The Lord has given to every man his work. It is his business to do it, and the devil’s business to hinder him—if he can. So, sure as God gives a man a work to do, Satan will try to hinder him. He may present other things more promising; he may allure you by worldly prospect; he may assault you with slander, torment you with false accusations, set you to work defending your character, employ pious persons to lie about you, editors to assail you, and excellent men to slander you. You may have Pilate and Herod, Ananias and Caiaphas all combined against you, and Judas standing by to sell you for 30 pieces of silver. And you may wonder why all these things have come to pass. Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the craft of the devil, to draw you off from your work and hinder your obedience to Christ? Keep about your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars. Do not stop to stone the devil’s dogs. Do not fool around your time chasing the devil’s rabbits. Do your work; let liars lie; let sectarians quarrel; let editors publish; let the devil do his worst. But see to it that nothing hinders you from fulfilling the work God has given you. He had not sent you to make money; He has not commanded you to get rich. He has never bidden you to defend your character nor has He bidden you to contradict falsehoods about yourself which Satan and his servants may start to peddle. If you do these things you will do nothing else; you will be at work for yourself and not for the Lord. Keep about your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star. Let the world brawl and bubble. You may be assaulted, wrangled, insulted, slandered, wounded, and rejected. You may be chased by foes, abused by them, forsaken by friend, despised and rejected of men, but see to it that with steadfast determination and with unfaltering zeal you pursue that great purpose of your life and the object of your being until at last you can say; “I have finished the work which you, dear God, have given me to do?” [ 1. Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002)] There are some things we can learn about handling the hindering effects of Satan’s opposition to the gospel by looking at Satan’s most widely known tool, temptation.
Tag Archives: God
#S2-042: Terrorizing the Terrorist Encore [Podcast]
The Believers Authority in Christ
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We live in a time the Bible classifies as perilous times (2 Timothy 3:1). Terrorism is one factor that makes these days dangerous to live in. This hate religion is a fear based business. Believers in Jesus don’t have to be subject to a spirit of fear. You can overcome it. You can live in peace all your days. While your at it, you can turn the tables. You can terrorize the terrorist.
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Why Depending on God is the Jesus Kind of Life
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One of the great sins of Israel was a lack of dependence on God. Time and again you can see Israel leaning toward foreign countries for aid instead of depending on the Lord. Jeremiah 17:5 echo’s the sentiment. “Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord.” Depending on God is a big Bible issue. Jesus addressed it. Let’s look at what He said about it.
Are You Depending on God in Your Everyday Life?
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The issue of dependence is a difficult piece for a nation of people known for independence. The very foundation of our country was laid in the idea of independence. We fought for it. We gave our lives for it as a nation. And yet somewhere along the way, as with all things which start well, we lost our way. Independence was never meant to be an excuse to not trust God. The question then arises. “Are you depending on God in your everyday life?”
#S2-007: How to Locate Your God Ordained Place [Podcast]
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Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?
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Soaring with Eagles: How to Know You Are Destined for Greatness
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Inside of you God has put seeds of greatness. Those seeds are to germinate and blossom, that’s the will of God for your life. Satan has tried to mess the harvest up by getting mankind off into sin. But Jesus has come! Now through the new birth those seeds are renewed in you. That’s the good news. Any man in Christ is destined for greatness.
How Do I Find My Place in God?
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Josh McDowell told this great story. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what your place is in God? Do you know how to find it?
What is Being in God’s Will Like?
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Once while Francis of Assisi was hoeing his garden, he was asked, “What would you do if you suddenly learned that you where to die at sunset today?” He replied, “I would finish hoeing my garden.” – Francis of Assisi 1. This is the answer of man who knows he is in the place he should be in. You can gain this sense of peace. You can walk in this confidence. It comes by knowing how to find your place.
Why is the Throne of God a Merciful Place?
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One of my favorite scriptures is this phrase in the Psalms. “The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever.” The phrase occurs 9 times in the Psalms and 14 times overall. The thought of God’s mercy echoes deep within the heart of every born again child of God. Because you know if it wasn’t for His mercy where would you be? How could you have made it? One of the most outstanding features of the Throne of God is this mercy component. It is a place which is saturated and overflowing with God’s mercy.
#050: More How to Cultivate God’s Presence in Your Life [Podcast]
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Psalm 91 is famous for the comfort it brings to the children of God. Verse one is a declaration about God’s Presence. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I don’t know about you, but I sure like the sound of abiding under God’s shadow or presence. But there is even more good news. The Psalmist also declares that in God’s presence there is fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Joy, peace, and protection, what more can you ask for? And it all comes from His Presence. This week we are going to continue the podcast we began last week on “How to Cultivate God’s Presence in Your Life.”
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How Do You Come to a God Who is Already There?
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God is omni-‘many things’. He is omniscient, a fancy word for all-knowing. God knows everything about your life and everyone’s life on planet earth. God is also, omnipotent meaning there is no power greater than what God possesses. Lastly, God is omnipresent meaning He is everywhere present at the same time. Have you wondered how God does that? How can He be everywhere all of the time? Whether we understand it or not, it is still true which brings up yet another question. How do you come to a God who is already there?
#048: What Heavenly Lessons Will Angels Teach You about God? [Podcast]
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Angels are spectacular mysterious beings. In today’s age, there’s much conversation about them. This is nothing new. Paul speaking to the Colossian church warned them about worshiping angels (Col. 2:18). While we are not to worship angels or put them on pedestals, the Bible does speak much of them, 295 times to be exact. So, what can learn from them? What practical lessons can we learn about God from them?