Justice Based Upon Truth

America is caught up in a fervor for justice. This is right and good.

But it is not enough.

The justice so many seek in America today is devoid of rock-solid truth. America's truth is now based on a vague morality, a cult of feeling. Feelings, however, shift and sway. Feelings are real, but they are deceptive (see Jeremiah 17:9). What you feel today can change tomorrow.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24–27 NIV)

God has given us His Word as a solid foundation, a rock. This Word does not shift according to whims. The Word can be relied upon to provide the answer to every question, the antidote to every situation, because it is Jesus Himself speaking to us. Satan is a genius deceiver, a master of his craft. He has lied to so many to tell us that the Word is not a solid foundation. He tells us that it is a flawed book, full of contradictions and transcription error. Many fall for this lie, but if you ask them specifically to point to the error or contradiction, can they do it?

No, they cannot. They rely on the whims of culture to tell them what to believe.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we stand in opposition to the shifting sands of the culture. We stand on a rock-solid foundation—Jesus Christ, the Word who was made flesh (see John 1:14). Satan knows that he cannot fully refute Christ. He is, after all, merely a created being, not at all in league with the almighty Son of God. Satan, then, takes a smattering of truths from the Word of God, tosses them out into the culture, and adds in enough lies to poison the mix. The culture then claims to believe the words of Jesus, but they cherry pick from His words and then twist them, taking them out of context. When you confront them with other things Christ said—such as, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV) and the many times Jesus spoke about the reality of Hell for those who reject Him (see also Billy Graham Answers: Did Jesus ever say anything about Hell?)—they attempt to refute by claiming that the Word is tainted by human translation.

But if the Word is tainted, then how can they justify the way they invoke some the words of Jesus? How is it possible to claim some of what He said, but not all of it? How does one justify standing on a few things Christ said, but rejecting the rest?

(Not to mention the fallacy that God is unable to give us His Word fully intact, over the centuries!)

Paul, a man to whom the resurrected Jesus spoke on a number of occasions, admonished us to show strength in our spirit and our mind to refute these lies:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)

Satan sets up this pretension in the minds of those who do not submit to Christ, causing them to believe lies. They take up the mantle of justice, but reject the Author of morality. They thus fall for the morality invention Satan has presented to them. If we use the minds and intellect God gave us and pray that He will illuminate the truth for us, we will discern that what the culture considers just and moral today was not so ten or twenty years ago. The culture's morality and sense of justice is nothing more than shifting sands, a smattering of truth mixed with lies, devoid of the truth of God.

Saints, be very careful.

Satan seeks to deceive even those who have placed their faith in Jesus. Do not get caught up in the justice movement the culture advocates. Instead, take it all captive and compare it to the Word of God. The Word will cut through the lies and reveal the truth—it is a sharp sword that slices away the lies (see Hebrews 4:12). We are indeed commanded to take up the cause of the needy, but doing so devoid of the truth of God's Word will not ultimately make a difference. Short-term, you may see justice accomplished, but without Jesus Christ, the evil one will move in and corrupt even the best efforts. (See Luke 11:24–26 for the basic principle of "cleaning house.")

Your most powerful tool is prayer. Take action according to the principles in the Word of God—the WHOLE Word of God...do not cherry pick!—and bring the causes before the Lord God. He is the one Who rescues. He is the one Who provides justice.

Jesus Christ sets before us an open door (see Revelation 3). We make the choice to walk through it, or to turn aside from it in order to rely on our own supposed wisdom. The culture wants to clean house, but unless Jesus comes to dwell in the home, it will be overrun by the forces of the enemy.

Jesus is calling you. He wants you to first come to Him in faith, surrendering all your causes and exchanging the world's wisdom for that of the Holy Spirit. It is then that under His guidance, you can follow His leading in taking up the mantle of justice according to the Word of God. That Word is the rock that cannot be shaken. What Jesus established, the gates of Hell cannot ever prevail against. His justice is eternal. His truth is the Rock.

Prayer

Lord, I pray for anyone who reads this post, that they would fix their eyes on You. I pray that they would make the choice today to place their faith in You and build their house upon the Rock. May they turn away from the morality dictated by the culture, which is shifting sand, and instead turn fully to You, surrendering all of their efforts to You.

