Christianity

If the devil is riding your back…

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There is a church near my home that has one of those marquee signs out front where they like to put up different clever sayings from time to time. I don’t have any strong feelings either way on these signs, other than I think that most of the clever sayings I see are only understandable by the saints. Especially those that look like they are targeting the lost… they just sound odd. Perhaps the worst example of being too clever to be useful was, “Stop, Drop, and Roll won’t work in Hell”. However, this morning I noticed the sign say something that immediately brought to mind Scriptural truth.

If the devil is riding your back
Take off the saddle

Now, since I am already of the mindset that these signs are mostly for Christians, my mind went to Ephesians 4:26-27 (okay, I know I quote Eph 4 quite a bit, but hey, this is a blog about Christian living and faithful stewardship 😉 ):

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NASB, emphasis mine)
26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

Here is the saddle. As Christians, we have been bought by a price and redeemed out of the dominion of darkness and into the Kingdom of Jesus, the Son of God, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin (Colossians 1:13-14). However, as humans we are still susceptible to influence when we yield to the enemy. Allowing ourselves to be overcome with strong emotions (like anger, anxiety, fear, doubt, etc.) can lead to sin (notice, clearly there is room to have an emotion without yielding to sin)… by giving the devil an opportunity, or by allowing a saddle to be placed on your back.

So how do we remove the saddle? By the Truth of God’s word, particularly His promises about who we are in Him and who we have in the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB) 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 5:23-24 (NASB) 23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Matthew 5:33-37 (NASB) 33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, “You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.

James 4:6b-8 (NASB) 6b Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (emphasis mine; I recommend studying all of Chapter 4)

As for the sinner, the lost, they are born wearing a saddle. In fact, we were all born broken horses in captivity. Saddled by the world, bridled by sin, corralled by darkness, and destined for death and eternal separation from God. But for His Son, Jesus, we’d still be in that broken and controlled state. Through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we can be set free from our bonds, released from captivity, and inherited into the Kingdom of God to forever be with Him! Amen.

As long as we walk on in this world, we will have to contend with the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10) who is constantly looking for  someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8) or to put on a saddle and ride into the ground. The devil cannot steal you away from God, but he can cause you to stumble and fall, especially if he can get you saddled and bridled (James 3). That’s why we must  keep ourselves in God’s Word, praying and seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit daily as we are encouraged in Romans 12.

So yeah… today’s clever message blessed me. I hope some of you were equally blessed. Have a wonderful weekend!

In Him,
FS

Related articles

I can do all things…

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Praise the Lord for His traveling mercies this past Thanksgiving weekend. I will have to learn to make time to update this blog while I’m on vacation, but all in due time.

Today, I’d like to share some quick thoughts on an often quoted verse, Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (NASB). Whenever I see or hear a verse of scripture presented or quoted in an encouragement, rebuke, or as basis for an opinion I become excited that someone is turning to God’s Word for Truth. If it is a verse I have not memorized or am unfamiliar with, I search the word for it, to see what else I have missed, and to be sure that the quoted verse is indeed a verse (“cleanliness is next to Godliness” isn’t in the Scriptures).

That is not to say that there aren’t some strong warning signs that flash. A surefire way to furrow my brow is to present a quoted scripture in written form without its reference. In the Internet age, there simply is no excuse to not include at least the reference for the scripture. None. Google allows you to start typing out the quote and usually within the first few results it becomes clear if the phrase is an idiom or a Scripture verse, and normally you can see the reference of the verse without following a single link. Additionally, if the quoted text is a single phrase or partial sentence, I hesitate. Why? Because I worry about the verse being used out of context. If the context is solid, and the audience is well versed, then a simple line or a partial quote is more than enough to bring the passage of scripture into the remembrance of audience and everyone walks away blessed. However, in a mixed audience, there can be room for error.

