All bible quotes not otherwise marked are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)
Folks I am late again. I am starting to think this blog should come out sometime between Monday and Wednesday every week because those just happen to be the days I can write it. So don’t be shocked if it’s out next week during that same period. Let’s just say that is the new official publication time.
Special thanks to Melinda McComas for ideas and verses used in this post.
We are in a war right now. It is between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. God vs Satan. I will let you in on a not so secret secret. God wins. He wins big and it’s spectacular. Right now though the war rages and we humans need to decide which team we want to be on and thus who we are going to serve.
Matthew 4:10
Then Jesus said to him,
“Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
You can’t play both sides of the fence. God demands we serve Him only. If we aren’t serving God then in one form or another we are serving Satan. Satan is behind every false religion and evil belief system. It all goes back to him. So we have two choices. God or Satan. Follow God.
So besides winning, what are some of the things God is doing for his people?
2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him
God is on the lookout for those who are faithful and seeking His will. Those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit. God is seeking those people out. He is roaming all over the earth looking for those people. He wants to give them strong support. Not just support but strong support. God wants to work through His people. He wants to let us be part of His plan.
Why? Why does God want to let us be part of His plan? Why doesn’t God just do it Himself and leave us out of it? Because God’s rich and divine loving graciousness wants to give meaning to our lives here on this earth. He wants us to live with a purpose. What is so great about a purpose? Well for those of you who don’t have one, it is probably clear what is wrong with it. People who live purposeless lives are self destructive and depressed. They see no future. People with God’s purpose in their hearts are filled with excitement because He is going to use them to do the miraculous.
I was at work one time and people were talking about meaningful work. For them meaningful work was work that made a difference. One of the things employees seem to want is meaningful work. So what is special about work vs anything else? Nothing. People are chasing after meaning in their lives and often work is all they have. I enjoy my work and want to do a good job but by no means is it what I find really meaningful in life.
What God offers is real meaning. When you are pursuing God’s plan, you are impacting the eternal. People you disciple will disciple others. All of them will be a witness for Christ. When you lead a person to Christ, that person will have an impact for Christ. It can really pile up if you are constantly affecting the people around you for Him.
So some of you are probably thinking, “I can’t do it”. Well you are right. You can’t do it. We can’t do it. No one can do it. God’s plans require the strength of God. That is why God is roaming around the world looking for faithful people in His will to use. When He uses us for His plan, He will supply everything we need. While we are weak, He is strong. His strength will hold us up and supply us with every need for the task. What loving God would call a person to His work and then abandon them in their need? Not my God.
If you want to experience miracles, be faithful and seek God’s plan. God may at times answer your prayers for all manner of things. If you are in God’s will and on mission for Him and you pray for help, He WILL answer your prayer. He won’t abandon His own mission for you.
1 Peter 5:8-10
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
The other side has not given up. Satan and his followers are out to stop us. The devil prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour. He wants to stop us because opposes God’s will at every turn. So when you are in the will of God, you will face the opposition of Satan. Why? Because when you are in God’s will, miracles are happening and lives are being changed. Satan does not want more Christians who are faithful followers of Christ. Such believers are an affront to him.
How do we oppose Satan? We resist him. We stand firm in the faith even when we are suffering for Christ’s name. Another word for faith is trust. That means when times get really tough we must trust God even more. Satan will try to make us doubt. It is his way. We must resist such doubts and stand firm in God’s will. It is God’s plan and God is providing the strength. Satan cannot stand against such strength.
Thank you for reading. There will be more God willing. I love you all. I pray God blesses your mission.