Are_Christians_Today_Too_Quick_To_Compromise

Are Christians, Today, Too Quick to Compromise?
"Well, Jesus drank wine!"

 "WHAT IS SIN?? When most people hear the word ‘sin’ they think ‘substance abuse, illicit sex, murder, stealing, and the like.’  The Truth goes much deeper than that! The word 'sin' is used to identify anything that separates us from God." - Keith

No matter how long we have been a Christian, we can always count on spirits of temptation doing anything and everything they can to try to lure us away from God and into the jaws of compromising situations, situations whose “reward” is always death or separation from God. This is, after all, the true definition of death itself! “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14)

Find this, and more, in our book, "Letters From The Front" on the TTM WEBSITE.

  Anyone who is in pursuit of an intimate relationship with God will be presented at times with opportunities to compromise that relationship. Much like Esau sold his entire birthright to his brother Jacob for a piece of bread, a bowl of beans, and something to drink, we have all had times in our lives when we have been enticed away from both God and our own inheritance in Him to pursue idols or little “g” gods. You know who and what they are: relationships with the wrong people; the selfish pursuit of prominence in the eyes of those around us; escapisms like drugs, shopping, pornography, TV, alcohol, etc. No matter how long we have been a Christian, we can always count on spirits of temptation doing anything and everything they can to try to lure us away from God and into the jaws of compromising situations, situations whose “reward” is always death or separation from God. This is, after all, the true definition of death itself! “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14)

     As Christians, it is of the utmost importance that we understand what sin really is. When most people hear the word sin mentioned, their first thought or impression is usually substance abuse, illicit sex, murder, stealing, and the like. It really goes so much deeper than that! Although these offenses are referred to as sins, they are only referred to as such because of their individual or collective abilities to, if committed, drive a wedge between us and God. I like to call “sin” what it really is, anything that separates us from our Heavenly Father! It really is that simple! If we truly cherish God and want to grow in our relationship with Him, we must learn that temptation is satan’s primary weapon in the war to lure us away from God. Did you know that one of the very first things that a new recruit in the Armed Forces is taught is how to recognize both his enemy and their tactics? The reason they do this is so that our troops in the field will have an advantage over their adversaries. This information not only gives our soldiers an edge in defending themselves, but it also gives them a strategic advantage when preparing to launch an offensive. Without this crucial information, our soldiers in harm’s way will most likely be defeated before they even hit the battlefield. It works the same way with those of us who are in God’s army. If we are going to be victorious in defeating satan’s attempts at separating us from God, then we must first equip ourselves with a “heart knowledge” of God’s Word, and then we must familiarize ourselves with what satan has in his divisive arsenal. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

Please don’t take that statement out of context! The truth is, if we spend more time chasing demons around than we spend pursuing and spending time with God, we will eventually find ourselves in a “world of hurt!” On the other hand, if we passionately pursue God, learn His word, and obey His Word, everything else will take care of itself! If we do not, we will be easy prey when tempting spirits come a knockin’! “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Here is how Webster’s Dictionary defines “tempt”, “1) to entice or induce, as to something immoral, 2) to be inviting to; attract, 3) to provoke or risk provoking, 4) to incline strongly.” Tempting spirits work to manipulate each one of us into compromising situations. Just like certain species of snakes travel in pairs, wherever temptation is present, the opportunity to compromise our relationship with God will always be somewhere close by. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14-15)

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12) Simply put, temptation is what satan uses to present us with opportunities for compromise.

Now that we have laid some groundwork, let’s take a look at the main topic in the title of our message, the word “compromise.” Webster’s defines “compromise” as “1) a settlement in which each side makes concessions, 2) something midway, 3) to adjust by compromise, 4) to lay open to suspicion, disrepute, etc.”

The word “disrepute” is defined as “bad reputation; disgrace.” Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary edition defines “compromise” as “To put to hazard.” However, my personal definition of compromise is, “the act of trading or exchanging one’s relationship with God and His promises for a person or anything else that they feel is more valuable to them than He is.”

