The Devil

The Devil Leaveth Him

Matthew 4:11

"Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."

If you do anything for the LORD, you can expect to get the Devil's attention. Jesus barely started His ministry on Earth, when the Devil came to tempt Him. You would think the Devil would know better than to tempt Jesus Christ, but he still tried to no avail. When the Devil was done, the Scriptures said that he left Jesus. Wow, that must have been a relief; however, when the Devil left Jesus, he didn't leave Him for long because you find later in the Scriptures that he came back.

Knowing the tactics of the Devil is just as important as knowing how to overcome his attacks. There is nothing fun about having to ward off the attacks of the Devil. The Devil doesn't play by the rules. He is a dirty player. He doesn't care how he gets at you, he is simply out to win. You must be careful in thinking that the Devil is done fighting you when he leaves you. He will come back, and he will come back with a vengeance. Let me give you some thoughts about this truth.

First, just because you won the battle doesn't mean the war is over. The Devil is a sore loser. If you won the battle over one temptation, you can always rest assured that he will come after you with another. One of the mistakes many Christians make is that they become overconfident when they win a battle over the Devil. Many times you will find that the Devil will allow you to win a battle just so he can defeat you with overconfidence. Christian, always remember when you win a battle, the Devil will not be happy about it, and you must beware that you are still in the battle.

Second, you must continue doing after the battle what you did to win the battle. Jesus did not stop His prayer life after He overcame the Devil's temptation; rather, He kept praying because He realized more battles would come. When the Devil leaves you, don't think that you can let up in your walk with God. You are going to need your walk with God to strengthen you for the next time you face the Devil.

Third, the absence of the Devil is temporary. Luke 4:13 says, "And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season." Notice, it was not a permanent departure, but a temporary one. I point this out because you need to prepare yourself for the next battle with the Devil when he leaves you. You must always remember that everything the Devil does is temporary. The joy he offers from sin is temporary, and the reprieve from the battle is also temporary. When you win a battle, enjoy it for a very short moment, but remember the war is not over and the Devil will return.

Finally, let me encourage those in the battle with the Devil that he will leave you. When you are in the battle, it can become discouraging because you wonder if he is ever going to leave. I can testify that he will leave. You simply need to hang in there and realize that a reprieve is on the way. You may think that you can't take it, but the LORD will step in and will never allow the battle to become greater than you can bear.

The Devil is a fierce opponent. The greatest victory you will achieve in life is overcoming the Devil. But, when you overcome him, always remember he will bounce back. Be ready! Don't let him catch you off guard when he returns.

Walls

Towns Without Walls

Zechariah 2:4

"And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:"

A town without walls in Zechariah's day was clearly a sign of weakness. The restraint of walls kept the enemy from invading the town. The restraint of walls kept the wild animals from killing children. A town without walls was a weak town. As long as Jerusalem remained without walls, it was vulnerable to the attack of the enemy.

God told Zechariah to speak to the young man. This is interesting because God expected the young man to be the one to build the walls again. The young man had his whole future ahead of him, and God wanted the young man to be sure to build the walls in his lifetime. For what purpose? For the purpose of protecting those whom he loved and for the purpose of protecting his family. Without walls, the city would be destroyed and those within it. It was imperative for the young man to build walls for the town.

Christian, just as it was dangerous for this town to have no walls, it is just as dangerous for you not to build walls in your life. Your town is your life and those for whom you are responsible. Your town is your spouse and children. Without walls, your life and loved ones are at risk of being destroyed. Let me remind you that the Devil is out to destroy God's children. He will send everything your way to destroy their mind, attitude and life. It is very important that every person realize that they need to build walls in their lives so that they don't become a town without walls. Let me give you a few areas where you need to build walls in your life.

First, build walls of decency in your life. You should have guidelines by which you abide concerning your dress. You should realize that young ladies should always be decent. Every time we tell someone to dress decently, we are building the walls of decency. In my home, I have built walls of decency for my wife and daughter by setting guidelines on how they should dress. The walls of decency consist of making sure the necklines are not too low, the dress lines are not too high and the fitting is not too tight. These are walls of decency we have. We also built walls of decency where we are always decent in front of each other. Just because we are family does not give me a right to run around with my shirt off. There needs to be walls of decency in every home.

Second, build walls of friendship. Friends will ultimately determine what you or your children will become. The best guideline a person can have for themselves is to never have friends who would pull you away from what you have been taught. I try to make sure that every friend I have would not spiritually weaken me, but they would strengthen me. Furthermore, parents need to build walls of friendship for their children. Parents should decide with whom their children can associate. This may seem extreme, but if you don't keep walls for your children's friendship, they may meet one person who will destroy them. Parents should always determine the friendships of their children.

Finally, build walls of spirituality. I am talking about making sure you daily spend time walking with God in His Word and in prayer. This will help you build walls in your life. Likewise, you should build walls by attending every service of your church. Whenever you miss one service, you are missing one brick of truth that will help you build walls in your life.

