In my youth, I spent a great deal of time around horses. One of the first lessons I learned is that they are incredibly strong.
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In German legend, he is Mephistopheles. The Quran calls him Iblis. Shakespear’s “King Lear” designated him the Prince of Darkness. The Pharisees referred to him as Beelzebub. Christians know him as the Adversary (Satan) and the Accuser (Devil), the enemy of all mankind. Not many like to discuss this being. Some even contend that he doesn’t exist. In this article, I would like to study about the one John calls the Dragon, Rev. 20:2, and his dealings with mankind.
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It’s a crazy world in which we live. I will tell you a secret though; it always has been. Solomon wrote, “The thing that has been is what will be, and that which is done is that which will be done; and there is no new thing sunder the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9)
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Let’s be serious here. An honest Christian is not comfortable talking about sex. Embarrassment is the common reaction to even the mention of the word. There are, of course, plenty of subjects that are uncomfortable subjects, but this one is a doozy.
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Let’s be serious here. An honest Christian is not comfortable talking about sex. Embarrassment is the common reaction to even the mention of the word. There are, of course, plenty of subjects that are uncomfortable subjects, but this one is a doozy.
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Most, if not all, watch television. A 2015 study shows that the average American household contains 2.3 televisions. (I wonder how big a .3 tv is, too.) We spend a great deal of our leisure time watching movies, shows, YouTube videos, the list is endless. (I don’t know about other moms, but I put on shows such as Andy Griffith while I’m cleaning house. It has to be something I’ve already seen, or I will get distracted and stand with my cleaning gloves on and a washcloth in my hand while staring at the screen.) It’s a form of entertainment just about every American knows and in which we participate, and it can be addictive. “Binge watching” is a thing.
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If one were to look at the statistics, it is a truth that women are more prone to worry and anxiety than men. Psychological studies show that this can be attributed to several factors; each gender’s social differences, hormones, size and strength, even sense of morality. It is agreed throughout the medical community that women, due to their worry, are better at staying alive than men - however, we are also more commonly diagnosed with anxiety disorders than men. The Holy Spirit commanded through the apostle Paul that we “be anxious in nothing”, Phil. 4:6. If we as women are both physically and psychologically disposed to worry, how can we keep this command? Let’s find out what God’s word has to say about the matter. If anyone can answer this question, it is our Creator.
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I stood on my front porch one evening during a thunderstorm and watched bolts of lightning, one after the other, strike at random. Just as I decided to go back inside, a bolt struck so close to my house that it nearly knocked me back, blinding me with light. I immediately thought to myself, “It’s a miracle that didn’t hit something!!!” I didn’t think anything of it until I saw a video on Facebook of a bolt of lightning striking a tree and causing it to explode. The tree stood by itself in an open field. I thought, “It’s a miracle that bolt of lightning hit the only tree in that field!” That’s when I decided to put Google to the test and see if I could learn something about lightning. As it turned out, everything I saw was absolutely natural and explainable by natural laws. That led to my investigation into miracles.
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A great number of people seek this joy. Unfortunately, only few find it…
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There are so many methods that we use to communicate. Did you know that only 7% of human conversation uses words? 37% is in our tone of voice, but 55% of our communication is in our body language. That’s more than half ! How we sit or stand, how we use our hands or the expressions upon our faces - these all communicate to others, right down to even the clothes we wear. What many do not know is that there are outward behaviors that indicate inward ideals - and they show, whether we want them to or not.
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As I write this, I am thinking how unqualified I am to be discussing something I struggle with myself. Don’t get me wrong, the desire to pray is not the trouble. God’s command to pray is for our benefit, not His, Phil. 4:6-7. The struggle is remembering to talk to God without making it nothing but a check in a box. Communication - real, deep communication - is one of my shortcomings. There is only so much of myself that I let be seen. I have my reasons, but I tend to be reserved in any relationship. Rare is the person that can get me to feel comfortable enough to fully open up. I’ve built that habit in my communication with God as well. When I remember (but not as frequently as I should) that my shortcomings shouldn’t keep me from talking to God, I pray. He knows me better than anybody already. There is nothing that is hidden from Him - not even our insecurities - and He still loves us all. That knowledge makes me speak from my heart to the only One that can see the picture in my head before I utter a single word.
