Tag: Satan

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Acts Devotionals

I appeal to Jesus!

Bema Seat

Paul replied, “I am standing at Caesar’s tribunal…I appeal to Caesar!” (Acts 25:10-11)

The word “tribunal” is translated “judgment seat” in other passages in scripture, such as where they refer to God’s judgment seat (Romans 14:10) or Christ’s judgment seat (2 Corinthians 5:10).

And it made me think.

One day, we will all stand before God’s judgment seat as Paul was standing before Caesar’s. And there, Satan would throw all kinds of serious accusations against us.

But unlike the accusations thrown at Paul, Satan’s accusations would be quite legitimate. We have committed all kinds of sins, making us deserving of death.

Yet as God’s children, we can cry out, “I appeal to Jesus!”

And by Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, God will declare us righteous.

That’s an awesome thought.

So whenever Satan, or even our own consciences, are mercilessly hurling accusations at us, let us cry out boldly and with confidence, “I appeal to Jesus!”

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Acts Devotionals

That chains may be broken

broken chains

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. (Acts 16:26)

As I read those words, I thought about all the people in my life that need to have their chains broken, who need to be set free.

One is bound by chains of hurt, anger, and bitterness.

Another is bound by chains of anxiety and confusion.

Others I know are bound by low self-worth, of not feeling “good enough.”

Others are bound by their own sin.

Satan has wrapped his chains around so many around me, including chains I’m unaware of.

God was reminding me today, “I want break those chains.”

Just as he broke Lydia’s chains. The demon-possessed girl’s chains. The prisoners’ chains. The jailer’s chains.

And so I’m praying for the people in my life whom Satan has enchained. And I’m praying that God shows me how to be that intersection point between heaven and earth for them.

Are there chains that need to be broken in the lives of people you know? Are there chains that need to be broken in your own life?

The Spirit of the Lord God is on me…

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners… (Isaiah 61:1)

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Luke Devotionals

Just one finger

If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.　(Luke 11:20)

As we think about spiritual warfare, and specifically the Enemy we battle, we sometimes lose sight of an important truth.

God is much more powerful than Satan. Satan is not God’s equal.

God is the Creator. Satan is merely a creature.

And God needs but his little finger to overcome Satan.

So as we face spiritual battles in our lives, let us go with confidence in the one who dwells in us. For as John wrote,

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

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Luke Devotionals

A prayer to Jesus

Luke

Simon, Simon, look out. Satan has asked to sift you [all] like wheat. But I have prayed for you (i.e. Simon) that your faith may not fail.

And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. (LUke 22:31-32)

Lord, the day will come when you will reign and we will reign with you (2 Timothy 2:12). A day when we will eat at your table, enjoying sweet fellowship with you.

But that time is not now. We will face trials as Peter and the other disciples did. And through those trials, Satan desires to sift us all like wheat.

So Lord, as you prayed for Peter, pray for me and your people. Intercede for us.

Lord, I know myself too well. I know there will be times I will fall. But when I do, pick me up. And use me to strengthen my brothers and sisters, reminding them that the grace that you gave to me is also available to them.

And in the times when I’m down and feeling far from your grace, use my brothers and sisters to strengthen me.

In your name, I pray, amen.

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Romans Devotionals

Watch out for serpents!

Romans

I don’t think I have ever noticed this before, but there is a strong parallel between what Paul says in verses 17-20 and what happened in the garden of Eden.

It was God’s desire that Adam and Eve be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

But by using smooth talk and flattering words, Satan deceived the heart of the unsuspecting Eve. And by following words which were contrary to what she had learned, she fell into sin, with Adam joining her soon after.

And so Paul says, “Watch out for serpents!”

Mostly he’s talking about false teachers in the church, but there are also false teachers outside the church. How can we know they are false teachers?

They teach what is contrary to what God says in his word.

That’s why it is so important to be familiar with God’s word. When we know God’s word well, we won’t be deceived by the false teachings of this world.

That was one of the purposes of Paul’s letter to the Romans: to lay down the foundation of our faith and to teach us how we are to live.

But it’s not enough to simply know God’s Word. We need to believe it. And obey it.

And so Paul goes back to a theme he started from chapter 1: the obedience that comes from faith. (Romans 1:5, 16:26)

Christ has already won the victory over Satan. (Genesis 3:15)

And because of what he did on the cross, we will share in that victory. (Romans 16:20)

So with a heart of thanksgiving, let’s read God’s word each day. Let’s believe it. And by his grace, let’s obey it.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

Though we live in troubled times

1 Corinthians

Looking at the daily news, it clear that we live in troubled times. And sometimes, it’s hard not to feel depressed, fearful, or discouraged.

