Encouragement

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DAY/EVENING REFLECTIONS

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour-KJV

Revelation 12:9 NIV
The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

2 Corinthians 11:14,15 NASB
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

James 4:7 RSV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The devil made me do it. That boy is full of the devil. He had a devilish gleam in his eye. We’ve heard these sayings many times, and yet we hardly ever stop to consider who the devil is, if he exists, or what His purpose may be.

Now, we have spoken a lot about God’s love and His plan for our redemption, but we did not discuss the ancient one, the anti-Christ, not created to save but actually to be an irritant to man and counter the purpose of God.

“Then why did God create him?” many have asked, “If God is perfect and omnipotent, why create the devil? Didn’t He know the devil would rebel?”

The answer to the latter question is yes. He knew that Lucifer would start a heavenly rebellion. He wanted Him to. To the former question, why was the devil created, God created Him to be exactly what He is. The adversary. To the finite mind, this does not make sense-but if one can see through the eyes of the Father, it becomes clear.

Now think.

God wanted a people who would love him, but He didn’t want puppets. He wanted to create a race of beings who not only loved Him, but recognized WHY they needed Him in their lives. God says he created man in His image, right? Doesn’t it stand to reason that God, like man, wants to feel loved, appreciated and needed? Doesn’t it also stand to reason that God, like man, wants that love to come freely and with good will?

But to give love, humans have to come to a full knowledge of who the Father is, what his purpose is for mankind. Man also has to be able to admit a need for the Creator. However, man is a willful and stubborn creature. It takes a lot for man to forgo his pride and admit needing anyone.

Take for instance, the example of the rebellious teen. The adolescent has no knowledge of the world, and can barely fathom the reasons behind the rules foisted upon him. At some point the stressed out parents may say to themselves, “Fine, if he can do better, let him go out on his own!” Once the child gets a cool, hard dose of the reality of the world the parents rules do not seem so harsh. Given more time, he may even come to see the wisdom of his parent’s instruction. Should he return, he may humbly say, “You guys were right, can I come home?”

I look at the devil as a refiner. He pulls out elements of man that are unsuitable, all his impurities and makes them rise to the surface. It is then on man’s own head whether he will try to do away with his more negative attributes, or if he will wallow in them as a pig wallows in its own filth.

The man who recognizes his own fallibility and his own sin and works to change himself is the man that God can call His child and pull to him.

You see, when God created Lucifer he knew this beautiful angel would turn against him. God made him with the internal mechanism that would become the catalyst of a mass rebellion that would, in turn, change the course of human destiny. God does not make mistakes and the devil wasn’t one of them.

He wanted us to see the darker side of having free will-the ability to make bad choices. He wanted us to know what a life without Him would be like. He gave the devil the tools of temptation-greed, murder, envy, lust, sloth, rebellion, anger, malice, slander and let the devil wave it like candy before us. I don’t care who you are, no one is blameless in regards to sin-we are all struggling with something.

Resisting our baser, self centered natures is not unlike an athlete who trains with weights. As he or she becomes stronger with patient training, so do we in our characters and in our faith.

The test is not whether or not we sin, but whether we realize our imperfection, and when we are done trying to fix the problem ourselves, recognizing our need for God and realizing that the devil has no hold over us at all.

The bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. I know this to be true Brethren. Do not use his existence as an excuse, we still have choices. If we are lovers of God, the choice will be to stay in His grace and abide in his love.-ARN under the instruction of THS

EVENING REFLECTION-FOOD FOR THOUGHT

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
But:
If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.
So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.
The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.
~ Author Unknown ~

FUNNY BONE YARD

One Sunday in a Midwest City, a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle.

Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out.
Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"

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