Jump Start # 1936

Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was enraged wit the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold t the testimony of Jesus.”

We are at war. It’s not North Korea and the nukes. It’s not one political party against another on policy. It’s not college football game day. All of these may seem like wars, but the real war, that has been going on for a long time, is between Satan, the dragon, and the people of God. This is what this passage is showing us. This wartime language is sprinkled throughout the N.T.

• Timothy was told to fight the good fight of faith
• The Corinthians were told, we are not ignorant of Satan’s schemes
• The Ephesians were told to put on the full armor of God so they could extinguish every flaming arrow of Satan.

War movies are exciting to watch, but real war is tough. Good men often die in wars. Hearts are broken and lives are changed. The spiritual war that Satan is engaged in with us has many sides to it. Sometimes it’s not so obvious. He can be very subtle in what he does. He chips away at our faith. He gets us bogged down in trivial things that do not matter. He gets us sidetracked. Apathy, discouragement and worldliness are huge tools that he uses to pull us away from Christ. He’ll attack the congregation that we worship with. Internal fighting. Dullness. Passionless worship. Gossip. He’ll stir and stir things up until there is a real mess in the church. Folks leave. That’s what he wants. Folks will get mad at each other. That’s what he wants. We lose our focus and we stop doing what we are supposed to do. Satan wins.

But he’s not done with us. He’ll attack our home. He’ll smack our marriages. Jealousy, lust, indifference can pull a couple apart. Money troubles develop and we fight and fuss with each other. Satan will use Facebook to bring up people from our past that may confuse us and make us wonder if we married the right person. He’ll open the door to lustful thoughts through the internet. He makes porn available and easy to find and easy to hide. He’ll mess with our kids. Wrong friends. Drugs. Self esteem issues. A family that is pulling apart is a family that Satan loves. He wants divorce. He wants words flying through the air that are not kind, thought out or loving. He loves doors that slam shut, ending conversations. He encourages flirting at the office. Attack the family, and it is likely that they will stop worshipping together. Prayers will stop. Hearts will close the door to Jesus and a battle has been won by Satan.

And, in all of this, Satan will attack you. He’ll use doubt to confuse you. He’ll use situations to scare you and make you worry. He’ll introduce you to twisted religions that seem right, but they are not. He’ll get you to stand in line with the world and have the world influence you. It’s little at first. Social drinking—what’s so bad about an occasional glass of wine. We are hearing more and more Christians asking that. That’s just a foot in the door for Satan. It’s a glass. What can be wrong with one glass. Satan is very patient. He can wait. He can wait months and even years. One glass, easily becomes two glasses and on some special occasions, a whole bottle. Without even knowing it, we have taken yet another step away from Christ. Then it’s movies that we shouldn’t see. There’s just a little bad language, we tell ourselves. It’s not much. It’s no different than what we hear at school and work everyday. Satan is patient. Then, it’s the blockbuster movie that everyone is talking about. It’s laced with profanity, but it’s up for the awards. We have to see it. Satan smiles. Then one day, out of the blue, a car pulls out in front of us, and we slam on our brakes. Without thinking, a bad word comes out of our mouth. We’d never say that word, but we did then. Satan smiles. We get so busy at work and there is so much to do at home, that our Bibles sit on the back seat of our cars, untouched until the next church service. Satan smiles. We stay up until we are exhausted, and as soon as we lay down we are asleep. Another day without a prayer. Satan smiles. We don’t see it, but he does. Day by day, we are getting weaker spiritually. Day by day, more of the world is filling our hearts. Satan is patient, the day will come, when we go to worship out of habit and not love for the Lord. The day may come when we think of everything in world to do, except feed our souls. We pull away from our church family. We become more selfish. It’s hard for us to see all of this, but Satan does. This has all been a part of his plans. This was designed by him. This was a war and we did not even recognize the enemy.

And, when it’s all over, our souls lie empty, shallow and faithless. Tears stream down the face of God as Satan dances with delight. Another battle won. Another soul lost.