I pray that believers would take the whole counsel in the Word of God, and not just pick and choose in order to accommodate the whims of the culture. Today's "truth" the culture presents will certainly change tomorrow, so I pray You would impress this on them, Lord, and help them to not cave in to the pressures the culture imposes.

Lord, with apostasy running rampant in these last days, I pray that you would cut through the lies of false teachers and shine the light of Your truth in many hearts. I pray that if there is anyone reading this that is caught up in the lies Satan has developed within the culture, that You would in Your sovereignty and in Your might deliver them.

I pray that every person reading this would humbly come before You and ask You to reveal truth to them. You promise to answer our prayers according to Your will. Therefore, I pray that when they seek You for truth, You would shine it on them. Illuminate Your Word for them.

May this effort bring many souls into the Kingdom of God. Light a fire in us, oh, Lord. Ignite this effort. May it spread and engulf those who are caught in the enemy's trap of lies. May they be set free.

In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, amen.

The ABCs of Salvation

If you are ready to place your faith in Jesus Christ, please see Calvary Chapel Kaneohe: The ABCs of Salvation. Much love to you!

Armor of God Study: The Belt of Truth

I just finished praying over the requests the ladies in the Armor of God study wrote down. I've had such a heavy heart the last couple days. I believe that the enemy is whispering a lot of things in my ear lately (so to speak). However, just the act of praying for others has helped lift me, has helped remind me who I am!

I see so much evil in the world, and I know every bit of it is due to enemy deception. For Christians, the enemy wants to mask who we really are in Jesus Christ. For those who reject Christ, those who do not truly put their faith in Him, Satan wants to keep them from knowing His goodness and His love.

Who are we? Let's see if we can pour some truth into some hearts today.

We Are…

…blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) He's not holding back, saints! That's EVERY blessing. Or in some translations, "all." Look up the Greek word there and you find "the whole." The whole Holy Enchilada, and it is WAY bigger than your head!

…holy and blameless in His sight. (Ephesians 1:4) That's the work He did for us! No matter how trapped we feel by this body of flesh and the sinful nature we still have to deal with, we are completely blameless. We are free! We are holy because He has made us holy! If you mess up, Saints, Jesus Christ is the first one to embrace you and comfort you and tell you that He has made ALL THINGS NEW!

…adopted as His sons [His kids] through Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:5) YOU are a child of the sovereign. You are the heir to the Throne! You are royalty, and there's not a devil in the world that can take that away from you. Satan will try to make you forget it, but if you peek under those dirty rags, you find a princess.

And THAT is just a sampling from the first five verses of the first chapter of Ephesians! It's almost RIDICULOUS how much the whole Bible says about who you are. Ha! No wonder Paul commands us to rejoice in the Lord always! (Philippians 4:4)

When the enemy comes at you with anxieties, condemnations, depression, fear, hurts, regrets, pains…remind him who you are. You are the Bride of Christ. You are marked in Him with the seal of the Holy Spirit (1:13). That is the Belt of Truth...the solid foundational garment that shores up your core.

All the devil can do is harass you and try to make you forget the truth, but he.is.a.liar.

And if anyone, ANYONE tries to tell you otherwise, that person is still the son of the devil. (John 8:44) Satan has pulled the veil down over that person's eyes, and they are trapped in thick deception.
You are His joy. You are His creation.

You are His beloved. And THAT, my friends, is what I call a truth bomb. Drop that baby and watch it blow a hole in the enemy's plan for your life.

Prayer

Jesus, you are awesome. We are so grateful to You. You saw us in our mess, and You came to us, and You overcame the enemy to rescue us. You treasure us. We worship You.

I pray for anyone reading this today, that You would get it solidly planted in their heart the truth of who they are in You! May that truth bring out the power You assured us we would have in the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. May we seek You earnestly, eagerly, and without ceasing. Give us Your wisdom of the truth, and Your power to overcome the enemy. Light a fire in our souls, and motivate us to cling to Your Word. May the Word of God be our foundation, our Belt of Truth that girds us and gives us strength.

May the truth bring us joy and peace. Reach all hearts that read this today, and may every effort made on Your behalf result in souls saved, result in more blows to the enemy.

Thank you, Lord! We love you! In Your amazing name we pray, Jesus,

Amen!

