“No greater mischief can happen to a Christian people than to have God’s Word taken from them and falsified, so that they no longer have it pure and clear. God grant that we and our descendants be not witnesses of such a calamity. Let us not lose the Bible, but with diligence, in fear and invocation of God, read and preach it.” ~ Martin Luther
Many newly-housed inmates, those who were jailed for the first time are facing a tough situation when those inmates who hold power inside the prison, know that they are preys. They will take advantage of the lack of knowledge of these newly-arrived inmates and demand for their money, service or anything they can obtain from them, for their own gain. Despite the tight security, these old timers are still able to get away with their ugly schemes.
How true it is too with our spiritual condition. We also face a spiritual predator and we can all be potential spiritual preys if we are not knowledgeable. For spiritual deception, we must learn to also fight back in a spiritual way.
“14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every it of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” - 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
Not everyone who spoke positively about Jesus is from God. There are also spirituals con artists. Many talked about a Jesus who is a moral example, instead of being the Savior. Theirs is a works kind of religion. Some uses their authority to take advantage of believers, for their own gain.
Paul talked about his credentials to the Corinthians, not to brag about them, but to remind them that his authority came from the Lord and was to be used to serve them [2 Corinthians 4:5 -“We don’t go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us."] and help them become mature [2 Corinthians 10:8 - “I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But this authority is to build you up, not tear you down. And I will not be put to shame by having my work among you destroyed.”]
Let’s continue to read the Word so we can gain knowledge in this spiritual warfare we’re all in as believers of Christ. Don’t fall prey into the hands of spiritual predators…
Psalm 119:89 - “Forever, O Lord, your word stands firm in heaven.”
2 Peter 1:20-21 - “20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves 21 or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.”
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 - “16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. 17 It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.”
Read Ephesians 6 and be reminded that we have the Armor of God to use against our spiritual enemies.
STUFF
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