The Devil

Be sober, be vigilant; because your advisory the devil,  as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..

1 Peter 5:8

I hope you are aware of that fact, that statement is absolutely true. His attacks come in many different forms, sometimes they are quite obvious and other times we can be deceived. Generally speaking the enemies attacks are the same as they have ever been…

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.(1 john 2:16)

I wrote the following "Poem", it's inspired by CS.Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters". If you haven't read that book, and I suggest you do, it's about a demon talking to an underling demon and training him on how to tempt and destroy man. Everything in the book is obviously thus backwards, God is considered the enemy and light is an abhorrent thing. 

The "poem"(of sorts) that I wrote is more about satan whispering in your ear, and trying everything to keep your eyes off God, and he will do that anyway he can, wether thats by puffing you up or tearing you down. He doesn't care either way, the enemies goal is not so much about you as it is stealing glory from God, and if he can take your eyes off God and from giving God all glory then he has done his job.

The point of the poem isn't to glorify the devil and his works, it's more of a warning.

For we know, we have full assurance in the heart that..

"if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

1 John 1:7

This is something the devil hates, and doesn't want us to have confidence in, that we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ! The devil is really just a pathetic prideful little worm that has already lost the war but still persists on fighting and taking as many down with him as he can.

The anti-Christ the ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing, the dunce that tempts you with temporal things when you through the blood of Christ are promised eternal things!

You're ever so exquisite, so precious and yet oblivious

just how much you are like a little puppet controlled by proverbial strings.

I can play you so easily, dragging you deeper into self indulgence, blinded by the lusts of your own mind, the self-will far out weighing the surrendering one. You self destruct from your own doing,swallowed hole,ruptured and self defeated by your own flesh, and all I have to do is give you just a little push.

Aw…but in comes your repentance, despicable how He even bothers to listen. How can He forgive you? This cross, sacrificial lamb and grace you don't deserve overwhelms me with utter rage.

it's no bother really, for you are so easily swayed I can turn this very abhorrent  grace into something you yourself won't be able to comprehend. Go ahead and repent….get on your little knees and pray to Him, I'll wait for the right time when you are not so quite focused on Him. 

Repent..haha…fool…do you really think He can forgive you? YOU!? I mean look at you, how many times are you going to slap Him in the face? you just asked for forgiveness didn't you? ooops…looks like you just messed that up again, why even bother to pray to Him?

I bet He's sick of hearing from you and your broken promises and sorries begging for forgiveness, your first compulsion will always be the flesh don't be fooled by your false regret.

You really think you are smart, think you know how I work? just when you start to catch on, I switch the attack and come at you with different ammunition.

Feeling pretty close with Him now? think you are putting all this flesh behind you huh? that's when Ill say good job, you are such a good person, you are so Holy and pure. I'll pierce your very soul with self righteousness, have you disgusted with the very site of other christians, after all, they are not as good as you, look at so and so he didn't even go to church this week, and look at that women gossiping, man these people are so underneath you.

Ill grip you in any way that I can, I'll have you so focused on you that you don't even think about HIM. You'll weigh people down with your own standards that they can't possibly stand, hopefully dragging them down along into your self righteous sin, then i'm killing two birds with one stone. You see, you really are my son. Well done my good and faithful servant.. 

Maybe that's all to easy, maybe you'll come out of that. I could always just overload you with confusion, have everything you see and everything you read turn into a contradiction, because you are easily pulled by worldliness. You want to live and be accepted by them so you hold to their abrasive self pleasing accusations, all the while claiming to follow His word, but I'll use them to blind you! So instead of being changed by the word you will change it to fit the world

Then I'll keep playing you like a fiddle, and you will think you are walking in light, but really you are just blind. You'll be covered in lukewarmness thinking you are on fire, not realizing that you're really just reinforcing my empire. 

So innocent and naive…it's almost too easy

Least of these

Yes many are: liars, thieves, fornicators, druggies and alcoholics and they deserve to be where they're at.

But God, if we all got what we deserved

we would be facing your wrath.

I'm a king on a throne with a castle I call home

They sleep underneath a bridge with cardboard

as padded foam. 

