Friday, April 24, 2009
His Favor Is Within Reach
"Scripture tells us repeatedly that our Lord is gracious
and compassionate.
He bestows unmerited favor on us,
and he desires to alleviate our suffering.
All throughout his word,
we see a God who is extending his arms
and ready to run to those who are earnestly seeking him."
Burt Wichek
The above comments are from a friend's FaceBook page.
Burt has reminded me of the importance of
always seeking out God in every area of our lives.
Our pastor said yesterday on his blog
that he wants each of us to become more dangerous
in our war against satan.
If we are seeking God with all our hearts
there will be no room for the enemy in any of us.
But if from there you shall seek the LORD your God,
you shall find him,
if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29
I want to be living in the center of God's will and grace.
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I really like your post, and the word "dangerous" in our war with Satan really struck me. Following Christ's example, I think Satan's enemy is Love, and I don't know if Love is dangerous? Is Light "dangerous" to the dark?
ReplyDeleteThanks for these interesting thoughts to ponder!
I think that love is most dangerous weapon against the enemy. That is why Jesus gave it as the two great commandments.
ReplyDeleteHi Cliff!
ReplyDeleteYes, it sounds like we agree that Satan's enemy is love, which is why Jesus gave it as the two great commandments.
I'm just thinking about the word "dangerous." Was Jesus doing anything dangerous when he was tempted in the desert and he simply said, "No?" Was he encouraging us to be more "dangerous" against evil/Satan by turning the other cheek?
I think love is the ultimate enemy of Satan precisely because it is *not* dangerous. When we refuse to take up arms against Satan, the battle simply ends. Instead of becoming dangerous warriors roaring like lions and racing forward to engage Satan in battle (which I think would only strengthen and delight Satan), we can sit like harmless lambs, wrapped in the safe love of God, and there is no battle at all.
Just some thoughts!
Thanks,
Dr. Deb
Yes, but If I were Satan, trying to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish and couldn't do it because people were determined to love God and each other, I would see that as dangerous to my cause. That is my point. I am dangerous in Satan's eyes and that is what I want to be.
ReplyDeleteBut I am not Satan, I am the King's kid and I am determined to keep telling people about the love of Jesus and His church! I am not engaging Satan, I am ignoring Him and I really don't care what he thinks.
We must consider, though, that we are instructed to take on the whole armor of God that we may withstand the attacks...very militaristic language...so I can assume that I am dangerous to his cause otherwise, he wouldn't attack and I wouldn't need the armor.
BTW, if I am turning the other cheek then that means that I am doing something that someone thinks is stupid or dangerous or whatever. If I am turning the other cheek, I am not running away in fear or backing down from my convictions nor am I running toward in order to fight, but I am standing firm where I stand no matter the consequences. That is what Jesus did when He was tempted. Jesus *was* doing something dangerous in Satan's eyes and that is one of the reasons why Satan was tempting Jesus. He wanted to stop Jesus and he wants to stop us.
Thanks for the dialogue, Doc! God bless you, my sister!
Thank you for your response! Before I write anything else, I'd just like to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity to openly and honestly discuss this issue, which I feel is very important.
ReplyDeleteNow, you wrote: "I am dangerous in Satan's eyes and that is what I want to be." OK, so you're saying that you want Satan to *perceive* you as dangerous, correct? You're focusing on Satan's perceptions – on what goes through Satan's mind, correct? But you also wrote: "I am ignoring Him and I really don't care what he thinks." And I think that latter statement is more in alignment with the hymn: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace." In other words, as the Tao Te Ching told us 2500 years ago, "Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself."
I think Satan jumps around in various forms/temptations saying, "Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me!" And the armor of God is the degree to which we are so completely focused on God and His Love that we can (as you said) simply look right past Satan as if he were nothing but a shadow, having no concern for what he thinks or says or does.
You also wrote that when Jesus was tempted, "Jesus *was* doing something dangerous in Satan's eyes." But when Jesus was tempted in the desert, I don't think he was wondering, "Now let's see, which answer would be dangerous in Satan's eyes? How can I be more dangerous to Satan right now?" This would have immediately shifted the focus of Jesus' mind from God Almighty to Satan, which would have essentially taken the armor of God *off* and he would have been vulnerable to temptation.
For me, the bottom line is that trying "to become more dangerous in our war against Satan" (per Paul's original post) is turning our eyes upon Satan, not Jesus. It is trying to see through Satan's eyes and determine how Satan thinks. Personally, that’s the last place I want to be looking!
Thanks again for the opportunity to have this meaningful discussion, and may God bless you.
DrDeb said.. "For me, the bottom line is that trying "to become more dangerous in our war against Satan" (per Paul's original post) is turning our eyes upon Satan, not Jesus. It is trying to see through Satan's eyes and determine how Satan thinks. Personally, that’s the last place I want to be looking!"
ReplyDeleteI agree DrDeb, looking through satan's eyes
would be the last thing I want to do.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God
so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything, to stand.
Ephesians 6:10-13
DrDeb, your right to become more dangerous in our war against satan our focus needs to be on our Lord Jesus Christ who empowers us.
It probably drives people crazy,
but I refuse to capitalize the word satan in my writings.
I do not want satan elevated in any way,
but I would be naive to think that we are not in a war with him.
We become more dangerous to satan
when we are living in the center of God's will.
I belong to a small church (about 50 members),
yesterday 9 people followed the Lord in Baptism
and 10 children were dedicated to the Lord by their parents.
There were over 145 people in attendance.
I think our Pastor is making us more dangerous
in our war against satan by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to our small community.
We would love to have you come up and visit us
and see what God is doing through our new Pastor.
KEEP PRESSING ON FOR THE LORD IN ALL YOU DO.
I still want to become more dangerous in the eyes of satan by keeping focused on Jesus Christ.
Lord keep me walking in your footsteps.
Hey Dr.!
ReplyDeleteI haven't got a whole lot of time to post today but let me say this...
A. You are totally missing my point and...
B. I don't agree with your (and other's) premise that if you ignore it (evil), it will go away. Part of my role as a shepherd is keeping predators from attacking the sheep.
This does not mean that I (or we) am focused on Satan.
Have a great day, Deb! I'll be back!