Don't be a town without walls. Be sure to build the walls in your life, and be sure the walls you have built do not decay. If your walls are strong, then you will be able to withstand the attack of the enemy.

Matter?

It Really Doesn't Matter

Zephaniah 1:12

"And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil."

One of the statements that really gets under my skin is when a person says, "I don't care."That seemed to be the attitude of the Jews. The verse above says that they were "settled on their lees." "Lees" is the sediment of the wine in the barrel. It was the refuse of the juice. If you have ever drank something and got to the bottom of the cup and saw some granules that settled at the bottom, that is the lees of that drink. These people we happy with the refuse of life. It really didn't matter that they could have it better in life, for they were settled on having what they had.

Even worse, the Scriptures tell us that in their heart they said, "The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil." In other words, they had the mentality that God didn't care that they lived this way. They had a mentality that God was far off and uninterested in their life. What a sad mentality! The attitude of settling for the "lees" of life caused them to have the mentality that God doesn't care. That mentality led to their destruction. Thinking that it really doesn't matter led them to the judgment of God.

I would like to remind the Jews that it really did matter. It mattered because there was another generation who watched their careless attitude. It mattered because lives were destroyed by sin. It mattered because the best in people was not being realized. It mattered because God is a God Who expects excellence. It really did matter because their attitude led to destruction. The Jews were better than having a careless attitude. It really did matter to God, and it should have mattered to them.

Sadly, I find many Christians who seem to have the same attitude, that attitude that it really doesn't matter. This is one of the most selfish attitudes a person can have. The reason is doesn't matter to many is because it doesn't personally affect them. As long as what goes on doesn't touch them, then they really don't care. Churches are filled with Christians who have a careless attitude about what happens in their church and society. Our nation is filled with people who really don't care about wicked policies that are destroying their nation. As long as they are happy and they can live and die without those policies affecting them, then they settle on their lees.

Let me remind you that we should never accept the lifestyle that lives at the bottom of the barrel. Whatever happened to the drive inside of people to better themselves and their surroundings? Where are those who take upon themselves the attitude that they will leave every place a better place?

Let me challenge you to become a person who doesn't accept the careless mentality that says, "It really doesn't matter." Let me challenge you to make everything matter in your life. Every action that you perform should matter. Every thing that God allows your hand to do should matter. Every project that you start should matter. Every person who is hurting should matter to you. Every soul that has an eternity should matter. Simply put, become a person who truly cares about everything you do. If you will make your life one that strives for excellence, then your life will be one in which everything truly matters.

Attitude

The Power of a Good Attitude

Daniel 6:3

"Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm."

I'm not sure one could ever discover the total power that a good attitude has, but it is very evident that a good attitude will help a person tremendously. The greatest thing about your attitude is that you are ultimately the one who decides what kind of attitude you will have. Your attitude is not one that is inherited, though your attitude could resemble the good and bad attitudes of your parents, but your attitude is a determined choice.

You must understand that there is a difference between a person's attitude and their personality. Though both are tightly knit, there are great differences. Your personality is a combination of who you are; whereas, your attitude is determined by how you face life and circumstances. Your personality is a combination of your characteristics, but your attitude is your choice of outlook towards your circumstances. Though, in all actuality, both are your choice, your attitude will determine what people think about you more than anything else.

Daniel was promoted to a high political office because of his attitude. The verse above says about Daniel, "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him;..." You will notice that it was Daniel's attitude that grabbed the king's attention. I'm quite confident that all the men the king looked at to fill a position were intellectual and capable men, but ultimately it was Daniel's attitude that caused him to obtain the coveted position. Yes, I'm sure character played a big role in the matter, and yes, God certainly worked in the king's heart in this matter, but Daniel's attitude is what made the difference.

Your attitude will make or break your potential in life. The power of a good attitude is tremendous. When everything else is equal, your attitude is the one thing that will separate you from everyone else. A good attitude will cause a person of lesser qualifications to be recognized over a person with better qualifications. You can try to overlook the importance of your attitude, but eventually it plays a big role in how far you go in life. If you have a bad attitude, you can expect to be overlooked for many positions that you desire. But, if you will work on having a good attitude, then you will be amazed how far your attitude will take you. I am not trying the minimize the importance of training, but you can have all the training in the world and have a bad attitude, and you will go nowhere.

Christian, your attitude is a choice. You choose how you face circumstances. You can have an attitude that complains and gripes about everything, or you can have a good attitude and see the good in every situation in life. A good attitude mainly comes by determining you will find the good in everything.

A good attitude can help turn a bad marriage into a good one. A good attitude will turn an average position into a great position. A good attitude will turn a gloomy day into a great day. A good attitude will turn a blah personality into a happy personality. Ultimately, it is your choice. I challenge you to constantly work on having a good attitude. Every morning when you get up, ask God to help you have a good attitude towards what you will face, then determine that no matter what you face you will have a good attitude. If you will have a good attitude, you will find that life is truly great and that God has truly blessed you in a great way.