Now, getting back to Phil 4:13, it is a commonly quoted verse of scripture that has provided me with comfort and encouragement over the years. Even now, in my present-day struggles, I lean on this verse. Let us look at the verse in context:

Philippians 4:4-14 (NASB)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

Paul is saying a lot in this chapter. We are commanded to Rejoice in the Lord always. We are given guidelines for what we should be focused on and meditated on.  I probably provided more than was needed, but I really wanted to show the slight topic shift. After presenting the commandment for us to rejoice in the Lord, Paul now moves to his rejoicing in being remembered in his affliction. Verse 11 is when it really gets heavy… Paul has already learned how to accept God’s provision regardless of circumstance. Here he simply explained that he has learned to get along “with humble means” or “poverty” and how to live in prosperity. The secret of being filled and going hungry… in abundance and in suffering need. That secret is in knowing that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. What a blessing to be given such profound wisdom and encouragement!

Unfortunately, this verse is often misquoted. A key phrase within the verse is “through Him”. I’ve heard this verse used in a way that conveys more of a “I can do all things because Christ strengthens me to do everything”. Do you see what is missing? There is a limitation to the “all things” that can be done… they must be done “through Him” or “in Him”. We cannot simply go through life being our own bosses and expect Jesus to serve as our hired muscle. That isn’t how the scriptures read and it is not the example Paul led for us. Even Jesus deferred to the Will of God the Father, and Jesus is God. But He demonstrated how we are to live our lives in Him and through Him. More subtly, the verse is sometimes used (or received) as a pep talk implying that Jesus will fix our circumstances. Such an interpretation generally stems from ignorance of the verses immediately preceding v13.

So, what sorts of circumstances can we count on the strength of God to provide for us as we remain in Him? Lets look at a quick list Paul provided in his rebuke to the Corinthians regarding boasting. The greater context of chapter 11 is in regards to boasting and in the defense of his apostleship, but we are looking specifically for a list of the types of circumstances Paul had to endure in Christ:

2 Corinthians 11:23-33 (NASB)
23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from suchexternal things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?
30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

Wow. My circumstances are quite comfortable by comparison. Yet, the Grace of God and of His provision is as accessible to me as it was to Paul. My appreciation and maturity pales in comparison, and I submit that it is greatly due to my comparative lack of trials. I Praise God that He has blessed me and kept me from such harm thus far. This isn’t shared that we might compare ourselves to Paul; rather, it was to highlight just how awesome our God is, and what He can do with an obedient servant.

So, whenever we think wrestle with trials and struggles, anxiety and doubt… we should return to Philippians 4. Rejoicing in the Lord always, getting our minds right (“think on these things…”) and then trusting on God to strengthen us regardless of our circumstances. I pray you find this encouraging. The next time you hear/see Phil4:13 taken out of context, I pray you will share the rest of the chapter in love and humility.

In Him,
FS

Put and end to false humility

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If you ask most Christians what the most dangerous thing the devil has to cause us to stumble, I bet most of them will answer “Pride”. After all, most Christians can readily quote Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (NASB). Well… the first part at least… and they at least will tell you it’s in Proverbs somewhere. 😉 Would you like to know the real answer to the question? Let’s look at how our Lord and Savior Jesus described the devil when he was speaking to the Pharisees who challenged the authority of Jesus:

John 8:44 (NASB) 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

He is the father of lies. That’s where he gets us. There is Truth (God is Truth… His Word is Truth) and anything that is not truth is a lie. And the devil is the father of lies. That applies to outright lies, lies by omission, and “white lies”. The big clue is in the use of the word “lie”. But there is another word that should trigger our recognition of a lie… and that word is “false”. False prophet, False doctrine, False motivation, and False humility. There are many ways we can discuss this point, but for now I’d like to limit this portion to false humility. First, lets look at our call to humility found in 1 Peter:

1 Peter 5:5-7 (NASB) 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

We are also told in James 4:10, “10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Both sinful pride and false humility stem from the same lies… they are born of lies about who you are. For pride is thinking more highly of yourself than you are, and false humility is from confessing lies about who you are. Sometimes the lies are to protect the pride that actually fills your heart, other times the lies are a confession of the lies you believe in your heart… lies that falsely accuse you of lacking worth.  I’m more worried about negative self-talk, “I’m stupid”, “I’m a horrible person”, “I’m not worth redeeming”, “I’m not worth saving”, “No one will miss me when I’m gone”. These are not the confessions of a humble person… because True humility cannot exist contrary to the Truth of God’s Word. First, and foremost… even the sinner needs to know that he is loved by God. Accepting this Truth, by faith, is the first step toward Salvation. No wonder the enemy tries so hard to block this truth among even those who are born dead in sin….