But it’s in these days that I think Paul’s words are particularly apropos.

Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Do everything in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

“Be alert.”

Why? Because the devil will try to discourage us. To make us fearful.

As Peter said, Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. So watch out for him. (1 Peter 5:8)

“Be courageous. Be strong.”

Why? Because Jesus who is in us is greater than our Enemy who is in the world (I John 4:4).

And through Jesus, we already have the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).

And he is coming again.

The first time, he came to deal with sin.

The next time he comes, he will end all evil and bring salvation, making all things new. (Hebrews 9:28)

“Do everything in love.”

Why? Because it is love that distinguishes us from this world. And it is only through our loving those around us that we can make a difference in these troubled times.

So let us stand firm in the faith. As David sang, “We will see the goodness of the Lord.”  (Psalm 27:13)

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

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Psalms Devotionals

No fear

Psalms

I don’t know about you, but Psalm 91 has always seemed to promise too much, as if we’ll never have any problems if we just trust in God.

Obviously, Satan tried to misuse this psalm to tempt Jesus. “Hey, jump off the building and the angels will catch you. That’s what God promised, right?”

And some Christians today misuse it to say that Christians should never get sick or have problems.

But as I read this passage today, it made me think of the Israelites’ experience in Egypt.

The Egyptians experienced a lot of the things the psalmist talked about as judgment from God. They experienced plague and pestilence. And of course they experienced terror at night as all their firstborn sons died.

On the other hand, the Lord protected all his people from experiencing that terrible judgment.

You see that pattern time and again in the Bible. The wicked are eventually judged, but God’s people are spared from God’s judgment (Ezekiel 9, 2 Peter 2:4-10, Revelation 7:1-3; 9:1-21)

In the same way, God will eventually judge this earth. But if we belong to him, if we have made him our refuge, putting our trust in him, we do not need to fear his judgment.

As John put it,

God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. (1 John 4:16-18)

So if bad things are happening to you, and you think it must be because God is punishing you, understand that God isn’t. Jesus already took your punishment on a cross 2000 years ago.

But not only do we not have to fear God’s judgment, we also don’t have to fear the enemy’s attacks on us.

In scripture, Satan is depicted as a serpent and a lion. (Genesis 3, 1 Peter 5:8)

I find it interesting that when Satan tempted Jesus, he quoted verses 11-12, and skipped verse 13,

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent. (Psalm 91:13)

Maybe it reminded him too much of what God told the serpent about the Savior who would come.

He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Satan will strike us. But like the damage he did to Jesus, that damage will not be permanent. He can kill our bodies. But he cannot destroy our souls.

And the day will come when we will rejoice and worship God because of it. (Revelation 7:9-17)

So let’s not fear God’s judgment nor Satan’s attacks. Rather, let us remember God’s promises to us:

Because he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.

When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.

I will rescue him and give him honor.

I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation. (Psalm 91:14-16)

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Revelation

Why people do evil

Revelation

Why do people do evil? Does the devil make them do it? Are they simply products of their environment? The injustice, poverty, and the evil around them has so shaped them that they simply have no choice?

Or is there something else?

I think we find the answer in this passage.

After Jesus returns and the antichrist, his prophet, and their armies are all dealt with, Jesus will reign for 1000 years. Whether this is a literal 1000 years or not I don’t know. But anyway, it’s for a considerable period of time.

All the resurrected people of God will also come to live on the earth and will reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4).

Who will they reign over? Apparently all those who survived the wrath that God poured out on the earth.

The resurrected saints will never be subject to death again (6), but unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the survivors of the wrath of God.

For while there will be heaven-like aspects to the conditions, it will not quite yet be heaven.

There will be perfect justice, and a time of great peace. People’s lives will start to extend as it did before the time of the flood. And yet, people will still die.  Why? Because there will still be sin in the world. (Isaiah 11:1-9, 65:17-25)

And in this time, Isaiah seems to picture Jesus still needing to judge cases that are brought before him.

Unlike now, however, there will be perfect justice. There will be no hiding of the facts from him, no loopholes to escape through, or any technicalities that people can get off on. (Isaiah 11:1-5)

But this raises a question. In a world of perfect conditions, perfect justice, and no Satan to tempt people, why do people still sin and die?

The reason is that people are innately sinful. People don’t become sinners because they sin. They sin because they are sinners.

And while Satan can tempt, and our backgrounds and environments can influence, nevertheless, people sin because that is their nature. David recognized this (Psalm 51:5) as did Paul (Ephesians 2:1-3).