Onward Christian soldier as you ignore

the man begging for a dollar.

Druggie or drunk you tell yourself

so you refuse to help,

rather sit in your church and count your wealth.

Feed the least of these and when you do you feed me,

said Christ.

So how come this is such an oversight?

The homeless person needs Christ

just as much as though's who dress nice.

I'd help... you say; "if I knew he wasn't going to use it

for alcohol or drugs!"

But who died and made you judge?

Maybe you just think it's your christian duty

to use your wealth for yourself, instead of using 

it to buy food for someone asking for help?

After all God wants you rich,

He just must not love that man sleeping in the ditch.

Prosperity has got you blind,

since when was the gospel about getting whats mine?

You give your money to those who can give back to you.

Tithe a percentage that really doesn't effect you,

all so God will bless you.

Rather give your money to wolves in sheep's clothing,

then to a man who has absolutely nothing.

A man struggles with an addiction, drinks himself to sleep because he doesn't think anyone loves him.

There you sit, in your car with a christian fish,

can't stand to look in his direction, all the while

claiming to know all about grace and salvation,

the only solution to penetrate this mans addiction.

But as long as you know Christ…

that's all that matters right?

That drunk doesn't even deserve to eat,

just let him die without seeing mercy

that sounds very Christ-like oh absolutely.

You're forgetting that without God's merciful perpetual plan,

The Son taking the wrath you deserved,

you would be just like this drunk homeless man

only inward.

Patience in Faith

"By your patience possess your souls."

Luke 21:19

By patience in your faith, by repentance…take heed,

let not your faith crumble do not worry or tarry

for the gift of salvation is yours.

Lay your burdens to rest, at ease with all things in life,

Our Father creator of the Universe is in control. Patience

brothers/sisters, onward Christian soldier in your walk

with our Lord and savior. Again patience…by faith you walk,

and by faith in the one true God you stand, do not let

the cares of YOUR life affect your walk, In this world

with it's distractions, it's easy to forget what is important,

it's easy to worry and stress and even become diluted

in self grandeur. This life of self is what our culture thrives on…

self-improvement

self-importance

self-Idolatry

Which is why there is so much

worry/stress

un-fulfilment

depression

suicide

A generation with immoral values because we don't live

accountable to anyone, and we live for our pleasure, our glory,

all for our satisfaction. We are our own man centered philosophy,

and we measure ourselves by our ideals NOT by the creator

of the universe, not by God who gave us life in the first place.

God didn't create you to get pleasure out of yourself, He created you to glorify Him, created you for His own pleasure and will..NOT yours.

Looking to SELF, no matter how much you want to, you'll never

find perfection or God, because simply put only God is perfection. There is only one GOD, and you can have an actual relationship with Him and one day be in His very presence because of Jesus Christ taking the wrath we deserve.

So why do we constantly look at OUR happiness? and OUR

pleasure and OUR will and NOT God's? I'm not even talking about the spiritually blind, I'm talking about those who claim

to know Christ, and yet have no patience in their walk…

have no patience in the faith and live exactly like the spiritually

blind world does..

self-improvement

self-importance

self-Idolatry

Where is God's glory? when is He magnified and glorified?

When is He put first when you are worrying

more about getting pleasure out of this world? When you are worrying about fulfilling the American dream rather then Gods plan for your life.

How is God put first when you care more about trivial

worldly blessing then you do HONORING Him.

When is God put first when you know more about Hollywood

gossip and a television show then you do His Word.

Even more true, How is He glorified by you just knowing

the word? Christ said "Follow"…He said "Do"…not

"Think about"…"just believe"

We all need to get our priorities straight, Honor God and give Him glory, surrender your will and stop worrying and stressing

over things, have patience and FAITH that God is in control.

Seek to glorify God NOT yourself, not for salvation because that

isn't earned it is and was given by the grace of God, and knowing this we surrender and give honor to Him seeking for His will to be done.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence,

add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, [you] will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

1 Peter 1:5-9

Happy Easter!

Easter is this sunday, and most people know

the importance of it, and of course there is no harm

in reminding ourselves that it isn't about a Bunny

that lays eggs or something or other.

