The Villain, God, and Us

In the opening verses of Job, we find the villain Satan in the presence of God as the accuser of the brethren who has been on the prowl looking for someone to devour. [1Pe 5:8]

The adversary challenged God that Job’s trials would result in falling and cursing God. But God knew his servant Job, he is “a pure and upright man, [he] fears God” Just as God knew Job, Jesus knew Peter and Jesus knows us. Unlike Job Peter was given fair warning. “Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;” The question is this: when tests come will we be like Job?

And how does the adversary work? Distraction. He distracted Job from his prayer walk.  He distracted through the disciples’ mistrust of another’s motives and arguing as to who was the greatest. In the midst of this, Jesus revealed the test and a powerful truth: The test may not be removed but “I have prayed for you, that your faith not fail.”

We are to be like Job: he never cursed God. But, if like Peter we fall we must NOT say: I have fallen; I am of no use BUT rather I have fallen, I must get up and strengthen others as Jesus said. God will use the bad to bring about good.  Beloved, cling to this: Jesus is interceding for us that our faith not fail.  It is not “if” but “when” we fall we are to turn back and strengthen others with the lessons we have learned.

 

Advertisement

Know Thy Enemy

Luke 22 “Satan vs The Servant” Or “Know Thy Enemy”

Dr. Luke has shown us from chapter 1 to now the contrast of the one who came to “seek and save the lost” with the one who seeks to destroy the king and the kingdom. We know from 2Cor that often he disguises himself as an angel of light and that he continues to walk about this earth seeking whom he may devour. In sharp contrast to him is The Servant who came lowly and meek lying in a manger to now where he will suffer at the cross for you and me. Observe if you will, how Satan works; not openly but behind the scenes seeking to disarm and destroy in the quiet, the unassuming, the orderly, the times of sacredness. This is where he seeks to do his work. This is his work for he is the author of the “deadly d’s” by which he seeks to disarm and destroy and in this chapter we find 6 of his ways:

Deception: The religious leaders were seeking a way to execute Jesus and thereby will break the sixth commandment “thou shalt not murder” because they think they are offering service to God.

Disillusionment: Satan infiltrates the disillusioned traitor, Judas, who has so mastered the cloak of traitor that no one suspects. But Jesus knows and reveals his ways and his work.

Defensiveness: The disciples “began to question one another as to which of them it could possibly be who would do this.”

Disputing: The disciples began to dispute “which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.”

Distraction: While all of this is going on it seems that Peter’s attention has drifted and The Servant calls him back:  “Simon, Simon, pay attention!” As Peter’s attention is arrested, he hears the ominous warning: “Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat.” And how does Peter handle this?

Self-defense: But Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!” And it is in that moment that The Servant predicts what will happen: “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.”

Satan has infiltrated and sought to disrupt the most sacred of times. The Servant will disarm him not by force but by a reminder that these precious disciples are his and his alone: “You are the ones who have remained with me in my trials.”

Beloved, beware that it is when we are in the sacred moments such as reading, meditating, praying, busy about the Master’s business, that Satan will seek to do his work. It is then that we need to call upon The Servant to disarm him. We must “hold firmly to the faith” and “rekindle God’s gift that we possess”-learning to be discerning by words of the sacred scripture [Ps 119:11; 2Tim 2:15, Heb 5:14]. Call upon the power of the Holy Spirit which resides within you. Jer 29:12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers.