Call Him What He Is! DIVIDER IN CHIEF

[Music] welcome to morning devotion with ken gurley devotions designed to inspire you on your daily walk with god here's your host ken gurley hey good morning everybody i i think we're here i think we're all here i'm so glad to see you this tuesday morning september 14th i pray i pray you are well um didn't know if we were going to make this tonight today or not but this morning it does look like kerry virginia jenny we still have power here in houston thankful for that hurricane nicholas is passing through and making his presence known oh yes he is what a wild night this has been i pray for all of you in harm's way and hope you are doing well and everyone everyone not only here in this houston area and as it flows on up into east texas and louisiana just i pray you're safe and i pray all as well this is a difficult season so much difficulty and i i've just been thinking like last night i was starting to think uh how much of god's will for you and me on this planet was taken from us separated from us because not just of the fall of man but because of the tempter in the garden the one we call uh belial beelzebub he's called apayam the destroyer in scripture he's called the devil the enemy the slanderer and i want to talk to you about an aspect of the enemy that i think you and i need to know and i think it will help us in this day that we're living in because never before have we needed to be mindful of what the enemy is doing so danny douglas tony god bless you thank you for being a part of this today all of you on facebook those of you on youtube our youtube audience is growing god bless you guys happy that you're here like share follow subscribe glad you're a part of it i read one of those long articles last week that i really enjoy news magazines i missed those kind of articles this one was in newsweek and the subject was a 10 year old ramp up a rampant increase in the writing in the media reporting about hot button stories it took like 30 different hot button issues and they traced those issues in liberal moderate conservative media for 10 years they discovered there had been a huge uptick on hammering on divisive themes is that by accident i is that by accident you need to understand something about division unity is the theme song of heaven behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity it's like the anointing oil that flowed down aaron's head it's like the the dew of hermann the clouds and the mist as they would settle in the valleys below that's unity that's the theme song of heaven it was the eve of calvary jesus prayed that they may be one if unity then is the theme song of heaven brenda richard any idea what the anthem of hell is yeah you got it division division the enemy divides god's not the author of confusion he's not the author of division but the enemy is the greek word for devil diabolos it's it's it's root word means to split that the devil splits the devil divides the devil drives wedges into relationships he divided mankind from the garden from literally paradise lost he seeks to divide me and you just as he divided adam and eve from the garden of eden he would like to split you away from the hope of paradise the eternal life so when you hear those shrill voices in the land you hear the whispering teresa and jesse you hear that whispering that separates the closest of people when you see the shredding of society taking place around you it's too easy to say well it's it's liberal versus conservatism and it is democrat versus republican it's this party versus that party it's this race versus that race and we don't realize that the god of this world seeks to divide so that he may conquer and that's the thought isn't it that if he can divide if he can isolate he can conquer united we stand divided we fall can i get a witness to that it is a prey of carnivores it there is a trait of carnivores when they're chasing prey uh wolves are notorious for this they hunt in packs and then they isolate they isolate the youngest from the herd they isolate the most vulnerable from the herd yeah it's the enemy's goal to divide so that he may destroy because he knows if one can put a thousand flight two ten thousand that we are stronger and better together so jonathan and jocelyn sterling when we get together even here on morning devotion it's a way of testifying to the fact that we are singing the theme song of heaven unity we are not beating the drumbeat of division which belongs to hell when we normally translate devil we we translate it as slanderer that's the way you normally see it slanderer not to split the splitter the slander it really means one in the greek who insinuates himself between two people in order to divide them now you think of slander you think of speaking evil and that's that's part of it but it's actually forming a wedge to separate people they said this about me they think this about me how does the enemy do that well he does it from spouse to spouse for no cost whatsoever people start having marriage trouble they can't articulate why they're struggling why there's friction why they're fighting why they're fussing over things they've never fussed over before i'm not saying one or more of them is devil possessed no it's just the work of the slander he's coming between two people to pry them apart to divide them he does that with friendships he does that with children and their parents he does it between races he does it from pew to pew in the church yes he does connie pamela marlene so many many i'm gonna say it so many many people are far away from god today because of division on the pews because of division between friendships and families in the church because of division the sowing of division within that church be careful you never know who's listening you never know who sees this is what the bible says about the divider in chief and we're calling him what he is today he's the divider in chief not our friend here's what the bible says one rendering says our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world that's why you need to