Be on Guard for the time is near and Satan is looking to destroy families,read and pray for your salvation!
SATAN'S CONVENTION
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches; let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that relationship with Jesus Christ.” “This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!”
“How shall we do this?” shouted his angels.
“Keep them busy in the non essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds”, he answered. “Tempt them to spend, spend, spend and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!” “Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-Biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.”
“Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, products, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free services and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is and what's important, they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Ha! That will fragment those families quickly!”
Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions.”
“Go ahead, let them be involved in soul winning; but crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!”
It was quite a convention. The evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. I guess the question is: Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge! Does “busy” mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?
The Devil's Beatitudes
(author unknown)
Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend a few hours a week with their fellow Christians in church. They are my best workers.
Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked. I can use them.
Blessed are the touchy, with a bit of luck they may stop going to church. They are my missionaries.
Blessed are those who are very religious but get on everyone's nerves. They are mine forever.
Blessed are the troublemakers. They shall be called my children.
Blessed are those who have no time to pray. They are easy prey for me.
Blessed are the gossips for they are my secret agents.
Blessed are those critical of church leadership, for they shall inherit a place with me in my fate.
Blessed are the complainers. I'm all ears for them.
***Satan is not sovereign.
* Satan rules a domain of demons, but he does not rule beyond the bound of that confinement of rule which God has given him.
* Satan never has cast off the government of God, since the rebellion totally failed. He has been exiled to the earth and the domain around it (Ephesians 2:2).
* Satan’s chain stretches just so far and God allows him to go that far and no farther. He operates completely within the sphere of God’s allowance (e.g. Job 1:12; 2:6; Luke 22:31-32).
* God even uses Satan to His own ends (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Satan is not omnipotent (all-powerful). He is powerful, yes, but HE IS NOT all powerful !
(1 John 4:4; Revelation 12:8; 20:2).
Satan is not omniscient (all-knowing).
* Satan is an angel and angels don’t know everything (1 Peter 1:11-12).
* There is no indication in Scripture that Satan can read our thoughts. But he’s pretty good at predicting our behavior, because he’s an expert on human nature.
Satan is not omnipresent (everywhere at the same time).
* He’s fast, but not omnipresent.
* Being a creature who dwells on earth, Satan cannot be in more than one place at a time. Job 1:7 makes it clear that Satan roams here and there. He was thrown to earth in a war with Michael and other angels and “lost his place in heaven” (Revelation 12:8). If Satan can “lose his place,” then he is not in every place.
· But Satan is the head of a network of subordinate devils who make his influence felt all over the Earth (Matthew 12:24).
***Did you know that Satan apparently did not focus on the Apostle Paul? ( 2 Corinthians 12:7) “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself!” Most preachers do not teach the proper truths about Satan and spiritual warfare.***The spiritual enemy's main weapon against us is untruthfulness via lying and deceit. That is why the Philippians 4:8 has truth as first thing to think on and the first piece of spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6 represents truth. Some of the following words in those two lists could have been the first one instead of truth with good reasons. I have never heard a preacher proclaim two major emphases in the Bible are truthfulness vs. untruthfulness and repentance towards Christ-like righteousness and compassion. Most just emphasize God's grace and love.
***Jesus Christ is coming back of a purified Bride. The spiritual enemy is doing all they can to delay that by either (1) encouraging preachers to only emphasize the Grace of God or psychology or (2) by tempting Christians to live as if they are still under the Old Testament legalism which the Pharisees promoted and required of the Jews. Believing in and relating to Jesus Christ sets us free from such. The Bible and the Holy Spirit are the best guides and counselors for whoever trusts God and wants to do the predestined unselfish good works He has planned for each of His adopted children to live. We can say and do perfectly right if we do what the Holy Spirit urges because He is perfect and "saying" what He hears from Jesus Christ (John 16:13). That is why I try to live Proverbs 3:5-6 frequently so that I will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And Christian sanctification is not automatically done like many USA preachers wrongly teach. I am thankful that I do not have to work for Salvation, but I love becoming more Christ-like because I love God and His Word so much.
***The spiritual enemy doesn't like those who are living almost completely for God and are living and sharing His wonderful truths. The spiritual enemy is doing all they can to delay that by tempting Christians to live as if they are still under the Old Testament legalism which the Pharisees promoted and required of the Jews. Believing in Jesus Christ sets us free from such. Jesus Christ did say that His burden is light and His yoke is easy, I speak from experience that such is true when I live Proverbs 3:5-6. The spiritual enemy tries to get me not to live those verses via many different ways, but I sure enjoy when I am able to focus on just living for God and doing whatever the Holy Spirit urges. There is a Christian interview program titled "Really Living" and what I just indicated is such. Don't you agree?
*** True Christians should be living supernaturally. “Super natural” means “above the natural”. The Bible and the Holy Spirit are the best guides and counselors for whoever trusts God and wants to do the predestined unselfish good works He has planned for each of His adopted children to live. (Ephesians 2:10) They are such wonderful guides in helping us to live supernaturally, and those in despise such are left in their selfish lives usually full of negative thinking and sinning. The Kingdom of God defined in Romans 14:17 is for us every day.
***Then there are those preachers who focus on denominational distinctives and prophecy theories. The former is wrong because of what Ephesians 4:1-16 indicates about proper unity. And emphasizing End Times prophecy theories goes against a major theme (emphasis) of the Bible which indicates that our focus should be on using the time that God allows us to have for repenting from bad habits and sins towards doing what the Bible and Holy Spirit urge in becoming more Christ-like. The main lesson from the C. S. Lewis book “Screwtape Letters” I learned was that the spiritual enemy wants Christians to dwell on the past (because of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness) or dwell on the hopes for the future instead of focusing on doing the best with the current day's what should be precious time.
Ephesians 6:10-18
In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him];
draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies],
that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies {and} the deceits of the devil.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood
[contending only with physical opponents], but
against the despotisms, against the powers,
against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness,
against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist {and}
stand your ground on the evil day [of danger],
and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and
having put on the breastplate of integrity {and} of moral rectitude {and} right standing with God.
And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Holy Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.
To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose {and} perseverance,
interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).
Living for God and the Great Commission
Bible lover Bill
Romans 8:28, Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:4-8, and Jude 20-25
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