There are many potentially dangerous distractions in the world today. With lawlessness increasing in the earth at a staggering rate, we are seeing, as a result, compromise becoming a regular way of life for many who claim to be Christians; and frankly, the present condition of the Church confirms it. Things that were unheard of in the Church just two decades ago are now being practiced without remorse.

While Timothy was overseeing the Church in Ephesus, Paul wrote warning him that this would happen. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

When we compromise our relationship with God in any way, what we are doing is turning our backs on Him. We are actually saying that something or someone else is more important to us than He is. Not only does this hurt His heart deeply, but it also says to those who have heard you profess to be a Christian that God must not really be who you or His Word says He is.

“Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” (2 Samuel 12:14) I would like to share with you one such situation that I experienced, and will follow it up with a brief teaching on a related subject that for years has been a major stronghold in the lives of thousands of people in the Church.

One evening I was invited to dinner by the pastor of a local church who had heard a few of my songs at some point, and said that he would like to get to know me. I had met this person on several occasions in passing, and had heard through some friends that he was doing a good work in the community. Based on that information, I accepted his offer. Once we had arrived at the restaurant, we were seated for what I thought was going to be a very nice evening. We were about half way through the meal when he flagged our waiter back to the table. Much to my astonishment, he then leaned back in his chair, acquired a rather sheepish looking grin and proceeded to order a pitcher of beer. Knowing what I had heard about this person, I have to say that I was stunned. I found myself headlong in the presence of yet another professing Christian who was “too quick to compromise!”

I fought to maintain my composure as best I could and continued eating my meal. Within seconds righteous indignation began welling up in me to the point that my self control was being tested. As my Momma would have said, “I felt like I was gonna pop if I didn’t say something.”

I did the best I could to remain cool while all the time listening for the Lord’s approval to confront him. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

It was not until two days later that I felt a release in my spirit to talk with him about it. I then called him and asked if he would join me for lunch.

As soon as the Holy Spirit gave me the nod, I gently asked him this question. “As a Christian, and especially as a self-professed minister of the Gospel, why do feel that it is all right for you to drink alcohol?” As soon as those words left my mouth, I found myself on the receiving end of a bitter attack. Much like praying water on a wasps’ nest I very quickly realized that I had touched an area of compromise in this fellow’s life that he was not really interested in turning loose of any time soon.

Almost without stopping to breathe, he began hurling scriptures at me attempting to justify his actions. I sat there quietly and let him state his case.

When he had finished, with all of the love I could muster, I simply asked if he would be open to hearing my point of view concerning Christians and alcohol use. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)

Taking the defensive posture of crossing his arms, tightening his brow, and setting his jaw, he slid back in his seat obviously hunkering down for what he thought was going to be a major offensive. I then referenced several scriptures and asked him to share with me how he felt they could in any way be used to justify his or any other Christian’s consumption of alcohol.

After a brief period of time, it became increasingly clear that he could not Biblically justify his or any other Christian’s drinking of alcoholic beverages. Apparently frustrated, he then pulled out what I believe he thought would settle the matter — he said, “well Jesus drank wine.”

I knew at that very moment that I had been divinely presented with a wonderful opportunity to help him understand what has become a major point of deception, confusion and compromise for thousands of people who claim to be born-again Christians. What I shared with him is what I would like to share with you.

During the time when Jesus physically walked the earth, they had no way of purifying their drinking water. Because of this, they relied heavily on fruit juice as their primary means of safe and nourishing hydration. They also had no way of refrigerating or preserving juices that had been derived from their fruit harvest.

When they would extract the fresh juice from the fruit, they would store it in small leather sacks called wine skins. This “fresh” juice was referred to as “wine.” This is where many people in the Church today have been and are being terribly deceived.