Armor of God Study: Sizing Up the Enemy

Recap

In this last session:

• We watched Pricilla Shirer's first video "Sizing Up the Enemy" and talked very briefly about the first week of the study book. (Week 1, pages 8–37)
• We passed around a notebook and asked the ladies in the group to write down their prayer requests so we could email them to everyone who shared their email address with the group.
• I later snapped photos of the notebook pages and sent them out to the ladies' email addresses.
• I also got our Facebook group started: Armor of God Study--First AG--2018

Thoughts On Standing Firm and Being Strong

Today, I prayed over each request in the list. As I prayed, I found myself repeating the same prayers over and over—Lord, may they find you. Lord, may they seek you. Lord, may they put their trust in you. Etc.

As I read the requests, I recalled from our study that to our enemy, the trials, suffering, and struggles we all face are opportunities to "bring us down." This is EXACTLY why Paul admonishes us as he does in Ephesians 6 (ESV):

• Be strong (vs 10)
• Stand, stand firm (vs 13)
• Stand (vs 14)

Here are some other places in the Bible where we as believers are admonished or encouraged to stand firm, hold fast, be strong, etc.—the contexts vary, but the message is overall clear. We are expected to stand firm in our faith in Jesus Christ. Please note that the links I have provided go to the entire chapter so that you may read the verse in context. Remember that context is very important as you study the Word of God:

• 1 Corinthians 15:1–2 (1 Corinthians 15)
• 1 Corinthians 16:13 (1 Corinthians 16)
• 2 Corinthians 1:24 (2 Corinthians 1)
• Galatians 5:1 (Galatians 5)
• Philippians 4:1 (Philippians 4)
• Colossians 4:12 (Colossians 4)
• 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (2 Thessalonians 2)
• 1 Peter 5:12 (1 Peter 5)

Saints, I may not have gone through exactly the same situations and trials you are suffering, but I have certainly been through some very painful trials. So what I am about to say, I am saying in love:

Stand firm. Do NOT cave in. (More on this in a sec…)

Get it into your heart and your mind that when you face the battle, you face it from a position of victory. You are not fighting FOR victory…you are fighting FROM victory.

• See page 20 in Shirer's book: "Once you've placed faith in Jesus, you are now transported with Christ to a position of victory. In other words, you have the home court advantage."
• See also page 68 in the book The Invisible War by Chip Ingram: "Spiritual warfare is never an attempt to gain victory. It is standing firm in what we already possess."

The original trial you are suffering may or may not be placed upon you by the enemy, but you better believe he is taking full advantage of it to take you down, to take down your family, your friends, those you love and care about.

Doesn't that make you mad? It sure makes me mad!

Here's a bit of irony that I don't think most people really "get"…to stand firm against all the attacks of the enemy, you need to bow down before God.

Saints, if you are not surrendered before God—face down before Him in humility—then you cannot possibly win this battle.

To put it another way…if you are to have any hope of standing firm, you'd better be on your knees.

Many years ago, I faced a situation that hit me really, really hard. I thought it would destroy me. The enemy took full advantage of it, too. He tortured me and pestered me and would NOT leave me alone. He tried several strategies. He keyed in on my weakest places and hit me the hardest there. It was, to date, the worst battle I have ever faced.

My only defense was to fall at my savior's feet and give Him all of my weaknesses. Most of the time, I had no idea how to pray or what to pray, so mostly, I just talked to Him and cried out to Him. I had to ask Him for His help over and over and over, to resist the temptations to collapse in despair and allow pain, anxiety, and emotion to rule me. I was years in that battle.

But submission before God and clinging to a feeble faith was the key to standing against the enemy. It really is ironic, isn’t it? The weaker I was, the more I had to cling to God…and the more He could pour His strength into me.

