Tuesday, February 14, 2012

BEWARE OF SATAN AS A SEDUCER


Another way to fortify yourself against Satan is to study that grand gospel truth of a soul's justification before God.
If you want to be protected from your enemy as a troubler, you must take heed of him as a seducer. You can be sure he takes heed of you! The handle of the hatchet with which he chops at the root of the Christian's comfort is commonly made of the Christian's own wood. Satan is only a creature and cannot work without tools. He can indeed make much from a little, but he cannot make anything out of nothing. We see this in his assault on Christ, where he troubled himself to no purpose because he came and found nothing in Him John 14:30.
But when he comes to us he finds fossils of our old natures, which tell him much about the disposition of our hearts. These are the artifacts our carnal hearts once held so dear; our strength, our lusts, our pride. He holds them out to us, thinking to draw us away from our new-found grace in Christ. Beware of his enticements. Do not drink from his cup; there is poison in it. Do not even look on it as it sparkles in the temptation. What you drink down with sweetness, you will be sure to bring up again as gall and wormwood.
Above all sins, guard against bold or arrogant ones. You are not beyond the danger of such. If caught in the web of presumptuous sins, call quickly to God for help. If you hesitate, you only give Satan time to entangle you more tightly. But if you cry out to God in true repentance, He will come at once to rescue you. The sooner you yield to the Spirit, the less damage is done to your soul.
Acquaint yourself with this truth in all its aspects: the free mercy of God's grace; the accomplishment of Christ's sacrifice; the effectiveness of faith in appropriating these blessings Romans 3:24-25. An effectual door once opened to let the soul in to this truth will spoil the devil's market. “Rom 3:23-26, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617

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