How satan speaks 1: Snake in the garden - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) May 5, 2023

What would you do if a serpent came up to you and started speaking? Many would pull out their phones to record for viewers on the internet. And because we've watched so many movies, many of us would be thoroughly curious to hear what it had to say. And if it uttered what we wanted to hear? Say, it spoke of riches, power, and ways to get other things we wanted, people would likely kill to possess the snake.

The snake in the Garden of Eden was no different. It went right up to Eve and with very few words changed the course of history. To Eve's credit, a talking snake was probably not abnormal. After all, God literally walked in the garden and spoke to both Adam and Eve in a way no other humans have experienced. Essentially, life on the garden was amazingly different than we could imagine.

Genesis 3:1 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Eve responded with the warning she'd received and the snake followed up with “[y]ou will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5).

She ate from the forbidden tree, shared its fruit with her husband, and unlike what the serpent said, she did actually die. The death wasn't immediate, but the everlasting life she and Adam were to enjoy, came to a screeching halt. All because she was tempted by the lie and momentarily forgot God's truth.

Unfortunately, Eve didn't recognize the snake for what it really was. And there's a reason. The Lord had given man dominion over all the creatures of the earth in Genesis 1:26 and so she assumed the snake was another harmless animal that herself and Adam had complete control over. In fact, it was a more sinister creature. One older than she was. One that had been a sly liar and murderer from the beginning. One that could never speak the truth because there was nothing truthful in it. One so twisted that lies were all it spoke, for that was and is its native language (John 8:44).

Eve didn't recognize how satan speaks. The question we must ask ourselves is - do we? If we were in her shoes, would we be able to spot the devil's lies? Or would they sound good to us? Would we whip out our phones to record and share its untruths? Would we parrot them back to others?

Before you dismiss those questions, ask yourself if you've studied the word of God to distinguish it from that of the serpent? As you ponder on this, remember that Eve was used to hearing the Lord and being in His presence. Yet, that wasn't enough to keep her from succumbing to the enemy's lies.

So, how would you do?

For the next few weeks, we'll look at how satan speaks in an effort to learn how to isolate and dismiss its lies. Unlike Eve, you and I have the weapon of God's word in the Bible to help us recognize the snake for what it really is. If, however, you do not regularly spend time with God's voice as freely given to us in the Bible, you may not gain the best out of this series. Nevertheless, by God's grace, it will help you spot the serpent a bit more. The devil speaks even louder in this day and age than it did in the time of Adam and Eve. Alas, the majority of us have little to no experience being in God's presence and being familiar with the cadence of His voice. The result is that lies sound sweeter than the truth and we readily gobble them up.

May the Lord help each of us to hear and listen to the voice of the Shepherd and not that of the stranger, IJMN Amen.

Receiving Reassurance of God's Promise -Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 2, 2023

If you've ever purchased a home, you'll be familiar with the term 'escrow'. An escrow account is used by a potential homebuyer to deposit money. It is an act of good faith to reassure that they've committed to buy the property and will move forward with the process. It is not unusual to seek reassurance in our human relationships and it should not be abnormal to respectfully seek reassurance from the Lord. Particularly when He has promised you something. Such promises can be specific to you or general, as contained in the Bible.

Abraham sought reassurance in Genesis 15. The Lord had promised him the land of Canaan and we are told in Genesis 15:8 - But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” He essentially asked how he was to trust that the Lord's word would come to pass. Now pay attention to what God did next - He entered into an unbreakable covenant with Abraham. He instructed Abraham to bring some animals for a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed and God brought the fire to burn those animals. Through a sacrificial offering, God, therefore, entered into an eternal agreement with Abraham, swearing upon His own name to do what He'd promised. He gave Abraham even more details on how he'd come to possess Canaan (Genesis 15:9-16). These details came to pass and continue to be true today.

Has God told you something but you're not sure it'll come to pass? It could be because you can't see how such is possible or because it's been such a long time since receiving the promise. Listen, God is not a liar, so if He's made a promise, He will bring it to pass. Your job is to believe and continue to walk with Him till that promise is fulfilled. After all, Hebrews 11:1 tells us, Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. We therefore have to tap into our faith to get us through and indeed, it is best to believe blindly. Nevertheless, God knows that we are human and we struggle. This is why Jesus told us to at least believe in His miracles and the works He's done. These works are evidence of God's faithfulness and act as something trustworthy that we can hold onto.