Any strength I have today was acquired during those years of battle. Don't misunderstand me…I am not taking credit for that strength. It comes from God. The enemy continually tests it, like one of those Jurassic Park raptors testing the fences for weaknesses. He gets through sometimes, when he finds particular weaknesses, but if I cry out to God while it is happening, the Lord comes through.
This is why Paul says that weaknesses make him strong, as evidenced by the "thorn in the flesh" he was subject to:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (ESV)

Please remember—and this is meant to comfort you—that suffering ultimately produces character, and hope. As believers, our suffering leads to good things:

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:2–5 (ESV)

Remember also how infinitely powerful God is. In the lives of believers, what the enemy intends for evil, God turns for good:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.Romans 8:28 (ESV)

And how powerful is God? Well, saints, let me share the most hopeful verse I have ever encountered about the mighty power of God--in reference to the faith of Abraham, Paul wrote this about the power of God:

[The God] who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Romans 4:17 (ESV)

God creates something out of absolutely nothing. This is the power that we have access to. God is on our side, saints. The enemy cannot possibly stand up to Him.

Don’t Dwell in the "Why?"

Saints, when you are struggling, do you ever cry out, "WHY???" I sure did. If you need to ask God why, and maybe even get a little mad at God--after all, He knew this was going to happen to you--that may be a phase you need to go through. I definitely went through it, and God allowed me to. He didn’t strike me with lightning bolts or hit me with his wrath. Instead, He let me cry out before Him about how much it hurt, and He let me ask Him why I was going through it.

But—and this is REALLY important—do not stay there. Don't "dwell" in that state of "why?" Chances are, you are not going to get an answer in this lifetime. This might be one of your temptations, and one of the areas where the enemy will prey upon you in your weakness, to stay in the "why" mode and never get past it. It causes you to despair, and robs you of the healing God wants to bring to your spirit.

And of course, it delights the enemy. He wants to keep you in "why" mode, because when you are in that mode, you have zero chance of being a threat to him.
This is why the writer of Hebrews says:

strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Hebrews 12:12 (NIV)

The fact that God is allowing you to walk through the struggle may be, in part, a discipline He is trying to teach you. It's not necessarily something God Himself sent upon you, but He is allowing you to go through it. He didn't put a stop to it. We may never really know for sure, but the Bible does tell us that hardship may be discipline—NOT punishment. Rather, God, by allowing you to face this trial, is causing you to become stronger.

I know, that's a difficult pill to swallow when you are in the middle of a very painful situation, but I hope it can comfort you to know that nothing you are going through is outside of the power of God.

Benefiting Others

God wants you to grow and to thrive, and to learn to walk in His mighty power. Who knows, but just as he refused to remove Paul's thorn in the flesh so that a greater good could be accomplished, He may need you to walk through this fiery trial because someone out there is going to enter the kingdom of God because of it.

Did you catch that? Your pain could ultimately result in another person being saved from hell.
God can—and will—use your pain to bring others into the Kingdom of God, if you will allow Him to do so. He's given you free will. You can choose what you will do with your suffering. If you humble yourself before the Lord and lay it all at His feet, if you make a choice to not purposefully dwell in despair, but instead, take all those painful feelings and bring them before God, He will use you and your experiences to rescue others from hell. This is why it is really important to lay your life down before the Lord and tell Him, as Isaiah did:

Here I am! Send me. Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)

When you face suffering, and when you face enemy attack, tell God you want Him to use this trial for the ultimate good. Consider that in this lifetime, your life can be completely ruined by any number of terrible things. Given that a life without hardship is not promised to us, the very best thing you can do is ask God to fulfill His purpose in Your life, and keep your eyes on eternity. Hold everything in this world loosely.

Saints, not a single one of you is without purpose. God has a plan and a purpose for each of you, but to have that purpose fulfilled, you must seek Him for it. Ask Him to accomplish it. And in so doing, He will ensure that your suffering is not for nothing.

Remember that Paul calls our sufferings "light momentary affliction" and gives us the assurance that everything we go through is "preparing us for an eternal weight of glory":

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:7–18 (ESV)

Regarding the "momentary" aspect of our suffering…I don’t know about you, but when I go through something really painful, it FEELS like eternity. So Paul has a reality check for us: the sufferings we go through are not worth comparing to eternity with Christ:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18 (ESV)

Conclusion

Saints, be encouraged. If you are going through a trial, God still has you in the palm of His hand. Nothing in God's economy is wasted. He can take the worst thing you go through, and ultimately use it so He is glorified. People can be saved because of your trial, if only you will submit yourself to the purposes of God.

THIS is how you stand strong in the face of enemy attack. None of this comes from your own strength. When Paul tells us to be strong, he follows it up with "in His mighty power." It’s not your power, saints. It's His. Fall on your face before Him. Cry out to Him, and He promises He WILL strengthen you, and that nothing, NOTHING you go through will go to waste.

