On this LORD's Day November 8th, 2020, Beloved, I Bid you WELCOME with a heart full of LOVE and FAITH so strong in the FATHER, The SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT, Amen. Coming together to Worship is the very essence of our being and the reason that God created us in the beginning. Praise you Mighty Lord as the CALL TO WORSHIPis answered!
Luk 10:18 And He [Jesus] said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. --We pray LORD to not only open our eyes, but our ears and our very souls as we Worship You on this LORD'S DAY, Amen
Satan in all his dark glory IS so present in 2020. What a year this has been. Its not over yet! He had his bony fingers in lots of pies, and has been quite successful in bringing chaos and violence around the globe.
If we were somehow to end up on his team, or found submitting to his temptations, believing his lying words; if we were to open up a tiny door for him to enter our thoughts; or thought that we were strong enough to go TOE-to-TOE by our selves with the Prince of darkness,-- we would be overwhelmed in an instant! Satan has had thousands of years of practice. He is very good at what he does; DECEPTION. 2020 has handed us a basket full of deception, lies and temptations galore. Jesus does not change. Fear not, His will is unfolding. Trust and Obey.
OPENING PRAYER Almighty Creator we gather here on this Lord's day to worship and to grow in the WORD. To strengthen our FAITH and have confidence that it is You --O God-- who is LIGHT. Open our eyes to the TRUTH about Satan's ways, and grant us the stamina to overcome his attacks and keep him at bay through Your promise and might through Jesus our Savior, Amen
So, who is Satan? For the answer let me direct your attention to the Bible and Satan's story through the words of ELSIE MAY THOMPSON, my grandmother. She was a widow--my Grand Dad EARL had died in the early fifties. The Homestead house [with three small rooms] sat on 24 acres East of Greeley Colorado in a place called MASTERS. ELSIE knew her Bible well and she intended to make sure that her 9 children and many Grandchildren were acquainted with Holy Scripture---especially PROVERBS! [several were written expressly for me she would often say] I was a handfull.
AS a kid I would stay with Grandma ELSIE during the hot summers. Following supper and cleanup, she and I would play a few rounds of Checkers or Rummy, and then get ready for bed. ELSIE MAY would bring out the Good Book and from her rocking chair she would deliver a Bible story rendered in her own colorful way.
As she opened the Bible, Grandma Elsie asked, Who is Satan? "THE DEVIL"- I REPLIED!" Yes he is, she said. "The Devil has many names or titles, THE ENEMY, THE ACCUSER, THE SERPENT, THE DRAGON, THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD or THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR. Some say he was also called BEELZEBUB." I laughed out loud!
The Book of Genesis is where we first read about Satan; He makes his first appearance as a Serpent in Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. The Serpent fooled both Adam and Eve and they opened the door and allowed the devil to bring death and sin into the Garden of Eden and then to the world! "He was a sneaky snake, she said".
Satan is an Angel-- A EVIL ANGEL. He and a whole bunch of his fellow angels began to wage war with God and that battle rages even today up in Heaven. He was not always EVIL. In fact he was probably the most beautiful, talented, and adored ANGEL of all time in the Heavenly Host. He was even a COVERING CHERUB, sort of a special assistant to the LORD! He may have been the lead singer in the heavenly choir, probably loved by all. "ONE DAY," said ELSIE, "Satan was listening to God as he spoke with several other angels about making a man in HIS own image, in the Image of God and that this man would be the caretaker in the Garden of Eden and be in charge of all the earth and all things on the earth. " Well, this news did not set well with Satan since he felt that being the Lord of the earth should be offered to him. He longed to be in charge. Now he learns that God is going to make a MAN and give the earth to HIM!
The pages of the Bible rattled as ELSIE thumbed her way to Job 1:6-7 and began to read--Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. (7) The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." "SATAN was having a conniption-fit. Walking around, kicking rocks, muttering and sputtering to himself. God allowed Satan to mess with JOB for a while, but JOB never gave up on the Lord. Satan did not succeed in separating JOB from his God!!",- ELSIE exclaimed!
Satan is real. He exists right now. He fully knows that the end is coming soon, and that there is no possible way He will win over God. Despite this knowledge, Satan's ego, his pride, his hatred for God's creation overwhelms him to the point that he will take as many of us with him to Hell if we only give him the chance!!
