Are We Being Swayed By The Evil One?

Is the world controlled by the Devil?

There are a few verses that are sometimes used to defend Calvinistic idea of total depravity. That seem to say that the world is under the control of satan. Here they are:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. – 1 John 1:8-

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. -1 John1:10-

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. -1 John 5:19-

It’s obvious that John is not teaching any sort of doctrine of total depravity, but is simply saying that everyone has sins, and that if anybody claims to be without sin; they are singing by making such a claim. No non-Calvinist disagrees with this.

Almost all Christians of all types believe that everybody sins. It is a straw-man fallacy and non-sequiter to say that if a person denies the Calvinistic idea of total depravity then they don’t believe that a,k people are sinners.

You can deny total depravity and still accept the biblical teaching about the universal sinfulness of humanity.

The third passage quoted above, 1 John 5:19, is sometimes quoted in reference to total inability.

This verse is used to say that people are under control of the devil, and therefore, cannot see or understand the truth of the gospel, nor respond to it, for the devil, who controls them will not allow it.

“The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” -1 John 5:19

John is saying the world lies in wickedness. It is covered in wickedness. This point would be identical to what John wrote earlier in his letter, that everyone is a sinner. -1 John 1:8-10- John is understood to be saying that the world lies under the power, control, or sway of the wicked one, this verse still does not teach total inability for at least two reasons.

The words “power,” “control,” or “sway” are not found in the text, a translator is free to add whatever words he wants to help the reader understand what John is saying.

The entire book of 1 John is engaged in this idea about good and evil, light and darkness, truth and error, and John is intent on showing his readers that based on who God is and what Hesus has done for all people, we can choose to live in love, light, and righteousness, rather than abide in hatred, darkness, and evil. This is how to understand John’s letter.

John is not making a statement about total depravity but is calling upon his readers to “choose this day who we will serve. God or Satan.

Hold Fast And Stay Strong

Hold fast to the truth, for we stand under the judgement of God’s Word. Do not compromise at all cost.

Hold Fast To Truth

What is truth? How important is truth? How do you define truth? Do you believe it is a problem in today’s society?

Dr. R Albert Jr, put it this way in His book, Dishonesty and Deception in Contemporary Life “I think it’s fair to say that honestly is on the ropes: Deception has become commonplace at all levels.”

We no longer tell lies. Instead we ‘Mis-Speak.“ We exaggerate. We exercise poor judgement. Mistakes were made, we say.

Welcome to the age of dishonesty

Fact: Truth is transcultural. If something it true, it has to be truth for all people, in all places, and at all times.

Truth is unchanged, even though our beliefs about change. Society used to believe the earth was flat. When it was discovered that the earth was round, the truth about the earth didn’t change, it was only our belief which changed.

Beliefs cannot change a fact, no matter how sincerely held. Someone can sincerely believe someone m but if his fact is not true he possess false, or a humble person to make the error he possess true.

All real truths are absolute. Suppose that I take a fall, and bang my head on the cement, calling for a helicopter ride to a big city hospital. Suppose someone should not believe it. Does that change the truth,

Truth is still truth. It is living in a much different world today called Post-modern. It’s description says, “ Truth does not exist objectively, it is a product of a person’s culture.

It’s easy to see some very strong problems occurring in our culture today. We also have more problem with intolerance, which does not accept tolerance and is being enforced with varies kinds of punishment.

I have only touched on a few effects which have occurring in our world since this “New Tolerance and its complications. But you can find plenty of them. Dr. D. James Kennedy verbalized the complications with his talk with this warning: Wake up America before it’s too late.

Something To Shout About

If someone asked you to describe forgiveness, how would you do it! Where would you begin? How long would it take?

Forgiveness is something to shout about.

The manufacturers of Tide laundry detergent once has a website for stain remover called “The Stain Detective.” Users could identify the type of stain they were trying to remove, submit a request for advice, and receive information regarding the best way to get the stain out of the fabric. Of course, most of the solutions involved the use of a Tide product.

In Psalm 32, David is our “spiritual detective “ as he counsels us how to remove the stain of sin in our lives. No matter what sin has marred your life. David directs us to the same solution, David directs us to the same solution. Forgiveness is found in God alone.

