Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Devil's Many Faces

Satan is the master of disguise.


John 8:44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.

He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Ever since the Garden of Eden the devil has been presenting himself in a favorable light. He has a great amount of skill in concealing his true identity and he spends a lot of his time trying to trick us.

When the serpent started talking to Eve he didn't say anything outrageous he just twisted the truth a little bit. It is probably safe to assume that he knew the truth but he didn't want Adam and Eve to believe in the truth.

The devil seemed to be very wise and he seemed to have an accurate assessment of the relationship between God and the first man and woman. Satan sounded like he knew what he was talking about when he questioned God's motivation for the limits that he gave to Adam.

Sometimes Satan gives us inaccurate information based on what he believes to be true. Satan thought he could outwit God, he thought that he knew Job better than God did, the problem is that Satan had deceived himself, he was so sure that he knew how Job would react. His conversation with God about Job was based on what he thought he knew about Job. Satan was so sure that God was wrong but Job proved that Satan was wrong.

Satan’s character is deceitful and devious, he hates the truth, he always sugar coats the reality of sin. He hides the consequences of sin like an advertisement for a beer commercial that shows you how cool and fun their product is without showing you where it will take you. He presents a false truth or he gives us inaccurate information that is based on his own false beliefs. Satan has several techniques and disguises that he likes to use to cover up his true character.

Check out some of the disguises that Satan uses:


The Serpent

Genesis 3:1-5  The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"  "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied.  "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"  "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman.  "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."
Adam and Eve have never met a talking animal in the Garden of Eden but on that day when the snake came up and began a conversation with Eve they were not the least bit concerned. It didn't seem to raise any warning flags and make them question the snake and his motives instead they accept the snakes teaching and question God's motives.

The serpents strategy was to question truth and question God's goodness to us. He appealed to our pride and our desire to get everything we can out of life. Satan told them that the limits that God gave them could be rejected and then they could decide for themselves what is right and wrong.

An Angel of Light

2 Corinthians 11:14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Satan wasn't created as an evil being, the Bible tells us that God only made good things. He must have started his existence as an angel of light, a pure and holy angel, but he chose to do his will instead of God's. So when Satan hides his true character from us it is easy for him to look just like a good angel.

As an angel of light Satan deceives us with a false views of spiritual things, he gets us to believe in religion, he promotes his lies by getting as close to the truth as he can without actually being true. He knows how to look good, it is essential, if he chose to show his true character to us then we would reject him right away and he would be defeated. This should make us realize that everything that looks good isn't necessarily good.

A Roaring Lion

1 Peter 5:7-9  Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
As a roaring lion, Satan bear down on us to destroy us by violent opposition, persecution, and death. He is not a passive enemy rather he is violently opposed to every effort that we make to do good, he resists all of our efforts to obey God.

Accusation is a favorite ploy of Satan against God's people, Satan’s accusations are not beneficial, he wants to mimic the work of the Holy Spirit but the difference is the Holy Spirit wants to convict us of sin in order to move us to repentance and forgiveness but Satan's accusations are meant for harm and to tear us down.
Ephesians 2:2  You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
If you are a child of God and you are living to please him then you are living life in the middle of a battle ground. You need to be familiar with your enemy and, you need to know what he looks like and what his strategy is.

Satan is the commander in chief, he is the prince of this world, he has demons and godless people that are willing to follow his commands. Thankfully his power and reign are only temporary and someday we will live in paradise without his evil influence.

Thank you Lord for giving us victory in our battle with Satan.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Growing Big Faith - Pivotal Circumstances

God uses circumstances that seem to have no good purpose to grow your faith.



John 11:11-15  Then He said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up."  12  The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!"   

13  They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.   

14  So He told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  15  And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him."

In this very familiar story we find the best example of God using difficult circumstances to work out something good in our spiritual journey. Jesus received a message that one of his best friends is dying and everybody is surprised that he doesn't do something to save him. At the very least we expect Jesus to heal Lazarus by remote control. He could have easily spoke it and sent the messenger back with the good news but he didn't do anything at all.

