Know your enemy.

 Meditation John chapter 8:41-50

 Today's meditation John chapter 8:41-50

1. Jesus said to them they are doing the deeds of their father. For which they replied they are not born of fornication but God is their Father. (V41)
2. Jesus said to them if God was their father they will listen to him because he came forth from his father. He did not come by himself but was sent by his father. (V42)
3. He said they cannot understand him because they cannot hear his word. (V43)
4. Christ said that their father is the devil.  The lusts of their father they will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and he did not abide in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie he speaks it of his own for he is a liar and father of lies. (V44)
5. Christ said because he tells them the truth they do not believe in him. (V45)Christ said nobody can convince him of sin but still they do not believe in him. (V46)
6. He that is of God hears God's voice but they do not hear because they are not of God. (V47)
7. For this they said that he was a Samaritan and he has a devil (V48))
8. Jesus replied to them that he does not have a devil and he honours his father, but they dishonour him. (V49)
9. Jesus said he never seeks his own glory and it is God who seeks and judges. (V50)

LIFE APPLICATION:

Today we are going to meditate on the topic
KNOW YOUR ENEMY.

The WORD of GOD says,

 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

Dear Child of God, I
Want you to realise today that there is a unseen world around us that always wage a war against our members.

It is not the neighbour or the boss whom we see, our enemy. But there is something more deeper... there are unseen principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness that wrestle with us.... they rub on our bodies and our souls.

This is the kingdom of darkness and they have a king... the Devil. This is what CHRIST refers in V44,

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 speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
John:8:44

Once we have accepted Christ as our Lord and our God we are transformed into a marvellous new life and the enemy has lost his authority over our us.

But still, as long as we are in the flesh... we will have to fight him as the children of God. So it will be better for us to KNOW The ENEMY as Paul said,

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1 Corinthians:9:26

Let us see some attributes of the Devil in our meditation today:

A. He works in the children of disobedience:

The Prince of air is the spirit that works in children of disobedience.

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians:2:2

B. The Devil is the Father of lusts. (V44)

Devil operates in lust. God operates in love.
Let me explain a little on lust and love.

* the word of God says,

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John:2:16

Lust is of the eyes and of the flesh. It uses the eye gates. But Love is divine and is of God, poured into our spirits.

Let us see some biblical examples for lust:

1. Devil lusted the throne of God.

By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
Ezekiel:28:5

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
Ezekiel:28:6

2. The Devil made Eve to lust after the forbidden fruit.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis:3:6

3. Lust makes us want things at whatever cost even if it is forbidden, even it is illegal and even if it mean to murder someone.

But Love is patient and submits to God's will and time.

And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
1 Kings:21:15

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
2 Samuel:12:9

There are many more examples of how the devil operates in lust. Dear Child of God! Commit yourself to walk according to the spirit and you will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.

I would suggest to keep every one of our wants and wishes to be kept at the altar. If it burns and gone forever it is lust...
 But it stays with you it is love.... painful but safe.

C. The Devil is a liar and a FATHER of lies: (V44)

Here the enemy works through our ear gates. He speaks lies in our ears till the truth of CHRIST Is obscured in our hearts.

One of his mighty weapon is slander. He makes people slander against us and he makes us slander against others too.

For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
Psalm:31:13

He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
Proverbs:10:18

And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
Numbers:14:36

2. He condemns:
It can be people condemning us or we condemn ourselves. CONDEMNATION and ACCUSATIONS are not of God.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Revelation:12:10

With lies he makes the heart of the righteous sad:

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
Ezekiel:13:22

With lies he can put fear in our hearts; with lies, he can disturb our peace.; with lies, he can bring enmity among brethren...

Dear Child of God! Are you a victim of lies of the enemy ? Recognise and fight it with truth and the truth will set you free.

Identify and cast down every imagination that are sowed in you by the enemy that you will not be an easy target for the enemy.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians:10:5

Let us learn to bring every thought of ours under captivity to the obedience of CHRIST and we will walk over the enemy in this area too.

D. The other important character of the Devil is that He is a Murderer. 
He kills and destroys.

He can carry out this mission in the form of diseases, or in the form of witchcraft or in the form of hatred or any other.

 We thank God for the blood of Christ that has been shed as an atonement.

This blood of Christ protects us from such viles of the enemy.

For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
Exodus:12:23

There is a secret and a quiet place where we can hide into.
That is the shadow of the almighty even his sanctuary.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm:91:1

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psalm:91:4

This is the place the eyes of the enemy can never find us.

Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Job:28:21

Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
Job:28:22

God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
Job:28:23

The Lord himself shall keep us from all evil. He will deliver our souls... He himself will keep us safe from the snares of the enemy.


The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
Psalm:121:7

Let the Lord's prayer be ours today.... that we will be safe each day...

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Matthew:6:13

May God bless you!

