Just like I
wrote the other day on the threat of knowledge, the enemy is not happy when we
begin to He is angry with those who have the guts to search for the truth about God. So don’t be surprised when you encounter all kinds of discouragement when you try to become a more knowledgeable Christian. Know it’s the old serpent, doing his best to deter you.
Before we proceed further you must know this: you have the Almighty God on your side who has already won the victory for you through Jesus! You are more than a conqueror! Therefore no weapon formed against you shall prosper. No matter how hard the enemy howls at you, you will prevail. Greater is HE who is in us than he that is in the world. You are a winner even before the battle begins.
So how does the
enemy try to discourage you from pursuing godly knowledge and living as God
commands? We will use examples in the Bible to see how.
In the book of
Ezra, we read of the return of the Israelites back from exile in Persia. As
expected the people set about re-building their homes and nothing happened. But
when they realised they needed to re-build the temple of God, then all their
enemies came around! Why? Because these enemies knew that the strength of
Israel laid in their belief in God. And their dedication to re-building a
temple to enthrone God and worship HIM meant God would protect them. This would
of course make it difficult for their enemies to overthrow them.
In Ezra 4:1-4,
the first thing they did was to attempt to deceive them. They
pretended they were their friends and wanted to help the Israelites re-build
the temple also. But the Israelites knew their real intention and refused their
offer, which was in reality a ploy to sabotage their efforts. How do we know that? Well when these
enemies realised they had been out-smarted, they resorted to fear, threats,
lies and intimidation to prevent the
re-building of the temple. If they really wanted to help like they initially said, they wouldn't have been such pests!
But the
Israelites prevailed eventually because they realised the importance of their
task. They were too determined to be distracted. They were intent on fulfilling
the purpose of God in their lives and so they persisted with courage,
determination and trust in God as well as the knowledge of God.
Our Lord Jesus
also encountered similar distractions from the devil. He was tempted in the
wilderness after his fasting to forfeit his purpose. The devil offered Him
money, honour, glory of the world if only He would bow down and worship him.
But our Lord Jesus resisted him. Even when Simon Peter, His disciple tried to prevent Him from His coming death, Jesus rebuked him, calling Peter, Satan.
Why did Jesus
call Simon Peter Satan? Because He knew the devil was using the fear and
genuine concern of Peter to discourage Jesus. This was in direct conflict with God’s
purpose which was for Jesus to die for the world.
In the same way
dear friends, we will be enticed by many to leave the pursuit of God. We will
be enticed by things that appear more interesting and appealing.
This will come
from people who supposedly care about us. And when they cannot entice you to
abandon your search for godly knowledge and living, they will threaten you. You
will be threaten with loneliness, with misunderstandings, with abandonment, with rejection, with loss,
with lies and pain. There will be a cost for your decision to stay focused on the purpose of God for your life. There will be a cost for searching for the truth of God and knowledge.
But once again,
remember you have victory in Christ and His grace is sufficient for you! God is
on your side and if you will hold on and remain committed to the knowledge of
God’s truth and love, you will triumph!
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Image1 courtesy:http://goodnessofgodministries.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/knowledge_of_god.png
Image2 courtesy:http://www.salecitychurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Victory-940x250.jpg
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