In Christ’s day, the best wine was always the freshest fruit juice. For example, the first miracle that Jesus performed was actually turning water into wine or fresh fruit juice. Here is how John recorded the event:

“And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. (This statement is a whole other story.) His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. (A firkin was about nine gallons.) Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. (All told there was about 162 gallons.) And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. (They poured him a drink and gave it to him.) When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and  knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:1-10)

In other words, the governor of the feast was totally amazed at the fact that the juice was so fresh! It was as if it had just been picked and squeezed all within that same hour – when in a matter of speaking – it HAD been!

The society back then was for the most part very moral and would never even think of bringing strong drink or “the old stuff ” to such a sacred event. That would have been a devastating insult to all in attendance! Believe it or not, anyone who drank “old wine” or fermented drink was viewed by society much like we view someone who eats out of a dumpster.

On the other hand, today, in our present culture, things have become so turned around that wine is the name given to fruit juice that has gone bad through the process of fermentation. It is this fermentation process that produces the alcohol in it. It is of the utmost importance that we realize that there were varying stages of fermentation. In other words, each week that the wine sat in the bottles it would ferment more and more.

Due to the lack of refrigeration, the fermentation process literally began taking place during the first week that the juice was stored in the wine skins. The time that it took to ferment was in great part determined by the temperature at which it was stored.

Because the fruit harvest was done in the warmer part of the season, the wine skins would have naturally been stored in warm conditions. The longer the juice sat in warm climates, the stronger, or more fermented, it became. That is why the word wine was a blanket term used to describe the juice at each of its various stages of fermentation. For instance, wine that was three weeks old, would have developed a little bite to it; wine that was seven weeks old would have a bigger bite; and so on. Once it had come to full age, however, it was not to be consumed. When it reached that point, it was no longer referred to as wine, but was referred to as strong or fermented drink, and was to be thrown out! “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last (meaning when it has fermented) it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” (Proverbs 23:31-32) That scripture was a warning to stay away from the juice once it had sat around too long and had fermented or “gone bad.”

Unless you are on your deathbed, the Bible does not, never has, and never will condone the consumption of strong or fermented drink for the purpose of becoming, even in the slightest bit, mentally impaired! As a matter of fact, the only place in the scriptures where the consumption of strong or fermented drink was justifiably permitted at all was in Proverbs 31:6 where King Lemuel had recited a prophecy that his mother taught him. He said, “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.” The heavy hearted were never permitted to drink strong or fermented drink; only the dying were! And that was simply for the purpose of relieving them of any pain they might suffer in the final days before they expired. Strong or fermented drink was NEVER intended to be used for any other reason!

Can you see how satan has been able to take advantage of the Church’s lack of knowledge concerning the consumption of alcoholic beverages. By keeping this a “gray” issue as he has, he has been able to corral untold millions of church-goers into a lukewarm life of compromise, hence destroying any ability they might have to conduct a pure and close personal relationship with God. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6)

It is time to wake up and realize that this is simply another ploy of our enemy to separate God’s people from God and all of the wonderful things that He has for them. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1)

 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” (Ephesians 5:15-21)

Compromise in any form will always serve to ultimately cost us in our relationship with God! Whether it is alcohol, the abuse of street or prescription drugs, food, television, or anything else, satan is constantly working to get his foot in the door of our lives to ultimately impair our ability to hear the voice of our loving Heavenly Father. We must come to the place in our hearts where we know without a shadow of a doubt that, “there is nobody or nothing worth our relationship with Jesus!”

For more on this message, and many others, get your copy of our book "Letters From TheFront" and also see "TTM Teaching Index" on our website at TowardTheMark.com.   

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Let 9 TRUTHS make YOU an "OVERCOMER"!

Are you tired of being "overcome" by satan and his lies?

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4)

Keith, with such lawlessness coming at us from all levels of government, the oppression in the land, the depression people are feeling that is leading to financial brokenness and broken families all over the world, the wars, and rumors of wars (as the scriptures have told us), how do we, as believers, not only protect ourselves from all of it, but stand steadfast against the enemy and his wicked spirits that come against us?