What can I do? You can win the war with Christ. Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world, is what John wrote.

First, get passionate about worshipping God. Pour your heart into what you are doing. Never settle for substandard worship. Always give your best. Always focus upon God. You may not be able to change the preacher, song leader or those that lead worship, but right there from where you are, you can make it meaningful for you.

Second, save that family. Get close to your mate. Put up the phone and tablets and talk to each other. Establish boundaries that will protect your marriage. Be transparent. Let your mate see what you are reading, sending and texting. Let them know your passwords. No secrets. Get God back into your home. Real prayers. Real conversations that are laced with spiritual insights and truths. Real answers to today’s questions.

Third, put on that armor of God and fight for your soul. Don’t let Satan have it. Pray. Open the Bible up and do some real reading and thinking. Go do something for someone else. Establish some out of bounds on movies, music and even friends. A little poison in some brownies, even though those brownies look great to taste is deadly. The same goes for poison in movies, music and friends. In your house, you set the rules. So, set them. Keep Satan out.

There is a war going on. If you sleep through life, chances are you’ll be a causality. If you think we are over reacting and things are not so bad, you’ll be shot down. If you think things will just work out for the best, you’ll be in Satan’s POW camp before you know it. The language and warnings from Heaven are that we are at war. Time to put on the helmet, grab the shield, take up the sword and defend our hearts and faith.

Through Christ, we can be more than conquerors. Through Christ, our congregations can thrive, our families can be awesome and our live can please the Lord. It won’t just happen. We must work, fight and hold our ground against Satan.

The victory belongs to the Lord. Are you winning these battles with the Lord’s help, or is Satan taking over?

Roger

Jump Start # 1650

Revelation 12:17 “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

I watched Donald Trump’s thunderous speech last night. He spoke to a friendly crowd that applauded, cheered and chanted many times. He made no pretense in declaring that we are at war with terrorist groups that want to destroy America. This war is different than other wars. The enemy isn’t from one country. They don’t wear uniforms and march, like soldiers of long ago did. The enemy isn’t distinguished by red coats like the British were long ago. They aren’t wearing a certain shaped helmet like the Germans of the first world war. Politicians and strategists will argue about what is the best way to deal with this threat. National security will be a huge topic in deciding which candidate is best suited to keep us safe.

But there is another war that you won’t hear the candidates talking about. It’s a spiritual war. It’s been going on for 2,000 years. It is even harder to detect this enemy than modern terrorists. Our passage today reminds us that the dragon, called Satan earlier in the chapter, is bent on making war with the people of God. He wants to destroy Christians. Satan will use disguises to accomplish this. He will use terrorist. He will use college professors who deny the existence of God and the inspiration of the Bible. He will use religious leaders who stray from God’s word and lead flocks of followers into the happy land of “la-la.” Satan will use the media and social media to twist the truth and create a fog around what is right. He will use the pressure of popularity to influence the fashion industry and Hollywood movies and the music industry. He will make wrong seem right. He will fill the air with violence and filthy language to such an extent that we become numb to those things. Satan will even use family members to soften our stance and move us away from Christ. Our enemy is smart. He has many weapons and many soldiers.

He will attack the family because that is the foundation of society and the image of our relationship with God. Divorce and the redefining of marriage are every day bombs that Satan lofts through the sky. He will use alcohol and drugs to deaden our senses and to weaken our stance with God.

He will attack our congregations because that is the source of encouragement and one connection we have with God. He will make a great discontent between what happens on Sunday and the rest of the week. He will turn worship into something that is not relevant or else transform it into a place where man is praised and happiness is the message. The modern church doesn’t even realize that Satan is using it to fool the masses into thinking that they are following God. He will use members to turn against members to keep the church away from it’s purpose and focus.

He will attack your soul with everything he has. He will use discouragement, temptation, worry, stress, and innocent things such as a full schedule and busy lives to keep you away from God. The less you pray, the less you open the Bible, the less you worship, the weaker you become. He knows that. He will pull the plug on your soul so that what faith you have slowly leaks out. It’s so gradual that you won’t notice it until it’s too late.