David is excited about forgiveness and wants everyone to shout about it!

Experiencing Forgiveness

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord doesn’t count against him in whose spirit is de deceit.

Forgiveness is a state of being that is exciting. It feels good! Notice David writes Blessed is he and Blessed is the man. Look at the meaning of the words used to describe what God does when He forgiveness a person:

A. Forgiven- He lifts up the burden of guilt and carries it away.

B. Covered- He covers the sin from view.

C. Does Not Count Against – God chooses not to think of the forgiven as guilty anymore.

Needing Forgiveness

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

Notice first what is not mentioned here. The actual sin is not identified. In this passage David fails to tell us what his sin was. He doesn’t even give us a hint. Why? Because what he did is not the issue. The focus is on God’s forgiveness. The seriousness of the sin doesn’t affect the capacity of God to forgive.

After he sinned, David says, I kept silent. That’s when his trouble began. We try to manage guilt. We try to cope with guilt. We try to rationalize guilt away. We try to blame someone else to minimize our guilt. Observe what happens

Physical Deterioration

He writes my bones wasted away. No one questions the delicate balance between mind and body anymore. Guilt ravages a person physically.

Mental Suffering

David describes a relentless anguish in his soul. It does not stop. He is groaning all day long.

Spiritual Separation

David feels distance between God and himself. It appeared that God was hostile towards him. Guilt warps our perception of who God is and His readiness to forgive us.

Ultimately all enjoyment of life is lost. Our strength and desire for life is transformed into a arid, dry landscape.

Receiving Forgiveness

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

David describes how to thoroughly deal with guilt and obtain forgiveness from God.

Sin must be acknowledged. David writes I acknowledged my sin to you. He simply and clearly stated that what he did was a sin. This can be part challenging if we believe others are to blame.

Sin must be exposed. David adds that he didn’t cover up his sin. Literally he is saying, “I have made my sin naked and bare before You.” The word cover refers to the normal function of a garment in it’s natural sense. When we confess our sin, we strip away all the ridiculous attitude we use to “dress up” what we have done. This is an experience of shame. It doesn’t fee, good, but it will not last for long. Remember that whatever we expose and uncover through confession, God will soon cover and hide from view through His forgiveness.

Sin must be confessed. The word confess means to cast or throw something away. Confession is the act of fully casting away our sin, guilt and shame before God.

Do you see the entire pictures hat David has painted for us? We call what we did “sin” as God does. We take full responsibility for the sin. We make no attempt to “dress up” or hide our sin, rather we expose it before God. Then we take that sin and cast it away from us before God.

When we do that, we can confidently join in David’s joy when he writes that God forgave the guilt of my sin.

So, rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous sing, all you who are upright in heart.

In the final verse of Psalm 32, David makes it clear that rejoicing is a non-optional activity for those who really know the forgiveness of God. They have something to shout about.

Psalm 32

Filled With The Holy Spirit

Do you ever feel empty? Maybe dry and parched as though you have nothing left to give? You may fill as though you can only afford to give someone a drink if you act have some water to give.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit can be powerful. Our perception of power is Ofern cultivated by the world before we ever walk in the freedom of Christ.

The world teaches us that our measure of power is heavily tried to the outcome. Martin Luther King championed civil rights, Gandhi helped to win India’s independence and Mohammed Ali was the best boxer of all time, but if you’re looking for the story about the guy who died trying to become the next great inventor, athlete or blogger, you’re not going to find it. Given how we’ve been so conditioned to perceive what’s powerful, it’s not hard to understand why we feel so powerless as Christians.

I’ve wrestled with nothing more in my walk with the Lord than a clear understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit. I spendthe first few years as a believer hearing about how more mature Christians had a supernatural encounter with the Holy Spirit, with a child-like wonder, I’ve decided that someday. I would reach that level of Christianity too.

Power from the Holy Spirit had become an elusive, mystical rite of passage that every “real” Christian was supposed to walk through someday.