Jesus never gave Satan an inch ; Mat 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus was tempted many, many times by the Devil. Jesus simply replied; Mat 4:10 "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"
I loved my Grandma ELSIE so much. She died at 98 years. Since she was only 4 foot 9 in height, her Bible looked as though it was nearly as big as she was!!
She taught us kids that Jesus is our protector. That if we call on HIM and obey His commandments--a big hedge of protection -from the Devil-will be built all around us. Jas 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Did you hear those words? SUBMIT TO GODand HE [SATAN] WILL FLEE FROM YOU!!! It's that SUBMISSION part we often forget.
We all have the responsibility of making good decisions. The conscience-- that God installed into our gut-- plays a important role in our decision making process. In fact, this internal voice is a-kin to the Holy Spirit as he counsels and guides our way. Sometimes we hear people advise that we should follow our hearts. Nah, not a good idea. The heart is pure emotion. The emotion of the heart often confuses lust with love----as such, countless sins have been hoisted high like a garrison flag a result. Listen to your gut as it listens to the Holy Spirit. Save your precious heart for Mother's day! Don't give him a finger-hold of a chance to successfully tempt you to sin.
The Devil is a fallen Angel. A created being. He cannot read your mind. He cannot be in more than one place at a time. If you are Saved, you are protected but don't get fooled. He is very good in the TEMPTING department. He cannot harm you but he can certainly lead you into being harmed. Don't open a door and invite him in. He can tempt you every day and you can simply ignore him or say THE LORD REBUKE YOU SATAN Praise You Lord! Then turn away from Satan.
Satan has a reputation of being a little bit lazy. This because he can only be in one place at a time. He LOVES the internet. From the comfort of his Lazy Boy Recliner Satan can relax in front of his 42 inch 4k Screen and simply point and click on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, SNAP-CHAT, and without breaking a sweat, The Devil can rack up THOUSANDS of followers who are hooked on pornography, pedophilia, or simply wanting to join in the on-line suffering of countless brain dead zombies who hate and verbally attack people that they have never met. Yes, Satan loves having reliable 4G or 5G service, lots of bandwidth and a fast tablet. If he is listed on your FRIENDS LIST You might just be one-mouse-click from HELL!
Here is how to rattle the devil, and ruin his day;
Every morning, before you get out of bed. Just as you are aware enough to move but before you place your feet on the floor, GET A HEAD START REBUKING THE DEVIL! Raise your hands toward the ceiling---Say "Good morning Lord, Thank-you for this breath of life today. PLEASE REBUKE SATAN this moment and keep him at a distance. Thank You and Praise you Lord Jesus, Amen" As you go about your normal business of the day, just as an unclean thought begins to form in your mind, just Exclaim "The LORD REBUKE YOU SATAN, Thank You and praise You Jesus, Amen. This will RUIN Satan's day, every day, all day!!! Don't forget to work on keeping evil well away from you. In this world denying the Devil his prize is a full time job!! We need to take it very seriously.
CLOSING PRAYER Father, we realize that we are powerless on our own. It is in and through YOU, O' Lord, that all attempts and temptations issued by the Devil will fail and fail immediately when we call upon Your Holy Name. Grant us the sublime knowledge that as Our Father, Our God, You are very protective of Your children. Trust and Obey, THAT is the way O' Lord! We are so very thankful for Your divine grace and safe embrace in Jesus, Amen and AMEN
DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, Ye heav'n-ly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen
BENEDICTION Num 6:24-26 The LORD bless you, and keep you; (25) The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; (26) The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.'
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE Luk 10:18, Gen 3:1, Job 1: 6-7, Mat 4:1, 4:10,
Jas 4:7, Num 6:24-26
Wednesday, November 11th is VETRAN's DAY. Open and close that day with prayers for those who never came home. Those brave warrioir who rest in the very presence of HE who created them. [S A L U T E]
Next week Beloved, if the Lord so wills, lets join together and learn about SEVEN GREAT TRUTHS of the GOSPEL of JESUS Christ. We pray that we will all be gathered SAME TIME, SAME PLACE, Until then---Christ go with you, Amen
HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?
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