Deception

Who’s on the Throne of Your Heart?

“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.’” – Isaiah 14:13-15 Yesterday we looked at how evil doesn’t always look that way at first, and how the devil’s attacks are not always as obvious as we might think. Today, I want to talk about what I believe to be his primary method of attack and goal in the life of a believer — getting us to worship ourselves.  Isaiah 14 says that Satan wanted to be enthroned above God. He didn’t want to submit to Him or

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Authority Over Darkness

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” – Matthew 10:16 Yesterday we talked about how Satan does exist but how we, as Christians, have power and authority over the darkness he tries to bring into our lives. Overall, we affirmed that Jesus has won the war! Today, I want to talk a little bit more about our adversary and where his pseudo-power comes from.  I believe that lack and evil in this world are carried out through the agency of people; however, their root cause is found in the angelic world, namely through Satan and the fallen angels who followed him rather than serving the Lord. Now, whenever we talk about the devil and Satanic influences in modern society, it’s easy for educated people to put their guard up — that’s because the enemy doesn’t want us

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Walking in Truth’s Freedom

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17 Have you ever been caught in the act of telling a lie? I believe that most of us have been caught in the trap of dishonesty at some point in our lives, if not as adults, then certainly as children. Perhaps we lied about something minor (what has been dubbed “the little white lie”), or perhaps it was something more serious and had a bad influence on someone we care about. Whatever the case may be, I don’t believe there’s anything worse than being caught in the web of deception. I just heard a story about a social media video that went viral. On a plane, a 28-year-old man got into an argument with other passengers and the flight crew. He began boasting that he owned six residences, made

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Divine Irony

“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” – Psalm 45:6 Yesterday, we talked about Henry VIII and how his life, as selfish and crazy as it was, gave birth to a church that has shared Jesus with millions. And today, if you’ll permit me, I’d like to continue using a lesson from history to demonstrate how sovereignly God works. Once King Henry VIII died, his only surviving son ascended the throne at just nine years of age, but he passed away six years later. Upon his death, his sister, Queen Mary (a.k.a. Bloody Mary) — who was the only surviving child of the king and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon — took the throne in 1553. Since the new queen was very much Catholic, she hated her Protestant father with a passion. She was determined

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The Struggle of Life

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” – Ephesians 6:12   Although it’s something that can be difficult to admit, the reality is that much of life is a fight. Interestingly, the term Israel means “to struggle with God,” and if this is how the Lord defined the existence of His people from the beginning of time, it remains just as true today. While it might be more accurate to say that we battle against sin (which places our conscience in conflict with our Creator), no matter how we define it, knowing that we’re in a spiritual conflict is an important part of our Christian experience. As much as we want to believe that we reside on a planet full of goodwill, to

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God is Your Guide

“With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.’ When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.” – Genesis 19:15,16 Yesterday, we looked at how God and two angels stopped by Abraham’s tent and warned him that they were going to Sodom and Gomorrah to assess the conditions there, and if need be, swiftly execute judgment. Later, when they arrived at the city gate, Abraham’s nephew Lot was waiting for them. Possibly having heard about the Lord’s intent to destroy his hometown, he wanted to get the men to his house, either to deter them or to keep them safe. Unfortunately,

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Deception

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8 While it’s not pleasant to think about, it’s important to remember that there is a kingdom of darkness surrounding us and that as Christians, we have an adversary named Satan who is serious about wreaking havoc in our lives. Though we often envision the forces of hell warring in acts of blatant evil, violence, or malice, the primary strategy of the devil is always deception. The enemy is an angel of light, and he is really good at slyly deceiving us so that we begin to fall away from abundant life. He knows that if he can get us to doubt the Lord’s love in any fashion, he gains a foothold, and we start to suffer. By convincing us ever-so-subtly that our best existence is

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