God Has Warned Us.... Now He Is Preparing Us

how many people believe in magic how many people believe magic is harmless how many people think there is nothing evil about magic it's just a movie it's just a bunch of tricks acts chapter 19 verse 18 to 19 says also many of those who were now believers came confessing and divulging their practices and a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all and they counted the value of them and it came to 50 000 pieces of silver now do you know how widespread the practice of magic is in this day and age yet here we are in the bible being told that once people heard the gospel of jesus christ they realized that their magic arts were not of god once they received jesus christ they came to the understanding that what they had practiced was in fact evil in nature however in society today how many of us accept the use of magic how many of us tolerate the practice of magic in this day and age the word delusion means to place your belief in something that is not true it is a belief based on false information you see the word delusion not only sounds like the word illusion but it has a similar meaning as well when it's an illusion it's all about hiding something it's a trick you fall for an illusion but a delusion is when you place your belief in something despite the fact that it's completely untrue and so when we talk of the spirit of delusion we're talking of deception we're in the realm of all things that are false false apostles false prophets false teachings false doctrines all of these operate under the spirit of delusion one of the many reasons if not the main reason for great apostasy the great falling away is because of the spirit of deception people will believe false information over the bible second thessalonians 2 verse 9 and 10 says the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of satan with all power signs and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved the devil operates in this realm in the realm of falsehood he operates in the realm of anti which is to be opposed to god there is the antichrist who is the complete opposite to the pure and holy jesus christ the illusion of the antichrist is that he will present himself as peaceful as a man who will unify when in actual fact he is the complete opposite the illusion of the devil is that he masquerades like an angel of light when in actual fact he is the complete opposite this my friends is a spirit of delusion and deception at work [Music] there are many things that people widely accept today without realizing or understanding the spiritual force the motive and the intention behind those things for example in acts chapter 8 verse 9 to 13 the bible says but there was a man named simon who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of samaria saying that he himself was somebody great [Music] they all paid attention to him from the least to the greatest saying this is the power of god that is called great and they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic but when they believed philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of god and the name of jesus christ they were baptized both men and women even simon himself believed and after being baptized he continued with philip and seeing signs and great miracles performed he was amazed what we have to understand here is that this man named simon practiced magic and performed things that amazed the people of samaria his tricks and skills were however a deception however his tricks and skills were a deception because the bible says in verse 10 they all paid attention to him from the least to the greatest saying this is the power of god that is called great everyone in samaria from the beggar in the street to the mayor they all paid attention to this magician they all knew him and here's where the deception is they all said this man is the power of god that is called great the bible is clear that he practiced magic he did not preach jesus yet they called him a man of god and we know that he was an unbeliever who didn't know the gospel because in verse 12 and 13 the bible tells us that philip preached the good news of jesus christ and even simon this magician believed and was baptized but before he had heard the gospel of jesus christ and repented before he had encountered a true man of god people saw his magic people saw his signs and wonders and they still said this man is the power of god that is called great another translation says he had mystified and dazzled them with his magic but for all of his tricks for all of his magic there was no jesus being preached it wasn't jesus christ that was being given the glory and honor yet people were deceived and still thought this magician was a man of god do you see why there is such a need for discernment do you see why we should never simply associate god with signs and wonders because 2 thessalonians chapter 2 verse 9 says the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of satan with all power and false signs and wonders [Music] when it's truly a work of god then the lord gets all the honor and glory when it's truly the work of god then his word is involved when it's truly the work of god then the holy spirit is involved and the end result is that you and i will praise the lord we will praise the name of jesus christ and not a magician the bible says in galatians chapter 5 verse 19 to 21 now the works of the flesh are evident sexual immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery sorcery is the practice of magic and the bible continues to say enmity strife jealousy fits of anger rivalries dissensions divisions envy drunkenness orgies and things like these i warn you as i warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of god and so i urge you to keep yourselves pure pray for discernment as a believer are you paying attention to the significant increase in self-proclaimed apostles and prophets who are telling people to do all kinds of weird things things that aren't biblical but yet many are blindly following them as a believer are you paying attention to how the devil has so subtly