Carcases((Tag:Devotional by Allen Domelle))

Bury Your Carcases

Ezekiel 43:9

"Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever."

If one could guarantee that you could have the presence of God in your life forever, you would think a person would do what it takes to have this guarantee. In the verse above, God gives such a guarantee. It seemed simple for Israel to have God's presence. He did not expect them to do something outlandish to have His presence. The prerequisite to having God's presence forever was to "...put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me,..."

This seems like a simple prerequisite to have God's presence. Yet, when you look at this statement a little closer, you understand why God said what He did. God told them to put away their "whoredom." God often talks about idolatry as whoredom. God always addressed Israel as if He was married to them. In Jeremiah 3:8, God talks about giving Israel a "bill of divorce." Israel practiced idolatry, and God considered it an act of whoredom for them to worship an idol instead of Him.

So, if idolatry was the whoredom that God is talking about, then why would God tell them to remove the "carcases of their kings" for His presence to be with them forever? The phrase, "and the carcases of their kings," is a continuation of the previous phrase. God was showing that the people of Israel had worshipped their previous kings to the degree that they became idols in their lives. In other words, the people looked more to the kings of the past for guidance than they did to God. It was not that God didn't want them to follow the principles of these past kings, but these people were more interested in what the kings said more than what God said. God wanted them to remove the carcases of the kings so that they would look to Him. The result would be His presence forever.

When looking at this verse, it is no wonder that God's presence is void in the lives of many Christians and churches today. One of the problems I see in Christianity is that many look to what the preachers of the past say more than they look to what God says. Let me explain. Many people validate what they do because of what a past preacher said, and not because God's Word tells them to do something. As long as God's Word and the past preacher's principle agree, it would seem that there would be no problem; however, there is a problem. The problem is that we are not to serve man, we are to serve God. Just because the man's principles are synonymous with God's does not make it right to worship people from the past. God will share His glory with no man, and God demands that we serve Him. We must be careful that we don't make gods out of the great men of God of the past. We must realize they don't validate God's principles and methods, God's principles and methods stand on their own without these men. These men simply obeyed God's principles and methods, and that is why God used them.

Furthermore, you must be careful about doing something just because your parents or a relative in the past told you to do it. Though what they told you may be right, you should always do something because God told you to do it. You are not to replace God in your life with people from the past.

Let me ask you, are there carcases in your life that need to removed? Have you based your beliefs and actions on what someone from the past has said? Your belief system and actions should only be based upon God's Word. Be careful about worshipping the carcases of the past; instead, keep your eyes on God. If you will keep your eyes on God, then you will find God's presence will be with you at all times.

Cleansing

The Cleansing Process

Ezekiel 36:33

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded."

Sin has a way of putting a grip on someone's life. When a person sins, they soon find out that sin has a firm grip that is hard to break. In fact, it is humanly impossible to completely free yourself from sin. It takes divine intervention for a person to be freed from sin's grip.

God shows us in this chapter the process a person must go through to be freed from sin's grip. You just don't get rid of sin overnight. You may immediately stop your sin, but being cleansed from your sin takes time. You must understand that the desire of sin is still there; therefore, you must be cleansed from sin if you want to be completely free from it. Let me show you the process it takes to be cleansed from sin.

First, you must realize that you cannot do the cleansing process yourself. Verse 29 says, "I will also save you from all your uncleannesses:..." Notice, God says He does the cleansing. God reinforces this claim in 1 John 1:9 when He says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Too many people have faith in an organization to cleanse them, when God is the only One Who can truly cleanse anyone from sin. Though I am not against addiction programs, an addiction program of itself cannot cleanse you from sin. It can certainly show you that God is the One Who can cleanse you, but without pointing you to God the program will fail. The greatest reason you must trust in God is because He can cleanse you from any sin.

Second, your heart must be changed. Verse 26 shows us that God must give you a new heart. In other words, your sentiments towards your sin must be changed to be cleansed from sin. If you stop your sin, but don't change your sentiment towards your sin, then you will eventually go back to it. You will notice in the same verse God talks about giving you a new spirit. God was simply saying that nobody can be completely cleansed from sin when the sin itself doesn't bother them. If you stop sin simply because you were told not to do it, then you will eventually go back to it. To be cleansed from sin, your attitude towards sin must change. You must realize that it is wrong. You must admit that it is more than a disease, but it is a sin.

Third, God must change your perception about what you have done. Verse 31 says, "Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations." Until you get to the point where what you have done is disgusting to you, then you have not been cleansed from sin. Many people don't look at what they've done as disgusting. When God cleanses you, you will find that you will hate the whole sin from the first participation in it to the time you gave it up.

Christian, everyone must fight sin because everyone is a sinner. Your only hope to be freed from your sin is to allow God to send you through the cleansing process. Let me encourage you to daily ask God to not only forgive you of your sin, but to cleanse you from it. God is more interested in your cleansing than He is in anything else. Once you are cleansed from your sin, you will find the desire for it will not longer be there.