God Uses Satan for His Purposes

 

The devil cheated Adam and Eve out of their dominion over the earth by his deception, manipulation and lies. This was part of God's eternal design. What Satan plans to use to harm us, God means for our good (Genesis 50:20).

Satan also schemed in his heart to destroy Jesus and to protect his place as the god of this world. Yet, Jesus went to the cross with joy in His heart as He focused on the glory awaiting Him in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2).

We live life with this same joy in our own hearts, regardless of our circumstances, looking forward to sitting together with Christ and serving Him for eternity (1 Corinthians 4:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:8 10; Ephesians 1:21, 2:4-6).

There is no need for us to spend time fighting Satan. We draw near to God, resist the devil and he must flee from us (James 4:7). Satan has no authority of his own. He can only do the bidding of our Father God.

For example, Jesus, the Lamb of God, who is opening the seal, bowl and trumpet judgments during the Great Tribulation, directs the plans and purposes of the anti-Christ (Revelation 5:2-10).

God uses Satan for His eternal purpose on the earth. He gives Satan the power to employ sin's temptation to draw hearts away from God, which were never sold out to Him in the first place.

These people sit on the fence, giving lip-service to God and serving and giving to God's Kingdom; but they are just going through the motions (Mathew 7:22). They were never truly converted in their spirit.

When we totally surrender our will to God in salvation, His Spirit enters our spirit. He directs our every thought, word and deed. We actually become the love of Christ to the world of lost humanity around us (John 2:12-14; Exodus 33:13).

Prayer:

Father God, as authentic Believers, we submit to You, then resist the devil, and he has to flee from us (James 4:7). This does not mean our tribulation in life will end, but that You love us and make us more than conquerors through every trial (Romans 8:37). We can trust in You through everything that we experience in life, because You care for us (1 Peter 5:7).

You even make all of our paths straight because of our enemies (Psalm 27:11; Zechariah 4:7). Jesus is exalted in us as we overcome life's hurdles. He makes us His joint heirs by His power within us (1 John 3:2; Ephesians 3:6). We find our true self, hidden with Christ in You (Colossians 3:3). Help us to respond to You when You call us out of sin into Your glorious life (1 Peter 2:9).

Thought for the Day:

Problems are simply opportunities for God to prove Himself strong on our behalf; we find out what He is doing in every situation and then join Him.

Spectating or Serving

The church is the Body and Bride of Christ, commissioned to carry the gospel into all the world, and especially in our local community. We reach out with the gospel of Christ to friends, relatives, work and hobby associates and neighbors (Mark 16:15-16).

We serve in one ministry in our local church as the Lord calls us to assist, working in an area in which we are interested, and remaining faithful to that calling until God directs us to serve in a new direction in our church body (Romans 12:4-5).

When we see a need, or something that is blocking the growth of our church family, rather than complaining, ridiculing and looking for another church, we put our hand to the plow and help to change things for the better.

This may require that we increase our financial giving, spend more time supporting the church leadership and ministries, taking the initiative to ask the leadership the ways in which we can be the most help to the Body and allowing them to equip us for this ministry.

We do not expect our church to have the personality, ministries, outreach and worship identical to every other church in town, because God gives each congregation His own unique flavor to meet the need for which He designed our particular congregation.

We faithfully pray to the Lord of the Harvest to bring workers into the field; and we serve as an example of a loving, outreaching, soul-winning, hardworking member of the local church where God calls us.

When we do this, we see God's hand faithfully supplying all the needs in our life and in the life of that congregation; and we feel blessed to be a part of His work in our community as we partake in the ministries of the family of God meeting in the facilities which God provided and for which we care and contribute towards.

Prayer:

Father God, raise up congregations across the nation that are committed to one another as Your family. It is so easy for a person to divorce a congregation and go across town to find one that better suits their needs, with no regard to Your will for them in service to that original congregation. Help us to covenant together in faith and to fellowship around the Gospel instead of the worship or preaching style, the size of the bulletin or the amount of lights and instruments used on the stage.

Teach us to agree on the central truths of Your Word and to live by these truths rather than by our personal preferences and carnal desires. Inform us about the true meaning of our spiritual gifts and help us to find a place to use those gifts for the mutual edification of the Body in which You call us to serve.

Remind us that contrary to popular belief, the church is not a gathering of spectators called to criticize the music, minister and ministries of a particular congregation. Before we were even conceived, You called us and placed us in a certain church in order to serve the Body in any needed ministry to which you call us (Ephesians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

We do not discriminate in the fellowship of the church, but we include every race, nationality, dialect and personality; however, we do insist on members adhering to the primary principles of the scripture and living according to its dictates rather than the liberal, all-inclusive attitude of the world today; everyone is welcome to attend, but God only offers membership in His family to adherents of Biblical Truth.

