My strength comes from the Lord

A while back, I posted some of my thoughts about Twilight. One train of thought that has hung around in the corners of mind began with these thoughts, from one of those posts...

 

 I was touched by all the people who came to the Cullen's aid. I was equally drawn to the dark image of the Volturi and I wonder, if we could see Satan's minions, if their presence would be similar. Are Satan and his followers sure of victory when they face me? Are they arrogant in their attack? Are they calm and confident while I struggle to gather myself and brace for their attack? Those are thoughts for another post.

 

It's time for that other post.

 

I watched a movie over the weekend that reminded me of this again. I was flipping through the channels and stopped on something that looked like it might not be too terrible. Ya know how that goes. ANYWAY, the movie was about demons and angels and their workings in this world, and again, the demons were very self-assured, to the point of arrogance, in their attacks against "mortals".

 

So, I am wondering...why? Why do we perceive evil to be so confident? It seems to be a common thought, whether in movies, books, or TV shows. Those who are cloaked in darkness are calm in their attack, confident of their victory. In horror films, crime dramas, and the like we see images of the attacker calmly pursuing his victim with even, calculated, patient steps while the victim runs tripping and falling and flailing as if totally blind and at least partially crippled. Why is this? Why is the victim portrayed as so utterly helpless compared to the attacker...and do we believe this to be true on a spiritual level? While there is no Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers or Freddie Kruger coming after us, we do have a very real enemy in Satan and he does have demons to do his bidding...and they do attack.  If literature, movies and television are any indication, we see "evil" as immeasurably powerful and ourselves as utterly helpless to defend against it.

 

And this makes me very angry.

 

This makes me angry because this "helplessness" is a lie from the Pit of Hell. Satan himself  has deceived us into believing that we are powerless against him. While we have no hope of resisting him in our own power, we MUST know and remember and claim that HE WHO IS IN ME IS GREATER THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD. Yes, Satan has unimaginable power here in this time, but his time is indeed limited and, while Satan is powerful, he is not as powerful as Christ...and Christ lives in me. I am NOT a victim, and neither are you! If I am a victim, it is only because I have believed Satan's lies about me. If I am defeated, it is only because I have taken my eyes off of Christ and have focused instead on my immediate circumstances. If I believe myself helpless, I have forgotten Who fights for me. 

 

 I know that, historically, Satan has unleashed a terrible attack on me when I take this stand, as if to put me back in my place. This does little more than reiterate my point. As long as Satan can keep me blinded to the truth and believing that I am helpless to resist him or fight against him, I am no threat.

 

On my own, I have no chance of standing against Satan. When I try to resist him, I fail...every single time. HOWEVER, Christ has never cowered to Satan. Christ has never fallen victim to Satan's attack. Christ has never, not for one single moment in the history of all creation been defeated by Satan.

 

And Christ fights for me.

 

Christ, the Lord of all creation, stands with me against my enemy. Christ fights for me and with me and in me and through me, and, through Him, I am a conqueror. In Christ, I am victorious.

 

So then, my feelings of defeat and my feelings of helplessness really reveal the truth of my faith in Christ and the truth of my belief about the identity of Christ. Do I believe that Christ fights in me and for me and with me and through me? Do I believe that Christ defeats Satan? More to the heart of the matter...

 

Do I believe that Christ will defeat Satan for ME?

 

I think that's what it all boils down to. THAT's the lie. Just like in the Garden, Satan twists the truth to make me doubt. Satan knows that, only because of Christ in me, I am victorious. Satan knows that, because of Christ in me, I have the power to fight his attacks. Because of Christ in me, I am no longer sentenced to life in bondage to sin. So, the lie is NOT that Christ CAN'T defeat Satan, but that Christ WON'T fight for me. The lie is that I am alone in my battle. The lie is that there is no one to help me.

 

The truth is in in

 

Exodus 14:14

The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still.

 

Isaiah 41:10

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go

 

Romans 8:3

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

 

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

 

1 John 4:4

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

I am not helpless, I am not defeated, and, if Christ is in you, neither are you. Christ in me means that I do not have to cower in the corner and wait for Satan's attack to pass. Christ in me means that I do not have to hide. Christ in me means that I do not have to run from my attacker. Christ in me means that I can turn and face my attacker and, with all confidence in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, tell Satan to leave me. Scripture tells me "Resist the Devil and he MUST flee." (James 4:7)

 

Before Christ vs. After Christ

Its easy to forget who I was before I knew Christ. Especially easy for me because I moved away from the town I grew up in and have little or no contact with the people who knew me then. There's really no one in my life now who reminds me of who I was before I knew Christ and, quite honestly, that's  kinda nice.  It's easy to forget that I wasn't always "the preacher's wife". 

