The Devil’s “D” Words

This is from a Bible study I wrote years ago and it seems to fit with our topic this month.

DECEIT–Satan always seeks to deceive us, and often his falsehoods sound good. “When he lies he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

DOUBT–The devil questions God’s Word and His goodness. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

DIVERSION–Satan draws our attention the wrong things and makes them appear more attractive and appealing than the right things. “For God knows that when you eat of it (the fruit) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:5-6

DISCOURAGEMENT–Satan uses our problems and difficulties to depress us and make us give up. He tried this with Job. “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

DELAY–Someone once said “if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” He tries to make us put off doing what is good, so that we never do it at all. “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ….If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:13-17

DIVISION–We are stronger together, so Satan seeks to separate us from other believers. In his letter to the Roman church, Paul says: ^” I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ…” Romans 16:17-18

The result of all these “D” words is another one: DISOBEDIENCE— and we all know what that leads to:

““For the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23a

Thankfully that’s not the end of the story–

“but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23b

Satan may deceive, divert, discourage, delay and divide, but he will not defeat us. God has the last word. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

For more about disobedience see:

It Started in the Garden

,Grieving the Spirit

Against You Only

More About Sin

In a previous post I shared a quote about sin from my devotional. Here’s another. The author is W. C. Gannett (1840-1923), a Unitarian minister:

“Yes, this sin which has sent me weary-hearted to bed and desperate in heart to morning work, that has made my plans miscarry until I am a coward, that cuts me off from prayer, that robs the sky of blueness and the earth of spring-time, and the air of freshness, and human faces of friendliness,–this blasting sin which perhaps has made my bed in hell for so long, –-this can be conquered. I do not say annihilated, but better than that, conquered, captured and transformed into a friend: so that I at last shall say, ‘My temptation has become my strength! for to the very fight with it I owe my force.'”

It reminds me of some of the things Paul tells us in his letters:

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Sin can separate us from Christ, but it doesn’t have to! When we rely upon God to resist temptation, we become stronger, and closer to Him– and when we fail, we remember that we are clothed in His righteousness.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

Resisting Temptation

In Sunday School this past week, we sang the hymn, Yield Not to Temptation. Horatio R. Palmer (1834-1907), an American musician, wrote it shortly after the Civil War. One day while working on a music theory exercise, the idea for this hymn suddenly came to him in a burst of inspiration. He quickly wrote it down, and very few edits were needed.

Or course, this hymn reminded me of the monthly theme. Sometimes we sin unwittingly, but often we are tempted (sometimes over and over) until we finally give in. We fail to turn to our real source of strength –God– for help in resisting sinful desires. This hymn is a bracing reminder that we are not alone in our struggle with Satan.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

For more about temptation see these posts:

Pure In Heart by J. Garrett Kell–Book Review

Grade Yourself

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I implore you– Part 2

Occasions of Sin

What situations are most likely to cause you to sin? We all have weaknesses, the things that push our buttons, and cause us to react in uncharitable ways. According to E. B. Pusey (1800-1882), and English Anglican theologian, knowing the occasions of our sin is an important step in conquering temptation:

“It is of the very greatest moment to know the occasions of our sin, and the way in which it shows itself. To know the occasions, puts us on our guard; to know how our sin shows itself, gives us the means of stopping it. Thus, as to these occasions; one is made angry, if he is found fault with roughly, or even at all, or slighted, or spoken slightly of, or laughed at, or kept waiting, or treated rudely, or hurt even unintentionally, or if his will is crossed, or he is contradicted, or interrupted, or not attended to, or another be preferred to him, or if he cannot succeed in what he has to do. These sound like little things when we speak of them in the presence of God, and in the sight of eternity. But these and other such like little things make up our daily trials, our habits of mind, our likeness or unlikeness to God, who made us in His own image; our eternity.”

Spend some time today pondering circumstances that are problematic for you; then make a resolution and a plan for doing better when they reoccur (because they will!).

For more quotes by E. B. Pusey see:

Know Yourself/Know God

Have Patience

Victorious Faith

Remembering the Wilderness

“And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.  And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know;  that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that mans lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”  Deuteronomy 8:2-3

Believe it or not, I wrote this post before the last ones from Beth Ann and Sarah.  God must be at work, be at work, because we’re all thinking along the same lines.  Here goes:

If you’re my age, and you look back over your life, you are bound to remember some wilderness days.  Times when nothing seemed to go right, times when you felt lost and alone;  times when that decision you made with such high hopes has led you to a place of despair;  times when your spouse, your children, your friends disappoint you.

In wilderness times, there’s always a temptation to turn away from God.  Like the Israelites, we groan and complain and long for “the good old days”  even if in our hearts we know those days weren’t perfect, either.  Still, the security of what we knew seems better than going forward into unknown places.

These verses tell us there is a purpose in those trying days.  God is humbling us in order to teach us to depend upon Him;  He cares for us when we are helpless and cannot fend for ourselves, and when we look back and remember, we see that He did sustain us. His Word and His promises kept us going, when we clung to them.

I think it’s interesting to know that the literal meaning of manna is “what is this?”  Sometimes during those difficult times, we’re “fed” with nourishment we didn’t expect and don’t understand. We may not get what we want, but God makes sure we get just what we need.

How has God fed you in the wilderness?  Ladies and readers, I want to hear your stories.