"A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated."
Proverbs 14:17, ESV
See, there was this being at one time in Heaven, and his name was lucifer. I know that he is not and was not a man, but the principle is still sound as an application, because he grew greedy, prideful, and thought he could take a place above the Father. The enemy was not satisfied with his proper place, but rather than shine for the Father in that place, lucifer grew hot-tempered over the issue, and tried to overthrow the Throne. How did that work out? Oh, right... he was cast into the pit of hell, never to escape, and all those who joined him went, as well.
Even though we are not supposed to hate anyone (people), I would bet that if I asked people if they hated satan, they would probably say that they do. Again, not a man and I know that, but the principle is applicable just the same. And really, if there was one being that you really reserved your hatred for, wouldn't satan be the best choice? I mean, he clearly is of evil devices, and he certainly acts foolishly. In reality, actually, I think that hatred of satan is a good thing, because we are supposed to hate unrighteousness, and he kinda embodies that, right?
So I promised that there would be an eye-opener in this section, and I'm going to make good on that promise right now. When you and I allow the other six sins we've discussed, whether one by itself or any combination of them, regardless of their individual manifestation and specific circumstances, something happens. As Christians, in those moments, we realize that we are doing wrong, and we grow angry, as I mentioned before. That anger then manifests into wrath, and that is when we, if we allow it to continue, embody the enemy. Yeah, I said that.
You see, the demonic name assigned to wrath is satan, and if we are embodying wrath, we are embodying satan. Does that sting? It certainly should. We are charged, all of us, to show the character of Christ by allowing His love and grace and peace to shine through us. Acceptance of His salvation is an amazing freedom, but the responsibility to live like Christ is also present in that, and this is shown in the commands to love others (John 13:34-35), forgive others (Mark 11:25), turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), and show others the care that you would want shown to you (Luke 6:31). If we're not doing that, then we're harboring anger, we're holding onto resentment, we're protecting our other cheek, and we're asking other to do for us what we're unwilling to do for them. Does that sound like someone you have heard of before? A certain serpentine being from a little moment in the Bible known as "Original Sin" (reference Genesis 3)?
Every day we have a choice in how we respond to everything that happens in our lives. As Christians, we are supposed to respond in love and grace and peace to all things, to show the love of Christ and make it evident that we are different and set apart. Any time we do the opposite, we are showing the world within us, and I have to tell you, friends, that there is truth in another Scripture we can memorize and use to maintain our demeanor...
"Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."
1 John 4:4, KJV
A friend and pastor pointed out to me that anyone living in perpetual sin is being demonized. Before I have all of you upset with me for calling you demons, please know that I am just as guilty in this as anyone else. It is difficult to always maintain an outward breath of grace onto any situation. I do not do well in this... like, at all... but I think that having thought about it in this way for the first time, realizing that my anger and wrath are the embodiment of the demon satan himself, I will be more aware of my responses and my temper. This is why I think that this portion will create and allow for a major turning point in all of our lives, with respect to wrath specifically.
Also, know that there is a weapon against wrath and against satan: prayer. Another pastor I follow on facebook and twitter asked in his book 30 Words: A Devotional For The Rest Of Us that the reader write down five things to be thankful for, and three to pray for Heaven's provision, and then pray over those eight things every day for 30 days. I have taken up that challenge, and I am enjoying the freedom and blessing of it all, battling my sins directly with prayers for the provision of the Creator to come right into my life. I would ask that you also take up that challenge, whether this is one of them or not, and write down the five thankfuls and the three provision-neededs, and pray over them constantly for 30 days. It will feel great, I promise.
We don't need to have any demons in our lives, friends. However, demons are real, and spiritual warfare is real, and it is fought in the battleground of the heart of each and every human being on earth. And while I am using the names ascribed to them for specific purposes in this study, please know that the knowledge of their names is unnecessary... because we know the only Name that grants salvation, the Name that is above all other names, and that is the Name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for us to be freed from the complete control of any demon in the universe, because no power can surmount Him! Give thanks for that today, and expel your wrath as we move forward.
God bless you all!!!
(Go visit www.30wordsbook.com to download your copy of @JarridWilson new book, and sign up to follow him on facebook, twitter, instagram, and YouTube. Grace and peace! #30WordsBook)
No comments:
Post a Comment