Prayer

Oh, Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are going through rough waters. God, You see each pain and each tear we cry. I pray that you would comfort them and help them as they walk through their sufferings and trials. May they turn to you and seek your purpose in their lives.

Thank you that nothing we as believers go through is wasted. Please embed this truth in their hearts. May they fall before You in submission and seek Your purpose in their lives. Please pour your peace out on them. Please use their pain for a greater good, and may they receive a tremendous heavenly reward, after all is said and done.

Lord, as the enemy zeroes in on their weaknesses, I pray that You would be their defender. May we as believers lift one another up in prayer and encourage one another with Your Word. May those in pain cry out to you and allow you to walk them through it and provide Your strength so that they may stand firm in the face of attack. Teach us to cling to Your Word and to persevere in prayer.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to minster. May these words be used to glorify you and bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is in the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Introduction to The Armor of God Study

Quick Recap

In the first session of our study, we took some time to introduce ourselves, and then I gave a testimony about my experiences with spiritual battle. We watched a segment of a video to provide additional context for our study. Finally, we asked the group to read Week 1 "Sizing Up the Enemy" in Priscilla Shirer's book, and we said we would show the accompanying video the following week (June 14).

Video from Pastor Billy Crone

We watched a segment from a video by Pastor Billy Crone of Sunrise Bible Church in Las Vegas, NV.

Pastor Crone is a prolific writer and teacher, and he produces many videos and messages. He teaches topics in-depth, and it just so happens that as Jo and I have been preparing for this Armor of God study, Pastor Crone has been in the process of delivering a message series on The Satanic War – The Armor of God. I have been listening to a lot of Pastor Crone's teaching on various subjects, and I learn so much from him. To provide some additional context and information for the group, we watched about 30 minutes of Part 2 of his series.

Here are a few links:

• The approximately 30-minute segment of Part 2 that we watched: Sunday Service: Armor of God Part 2
• A playlist I put together of what is thus far an eight-part series: Sunday Service: Armor of God (Note that he just preached part 8 this past Sunday. If he preaches more in this series, I will continue to add to this playlist.)
• Pastor Crone's media site, where you can find an extensive collection of video messages on various topics: Get A Life Media
• Pastor Crone's YouTube channel
• Sunrise Bible Church website

The Teaching Pastor Crone Presented

Since we did not watch his full message, I shared in the outline I gave the group that Pastor Crone spent time talking about angels and demons and the structure of their hierarchies based on scripture. The hierarchy of fallen angels is described in Ephesians 6:12 (ESV):

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

This concept of a structure is important for us to realize, because it means that the enemy forces work in unity. Therefore, the Church must work in unity to be effective against them. Pastor Crone's video starts with him talking about the importance of unity within the church—the importance of a healthy church—in order to be effective at spiritual warfare.

Note: A further "window" into this organization of angels and demons can be found in Daniel 10. Pastor Barry Stagner of Calvary Chapel Tustin in Santa Ana, CA, has been preaching a sermon series on the book of Daniel, and he recently delivered this sermon in which he talked about demons and angels that are "over" various nations: The War of the Worlds

Pastor Crone then showed that the Bible teaches us how to be effective against the enemy—this was his precursor to going through the pieces of armor one by one. He showed how we are instructed to "stand firm in the mighty power of God" and to "resist the devil." These are the directives we are given. The Bible says that if we do these two things, the devil will flee.

About "Binding" Demons

Pastor Crone stated that many churches have added to the direct Biblical instruction about spiritual warfare by doing things that are not actually scriptural, such as "binding" the enemy: "I bind you!"

I want to point out a few things about the concept of "binding" demons:

"Binding" demons is not a direct Biblical instruction for spiritual warfare.

In the New Testament, there are two specific directives we are given for dealing with the enemy:

• Stand firm
  "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then…" Ephesians 6:13–14 (NIV)
• Resist
  "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 (NIV)

The Armor of God scriptures this study focuses on provide the methodology we need to stand firm and resist as we deal with spiritual warfare—putting on the Armor of God and praying. But nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to "bind" the enemy.