Imagine Mary and Martha caring for their brother and stopping to take a look down the street every now and then to see if Jesus was on the way. Imagine the hurt as they recalled the thousands of people that Jesus healed. Didn't he heal a Roman? So where is he? Imagine answering their friends when they were asked over and over again, "where is your friend Jesus?"
John 11:14-15  So He told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  15  And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him."
Belief is very important so Jesus used this situation for the disciples benefit. A situation that he seems to have created on purpose. Belief is more important than answered prayer and healing, more important that sparing Lazarus a death that may have been painful. Belief is more important than sparing Mary and Martha the emotional turmoil that they endured. Imagine the pain that they and their extended family and friends felt as they mourned.

They didn't have theology yet to explain that this situation may have some benefit for somebody. Even if they did there isn't anything comforting about theology. Even Jesus was moved to tears in this situation even though he understood the purpose for all of the pain.
John 11:25-26  Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying.  26  Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?"
Jesus ask us the same question he asked Martha, "do you believe?" Do you believe in me even though the circumstances are not easy, even though your prayers were not answered and your friends mocked you? How do you know you have faith if it is never tested?
John 11:39-40  "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible."  40  Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?"
We prefer that God get the glory through a positive experience in our life, isn't it more fun to score the winning touchdown and stop for a moment to give him credit for our talents, we prefer to stay comfortable while we give God the glory.
James 1:2-4  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Pivotal circumstances are usually painful circumstances that can make or break our faith. We have all prayed and waited for Jesus to do something but as we wait the situation gets worse and we are tempted to forget about our faith. Will you endure and flex your faith muscle or will you walk away?

Our community of Christian friends should help encourage us to keep the faith and grow instead of walking away. The people that come beside us on our journey of faith will help us see that life is hard and sometimes it is hard because God is working on growing our faith.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Growing Big Faith - Personal Ministry - Part 2

Personal ministry requires us to trust Jesus and get out of the boat.



Matthew 14:28-33 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.

“Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

In the previous post Jesus and the disciples had taken a boat across the lake to get away from the crowds that were out of control. It looks like Jesus was trying to get away from the crowds but it could be that he was setting up a teachable moment for his disciples.

An important lesson on faith was the result of this boat ride across the lake. They had gone to a remote area and they needed food for the crowd but the only source of food was a small lunch basket. The disciples learned that they need to give Jesus what little they have and allow him to take care of the rest. That was Faith 101, the followup course, Faith 201 is coming right up.

The disciples are taking another boat ride but this time they are without Jesus. They are in the boat doing what they know how to do. They are experienced and have plenty of training at navigating a boat in a lake, they are at ease, they probably think "finally, Jesus asks us to do something that we know how to do."

The problem is that you don't learn very much in that situation and great things don't usually happen so let's throw in a bad storm and get them out of their comfort zone. They have been out there for hours and they were panicked, then it gets worse, Jesus saw their situation and went out across the water to them, they see him and now they are really freaked out.

The disciples are once again in a situation that seems impossible, earlier in the day they witnessed the impossible when Jesus fed the crowds, now they are in a situation that their experience tells them is hopeless. They are probably sure that this boat is going to sink.

Need Help?

Psalms 37:5  Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you.
Peter realized that he could do anything that Jesus asked him to do, he learned that when they fed the crowd a few hours ago, he just needed to know that Jesus was asking. Peter told Jesus to ask him to get out of the boat and walk across the water, so Jesus invites him to come.

Maybe the other disciples in the boat were thinking just get out of the boat but Peter wanted to know that Jesus wanted him to do it. The difference between faith and stupidity, you don't want to be out of God's will when you are making such a bold move, Peter asked Jesus to take him out of his comfort zone.

Peter may have thought "I dont know how to walk on water but I know how to get out of a boat and I know how to walk, I am going to trust Jesus with the rest." And so he trusted, until he took his eyes off Jesus and took a look around at his surroundings, he was reminded of what he couldn't do. He started thinking about his ability.

Instead of trusting in the one that can take you beyond what you can do you decide to look at your abilities and play it safe. Just about every minister, just about every ministry started with somebody that was willing to get out of the boat, insecurity is common to all of us.

