All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16
It is imperative for Christian to have understanding of what the Bible teaches. This should be a basic desire of everyone who has any desire to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He promised "You truly are my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32 The freedom Christ promises is that He frees us to follow Him, and not ourselves. However, when we are not faithful to His teachings, we end up in all kinds of self imposed bondage.
Let's look at 2 Timothy 3:16. We are taught that all scripture is inspired by God and profitable. Okay, the Bible is claiming to be from God and advantageous for us to know what He is saying. This is important because in our human nature, we have a real tendency to fool ourselves. We have a deceptive heart which must be kept in check. We have a tendecy to read something into what God is saying in the Bible and we have a tendency to add on to what God is saying.
2 Timothy 3:16 further states that the Bible is profitable for teaching. Let's stop there for a moment. Jesus promises us that His teachings will set us free if we reamain faithful to what He taught. 2 Timothy 3:16 states that the whole Bible teaches us what God desires for us. He has revealed Himself and has spoken to us. Now, the question that needs to be addressed is; are we faithful to what He taught and do we have a real understanding of what God has spoken in the 66 books of the Bible?
I have to admit, I have seen quite a bit of loose interpretations of Scripture in my journey as a Christian. Specifically, I am tremendously concerned about what is being taught and understood as being God's word concerning spiritual warfare and deliverance. My understanding of what Jesus Christ stated in John 8:31-32 is that the Christian is to remain faithful to what He has taught; not what He has not. My understanding of 2 Timothy is that the Bible is God's word and it is profitable for teaching; not for what the Bible does not teach.
I believe the error is when we add on to the Bible. Simply stated, the Bible does not teach that the Christian is under a generational curse, or must break soul ties, bind satan and his demons. Nor does it teach that demons have legal rights to a Chritian's life. I could continue with my list of 'teachings' that will not be found in the Bible. They are extra biblical teachings and are not from God.
We simply cannot go on believing what the Bible does not teach as God's word. This mindset and approach will set you up for self imposed bondage and you will not be battling the devil or his demons. You will be in a place of acting from your own will,in the name of Jesus Christ. You will be deceiving yourself.
Have you ever seen someone shadowbox? He may look like a boxer. He may have evrything in place, good shoes to grip the floor, good satin shorts which make him look good in the ring and his gloves are fitted for the impact that he will land on his opponent. However, his opponent is not actually there. He fights himself.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Stand
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7
Resist - This word is made up of two Greek words, anti (meaning "against") and histemi (meaning "to stand"). Therefore, we get "to stand against". This word finds its way into English in the word "antihistamine" (a substance that blocks production of certain chemicals). The key to understanding this word is the grammar. It is aorist, active, second person, plural. That means it is a single action, actively engaged in, personal, for every one of us. In others words, James is saying that each one of us is called to actively take a stand against the devil to make that stand a deliberate effort in our lives. This is not passive dismissal. It is not looking the other way or avoiding. It is the role of the peacemaker from the Beatitudes to stand in harm's way for the sake of the kingdom.
But notice what James does not say. He does not say, "Fight!" He says, "Stand!" Don't fall down, don't collapse, don't give in. Just stand against evil. God will do the fighting, you do the resisting. The picture we need to have in mind is the protester who stands in front of the approaching tank, no weapons, no conflict just resistance by placing himself in the way.
And look at the promise. "He will flee from you". The word is pheuxomai. It means "run away from danger" (I know we only do one word a day but this is important). Do you see how powerful it is to just stand against evil? God says that when we take this stand, the devil runs away because he knows he is in danger. Without a shot fired, without any battle fought, we win. He runs. He is scared to death of the person who stands on trust in God. There is an old Sunday school song that goes, "Standing on the promises of Christ my King". That is all we need. We might have to stand quite awhile, but the victory is certain. It is a promise.
STAND UP TODAY! Let God put you in harm's way and watch the devil run.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" James 4:8
Draw - Eggisate is the Greek word that means "come close at hand". The English word "progress" comes from this root. It is combined in a special phrase eggizo to Theo (meaning "draw near to God") that is used for offering sacrifices in worship. Drawing near to God means worshipping God. You can't get any closer than that.