Most people take the concept of "binding" from these scriptures where Jesus is quoted:

• Building the Church
  In both of these sections of scripture, Jesus is addressing his apostles in reference to building the Church. It's important to consider the context of a passage—we must not isolate a verse or a concept from its context.
  

  "Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'" Matthew 16:16–19 (ESV)

  "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 18:15–18 (ESV)

  "Binding" and "loosing" were legal terms. In these scriptures, Jesus is providing the apostles with the authority to instruct the new Church, and those instructions would be legally binding for the entire Church age, until Jesus returns. Nowhere in these two sections of scripture is Jesus instructing them about battling the enemy.
• Jesus's Mission on Earth
  In Mark 3, in reference to Jesus casting out demons, some scribes were claiming that the reason Jesus could cast out demons was because He was acting in the power of the devil. Jesus refuted this claim by using logic—a house divided against itself cannot stand. Casting out demons by the power of the devil made no sense.

  "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul,' and 'by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.' And he called them to him and said to them in parables, 'How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.'"  Mark 3:22-26 (ESV)

In verse 27, after Jesus described why their premise was faulty, he then used a parable to describe His mission on earth:

"But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house." Mark 3:27 (ESV) 

The parable shows us Jesus invading the enemy's "house." This was a major part of His mission on earth—to gain victory and assert His authority over Satan. In John 14:30, Jesus called Satan the "ruler of this world":

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father." John 14:30-31 (ESV)

Jesus's victory over Satan "bound" him so that those who put their faith in Jesus (His Church) already have victory over him. The enemy might attack us and harass us, but Satan and his demons have been "bound" by Jesus so that they have no claim over us.

Conclusion About These "Bind" Scriptures

In context, none of these scriptures are about believers "binding" demons. In addition, there are no direct instructions in the Bible telling believers that they must "bind" demons. We must stick to the actual instructions we are given in the Bible, and not attempt to take passages out of context in order to do something else.

Resources

See these pages for more information:

• Got Questions?  – What does it mean to bind the strong man?
• Grace To You  – Does the Bible teach that Christians can bind Satan and demons?
• The Blue Letter Bible  – Don Stewart's FAQs – Angelology: Questions about Angels, Demons, and the Power of Satan
• In my blog Get Wisdom, Receive Power, I establish a few "ground rules" for interpretation of scripture. I cite an excellent article by Ron Rhodes from Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. Taking scripture in context and not subjectively "spiritualizing" meaning is a major premise for Biblical interpretation.
• Get Wisdom, Receive Power – Study Premises Part 1: Our Approach for Reading the Bible
• Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries – Rightly Interpreting the Bible

Prayer

Father, I thank you so much for this amazing opportunity to facilitate this study and help spread Your Word. I pray, Lord, that you would give wisdom to each of us participating, and that you would illuminate the Scripture for us so that we properly discern the instruction You have for us.

Lord, please be at work in every reader of this post and every participant of this study. I pray that you would feed them on Your Word, and do great things in their lives so that they can help further Your kingdom. Bless them, Lord, and protect them from the devices of the enemy.

I ask this in the precious name of Jesus! Amen!

Dealing With Fear

"And Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me.' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'" Matthew 14:28–31 ESV

This section of scripture has been running around in my spirit for a while now. Peter took a big step of faith. Jesus encouraged it. Peter did OK...until he took his eyes off Jesus and instead focused on the wind that churned the water and swirled the clouds. It was only then that fear gripped him, and he sank.

Last week, we were hit with a very large, unforeseen bill to pay. It was a lot. Like, a lot-lot. The good news is that we had savings to cover it. The bad news...well, ugh. We had squirreled away that cash in anticipation of our upcoming dual job loss.

Yep. The bank account lost a large chunk that day. We watched it shrink, rolling our eyes. What a lousy time to lose that money.

And yet...God knew.

• He knew that the cash we had tucked away would be needed for that bill.
• He knew that both our paid-for vehicles were about to break down and we'd need to take on car payments.
• He knew that we would each find out on the exact same day we were both about to lose our jobs. (In fact, I'm pretty sure He planned it that way!)

He knew there would be a storm. Lots of wind. Lots of waves.

