#1024 Shine as Lights

1024 Shine as Lights Transcription

God bless you. Take your Bibles and go to Ephesians, please. We're going to look at "Shining as Lights" tonight. We receive a newsletter from American Family, and in the latest letter that we got there was documentation of some of the craziness going on in the world and how the children are being attacked with the perversion of the whole homosexual movement.

Now the ABCs they're trying to teach them as the "gay BCs". Now, years ago when a child would go to school in this country… I'm talking back in the 1700, 1600s. They would learn from a little booklet. The booklet would have the letter of the alphabet, then it would have a name and then would have a Bible verse "A" for Adam, "B" for bless, "C" for Christ, this sort of thing; but they've turned around and the homosexual movement now is trying to teach our children the same way, only their letters are standing for something that's disgusting.

But that's what's happening.And people keep fighting; people keep looking for solutions. People keep arguing about Democrats, Republicans, and Cocker Spaniels and they just don't get it. And they will never get it because of what they're fighting is an enemy that they can't see.

Ephesians 6:12 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 chapter 6 tells us of that enemy in verse 12. It says "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood," and we could stop right there. And if the world would get that truth and understand it, they'd be far ahead of where they'll ever be without God.

Because to man, it's the Democrats against the Republicans against the Independents against the Conservatives against the Supreme Court justices. It's just goes on and on and on. It's flesh and blood. It's man against man. It's woman against woman. It's ideology against ideology; worldview against worldview. These are things of the flesh. These are things of the world.

The Bible says that we don't wrestle against those things. And then it goes on and it illuminates who we do fight against. Who we do wrestle against? It lists them: principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world.

Rulers of the darkness of this world! You're not going to see those rulers. They are not going to be on CNN or Fox. They're not going to be on there, you know? They're behind the scenes. You'll never see these things. These are spiritual people: evil spiritual people that push and shake and move the things of the world.

"…against wickedness in high places." The wickedness is seated in high places, okay? And there's evil in the world. As long as there's evil in the world, you can pass 37,000 gun-control bills, okay? Because guns don't kill. Evil people that get themselves turned around with the devil kill. Okay? That's the way it works.

But you can't tell somebody that. Because you get a bunch of people who are good orators, and they whip up the crowd. And it's just sense knowledge rhetoric. They can't possibly understand the truth of the spirit, because in order to understand the truth of the spirit, you have to have the spirit.

That's why it's foolishness unto them; and that's why they react and they mock and they laugh. They don't have the ability to accept They're blind. So, in light of that, and in defense of them, you wouldn't walk up to a blind man with a cane and scold him because he steps into the street where traffic is. It’s the same with people: this is what you need to expect from them. Because they can't understand. They don't have the ability to understand.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ³But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: ⁴In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Second Corinthians tells us that if our gospel is hid. it's hid to those that are lost. They're lost. That's why the gospel said "because they are lost".

Verse four says, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not…" He's the God of this world. Okay? And as the god of this world, he is the ruler of this world; and this world reflects the heart of its god. Now listen again. This world reflects the heart of its god.

1 John 5:18 (NIV) We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

The whole world is under control of the evil one. So if the world is under the control of the evil one; the things that are manifesting in the world are the manifestations of the evil one. He keeps things confusing. He keeps things moving too quickly. He keeps things changing so fast that you can't put your finger on it. He's like a bug. He just moves around and that's done by design.

But we're the children of God. Now we're in this world, but we we can't afford to be of this world. There's a time coming in the future when we will be in this world and of this world, because Jesus Christ will be the ruler of this world. But that's not yet.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: ⁴(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

That's what these people are doing in Washington. That's what these people were doing around the country: the lobbyists and everybody else. They're warring after the flesh. See? They're trying to solve spiritual evil, spiritual problems by flesh knowledge solutions and it will never work. It will never work.

Verse 4 says, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal; they're not of the flesh. They are not of our brains. It says they're mighty, but they're only mighty through who? God. They're mighty through God. That's where your strength lies: in God.

2 Corinthians 10:5 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;

We're to cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We cast those things down that exalts itself, that fights against it; that puts itself above the knowledge of God. And first and foremost that has to be in the church. If you have sense knowledge worldviews trying to enter the doors of the church, the Bible says we are to cast them down.

Every thought, every imagination that that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God is here. Something is here that wants to be above it. The only thing that is above that is the Word. He magnified his Word above his name. You don't allow something to take the place of God. You don't allow something to be higher than God. When you do that, you have idolatry.

We bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. You can't fix spiritual problems with flesh sense knowledge solutions. And it's real easy to be discouraged. It's real easy to be tempted to be full of fear. It's real easy to be full of anxiety in this day and time.

Because if you look at the world and you look at the things of the world and you look at all that's going around; you're going to be discouraged. Because it that would discourage anything; anybody. But you don't look at that. You're not ignorant of it. But your eyes are to be looking at the Lord Jesus Christ. Your eyes are to be looking at the promises of God.

Romans 8:5-7 ⁵For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit ⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

They mind the things of the spirit. Now that's where you have to make your own decision. Do you want to be after the flesh? Do you want to be caught up in the flesh; in the things of this world?

If you get caught up in the things of this world, do you know it's going to happen? You're going to mind the things of this world. And the things of this world are going to program you; and you're going to react in light of the things of this world.

CNN has a good headline, you're going to be happy that day. Two minutes later, you turn on Fox and they've got a bad headline you're going to be sad. You're going to be up and down on a roller coaster because it's the things of this world; and these people that work for these networks are very intelligent, trained people.They're very alluring.

They make everything alluring. They give you a little tidbit and they want to draw you in. And before you know it, you sit there and you're wasting time. And time and time, when you could be doing something profitable, because the more you look at that junk, the more it's going to fill you.

Now once it gets inside of you, It's going to start to seed. And once it starts to seed, it's going to start to produce the fruit of what it was intended to produce in you: doubt, worry, fear, anxiety, dismay, discouragement, hatred bitterness, envy, rivalry.

The country came together; fought a Civil War to free people. And now people hate each other. You can't even walk down the same street without worrying about somebody looking the wrong way at you going to shoot you. Where does that come from? It comes from the devil.

It comes from the devil sowing seeds of hatred through men and women who open their mouths and are his mouthpiece. And for the most part, people don't understand that they're just being used. They are being manipulated because they mind the things of the flesh.

But if you mind the things of the spirit, you won't be aware of that, but you won't be directed by it. Why? Because to be carnally minded is death. Verse six, "…but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. See?

The senses and the things of the senses and the carnal mind will just produce death. It won't produce anything good because it lives in a world whose ruler of this world is evil. And the whole world lieth in wickedness and evil because it's of design. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

This is why you can have peace in the midst of all the torment and trouble that's going on around you. Because you set your mind on God and you have a future, you have a hope.

It goes on further and it says that the carnal mind is enmity against God because is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. The carnal mind or the minding of the flesh, it's not subject to the law of God. As a matter fact is enmity against God, The carnal mind is the mind of the world. Do you understand?

That's why the world is at enmity with God: because the world is ruled by the God of this world, who is Satan. And Satan hates God; and he hates God's kids. And if you mind the things of the flesh, you are going to be ruled by the things of the flesh.

And the things of the flesh are taught by the god of this world through his catechism and what I called the church of Satan: the media of the world. See. when you come to a the church of God, that church is supposed to impart to you the things of God; so that you can receive that and live in light of and live accordingly.

For instance, you're supposed to forgive. So you hear a teaching on forgiving. The father reproves you. You say, "You know I've been holding a grudge against so-and-so saying things about so-and-so the Bible says not to do it." So you know what you do? You apply the Word; you walk out; and then you forgive so-and-so. You may call so-and-so and say, "can we get together for a cup of coffee and just bury this; just move on."

That's what the church of God is supposed to do. The church of Satan does the same thing. It teaches you how to hate. It teaches you about why your position is the only position, and every other position is evil and wrong and should be abolished and annihilated.

You see in the world today, there is no room for discussion. There's no room to sit down at the table and have a meal; and have a drink together. And get up at the end of your dinner and say, "I love you; see you later". Unless you're on the same page, the same alphabet, the same punctuation: then it's okay.

But God forbid you differ in an area. They don't want to hear that anymore. That's why they don't get together. It's my way or it's no way. We're always right. There is no room for your politics, there's no room for your ideas and that's stupid.

That's why you have division, and that is by design. They want people to be polarized like that. They don't want unity. You see? The Bible teaches unity. The Bible teaches love amongst the brethren. The Bible teaches community.

The Bible teaches there is one God, one church -- but not the world. The world wants to teach division. How do we get division? Well, we gotta get them to hate each other. We gotta get them to disagree. We gotta get them full of pride.

That is by design. There are smart people - smarter than we'll ever be - who sit around and think up ways just how to divide this country in the name of politics.