And now, we also know we can ask the Lord to reassure us of His promises as He did for Abraham. God performed a miracle, providing the fire that burnt the sacrificial offering. This was evidence of His power and might. It reassured Abraham that the same God who miraculously provided the fire to complete the agreement would do what He'd promised and more. Similarly, King Hezekiah asked the Lord for a sign that His promised healing would arrive in 2 Kings 20:8. God displayed His might by making a shadow go backwards, just as the king asked. Also, Gideon had God reassure him that he would indeed be the one to free his people as God had promised (Judges 6:36-40).

Before you get on your knees to ask God for His reassurance, please keep the following in mind. First, for each of these examples, the men who sought reassurance were at a relatively early stage in their walk with God. If you've been walking with God for a while and have seen proof of His might in your life and that of others, this approach may not walk for you. God expects believers to walk by faith and not by sight, after all (2 Corinthians 5:7). Second, each of these men asked for reassurance after receiving a promise from the Lord. If you want God to reassure you of a self-motivated request - one driven by you - and not His freely given promise, please don't quote me. Third, the men above all received immediate signs of God's power not the immediate fulfillment of the promise. This is a key for us to ask God to reassure through the display of His might. We must therefore look to see how He does so and once He does, we must not only praise Him for indulging us but thank Him for His blessed assurance.

A key scripture to ask God for reassurance of His promise is Psalm 119:49 - Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. And when you are in the proverbial valley, struggling to see the mountain top, plead with Psalm 85:7 - Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation. That love He has for you, will translate into something happening. There is also 1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. God is faithful to not let the expectations of the righteous be cut short (Proverbs 23:18). You can thus ask Him for reassurance by providing a way to endure the wait until His word is fulfilled in your life.

May the Lord hear and answer your request for reassurance as you wait on His promises to come to pass, IJMN Amen. See you at Noon EST.

On Fools - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) April 28, 2023

What comes to mind when you think of the word 'fool'? Many of us think of fools as silly, harmless people. We may even jokingly call a funny person "a fool", not as an insult, but just as a form of normal conversation.

But did you know God sees fools differently? To Him, a fool is a dangerous and evil person. Here's what the Bible says about such characters in Isaiah 32:6 - For fools speak foolishness and make evil plans. They practice ungodliness and spread false teachings about the LORD. They deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty.

Look at the highlighted text. Does such a person seem harmless? These are the sort of people believers are to stay far away from. Remember what we recently learned about Psalm 1? Those who neither spend time with the wicked nor behave like them will be blessed with prosperity. In addition, Proverbs 22:3 teaches that The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. A foolish person is thus the very danger you must avoid so as not to experience negative consequences.

More important than keeping fools at bay is that believers must not display or harbor Biblically foolish tendencies. Ask yourself, do you speak worthless words? If you're not sure what those are, imagine the things you say online, hidden behind your internet persona. Would your pastor approve? Your grandma? What about God?

Are you someone who makes evil plans to harm or hurt others? Even if that wasn't the original intention. Do you do things God calls ungodly such as adultery, fornication, occult practices, gossip, lying etc? And, do you speak falsely about God thereby spreading false teachings about Him? Can you see the hungry without your heartstrings being tugged? Can you walk by the hungry and thirsty without looking for something to give them? Certainly, there could be times when you're not in a position to be of assistance but when you are always unwilling to help? If any of these are things we currently do, we must decide to change and take steps to keep turning away from what displeases the Lord. In so doing, we will not be among the foolish.

This is just to remind us all that as we wait on the Lord to make the difference in our lives, let us see our waiting period as the time to allow God to change us for the better. Let's wean ourselves from the foolish things we did and grow from spiritual babies to those who consume something other than spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2). It is not easy, but the Lord has promised to help. He will make us aware of the little changes we can make every day. God wants to give us His best. He knows all our struggles and He knows how we can overcome them. We just have to rely on Him as He helps us avoid the ways of the foolish and instead live a more righteous lifestyle.

The benefits far outweigh the negatives. Plus, the Lord wants to build us up to be the vessels He uses here on earth for great things in His name. May we all move closer to Him as we choose to let go of the foolish things we did, and start doing more of what will please Him on our journey to receive the fullness of life He's promised, IJMN, Amen.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you!