The millennium will prove this once for all. And it will prove once again why we need a Savior.

People will never be good enough to deserve God’s salvation even in a perfect world. Many people will come to realize that and will put their trust in Jesus as Savior during that time.

Others, however, won’t. And when Satan is released one last time, millions will flock to his side to wage one final war against God.

But like the war of antichrist and his prophet, it will be no war at all. With a single act of God, they will be destroyed and Satan will be tossed into the lake of fire with all his minions. (Revelation 20:7-10)

So let us be honest with ourselves.

We don’t sin because God allows Satan to run around.

We don’t sin because of our environments or backgrounds.

We sin because we are sinners. And that’s why we need a Savior.

If you haven’t already, won’t you turn to him today?

 

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Revelation

A beaten foe, a wrathful foe

Revelation

“But why must we suffer? Why must we go through persecution? Why wouldn’t God just take us out from it all?”

If you’ve been reading through Revelation with me, especially if you believe we will be raptured before all the trouble with antichrist begins, you may be wondering why I hold so fast to this idea.

To be honest, I wish very much that God would just pluck us out. But I just don’t see it from anything I see in Revelation, and particularly in this passage.

Here we get a bird’s eye view of all that’s been happening since the time Mary was pregnant with Jesus.

John tells us of a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. And she was in labor, on the verge of giving birth.

Although I just mentioned Mary and it would seem that this is talking about her, it probably isn’t.

When you see the symbolism of the sun, the moon, and the 12 stars, the very first thing that should come to mind is Joseph’s dream, which showed Joseph’s father Jacob (or Israel, as God renamed him), mother, and 11 brothers all bowing down to him. (Genesis 37:9-10)

So this pregnant woman seems to symbolize the nation of Israel. For it was Israel that gave birth to Jesus, the Messiah, the King.

But Satan, symbolized by the dragon (Revelation 12:9), tried to destroy Jesus while he was on earth. We see this in Herod’s murder of all the babies (Matthew 2:16-18), and in Christ’s crucifixion.

But of course, after Christ’s crucifixion, Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven.

John then sees a flashback in which he sees a war in heaven in which Satan is cast out along with his angels. And when he was thrust down to earth, he chased after the woman Israel to destroy her.

I’m not sure, but I tend to think this was particularly seen in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

In this attack, Satan was trying to destroy Israel. But not all Jews were destroyed. The Christians, in particular, took Jesus’ warning to heart (Matthew 24:15-21), and fled Jerusalem before it was destroyed.

With Satan unable to destroy Israel completely, he then set his eyes on destroying her other “children.” Not the Jews by blood, but “those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17)

That is, the church. For we are the true children of Israel now, all we Jews and non-Jews who have put our faith in Jesus. (Galatians 3:29)

Why is he so full of wrath against us? Why is he so persistent in trying to destroy us?

John tells us,

He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. (Revelation 12:12b)

And so John tells us that while those in heaven rejoice over his being cast out of there,

Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! (12a)

What do we get from all this? First, we are facing a beaten foe. He has already lost. And he knows it. His time is short, and he will be judged.

But second, until that time comes, he will take out his wrath against us. And as we have seen and will see in Revelation, that means some of us will be “conquered”, that is killed by him.

Yet the ultimate victory is ours. He may kill our bodies, but he can’t take our souls. When Satan was cast out of heaven, a loud voice cried out,

Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. (10)

In other words, because of Jesus’ death on the cross, Satan has lost all right to accuse us. When he tries, God overrules all of Satan’s objections against us.

More, John tells us that though Satan may overcome the saints for a time, ultimately,

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (11)

So though Satan may attack us, though he may kill us, in the end, we win. Why?

Because Jesus won the victory for us on the cross. And by our lives and death, we testify to the change that God has brought in our hearts, proving that all of Satan’s accusations no longer have any basis.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. (12a)

We already have won.

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1 John

What Satan tries to sell us

1 John

I think it is easy sometimes to think of Satan merely as that roaring lion. The one who out and out seeks to destroy us.

But the truth is that as often as he takes that tactic, he also takes the tactic of the harmless sheep. That’s clearly seen in the Antichrist.

We hear the word Antichrist, and we immediately think of him as this terrible figure who will wreak havoc on the world. And he will.

But before he does so, he will appear to be like Christ. As someone who is looking to bring peace and salvation to this world.

He has yet to come (so far as we know).

But throughout history, even in the time of John, there were many antichrists, people who appeared to be harmless, who in fact seemed be a blessing to the church, but who instead spread deadly poison in the church and who had to be cast out.

