Holding the Devil’s Hand
Satan is a master of disguise and knows exactly what to do to steal your soul. There is nothing too evil or wicked that he isn’t willing to do to separate you from God. Many underestimate his power and foolishly let their guard down by straying away from Jesus. But this is not only a dangerous thing to do, it is lethal for it will lead to your eternal destruction. If you think you can dance with the devil today and then, right before Jesus comes, hop on the “glory train,” you are sadly mistaken. There is no time to play on the devil’s playground. Jesus is coming soon and you must choose who you belong to and there are only two choices: God or Satan. If you choose God, you need to keep your heart pure and avoid temptation. You can’t test the devilish waters with one foot while dangling your other foot in the baptismal tank. You may falsely think you can keep an eye out for Satan and run when you have to, but that plan is disastrous because you won’t even know who he is until it’s too late. People think they can easily recognize the devil thinking he is a hideous looking man with his red cape, pitchfork and monster looking face. But the devil is much more cunning than that. He doesn’t come at you spewing fire from his nostrils, and roaring like a dragon. Satan doesn’t shout. He whispers. When a robber is breaking into your house, he doesn’t scream and holler while knocking down your door. No, he sneaks in and uses the element of surprise. The Bible says in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” You will need to put on the whole armor of God to fight this enemy. If your house was robbed today, no doubt by tomorrow, you would have installed security cameras, changed your locks, and notified all your neighbors. So why not put up your highest guard against an enemy that is far more dangerous than any robber or thief here on earth. The best way to protect yourself from the evil one is to strengthen your relationship with Jesus! Stay so close to Him that you can hear his heartbeat. Keep your heart pure and clean. Remember, you can’t build a life of integrity on a foundation of sin. And you can’t go to heaven holding the devil’s hand.
TEXT:
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9,ESV)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7, ESV)
But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. (Matthew 24:43, ESV)
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:8, ESV)
© Brenda Walsh Ministries www.brendawalsh.com