Resist The Devil!

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  James 4:10 NIV (read all of James)

There is indeed a need to resist the devil in our midst--the evil that comes from the White House--connected with Russian ties.

What causes someone to want to fight and quarrel and only see the negative side of anything that doesn't pertain to them? What resides inside the person who thinks that as long as the news is about him and all he does--it has to be positive and favorable or otherwise it's fake news?

What we see--on a daily basis--is an attempt to subvert and circumvent elements of laws and constitutional policy to push a political agenda that can only end in either civil insurrection or war.
The lies and liars are playing a leading role on the American stage and the world is watching, shaking their heads in total wonderment and some--who didn't like us anyway, are gearing up to take on the bully--who is actually a cowardly lion who's making a lot of noise, but has no bite.

What we have in the White House is an illiterate person, who cannot read and signs Executive Orders for show, and doesn't really know what he's signing because no one consulted him about the content. He's just giddy with power and having an opportunity to make something of the optics when he's shown signing his name which he proudly displays, pretty much like a third-grader, just learning how to write in cursive.

The "reality tv" king is exposing for all the world to see, not only does he not have on a royal robe, but he also lacks the intellect and stamina to sustain and maintain a position of leadership--without the world laughing at his efforts.

It is truly sad that he has never learned the art of being friendly for friendship's sake, but has always eyed a situation in order to see how he could best benefit from it. Yesterday, with the Prime Minister from Japan, who he made quite uncomfortable with a prolonged jerky handshake--attempting a photo op--made it clear for all to see, he's not sincerely likeable. And that was not the first time. Apparently, no one has coached him on how to "shake hands" without make a nuisance of himself.

Even during the joint press conference, while Prime Minister Abe was speaking, 45 never had on the earphones by which he could have heard the translation, but stood at his podium nodding like a fool, never understanding anything. Had he worn them, he would have heard the Prime Minister attempting to give him some sage advice about leadership.

But since 45 thinks he knows everything, not many can offer him advice and those who do, are not playing nice--since they're the ones who want him out of the way so they can take the reins and lead this country backwards.

If there was any integrity or honor in 45, he would have seen with open eyes--the chaos he created with all the lies and propaganda and stepped aside--admitting he is not the legitimate president.

And yet he persists with his mythical twist of lies about voter fraud and considering how he projects onto others what he is guilty of--someone should look into it--and discover just how fraudulent this election really was since it favored him.

Now, those of us who know the truth have a job to do and do we must to show the world there are real Patriots in the land, more than just one man who lies, and we will persist and won't desist as we continue to resist the devil in the White House.

Our Response!

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31 NIV)

As always, when I post something using a selected verse of scripture, I encourage the reader to read the entire passage to maintain the context!

Whenever we run into the naysayers and those who would attempt to make us feel foolish about our beliefs and faith, we merely have to recognize the enemy at work. We remember--if God is for us, who can be against us? Only those who are influenced by the enemy! The Lord knows those who are His and so does the enemy.

The enemy--that old devil--knows who is already acting on his behalf--they are his and they do all he influences them to do. These are the liars, the murderers, the thieves, the child molesters and abusers, the manipulators, those wearing sheep's clothing--masquerading as Christians when they do everything in opposition to God's Word. These proclaim to promote--love--when in actuality they promote lust. These proclaim that only part of God's Word is true and the rest is ancient mythology. These proclaim that modern society should rid itself of the Truths of God's Word and simply allow everybody to do whatever they want. These do not understand that without God and a standard of morality, man will cease to exist as have some civilizations.

Whenever man has chosen to do whatever the flesh desired, others suffered the consequences of those actions. We still are.

When see arbitrary behavior that denies God's existence and His intent for mankind, our response should simply be--"We know who we are, Satan and we will obey God, not you!"

When thoughts come into our minds that could lead to depression-our response is, "The joy of The Lord is our strength!"

When someone says we are already defeated our response is, "We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us!"

When our wallets and bank accounts are almost depleted our response is, "All my needs are met through Christ Jesus!"

When we receive negative reports from doctors our response is, "By His stripes we are healed and made whole!"

When someone attempts to make us believe we are nothing our response is, "We are children of the Most High God and joint heirs with Christ Jesus!"

For The Word says we are not ignorant of the enemy's devices--his MO. And when we recognize who's behind an incident, we simply say what God says and keep it moving. We don't have to argue about it--God has declared and we stand on what He says, not the enemy who was thrown out of heaven because of disobedience and rebellion.

Hallelujah Jesus! We are Yours and You are ours--our comforter, and guiding light; You reveal all Truth to us and we will hear and obey You--giving the devil no place in our lives!

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Peter reminds every born-again believer to stay alert clear-headed so we'll know when we see the enemy at work. He identifies our enemy as "the devil"--the one who was thrown out from heaven--the one who was and is angry with God for creating us out of love (his creation was for function--the singing angel)--the one who has determined within himself to destroy all of mankind, by any means possible and he's succeeding--at least with those who are not paying attention.

The devil prowls--stalking those who seem befuddled and who stumble at the least bit of adversity and are not operating with a clear mind.

The devil roars--making enough noise to drown out a person's ability to hear God clearly and what God is saying and unfortunately, many are listening to the roar that drowns the still, small voice of Holy Spirit, who is trying to protect us, but we do not hear.