That's their job and they make a lot of money and they're very good at their jobs. And most people won't see it because they look at it through the flesh.

We can't afford to get tied up with all that stuff. The carnal mind is enmity against God for it's not subject to the law of God. The world is not subject to the law of God. As a matter of fact, the world is making its own laws that are contrary to the law of God. Every day they are making a new one. It is this whole abortion act going on. It's all contrary to the Word of God.

Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

It's all contrary, "So then they that are in the flesh…" can only please God once in a while. No! It says "…they cannot please God." You're not going to be able to please God and in the end God is the one who keeps score.

There are two realms. There is the spiritual realm and there's the natural realm. Okay? There are two realms and these two realms are governed by different laws. There are spiritual laws that govern the spiritual realm that God has set in place. And then the natural laws govern the natural realm.

The natural laws move and shake and flow at the whim of man. and whoever happens to be in power at that particular period of time in history. They change the laws. One day it's okay to do 55 miles an hour or 70 miles on the turnpike. The next day it's 55 and you get a ticket. They are just constantly in flux. They are constantly changing.

You know why they're constantly changing the laws; redeveloping the laws; revamping the laws? Because they're not working. And this is man's solution to fix things because man uses trial and error. And man is ran by political parties and lobbyists.

The bottom line is man is ran by whoever has the biggest buck. So they are constantly changing the laws. And if a group gets in that has a lot of money, and they want the law changed, or they want it lobbied for, do you know it they do? They just throw millions and millions and millions of dollars out until they get what they want. That's the way this world works because the world is corrupt. The god of this world runs it that way.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

There's the two realms. There's the spiritual realm. And there's the realm of the flesh. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Again there are two categories: the category of the flesh, and the category of the spirit. To show the difference; there is a spiritual realm and there is a fleshly realm.

Luke 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

A spirit doesn't have flesh and bones. The only way a spirit has flesh and bones is if it takes up residence inside of a person, but again there's a difference and 1 John 4:4 alluded to this earlier.

1 John 4:4-6 ⁴Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ⁵They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. ⁶We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

There's two keys in that verse. One is Christ in you; the other one is the devil that is in the world. He that is in the world is the God of this world. "They are of the world. Therefore speak they of the world." And the world what? Hears them. There you go that's the news in a nutshell.

They're of the world and they speak the things of the world; and those that are in the world hear them. That's why the news, the media will always be busy, because it serves the world. And the God of this world gets his word out through the media. He gets his word out through the church, too. That shouldn't be.

"We are of God; he that knoweth God heareth us;" So there's a difference again. You have the world, and when the world speaks the world hears. Then you have another group. You have a group that is of God. And when a group is of God - when the things of God are spoken - the people of God hear.

Does it say that the people the world are going to hear? They will only hear if you speak the Word and give them a chance. But there are two standards. There's two classes talked about here. You are talking about the world and you're talking about spiritual realm.

You're talking about the people of God; the things of God. "We are of God; he that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth not us." Okay? You're not going to convince these people that are not of God that they're sinning by what they're doing. Because they can't hear you.

You know who they hear? They hear the world. What's the world telling them? Hate, bitterness, division; let us live your life for you. We know best. You know the old show "Father Knows Best"? That's who knows best, not the world. Well, it says "…he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." There's a difference.

The spirit of truth and that is the things of God, because God's Word is true. "Thy Word is true." And then there is a spirit of error. It's a spirit. And it's a personality inside of people that are in high positions.

We read about that earlier. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood but wickedness in high places." That spirit of error occupies people in high places and it uses them to spread the error that is in the world. Man is not smart enough to come up with this evil. Okay? He's not in and of himself.

Man opens his mind up to the influence of the adversary. The door says "vacancy" and as many spirits that could get in, get in; and they start living out their objectives through that man.

If that man is in a position of power, in a position where people hear him, in a position where he can affect many people than all the better for the devil. And in return, the devil will give that man money, he will give that man prestige, he will give that man health, so forth and so on -- or a woman.

There's a lot of women in this world today that are in politics that are right from the pit of hell.and the trick is other women look up to them as role models. But they are not role models. They are role models for the devil.

John 15:18-19 ¹⁸If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

So you're in good company. The world is not going to a pat you on the back. They are not going to ask you to speak. They're going to ask people to speak that are going to promote the things of the world. "If you were of the world, the world would love its own: but because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." And you need to know that.