Each passing year, I waited patiently (and impatiently ) for my holy “a-ha” moment. Fully convinced that someday I would start break out into prophetic utterances that would have the whole church in an uproar. I would be sitting on the edge of my seat every time a sermon about the Spirit was preached. Hopeful and anxious to respond that would be a warm rush of the spirit I heard so much about.

It’s only happened about 8 times since my pastor told us we can prophesy in the church. I usually hear from the Holy Spirit at home or while driving. Not often in a church environment.

It happens mostly a night or while I’m sleeping, I will sit straight up in bed and know I just heard from him.

I’ve struggled with a lack of luster won’t journey of faith. And I’m sure their are many more Christians that experience the same thing.

My big issue has always been “being still in the Lord.” When during the day, I’m go, go, go. It is not until nighttime that I am still.

Would if our belief that we aren’t filled with the Spirit is more of a result of a biblical misunderstanding? John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may life, and have more abundantly.”

Believing that the power of the Holy Spirit is not available to all who He has called doesn’t only fall short of our promised abundant life is unbiblical

Let God fill us up and always be ready to hear from the Holy Spirit. Live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Pity To Praise

When you meet some people, they can’t stop talking about how rough they’ve have it in life. I was once this way. It was like a bad country ballad that I sang over and over about “Somebody done me wrong.”

I can imagine how awful I was to be around, no wonder I didn’t have any friends.

Now when I encounter people who have this “woe is me” mentality, I tell them it’s all about the perspective they have on life. You see, we’ve all through some tough situations, And we still will go through some tough situations. That is the human race.

While we might envy others who seem to have an easier, carefree life than we do. Usually, that is just an illusion. No matter what side of town people grow up on, or how rich they may be, our Lord told us that storms come to everyone’s life from time to time. -Matthew 5:45-

Breaking Free

I could write a book about the horrible experiences I grew up with. My mother, my brothers losing their lives all through my lifetime, either by accident or beings murdered. The abuse I’ve survived.

Perhaps you can’t relate to these experiences, in fact, I hope you can’t. But it is suffice to say that growing up in a small rural isn’t all nice people and nice places.

The good news is that none of us is automatically stuck with the kind of situation we’ve inherited. It may be more difficult to break free if life has dealt you a difficult hand, yet there’s no pit so deep that God can’t get you out of.

What Pit Are You In?

Drug addictions, criminals, and homeless people certainly aren’t the only ones who can find themselves stuck. Sometimes even Godly people “Like King David” must cry out loud to God for deliverance.

I waited patiently for the Lord: And He inclined to me. And heard my cry. He also brought me out of a horrible pit. Out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. And established my steps. He put a new song in my mouth-Praise to our God: Many will see it and fear, and trust in the Lord. -Psalm 40:1-3-

If you’re facing distressing circumstances in your life, whether it’s from your own foolish choices or situations beyond your control and you’ve found yourself in a horrible pit filled with miry cray.

If so you can be encouraged that God delivered David from the unpleasant pit stopped what his was experiencing. David gained stability and freedom. And instead of David from singing his dreary ballad. And gave him a new song.

By God’s grace and lots of hard work, I’m happy to report that I’ve broken free from the bondage that once threatened to become my destiny. I’m sure you can break free as well.

God also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.

Sar Shalom

Shalom means Peace in Hebrew.

The tiles give to Messiah: “Sar Shalom.’ But more than that it means “Prince of Shalom,” Prince of fullness, wholeness, completion, perfection, well-being, and prosperity. “Sar” means master or ruler.

Messiah is the ruler of Shalom. Master of Shalom, “He rules and commands Shalom. If you belong to Him, you are called by His name, so live as a little version of Him, a little ruler of peace, a master of Shalom.

Become an authority on Shalom, one who dwells in it, understands it, uses it, applies it, an expert on Shalom. (peace) You are empowered to become a ruler of Shalom. Messiah ruled Shalom; He commanded it. He said, “Shalom I give to you.”

In the same way, you are to command peace; rule Shalom. No matter what the power of Messiah into it. Whatever you are going through, you have the power to command the Shalom of Messiah upon it. Take up your scepter, act with authority, His authority. You are called to be a ruler of peace, a master of Shalom.

Live in imitation of Messiah, and take authority over darkness, in the power of the Master of Shalom.