Is God asking you to feed a crowd with what you have in your hands? Is he asking you to stand up and get out of the boat? When these things happen then God gets the credit but if you don't step out then you will never know what God may have accomplished through you.

Help me to trust you Lord and have big faith, big enough to pray the Peter prayer and ask Jesus to invite me out of your comfort zone.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Growing Big Faith - Personal Ministry - Part 1

Personal ministry allows us to experience God's power in our weakness.


Matthew 14:14-21  Jesus saw the huge crowd as He stepped from the boat, and He had compassion on them and healed their sick.  15  That evening the disciples came to Him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."  16  But Jesus said, "That isn't necessary--you feed them."

17 "But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!" they answered.  18  "Bring them here," He said.  19  Then He told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, He gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people.   

20  They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.  21  About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

At this point in Jesus ministry the crowds were getting out of control and Jesus wasn't able to have any down time. The people that were pressing at him trying to get something from him wouldn't even allow him some time away to mourn the death of his cousin John the Baptist. Jesus tried to get away from the crowds by taking a boat ride to a remote area East of the Sea of Galilee but as he arrived he realized that the crowds had followed him and he still wouldn't have any time to himself.

I wonder if he felt some frustration when he arrived and realized that he was still going to be bombarded with people selfishly requesting to be healed. I probably would have rolled my eyes and groaned but Jesus was moved with compassion and he continued to heal the sick and teach them.

As the day was coming to an end, the disciples saw that they were miles from any resources to eat dinner, there wasn't any way that they could provide this many people with food. The disciples looked through the crowd and found that the only food that anybody had with them was in a small lunch basket. Feeding the thousands that were there was completely impossible.

The disciples thought that the only thing to do was to send this crowd home but Jesus didn't see things the same way and instead of telling them good-bye Jesus told the disciples that they need to tell the people to have a seat. The disciples didn't want the crowd to sit down and they certainly didn't expect Jesus to tell them to do something impossible. Sometimes Jesus says something that doesn't make sense so when he said "you feed them" the disciples said "but Jesus this is all we have!"

Have you ever been out in the middle of nowhere with Jesus and you heard him tell you to do something impossible? We have all felt that internal nudge to do something, you see a need, you feel some tension inside, but just like the disciples you say "this is all I have."

What do you do when Jesus tells you to do something impossible? You tell God that there is no way that you have the resources or the skill set, you are not equipped, you are scared but God says "I don't care, bring what you have."

You may tell God, "I am not someone that meets that kind of need, I am somebody that prays for somebody to meet that need. I'm just a prayer warrior" But God says "I don't care, bring what you have."

The disciples did what they knew how to do trusting that God would do the rest. They stood there in front of Jesus and took a little bit of food from him, they turned around, faced the crowd and handed the food to somebody. They walked back to Jesus and somehow he had a little bit more food to hand them to pass out.

What is your initial response to being asked to serve? Have you felt that God was urging you to serve yet you refused because you felt unprepared or inadequate?

Your faith muscle gets flexed when you say yes to something that God is urging you to do despite the fact that you feel inadequate, scared, or lacking resources. Every major move of God is accomplished through somebody that feels inadequate, somebody whose faith muscle is being stretched, somebody that believes they can't do it apart from God

Are you willing to do what you know how to do so God can do what only God can do? If you do you will experience God in a brand new way but if you don't you will never know what God would have done through you.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Growing Big Faith - Private Disciplines

Private disciplines help us to be more like Christ.



Matthew 6:1-8  "Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.   

When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do--blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.  But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.  Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

"When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!

Matthew 6:16-18  "And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.  17  But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.  18  Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Discipline is a four letter word to most of us, we don't like being forced to do something that we do not want to do, we feel like we are suppose to do it whether we like it or not. It doesn't matter if it is exercise, budget, a diet or learning to play an instrument. Sometimes we don't always like disciplined people, sometimes they are inspiring but sometimes they get on our nerves, they make us feel bad, so we try to persuade them to be more like us.

