The devil...a figure that has been discussed for centuries. Is he for real? Does he have power to influence lives? What does he really look like? Does he have a whole army of evil beings that "speak and direct" our lives in a way that is opposite of what God has intended for us? Hmmm?
Remember the older horror films where there is a crazy looking professor in a lab with all these different body parts floating in jars?...including the human heart.
A couple of years ago there was a song that came out by Christina Perri entitled "Jar of Hearts". I thought it was a really cool song (still do). The basics of the song was Christina Perri wrote the song after she finally had enough of a boyfriend that kept coming around and "stealing her heart", and then leave...leaving her hurt, alone, and ravaged by his behavior.
Some of the words she chose for this song have really stuck with me and kind of reminds me of being a Christian...and letting the Evil One (yep...the devil) influence my thoughts on life... ending up being disappointed and hurt...time and time again...kind of like what Christina Perri was singing about when her ruthless boyfriend kept coming around whenever he felt like it and basically making a mess of her life...then just leave.
The chorus of her song called "Jar of Hearts" went like this:
"And who do you think you are?
Runnin' round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
Don't come back for me
Who do you think you are?"
A couple other lines in Perri's song that I really liked...went like this:
"I know I can't take one more step towards you
'Cause all that's waiting is regret.
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore..."
" I learned to live, half a life
And now you want me...one more time."
Throughout history the devil has been depicted as some "light-hearted" guy dressed all in red carrying a pitchfork, or the other extreme as a monstrous gruesome figure that is strong, powerful, and really ugly. Personally, I don't think he is neither...but this one thing I have learned concerning him.
The Sacred Scriptures teach we are to resist the devil. Really? How do we do that?
We do that by the "tools" God has provided for us: 1) the love He as for us through the work of Christ Jesus, 2) the Sacred Scriptures that teach us about Christ and instructs us how to really get to know Him, and 3) by calling on the precious Holy Spirit to help us understand how much God really loves us.
There are "thousands" of people giving advice and direction on how to be "good people", and if we just put some effort into it....we can do this!
Yet, I am convinced without the Lord Jesus finding His place in our hearts...without the powerful aid of the Holy Spirit, and without the instructions of the Sacred Scripture saturating our daily lives...we by our sinful nature and the influences of the Evil One in this day and age...are fighting a losing battle.
Check out 1 John 4:4-6
A Gleaning from 1 John 4:4-6
" My dear children...you come from God...and now!...you belong to God.
You have crossed over, going through much "war-like" terrain...the Evil One having his influence over these false teachers trying to tell you how I (the Lord) wants you to live.
Your victories have come by the aid of the powerful Holy Spirit, who because of Christ Jesus...now lives within you! And let me make this perfectly clear, the Holy Spirit is more powerful than the spirit of Evil who is out to control the world you live in.
Our enemies...these false teachers who belong to this world...are constantly trying to influence you with their views...that are birthed from the Evil One. What makes matters worse...many people believe what these "trash-talkers" are vomiting...out of their very mouths.
As for us who are believers and have our faith anchored in the "One Who Sets Us Free", we now have been given the freedom to know Him more...each day of our lives...progressively enter into a deeper relationship with Christ Jesus daily. Because of this, we now have a "clear picture" as to what is really going on"...and begin to see the beauty of having a loving friendship with...the "One Who Loved Us First".
As for those who have no interest in knowing the Lord Jesus, choosing instead not to have anything to do with Him, disregarding and dismissing anything the Holy Spirit is saying... they now have another influence, the one who has "ice running through his soul", that being the Evil One...the god of this world...the devil incarnate.
This is a key element to knowing those who speak from their hearts inspired by the Holy Spirit, and those who speak from the "Spirit of Deception"...filling people's heads with nothing but lies."
Who do they think they are?
A couple of years ago there was a song that came out by Christina Perri entitled "Jar of Hearts". I thought it was a really cool song (still do). The basics of the song was Christina Perri wrote the song after she finally had enough of a boyfriend that kept coming around and "stealing her heart", and then leave...leaving her hurt, alone, and ravaged by his behavior.
Some of the words she chose for this song have really stuck with me and kind of reminds me of being a Christian...and letting the Evil One (yep...the devil) influence my thoughts on life... ending up being disappointed and hurt...time and time again...kind of like what Christina Perri was singing about when her ruthless boyfriend kept coming around whenever he felt like it and basically making a mess of her life...then just leave.
The chorus of her song called "Jar of Hearts" went like this:
Runnin' round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
Don't come back for me
Who do you think you are?"
A couple other lines in Perri's song that I really liked...went like this:
"I know I can't take one more step towards you
'Cause all that's waiting is regret.
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore..."
" I learned to live, half a life
And now you want me...one more time."
The Sacred Scriptures teach we are to resist the devil. Really? How do we do that?
We do that by the "tools" God has provided for us: 1) the love He as for us through the work of Christ Jesus, 2) the Sacred Scriptures that teach us about Christ and instructs us how to really get to know Him, and 3) by calling on the precious Holy Spirit to help us understand how much God really loves us.
There are "thousands" of people giving advice and direction on how to be "good people", and if we just put some effort into it....we can do this!
Yet, I am convinced without the Lord Jesus finding His place in our hearts...without the powerful aid of the Holy Spirit, and without the instructions of the Sacred Scripture saturating our daily lives...we by our sinful nature and the influences of the Evil One in this day and age...are fighting a losing battle.
Check out 1 John 4:4-6
A Gleaning from 1 John 4:4-6
" My dear children...you come from God...and now!...you belong to God.
You have crossed over, going through much "war-like" terrain...the Evil One having his influence over these false teachers trying to tell you how I (the Lord) wants you to live.
Your victories have come by the aid of the powerful Holy Spirit, who because of Christ Jesus...now lives within you! And let me make this perfectly clear, the Holy Spirit is more powerful than the spirit of Evil who is out to control the world you live in.
Our enemies...these false teachers who belong to this world...are constantly trying to influence you with their views...that are birthed from the Evil One. What makes matters worse...many people believe what these "trash-talkers" are vomiting...out of their very mouths.
As for us who are believers and have our faith anchored in the "One Who Sets Us Free", we now have been given the freedom to know Him more...each day of our lives...progressively enter into a deeper relationship with Christ Jesus daily. Because of this, we now have a "clear picture" as to what is really going on"...and begin to see the beauty of having a loving friendship with...the "One Who Loved Us First".
As for those who have no interest in knowing the Lord Jesus, choosing instead not to have anything to do with Him, disregarding and dismissing anything the Holy Spirit is saying... they now have another influence, the one who has "ice running through his soul", that being the Evil One...the god of this world...the devil incarnate.
Who do they think they are?
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