Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
For 30 years, I’ve always had some type of housecat in our home. When I was a child, we had guinea pigs and dogs, but I found out later that cats are pretty quiet. They are not as demanding as other pets, and most of the work involved has to do with changing their litter. My daughter Charity really loves animals, but up here in the woods, I’ve explained to her that there are many very dangerous ones. I’ve always warned the children about mountain lions, which are more commonly known up here in Northern Minnesota as Cougars. Many times the DNR will try to dismiss any danger from these animals, but the truth is that the dangers do exist. Even if one or two of them are wandering around our area, precaution needs to be exercised for the sake of the children, and the public needs to be informed. Andrew and I work out in the woods quite regularly and know a lot of the hunters in our area. One of them showed us a video of a cougar that was taken within 10 feet of the place that we were working at. I’ve always taught Andrew to keep a lookout in the trees above us as we work, just to make sure that we don’t get jumped while we are in the woods. We have had cougars within one mile of our home that have been captured on game cameras by neighboring deer hunters. Although a cougar may be cautious about trying to attack an adult, children are a different matter. Cougars like to chase a moving target, and many times will attack a small child or a pet as their prey. I have heard from numerous people that a cougar can be attracted to a ponytail on a child’s head.
This reminds me of the Christian life
Like a hungry cougar, the devil wants to attack our children. Like a wolf, He goes for the weaker and easier prey. The devil is a power hungry weakling. He is so weak that instead of attempting to confront the divine power of a true man of God, he will go after a woman and the children instead. This is what Pharaoh did when he couldn’t defeat Moses. He couldn’t defeat Moses or his God so he decided to go after the first born of Israel. When he chose this path, his life as he knew it, was over. God saved and delivered Israel, and destroyed the first born of Egypt.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Oh sure, a cougar or even a wolf, can look cute and cuddly, but the truth is that they can be extremely dangerous. Appearances can be very deceiving. A woman can be very pretty and beautiful on the exterior, but on the inside is a betraying vicious snake. A person can be filled with smiles and laughter, while the truth is underneath they are wicked and evil. This is the way that devils present themselves, with laughter, joy, and smiles, but they are led by the father of lies. Deceit is the most prominent tool in his tool chest. The devil can appear as a minister of righteousness but his goal is to lead you astray.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
The devil might preach the gospel wearing makeup, a fancy hairdo, a short skirt and high heels, but no matter how they may appear, it is the devil inside. This is why we need to be filled with scripture, so that we can wisely discern the devil and his fraudulent ways.
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Many people hated the Apostle Paul and were hoping that he would die. He knew that upon his death, wolves would come forth and try to destroy the work that he had started. This is how big of a weakling the devil is, too afraid to stand up against God’s chosen saints. If he did, maybe he would go blind for a season, or end up with leprosy. Jesus gave the disciples complete authority over all devils. The devil is a weakling and doesn’t hold a candle to the saints of God. He’s out of his league, attempting to fight a battle that he will lose in the end. The saints of God are endued with power and authority, to plague the devil with sickness, disease, and death. Elymas learned that lesson quickly.
Acts 13:8-12 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Paul knew that upon his death wolves would show up.
Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
The saints have power over the devil.
Luke 10:17-19 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Like a soldier in the military, we have been given the weapons that we need in order to put down the enemy. We need not be afraid of the devil. The time has come for the devil to run at the appearance of the saints of God. He knows he’s up against an army that he cannot defeat. The true saints of God are part of the resistance. They resist the works of the devil and all those who are involved with it.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
When the saints of God stand up against the devil, he will run away with his tail between his legs. He cannot compete with the power of God and the sword of God’s Word.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Never trust what something appears on the exterior.
Matthew 23:27-28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
The devil likes to attack those who are weak, but those of us who are strong, need to stand up against his works. The devil is weak when it comes to being taken to task by a man of God. You have not known power until you have known the extreme power of a saint. Power to blind sinners, and power to destroy. Power to raise the dead, and power to heal. Powers both to forgive sinners or to bind them to damnation. If there’s anybody you don’t want to mess with, it is a saint. Don’t be afraid of the devil, it is time for the devil to be afraid. The fear of God needs to be upon him and all those who follow him. It won’t be the saints of God who lose this battle, it will be…….
……The Cougar
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by Google searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, or by getting our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com, or I suppose, you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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