Easter weekend to me... is the most important

weekend out of the year. For Easter weekend

is about our Lord and savior Jesus Christ's

crucifixion and resurrection, thus fulfilling the

self sacrifice that was written centuries before

in the book of Isaiah. I think most of us know

the scripture in Isaiah 53:5 right?

"But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon him,

and by His stripes we are healed."

Isaiah 53:5

Obviously that verse is about Jesus Christ,

again written centuries before Jesus was even born.

There's more then just one verse in Isaiah that refers

to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...

There is the talk about "The Servant of the Lord"

in Isaiah 49:1

"Listen, O coastlands, to Me,

and take heed, you people afar!

The Lord has called Me from the womb;

From the matrix of My mother he has made

mention of My name.

And he has made My mouth like a sharp sword;

in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me,

and made Me a polished shaft;

In His quiver He has hidden Me.

And He said to me,

'You are My servant, O Israel,

In whom I will be glorified.'

Then I said, 'I have labored in vain,

I have spent my strength for nothing

and in vain; Yet surely my just reward

is with the Lord, and my word with God'

And now the Lord says,

Who formed Me from the womb to be

His servant, to bring Jacob(Israel) back

to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him

(for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,

And My God shall be My strength),

Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing

that you should be My Servant To raise up

the tribes of Jacob(Israel), and to restore the

preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You

as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be My

salvation to the ends of the earth' "

Isaiah 49:1-6

Who is the truth? who is the light?

from who does salvation come from,

Even to us Gentiles? Jesus Christ...

who died for US....SACRIFICED HIMSELF

FOR US! because there was no other way...

someone had to pay the price for our wickedness,

and it should of been US!

A new covenant had to be made with the Jewish people,

they could not follow the first covenant, the Old testament

shows plenty of proof of that. God promised he would

bring upon them a bran new covenant, and he did so

through Jesus Christ, and through Jesus Christ

hope was also brought to the non-Jewish..

I know there are so called "Christians" out there

that hang on to this anti-semetic bull about how

"The Jews Killed JESUS!"

No moron...WE ALL KILLED JESUS,

nobody snuck up on Jesus and stabbed him in the back,

Jesus knew what he had to do, He knew he was on this earth

to be the sacrificial lamb for ALL OF OUR SINS.

Jesus knew Judas was going to betray him,

hence why he said "Go do what you must do.."

He willingly gave himself up for all of our iniquities

lest we be chained to our sins for eternity.

" He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before it's shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

He was taken from prison to judgment,

and who will declare His generation?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgressions of My people He

was stricken. And they made His grave

with the wicked- But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;

He has put HIm to grief.

When you make His soul and offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous servant shall

justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,

And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,

Because He poured out His soul unto death,

And He was numbered with the transgressors,

and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession

for the transgressors. "

Isaiah 53:7-12

Isaiah says it all right there, a guideline a glimpse

on just what the Messiah would be like.

On how the Messiah would have to suffer,

would have to die for our sins, and He would

be that intercessor for us. There is nothing we can ever

do to ever even come close to equaling what Christ

did for us, what God has done for all of us.He freed us

from the chains, from the slavery of SIN through

pain suffering torment and DEATH, all because

he loves US...THATS IT! THERE IS NO CATCH...

This is what EASTER is about! and obviously

not just about the suffering Christ went through, out of

LOVE for us, but about the glorious resurrection of CHRIST!

FOR HE LIVES!

Here is an interesting fact about the resurrection,

all the gospels agree Jesus was raised from the dead

on Sunday( which thus means the crucifixion happened

Friday ) and they also agree that it was Mary Magdalene

who first witnessed the empty tomb, and more then likely was

the first one to witness the resurrected Christ.

Big deal right? WRONG...you see back then a testimony

of a woman had no legal value whatsoever,

so surely if early church writers invented the story

of the resurrection they wouldn't have emphasized

Mary's account in the story. Useless fact? I think not..

So we celebrate this weekend!

We give glory, we praise God,

and we show respect for the price that was paid,

and we celebrate that our SAVIOR LIVES!

and we await his glorious return!

HAPPY EASTER! and to God be all the glory!