James has just told us to submit to God (place yourself under Him), stand up against evil and the devil will run away (yesterday's verse James 4:7). Now he tells us to get as close as possible to God. All of these ideas deal with movement. Put yourself in a place stand come close. This is the perfect physical picture of how we are to live. Start by bending your knee to God. Put yourself in the right place. Then, don't be lazy. Get up. Stand in front of evil. Make your presence known. Watch the devil run away. And return to bending your knee - come close to God in worship. And guess what? God will get up close and personal with you.
So many times in my life I felt removed from God's presence. I knew that I believed but I did not feel close. Now I see that many of those times I was just hiding out. I was avoiding some encounter with the devil, hoping it would go away. God was waiting for me to stand up and be counted. Not grit my teeth and fight. Just resist. Push back. Stake my claim. And worship. We know that the context of worship is bending the knee in reverence and awe. First I stand. I watch God's power chase away my enemy. Then I get on my knees in thanksgiving and praise. And what do you know, God comes close to me.
Remember "progress". There is progress hidden in these words. Submit - stand watch worship. Make progress your goal today.
by Skip Moen
Resist - This word is made up of two Greek words, anti (meaning "against") and histemi (meaning "to stand"). Therefore, we get "to stand against". This word finds its way into English in the word "antihistamine" (a substance that blocks production of certain chemicals). The key to understanding this word is the grammar. It is aorist, active, second person, plural. That means it is a single action, actively engaged in, personal, for every one of us. In others words, James is saying that each one of us is called to actively take a stand against the devil to make that stand a deliberate effort in our lives. This is not passive dismissal. It is not looking the other way or avoiding. It is the role of the peacemaker from the Beatitudes to stand in harm's way for the sake of the kingdom.
But notice what James does not say. He does not say, "Fight!" He says, "Stand!" Don't fall down, don't collapse, don't give in. Just stand against evil. God will do the fighting, you do the resisting. The picture we need to have in mind is the protester who stands in front of the approaching tank, no weapons, no conflict just resistance by placing himself in the way.
And look at the promise. "He will flee from you". The word is pheuxomai. It means "run away from danger" (I know we only do one word a day but this is important). Do you see how powerful it is to just stand against evil? God says that when we take this stand, the devil runs away because he knows he is in danger. Without a shot fired, without any battle fought, we win. He runs. He is scared to death of the person who stands on trust in God. There is an old Sunday school song that goes, "Standing on the promises of Christ my King". That is all we need. We might have to stand quite awhile, but the victory is certain. It is a promise.
STAND UP TODAY! Let God put you in harm's way and watch the devil run.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" James 4:8
Draw - Eggisate is the Greek word that means "come close at hand". The English word "progress" comes from this root. It is combined in a special phrase eggizo to Theo (meaning "draw near to God") that is used for offering sacrifices in worship. Drawing near to God means worshipping God. You can't get any closer than that.
James has just told us to submit to God (place yourself under Him), stand up against evil and the devil will run away (yesterday's verse James 4:7). Now he tells us to get as close as possible to God. All of these ideas deal with movement. Put yourself in a place stand come close. This is the perfect physical picture of how we are to live. Start by bending your knee to God. Put yourself in the right place. Then, don't be lazy. Get up. Stand in front of evil. Make your presence known. Watch the devil run away. And return to bending your knee - come close to God in worship. And guess what? God will get up close and personal with you.
So many times in my life I felt removed from God's presence. I knew that I believed but I did not feel close. Now I see that many of those times I was just hiding out. I was avoiding some encounter with the devil, hoping it would go away. God was waiting for me to stand up and be counted. Not grit my teeth and fight. Just resist. Push back. Stake my claim. And worship. We know that the context of worship is bending the knee in reverence and awe. First I stand. I watch God's power chase away my enemy. Then I get on my knees in thanksgiving and praise. And what do you know, God comes close to me.
Remember "progress". There is progress hidden in these words. Submit - stand watch worship. Make progress your goal today.
by Skip Moen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
