Knowing good from evil
by
Ministry of Hope
September 2010
Inspired through the book;
“When the enemy strikes”
by Dr. Charles Stanley
Using Gill’s
and MHCC commentaries
Battle four, the trying of our faith
Practical guidelines, by which we can
defeat Satan.
In the 24 years of Christianity in
my life I have observed a variety of methods dealing with spiritual discomfort in
the life of people. Not all of these methods are based on biblical principles
and some of them are right out wrong, causing people to be bound instead of
being freed from their burdens. In modern popular Christianity we serve a God
that has become one of us, a God who is good and does no wrong; all that is
taken out of the context of the bible and has been looked at from a human point
of view. In reality we have created a God that handles according to human
principles. Such a God is not the god of the Bible, but a humanist, which does
not lead to freedom, but to bondage and deceit. In this study I want to
distinguish the attacks of the enemy from the testing’s God will allow to
happen in our life, for good and not for evil.
If we fail to recognize the difference we will take
the wrong action and that may lead us to desperation and frustration.
Sorting out good and evil 2
In the previous study we have seen
that Satan is real and that He is a real Enemy, when we become Christians we
receive by faith as a gift from God the forgiveness of sins. It is then that
the Enemy wants to test your faith at once after you received the Word. He will
come and test the validity of your conversion, Jesus spoke in;
Matth. 13:19-23, 18 Hear you therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the
kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that
which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into
stony places, the same is he that hears the word, and immediately with joy
receives it; 21 Yet has he not
root in himself, but endures for a while: for when tribulation or persecution
rises because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22
He also that received seed among the thorns is he
that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23
But he that received seed into the good ground is he
that hears the word, and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings
forth, some an hundred times, some sixty, some thirty.
MHCC
Before explaning the parable Jesus entered into a boat that he might be the less
pressed, and be the better heard by the people. By this he teaches us in the
outward circumstances of worship not to covet that which is stately, but to
make the best of the conveniences God in his providence allots to us.
Christ
taught in parables. Thereby the things of God were made more plain and easy to
those willing to be taught, and at the same time more difficult and obscure to
those who were willingly ignorant. The parable of the sewer is plain. The seed
sown is the word of God. The sewer is our Lord Jesus Christ, by himself, or by
his ministers.
Preaching to
a multitude is sowing the corn; we know not where it will light. Some sort of
ground, though we take ever so much pains with it, brings forth no fruit to
purpose, while the good soil brings forth plentifully. So it is with the hearts
of men, whose different characters are here described by four sorts of ground.
Careless, trifling hearers, are an easy prey to Satan; who, as
he is the great murderer of souls, so he is the great thief of sermons, and
will be sure to rob us of the word, if we take not care to keep it.
Hypocrites, like the stony ground, often get the start of true
Christians in the shows of profession. Many are glad to hear a good sermon, who
do not profit by it. They are told of free salvation, of the believer's
privileges, and the happiness of heaven; and, without any change of heart,
without any abiding conviction of their own depravity, their need of a Savior,
or the excellence of holiness, they soon profess an unwarranted assurance. But
when some heavy trial threatens them, or some sinful advantage may be had, they
give up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system.
Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in with
sin, and are a fruit of the curse; they are good in their place to stop a gap,
but a man must be well armed that has much to do with them; they are
entangling, vexing, scratching, and their end is to be burned, Hebr 6:8. Worldly
cares are great hindrances to our profiting by the word of God.
The deceitfulness of riches does the mischief; they cannot be said to deceive us
unless we put our trust in them, then they choke the good seed. What
distinguished the good ground was fruitfulness. By this true Christians are
distinguished from hypocrites. Christ does not say that this good ground has no
stones in it, or no thorns; but none that could hinder its fruitfulness. All
are not alike; we should aim at the highest, to bring forth most fruit. The
sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing God's word; and let
us look to ourselves that we may know what sort of hearers we are.
Right from the beginning we are
engaged in warfare and when you stripp all the surroundings from the battle, we
can clearly see that the real battle is to destroy our faith, our whitness, and
our reputation and testimony. Paul wrote to Timothy in
1Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession
before many witnesses.
Gill
Fight the good fight of faith,.... The apostle suggests to Timothy, that he had other
business to do than to mind the things of this world; his life was a state of
warfare; he was a soldier, and was not to entangle himself with the things of
this life; he had many enemies to engage with, as Satan, and his principalities
and powers; sin, and the lusts of the flesh; the world, and the men of it, and
a great fight of afflictions to endure with them; as also false teachers, with,
whom particularly he was to fight the good fight of faith, that so the truth of
the Gospel, which they resisted, might continue with the saints.