Find this, and more, in Keith's book OVERCOMING INTIMIDATION.

Truth #1  We must always keep in mind that we are at war, and wicked spirits never, I repeat, never show up to play.

Wicked spirits show up to try to steal, kill, and destroy the great things that God has for each of us. On this very crucial point, the Apostle Paul wrote the following warning,

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”  (2 Corinthians 2:11)

In this verse, the Greek word rendered “devices” is usually translated “mind.” The important thing here is to not be ignorant of the way our enemy thinks. Concerning this, Jesus said: “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10)

Therefore, our enemy is constantly thinking of ways to accomplish those goals. Jesus also said this regarding those who follow the father of lies, that is, the Devil. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

Truth #2  Wicked spirits will work on a person until that person either believes their lies, or fights back in the Spirit using the Whole Armor of God.

Combining the two passages above, we see that Satan and his demons steal, kill, and destroy using lies. In order to achieve their goals, they attempt to persuade a person or persons to take up their cause by manipulating them with lies. Since the Truth makes us free, believing lies makes us prisoners of war.  This fight against all that is false is why the Armor is made up of Truth, Righteousness, Faith, and so on.

When we are empowered by the Holy Spirit of Truth and are clothed in God’s Armor, we can quench the fiery darts of falsehoods. Conversely, if we believe the enemy’s lies, then we have set ourselves up as a means by which the enemy may bring harm to ourselves and even to those around us. That is why it is imperative that we diligently and earnestly pursue the Truth, so that our hearts and minds will be protected from all deceptions and the destruction they bring.

For in this pursuit is to be found the Liberty of Christ, and from this knowledge comes the victory of the overcomer. The Apostle John teaches us this concerning overcoming:

“For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5)

From this passage we learn that faith is essential for overcoming the world, including the wicked spirits. This should come as no surprise,

“For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

Moreover, it is THE FAITH that is needed! We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Truth #3  We must be born again by the Spirit of the Living God. There is no other way to overcome the world and the wicked spirits.

There is, of course, much more to the subject of overcoming. In addition to being saved, the Apostle John reveals to us this three-part means by which we overcome wicked spirits,

“And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11)

The three essentials are the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and not loving our lives unto the death. Not surprisingly, each of these require the proper use of the Whole Armor of God. However, before proceeding with those discussions, let us first consider the more general topic of overcoming Satan, because this lays the foundation for the other three.

Read one of Keith's life-changing encounters in Overcoming the Devil.

"When this truth became alive in me, it changed my life. I was working as an outside sales representative for a Maryland-based graphics company. I was scheduled to do a presentation before a group of wealthy corporate executives; and frankly, I was terrified!

Satan knew full well that landing this account would mean a nice increase in my monthly income, and I could tell that he was not going to let me walk out of there without a fight. As I was on my way to the conference room, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, 'before you enter the room, pause for just a moment and bind, in Christ’s name, all spirits of intimidation.' All I could say was wow! When I entered the room after binding the spirits, even though I did not know a soul there, I felt as if I were among friends. I did my presentation without a hitch and left the meeting with a new and rather lucrative account."

Notice how this exemplifies the Great Partnership? God and I walked to that room together, and as we did, He instructed me what to do. I obeyed and He brought the victory. The Apostle James described this in his General Epistle: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Regarding overcoming the Devil, the Apostle Paul included the following in the passage on the Whole Armor of God,

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Here, the Apostle uses the Greek word that refers to the type of fighting we call “wrestling,” which is a form of hand-to-hand combat. In the same passage Paul prefaced those words with these,

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11)

Notice that this form of fighting also includes “stand against.”

Truth #4  In order to overcome the Devil, we must stand against him and wrestle against him and all the wicked spirits in the heavenlies.

This war is real. And the stakes could not be greater. The words “wrestle” and “stand against” imply that the battle is not far off, but rather that the enemy is an invader, bringing the struggle into our very midst. We must not turn back in the face of ridicule, the taunts of those who are the enemy’s witting allies or who are themselves prisoners of war.