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What God leaves unsaid speaks volumes.
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The Power of Words (Lk. 22:24-34)
1. Before and After
-Talking Before Thinking
-Words of Wisdom
2. Wrong and Right
- 3 wrong: idle, irate, ignorant
- 3 right: Wise Words, Softly Spoken, For Edification
3. Break or Build
-The Power of Words
-Wreckingball Words
-Structural Speaking
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God spoke to Moses face to face, “as a man speaks to his friend”, Ex. 33:1. Abraham was called the “friend of God”, James 2:23. Jesus called His apostles “friends”, Jn. 15:15. That begs the question…how does one become friends with God?
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In psychology, it is known as the Chameleon Effect; the human tendency to mimic those around us spontaneously. I wanted to be part of the group, the “cool” kids’ circle. To be regarded as worth knowing like they were was, to me, worth sacrificing the pieces of myself that were keeping me out of that social circle. Margaret Mitchell once wrote, “It’s hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is retrieved, it’s usually irreparably damaged. And I fear that when you can afford to fish up the honor and virtue and kindness you’ve thrown overboard, you’ll find they have suffered a sea change and not, I fear, into something rich and strange. ” There are some pieces of ourselves that should be discarded, but I have found that when trying to fit in, I am usually discarding the pieces I need to hang on to in order to be successfully good in the future and hanging on to the pieces that keep me from that future. I turned into this person that fits in, but at what price?
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I can never get enough Bible study. I am always dissatisfied with not knowing as much as I would like, not being able to recall information any time the questions are asked or the subject is discussed, or just being ignorant because I haven’t learned the information yet. I understand that I don’t have as much time and experience under my belt yet as do my elder brothers and sisters in Christ, but my aim is to be as wise in scripture as those who have gone on before me when I myself am elder, if the Good Lord wills me a long life.
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But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God”. Not many have had the experience of plowing a field today unless they grew up on a farm. Have you ever passed a field and wondered how they made the lines so straight? A point must be found ahead of you, and you must focus on that point all the way from the start of the row to the end of the row. If you turn even slightly to one side your line is going to get off. Christ is telling us we must focus on Him; we can’t let the world divert our focus.
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As a teenager, I was pressured severely concerning the senior Prom. I had friends, peers, and a boyfriend who was going. My friends assumed my decision to not go was based on domineering parents who disallowed it. They offered to help me sneak out of the house and get me ready at a friend’s house. My peers assumed I just couldn’t dance. My boyfriend continually reminded me that he would be the only guy there that didn’t bring his girlfriend. How would that look? My parents were in part responsible for my decision, but not because they were cruel and demanded that I commit social suicide. Their part resided solely on the Christian education they had given me up to that point. That begs the question: how would a Christian education affect my decision concerning the Prom?
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I got up this morning and went through my usual routine: wake up the child, get dressed and ready, ask why the child isn’t dressed and ready yet, drink my gallon of coffee, take the small one to school, return home, get to work. As my day went - washing the dishes and the laundry, walking the dog, taking the items I had cleaned out of the closet to the appropriate places, cooking and eating lunch, cleaning the living room, mowing the lawn, making sure I’m drinking enough water,…
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In order to come to an understanding of what constitutes an unhealthy home, we must first define a healthy one. God describes the tools needed to establish a healthy home in Ephesians chapters 5-6; how husband and wife should behave toward one another, how children should behave toward parents, and how parents should behave toward children. In Jeremiah chapter 35, Jeremiah tells us of a family known as the Rechabites. God contrasts the disobedience of Judah to the obedience of the sons of Jonadab. Jonadab had taught his sons how to respect authority and be obedient, whether it be toward him or God. God commends Jonadab and his sons, concluding that his household will always have a man that will stand before God. Positive peer pressure. Abraham was given the same commendation (Gen. 18:19). We see in this a healthy home.
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