infiltrated entertainment you noticing the subtle shifts in society more and more things which are in opposition to god's word are becoming socially accepted they are being normalized i wonder if you're paying attention to that something often overlooked by some of us we know about our enemy we know about the devil we know all about how he was lucifer and created the minister through music but the mistake that i see some believers making is thinking that the devil is omnipresent he's not if something happens in this part of the world oh it's the devil the car won't start on sunday morning it's the devil he is not at all places at all times he is not god and the danger of not understanding this is that you'll give credit to the enemy you'll place him at a higher level of operating than he actually is at the devil was cast down from heaven with other angels scripture tells us in the book of revelation that he took one third of the angels and if you read revelation 5 11 which says then i looked and heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand now consider that one-third of angels were also cast out of heaven one-third of thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand that's huge and that's what now accounts for the fallen angels or demons here on earth that now do his bidding so satan is a fallen angel he has some power but he is by no means all-powerful but he also does have an organized network of demon powers to help him the bible is so real so accurate and insightful it warns us as children of god that when you encounter something not of god it's not always the devil himself but he has a network of principalities and powers rulers of the darkness spiritual wickedness in high places and when the bible talks about powers and high places i believe these are also evil angelic hosts these fallen angels have no rest because they are no longer permitted in god's presence luke 11 24 says when the unclean spirit has gone out of a person it roams through waterless places in search of a place of rest and finding none it says i will go back to my house from which i came in a spiritual sense these dark spirits seek to enslave those who yield themselves to it they have no rest the enemy has no place to rest so he roams looking for an opportunity that's why in the book of job when god asks satan where do you come from he answered saying from going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it but on this topic i love what the matthew henry commentary says spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare the christian armor is made to be worn and there is no putting off our armor till we have done our warfare and finished our course the combat is not against human enemies nor is it against our own corrupt nature only we have to do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls we must resolve by god's grace not yield to satan resist him and he will flee if we give way he will get ground if we distrust either our cause or our leader or our armor we give him advantage in other words god has made it easy made it possible for us to defend ourselves for us to protect ourselves and the biggest weakness that the devil and his angels have is that they can't stand god's presence it's too much for them we must recognize the reality of angels that are sent throughout the bible to deliver messages from the lord angels were created to do the work of god angels pronounce the birth of jesus when jesus was in the wilderness we are told in matthew 4 verse 11 then the devil left him and angels came and attended him angels have helped humans and delivered messages to them matthew 1 verse 20 says an angel of the lord appeared to him in a dream and said joseph son of david do not be afraid to take mary home as your wife luke 1 13 says the angel said to him do not be afraid zachariah your prayer has been heard so now if we have all these instances where angels from the lord do his work and interact in the physical then this gives validation to the reality of fallen angels yet there are still those in our world today who are so caught up in the materialistic and secular culture that they deny any existence of a spiritual realm that can interact with this physical world some accept the idea of good angels but deny the existence of the devil and demons but nevertheless i want you to know that satan himself is the ultimate adversary he is an enemy of god and some people believe that he is an evil version of god but he is not there is only one god jehovah the creator of all heaven and earth the devil is a fallen angel limited in time limited in space limited in knowledge and power he is limited but even so he and the other fallen angels demons are continually trying to blind unbelievers so that they do not see the light of christ that's why the way we live as christians matter that's why we must love the person and not the sin don't confuse a person with the sin we must shine the light of christ in this world but even as we fight to spread the gospel beware that the enemy continues to disrupt the lives of believers through temptations lies and accusations if you're growing in your relationship with the lord he'll do what he can to hinder your growth but understand that the devil fights from a position of defeat we are fighting from victory we're not fighting for victory we're fighting from it because once you accept jesus as lord and your savior you have the victory you have the victory we have the authority to trample over serpents and scorpions i want you to understand that jesus makes all the difference in our lives no falling angel no demon no evil force can challenge that [Music] matthew 4 verse 6 says if you are the son of god throw yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you and in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone take note of that god will give his angels charge over us i believe this means that the lord has given each of his children angels that are assigned to protect them every believer has their angel who has been given charge over them and watches from the supernatural realm but unfortunately sometimes