put on god's full armor then on the day of evil you'll stand strong and when you finish the whole fight you're still going to be standing yes amen so stand strong with the belt of truth around your waist oh my oh my and the protection of right living on your chest and on your feet we're the good news of peace to help you stand strong and also use the shield of faith with which you can stop here we go all the burning arrows of the evil one we don't put on the armor unless we have an enemy our enemy he's many things he's the accuser he's the uh the tempter he's an obstructor but we're calling him what he is today he's the divider in chief is this all right linda tony is this all right i want to let me tell you what scripture says about satan let me just quote some excerpts satan incited david first chronicles 21. satan has asked to sit to you simon like we luke 22. the devil persuaded judas iscariot to turn against there he is the divider in chief john 13. this woman satan has kept bound for 18 long years luke 13. he has blinded the minds of those who don't believe as a result they can't see the light of the good news second corinthians 4. he rules the world and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey god ephesians 2. when people conjure up this little pitchforked image of the enemy they miss the point he's the fallen angel that masquerades in a cloak of light he incites actions he shreds he sifs he convinces he persuades he binds he binds and he blinds and he rules in the hearts of multitudes and a majority opinion his objective is single to steal to kill to destroy the way he does that is by dividing you from your dreams from your hope from people who love you he's a divider in chief brenda that's what i i believe and i feel strong that i'm supposed to talk to you about it today what does that mean to us i think we need to be aware as never before and spiritually sensitive and discerning god's not giving us a spirit of fear no we don't cower and hide in the corners we're not shaking in fear we're armed with the full armor of god but we need to be increasingly aware and cognizant remember what jesus said on the eve of calvary watch him pray watch him pray then he said it again in matthew 24 and oliver discourse we've got to be aware be aware this world is coming apart at the seams yeah and it has to folks i don't like saying that but it has to because only then once the restraining force is gone can the antichrist be revealed and the man of sin step into the world stage and all of the powers that be in this world are either under the sway of the divider in chief or they're doing battle against it that's what paul said in romans 16 i appeal to you brethren take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties in opposition to the doctrine which you've been taught and avoided for such persons do not serve our lord jesus christ but by their own appetites unflattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded i've walked in the halls of congress i've walked in the white house and i've walked in the old executive office building i've been there with administrations that call on the name of god i've been there when you walk in those rooms you've sensed there is no one seeking the face of god there is an enemy out there right now and he's trying to divide us from our destiny from the manifest destiny that god gave us 400 years ago when the pilgrims landed at plymouth rock yeah there is a divider in chief and is trying to separate us separate us paul paul told title titus avoid foolish controversies avoid genealogies avoid dissensions avoid quarrels over the law yeah avoid them all if he was here today he'd say avoid conspiracy theories then he said as for a man who is factious after telling him once or twice if he just keeps sowing discord don't have a thing to do with him knowing that such a person is sinful and self-condemned that's titus 3 9-11 can i ask you something why do you think we are facing one divisive issue after another why do you think we're facing one group chasing after this theory or that why do you think we're facing such illogical decisions from our nation's leaders why do you think people are splintering into one camp or another why do you think church people in this pandemic have been at each other's throats arguing for this and arguing for that there's this camp and that camp and this faction and that factions it's us against them it's them against us have you ever thought that what we are witnessing is a rampant increase in the work of the divider in chief we're not ignorant folks my wife and i talk usually after this after prayer and i glance over the headlines it's just too depressing to focus on very much and um she'll see a headline i'll see a headline and we just shake our heads and just wonder why do they do such things what's that all about you ever wonder that cody what what's that all about why are they doing that well why would they think that's a good idea it's only become of late that i've concluded there's a far grander plan at work one that goes beyond time into eternity one that goes beyond the natural into the supernatural we are witnessing the unraveling the dissolution the enemy's throwing out all the stops he's going for bro he knows his time is short very soon his time is going to be up jesus is coming back and the enemy's making one final effort to divide us from our god and from one another and from the things that matter in this life so glenn patricia david every battle you and i face ultimately it's a spiritual one every contest every choice is between light and darkness unity and division god and satan now we are admonished to stand against the wiles of the devil the word wilds means the methods and strategies of satan let me give you some greater strategies than his strategies you need to put on the whole armor of god and then at the conclusion of that as i mentioned the book on prayer you need to pray always with all prayer and supplication of the spirit pray pray in the spirit pray as you have never prayed before what does that do that convinces