You need to know that you're not going to have a lot of friends in the world, because the natural man doesn't receive the things of God. The carnal man fights against the spiritual man; and the carnal mind is enmity against the things of God. So you're in a battle. You're in a war and there's only two sides. And the middle is the devil's side. Okay? The fence fence belongs to the devil. There is only two sides.

Galatians 5:15-17 ¹⁵But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. ¹⁶This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Here's the manifestation of the world through a spirit of witchcraft, infecting a church. Galatians 5 "…if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another." Do you know how many millions of people in the church over the last five years have split ways because of the world and the ideology and the philosophy of the world has entered the church?

And that's what's happened, because the vanguards - the watchmen - who are supposed to protect the church went right along with it. And a lot of times it's because the organized church and the way they're organized.

They force their clergy; they force their leadership to say and make decisions that they really don't want to say or make. But do you know what? If you got a house and you got a family and you got a car and you've got no job, that's a lot of weight on you. That pulls a lot on you. And it takes a certain kind of person to thumb their nose at the organized establishment and walk away and believe God to take care of them, especially when you get older.

I've used this example before with our military men and women. The Marine Corps especially - the elite of the elite - that's who the Marines are. And when Obama came in the office. He had Marine recruiters with a gay flag behind them recruiting homosexuals. Now these are men who hazard their lives for freedom for America for God and country.

Men, 17 and 18 years hitting the 20 year mark where they could retire with a pension. Just exactly what you are you going to do when your commander-in-chief says you're going to fly this flag behind you? And you're going to recruit such and such and do such and such; and you got 16 months left on your enlistment. What are you going to do?

They do it - and if they don't do it you're done! We've had Navy SEALs, which are the best of the best, kicked out of the service because they refuse to take a covid vaccine. And you know what the current President Biden did? He removed them from service over a vaccination. That's evil. You see, that's control.

That's just wrong. These men go through training that you wouldn't even begin to understand. For years and years and years they give their lives. And when they go out, they go out with one purpose: that's to accomplish their mission, even if dying is entailed in accomplishing their mission. Then you have a guy who said, "Because everybody I know that gets covid has had a vaccine that had two and three and four boosters". And the lie was if you get the vaccine, you won't get covid - which is a lie.

Okay, it was just a lie. That's how they started to promote it. Get the vaccine. You won't get it. And then they backed off because you have what they were calling "breakthrough cases". And they had to dance and spin around these breakthrough cases.

And there were so many breakthrough cases, they had to actually pedal back and say, "Well, the vaccine is not going to prevent covid, it's going to help you deal with covid." Okay, if you get it and that's all well and good. But you know what? That's a person's decision.

That's a person's decision. Just this week, whether you like Joel Olsteen or not, it's none of my business. He had a meeting that I saw on a blip on the Internet. He has a very large church. He was endeavoring to have his meeting and whatever he does in his meeting (teach the Bible etc.)

Okay? I'm not here one way or another, but this is what I'm here about. Two young ladies very, very pretty, in their30s, very, very built and gorgeous; they get up in the middle of his meeting; they take their shirts off. And on their bras they've got hands on them. Then they start saying, "my body, my choice" to disrupt the whole meeting.

So they were reacting to the whole abortion things going on. That was their way of disrupting the whole meeting. Now then, I watch these guys. They were probably in their 50s, the ushers and they are trained. And they went and they approached these young ladies and they're screaming at the top of their voices "my body, my choice, my body".

Okay. Why does that work for her body, her choice and not the Navy SEAL's body and his choice? Because if you're going to be consistent, let's be consistent all the way through. So a certain party will say "my body, my choice" and will fight to the death for it. And yet that same party will not extend to you your body, your choice when it comes to a vaccine. Something wrong somewhere. Right? Sure it is.

So they went, and this is how they had to get rid of the the ladies.They had to do it very carefully and just walk safely. They had a hold her hands up in a certain manner so they couldn’t be charged with molestation. I know from experience. Because if you go to touch somebody that's assault. Okay?

That I know because I threw an appraiser out of my shop one time. And State Farm wanted to sue me because they said I assaulted him. And my comment to him was that if I assaulted him you'd have called the coroner and not the lawyer. And I did it just as he was walking out; I just give him a little tap. They called it assault.

So they're is supposed to be allowed to come in, disrupt your meeting, say whatever they want to say. And you can't do anything. And what you do, you have to do it right. And it takes now; it takes you five minutes to usher these bozos out of your meeting. Right? Because it's their body, their choice. and it makes national headlines and it's printed all over the papers.

