by George Runyan | Mar 5, 2019 | Devotional, George Runyan
The Devil
The third enemy we must defeat is the devil. From the beginning the Bible reveals how the devil with his prideful arrogance first rebelled in heaven deceiving a third of the angels of heaven. We will deal with his fall more in chapter seven, but for now, I want to underscore his main strategies in fighting against the saints of God. These are his main weapons that he uses to draw us away from God and His eternal truth: pride, lies, and deception. The devil’s goal is to get us to trust in our own self-reasoning and not to deal with the objective truth of God’s eternal Word. He wants us to give in to subjective feelings that open the door to deception.We must first look at what the Bible teaches about the devil. Jesus gives a frank statement to the religious leaders of His day:You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 NASBIn Matthew 13:24–43 Jesus taught the parable of the man who sowed good seed in his field, but then an enemy came at night and sowed tares to choke out the good seed. After Jesus sent the multitudes away, He explained the parable of the tares to His disciples. He told them:“He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man…the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil.” Matthew 13:37b–39a NKJVIn context, Jesus is referring to people as the seed. All those who are born of the Kingdom of God are sons of the kingdom. The tares are the apostate religious leaders of Israel. In John 8, Jesus identified those religious leaders as sons of the devil. They were motivated by the devil to kill the Son of Glory.In John 10, Jesus teaches about the thief and the true Shepherd. In verse six, He states that the people did not understand His illustration concerning the thief. He illustrated it again in verse seven by clearly saying, “I am the door of the sheep.” Then Jesus declares:The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 NASB
TOMORROW WE WILL LOOK AT: Other verses to consider, which we should study and memorize.
by George Runyan | Mar 4, 2019 | Devotional, George Runyan
The FleshThe second enemy we must defeat is our own flesh. Our five natural senses keep us connected with the world. They are necessary for us to live in our natural, temporal bodies.Paul teaches us the difference between the two Adams spoken of in the Bible. The first Adam was created from the dust of the ground as recorded in Genesis 2:7. When God breathed into the man’s nostrils man became a living soul. The last Adam, which is Christ, by the resurrection, became a life-giving spirit. Paul wrote:And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45 NKJVAgain, Paul states: However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46 NKJVIt is critical that we discern between self and the Holy Spirit. That is, discern between our natural weaknesses and the Holy Spirit’s overcoming strength. The writer of Hebrews states:Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.Hebrews 12:1–3 NIVIf we trust in our own ability, we will soon discover our inability to live the Christian life that God intended us to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is one reason why some believers become disappointed and disillusioned. The writer of Hebrews clearly states:For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NKJVThe Adamic nature is earthly, selfish, contrary, temporary, and orientated toward consumption and self-gratification. Christ’s nature is heavenly, unselfish, cooperative, eternal, and orientated to giving through God’s agape love. Jesus knew the distinction. He discerned man’s problem without judging or rejecting him. Charles Simpson stated in The Covenant and the Kingdom, “He came to save us from ourselves. While He could see through us, He nevertheless came to see us through.”The book of Romans teaches us the stark difference between man’s sinful nature and the Law of the Spirit of Life that comes from Jesus’ resurrection life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8 is Paul’s thesis on Life in the Spirit. It is only through the life which the Holy Spirit gives that we can overcome the kingdom of darkness. It is a life of humility and authority by knowing who we are in Christ and what He has mandated for us to do.
by George Runyan | Mar 3, 2019 | Devotional, George Runyan
The World The first enemy we must defeat is the world. The Bible is our measuring stick when the world pressures us through its philosophies and vain thinking. We must seek the Word for our response. Paul warns us of this: See to it that no one takes you captive...
by George Runyan | Mar 2, 2019 | Devotional, George Runyan
Many of God’s people have struggled in life, even experiencing devastation because of a lack of knowledge concerning the spiritual warfare in which we are to be engaged. Jesus has defeated Satan and all of his minions. However, the churches responsibility is to clean up with the help of the Holy Spirit the mess that the kingdom of darkness has made on the earth. God purposed that His redeemed people would finish the work with the help of the Holy Spirit through intercession, proclamation, and demonstration of the Good News of triumph over the kingdom of darkness, by setting captives free, and discipling the nations until the whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord. Habakkuk declared:For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV The Enemies We FaceKnow Your EnemyThree major enemies are identified in the Bible: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Each of these enemies attempts to exert power upon us to be conformed to something other than the will of God. I say upon us because it is a spiritual battle we must fight every day. Our whole being (spirit, soul, and body) is involved in this battle. Remember, the Bible establishes God’s will for the believer’s life and teaches us how to conduct ourselves. It is powerful because biblical instruction comes from the Holy Spirit who lives in us and empowers us to apply God’s Word in our daily lives. We are to be filled with His Holy Spirit and live out Christ’s life here on earth in everything that we say and do.As we walk out the new life that Christ has given to us through His overcoming power, we will experience resistance every day from the world, the flesh, and the devil. This is an inescapable battle that every believer will face. The believer lives in a world of conflict, a world filled with vain philosophies and fleshly desires, and the unseen world in which principalities and demonic powers exist. The believer, in corporate relationship with Christ’s body, is called and mandated to deal with the enemies of the righteousness of Christ. Even as Christ overcame, we, too, overcome through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Just as Jesus did, we must learn obedience through the things we suffer:Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.Hebrews 5:8 NASB
by George Runyan | Mar 1, 2019 | Devotional, George Runyan
As individual believers we must embrace three principles of truth in order to win the battle over evil and overcome darkness. They are: know your enemy, the life of Christ in you, and your relationship in His corporate body. In this chapter we will learn about knowing the enemies we face. In chapters two, three, and four we will study the life of Christ that dwells in us. In chapter five we will learn the importance of the corporate body of Christ and our relationship to warfare. Hosea wrote:My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6 NKJVThis was a severe statement to Israel as they faced the destructive forces of their enemies. It is also instructive to us in understanding how important knowledge of the Lord is with regards to our ability to battle the spiritual enemies that we face daily.Many of God’s people have struggled in life, even experiencing devastation because of a lack of knowledge concerning the spiritual warfare in which we are to be engaged. Jesus has defeated Satan and all of his minions. However, the churches responsibility is to clean up with the help of the Holy Spirit the mess that the kingdom of darkness has made on the earth. God purposed that His redeemed people would finish the work with the help of the Holy Spirit through intercession, proclamation, and demonstration of the Good News of triumph over the kingdom of darkness, by setting captives free, and discipling the nations until the whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord. Habakkuk declared:For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV
by George Runyan | Feb 28, 2019 | Devotional, George Runyan
We live in an evil day, but the enemy’s time is short. His complete defeat is near. Jesus judged him in His victory on the cross. Jesus overcame Satan in the power of His resurrection, “the genesis” of which began in hell itself! Jesus commissioned the church with the assignment of cleaning up the mess with the help of the Holy Spirit. As His servants, we are to declare to the world the freedom that Christ has made possible from the kingdom of darkness. The Holy Spirit makes available to every believer the overcoming power necessary to live above the system of the world: “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’” (Acts 2:40 NKJV).We are to believe the words of Jesus as given to His first disciples. We are to be prepared to be persecuted for His name’s sake. We are to be filled with His Holy Spirit and stand firm, resisting in the evil day. We must earnestly pray: “Lord, grant me grace to stand and not stumble. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit every day. Use me to demonstrate Your overcoming life in the power of Your Holy Spirit and lead others to the victory You have purchased.”
