- "GOD IS NOT INTERESTED IN RELIGION, but He is tremendously interested in life.
You cannot read the New Testament without realizing that the Lord Jesus did not
hesitate to break the Sabbath regulations of His day when those regulations
violated the real need of a broken human being for healing. God is not nearly
so interested in stained-glass windows, organ music, congregational hymns, or
pastoral prayers as He is in producing love-filled homes, generous hearts, and
brave men and women who can live godly lives in the midst of a dark and evil
world. His goal for our lives is that we be people of undefiled minds and
undefiled hearts, living and projecting His truth and His character in a
sin-ridden world.
"I am deeply convinced that we can only understand life when we see it as the
Bible sees it. That is why the Word of God was given to open our eyes to God's
perspective on life and reality. The world we see all around us the world of
entertainment and nightly news and instant information on the Internet, and
political infighting and social upheaval that is a world of illusion. Though we
usually call it 'the real world', it is a facade that is destined to fade away.
What God calls reality is something that exists beyond the flimsy walls of this
world, and it is far more real and lasting than our so-called 'real world'. Our
eyes and minds are constantly deceived by the distorted perspectives, twisted
beliefs, false values, and temporary programs of this dying world.
"But when we come to the Bible, we learn the truth. Here reality is laid before
us, and we see the world as it really is. When we get down to the bare
essentials of life and strip off all the confusing illusion, we find that life
is exactly what the Bible records it to be.
"We may not want to hear what the Bible has to say to us. We may think the
Bible's diagnosis of our condition is too harsh, or its prescription for our
healing is too difficult but if we reject its truth, we only succeed in
deceiving ourselves. We would prefer to 'cherry-pick' God's truth to highlight
the verses we like and edit out the verses that expose our sins and failures.
But it is not up to us to pass judgment on God's Word. Rather, we must submit
ourselves to the judgment of God's Word, because it is inspired by God Himself.
We do not have the authority to 'correct' His words; rather, those words are
the authority that correct our lives.
"So let's stop this silly business of sitting in judgment upon the insights of
the Lord Jesus Christ. In this world, we are continually confronted with the
choice of whether to accept the flimsy, fallible 'authority' of mere human
beings or the certain, unfailing, clear Word of the Lord Jesus Christ. But as
Christians, as people who bear the name of Christ, we must continually reduce
every argument to this simple consideration: 'Am I to accept this person's word
or the Word of Christ? If this person's word agrees with what the Lord says,
then fine, it is truth. But if this person's word does not agree with God's
Word, then I must reject it, because there is no authority greater than that of
God'."
- "Jesus said to cast OUT demons (Mark 16:17). He did not say to go to someone
else to have your demons cast OUT. Nor did he say to cast OUT everyone else's
demons and leave yours IN."
- "In general, spiritual warfare is the conflict between good and evil. It is the ongoing battle between two
diametrically opposed kingdoms: God’s kingdom (good) and Satan’s kingdom
(evil). Though it is inherently a spiritual conflict, spiritual warfare also manifests in the natural realm of flesh and blood. Humans are caught in
the midst of this conflict and may participate in the struggle on either side."
- "It is my prayer that as you will grow closer to God and discover the 'new life'
that he has prepared for you to live in Christ -- a life free of sex addiction
and any other thing that may be hindering you."
- "As Hitler’s appetite for power and territory grew, his army began to march
across Europe. In some cases, the fight could hardly be called a battle. The
German army advanced, with its tanks and with technologically advanced weapons.
In some of the underdeveloped nations, their armies made a futile effort to
resist Hitler’s aggression, fighting back with spears and even rocks. It was no
contest at all, because these nations were not equipped for the battle.
"The same could be said of Satan, and those whom he opposes. Many of his
victims do not even know there is a war going on. They make easy prey.
Christians should know that we are in the midst of a great spiritual struggle,
although many seem not to believe it. And even more distressing is the fact
that many who consider themselves 'in the war' do not understand the nature of
Satan’s schemes, of the weapons which he employs, or of the weapons which God
has provided for our defense.
"Ephesians 6:10-20 is perhaps the clearest definition of the spiritual war which we find from the pen of the Apostle Paul. It not only assures us that
there is a spiritual war,
but it warns us that apart from utilizing the weapons which God has provided
for us, we are hopelessly underpowered. This passage informs us as to what our
divinely weapons are. Beyond this, these weapons imply the nature of the
struggle which we are in. The weapons which God has provided for us are those
weapons which best repel the attacks of Satan, and thus we can learn a great
deal about the nature of Satan’s opposition from simply considering each of the
weapons at our disposal."
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