Part of his strategy is to mask this reality behind caricatures of demons, legends of vampires and werewolves, stories of haunted houses, etc., to frighten people or to belittle those who are engaged in true spiritual warfare.

We must always be mindful of the fact that we can never win this fight in our own strength.  The Apostle James wrote similar words concerning spiritual warfare,

“Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

This, then, is the proper order: first we submit to God, then we resist the Devil. So what does this Scripture mean by submit? Strong’s provides this explanatory note for the Greek word rendered “submit”:  “A Greek military term meaning 'to arrange troop divisions in a military fashion under the command of a leader'. In nonmilitary usage, it was 'a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden'.” In the context of spiritual warfare, submitting to God means to assume your proper place within the ranks. This also means you are fully prepared to execute your assigned duties faithfully and without hindrance or distraction.

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

Truth #5  Being entangled in the affairs of this life will prevent us from experiencing the success of the overcomer.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus stated plainly that the cares of this life choke out the Word of God and prevent it from bearing fruit in a person’s heart (see Matthew 13:1-23 and Luke 8:5-15). The crucial question before us then is this, "What must we do to extricate ourselves from the affairs of this life?" This should not be taken as a call to a monastic way of life, nor should it be understood as a condemnation of mundane or earthly activities. Nevertheless, it is one thing to engage in earthly activities, such as, work, sports, or hobbies, and it is quite another to be entangled with such pursuits. Indeed, there are very few people alive who are not entangled in earthly matters.

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14)

To begin with, submitting to God must become our lifestyle. Otherwise, we will easily fall back into our old ways. Instead of becoming overcomers, we will be undone and overcome ourselves. To avoid this trap, we must submit to the Lord so that His will would be done on the Earth in answer to the Lord’s Prayer. His will includes having our souls transformed into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This involves the working of the Great Partnership. As God’s partners, one of our most urgent responsibilities is to examine our hearts, and to repent of any sin that we have allowed into our lives.

Truth #6  We are the ones who must have our eyes opened concerning the reality of our souls.

Examining our hearts includes comparing our thoughts and actions to the Scriptures, listening as The Person of The Holy Spirit gently corrects us, and accepting the correction of the Lord. For God will not reject us nor condemn us. He already knows everything about us. We then must humbly acknowledge the errors of our ways before Him and accept His mercy through the cleansing of our souls.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

We cannot experience lasting victory apart from the transformation of our souls, and this means we must be cleansed from all unrighteousness. So if we want to experience the power of God operating in and through our lives, if we want to be true overcomers, then we must pursue purity!

Truth #7  We must first draw close to God, and then He will draw close to us! Once we have done this, out of a pure and passionate love for God, it becomes tremendously difficult for Satan to convince you that you are not all that God says you are, and that you cannot do all that God says you can do in Christ’s name.

The pursuit of purity includes meditating on God’s Word day and night. This means continually being in a state of prayer.  As the Scripture says,

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

In using the Whole Armor of God, prayer involves pressing INto God’s presence. When we are one with Him, we can see ourselves through His eyes, the way that He sees us! When we do this, it is totally amazing what we see! (For more on this, see our book Keep the Faith - Keep Your Vision.) As James also wrote,

“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” (James 4:8)

I must add that most Christians to whom I have ministered, who struggle with intimidation, do so because they do not know who they are in Christ Jesus. Why do they not know? Simply because they do not spend their time with Jesus and His Word. They are not abiding in Christ, and His Word is not abiding in them. That is why so many in the church today are living lukewarm and defeated lives.

For this same reason Satan does not want us anywhere near God and His Word! One of the popular questions I've been asked is, "Can the devil follow us into the presence of God?"  Satan knows full well that once we are abiding in Jesus, with His Word abiding in us, that we will be infused with the power and the strength to fight through anything that the wicked spirits can throw at us. Consequently, we must be prepared to encounter stiff resistance as we press INto God’s presence and endeavor to study the Scriptures!