The devil devours--with some people, he simply swallows them up whole--those who have never believed God, the work on the cross, or in the Risen Savior.  With others, he eats hungrily, ravenously, because he can't get enough of the gullible and fearful and every time he devours someone, he is strengthened in his resolve to have us all for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. He seeks a weakness in our character and speaks to our minds, influencing thoughts and what we continue to think about we will eventually act upon and then once he has convinced us to live outside the safety net of those who are preaching and teaching The Word in Truth, he pounces--blinding eyes from seeing Truth and Light, and stopping up ears from hearing truth, tearing us from limb to limb and then he sits--only for a moment, licking his chops, enjoying the havoc and chaos, he's created and when he has fully digested us, he moves onto the next person.

And this is why we--Born-Again Believers--must always be suited up, ready for battle--with our heads and hearts protected from the onslaught of negativity and rebellion fueled by the devil. Now, we've already been told what to look for so we can recognize the devil at work: he lies, steals, kills, destroys, and is a master of deception.  When we know The Word, have an intimate Relationship with the Father and Hear Holy Spirit when He speaks, we will never be food on the devil's dinner table--we are neither breakfast, lunch nor dinner, for we are fully persuaded and convinced, no weapon (none of the devil's attempts to cause us to fall) formed against us shall ever prosper!

Remember--the weapons we use are not carnal--man's creation, but spiritual and they are more than capable of bringing down strongholds and overthrowing wickedness in high places. Stand tall, in full armor, with the shield of faith and The Word as sword--at the ready and move forward--knowing the battle is not ours; it is the Lord's and we win--victory in Jesus!

Dancing With The Devil (Part 2)

We tend to wonder why—young girls become drunks or alcoholics—never understanding what led to their behavior. Someone invited the devil to the dance and he led the dance, to his tune.

We tend to judge the behavior of others without really knowing or understanding how a person got to the place where they are. We didn’t or don’t know—the circumstances under which they were encouraged to dance—the devil’s dance—and saw no way out.

It’s time we either show others how to allow Jesus to cut into the dance or encourage them to leave the dance hall. When Jesus enters into the dance, the devil has to flee, but we don’t have to follow Jesus’ lead. He allows us to choose the rhythm and beat to which we’ll dance and if we choose to follow the devil’s lead, He’ll let us.

In order to stop the music the devil has implanted in our minds, we must submit to God—totally yield our thoughts and will to Him—resist the devil’s influence by walking off the floor and then watch him run, when the beat moves into holiness—a tune he cannot stand.

So while we enjoy watching others dance to the tunes they hear, we must be careful that we don’t allow the tune the devil plays to influence us by allowing him to lead in the dance. Don’t be fooled. The devil only knows one two-step: deception and manipulation—he’ll deceive with his charisma and manipulate you into thinking he actually knows how to dance. He will convince with each turn and dip—his ability to be smooth, when every step he takes—leading you—is a lie and he’s leading you astray. He’ll persuade you to—live like you want to live—it’s your life and nobody else’s business. He’ll tell you that, “trying drugs won’t hurt you;” he’ll justify being a thief, a liar, an abuser, a sex addict, or anything else that keeps you from being blessed by God. Are you still allowing him to lead?

Need another dance tune? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that all who believed in Him would not perish, but have eternal life.” The devil hates that tune as much as he hates you—so don’t dance with him—give your life to The Lord and allow Him to lead you in the dance of life—positioning you to be blessed in all things!

Dancing With The Devil!

Surprised are you? About the title I mean. We’ve all been caught up with dance crazes from long ago and many people frowned upon the types of dances from back then the same way we do now. However much I love dancing, this is really not about a new dance craze; it’s about the dance craze that most people do until they come to the realization that this dance—is one we should all sit out—becoming a wall-flower in the dance-hall of life.

James tells us to, “Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from us,” (4:7). So, if that’s true, why do so many people think that they can entertain the devil and escape the consequences that are bound to result from being around him?

Perhaps, I’m being too subtle. We engage in a dance with the devil when—we think we can “try” drugs and escape addiction. We think we can be “sexually promiscuous” and escape the consequences of our actions—unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, damaged self-esteem, and negative labelling by others. We think we can “listen to peers” especially children and disrespect parents and other adults without dealing with the consequences that could end up in locked out of a home and locked into a system that does nothing to promote well-being. We think we can “hang out” with the dope dealers and not get burned when they do. We think we can “steal our way” out of poverty only to discover that theft is not the way when we get caught and go to jail. We think we can “outsmart” parents and the law until we see our faces plastered on social networks or the news—on the most wanted criminal postings.

Anytime, we think we can do wrong and get away it—we’re dancing with the devil leading us into darkness and possible death. We must remember that the devil—that master of deception and father of liars—gets his kicks from seeing us getting into hot water with no way out of it. He laughs at the follies of his followers, cheering them on from the sidelines—showing them how to get swallowed up into the pit in which they have fallen.

Think about the people who believe that gambling is a way out of debt. The devil is leading this dance all the way to the poor house or suicide. He encourages the loser to try, “just more time” and then sits giggling hysterically when they lose even more. He loves to watch how they scramble trying to manipulate others into letting them have more money to lose and some resort to stealing because they believe—they need just more try.

Think about the people who live in abusive situations in which the devil manipulates the abuser and the abused. He convinces the abuser to keep abusing in order to control others, but then he also convinces the abused to believe the abuser when they apologize, beg for forgiveness and then they stay—for more abuse. 

Think about those people—specifically parents—who allow others to babysit for them and they abuse their children. Without a certain knowledge of those who have been trusted, we open the door for the dance and then when he leads, we get frustrated and angry. When we should have been looking into the backgrounds of those we choose to trust, we don’t. When we should trust our children to tell us the truth we don’t and allow the abuse to continue when we keep getting the same people to babysit.

Stay tuned for Part 2--coming tomorrow and while you wait--toss that dance card aside, never to be used again.