But a guy who signs to give his life away at the whim of his president because he says, "I don't believe in the vaccine. I don't want to take it." It's not his body, his choice! Something wrong. And that's the way the devil is.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

It's all one sided with the devil. It's the devil's way or no way. Galatians says "if you bite and devour one another take heed that you be not consumed one of another. "This I say then. Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

You don't have to sit down with a pencil and paper and try to figure out what you're going do, how you're going to combat this, what is my plan, what's my backup plan… No! Just walk in the spirit. Walk in the spirit. God will show you what to do as you walk.

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh and the two are contrary one to another." There's the two realms. You can't take the two realms and put them in the same room and expect them to get along.

Anybody got a cat and a dog? Can you put them in the same room? Do you expect them to get along? It doesn't happen. See? This is what these people are doing. They're taking the spiritual realm and they're taking the flesh and they say let's mix it together and let it get along.

And that's the whole woke ideology inside the church. And the bozos who stand behind the lecterns let that crap in their church thinking that it's going to work, when the Bible says they fight against each other. They are contrary one to another. The Bible already tells us that.

But you know what? They don't read the Bible; and if they read it, they don't believe the Bible, because they know more than God. And they say "Well, I know what Galatians said, but this is different. Is it? It's not.

The man is so smart and so smug and so intelligent; but you know they said about Peter and John? They marveled at them and took note that they were unlearned and ignorant men. Praise God for ignorant men. And they just got that guy up and then get up and walk, right? Praise God for that.

Galatians 3:1-3 ¹O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?. ²This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? ³Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

If you’re led of the spirit, you are not under the law. Now here it is. Here's the trick that the church didn't see, and it still doesn't see. Galatia was a church. Okay, this is Paul by way of God saying "You go tell the church this for me," "O foolish Galatians who has bewitched you… Now here's the key. (Verse three) Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? And that's what's going on in the church.

They began in the spirit and the things of the spirit - and the things of the world that come from the devil. The God of this world comes and whispers to the ecumenical Council and says "We want to make sure that men can marry men." That's things of the flesh. "And we want you to bring this into the church." "We know your spiritual, but now were going to run it. You did good. But let us take it from here. We're going to take you all the way home now."

You begun in the spirit, now you perfected by the things of the flesh. That's the lie that they're biting. See? That's the lie. They were doing good and then some bozo came along and introduced the flesh and they started to follow the flesh. And it was a bozo. It was someone with some clout. It was someone with some notoriety that was able to gain access to that church. It was someone who they listened to.

It wasn't someone who came and stood behind a lectern and they threw tomatoes at. It was someone who was smart and said "I got a better way; we can get more people". Or "we can get along with this, and it's not that bad". And then before you know it, they start rolling the snowball. It's becomes into an avalanche. That's what happens when you play with snowballs. It never stops.

Do you know why it never stops? Because the devil's never satisfied. You give him this much. He wants this much. You give him that much. He wants your life, you give him your life. He wants your family. You give him your family, he wants the world. And then when he gets that, he kills you. He's never satisfied. He's evil.

People who shoot people and children with guns are evil. It's not the gun’s fault. It's not the gun control. It's the evil inside of the person. and they will never ever fix it by gun control. You know what they'll fix by gun control? Every single criminal in America will have a gun and the good people won't. And then you know what these bozos will do? They'll scratch their heads and say "What happened?"

And then some monkey will stand up and say, "I know what we need to do." and they all will listen to that monkey for the next five years. And it's just a big cycle. It's a big cycle. "Are you so foolish…" This is true as it was first written, "… are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?"

The flesh's idea was man can marry men. The church was spiritual beginning in the spirit and then somebody came in and introduced the idea that men can marry men; because they're going to perfect the church. They're going to make it perfect by the flesh.

Praise God. Jesus Christ did everything that needed to be done. There is no more to be done. There is no more sacrifice to be made. If you prayed to God and asking for something else, he's going to tell you, "You have to get it out of what I sent you 2000 years ago, because it's all done. I’ve got no more."

What more do you want? We heard about the blood of Christ earlier. What more you want? It's not enough? We'll make it perfect by the flesh? Because of man and when man tried in the beginning, you know what the testimony of the word was? His thoughts were only evil. What? Continually.That was man.

Man's so bad that God said, "Bag this. I'm done with this." Thank God for Noah, right? That's man and he still playing the same game.

