Sunday, May 31, 2020
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Friday, May 29, 2020
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Judges
The Israelites simply didn't have the willingness or desire to obey God's commands. Disobeying God comes naturally for mankind (Romans 8:7). Now let me explain their situation.
The generation that had wandered in the wilderness for forty years had all died. The new generation was brought to the plains of Moab. There Moses taught them the same things he had taught their parents. He then turned over his role of leader to Joshua. In the book of Judges 2:11-12 it tells us that the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forsook the God of their fathers and followed the gods of the people who lived around them. Apparently what happened was in just a few decades they had neglected to train their children up in the ways of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6).
Moses had told the parents to continually teach the children the story about their redemption, the miracles God performed, and the contents of God's covenant with them (Deuteronomy 6:7-9). Each generation needed to be reminded over, and over of God's faithfulness so that it would not fade from their memory.
Tragically, that happened. The nation served God in Joshua and Caleb’s generation and in the generation of the elders who led the nation after Joshua died. Then “another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel” (2:7-10). The result was a series of sins. Cycles of sin, judgment, cries for help, and deliverance.
Whenever they were oppressed by enemies, the Israelites repented and cried out to God, who would faithfully raise up a judge, or defender, to defeat their oppressors and restore peace. Then the enticements of their pagan neighbors grew too strong and the conviction of their fading memories drew too weak and they sinned again. These cycles of sin-oppression-repentance-deliverance formed a downward spiral in which the Israelites become increasingly corrupt and more like the Canaanites.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Monday, May 18, 2020
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Friday, May 15, 2020
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Monday, May 11, 2020
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Satan
The Bible clearly teaches us about the existence and truth of Satan. The Bible describes him being ' an opponent of mankind ' (Genesis 3:15), ' father of lies ' (John 8:44 b), and ' persecutor ' (Revelation 12:10). " mans " enemy." Isaiah 14:12-17 explains that Satan is a former holy angel, but he tried to grab the honor and worship only for God. So God threw him out of heaven (see also Ezekiel 28:11-17).
Since God ousted him from heaven (with angels who rebelled against God), Satan's purpose is to fight God and lead people on earth in rebellion against Him. God has temporarily given him authority over this world; the ' god of this world ' (2 Corinthians 4:4) and "prince of power over the air ' ( Ephesians 2:2 )." So we must be prepared and watch out. The devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour " (1 Peter 5:8).
An effective way of Satan to harass our lives is by deceit. Whenever Satan deceives us into who God is, what God says, who we are, and who He is, he has power and authority over our lives. Believing Satan does not exist is not true is one of Satan's most harmful lies.
In creation, God gave man authority on earth (Genesis 1:28). When Adam and Eve voluntarily disobeyed God, they gave up some of their authority. By listening to Satan's lies, they subjected themselves to the devil. But, on the cross, Jesus stripped Satan of his authority: " It's time to judge this world. It is time to judge the ruler of this world " (John 12:31). " So the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil " (1 John 3:8). Satan has no longer authority over those who are in Christ unless they give Satan the right whenever they listen and believe his lies.
A lot of misinformation about Satan comes from Hollywood and other flawed sources of information. We deserve to obtain information in the Bible for truth in this matter and other things about God and faith. The Bible clearly teaches us that Satan truly exists, and the Bible gives us an idea of how he moves. There is no reason for us to fear Satan because his power is so small compared to the power of God. But the Bible teaches us we should not be complacent in our spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18). The key is submitting to God and fighting against the devil (James 4:7), knowing that Satan was defeated by Jesus on the cross and his end - the eternal judgment of God - is certain (Revelation 19:20).
Friday, May 8, 2020
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Vatican 2
Reformed theologian Loraine Boettner, who lived in the time of Vatican II and studied it closely, wrote that the council “makes it abundantly clear that Rome has no intention of revising any of her basic doctrines, but only of updating her methods and techniques for more efficient administration and to present a more attractive appearance. This is designed to make it easier for the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant churches to return to her fold. There is no indication that she has any intentions of entering into genuine give-and-take church unity negotiations. Her purpose is not a union, but absorption. Church union with Rome is strictly a one-way street. The age-old danger that Protestantism has faced from the Roman Church has not diminished; in fact, it may well have increased. For through this less offensive posture and this superficial ecumenicism, Rome is much better situated to carry out her program of eliminating opposition and moving into a position of world dominance. An infallible church cannot repent” (from the preface of Roman Catholicism, 1985).
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Monday, May 4, 2020
Saturday, May 2, 2020
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