 

I think that most days I like who I am, for the most part anyway. I certainly like me now much more than I liked me before I knew Christ. I guess another reason it is easy to forget who I  once was is that I simply don't like who I was then. I don't WANT to remember what it was like before Christ changed me.

 

Every now and then, I bump into someone who knew me "back when" and I am reminded of who I was. Sometimes a song, a movie, or a picture, will remind me of who I was before Christ changed me and I am filled with a flood of memories and mixed emotions. In the past, Satan used these memories against me. In the past, Satan whispered his lies to me, filling me with guilt and pain. Satan likes to remind me of  who I was, of the terrible choices I made, of my pride and arrogance, of all the times I was disobedient, disrespectful, and, well, just bad. So, for a long time, I worked hard to forget who I once was and to focus instead on who I am in Christ.

 

But not remembering is a very dangerous thing.

 

The longer I am a Christian, the more I realize that it is important to remember who I was, because when I forget who I was without Christ, several things happen...

I become judgmental

I become impatient

I lose compassion

I become prideful and pious

I become harsh and rigid in my expectation of what others "should" be doing

I, in essence, become a Pharisee

 

When I remember who I was without Christ, I am immediately reminded of all Christ has done and is doing in me. When I remember how wretched and undeserving of Salvation I was, I am reminded that the only good in me is the Goodness of Christ and without Him I am nothing. When I remember what it was like to not have Christ in my life, my heart breaks and I am filled with compassion for those who do not know Him. When I remember what it was like to be a new Christian, my lofty  expectations of other Christians are replaced with understanding, patience, encouragement and grace. 

 

I don't like to dwell on my life before Christ. It is much more fun to talk of all the many ways Christ changed everything about who I am. Over the years He has gradually removed the things that did not reflect His love to make room for the things about me that DO reflect Him to grow. So, while I am not proud of who I was and do not want to glorify my life before Christ, remembering who I was without Christ reminds me of how much of who I am now is dependent on Christ in me.

 

And

Remembering who I was without Christ reminds me of how much others need Him.

 

 

8 Rules for Bible Study

 

 

I've been making a conscious effort to read my Bible thru from Genesis to Revelation. At the same time I've been trying to figure out things for myself, 2 other women in my life have presented me with their own confusion about the interpretation and application of what they are reading. (On a side note, I am so excited that I have friends to discuss this sort of thing with! YAY!) This prompted me to look for a list or SOMETHING containing good advice on how to interpret and apply God's Word.

 

I found a pretty decent list of things. I am glad that I have this list of "Rules" to go back to. I wish I'd had this in print years ago!

 

  Introduction
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Here, Paul tells Timothy how important it is to study God's word. This leads to an understanding of what God wants from us so we can be approved in his sight. The following is a list of rules that should be followed when studying the Bible so that we can divide the word of truth correctly.

1. Be objective -- seek the truth.
If we read the bible with preconceived ideas, or with the purpose of proving our own beliefs, we will not find the truth. The purpose of our study, therefore, must be to seek the truth.

2. Reach a conclusion only after you have studied what the entire Bible says about the subject.
Much error has been taught concerning salvation because people have failed to follow this rule.

3. Determine who is speaking.
Inspired men wrote the Bible, but they sometimes quoted uninspired men.

5. Determine to whom it is spoken.
God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar (Genesis 22:2) is obviously not binding upon us today. Let us make sure that God is talking to us.

6. Interpret each passage in the light of its context.
For example, in 1 Corinthians 7:7, Paul says, "For I would that all men are even as myself" (i.e. unmarried). Does Paul command that we should be unmarried? A reading of the surrounding verses explains why he made such a statement. In verse 26, he says, "I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress." The present distress was the severe persecution that existed then. So, if we just read the context we will avoid many misunderstandings.

7. Never interpret a passage so as to contradict another passage.
 If your interpretation of a passage contradicts another, then you know that your interpretation is wrong.

8. Use standard helps in understanding the Bible.
The following things will help:
• A good English dictionary will help us understand the meaning of words today.
• A good Bible dictionary will help us understand the meaning of Bible words.
• A concordance is helpful in looking up passages on the same topic.
• Another translation will help. Comparing the King James Version with the American Standard or the Revised Standard translation helps our understanding.

 

 Hope this helps!