A pastor I spoke with told me, "God has you right where He wants you. He is teaching you to walk by faith." Oh, how that ministered to me! If I have money in the bank to sustain me, I leave little room to walk by faith. Yes, of course, as good stewards, we need to be wise with our resources. But if the Lord allows it to be taken away, we know that He saw it coming. He may have even arranged it to occur like this. He wants us to learn to rely on Him and not on our own savvy or plans. He wants us to walk by faith, and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

I gotta say, spiritually, I think I'm making progress. When that bill came up, panic did not set in. I might have groaned a little at the timing, but overall, there was peace. I didn't have my eyes on the storm—I had my eyes on Jesus.

This has not always been the case, believe me! I still have moments where the facts of our situation jump out in front of me, and I start to panic a little. Then the Holy Spirit brings that story about Peter back to me, and I adjust my focus. I fix my eyes on Jesus. The fear vanishes.

Remember, too, when fear gripped Peter, Jesus didn't let him sink. Jesus grabbed his hand. Jesus rescued him. Even when facing our own weaknesses as we grow and learn, Jesus will not allow us to sink. He rescues us and uses it as a teaching moment—he works with us right where we are.

In the scope of things, job loss and money issues are really not so bad. There are far more horrible things that can happen in life. If we allow it, the devil will surely make mountains out of our molehills. While fear screams at us, "What are you going to DO???", faith refocuses our vision, so that all we see is Jesus. The wind and the waves are no match for the glorious vision of our savior, reaching for us. Hang on to that vision. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

We Can Trust God

Hello, friends!

I never did get back to writing about the wrap-up on the If book, but it's OK. I think we said everything that was needed. :-)

I have a lot on my heart and mind these days! My employer, State Farm, has been going through a massive company-wide shakeup, and they are eliminating my role (Technical Editor). I am not sure there is another place for me there...been praying a lot about it.

When the Lord put me there, I knew it was what we needed as a family. The opportunity just fell into my lap. Really, God made it very easy on me. It enabled us to get back on our feet after a rather traumatic time in our lives. And here we are, five years later, in a VERY different "place" than we were then. I have learned an incredible amount about my own abilities, about the world, about business, about people...it's not always been a delightful experience day-to-day, but it has been very, very rewarding for me personally and for our family's financial position. We sure are not rich, but we are better able to handle things that come our way.

Now I am convinced that the Lord is calling me into ministry. I believe He is calling me to write and to teach, though I am not sure what form that will take. I need to listen very carefully and intently to Him to discern the path. As my husband Marc is my head and is responsible for the welfare of both me and our two girls, I have shared with him what I feel God is saying to me, and I have asked him to pray that God would reveal the path to him, especially.

Over the years as the Mommy Wars have raged around me, I have heard that it was not such a good thing for me to be a "career woman" mommy, that it was better for me to be a stay-at-home mommy. I have also heard the opposite!!! Here is my take on it:

In every situation, I prayed that God would do His will. In His sovereignty, He gave me a position with State Farm and blessed me and our family greatly during that time. It was never super easy. It has always required a lot of family "juggling." But I was able to rest assured that I was in His will. Marc was able to be a stay-at-home dad during some of that time, and I am convinced that it was exactly what our kiddos needed at that age!

Where we go from here, I do not know. But I am doing what I can to deal with the stress of change and ultimately rest in the knowledge that we are NEVER outside of the sovereignty of God.

Dear friends, Jesus loves you so much. Many of you are facing things far more dire than a job loss. The Bible tells us that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. This is simply the nature of our fallen world. But NONE of it is outside of His sight. He knows where we are and what is going on, whether we believe in Him or not.

His desire is that each of us will turn to Him and surrender our stubborn will to Him. HE HAS A PLAN. He wants us to rest in that knowledge. If you want to be able to rest in him...use the ABCs:

1. Admit to Him that you are a sinner and need His forgiveness. Tell Him you need Him in your life.
2. Believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you can live forever with Him after this life is over.
3. Confess "with your mouth" that you have put your trust in Him—in other words, go tell others that you have accepted Him! Go find a pastor, go find a support system. Find others who will help you spiritually grow in the knowledge and wisdom of Jesus.

Jesus promises us His peace. We naturally cannot experience His peace unless we truly repent and accept Him. But moment we do, He provides it. He provides everything we need to live in this sin-sick world.

Come to Him. He loves you!

For more information on salvation and the promises of God, here's a great website that describes the ABCs of salvation: Teen Missions International – The ABCs of salvation. 