Gifts From Above

The Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell in everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38).  God gives gifts to His Body through the Holy Spirit in order for us to bless and minister to one another, as well as for us to evangelize the world by telling them that God loves them and Jesus died to save them (1 Corinthians 12:7). God gives these gifts indiscriminately and one gift is not of any greater or lesser significance than any other (1 Corinthians 12:11).

We cannot take pride in or credit for our gifts, because they come from God. We can, however, desire to have a particular gift (1 Corinthians 12:31). God gives these gifts in order to edify, exhort, encourage, strengthen and teach His church. These gifts empower God’s Body to do the work, which Christ commissioned us to perform. The gifts exalt Christ rather than us. Even some of the Old Testament Saints had the benefit of the Holy Spirit.

David valued his relationship with God so much that when he sinned, he pleaded with God not to remove His presence or to take His Spirit from him. (Psalms 51:11-12). David even had occasions where he spoke by the anointing and direction of the Holy Spirit (Mark 12:36). When Israel rebelled against God, they vexed God’s Holy Spirit so much that He turned into their enemy, and He actually fought against them. But then they remembered the days of old, and how God helped them to cross the Red Sea. Therefore, they asked God to put His Holy Spirit within them again (Isaiah 63:10-11).

Paul describes the gifts of the Spirit as the Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits, different kinds of Tongues, and the Interpretation of Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). Though there are different types of gifts, there in only one Spirit that distributes them all (1 Corinthians 12:4).

The gift of wisdom is a gift that all Believers can earnestly desire (1 Corinthians 12:31). Wisdom is the skill for living. It helps us to understand God’s truth and to discern and judge according to that truth. Wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord (Psalm 11:10). This fear is not horror, but respect and reverence. Solomon valued wisdom above all gifts; therefore God gave him status and wealth as well (1 Kings 3:12).  

The gift of knowledge allows us to know when to speak and what to say. Those gifted with knowledge have an appetite for reading God’s Word and they enjoy studying and understanding it’s truth and insight. God also gives them supernatural knowledge for the benefit of the Body.

The gift of faith gives Believers positive confidence in the veracity of God’s Word. By faith, they believe that things they cannot see in the natural realm are already there in the spiritual realm (Hebrews 11:1).

The gift of healing comes through the effectual prayer of the righteous person (James 5:16). All healing is done by the Spirit of God and not by the individual person, but God uses certain ones to pray for the sick and they are healed.

The gift of the working of miracles is to demostrate the power of God. Satan uses counterfeit signs and wonders to deceive people (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11), but God uses them to prove His existence to a doubting world.

The gift of prophecy is used to speak forth the Word of God. Preachers and teachers have this gift. They do not know the future, but God uses them to enlighten us about His truths.

The gift of discerning of spirits enables Believers to discern the intents and motives of a person’s heart. They can distinguish whether a person is from God or Satan (1 John 4:1).

The gift of tongues is the ability to speak in other languages (Acts 2:4, 2:11, 2:5-11). This gift is often misused and Paul gives clear guidelines for it (1 Corinthians chapters 12-14). Paul also states that it is the least of the gifts and encourages us to use tongues as a prayer language (1 Corinthians 14:5-18).

The gift of interpreting tongues goes right along with the gift of tongues. Tongues in the service are used as a testimony to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14: 21-22). Paul urges no one to speak a message in tongues unless there is someone present with the gift to interpret the message (1 Corinthians 14:27-33).

The other gifts of the Spirit are: serving, giving, teaching, showing mercy, starting churches, evangelizing and pastoring (Romans 12:7-8; Ephesians 4:11). Isaiah also tells us about the Spirit of the Lord supplying the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2-3). Paul made it clear that Believers should not elevate one gift over another, but to esteem each of them as necessary for the edification of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-23). There are many parts, but only one Body. God placed these parts in the body just as He chooses (1 Corinthians 12:4,12-31).

Prayer:

Father God, You planned everything out for the good and edification of Your church. You gave each of us special gifts to edify the whole Body. Some of us never take the time to pray about what gifts You gave us; and others know their gifts, but do not take the time to use them. When this happens, Your Body suffers. It is like a spleen or big toe that refuses to function. The Body is handicapped. Lord, please prompt each of us to find our gifts and to use them for Your glory.

Thought for the Day:

God gives gifts to each of us for the common good of all. – 1 Corinthians 12:7

 

 

Free Spiritual Gifts Test:

http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

Part 2 - Healing Emotional Wounds

First, please see below and read
Part 1 - Healing Emotional Wounds

The first step to Inner Healing is to acquire a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by confessing your sins and by completely surrendering your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The next step to take in healing the wounds within you and in your marriage and other relationships is to identify your own Inner Parent, Inner Adult and Inner Child, as well as those of the significant others in your life. You may even find it helpful to give each ego state a name to identify them in conversations.

