"But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil" (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
Paul harvey wrote it, and since the article graphically demostrates our study, let me share what Paul Harvey calls, "If I Were The Devil".
If I were the Prince of Darkness, I'd want to engulf the whole world in darkness. I'd have a third of it's real estate and 4/5ths of it's population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree. So I should set about, however necessary, to take over the United States. I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: "Do as you please." To the young I would whisper, "The Bible is a myth." I would convince them that "man created God" instead of the other way around. I'd confide that "what's bad is good and what's good is square." In the ears of the young married I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be "extreme" in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old I would teach to pray - to say after me - "Our father which art in Washington..." Then I'd get organized! I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull, uninteresting. I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice-versa.
I'd infiltrate unions and urge more loafing, less work. Idle hands usually work for me. I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could. I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction, I'd tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the Devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions, let those run wild. I'd designate an atheist to front for me before the Highest Courts and I'd get preachers to say, "She's right." With flattery and promises of power, I would get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography. Thus I would evict God from the courthouse, then the schoolhouse, then from the Houses of Congress. Then in His own churches, I,d substitute psychology for religion and deify science. That way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them. If I were the Devil I would make the symbol of Easter an egg. And the symbol of Christmas a bottle. If I were the Devil I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. Then my police state would force everybody back to work. Then I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave-labor camps.If I were the Devil, I'd just keep on doing what he's doing. (Used by permission of Paul Harvey, American Broadcasting Company.)
Our text, 2 Thess. 3:3, makes it crystal clear that evil (Satan) is not in the Santa Claus class. Satan has intellect, sensibility and will. He is a PERSON and therefore has a technique which can be detected. The Bible confirms this. Let me prove it by the following diary of evil.
1. It is a technique of Satan to accuse Believers - (Rev. 12:10).
2. It is a technique of Satan to get Believers to ignore the Word of God - (1 Chron. 21:1).
3. It is a technique of Satan to keep Believers from doing the Will of God - (1 Thess. 2:18).
Because of this fact, which again proves that evil is not an idea or a Santa Claus concept but a person, we MUST understand what the Bible says about the Will of God, thus I am suggesting that we call our study, "How To Prevent The Biggest Mistake Of Your Life."
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the Will of God abideth forever."
My circumstances, negative or positive, is not the real issue. The real issue is this! What is the Will of God for my life? The sober thought is that everyone reading this is either doing 1 John 2:17 (the Will of God) or 1 Thess. 2:18 (the will of Satan). Let me define the term, "Will of God", by introducing a man who sought the Will of God for his life: "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do" (Acts 9:6).
In seeking the Will of God for his life, Paul taught us two things; namely, that the Will of God is geographical (the city) and operational (to do, must do). You see, when I find the place God wants me to be and the thing God wants me to do, then the issue of how rough my circumstances might be is not an issue. Let me prove that. Acts 9:6 introduces the fact that Paul understood the meaning of the Will of God for his life. He was taught this immediately after becoming a Christian, which could well be a hint for us engaged in spiritual obstetrics and spiritual pediatrics. If we confronted the young convert with the basic issue after conversion; namely - What does God want you to do? - this might save years of wasting time. Paul knew he was doing the thing God wanted and the greatest proof of that was his ability to relate to the negatives of life. Read his comments in Acts 20:24. First read the verses preceding verse 24, where we have a long list of negatives. I often use this paragraph in talking with people about their troubles. I say, "Before you share your list of difficulties, let me read about another Believer who faced difficulty. Let me share his list. You'll see that he faced bigger problems than you are facing and with success, so let's learn from him how to handle difficulty.' Then I read Acts 20:24 and note his attitude toward his difficulty: "But none of these things (the list of difficulties) move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the Grace of God."
Why was Paul so successful with difficulty? One basic answer: He knew where God wanted him to be and what God wanted him to do, thus he could move with assurance regardless of his circumstances, and he could depend totally upon the resources of the God who called him. That means this; if you are having trouble, do two things:
1. Make sure you are in the Will of God.
2. Make full use of those marvelous survival techniques for living the Christian life.
There are five and they are explained in the Songtime booklets called "HOW". Ask for them by writing Songtime Inc., Box 100, Barnstable, MA, 02630
Let's face it, your extreme restlessness could be a symptom of a much bigger problem; namely, the fact you are out of the Will of God. If you KNOW you are in the place that God wants you to be and doing the thing God wants you to do, then what people think, the salary, the benefits of lack of benefits are really not the issue at all. If they are, then we must remove Acts 20:24 from the Bible.
This text makes it clear that it is a technique of Satan to keep us from doing the Will of God. That tells me that in order to prevent the biggest mistake of my life, which is missing the Will of God, I must first learn how to deal with Evil. Have you learned this? There is an immediate test you can apply to determine this. Let me share it. If you have learned how to deal with evil then you can deal with your area of weakness. Colossians 3:5 tells you to do something you cannot do unless you have Divine assistance. "Mortify (render powerless) therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desires and covetousness which is idolatry."