Facing accusations with triumph

Meditation John chapter 7:11-20

1. The Jews were searching for Christ in the feast. (V11)
2. Some people said he is a Goodman but some said Christ was deceiving people. (V12)
3. But nobody spoke openly fearing the Jews. (V13)
4. In the middle of the feast, Jesus taught in the temple. (v14)
5. The Jews marvelled how he knew all letters without learning. (V15)
6. Jesus told them that the doctrine he is preaching is not his but of the one who sent him. (V16)
7. Jesus said if any man does the will of God then he will understand whether the doctrine is of God or of man. (V17)
8. If one speaks about himself he is seeking his own glory, but if he seeks the glory of the one who sent him, he is true and there is no unrighteousness in him. (V18).
9. Jesus asked why they do not keep the law and go about trying to kill him, though Moses gave the law. (V19)
10. The people asked why they would want to kill him and that he has a devil. (V20)

 LIFE  APPLICATION:
Doing the will of God:
Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
John:7:16
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
John:7:17

Many a times we too question the doctrine of CHRIST whether it is truly from God.

Maybe because it is so different from our ways?
Maybe because it is very different from the norm?
Maybe because it is too supernatural that natural minds cannot comprehend?

Whatever be it, the word of God says we will never be able to accept this doctrine of CHRIST unless we submit ourselves to do God's will.  You can read more about the will of God in my previous post.

The WORD of GOD says,

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Psalm:34:8

Meaning take the chocolate, unwrap it, put in your mouth and then only we can taste... and see it.
Same way, give your life to God, hear his words and become a doer of his words and then only we can know who God is.

For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
James:1:23

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
James:1:24

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James:1:25

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luke:6:47

He is like a man which built a house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luke:6:48

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke:6:49

Jesus wants us not only to hear from him but also do according to the will of God. Dear Child of God,
If we are his sheep we will hear the shepherd's voice and we will follow him.  I pray that the spirit of God will enlighten us to hear God's voice and obey.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John:10:27

 LIFE APPLICATION 2:

What to do when we are falsely accused
?
In this chapter, Jesus was accused of being a devil. What more can a person get?

I am going to explain how we are to face accusations in the light of the scriptures.

Sanctify the Lord in your hearts having a good conscience:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1 Peter:3:15


Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
1 Peter:3:16

Please go through the previous post on dealing with offensehttps://christlovelovelin.blogspot.com/2019/01/dealing-with-offense-meditation-john.html?m=1 for further meditation on handling accusations.
God be with you. May the good Lord keep your whole body, spirit and soul blameless till his coming. Amen.

 1. Rest assured! Being accused of being bad is normal.

2. Understand there is a demon behind and come quickly under the wings of God.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Revelation:12:10

3. When our master himself was accused and endured; we will also endure and come out of it. We are on the victory side.

For we have not a 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.
Hebrews:4:15

4. Accusing is the roar of the devil.... we have the Lion of Judah with us. Today I pray that every mouth of such lions be shut in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

 To god be the glory . Amen.

Fear

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

                       

As I was meditating on the word of God, I was brooding over this particular topic on fear for a while. Fear is a peculiar weapon that the enemy uses to shatter the faith of Christians. Fear can keep you under bondage (Romans 8: 15). Fear can torment you. ( 1 John 4: 18) Fear is one among the most fiery darts the devil use to get you paralyzed, frozen and to even give up your walk with the Lord. As humans, we are vulnerable. We fear of things we do not know. We fear things yet to come. We fear consequences of our past. We fear death, at times we even fear to live. We fear people. We fear demons and why not, we even fear GOD out of condemnation.

This is how the devil works. He put thoughts of fear in you and stands as a silent spectator watching the way you react. As you give way, he puts in more of such thoughts till you wind up in depression. Another deception of the devil is to make you feel intimidated when you dare to acknowledge your hidden fears, so that you will be in the same vicious cycle again.

If you have been gripped by fear of any nature, be it acknowledged or hidden, the good news is that you are not alone. Fear had been the devil`s weapon since ages and that is why, the word `Fear not ` has been documented in the Bible for more than 365 times, (as if God is telling us not to fear everyday of the year).

If you have been a captive of fear, today is your day to conquer it. It is written in Hebrews 2: 14, 15 that Jesus died on the cross to take victory over death so that we are no longer under the bondage of fear of death. The Love of God is higher, deeper and wider enough to cast away all your fears. God has given us the spirit of adoption whereby we can cry unto him Abba Father.

So if you are someone seeking how to loosen yourself from fear, just follow these simple steps below.

•  Come before God as you are, as a clay in the potter`s hands, as a child to his or her father, as a creation to the creator, as a captive to the deliverer and cry out to him till he puts his loving hands around you and whisper not to fear.
•  Honestly acknowledge and renounce every of your hidden fears before him, till your burdens are lifted up.
•  Meditate on the word of God till your armor of faith rise enough to repel every dart of fear aimed at you. 
• Be filled with the love of Christ and be ready to take every thought captive according to 2 Corinthians 10:5.
• Use the sword of the word of God and all - prayer to fight back.                                 Remember, We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us.(Romans 8:37). God bless!