Every believer will in some way be
tempted to choose a differnt pathway to solve his or her problems, it is then
that we are tested.
Battle One; Being
Temped
We
have seen, that right from the beginning the enemy is there to steel the seeds
(the gospel) if he has a chance, and we will be tempted to disregard the good
news in unbelief. Whatever temptation may come to a child of God, it is never
authorized by our heavenly Father.
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man:
James 1:14 But every man
is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:15 Then when lust
has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth
death.
James 1:16 Do not err, my
beloved brothers.
Jesus,
after He was filled with the Holy Ghost was driven into the desert to be
tempted, many read this as being God doing the tempting, but it was Satan doing
the temptation not God.
In
the remainder of our life as a Christian this will be the case, in either case
we do not receive that which God wanted to bless us with. Even though God has
the power to keep us from being tempted, often He allows temptation, but with
the temptation, that can be over powering in real times of trouble, He will
provide a way of escape from the temptation, so we will not sink under the
pressure and sin against God. For we have Jesus who overcame temptation in
every way in, so He is able to help those in time of need.
1Kor 10:13 There has no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Hebr 4:15 For we have
not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebr 2:18 For in that he
himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
MHCC
The
remembrance of his own sorrows and temptations, makes Christ mindful of the
trials of his people, and ready to help them. He is ready and willing to succor
those who are tempted, and seek him. He became man, and was tempted, that he
might be every way qualified to succor his people, seeing that he had passed
through the same temptations himself, but continued perfectly free from sin.
Then let not the afflicted and tempted despond, or give place to Satan, as if
temptations made it wrong for them to come to the Lord in prayer. Not one
soul ever perished
under temptation, that cried unto the Lord from real alarm at its danger, with faith
and expectation of relief. This is our duty upon our first being surprised by
temptations, and would stop their progress, which is our wisdom.
Everyone that wants to live
righteously before God, will be persecuted, sometimes they are the ones in our
own family and household, often those closest to us, are used by the enemy to
thwart us into compromise in our walk with God.
Joh 15:20 Remember the
word that I said to you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have
persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they
will keep yours also.
By patience
and fortitude in suffering, by dependence on the promises of God, and keeping
to the word the Holy Spirit hath revealed, the Holy Spirit is glorified; but by
the contempt and reproaches cast upon believers, he is evil spoken of, and is
blasphemed.
One would
think such cautions as these were needless to Christians. But their enemies falsely
charged them with foul crimes. And even the best of men need to be warned
against the worst of sins.
There is no
comfort in sufferings, when we bring them upon ourselves by our own sin and
folly. A time of universal calamity was at hand, as foretold by our Savior, Matt 24:9; Matt 24:10.
And if these things happen in this life, with Christians, how awful will the day of judgment be!
It is true
that the righteous are scarcely saved; even those who endeavor to walk
uprightly in the ways of God. This does not mean that the purpose and
performance of God are uncertain, but only the great difficulties and hard
encounters in the way; that they go through so many temptations and
tribulations, so many fighting without and fears within.
Yet all
outward difficulties would be as nothing, were it not for lusts and corruptions
within. These are the worst clogs and troubles. And if the way of the righteous
be so hard, then how hard shall be the end of the ungodly sinner, who walks in
sin with delight, and thinks the righteous is a fool for all his pains!
The only way to keep the soul well, is,
to commit it to God by prayer, and patient perseverance in well-doing. He will
overrule all to the final advantage of the believer.
1Peter 4:12 -19, 12Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happened to you:
1Peter 4:13 But rejoice,
inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall
be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Peter 4:14 If you be
reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and
of God rests on you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is
glorified.
1Peter 4:15 But let none
of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody
in other men's matters.
1Peter 4:16 Yet if any man
suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this
behalf.
1Peter 4:17 For the time
is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at
us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Peter 4:18 And if the
righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Peter 4:19 Why let them
that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to
him in well doing, as to a faithful Creator.
But here again we can
experience the faithfulness of God who allows these sufferings to come to his
children, but the apostle Paul which also suffered severe persecution wrote;
Rom 8:35 Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is
written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as
sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Persecution is
allowed by God, but it is done by the world and the enemies of the truth and
the gospel, through people and powers and principalities. But in all these
things we are more than conquerors through Christ.
Battle Three; Being Chastised.
This is something difficult to understand and most people
avoid the subject, but it very important, it was also in the Old Testament that
had a hard time maturing his children, who rejected being reproved and corrected
and in doing so got away from God, through resentment and rejection.