John says of them,

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. (1 John 2:19)

What kind of poison were they spreading? The same kind of poison that’s spreading even now: a denial of Christ.

There are many people who have no problem saying, “I believe in God” or “I believe in a higher power.” That concept is not offensive to them at all. But bring up Jesus Christ and their whole tone changes. He is an utter offense to them.

But John tells us,

Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist — he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. (22-23)

In other words, you cannot truly claim to believe in God if you reject Jesus. To deny Jesus is to deny God himself. Why? Because Jesus is God.

That was one of the things that the Jews failed to understand in Jesus’ day. That the Christ is divine.

And so when Jesus asked them, “Why, if the Christ is David’s son, does David call him Lord? If David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son,” they were stumped. (Matthew 22:42, 45)

The answer is that not only is Christ the son of David, but he is God himself. Jesus said as much. (John 8:58, John 10:30-33).

But people will go out of their way to deny that. They will call him a prophet, a good man, even the Son of God. All of them are true. But he is also God, and has been from all eternity. And to deny that is to swallow the poison that Satan is selling.

So John tells us,

See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us — even eternal life. (24-25)

The ultimate question that everyone has to answer is this: “What do you think of Christ? Whose Son is he?”

Your eternal destiny rests on your answer.

Who do you say that he is?

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Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: A daily spiritual battle

The gospels

Every day, we are fighting a spiritual battle. That’s why Jesus instructed us to pray,

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13)

We’re living in an evil world, in which the prince of darkness dwells. And he is hostile to us. He will do anything to bring us down from within or without.

From within, he tries to get us to fall to our own sinful nature, to give into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

And so we are to pray that God would lead us. That we would keep our eyes on him, following him, rather than our own sinful nature.

Everyone knows their weak points. And to some degree, it’s good to be aware of them. To avoid doing things that would bring you to the point of temptation.

But if we spend all our time focusing on what we shouldn’t be doing, chances are that the temptation will only grow.

If on the other hand, we keep our eyes on God, we’re much more likely to avoid temptation. It’s not enough to just avoid sin. We need to follow God.

But beyond temptations, Satan wants to hurt us. He will attack us, and many times he’ll use the broken people of this world to hurt us.

Other times, he’ll whisper his lies into our mind, saying things like, “You’re no good. God can’t love you. You messed up too badly this time. He can’t forgive you.”

So Jesus tells us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one.”

We are in a war against an enemy that hates us. So let us remember the words of Peter, who said,

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

And let us pray that God in his grace would limit his influence on our lives.

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Isaiah

The fall of our Enemy

Isaiah

This passage is a continuation of chapter 13, talking about the judgment that was to come upon Babylon.

And while I don’t believe that this passage is specifically talking about Satan himself (some people particularly associate verses 12-14 to Satan), a lot of what is said here about the king of Babylon can also be said of Satan.

Both desired to be raised up and to achieve power.  Both desired to be like God.  And in the process, they oppressed people and put them into bondage.

But both were cast down by God, and as the rule of the Babylonian king came to an end, so will Satan’s.

Isaiah said that on the day the king of Babylon would be cast down, the people would cry out,

How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.

All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing….

The grave below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you – all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones – all those who were kings over the nations.

They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave.”  (Isaiah 14:4-7, 9-10)

In the same way, when Satan is cast down once and for all, there will at last be peace on this earth, and there will be great rejoicing.

When Satan is cast down into hell, all his power will be gone, and he will be like all the others in the lake of fire:  a victim of his own sin and pride.

I think one misunderstanding that people have about Satan is that he rules in hell.

Actually, Satan is not in hell and he does not want to go there.  Because when he goes there, he will not be king.  He won’t even be a “prison warden.”  He’ll be a prisoner just like everyone else there.

And people will look upon him in wonder, just as they did the Babylonian king and say, “Is this the one that shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the one who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go?”  (16-17)

So what can we take from this?

Know that though Satan and his minions may attack you, and may make your life miserable at times, their time is short, and they know it.

Take hope in the fact that their time is coming, and at that time, all the misery you may be going through now because of all the evil that’s in the world will be at an end.

You will not suffer forever.  You will not be at Satan’s mercy forever.

God has already started the work of salvation through his Son’s work on the cross.  He has already set you free from your sins, and we have now been saved from sin’s power and sin’s penalty.

We have not yet been saved from sin’s presence in our lives and the hurt and pain it can cause.  But that day is coming too.  And on that day,

[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  (Revelation 21:4)

So let us not get discouraged when we are faced with trials in our lives.  Rather, let us rejoice.  And remember that through Jesus, the victory has already been won.