You can examine the way the Inner Parent in you treats the Inner Child in you as well as in the significant others in your life. You can train your Inner Parent to become more nurturing to your Inner Child and also the Inner Child in others.

Listening to the negative internal dialogues carried on by your wounded Inner Child and your critical Inner Parent will bring freedom to you and others, because you can then solve the problems within your soul, rather than expecting someone else to solve them for you, or rather than taking out your anger or frustration within yourself on someone else.

As you listen to the inner dialogue in your soul, you can learn more about your Inner Child, train your Inner Parent to be more nurturing and give yourself permission to allow your Inner Child to bring more fun and creativity into your life. 

You can make better decisions for yourself by acting from your rational Inner Adult who has taken into account the needs, feelings and opinions of both your Inner Parent and Inner Child. As your Inner Adult considers the needs of your Inner Parent and Inner Child and gains more control of your inner dialogue, you will find new ways to enjoy yourself and other people in your life, and to accept each other's differences.

You can agree to disagree with people without feeling like you are being put down. You can also understand that when others try to put you down, you have the ability to refuse to believe their discounts. This will help you to take responsibility for your own feelings, by not accepting the condescending and critical opinions of others. From your Inner Adult, you will recognize that the person with whom you are interacting does not cause your feelings. You choose what you will feel, and your responses are your own. Their words and behavior are their own. Our feelings about their words and behavior are our own.

If a feeling rises up within us in reaction to something someone says or does, it is our choice to accept or to reject that feeling. We are only responsible for our own behavior and feelings. We get to choose how we respond to what life hurls at us.

This is easier to say than to do. The more we care about the person, the more their opinion of us matters to us. In reality, only God’s opinion of us really matters. Everyone else’s opinion is influenced by their own personality, genes, dreams, goals and opinions; and therefore, may not even be correct assessments of us.

We can ask God to change the undesirable aspects of our soul and to strengthen our positive characteristics. As we submit ourselves to God, resist the influence of the world, our flesh and the devil, these distractions will no longer appeal to us. We can also allow the Holy Spirit to control and guide every part of us and to bring sanctification to our soul.

Most of our needs are within our power to fulfill. We no longer need to rely on, or to wait around for someone else to meet our needs. Our Inner Child may want to continue to look to others to fulfill our expectations in the same manner in which we relied on our parents to meet our needs. However, this is unhealthy. We can meet most of our own needs as we look to God for His supply. We are free to Parent ourselves now. We are no longer dependent on other people to meet our needs.  This frees other people in our life from having to "read the crystal ball” to guess what we want from them. The depth of our disappointment when someone else fails to meet our needs is a clue to the intensity of our expectations.

If we have a need that we cannot possibly meet on our own, then we can learn to graciously ask for what we want from those who can help us. Some people feel that asking detracts from the joy of receiving. However, expecting clairvoyance from others puts undue stress on everyone. Unreasonable expectations stem from our wounded Inner Child. We can ask God to provide our needs in whatever method He chooses to use to supply them. Also, we can simply give our self permission to meet our own needs.

Spending time with a special friend always brings great joy. We tend to act in a solicitous, protective and loving manner toward that person. We always have our friend’s best interest at heart. We give special favors to our friend to express our care for that person. We are often great at meeting other people’s needs; however, do you give the same care to yourself? If not, why not? Do you view caring for yourself as self-centered behavior? I am not asking you to become centered on yourself.

However, realize right now that YOU are a person too. There is a difference between self-seeking and self-care. I am merely asking you to give yourself the same regard, which you give to others whom God brings your way. Jesus gave us a commandment to love our neighbors as our self. We cannot fully minister to others, if we are needy. This means taking care of our self physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We can have daily devotions, assemble with other Christians, eat nutritionally, exercise regularly, pace ourselves at work and spend quality time with supportive family and friends in wholesome entertainment and activities.

We will conscientiously care for our self, if we feel good about who we are. One way to do this is to remember who we are in Christ. I encourage you to read my former post on this blog: http://fulfilledchristianlife.blogspot.com/2012/03/who-you-are-in-christ.html

The eyes are the windows of the soul (Matthew 6: 22-23). Spontaneity and delight cause a sparkle in our eyes. We have an Inner Child that is very much alive and ready and able to bring spontaneous joy into our life. So, come to Christ in Salvation. Teach your Inner Parent to nurture you and others. Consider your Inner Child as a valued and lovable part of who you really are. Befriend your self and connect with others on a new and fulfilling level. Once we do all of this, we will find our ultimate joy in serving God and others.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us to love others as we love our self. Teach us to nurture our self and then to reach out into the dying, hurting world around us and to love and nurture others with Your unconditional love.

Thought for the Day:

"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 18:3