pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Satan


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He Loves Us!!!

Satan is crafty and wise.  He is skillful.  And he is always on the prowl.  The angles and means of his attacks are actually quite impressive.  Satan uses many voices to plant fear, doubt, anxiety, guilt, lust… in our heads and hearts – some from inside our own heads, some from the voices of those we know, some from society and the media.At every chance he is working to build up our pride, our stubbornness, our individualism.  All with one goal – to pull us away from God.

But God doesn’t pull back.  He simply invites us into a relationship.  He says, “Here I am, come.”  He offers us love, no strings attached.  God is our true friend.  These things never change.

In our faith we need to be vigilant and alert to Satan’s attacks.  But just as sure as the attacks are to come, we can be even more sure of God’s love and care.  When we call upon  the saving name of Jesus, then Satan will flee.  God will strengthen us and will help us to be steadfast and firm.  God will never fail us because He loves us too much to allow that to happen.


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At the Gate

Jesus is often known as the ‘Good Shepherd’.  On one level it is an odd choice – in Jesus’ day it was one of the lowliest jobs you could have.  It was hard work.  It was lonely work.  It was thankless work.  It was dangerous work.  Your sheep were in almost constant need of care and protection.  You lived outside with them day in night, in the cold, in the rain, in the wind, in the scorching sun.

Yet in many ways the analogy makes perfect sense.  Tending to a fellow Christian can be hard and lonely work.  In parts of the world it can be dangerous.  Some people require lots of care.  You may have to go out in the middle of the night or during a snowstorm to be with them.

Yet I have a feeling that none of this would have even slightly bothered Jesus.  Anytime, anywhere, anyplace is His motto – He loves us that much.  His love is so great that He would lie down His life for us – again and again and again.  Like a shepherd lying down before the gate each day to keep his sheep safe, Jesus lays down at the door to our heart each day and says, ‘Satan, you shall not enter.  This one is mine’.  And safe and secure, we say ‘Thank you Jesus!’


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Standing on the Word

Jesus faced much temptation – food when he was very hungry, comfort when he must have been hurting, and power when he was at his weakest.  Satan was persistent.

But Jesus was consistent.  Each and every time that Satan tempted him, Jesus responded with God’s word.  Within the words of the Old Testament Jesus found strength.  Through the word of God, Jesus found a unity and strength that helped him stand again evil.  This unity with his father is what brought him through.

It is what will bring us through as well.  Whether tempted by lust, greed, power, envy, want, fame, desire, anger, talent… there is a word that will speak to us.  God waits in His word to step into our life when we need him most.  In God’s word we can find strength to face down all that the enemy throws at us.  God is faithful.  His word tells us that he will not tempt us beyond what we can bear.  In Matthew 11:28, we hear his love: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Rest from our battles, strength for the next fight.  May we rest and trust into God for all of our needs – and especially those where we must stand against temptation!


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In Every High and Every Low

The times that Satan chooses to tempt us are often like when he chose to tempt Jesus.  Jesus had just fasted in the wilderness for forty days.  He was tired and hungry – that is when Satan came.  Evil plies him when he is at his weakest.

Isn’t that when Satan usually tempts us too?  Evil doesn’t come knocking in the middle of a good day at work or while we are enjoying a nice dinner with the family.  Evil comes after a long day at work when we come home feeling a bit grumpy.  Evil comes just after we have been scolded for something we ought to have don (or not done).  We are angry, tired, offended, grumpy – whatever.  It is then that temptation can win.

But Satan is good – he can also enter when we are feeling great.  That sermon or presentation or game that we thought went really well?  Didn’t “I” do well?!  Here too we can be caught.  It is so easy to think that the things done well are the result of something we did instead of something God blessed us with.  Here too we can be caught.

Just as Satan’s attacks are constant, so too must be the attention we give to our walk with Christ.  Just as Jesus answered every temptation from the Devil with scripture from God, so too must we know the Word.  When we call on the mighty name of the Lord, Satan will indeed flee.  When we pray out to God, He is faithful.  He will answer.  In Ephesians 6: 11 and 14 we read: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”