2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Corinthians teaches us in chapter 2 verse 11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices." The word "devices "is the word that means the way he thinks his thoughts. If you do a word study on this word "device", it's not used a lot in the New Testament. So It's an easy word study. But the majority of the time that it's translated it's translated "his thoughts" or "mind"; the mind of Satan.

We are not ignorant of the mind of Satan and his devices. The only way you're not going to be ignorant of his devices is through Jesus Christ. Okay? Because a son of God came to destroy the works of the devil

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You see, just because you got this, - there's a lot of people that got this - but they don't have Jesus Christ. And they are quite ignorant of Satan's devices. Without Jesus Christ, you will be ignorant of Satan's devices. You need Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ was the teacher. He was the master. He was one that exposed it. And without him, no dice.

2 Timothy 2:1-4 ¹Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ²And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. ³Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

2 Timothy teaches us that you can't afford to get entangled with the affairs of this life. That doesn't mean you don't vote. That doesn't mean that you don't do what you can do and should do and pray for your country and vote in the elections. and some that are called to serve in those positions should do that.

Because, who better than a Christian in a position of authority to help the country, as long as that Christian keeps his head in the Word. You can't entangled yourself with the affairs of this life. because you want to please God. You want to please God.

Romans 8:1-2 ¹There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans teaches us "There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." Listen. If you ever find yourself condemning yourself you're not walking after the spirit. Do you hear me? That's what the Bible says. There's no condemnation to those to those which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh."

When you walk after the flesh or when you, let me put it this way, give heed to the flesh. You are not out there purposely out of fellowship, like I'm going to do this to God. It's giving heed to those thoughts. It's giving heed to the flesh. It's giving heed, access, entry to the things of the flesh. When you start paying attention to that; when you start listening to that; when you start getting influenced by that; then you're not walking.

Then you going to condemn yourself. Just say this. "Good try, devil. For my Lord made me righteous. My Lord paid the price. Jesus Christ was a complete Savior. He didn't miss anything. He dotted every I and cross every T. So when you're coming at me telling me this, and tempting me to believe you over him. I don't think so." Try that. Try quoting the Word back to him. Try resisting the devil and what's going to happen? He will flee.

See? But don't sit there and say ohh I'm this and I'm that, and ohh I just can't succeed at anything and I'll never accomplish anything. Then you just throw some more wood on his pile, okay, on the flames of his fire. Just throw some more wood on it. Do you know what the Bible says? Where there is no wood, the fire what? goeth out.

But you want to sit there, and some of us, we're not happy with wood. We've got to get five gallons of gasoline, you know. Get the damn thing started good! And then we're going to throw the wood on. And what you doing all this time? You're beating yourself up. Don't do that. that's paying heed to the flesh. Don't do that. Don't be silly. We're supposed to shine as lights. in a dark and perverse nation. Read Philippians 2:15 and following.

So instead of looking at things and how bad things are and how high gas prices are. Right? And a dozen of eggs, and hamburger, and everything else, and all the darkness, and the sickness, and the perversion; you can choose to look at it like that. Dwell on it; get yourself depressed, full of anxiety, worry, doubt and fear. Or you can choose to have this mindset and say the darker the night, the brighter the light shines

Do you know what I heard coming home? I wanted to listen to the weather, which I hate the weather. You know what I showed my wife this morning I think. It said 90% chance of rain. That's what it says right on my phone. Then I go hour by hour in Audubon. And hour by hour in Audubon's it says 10%, 10%, 10%, 10%, 10% ,10%. So where do they come up with 90% chance of rain? Did they add up all all these 10%s together? And I showed it to her. And I said, "how can they say this? They're making like six digits a year, these guys. That's what it said. So I went to go to listen to the weather.

There's a new study out. I said I've got to listen to this one. It's a new study. People who are optimists live longer than people that are pessimists, right? And if they do not take this guy from Yale University or some big Ivy League college right study; and they said if you're positive and your this and that You know, and they started with your heart and this and that, and they did this X amount of year study with X amount of people is that you just better off and I am thinking about it.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Okay. Instead of looking at things like it's dark, even the world and in that segment knows. Be an optimist in the Word. You have a future. You have a promise. You have a Lord and Savior that can do all. You have a promise that he will never leave you or forsake you. He didn't say it wouldn't get rough along the way. He didn't say it might not get dark along the way, but he did say - and we heard in a manifestation too - that he is faithful. And he will always be faithful. And that's who we have for a father. We have a faithful God. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. That's where our strengths will come from - not from ourselves - it will come from the power of his might.