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"Four Weapons Of Destruction"
Message
summary:
Our enemy's
purpose
statement is "to
steal and kill
and destroy".
But
thankfully,
Jesus came
that they we
may have life,
and have it
more
abundantly".
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"The
thief comes
only to steal
and kill and
destroy" (John
10:10a).
We
are flooded
with false and
misleading
information
including
advertising.
I've begun to
see it as the
rule rather
than the
exception.
With AI
joining the
flood of
deception we
need
discernment
like never
before. This
is illustrated
by the caption
to our photo
today and
clearly faulty
AI bird
identification.
I enjoy watching YouTube videos on an eclectic variety of topics including trains, how to fix things, how things are made, bloggers that visit the slums of a major city and so forth. But there are always ads sprinkled through them and you have to watch so much of the ad before you can proceed.
The
other day I
heard an ad
for some type
of health
product and it
stated that if
you used it
you would
never die. Now
admittedly I
was partly
zoned out but
I am sure
that's what it
said. Sounds a
lot like the
first lie from
Satan. "But
the serpent
said to the
woman, 'You
will not
surely die'"
(Genesis 3:4).
In
the
mid-twentieth
century
mankind
developed a
type of
weaponry
unknown up
until that
period of
history:
weapons of
mass
destruction.
Traditionally
we have
understood
these weapons
to be nuclear,
chemical and
biological.
The
distinction of
these weapons
is that they
can kill
people in mass
and when used
they rarely
make a
significant
distinction
between
military or
civilian.
You can be
certain that
more weapons
of mass
destruction
are being
developed.
That's the
nature of
sinful
humanity. We
wonder what
drones can do
and
electromagnetic
weapons.
When I
consider that
these types of
weapons have
been available
my entire life
it's amazing
that evil
hands having
access to them
haven't
brought about
a cataclysmic,
earth-altering
or even
earth-ending
event. This is
evidence to me
of God's
sovereign
overarching
control. It
won't be over
until God
ordains that
it is over!
Today let us
consider four
weapons of
mass spiritual
destruction
that Satan has
used from the
very
beginning. In
fact these
weapons can be
seen in the
Garden of Eden
and all
throughout
Biblical and
human history.
And they are
abundantly
used in our
own age. It is
essential that
we identify
these weapons
of destruction
and be on our
guard:
1) Satan uses the weapon of mass distraction. He will cause us to lose our focus on the things of eternal value with trinkets primarily designed to get our attention off the main goal. The apostle Paul strived to keep this focus with the following resolve, "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9).
2) Satan uses the weapon of mass denial. In the garden he used this weapon by informing Eve, "You surely will not die!" (Genesis 3:4). He denied the truthfulness of a direct statement from God who said, "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17).
3) Satan uses the weapon of mass downplay. Satan will whisper and downplay, "It's not a big deal". But so many things in life that are not really a big deal, when not nipped in the bud, can become a big deal.
4) Satan uses the weapon of mass distortion. His cunning ways are seen again in the Garden when he distorted God's truth stating to Eve, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1). But God actually said, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:16,17). The lesson here is that we must know God's Word thoroughly so that we can guard ourselves against distorted teachings that may even include an element of Scripture. Jesus showed mastery over this during His times of temptation.
Today's
Bible text is
a reference to
Satan. His
purpose
statement is "to
steal and kill
and destroy".
But
thankfully, as
many of you
know, we only
quoted the
first part of
the verse. It
goes on to
say, "I
(Jesus) came
that they may
have life, and
have it more
abundantly".
Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13.
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, our
hope plummets
and our souls
despair when
we consider
the first
portion of
John 10:10;
"The thief
comes to
steal, kill
and destroy",
for it
describes our
arch enemy
whose sole
mission is to
take anything
and everything
that is of
importance,
whether it is
of earthly
value or
eternal value.
But the gloom
and despair is
lifted as
Jesus further
tells His
listeners,
"but I have
come to give
life and give
it more
abundantly."
The thief
takes, but You
give, for You
are the giver
of life,
giving freely
and abundantly
here and now,
and far more
fully in the
life to come.
Thank You for
defeating the
enemy of our
soul that
seeks to
destroy us
with his
arsenal of
distraction,
denial,
downplay and
distortion.
You don't tear
down but build
us up for You
are our
Redeemer and
Deliverer, for
which we are
eternally
thankful.
Amen.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version and a variety of other versions.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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