Discipline is for our own good and that is even more true of spiritual discipline. Spiritual disciplines are another tool that God uses to help us grow closer to him. Our faith and trust in him will grow as our relationship with him develops, this doesn't happen by accident, there must be an intentional effort to get to know God.
"Students are to be like their teacher."
Right away Jesus tells us to not make a big deal of what you are doing. When it comes to being disciplined and doing good deeds Jesus tells us that we need to be a secret agent. If you are fasting, do your best to not look like you are, don't be a show off when you pray in public, God says that you won't get a reward from him if you have already gotten a reward from the people around you.

Don't mistake the purpose for private discipline, you are not trying to earn God's favor by checking off a bunch of good deeds, doing these things does not change the fact that you have been saved by grace alone. Becoming a better disciple is our goal. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Don't mistake the presence of these disciplines with spiritual maturity. They are not a guarantee that maturity exist rather they open the opportunity for it to develop. Sometimes the disciplines are being done with the wrong attitude but there is still some value in doing it. God can still use the time spent with you to bring you closer to him. You may find that it will get easier and the things that you used to dread will be something that you will look forward to.

Our selfish nature is always wanting to get stroked for doing the right thing but the lifestyle of the Christ follower is one that requires selfless discipline that will probably not get noticed. It is better that way so that we won't start to believe that we are anything away from the power of God.

My secret disciplines should include:

  • Helping those that have needs that I can meet.
  • Praying with the attitude that Jesus demonstrated in his example.
  • Forgiving the people that have hurt me without even mentioning the offense to them.
  • Fasting without looking like it I am doing so.
  • Bible study, meditation and memorizing scripture helps us overcome Satan's attack.
This is only a partial list of disciplines but it is a great place to start. For more information on spiritual disciplines check out this page.

The life of a Christ follower should be a disciplined life so that your faith can grow. It takes a lot of effort to take up your cross daily and to put on the Armor of God. Without discipline you will be tempted to give up and leave the cross and the armor laying on the ground.

Saturday, February 01, 2014

Growing Big Faith - Providential Relationships

God uses people to help you grow big faith.



Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

We have probably all heard the warning when we were young that we need to be careful who your friends are and who you hang out with.

Few of us realize when we are young but by the time you are old enough to be a parent you finally get what your parents were talking about. Looking back you can see relationships that were good for you and some that were not.

Relationships are a powerful influence in life. Has there been someone in your life who has had a positive influence on your life? How about somebody that has had a positive impact on your faith? There may be someone that came into your life that made a profound difference in who you are today.

The wise person will be very careful in deciding who gets to influence their life. Will you choose to have a wise person shape your thinking? The Bible teaches us that a fool is a person that knows the difference between right and wrong but they just don't care. They do not care that today's decisions have an impact on tomorrow.
Your friends will determine the direction and quality of your life. - Andy Stanley
Providential relationships are relationships that God brings into your life that ignite and grow your faith. The kind of people that challenge you to see new possibilities and understand new truths spiritually in order for you to grow in your faith. You usually see those relationships the easiest with hind sight, you look back and say to yourself, "thank God that person came into my life and helped me."

There are not many neutral relationships, most of the people we know will have an impact on our lives. Their values can easily become our values. You are around people everyday that do not care about your faith, culture is tearing you away from your faith, and besides culture you also have your old sin nature working against you.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Maximizing the relationships in our lives for the purpose of growing in our faith is only half the picture. God also wants us to have a positive impact on others lives and he wants us to be of benefit to their faith as well. Sometimes we are the wise one that needs to go have an awkward conversation with a friend that is blind to something. We can pray for our friend but if something is breaking your heart in their situation then maybe God is prompting you to do something about it.

Awkward conversations can be found in the Bible between:

✔  Eli and his sons (1 Samuel 2:22-25)
✔  Samuel and King Saul (1 Samuel 15:12-26)
✔  Nathan and David (2 Samuel 12:1-12)

We can't force a providential relationship to happen but we can leverage this Biblical principle by:

✔  Be intentional about who you spend time with
✔  Be intentional about moving into situations where relationships will be built
✔  Initiate interaction with the wise people around you
✔  Invite that wise person to speak into your life

Close relationships are the means that God uses to provide us with the opportunity and accountability to live out the truth of his Word. God has placed people in your life to help you by challenging you to be more like Christ.