Openb 3:19 As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Gill
As many as I love I rebuke and chasten,.... The persons, the objects of Christ's love here
intended are not angels, but the sons of men; and these not all of them, yet
many of them, even all who are his own by his Father's gift and his own
purchase; and who are called his church, and sometimes represented as such who
love him and obey his commands.
As for the nature of his love, it is free and
sovereign, everlasting and immutable, and it is matchless and inconceivable, it
is strong and affectionate, as his Father loved him.
In the same we are rebuked by Christ, not in a way of wrath, but in
a tender manner, in order to bring us under a conviction of our sins and duty, and of our folly in trusting in, or loving any creature more
than Christ himself, and of all our wrong ways.
We are chastened by Him, not in a vindictive, but in a fatherly way, which
is instructive and teaching to us, and for our own good.
This seems
to refer to some afflictions which Christ was about to bring upon this church,
by some means or another, to awaken her out of her sloth and security, and
which would be in love to her, and the end be to rouse her zeal and bring her
to repentance.
Be zealous, therefore, and repent; zeal was what was wanting in this church; which is
nothing else than hot, fervent, and ardent love, love in a flame; whereas she
was neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, Christ would have her be
"zealous" for God; for his cause and interest, for his Gospel,
ordinances, and the discipline of his house, and against everything that is
evil; against all false worship, all errors in doctrine, all sin and iniquity;
and to be zealous of good works, and in the worship of God, both private and
public: and "repent"; in an evangelical way, of her lukewarmness
, remissness, and
supineness; of her pride, arrogance, and vain boastings of herself; and of her
self-sufficiency, self-dependence, and self-confidence.
Often we think that the enemy is working against us when in
reality it is the Lord doing a work in us, to keep us from error and falling
asleep or slipping away into backsliding.
Hebr. 12:1-2 Why seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and
the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race
that is set before us,
Hebr. 12:2 Looking to Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
the throne of God.
Hebr. 12: 3 For consider
him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be
wearied and faint in your minds.
Hebr. 12:4 You have not
yet resisted to blood, striving against sin.
Hebr. 12:5 And you have
forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to children, My son, despise
not you the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of him:
Hebr. 12:6 For whom the
Lord loves he chastens, and whips every son whom he receives.
Hebr. 12:7 If you endure
chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father
chastens not?
Hebr. 12:8 But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are
partakers, then are you bastards and not sons.
Hebr. 12:9 Furthermore we
have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?
Hebr. 12:10 For they truly
for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit,
that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Hebr. 12:11 Now no chastening
for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it
yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them which are exercised
thereby.
At this point we have to discern and
examine ourselves, before we blame the Devil for the trouble we experience
otherwise we might be resisting God, instead of being open for correction and
being reproved, for in the end it will produce the fruit of a righteous life.
Gill
Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous,.... These words anticipate an objection, taken from
the grief and sorrow that comes by afflictions; and therefore how should they
be for profit and advantage? The apostle answers, by granting that no
affliction "seems" to be joyous, in outward appearance to flesh
and blood, and according to the judgment of carnal sense and reason; in this
view of afflictions, it must be owned, they do not appear to be matter, cause,
or occasion of joy; though they really are, when viewed by faith, and judged of
by sanctified reason; for they are tokens of the love of God and Christ; are
evidences of son-ship; and work together either for the temporal, or spiritual, or
eternal good of the saints
Battle Four, The Trying Of Our Faith
As I have stated in the beginning of this study, that the testing of
our faith is inevitable and will come to every child of God in different ways,
it is therefore I have shown you from scripture in what ways our faith and
trust in God is tested, not because God enjoys it, but it will have eternal
value, receiving the crown of life.
Jak 1:2 My brothers,
count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations;
Jak 1:3 Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith works patience.
Jak 1:4 But let
patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.
Jak 1:5 If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides
not; and it shall be given him.
Jak 1:6 But let him
ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed.
Jak 1:7 For let not
that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jak 1:8 A double
minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Jak 1:9 Let the
brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
Jak 1:10 But the rich,
in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
Jak 1:11 For the sun is
no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it wither the grass, and the flower
thereof falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes: so also shall the
rich man fade away in his ways.
Jak 1:12 Blessed is the
man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown
of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
It is worth it all to endure all the
things God allows to come our way, for righteousness sake and holy living, those are the things we received
from God when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, so that by the power
of His Holy Spirit in us we are able to overcome the flesh, the world, and the
temptation of the enemy.
1Petr 1:3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead,
1Petr 1:4 To an
inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in
heaven for you,
1Petr 1:5 Who are kept
by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time.