For instance, we can expect intimidating or distracting thoughts as we start to study or pray. There will be thoughts such as, “I must call so-'n-so,” or, “I have to run to the store,’” etc. Perhaps the most obvious form of deterrence is extreme sleepiness as we attempt to study the Scriptures and spend time with Jesus. Remember, the cares of this life are like thorns that choke out God’s Word, keeping it from bearing fruit in our lives. The cares and entanglements of this life are also the means of subduing and imprisoning those who do not press through distractions and who do not persevere in pursuing the Truth.

Truth #8  The victory comes through submitting to God, and those who have done so stand in their rightful place within the ranks of the forces of Heaven ready to resist the devil.

So what does the Scripture mean by “resist the devil”? Webster's defines resist as “to withstand, fend off; to oppose actively, fight against.” The Greek word for “resist” is anthistemi, meaning “to stand against, to oppose, resist, withstand, to resist by actively opposing pressure or power.” The word anthistemi is made up of two words. The first part is ant, a form of anti which means “opposite, instead of; often used to denote contrast.” The second part of the word is histemi, meaning “to stand, used in various applications literally or figuratively.” It is translated as “abide,” “appoint,” “bring,” “continue,” “covenant,” “establish,” “hold up,” “lay,” “present,” “set (up),” and “stand (by, forth, still, up).” To “stand” means the opposite of sitting, reclining, or moving. To “resist” would mean that we are not only not to stand with anything that Satan and his hoards are remotely a part of, but that we are to aggressively fight against them using the spiritual weapons of God.

In sum, resisting the Devil according to James, and wrestling against the Devil according to Paul, both describe spiritual warfare. It should be obvious that this warfare requires spiritual armor, because the opponents are wicked spirits. Furthermore, according to both Apostles, the battle is set within the context of the Great Partnership.

The “Great Partnership” of which Jesus spoke certainly include being made conformable unto His death that His life would be revealed through loving and serving others. For “whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.” Jesus, even though He is Lord of lords and King of kings, did not come for others to minister to Him. He came to minister to others. He came to be the servant of all. Greatness, then, in the eyes of God means expressing His love through selfless service to others. We can only do this by being conformed to the image of His dear Son, and as we are so transformed, the service of true love characterizes our being.

Truth #9  Then we live by the faith of the Son of God, we are able to stand in the Victory that the Lord Jesus Christ has won for us. Love is the essence of that Victory. And we know that Love never fails, because God is love!

So, when you love someone, you are not intimidated by them. When you have died to your old nature, you are not afraid of death.  Examine your heart and your relationship with God, repent of anything that has separated you from Him (namely, the old flesh nature), trust in Him, rest in Him, and wait on Him, and BE an OVERCOMER!  Selah.

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What the devil DOESN'T want you to know... ABOUT YOU!!

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February 2014

Dear Friend of Toward The Mark,

It's a war of "WORDS...  During the Second World War, as our troops were fighting to gain control of the islands in the Pacific theater, the Japanese unleashed a rather unconventional and very deadly weapon. They used a number of English-speaking Japanese women, collectively dubbed by the Americans "Tokyo Rose", to broadcast messages intended to undermine the American war effort. As the American troops were listening to their radios, "Tokyo Rose" would break in and read from a script that the Japanese military composed for the purpose of inflicting devastating psychological damage. She would say things like: "Boys, while you are suffering for a lost cause in these hot jungles, your wives and girlfriends are back home in the arms of other men" or, "Your government doesn't care about you, so they have sent you here to die in this fight that they know you can't win." Like my own grandfather, anyone who was there can tell you that those poisonous messages inflicted torment that resulted in physical casualties. The Japanese understood that the opposite of what we've all heard in this childhood proverb is true, "Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

