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Satan's Weapons, God's Word

2/27/2017

I opened my Bible today to Isaiah. In the layout of this particular Bible, two well known verses appear almost side-by-side on the same page; one in the left column, the other in the right.

The verse in the left column is Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

The verse just to the right is Isaiah 55:11, ”So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Combining these verses gives a strong double-promise for believers: SATAN’S WEAPONS WILL NOT PREVAIL; GOD’S WORD CANNOT FAIL!

When it comes to Satan, the temptation is to either ignore him or be intimidated by him. While Satan is real and his weapons are powerful, they are not all-powerful. Jesus proved three times over in the wilderness temptations that Satan is no match for God’s Word. Satan cannot resist the Word of God because it proceeds from the mouth of the Omnipotent One!

A case in point is the story of Balaam, the Old Testament psychic believed to have magical powers. Balaam was hired to put a curse on the nation of Israel. But no matter how hard Balaam tried to curse the people, it wouldn’t work. He finally explained to the pagan king who hired him, “There is no divination against Jacob, no evil omens against Israel” (Numbers 23:23) The attempt to curse Israel did not prevail because God said they would be blessed, and Balaam could not reverse it (Numbers 23:20).

The same holds true for believers today. Satan cannot cancel out a single declaration or promise of God. The enemy has many weapons at his disposal, but the Sword of the Spirit is greater than all of them (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). For the believer armed with the Word, Satan’s attacks will fall to the ground alongside Balaam’s impotent curses.

We are living in times of intense spiritual conflict. Spiritual warfare has always been around, but in recent days it has moved out into the open. Do not be intimidated by it! Instead, get serious about the Bible. Memorize it. Pray it. Stand on it. Speak it with boldness and authority. Having armed yourself with the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18), take up the mighty Sword of the Spirit and put the enemy on the run.

Pastor Todd Weston

Treasure In Clay Jars

2/20/2017

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

This verse presents a strange picture. It presents the picture of an ordinary container. Not a beautiful, expensive, ornamental vase that people display in their homes. It’s the picture of a common clay pot used for ordinary purposes. Why a clay pot? God fixed it so people’s attention would be drawn not to the container, but to the extraordinary contents inside.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…” Apparently, God does not understand modern merchandising techniques. In modern merchandising, packaging is everything. Advertisers have discovered that packaging sells. In some instances, the packaging of a product is more expensive than the product itself. For example, about 60% of the cost of perfume goes toward the box and bottle containing the fragrance.

But God deposits spiritual treasure in earthen vessels. Clay jars. He places heavenly treasure in imperfect people like you and me. That tells us it isn’t the container, but what is in the container that counts. Yes, God loves you deeply. You are special to Him. But God wants the attention drawn not to the packaging, but to the treasure. It’s the treasure that is life-changing!

What is this extraordinary treasure? Peter said it’s the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). It’s the hope we have in Jesus Christ (Col. 1:27). It’s the hope (assurance) of sins forgiven, peace with God, purpose in life, and promise for the future. It’s also the hope that God can bring meaning out of a mess. He can restore the broken, and lift up the fallen. He can do the undoable! To those caught in the mental trap of despair, hope is a priceless treasure.

This is where we come in. As born again believers in Jesus Christ, we are carriers of hope to the hopeless! It’s important to note that the treasure is not diminished by the ordinary container. The ordinary container is made valuable by the treasure. God has entrusted a great treasure to you. That means God can use you because He had given you a great gift - the treasure of hope!

We are earthen vessels, but we have a heavenly treasure! So be an ambassador of hope. Share the treasure that is in you with someone in need.

Pastor Todd Weston

The Divine Order of Life

2/13/2017

The purpose of this article is to remind you that things always work best when they are done God’s way. That is true in every area of life, including work. So let’s compare two Bible verses; one from the Old Testament, the other from the New Testament.

In Ecclesiastes 9:10 Solomon wrote, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” To some people, work is just another four-letter word. But according to the Bible, work is a godly virtue that adds value to life. Our first picture of God is that of Him working (Genesis 1). We also know that God did the job with excellence. When the project of creation was complete, God looked at the work of His hands and concluded it was very good!

Since we were created in the image of God, we were created to work. Life works best when we have some worthy occupation. Of course, this doesn’t prohibit the American dream of retirement. It does say that even in retirement God has something constructive for us to accomplish. So remember the rule of Solomon and embrace the virtue of a job done well.

Now let’s compare Solomon’s statement with that of Jesus in Matthew 6:33. Actually, let’s combine them, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…BUT seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The Greek word translated “seek” appears in the present tense & active voice.

Present tense tells me seeking is an ongoing action
Active voice tells me the subject (you/me) initiates the action

Seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness is something I am to initiate and do continuously. I am to put God first not just in church on Sunday, but at work on Monday. And notice, it isn’t just His righteousness (right living) I am to concern myself with. I am to seek first God’s kingdom. That means I approach life from a kingdom mindset where the King Himself rules.

There are two traps many Christians fall into at this point. The first trap is confusing the calling of God (be it a career or full-time ministry) with our personal relationship with Him. God wants us to work hard and with excellence. A careless, lazy Christian is a poor witness. However, God does not want our careers to come first. Matthew 6:33 regulates Ecclesiastes 9:10.

The second trap is thinking that just saying God comes first is all that is required. I say God is first, but does my life say otherwise? Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” It isn’t just what I say; it’s what I do.

Obviously, God wants us to excel in our different fields of calling. He also wants us to understand that our careers will be met with greater success and our lives with deeper fulfillment when we put Jesus first always and in all things. Matthew 6:33 is the divine order of life. It’s the way life works.

Pastor Todd Weston

A Preferred Future

2/6/2017

A simple goal-setting technique I learned several years ago has to do with determining your preferred future in a certain area of life. It could be your spiritual life, family life, financial life, or something else. The idea is to be specific on what you want. Then begin building a multi-lane bridge backwards from your preferred future to your present reality. This will give you a clear plan of action.

You need a multi-lane bridge because there are probably several things you will need to do to get from where you are to where you want to be. It would look something like this:

Let’s say my preferred future is physical fitness. First, I need to be specific what that means. Then I need to build a multi-lane bridge from that goal back to my present reality. Each lane of the bridge stands for a different action point. For example, one lane might be a specific weight loss goal. Another lane might be desired waist size. Another might stand for a targeted BMI (body mass index). Other lanes might stand for things like blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar levels, and so on. The multi-lane bridge gives me practical action points that will take me from my present reality to my preferred future. You get the idea.

Here is a preferred future I want you to consider. Paul makes it clear in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that we will all appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account. There will be no excused absences at the Judgment Seat. All believers will appear. The preferred future is provided in the Lord’s answer to the faithful servant in Matthew 25:21, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” That is the answer we all want to hear from Jesus on that day.

Building the bridge backward from that preferred future to your present reality, what changes do you need to make in order to hear Jesus say those words? Think about it. Then start writing action points on your multi-lane bridge. They can be positive and negative. For example, some negative action points might be, “quit losing my temper, or stop doubting God’s promises.” Some positive action points might be, “start tithing, or begin sharing my faith with others.”

Add as many lanes as necessary to get you from your present reality to the preferred future of “well done!” Don’t delay. Start now on making your preferred future a definite reality.

Pastor Todd Weston

RLA Pastor's blog

Satan's Weapons, God's Word

Treasure In Clay Jars

The Divine Order of Life

A Preferred Future

Pastor Todd

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