~ War In Heaven

May 19,2009
Tuesday

READ:
Revelation 12:7-12

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War broke out in heaven....[And Satan] was cast to the earth.
-Revelation 12:7-9

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Philip Pullman is a gifted writer of fantasy books. His Dark Materials trilogy includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass and is very popular among young reader. But below the surface of these sympathetic characters and compelling subplots is a sinister purpose. The story culminates in a great war against God.

In these books, Pullman views the fall of Satan as a righteous cause for personal independence from God's "tyrannical" control. He implies that Satan's attempt to usurp the throne of God was the right thing to do!

In the book of Revelation, we read of the endtimes: "War broke out in heaven.... [And Satan] was cast to the earth" (Rev.12:7-9). That future was is being preceded by an eathly conflict on the battlefield of our minds.

We must recognize Satan for what he is - a liar (John 8:44). His strategy is to take God's words out off context and twist them into falsehood (Gen. 3:1-7). Our best defense against him is hold firmly o the truth of God's Word (Eph. 6:10-18).

our loving heavenly Father is "not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9). But neither will He force our obedience. He leaves the choice to us.

The prince of darkness grim-
We tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure-
One little word shall fell him. - Luther

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When Satan strikes, strike back with the Word of God.

~ The Secret Is

May 15,2009
Friday

READ:
1 Corinthians 2:6-16

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We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages.
-1 Corinthians 2:7

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If you believe Rhonda Bryne, author of the bestselling book The Secret, "The shortcut to anything you want in your life is to be and feel happy now!" According to Byrne, this has to do with something called the law of attraction. If you think only about things that make you happy, she says, happy things will be attracted to you.

Sounds easy enough.

However, the Bible says that "the secret" to is something very different. It has to do with "the law of the Spirit of life" that sets us free from "the law of sin and death" (ROM.8:2), not with the "law of attraction."

According to the apostle Paul, the most important thing to know is " Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). To those who are concerned with happiness now, this indeed foolishness (v1.4). They do not recognize the power of God in what appears to them as weakness.

The Lord created us with a desire to know what is secret. In His wisdom, He kept certain things hidden in mystery for a time (v.7).But now, through His Holy Spirit, He has made them known. And the secret He reveals has nothing to do with having happy thoughts in order to obtain happy things; it has to do with having the mind of Jesus Christ (v.16).- Julie Ackerman Link

There is a law that made us free-
In Romans 8 this truth is heard;
The secret is to walk with God,
And daily lean upon His word. - Hess

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To know lasting happiness, we must get to know Jesus.

~ The World Is Watching

May 11,2009
Monday

READ:
John 13:31-35

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By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
-John 13:35

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My friends were serving in a ministry that was directed mainly to Christians when an opportunity came for them to change jobs and touch the lives of thousands of non-believers. They decided to make what they believed to be an exciting change.

Many people, even some who didn't personally know them, were shocked and accused them of seeking fame and fortune in the world. But believing that Jesus came "to seek and to save that which was lost: (Luke 19:10), they decided to pursue what they considered an even greater opportunity to serve the "lost" in their community.

They said later, " Some Christians were so cruel to us, and wrote hateful e-mails. Our non Christian friends were kinder to us than our fellow Christians. We didn't understand that, and were hurt deeply." They told me that their desire was to follow God's directive to be "salt" and "light" in the world (Matt. 5:13-14).

When someone we know is making a decision or change, it can be helpful to ask about his or her motives. But we can't fully know another's heart. We don't want to "bite and devour" our fellow Christians (gal.5:15), but instead to love them in a way that others will know we are Jesus's followers (John 13:35). The world is watching. - Anne Cetas

We join our hearts and hands together,
Faithful to the Lord's command:
We hold each other to God's standards-
All that truth and love demand. - D. De Haan

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Only God sees the heart.