I had NO idea!  Listen to this statistic that I learned from a Pastor friend of mine some time ago. He said that he read a study where, on average, it takes 17 words of affirmation to negate the emotional damage of just one negative word in the life of a person. In some cases, he said, it takes more than that, and some people never even recover at all.  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue:" (Proverbs 18:21a)

Desperate darts...  Have you ever struggled with thinking that you are the one rare case - that one mistake - that slipped past God? Or have you ever thought that there is no good thing in you? I can tell you that I certainly have. When I realized, however, just how insanely jealous the devil is of God and His loving family, a light went on in my spirit. Those thoughts, those lies, are what the Bible refers to as "the fiery darts of the enemy." They serve as the devil's desperate attempt to keep us from discovering who we really are.

Two realities infuriate the devil!  If you have studied the Scriptures, you know these two undisputed facts: "God has never made a mistake;" and "Anyone who believes in Christ Jesus, is an heir to all of The Father's promise, the very thing the devil knows he'll never be." Knowing that attacking God directly is not an option, he turns his rage toward God's children, following an old mafia practice, straight from the devil himself, that says, "If you want to hurt someone worse than killing them, torture their children." We, as God's children, are a devastating threat to the devil, but only when we realize it. To keep us from realizing the truth of our identity, the devil employs tempting spirits to try and lure us into making poor life choices, ultimately, to bind us in chains of sin. To avoid this trap, and the sin that separates us from God, we must follow these words by James, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

Know your enemy!  Subtle, but deadly, word seed, like those spoken through the radio by "Tokyo Rose", can yield a death crop, as Paul makes clear where the battles of this life are actually fought, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers ... the rulers of the darkness of this world ... spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Being equipped with this Truth, and the knowledge of God's Word, you will be able to immediately recognize any condemning thoughts for what they are, and for what they have come to do. They are the enemy's attack to try and strip you from knowing who, and Whose, you truly are. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) It is crucial that we take every thought captive in the Name of Jesus Christ, rebuke the crippling lies of the enemy, and stay focused on the Truth that God is ALL things GOOD, MIGHTY, and LOVELY. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, ... and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

What the enemy says about you, the opposite is true!  We must fix the truth in our heart that the devil is not just a habitual liar; he is the father of lies! His words of condemnation ring in our head, trying to convince us that we are worthless, weak, unloved, etc. By the Lord Jesus Christ affirming to us who the devil is and from where his spewing lies come, we know that, "... he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44) So, when thoughts come, like, "you are worthless," the opposite is the truth! If you hear, "you are weak," the opposite is the truth! Hearing, "you are unloved, and rejected," the opposite is the truth! And when you hear, "you are illegitimate, an outcast, a person of no importance," the opposite is the truth!

Last ditch effort...  Since the devil and his minions lost the war at the cross, the only hope they have for keeping you from your identity and inheritance, is through deception using his one and only weapon: "words!" This is basically the same hopeless predicament the Japanese found themselves in during World War II. The enemy's ploy, trying to distract and deceive you with offensive "words," ultimately ENDS once you realize that you are God's Child, that your home is IN Christ, and that your Life is secure in the loving arms of your Father. Paul says, "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you." (Romans 8:11) 

What the devil DOESN'T want you to KNOW...  God, your Father, loves you so passionately that He sent His Only Son to provide the way Home for you. The moment you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart, your name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You were grafted into God's Family. You are a joint heir with Jesus Christ to all that is God's! You are a child of The King of all kings! The blood that flows in the veins of Jesus Christ, now flows through yours! The next time the devil comes to rob you of knowing who, and Whose, you are, pull out this letter, and read these TRUTHS:

--> "Because of Christ Who is in me, I am strong;"

--> "Because of Christ Who is in me, I am accepted;" 

--> "Because of Christ Who is in me, I am compassed about with the cheers of a great crowd of witnesses who know that I am greatly cherished;"

--> "Because of Christ Who is in me, I have been equipped for greatness, being made in His likeness and image!"

         Amen!! Amen!!

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