Satan Is A Liar

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 

In 1991 I had been suffering with an undiagnosed illness called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This affliction was just beginning to be understood back then, but I had not heard about it. I saw no option but to keep pushing myself, hoping I would eventually feel better. I did not. In fact, my mental health began to break down along with my physical health. Soon after I was hospitalized with Major Depression. 

  I was at my weakest, and Satan, the enemy of every Christian, began his assault on me. Suicidal thoughts came unbidden, trying to convince me I was going to die. I did the smart thing, what every Christian should do, I went to God’s word in the Holy Bible to see what He had to say about it. 

  

I will not die but live, 

  and will proclaim what the Lord has done. Psalm 118:17 

  

  And it impossible for God to lie. 

  

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. Hebrews 6:18  

  

  God had plans for me. He had no intention of me dying when I was twenty-eight years old. I chose to believe what God told me in his word, and here I am still praising Him and telling what God has done for me twenty-six years later. 

  We have an enemy who is a liar. He often attacks us when we are at our weakest, and Satan’s primary weapon is lies. Do not believe Satan when he attacks. Believe God. Trust God. And proclaim what God has done for You! 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for protecting us from our enemy. We will praise You forever for Your great works of mercy and grace, kindness and love. Amen. 

Stop Doubting And Believe!

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:27 

  

  When Jesus entered our world, few could have imagined how much He would change everything. When He later died on a cross for our sins even His disciples did not completely realize who He was or what He had accomplished. His disciple Thomas only fully accepted who Jesus was when Thomas place his finger and hand into the miraculous wounds of Christ. 

  

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28 

  

  Jesus was not just a baby born in Bethlehem. He was a Savior, a Lord, and God manifest on the earth. He conquered death, hell, and returned as a hero to redeem mankind.  

  We live in a time flooded with the gospel. In the major democracies of the world we have churches in every town, multitudes of church in every city. Christians number in the many millions. There is no excuse for ignorance about Jesus. Like Thomas, when it comes to Jesus, it is time to stop doubting and believe. 

  Every day offers you the opportunity to doubt or believe in the goodness of God. When we are in pain, when we suffer, and feel confused as the disciples of Jesus did so long ago when the Roman soldiers led Christ to a cross, we too can lose sight of the most important things. It is time for us to hold fast, remember where we came from, and Who we belong to. We are not ships lost in a storm, but believers of the Most High God. 

  Jesus came into the world to save sinners, which includes all of us. It is past time to put away our unbelief. We should no longer need to place a finger in our Lord’s wounded wrist or a hand into the spear-pierced side of our Savior. Stop doubting, and believe! 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, the stresses of life can shake our faith. Help us to put down deeper roots, grow stronger in our faith, and believe in You. Amen. 

Make All Of Your Years Count

Our days may come to seventy years, 

  or eighty, if our strength endures; 

yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, 

  for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 

If only we knew the power of your anger! 

  Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. 

Teach us to number our days, 

  that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:10-12 

  

  

  Once as I was praying to the Lord, I sensed God saying to me: Even if I gave you ten more years, that time would pass quickly. 

   

  Those words jolted me. They made me consider that I am over fifty years old, in relatively poor health, and without becoming grim, had to admit to myself: My days are numbered. 

  Yes, even ten years, though it sounds like a long amount of time, is not very long at all. What would you do if you knew you only had ten more years? What is left on your “bucket list”? 

  I don’t know for sure how many years, weeks, or days I have left, but no matter the number, they are few. Not many people have as their last words: I thought this would never end. I lived too long. Why couldn’t I have died sooner? 

  I suspect most people, just before death, are shocked at how quickly their years passed by even if they lived many years on the earth. It is so important that we make our days count. 

  The number one way you can make your years count is to live them for the Lord. 

  

"I longed to be a flame of fire continually glowing in the divine service and building up of Christ's kingdom to my last and dying breath." — David Brainerd 

  

  David Brainerd died at 29 years old. He was a missionary to the Native Americans in the early years of the American Colonies. He suffered from poor health, depression, and lived in dismal conditions. Yet David Brainerd burned with a passion to serve his Lord. 

  You may not be a missionary, or preacher, or teacher, or doing anything except trying to survive your afflictions. Yet you can serve God by being faithful to Him, by loving those around you, making all of your days count as a child of God. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, our days are few and will pass quickly. Help us to make every day count by living for You. Amen. 

Play That Godly Music

The Lord is my strength and my shield; 

  my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. 

My heart leaps for joy, 

  and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7 

  

  I often use my Alexa device to play music. For the last few days Alexa has had a software glitch and was not playing my music correctly. I got so angry I was ready to take a hammer to the device. Like a drug addict, I need my music fix. I begin to feel uneasy, like something is missing, or that I have forgotten something important if I go too long without music. 

  I enjoy different types of music, but my go-to music is Contemporary Christian. Upbeat music is better than a cup of coffee to help me start my day off right. Music makes every day better. Indeed, there are many days that I listen to music much more than I watch television or do any other activity. 

  Christian music lifts my spirit, gets my mind on God and off of myself. Praise lifts my spirit toward the One who created me. I have enjoyed music since I was a little boy, and the pinnacle of great music is that which involves praise to God and lifting His Name up high. 

  God created music. Heaven is filled with music as angels lift their voices in praise to God. I suspect as good as music is here on earth, it is nothing compared to the glorious sounds that will fill our ears and hearts in heaven. 

  Take time this week to fill your heart and mind with music that praises God. There is nothing better to change your mind and redirect your thoughts than glorious godly music. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of music! It is one of Your greatest blessings. We will praise You with it forever! Amen. 

Lord Give Us Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 

  

  I had just come through one of my worst times of asthma and allergy problems. Throughout much of the allergy season I was taking antibiotics and Prednisone so I could breathe. As the cold weather arrived, my allergy and asthma nightmare ended. But then my back began to hurt and give me trouble. 

  I prayed to the Lord for both healing and a season of rest. I needed a season of rest. Within, I felt the Lord impress upon me that my back problem would soon be gone. Nevertheless, I said to the Lord: “Can’t I have a season free of problems? Some time without additional issues?” 

  It seems we get very little rest on this earth. If a calamity is not affecting us, it is affecting our friends or family. Though we have many blessings, and God is good to us in more ways than we can count, trials often arrive one after another. 

  When we are hurting, suffering, or facing a new trial, we feel frustrated and discouraged. We can lose sight of the multitude of blessings God gives us when instead we are focused on the thorns and difficulties in our lives. Often, we must take a step back, take our eyes off of our troubles, and remember how often God has blessed us. God helps us through many things throughout our lives. Recalling this fact can help put our present afflictions into perspective. 

  As new problems arise, try to recall old blessings, and cumulative blessings God has poured into your life. The present pain gets our attention, but often such things come and go. Yet God’s ever-present help continues. His strength is everlasting, and our position with Him is unchanging. We are the blessed children of God no matter what trials come into our lives. The Lord gives us peace and rest now, and everlasting peace and rest in the world to come. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, life frustrates us with its trials and afflictions. Give us strength, peace, and rest, we pray. Amen.