A Christian Challenge

 June 28, 2024

Friday

Satan really has no power over us. Sure, God has given him permission to disrupt our lives with bad things at times but this is all under God's limitations. Satan is the accuser of those who love God and challenges our faith to fail if we lose what we love. We love our security, people dear to us and our bright futures. Satan asks and receives permission to take those away. While I am aware of this, so many times he doesn't need to take away anything. He can watch us be devoured in our own lusts, greed and pride.

I realized this while reading Romans 5: 12:

Romans 5:12 (NASB 2020) ¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned—

Sin entered the world because it already existed. Satan introduced sin to mankind. Once he did so, he could let sin take a natural course. While we might be able to blame him for introducing original sin, the rest of it lies on us. We are quite capable of sinning without his help.

Why should Satan spend his time getting permission from God when he doesn't need to do anything for most of us to sin. It seems it is only the exceptional people that Satan spends his time with. 

The question here is: Do you want to be one of the exceptional servants of God that God notices and brings to Satan's attention? This person guards himself or herself every day to follow hard after God. This person has a daily quiet time to prepare for the day. This person confesses each known sin. This person obeys the Holy Spirit promptly. This person proclaims Jesus every day. This person sacrifices time and money to God. This person is truly a disciple of Jesus.

Since you have taken the time to read this, you are probably someone who says, "Bring it on!" I believe that this decision cannot be taken lightly. First, you need to assess what this will mean for you. Does your giving need to increase? Will you commit the time to have a daily quiet time? Will you enlist people to disciple? Will you put yourself under a teacher so that you will be discipled? Saying you are committed without knowing what that entailed is what got Peter in trouble. He said he would stand up for Jesus without failure but failed when he needed to stand up. You must ask whether you actually long to see His appearing or are just putting Jesus out of your mind most of the time.

If you do make this commitment, there is a crown of righteousness waiting for you. Don't take that lightly either.

2 Timothy 4:7–8 (NASB 2020) ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.