Across this country side, lies the carnage that Satan has caused. Broken homes. Broken vows. Broken hearts. Heretics. Apostates. False brethren. Shipwrecked faith. Divided churches. Weak congregations. Dead faith. And lives that are convinced that they are going to Heaven because they are “good” people, and Satan knows better.

It’s ugly out there. It’s hard to know who to trust. It’s hard to know what’s on the up and up and what’s just a disguise to confuse us and deceive us. If you are a Christian, Satan has you in his radar. He has been firing shots across your bow since the day you obeyed Christ. Some of us see this and are aware. Many have no clue. They do not realize that they have been traveling through lion country for a long time now. Every day, that lion, Satan, is seeking to devour. He’s patient. He’s watching. He’s waiting for a moment when we are not sharp. He’s looking for a moment when we are tired or alone. He’s looking for a moment when we are discouraged. He’s ready to pounce. He’s watching. Our enemy never goes to sleep. Our enemy never takes a day off. Before you get to the office, he is there. Before you reach your vacation destination, he is there. He’s waiting for you at home. He will not quit until he has destroyed your faith in Christ. Ignoring him is what he wants you to do. Pretend he isn’t there, and he will just smile.

In this spiritual battle, we don’t have a candidate that we can vote for that will keep us safe. It’s up to us. This is why the Bible uses military words such as: be alert. Be sober. Be watchful. Be diligent. Be on guard. Asleep at the post is surely the moment the enemy has been waiting for. Not paying attention is his dream come true. It can happen anywhere. Sitting in a college class and never realizing that the professor is chipping away at your faith. It can happen at a family reunion and the temptation to do wrong is disguised as a family member. All around us Satan is trying to get you to take your foot off the accelerator. He wants you to slow down with Jesus. He wants you to back off with the Lord. He wants you to think that you’ve done enough. Stop helping others. Stop shinning your light. Stop being so good. Stop teaching. Stop believing. Stop. Stop. Stop. That’s what Satan wants. He is at war with you.

Can you win? Is there any hope? The Corinthians were told, “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory.” The key word in Revelation is “overcome.” James said, “resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Jesus said to pray that you enter not into temptation.

Yes, you can win this war. It won’t be by your smarts or your strength, but with God’s help. God must be with you at all times. God must guide you. God must help you. God must forgive you. God is there, but you must invite Him into your day. You must include Him, listen to Him and follow Him. As Joshua understood, “The battle belongs to the Lord.”

So, as the children sing in VBS, “be careful little eyes what you see…” There is a war going on. The political candidates of today do not see it. This war is worse than anything the terrorists can do. Fear not the one who can kill the body and do no more. Fear the one who can kill the body and the soul.

Lion country—be careful. The lion is watching you. Be smart. Be spiritual. Be alert.

Roger

Jump Start # 1477

Revelation 12:17 “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

  There is a lot of unrest and fear in the world. The Paris murders have been declared an act of war by the French President. Manhunts, arrests and nightly bombings are part of the retaliation and an effort to end the further threats of danger. The rumblings of war are on the horizon. War talk is nothing new. The history of the world has seen all kinds of wars. There has been long wars, such as the “hundred year war.” There has been wars that were supposed to end all wars. They didn’t. There has been major world wars—two of them. The history of Europe is a study of conflict and wars. Before much of that, the history of the Old Testament is a study of nations fighting nations. Powerful nations such Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans shaped and dominated the political map of Bible times.

Our verse today describes yet another type of war, a spiritual war. The dragon, who is Satan, the chapter tells us, went off to make war with the people of God. Satan had a specific target, those who obey God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. That’s who he is after. That who he wants defeated.

There are some special things about this war that we need to know.