Romans 5:8 (NIV) 8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Now, for those who have been born again, do you think the enemy gives up his fight against you? Absolutely not! While he cannot kill you spiritually, if he can get you to accept his lies about who you are, then he can limit your effectiveness, hinder your calling, and get you to abandon your spiritual gifts. Let’s look at a wonderful list (from Neil Anderson’s Book, “Victory over the Darkness”) of who we are as born-again believers in Christ:

  1. We are identified with Christ â–ș In His death (Romans 6:3,6; Galatians 2:20) â–ș In His Burial (Romans 6:4) â–ș In His resurrection (Romans 6:5,8,11) â–ș In His ascension (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1-3) â–ș In His life (Romans 6:10-11) â–ș In His power (Ephesians 1:19-20) â–ș In His inheritance (Romans 8:16-17; Ephesians 1:11-12)
  2. Through the Blood of Christ, and In Him each of us is… â–ș the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13) â–ș the light of the world (Matt 5:14) â–ș a child of God (John 1:12) â–ș part of the True Vine (John 15:1,5) â–ș a friend of Christ (John 15:15) â–ș chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16) â–ș a slave of righteousness (Romans 6:18) â–ș enslaved to God (Romans 6:22) â–ș a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Romans 8:14-15; Galatians 3:26; 4:6) â–ș a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him (Romans 8:17) â–ș a temple — a dwelling place — of God. His Spirit lives in me (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) â–ș united with the Lord and one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17) â–ș a member of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30) â–ș a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) â–ș reconciled to God and a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) â–ș a son of God and one in Christ (Galatians 3:26, 28) â–ș a Saint (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1;Colossians 1:2) â–ș God’s workmanship–His handiwork–born anew in Christ to do His work (Ephesians 2:10) â–ș … (the list is huge, skipping a few…) â–ș chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4) â–ș a son of light and not of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5) â–ș … â–ș a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9-10) â–ș an alien and a stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (1 Peter 2:11) â–ș an enemy of the devil (1 Peter 5:8) â–ș born of God, and the evil one–the devil–cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)

Proper humility begins with knowing who you are in Christ. It continues with acknowledging that we are all one body, with Christ as the head, and that our brothers and sisters in Christ share in this identity in Christ. We are humble ourselves to each other in the presence of God, and He will lift us up. Much as Jesus instructed in Luke 14:7-11 that we should take the last seat rather than the first. When you were born again in Christ, you were made spiritually alive. You are now as spiritually alive as you will ever be… for Jesus paid the ultimate (both greatest and final) price for the removal of sin. Just as a baby is as alive as it will ever be, that is not to say the baby won’t grow and mature. In the same way, we are to grow in Him. As long as we walk in the flesh, we will be at war with the flesh, particularly the in the mind. This is the battleground for the enemy. Notice, the word calls us the enemy of the devil. At the fall of man, enmity was placed between woman and the devil. The world falsely elevates the devil to a position opposite God. God defeated the devil and booted him from the heavens long ago…and then His Son Jesus defeated him again on earth. As far as God is concerned, the devil is one seriously defeated foe. The devil wages war with us now, and after Adam we had lost that fight… but Jesus won that fight for us, so in Him we share in Christ’s victory. I hope this serves as an encouragement. Do not think of yourselves falsely, and do not make false confessions, or partake in the fruit of the devil (his lies). The only weapon we have against lies… is the Truth. Now, some of these confessions are so much easier to say than to believe and to walk out. There is a very real reason why we are told to “take up our crosses daily” and to follow Christ. We need to remind ourselves that the flesh and the inheritance of sin and death were put to rest on the cross, so that in Him we might have life, and that all of these things are true about us because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is an important list to review regularly, and to confess over our lives. We may not always demonstrate what we confess… but we always demonstrate what we believe. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Let the Truths of your identity in Christ grow your faith, so that you may be holy and blameless in His sight. Finally… let us encourage our brothers and sisters by reminding them of who they are whenever we witness false humility (self-deprecation posing as piety)… be firm and loving in your rebuke, and then remind them of who they are in Christ.

Ephesians 4:25 (NIV) 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

In Him,
FS