you you can't conquer this in yourself we're not going to make this by ourselves the enemy is a roaring lion he's a fallen angel he's a he's an old experienced street fighter with a lot of savvy our weapons are not carnal but they're mighty they're mighty through god to the pulling down of every stronghold through the victory of jesus christ we too are more than conquerors and we can take captivity captive and we can put satan under our feet and the prey can become the predator you need to sharpen your sword here's another strategy sharpen your sword get the word of god in your heart and be ready to draw that sword and wield that sword against the lies of the enemy that's what jesus christ did in the wilderness of temptation it is written get ready you're going to need that word of god call out those things given a name name those things that are dividing you call them out that's important for us to recognize quit fighting political parties quit fighting political figures quit heaping scorn on those with one opinion or another quit offering opinions yourself of what you should think what you think and what should happen it shouldn't happen he said not the time the hours of the seasons to get caught away in one controversy or another call out those things that divide here's something you and i need we need a perception that this is the enemy the divider in chief that's behind all these things i think that's why the apex of the seven things god hates is those who sow discord amongst the brethren we can't have it we can't permit the enemy of our future the enemy of our marriages even of our families to deprive us to draw us away to split us away from our hope our security our peace of mind cody d we've got a great power greater than will power oh yes we do it was at the close of the old testament the preparation of the coming messiah was prophet prophesied about malachi 4. that the forerunner to that messiah would come in power that he would turn the hearts of fathers to children and children to fathers and just lest we missed it that at the opening of luke's gospel speaking of this forerunner speaking of the one coming before the messiah john the baptist luke said he will go on before the lord in the spirit and the power of elijah to turn the hearts of the parents to their children in the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready the people prepared for the lord in other words at the cusp of the coming of jesus christ those that have been divided the father's hearts are coming to the children the children to the fathers at the coming of jesus christ there needs to be a unification in us we need the hearts turned toward one another divisions must be healed let me let me close today with the words of paul in ephesians 6. it's from the message rendering paul is telling us you got to fight you got to fight to finish he said that that about wraps it up god is strong and he wants you strong so take everything the master has set out for your well-made weapons the best material put them to use so you'll be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way this is no afternoon athletic contest we'll walk away from him and forget about in a couple of hours no this is for keeps a life or death fight to the finish against the devil and all of his angels then in verse 13. he said be prepared you're up against far more than you can handle on your own i feel that you are up against far more i am up against far more than i can handle on my own we're gonna need help and that help comes in two forms the one who is called the helper that's the word comforter the one who comes alongside the spirit of christ jesus in your life living through you walking through you working through you fighting for you and we are going to need not just a helper we need one another and i think that's why the unification draws all of us together umd 2021 family this morning devotion these devotees daryl joe vicki linda cindy it's what draws us together each and every morning we sense that we are in a battle that if we're not careful he will shred us he will attack us he will strip us of our dignity our self-respect our confidence but with the helper above and with one another we're gonna make it and we're gonna see it through don't let in me to divide you oh i'm gonna talk to somebody you may be in a local church right now and if i've learned anything about local churches down through the years it's this there will always be a reason to get upset there will always be a reason to get man the enemy will always give you an exit will always show you the path out people make decisions on momentary emotions and then they regret them and they see that error played out in their lives here's what you need to do lock your arms with two or three encourage one another lift up your pastor lift up your leaders come on folks we're not into division we're into unity let's see god do some things in our midst thank you thank you for being a part of this may the lord be with you and bless you all of you who are where i am today right in the in the neck of hurricane nicholas i guess she's become a he's become a tropical storm now looking out the window right now and i see i see all of the debris and uh everything thrown up on shore and it's been a wild night around here folks thank you for being a part of it let's stick together if you have some needs list them out to the sign church family please if you're in harm's way high water let us know let us know we'll send out groups to get you help you secure you wherever you are please please please please let us know post it here or on the first church family sign and may god be with you we hope to see you real soon again tomorrow god bless [Music] thank you for listening to morning devotion with ken gurley join us next time for another inspiring devotion to support this ministry please visit firstchurch.com forward slash give

Channel: Ken Gurley

Views: 589

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: _DWrcfMA1BA

Length: 24min 28sec (1468 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 14 2021