First, the enemy, Satan, is the greatest enemy of all time. He can’t be killed by us. He is a spiritual being. He is first found in the garden in Genesis 3 and here he is centuries later in the book of Revelation. This enemy knows you. He knows your weak points. This enemy never tires. He never takes a day off. He is everywhere. You cannot escape him. Before you get to work today, he was there. Before your plane lands for a vacation, he is there waiting for you. Peter describes him as a roaring lion that seeks someone to devour. Our enemy is spiritual. It will take spiritual weapons to overcome him.

Second, the battle front is not land but your heart. Satan wants to destroy you spiritually. This is an internal battle. Temptation is his weapon of choice. He uses many ways to attack us. He will use a busy lifestyle to keep us away from God. He will use books and blogs to distort the truth to confuse you. He will use family and friends to get in your way. He loves discouragement because it leads us to taking our foot off the spiritual accelerator. He will allow hardships to conquer us and make us doubt. He will tempt us with sin. He knows which one you like the best. For some it’s moral issues. For others, it’s attitudes. He will allow those who are close to us to confuse us. He will use gossip to get us to away from the cross. He will give us reasons to complain, like ancient Israel. He will give us little side issues to occupy our energy and time so we neglect the big things. He will mess with our families so it will take us away from Jesus. Our enemy doesn’t care. He doesn’t care how many people are counting on you. He doesn’t care how new you are to Jesus. He doesn’t care how many people get hurt by your departure. He doesn’t care if he has already attacked you once today. He simply doesn’t care. He doesn’t have a heart. He doesn’t know kindness. He has every wicked spiritual tool available to use. He attacks us one by one. If he can pull the marriage apart, he will win. If he can weaken us, he will win. If he can make us sit in church buildings without worshipping, he will win. He doesn’t play by the rules. He never quits.

Third, the only way to win this battle is through Christ. On your own, you won’t make it. You must take the warnings of the Bible seriously. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Do we really believe that? We are told to not love the world. Yet we can act, dress, talk and behave just like the world. We are told not to be conformed to the world. We are told to resist the devil. These warnings and these truths must be taken seriously, or we will be a victim laying upon the battle ground. Have you ever seen those old black and white photos of the aftermath of Civil War battles? The battle is over, and there is this soldier lying in the mud dead. For him, it didn’t really matter which side won that day, because he’s journey was over. He was finished. He lost. The battle for him was over for ever. We don’t want that. Satan does. Across this land, there are hundreds who have given up the fight. They allowed Satan to win. They no longer worship. Some no longer believe. Some have compromised and worship in a nonbiblical fashion. They allowed their marriage to end. They allowed sin to dominate their lives. They sold out. They gave in. In the end, Satan has won.  That cannot happen to us.

As frightening as the Paris murders are and talk by Isis to do even more murders, possibly here in this country, there is a greater battle. Isis can kill the body but they can’t do anything more. For the child of God death isn’t a loss. It opens the door to a wonderful world with the Savior. The greater threat is by one who can destroy our soul. We need to be concerned about who our kids call “friends.” We need to really think about what shows are we watching on TV. We need to give serious thought to what we are feeding our souls. Innocent things may be poisoned by the evil one. Our attitudes shift. Our morals loosen. We find ourselves doing things today that we would have never done five years ago. Why? Has Satan taken some of our hearts?

The history of God’s people have found faithful ones as slaves in Egypt. There were faithful ones in captivity in Babylon. They were chased. They were imprisoned. Some were killed. Their faithfulness and loyalty to the Lord is what found favor with the Lord. God said of Caleb that he had a “different spirit.” He followed the Lord “fully.” That must be us. That’s our que. We must move through this world with a “different spirit.” We must follow the Lord fully. It’s not enough to follow at a distance. It’s not enough to follow some of the time. All in or not at all. Love the Lord with ALL of your heart, mind and soul. Turn the keys of your heart over to God. Let go of them. Give them to God.

In a complaining and negative world, we carry a different spirit. We are thankful. It a time of gloom and doom, we carry a different spirit, hopeful. When some are talking about others, we don’t. We have a different spirit. When some are being ugly, we won’t be. We have a different spirit. We are reflective. We are thankful. We are kind. We are Christ-like.