The Assemblies of God provides this phone number to the National Prayer Center: 

1-800-4PRAYER 

Please call them if you would like help or need some guidance about salvation. 

See also The ABCs of Salvation.

Three Things Have Been on My Heart

The last three weeks, three things have been on my heart. I don't want to hit the world with a super long blog post, but I wanted to put these items out here for others to mull over and pray over with me:

1. God is not done with the world yet.
   
   We are most certainly in the end times—MUCH evidence points to that—but the Lord is yet very hard at work in the souls of men and women across the world. So many go through tremendous persecution and pain, but God is every day saving souls and growing His Kingdom.
   
   
2. God is not done with the Church in America yet.
   
   Church congregations led by pastors who are bowing to the culture may seem to be hopelessly caught in the web of deception the enemy has spun for them. But the Holy Spirit will continue to prod the souls of individuals and stir hearts to return to a Biblical worldview, to cast off the attitude that "Everything is permissible."
   
   I have no idea how He will do this, but I have become convinced that the Lord is responding to our prayers for repentance and revival. I will not presume to predict a sweeping revival—though He could certainly do something BIG—but we may yet see even little rebellions by individuals who are in apostate churches.
   
   
3. God is not done with the Faithful yet.
   
   You and I, Saints...we go through times where we feel so distant from God, where we do not feel His good pleasure in us...times when we feel like failures because of our actions and inactions. We feel like our fire is dying. We feel like our faith is dying. We question everything around us. We grow discouraged.
   
   But God has not changed. He hasn't budged, not even a tiny bit. We cannot give up. We must get into the Word. We must keep whispering our small prayers. We must pray for ourselves, that the Lord will raise us up to accomplish His purpose in us. We must not allow these "down" times to stop us from seeking Him.
   
   He will grow us. He will strengthen us. He will still use us to snatch others from the fire.

Please pray with me:

Prayer

Oh, Lord, I number myself among the weak. There is so much to be done in my own small world, and so much I want to do for You in Your vast world. You have called me to faithfulness, to wisdom, and to power. It is only through the Holy Spirit that Your purpose can be accomplished, and not through any strength of my own.

I come before You on my own behalf, and on that of the precious Saints who read this. Lift us up, Lord. If you send any discipline our way, may we embrace it and allow it to produce in us a harvest of righteousness. May each of us take a deep breath and endeavor to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. A bruised reed you will not break, Lord. Heal us. Call us, Help us to hear You.

Lord, we lift up the apostate Church in America. We pray for revival. Lord we bring those individuals who have turned from Your Word before you and we ask for their repentance. And we lay ourselves before You in repentance. We as a body have sinned before you. We have rebelled. We have not listened to You, but instead have turned our ears to the lies of the enemy. Lord, in Your holiness and righteousness, please turn us corporately back to You. May we all respond to You and Your calling. May we all cast ourselves at Your feet and seek Your forgiveness and begin to pursue Your will.

I pray that pastors across this country, who are called by You to lead their flocks in accordance with Your Word, would fall before You, Lord, and submit to You. May they hear your voice afresh. May they seek Your wisdom and Your strength to give them courage to speak what You want them to speak.

May individuals who have strayed from the path now return to You in repentance with humility and weeping. Break their hearts before You, Lord, so that they stop listening to the lies of the world, and instead begin to seek You diligently. Send us revival, oh, God. Revive these individual hearts, and also cause massive revival begin to break out among the Church in America.

Around the world, Lord, as Christians go through persecution, we see numbers grow in response. The enemy enacts horrific persecution meant for his purposes, but You use it for Yours. We see that, Lord. We see souls being ushered into Your Kingdom by the thousands, and we glorify you for that! Thank you, Jesus! Thank You for that work! Lord, hinder the plans of the enemy and continue to grow Your kingdom. Bring more and more souls to You! Help those ministers of the gospel across the world that stand for You in the face of such persecution. Give them courage! Protect them, Lord! Make every effort they put forth bear MUCH fruit. Lord, in their pain, may they cling to You ever more tightly.

You are worthy, Lamb of God. You are Holy. We give you all the praise, the honor, and the glory, and we thank you, Almighty God. It is in the precious name of the Son we pray. Amen.