1Petr 1:6 Wherein you greatly
rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through
manifold temptations:
1Petr 1:7 That the trial
of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it
be tried with fire, might be found to praise and honor and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Petr 1:8 Whom having
not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Petr 1:9 Receiving the
end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Discernment
is essential in the life of the believer; we do not always discern or
understand what is happening in our lives, some things are strange and come out
of nothing, sometimes it is God allowing the enemy to do a work in our lives
and sometimes it is God’s Spirit working in and through us. The way we overcome
is always the same, submitting to God in the first place, (when we submit, we are saying to God, you are in control, even though
I do not fully understand it now, you will help me protect me and guide me. )
Second in
every trial, temptation of any kind resist the enemy, for he will always try to
thwart the purpose of God in allowing things in our lives and tempt us to sin.
Or divert us to a quick fix. Satan is always present to distort every plan and
purpose of God for our lives, therefore in conclusion the practical guidelines
for keeping the enemy out of every situation, so he will not steel our faith
and confidence in God, which has great recompense of reward, (eternal life) and producing the patience we need that we will be steadfast, unmovable
in our faith and trust in God, developed over time and through hardship.
Hebr 10:32 But call to
remembrance the former days, in which, after you were illuminated, you endured
a great fight of afflictions;
Hebr 10:33 Partly, whilst
you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly,
whilst you became companions of them that were so used.
Hebr 10:34 For you had
compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods,
knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance.
Hebr 10:35 Cast not away therefore your
confidence, which has great recompense of reward.
The
just shall live by faith
Hebr 10:37 For yet a
little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Hebr 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any
man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Hebr 10:39 But we are not
of them who draw back to perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of
the soul.
In Conclusion
Practical guidelines, by which we can defeat
Satan.
On
the basis of the salvation God has provided for us, the Scriptures lay out
practical guidelines by which we can defeat Satan.
Have Confidence in God. The first decision we must make to be freed from Satan's power is to
choose to trust God. We must acknowledge our helplessness, sinfulness, and lost
condition. Then we must accept the free gift of salvation He has offered us in
Christ and stand before God clothed in His Son's righteousness (Phil. 3:1-9;
Titus 3:5).
Submit to God and Resist Satan. Although Christ has given us authority over Satan (1 John 4:4), we can
exercise it only as we submit ourselves to God and resist the enemy (Eph. 6:11;
James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8,9).
Be Aware of Satan's Strategies. Satan can take advantage of us if we are "ignorant of his
devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). For example, by harboring anger, we "give
place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27); by depriving our marriage partner of
sexual intimacy, we give Satan an opportunity to tempt us (1 Cor. 7:5); by
placing an unqualified man in a position of leadership in the church, we take
the chance of making him vulnerable to pride and to "fall into the same
condemnation as the devil" and "the snare of the devil" (1 Tim.
3:6,7).
Put on the Armor of God. Using the metaphor of a well-equipped Roman
soldier, Paul told how we can be prepared for spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:11-18).
Ø The belt of truth. Since Satan depends on deceit to maintain his
power, our first line of defense is always to be truthful. We must never distort
or misrepresent the truth, regardless of any advantage we might gain by doing
so.
Ø The breastplate of righteousness. Any sin in our life leaves us open to Satan's
attack. Even though we are given the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21), we must
still continually put on the protection of holy living.
Ø The shoes of the gospel of peace. With our feet firmly planted on the truth that we
are at peace with God and that He is on our side, we can stand firmly against
Satan's attacks.
Ø The shield of faith. In order to quench the "fiery darts" of
Satan's temptations, we must trust and believe what God has said about every
area of our life.
Ø The helmet of salvation. This is the confidence that there is coming in the
future a great victory celebration. It's also referred to as the "hope of
salvation" (1 Thess. 5:8). This helmet protects us against Satan's
two-edged sword of discouragement and doubt.
Ø The sword of the Spirit. Since the Word of God is the basis of our faith,
we need to learn how to wield it with authority. Scripture is our best
offensive weapon against the devil (Matt. 4:1-11).
After
he described the various elements of the armor, Paul said that we are to be in
constant prayer. Prayer expresses our dependence on God. We can fight against
Satan only "in the [strength of the] Lord and in the power of His
might" (Eph. 6:10). In the power of Christ with the armor of the Spirit we
will be victors.
For more
information on the person of Satan and the way he works
I have a booklet posted on my website; please go to
What is
Satan doing
Go to DISCERNING THE ENEMY ONE May the Lord bless
you and keep in Christ Jesus
Ministry of Hope
God Bless!!