we don't recognize the works of this angel we go about our daily activities safeguarded by this angel unknown to us we are shielded from evil but here's what happens when eventually something troubling happens or something challenging comes our way we are quick to blame god for not protecting us yet little do we realize that we were the ones that failed to play our parts just like the angels have their parts to play we also have our part to contribute if we don't ask for help how do we then get help it is true that angels are on assignment but as believers we also have a responsibility to keep in tune with the supernatural realm and to stay close to god how you may ask through prayer [Music] the effect of prayer in our lives the effect of prayer in our christian walk and in society at large cannot be underrated the bible says the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much prayers powerful it's a stronghold for every believer this is not the time to be one foot in and one foot out look around you look at the signs of the times we need to be all in for god this is not the time to entertain a little bit of hidden sin in your life be all in for god this is no time to be weak no time to be weary no time to be halfhearted with your prayer life because the enemy is out there like a roaring lying seeking whom he can devour now our strength as children of god is found in prayer but we can't play with prayer we cannot neglect our prayer life this isn't the time to be consumed by thoughts of fear anxiety or worry this isn't the time to be an unbelieving believer a halfway christian you know someone who kinda sorta thinks they believe sometimes be all in for god this isn't the time to believe that jesus walked on water raise the dead heal the sick but doubt that he can perform miracles in your own life too this isn't the time to feel like you want to serve god it's a time a season for us to not just chase after god but burn for him this is a time to burn with a pure and holy passion this is a time to wait upon the lord and renew our strength this is a time to mount up with wings as eagles to run and not be weary to walk and not faint this is a time to be all in for god every one of us has had to face a roadblock at one point or another in our lives something that has tried to stop us from growing something that tried to hinder us from walking with god something that tried to block our journey with god and these roadblocks come in many forms they come in the form of past rejections past failures past hurts even past sins but the word of god in psalms says i lift up my eyes to the heels from where does my help come my help comes from the lord who made heaven and earth think about that the next time you come up against roadblocks lift your eyes to the heels and look for your help to overcome adversity in god be found to always be ready so that if he came tomorrow if he came tonight you and i wouldn't be embarrassed to be saying the name of jesus but not living for jesus don't be found to be lukewarm [Music] get your house in order so stay prayful be watchful of the times the lord is coming soon the rising king will be coming like a thief in the night we don't know what tomorrow holds and the bible says in revelation 16 behold i am coming as a thief in the night blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame god wants us to be on our guard against anything that deceives against being led astray by false prophets and teachers so in a time such as this in a season such as this i want you to know and remember the following points firstly sin separates us from god it takes us away it removes us from his presence so i encourage you to repent purge your heart now while there's still time ask god to purify your heart repent we must seek forgiveness for our sins because god is faithful to forgive [Music] secondly we cannot atone for sin ourselves nothing we can do on our own is worthy or enough to put us in right standing with god only jesus christ god sent jesus to atone for our sins we must confess jesus as our savior and live for him invite him into your heart pray that the blood of jesus christ cleanses you of all your sins it can wash away all your guilt and shame away your past and mistakes all can be washed by his precious blood [Music] so my dear brothers and sisters the knock of christ is on the door the door of your heart and the door of your soul are you ready to answer are you ready to pick up the call i pray we all be ready for his return i pray that we will purge our hearts in time get rid of those ungodly things remove those idols repent from that sin so that when the lord jesus splits the sky you and i will be among the pure heart to be taken above revelations 22 verse 12 says behold i come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be time is ticking i truly love jesus because he has been my defense when the devil tried to condemn me i found there to be no condemnation in christ when the devil pointed at my weakness and laughed i found that the grace offered to me by the lord was sufficient for me and in my weakness his strength is made perfect i truly love jesus christ because when satan called for me to be cast away when he tried to tell me that i was unworthy of love because of sin i found there to be an invitation to approach the mercy seat of christ i found an open invitation to come boldly to the throne of grace so that i may maintain mercy and find help in the time of need at one point in time i was hurt i carried a lot of pain but the more i leaned on jesus the more i gave that pain to him the more i found him to be a healer one who can mend the innermost parts of a person i love god because there have been occasions where a car should have hit me but it didn't there have been occasions where i was moments away from tragedy but somehow i was late that day my alarm didn't go off or i decided to go a different way but in hindsight it was no coincidence it wasn't luck it was the hand of god it was his grace and mercy protecting me god is good all the time and all the time god is good this is a very popular saying among christians