He’s A Cunning Liar, But He’s Defeated – Sunday Thought For The Day

As a Christian, the closer I draw to the Lord, the maturer I grow in the Lord, the more submissive and dependent I become upon His will; the more I know we give the enemy of our souls and his emissaries much more credit than they are due.

Let there be no doubt; Satan is our adversary.  He’s not just committed to destroying us as persons, but damaging our testimony also.   He wants to destroy our ability to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, share of the Lord’s mercy and grace, and live our security and assurance in Messiah for the world to see.  He wants us to live weak ineffective lives.  The devil is committed to those things and there are no lengths he will not go in trying to accomplish same. (See: John 10:10 KJV)

The problem is that too often we permit him to succeed, because we don’t spend enough time reading and studying the Word of God nor in prayer asking God to lead us not into temptation and to deliver us from the evil one. (See: Matthew 6:13 KJV)

But, at the end of the end of day he is a defeated enemy, which brings me to three facts regarding same: 1) his eternal future is set – he’s existing for a set time solely by the permission of God the Father; 2) he and his emissaries will always overplay their hand; and 3) he may be a cunning liar, deceiver and imitator, but those traits aren’t synonymous with God given spirit-filled intelligence and discernment.  Let me share what I mean.

Some months ago the enemy was with great subtly raising concerns over a situation in my life.  It seemed the more I prayed about the situation the more inclined, i.e., tempted, I was too acquiesce to it.  His ability to imitate was subtly deceptive to the point of mimicking the voice of my Savior.  But, then he overplayed his hand.  He tried to introduce fear into the situation.  The very moment I felt the temptation to be fearful, I knew my situation was not of the Lord.  I immediately prayed, telling God that I knew the situation was not of Him.  As I have shared with others about that moment, had the enemy not tried to tempt me with fear, he may have been able to trip me, so convincing was his entreaty.  But, fear is not of the Lord and in the very moment fear was introduced, I knew the entire situation was the enemy. (See: 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV) He had overplayed his hand.

Here’s another example of his overplaying his hand.  We drive 65 miles each way to our church.  In addition to Sunday morning worship, the church has worship service, bible studies and more during the week.  Recently, as we were leaving after a Sunday morning service, I was thinking with eager expectation about the upcoming weekday message.  I was almost like a child waiting for Christmas morning.  Monday morning, the day after, I began to experience a very subtle feeling that my wife and I should not make the drive to attend that service.  Tuesday evening at our prayer ministry, I shared my excitement about the special upcoming service.  Still, the subtle intensity that we should not go increased.  Thursday morning of that week during my devotions, I said to the Lord, that He had never told me to not attend church and if He was telling me not to attend that week He would need to give me spiritual peace or the next evening I was going to be in church.  Literally, within moments, I realized the thoughts not to attend were gone.  I had peace.  The dark cloud of foreboding was gone.  Suffice it to say, during the service, I very quickly realized why the enemy tried to  deceive me into not attending worship that evening.  During that service the Lord confirmed certain things to me.  The enemy had tried to trick me into forgetting that the same Jesus who walked with the two along the Emmaus road would be with my wife and I – to and from church. (See: Luke 24:13-15 KJV)

Then there’s the stupidity of the devil’s emissaries that would be hilarious, if the outcome for them weren’t so inalterably final.  The popular chant of the progeny of Satan who hate Israel is: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — referring to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

What the demonically driven haters fail to realize is they’re actually advocating for God to keep His promise to Joshua.

God said to Joshua: “From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.” (Joshua 1:4 KJV)

God’s word is immutable with or without the demon-fueled haters unwittingly calling for Him to keep His promises.  If they were less hate-filled and more biblically informed they would realize their chants are in essence calling for God to keep His promise to the Jewish people.  Thus, it’s an undeniable depiction of just how smart the enemy really isn’t.

Take the examples I have shared and apply them.  It’s time for Christians to stand and put on the whole armour of God.  The more time we spend in the Word of God the stronger and more discerning we become. the less time we spend allowing ourselves to be deceived buying into the lies and ignorance of the enemy the stronger we become in the Lord.  Michael the Arc Angel, did not say to the enemy: “The Lord rebuke thee;” not because he was afraid of the enemy.  He said it, because instead of pronouncing a judgment himself against the devil, he left pronouncement of this judgement to our God. (See: Jude 1:9-11 KJV)

READ:

Joshua 1:2-15 (KJV)

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.

12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,

13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.

14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them;

15 Until the Lord have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.