TGIF

Revelation 12:9-11 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Satan is overcome not by your power or your strength or wisdom or sacrifice.  The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin and all unrighteousness(I John 1.7).  It's by the blood of the Lamb that Satan is overcome.  Satan is overcome when you testify that Jesus saved you from your sins.  For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation(Rom 10.9-10).  Satan is overcome when you forsake earthly treasures.  Your life is probably your most precious treasure.  Satan cannot win when God's children love Him more than their own lives.  For what have you profited it you gain the whole world and lose your soul(Matt 16.26).  Your SOUL  is more valuable than any earthly treasure including your life.

You don't need a 12 step plan to overcome Satan.  You need a Savior who cleanses you from your sin, a personal testimony that you believe Jesus is your Savior and you demonstrate that to be true by loving Jesus more than any earthly thing you possess.

Jesus OVERCAME sin and the grave.  In Jesus you OVERCOME.

Why would you look anywhere else than the cross of Jesus Christ and the empty tomb?

TGIF

Acts 4:16-17  What shall we do to these men?  for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.  But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

The background of these two verse is as follows.  Peter and John were walking into the Temple when a cripple man asks for alms.  Peter, not having gold and silver, instead in the name of Jesus heals the man.  Of course this ran through the crowd(I see the pun) and as the crowd gathered, Peter began to preach Jesus but those pesky ole religious leaders wanted nothing of it.  They put them in "jail" over night and the next day tried to deal with them.  The two verses above show their conclusion after hearing the matter.

They could not deny the miracle but they did not want it to be spread either.  These religious leaders of Israel who ought to have been kind shepherds but cared not one whit about the lame man.  There was no celebration on their part that the man who could not walk could now leap with joy.  There was no acknowledgement to the glory of God on their part that a miracle had been done in their presence.  They were determined to ignore it and stop the truth of its spread.

When a miracle threatens our hold on power, we ought to recognize that there is a greater power among us.  Maybe, just maybe, we do not have the power that we think we do.  And when we are in the presence of the Great and Mighty Power of God, we ought to bow our knees as servants before the Master.

Scientists today cannot ignore the complexity of our world neither can they deny it.  But instead of giving glory to God for His great power of creation, they instead worship at the feet of Darwin.  Being highly educated and unwilling to lose that power over the masses, they deny the power of God at work before their eyes.  Unfortunately, their teachings have caused many among the body of Christ to doubt and deny the truth of God's Word to their own ruin.

Seeing they cannot see.  Hearing they cannot hear.  That would be terrible phrases to have spoken over us.  Dare we know the truth and deny it?...and even worse, threaten, mock and ridicule those who cling to the truth?  We must accept and receive the truth of God's Word no matter what it should cost us.  We must humble ourselves before the Almighty so that He can lift us up.  Pride would be a foolish reason to not celebrate the good things God has done.

selah

TGIF

Matthew 28:20  And lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the age.

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

When we by faith receive the Spirit at and as a result of salvation, we have a promise that is thought provoking and life changing.  Thought provoking in that no matter WHERE we may go and no matter WHAT we may do, the Spirit of the Lord is present with us.  Think about that next time you go to sin.  You will be sinning in the presence of the Lord.  Sure, you can't see Him.  Sure you may even try to block Him out of your mind for a brief moment of insanity but for the children of God, we have the promise of an eternal abiding presence.  He sees and knows everything about you.  

When we pray, we do not inform God, we acknowledge God.  When we pray and ask God to be with us, our language confounds our faith.  Faith says that I do not need to ask for what has already been given.  If the Lord's Eternal Spirit is sent to us(and He has been), then He will ever be with us.  Rather than pray for His presence to be with me, I pray in acknowledgement and thankfulness that He IS with me.  When I am afraid, it is because I doubt His presence.  When I worry, it is because I doubt His presence.  His presence is not dependent upon my circumstances but IN SPITE OF my circumstances.

Rejoice in the truth that the Lord's Spirit is with you always.  You always have a Helper.  You always have a Comforter. You always have a Teacher.  You always have a Guide in truth.  Thank the Lord in the truth that His Spirit is there with you.

Selah

Way Back Wednesday

324 years ago this week, the Salem Witch Hunts began.  In the end, 19 innocent men and women were executed "suspected" of being a witch.  It would eventually come out that those involved were simply settling grudges against those they didn't like but nonetheless, the Witch Trials began.

Different tests could be used to implicate a witch.  It was thought that since a witch had rejected the sacrament of baptism that the water would reject the witch and thus the witch would float.  Typically, a rope was tied about the waist of the accused but this test did result in drowning.  If by chance the "witch" floated, they would then be burned at the stake(Europe), hung(American Colonies) or whatever was convenient at the moment.  Another test was to have the person recite a portion of Scripture since it was reasoned that a witch could not say it properly.  ANY mistake would be an indication of being a witch.  Could you pass this portion of the test saying either Psalm 23 or The Lord's Prayer.  Remember, if you forget or misplace even ONE word, you could be considered a witch.  Another test was to have a person supposedly possessed be touched by the witch.  If the possessed did not react, the "witch" was considered innocent.  However, if the possessed came out of their fit(unclenched their fist for example) then the accused witch would be executed.  Surely no one could fake this, right!?  Another test was to search the "witch's" body for extra marks.  A birthmark, a mole, a scar or any other unordinary mark could indicate a witch.  

Now you can see why we call false trials a "witch hunt".  When true justice is abandoned and false tests and false witnesses rule the day, it is usually to settle a grudge.  It is true that the Mosaic Law did not allow a witch to live among the Israelites, but the Salem Witch Trials were not about truth but about hysteria and ill will towards individuals.

Source:  history.com