but do we really mean it it's easy to say god is good when things are going our way and running smoothly but are we able to say the same when the going gets tough or when we face hardships in our lives are we still able to say god is good when we've fallen behind on the mortgage payments are we able to say god is good when a lifelong friend turns around to betray you are we able to say god is good when the business venture we've launched just doesn't seem to be working i would like to submit to you that god's goodness is constant he is good regardless of who's loyal to you or not he's good regardless of whether that idea you had is making money or not as children of god we should be believing that god is good we should still be saying god is good even when things are not so good for us our trials are temporary our difficulties don't last forever the bible tells us that we should be joyful in all circumstances and not just that but we should hold on to jesus even more tightly when we are in distress i would go as far as to say the deeper you're in distress the deeper your trust in jesus christ should be the more fiery your problems seem to be the more on fire for god you need to be if it's painful you should be prayerful if it's agonizing you should be even more prayerful the rockier life seems to be the steadier your faith in jesus christ should be now of course putting this in practice isn't easy it requires maturity it requires faith and it most definitely requires the holy spirit but once you've been through some things once you've faced enough battles then you don't just memorize certain scriptures you begin to live them you begin to so desperately hold on to them and one of those scriptures is proverbs chapter 3 verse 5 to 6. and listen to this here's what it says trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths that means that if you are feeling crushed with disappointment then you trust in the lord with all your heart if you thought this was the person god intended for you to marry but they walked away from you then continue to lean not on your own understanding but to trust in the lord with all your heart if you prepared you studied you met all the criteria required for that job for that position but they rejected you well child of god lean not on your own understanding god will direct your paths this is what all believers are called to do so no matter what comes keep believing in jesus christ no matter what comes remain anchored in the one who rose from the dead no matter what comes do not i repeat do not give up hold on to jesus because when you are weak he is strong so use his strength use his might no matter what comes your way [Music] the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it that's jeremiah 17 verse 9. take a minute to just think about that for a second the heart not your mind not anything else but the heart [Music] our hearts can be so fickle we chase whatever we think will satisfy us at any given moment our desires are here one day and gone the next the problem with our hearts is that our priorities are often in the wrong place we tend to get distracted by worldly things things like money power and relationships things that aren't even necessarily evil but can quickly become idols in our lives we give them too much control we give them permission to rule our lives thinking they'll fulfill us but they never quite deliver what they promise [Music] thankfully there's a better way to live there's a better king to rule our hearts god he is the only one who can fulfill us and satisfy us and give us everything we need and he is worth pursuing above everything else keep god first and you will lack for nothing let him rearrange your priorities and he will rearrange your life give god the throne to your heart and he will change your desires and enable you to be truly satisfied in him the bible is clear here that there is greater wickedness in our hearts by nature than we ourselves are aware of so brothers and sisters be warned by this verse in jeremiah 17 9 don't fall under the false belief that your own heart is pure and better than it really is the heart of man according to the bible is in a fallen state it's false and deceitful above all things take a moment to think about what's important in the grand scheme of things everything on this earth is temporary and fleeting none of it will last but god's kingdom will never end for that reason he is the only one worthy of our devotion he is the only one we should be focused on no matter what everyone else is doing keep god first no matter what season of life you're in keep god first because the treasures of this earth are passing away all of our earthly pursuits will let us down in the end so store up your treasure in heaven where nothing can be destroyed jesus said seek first the kingdom of god and the rest will be added to you he will provide for your every need from the basics like food and clothing to our soul's deepest longings for love and affection if you place faith in man you will be disappointed but if you trust in god you will be rewarded so what does it mean to keep god first the first step is to make that conscious decision to devote your life to the things that matter strive to live for the glory of god live to love god and to love your neighbor meditate on his word all day long honor him with your words and with your actions always be seeking to grow in your walk with him because that above all else is what our souls long for these worldly pursuits demand so much of our time and energy they enslave us but jesus comes to set us free he comes to bring us rest so pray for god to tear down every idol to break down every barrier keeping you from him don't be consumed by worry or fear but trust in all his promises because when you keep god first he will take care of the rest [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Grace For Purpose

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Keywords: Christian, Motivation

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Length: 40min 3sec (2403 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 18 2021