty of “over-managing” their flocks. They laid heavy burdens on the people and exercised religiously based control over them.

The Bible tells us that by grace we are saved though faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift we cannot lose. Such knowledge frees us to love God and obey Him willingly. When we are always fearful of doing the next correct law, we rarely arise to the place where we love and honor God in the deepest way possible.

Congregations that are legalistic in nature can never live up the standards they set for themselves. This results in people who are often sad, very critical and controlling of others and quite judgmental. In order to meet their own standards of legalism most often the standards of what is right are changed. Victory is declared after “moving the target” and then hitting it.

My purpose here is simply to say this. JESUS is the whole story and He should get all the glory. He gave His life for us. He said He will never leave us or forsake us. And He empowers us to obey the law of love. Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself.

If you do not learn to love and trust God Himself you will likely never be a joyous Christian. Your good days will be based upon your perceived good behavior. Your bad days, which will be by far the majority, will be based upon your ever-present true human failure.

The Bible tells us ALL of our works are as filthy rags and will earn us nothing toward our salvation. (They do count toward rewards at the believer’s judgement however, only if done for the right motive – love). The Bible also tells is God will never leave us or forsake us and that our sins are constantly being forgiven. We should rejoice.

So, what’s left to focus on then? LOVING GOD.

Then the world gets to be a much happier place.