You can't do that, but Romans 8:13 tells you HOW to do this: "For if ye live after the flesh (your old nature), ye shall die (Operational, not physical death), but if ye through the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
If you are not able to handle your area of weakness, then you have not discovered how to deal with Evil, and of course you will certainly NOT find the place God wants you to be and the thing God wants you to do. That should not be a surprising statement because it is the technique of Evil to KEEP you from the place where you should be and the specific work you should do.
Now, here the Psalmist says I must KNOW something. Add to Psalm 32:8, 1 John 2:17 and you immediately discover that to find the Will of God, you must start by doing what you KNOW to BE the Will of God. Let me put it this way; when you find people who constantly make mistakes, and that includes not knowing the Will of God from the geographical and operational aspect, you will find people NOT doing what they KNOW the Bible teaches to be the Will of God.
Study then the list of things we KNOW to be the Will of God for EVERY Believer, and START THERE!
1. It is the Will of God that we dedicate our lives... (Romans 12:1-2).
2. It is the Will of God that people be saved... (2 Peter 3:9). Are you involved in reaching people for Christ?
3. It is the Will of God that we be spiritually self-sustaining... (1 Thess. 5:18).
4. It is the Will of God that we live the Christian life... (1 Thess. 4:3). We have an illustration here. IF we are living the Christian life, we don't have to do what comes naturally, i.e. we can overcome our area of weakness.
5. It is the Will of God that we submit to authority... (1 Peter 2:15). "Roast Pastor" is not an acceptable Sunday meal, and it is in violation of 1 Thess. 5:12-13 and Hebrews 13:7-8.
6. It is the Will of God that we handle difficulty... (1 Peter 2:21).
7. It is the Will of God that we Believe... (1 John 3:23).
Let me amplify one of these: 1 John 3:23; "And this is His commandment... that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave us commandment."
Why should you believe? Let me ask you another question; Are you as good as God? If not, then Hebrews 12:14 flatly states that you CANNOT enter God's Heaven. That disqualifies ALL of us, with one exception; the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:30 states that the Righteousness God demands, the Lord Jesus Christ has, therefore, the issue of my life is John 3:36: "he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."
Have you made that commitment to Christ? If you are not sure, will you do that right now? Repeat the words of this prayer to God and then write to me. Let me know that you have done this and let me send you material that will show you how to make real this decision. Here is the prayer:
"Oh God, I thank you that Christ died for MY sins and I'm going to trust Him right now as my Saviour. - In Jesus name, Amen."
Now, 1 John 3:23 also says you must be filled with the Spirit. You say, "I don't see that. Where does the text say that?" Romans 5:5 makes it crystal clear that only the Holy Spirit can shed abroad in your hearts the love of God which will enable you to fulfill 1 John 3:23 and love, thus Ephesians 5:18 which tells us to be filled with the Spirit is a COMMAND. How can I be filled with the Spirit? That is answered by reading Ephesians, chapters 4 & 5. One idea is seen throughout; We must put away sin. The Old Testament makes it easier. He summarizes it as follows: "Turn at my reproof (i.e. deal with that which God's Word forbids). I will pour out my Spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you (i.e. objective truth will become and inward reality)."
Do you daily check the Word of God to see what God forbids and then do you daily apply 1 John 1:9? 1 John 1:9 states: NAME your sins to God, then believe that God forgives. It's the idea that when God says something and I believe it, that settles it!
APPLICATION
Now, when I have followed the preceeding Biblical plan, then I move forward to a specific goal. If it is not the Will of God, Psalm 32:9-10 states that God will send NEGATIVE SIGNALS (uncertainty, unhappiness, restlessness), but if it is the Will of God, then I can expect POSITIVE SIGNALS according to Psalm 32:11; namely: certainty, stability, and peace of mind.
Here is a check list to help you make a correct decision:
1. Have I made a definate commitment to Christ? When?
2. Am I filled with the Holy Spirit right now?
3. Am I marked by happiness, stability, and peace of mind?
4. Am I definately doing what the Bible states to be the Will of God.
If you can say YES to all four questions, you can be assured that you are NOT going to make... THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A LION
"Look, you have no trouble recognizing the roar of a lion, do you? No sir... when the lion really roars, there is no mistaking this. You'll know it. The Devil is like that! You can really know when he is behind a circumstance in your life. No question about it." - (Donald Grey Barnhouse). "Be sober, be vigilant: because your ADVERSARY the Devil AS A ROARING LION, walketh about seeking whom he may devour." - (1 Peter 5:8)
1. Satan is the one who accuses the Believer (Rev. 12:9-10)
2. Satan is the one who encourages the Believer to ignore the Word of God (1 Tim. 4:1 & 1 Chron. 21:1)
3. Satan is the one who keeps Believers from doing the Will of God (1 Thess. 2:18)
4. Satan is the one who encourages Believers to worry (1 Pet. 5:7-9)
5. Satan is the one who obscures the Believer's focus (1 Kings 19:10, Jer. 17:5 & Heb. 13:5-6)
6. Satan is the one who causes Believers to FEAR DEATH (Heb. 2:14-15)
Find out about:
1.) Our BIGGEST DANGER
2.) WHY the Enemy Can Be Defeated
3.) What We Must Do
Ask for the booklet by Dr. John DeBrine:
"How To Recognize A Lion"
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