fall from heaven.
What a great reminder that our Lord is eternal as the Holy Trinity. Theologians disagree about the time of Lucifer’s rebellion and his casting out of Heaven. Some believe it was before Adam and Eve and some a time afterward. Nonetheless, Jesus Christ was certainly present in Heaven at the time.
It is important to know that Jesus was not only born as a child in Bethlehem in a manger to atone for our sins with his death some thirty-three years later, but that he could only do that because he was sinless and perfect. He was God incarnate. What a sacrifice he made for us. He came to live on this planet with his creatures for a time and was exposed to the same situations that are common to all people, yet he remained true to his mission to redeem us and overcome Satan for good.
When Christ uttered “It is finished” (John 19:30b), he meant that his death conquered Death. His mission was accomplished. Happy is any person that believes this truth.
Since Lucifer (renamed Satan) was cast like lightning from Heaven, he has been making use of his time accusing God’s saints and hoping to gain a populace to join him in Hell.
Consider Job 2:1–2, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Peter similarly said in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Those of us who are Christians are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Satan is limited in what he can do to us, yet he works hard to make us grieve the Spirit within us. Unbelievers have no such protection and are wide open to Satan’s influence. Until the very end of time, we will have to contend with the prideful angel of former splendor (Isa 14:12–15). The spirit world is real. It is necessary to wear the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil. The enemy is exposed and the tools God supplies for protection are told us in Ephesians 6:12–18:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Often people want to make themselves into more than they are, which is created beings. It is too late for the rebellious angels. They cannot be redeemed. Humans are special in that sense. The commonly used phrase pride cometh before a fall is Biblically based (Prov 16:18). Satan fell fast. At the final judgment, Satan will be cast into Hell for good (Rev 20). A third of angels and the wide road of humans will have to join him. Ask Jesus to rescue you from that terrible fate.
Our God is eternal as God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ—the Word), and God the Holy Ghost (1 John 5:7). Jesus is in Heaven now and was in the beginning.
Week 11
Scripture text—Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
It is one of the hardest things to relax and let God do his thing in our lives. We tend to lay awake at night wondering about the project at work, how we will pay the month’s bills, our children, and even the smallest concerns like which shoes to buy.
Scripture reminds us that instead we are to rest in his provision. He knows what we need before we ask him (Matt 6:8).Worry is a sin since it shows lack of faith. God says if you have only the faith as a mustard seed you can move mountains (Matt 17:20). Imagine if you had faith the size of an avocado pit. He is aware of everything including our baseless worries and our struggles with faith.
We serve an omnipotent, sovereign God and we are his children. Remember how well your earthly father works to please you and meet your needs (mine is a great example of this). More so your heavenly Father who is above all and limitlessly capable knows your needs and wants (Luke 11:13). He desires to be a part of each detail of your life. Let him. He has even the hairs on your head counted. He knows the name of every star. He is aware when one of his birds falls from the sky.
He can surely meet all of his children’s needs. The trouble is sometimes we feel like what we want is not what we get from God. In this case, again, trust and have faith in him who is faithful. Like any good father he has our best interests at heart, and he is high enough above any of our situations to survey the entire issue. He gives us what is best and if we follow his guidance we are sure to be happier because of it. Take things one day at a time.
As the verse says, sufficient for the day is the trouble for the day without thinking about the potentials of tomorrow. We face daily evils as we fight against the powers of the air, spirits that try to vex us and steal our tranquility (Eph 6:12). In addition to that, God gives us things to do for the day in just the right dose for the day. He does not want his children to live in constant worry. He gives us things to handle in manageable doses and we are to trust him for the rest.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt 6:33). Let go and let God—really, he wants to.
Week 12
Scripture text—Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven,
and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
When wondering about this topic, I thought about how hard it is to hold one’s tongue when suddenly angry or hurt. It seems that if cussing has been any part of a person’s past, the words remain near the surface waiting to vex the Spirit. It does not help that Satan, our enemy, wants us to insult our Lord and others with bad language at every turn.
I do not mean to limit this discussion to cuss words alone. Words that are not thought through or that do not edify the hearer can be rash. Silence really is golden. There is a saying that you can keep your mouth closed and let people wonder if you are a fool or you can speak and secure the matter. I do not know if that adage has Biblical origins but scripture has endless similar advice. I suspect that the tongue can only be tamed through prayer and practice. In fact, God tells us in James 3:8, “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
The Bible describes the foul workings of the tongue and those that allow it: wicked doer (my favorite—even better than evil doer), liar, fool, vain, deceitful, violent, treacherous, a sepulcher, poison, iniquity, guile, and arrogant.
Sinning with one’s words is an overlooked ill that society tends to accept as harmless. All sin is an affront to the Creator. In 1 Samuel 2:3, he says, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” Speaking is surely an action. God will pay attention and hold us responsible whether with eternal judgment for non-believers or through chastisement during our earthy lives for his saints.
Abuse of language is not natural as a matter of fact. Consider, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” (Jas 3:6). Indeed, much attention is paid to the problems with things that we put into our mouths (alcohol, drugs, tobacco, coffee, sugar, fat) and they are worth consideration. Do not ignore what the Bible says though, “Not