Word for Today, Thu, May 26, 2005: Know the Truth, read the Bible
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
It is important to have at least some basic understanding of the
scriptures to understand who God is and the supernatural events
that have happened and continue to happen, even today. Note,
however, that some supernatural events come from the all powerful
and Almighty God, and other things come from the powerful (though
not as powerful as God, but entirely evil) hand of Satan and his
demons.
We ought to know scripture well enough to know the difference.
On the surface, some things seem like they come from God. After
all, Satan and his demons are fallen angels of light. Know that
there is a very distinct difference. God's ways are always
consistent and never ever contradict His nature. That's clue
number one.
Make sure that you read scripture yourself so that you know
what's what, and not just what I say or what someone else says,
otherwise you can be easily misled.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
____________________________
May 26
UNDERSTANDING THE SUPERNATURAL
Matthew 22:29 You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures,
or the power of God
Dee, a bright young woman and a pastor's daughter, developed
physical symptoms which were later diagnosed as multiple
sclerosis.
"When did you first become aware of the symptoms?" I asked.
"I started feeling the first tingling sensations right after
a special time of devotions I had with the Lord," Dee replied.
"What was so special about your devotions that day?"
"My devotions were in 2 Corinthians 12, and I read the
passage where Paul told about his thorn in the flesh. Paul said
God's power was perfected in his weakness, and I wanted God's
power in my life too. So I asked God to give me a thorn in the
flesh."
"Do you know what Paul's thorn in the flesh was?" I asked,
shocked.
"Some sort of physical problem, wasn't it?"
"Well, we're not told how it was manifested, but 2
Corinthians 12:7 clearly states that it was a 'messenger of
Satan,' literally an angel of Satan--a demon! Paul never asked
for it. In fact, he prayed three times that it be removed. Dee, I
think Satan took advantage of your unscriptural prayer and
afflicted you with these symptoms. I strongly recommend that you
renounce your request for a thorn in the flesh and pray that any
influence by Satan be removed from your life."
Dee received my counsel and we prayed together. She began to
feel better. The symptoms disappeared and she resumed her normal
activities.
By excluding the supernatural from their worldview, many
Christians exclude God's power from their theology and practice,
becoming subject to Satan's power. Furthermore, they also explain
all human failure--even that which is induced by demonic
influence, such as Dee's symptoms--as the result of psychological
or natural causes. We typically exhaust every natural explanation
first, then say, "Well, there's nothing left to do but pray." Why
don't we first determine if there is a spiritual explanation?
Spiritual conflicts are by far the easiest to resolve.
Prayer:
Lord, keep me sensitive to the spiritual nature of the
battle, and protect me from the fiery darts the evil one
hurls at me today.
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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