There is a war going on. It doesn’t involve bombs and planes. It is about your soul and your heart. Satan wants to poison it. God wants you to continue with Him.

Onward, Christian soldier…our journey may be hard, lonesome and fierce, but we shall win if we continue with Christ. That’s God’s promise. The battle between God and Satan is not still up in the air. Satan looses. Revelation tells us that. His future is sealed. Hell is his home. Don’t go with him. You don’t have to. This is one battle you cannot lose. This is one battle that you can turn the tide and win. With God at our side, we shall overcome!

Roger

Jump Start # 783

Revelation 12:17 “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with  the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

Revelation 12 is a battle scene. It begins with Satan trying to devour a child, Jesus Christ. When he failed at that, he went after the rest of the children, the faithful of God. This passage is valuable for us because it shows us the world view and what is going on behind the scene. There are several lessons for us from this one verse.

1. We are in a war with Satan. Christians are nice, Satan is not. Christians play by the rules, Satan does not. Christians care, Satan does not. Satan is after Christians. Peter uses the image of a lion seeking someone to devour. We are in enemy territory. We are traveling through lion country. We need to be alert. Our senses need to be sharp. In those nature shows from Africa, the lion is always hiding in the tall grass. He has his eyes on the antelope. They don’t see him, but he sees them. Satan is watching you. You may not see him, but he sees you. Now there are three approaches we can have with this war with Satan. Only one is acceptable.

• First, we can be passive and deny that we are in a war. We can believe that things are not so bad. We can close our eyes to the reality of the missiles Satan is launching toward us. The filth of movies and books, the assault upon our marriages, the aggressive and liberal agenda of those who want to redefine right and wrong, the obsession with materialism, the rebellion towards authority and the mockery towards the God of Heaven and Earth are striking the people of God daily. To say things aren’t so bad is to deny what is going on. Sitting back with folded hands allows the enemy easy access. This approach is sure failure.
• Second, we can go to the other extreme and become militant in our response to Satan. Shooting bad people, bombing abortion clinics, shouting ugly threats and a general “in your face” attitude is not the right approach either. Long ago, emperors in Europe sent troops to recover the Bible lands from the Muslims. Those were called the Crusades. In the name of Christianity, thousands were slaughtered. Remember, in the garden, the Lord told Peter to put the sword away. He told Pilate that if His kingdom were of this world then His disciples would fight. But it’s not. And they do not.

• Third, our enemy is spiritual. That’s what Satan is, wicked as he is, he is a spiritual being. He is to be challenged God’s ways. First, individually, we are to resist temptation. Satan will flee, James tells us. Second, we counter Satan by standing upon the word of God and teaching it. In the temptations Jesus responded to Satan, “It is written,” and quoted from Deuteronomy three different times. The expression, “It is written,” means, “It stands written.” It stands! Nothing has changed. It stands! Alone in the desert, it stands. Hungry, it stands. Many, many years later, it stands. God’s weapons are His word. Teach it. Use it. Believe it. The more that rally around the Bible the less Satan can call his own. Teach God’s word. Don’t be ashamed, afraid, or silent. Satan uses the media. Satan has unlimited money. Satan has tons of followers. It’s time to raise our voices for God.

Begin by protecting your family. Parents, get involved! Know what shows, music and friends are influencing your child’s heart. Talk about God. Say prayers together. Read Scriptures. Talk about the day and what choices they had. Surround them with great people. Develop a servants heart in them.

Be active in your congregation. Don’t be passive. Get involved. Know what is going on. Encourage the leadership and your preacher to teach Biblical lessons that deal with contemporary issues. Encourage them. Let them know you want to be challenged and your family’s faith to grow. Get there. Be there. That’s important.

There is a war going on—the enemy has you in his crosshairs. He’s got your scent. He’s hiding in the tall grass. Be alert today. Be prayerful today. Be strong today. Jesus prayed that the apostles would be kept safe from the evil one. That is my prayer for you!

Roger