Truth Series: Satan's Tactics Today

Ok, so it's been a little while since I've had time to sit down and expound any more on the thoughts I've recently had on the importance of truth. And by now, maybe you're thinking, "Kelly, how is this even relevant to me today?" I'm so very glad you asked. :)

We have already explored how Satan has used lies in times past in order to deceive Eve in the garden or the children of Israel in battle. But, are we smarter than that today? Are we recognizing the lies and deflecting them? Or do we unknowingly embrace them, not even realizing what we are doing?

Here is a short list of Satan's lies that are prevalent in today's culture:

Today the world says--Don't trust your parents, they don't know what they are talking about or doing (LIE!)

The Bible says, "Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." Ephesians 6:2-3 (TRUTH)

Today the world says--Do what is best for you. (LIE)

The Bible says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. LEt each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4 (TRUTH)

Today the world says--The God of the bible can't possibly understand what we face and is not really relevant and effective today. (LIE)

The Bible says, "...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8; "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Hebrews 12:8 (TRUTH)

Today the world says--If it looks good or feels good or money can buy it, than it will satisfy. (LIE)

The Bible says, "The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring whose waters do not fail." Isaiah 58:11 "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" Hebrews 13:5-6 (TRUTH)

This is just a sampling of the many lies that are swirling around us today. I'm sure you can come up with many more. And you may be thinking that you are too clever to succumb to these lies, that you are smarter than that. Be mindful, friend, we are all susceptible to the lies and we must guard against them.

Several months back, I was having a discussion with a friend, ok, maybe it was more of a complaint session that my life wasn't going the way I had intended, wondering why the Lord hadn't given me what I wanted, doubting if He could even accomplish the things I was asking. And as I was talking, my friend graciously and firmly stopped me and said, "Kelly, those are lies from the pit of hell." That is a good friend who can say those words to you; who can stop you in your tracks and make you realize what you are saying. In essence, I was attacking the very character of God and His ability to be my Provider. I couldn't believe myself! I had walked right into the trap of believing the lies that Satan had set before me, to stumble me, to render me useless. If I don't believe God can provide for me than Satan is undermining my trust in God and therefore the very foundation of my faith.

What lies are you believing today? Guard against these lies, identify them for what they are and saturate yourself in truth today.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139: 23-24

**Next time, we will look back in Isaiah and begin to see how King Hezekiah fought off the lies and Satan and what we can learn to apply in our own lives.

Truth Series: Satan's Tactics in the Beginning

So as I studied Isaiah 36 and saw how King Sennacherib was lying and deceiving the children of Israel, I couldn't help but think how the serpent did the same thing in the Garden of Eden as recorded in Genesis 3.

The serpent lied by saying that Adam and Eve could not eat of EVERY Tree of the garden. We know that God actually told them there was only ONE tree they could not eat of and that was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were able to eat of any other tree except one.

Sadly, Eve did not refute these lies with the truth of God's words. Instead, she twisted the truth by saying that they could not eat OR TOUCH the tree in the midst of the garden. We know that God only told them not to eat of it, He never said they couldn't touch it.

The serpent lies by saying they won't actually die if they eat of the fruit. We know that they didn't immediately die physically but when they took of the fruit, sin entered the world, and death by sin. (Romans 5:12) The processes of death in the world all around us began the day they took of the fruit.

Satan even proceeds by saying that if they take of the fruit they will "be like God, knowing good and evil." Through this statement, he promises them wisdom, he promises them a place of prominence, he promises they will have power...he is promising them to be like God! His implication in all of this is that God is not providing for them. His implication is that he can show them a way of better provision. And yet, we know that their eyes were not opened in the way they would have hoped when they took of the fruit. They didn't realize that their eyes would be opened to the ugliness of sin and the sting of death. This quote says it best:

"...in the beginning, our eyes were already open. Our sight was perfect. Our vision let us see a world spilling with goodness. Our eyes fell on nothing but the glory of God. We saw God as He truly is: good. But we were lured by the deception that there was more to a full life, there was more to see. And true, there was more to see: the ugliness we hadn't beheld, the sinfulness we hadn't witnessed, the loss we hadn't known.

We eat. And in an instant, we are blind. No longer do we see God as one we can trust. No longer do we perceive Him as wholly good. No longer do we observe all of the remaining paradise.

We eat. And in an instant we see. Everywhere we look, we see a world of lack, a universe of loss, a cosmos of scarcity and injustice."

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Do you see the lies? Do you see the deception? Do you see how cunning the devil is? He is the father of lies, the master of deception. Dear sisters and brothers...do not think that we are immune to the wiles of the devil. He is active today. His tactics worked against the children of Israel. They worked with Eve. They can work against us, too, if we do not choose to cling to the truth. If we do not know the truth and refute the lies with the very One who is truth. Be aware, dear ones, the devil is seeking whom he may devour. I pray you and I will not succumb to his deceptive ways. May we be continually seeking His face. (Psalm 27:8)

**Next time: We will look at how we can see these deceptive ways and lies in our lives today.

TRUTH Series: Satan's Tactics In Times Past

Satan is clever. He has figured out how to discourage us, how to weaken us and how to defeat us. We are in a war, folks. Every day, whether at home, school or work, we are encountering spiritual warfare. No one enters the battle without studying the enemy, without knowing his game plan, without considering how to defend. And, yet, that is what I have found myself doing for years. I have kept my head in the sand forgetting that I am a warrior for Christ. And I have forgotten who my enemy is and I have not studied the ways of the enemy so I know what tools are needed to defend.

Might I suggest that knowing TRUTH, resting in TRUTH, clinging to TRUTH is a great defense in this spiritual warfare we are fighting.

Let's look at Isaiah 36. This passage of scripture is during the reign of King Hezekiah over Judah. We know from II Kings 18 that he was a godly king and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He went to great lengths to bring restoration to the kingdom.

In Isaiah 36 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, overtakes the "fortified cities of Judah" (36:1). He then looks to take Jerusalem and sends a messenger to King Hezekiah (36:2). Sennacharib attempts to terrify Jerusalem by his threats. He said whatever lies he could in order to cast doubt on the character and promises of God. He did whatever he could to instill fear in the people's hearts. He was doing whatever he could to defeat them in their minds before the battle even began. He was presenting the people with lies and doing whatever he could to deceive them and distract them from the truth.

Lie #1--Don't trust the spiritual leader God has placed over you. The king of Assyria asks who they are trusting in? Are they trusting in their own strength? In Egypt? And then he says that if they are trusting in the Lord, it is Hezekiah, their king, that he claims took down the altars of Jehovah. (36:4-7)

TRUTH--Hezekiah was the king who actually strengthened the worship of Jehovah. He tore down the false images and the places that worshiped other gods, not the altars of Jehovah. (II Kings 18:4)

Lie #2--False claims about the Lord's commandments/words. Sennacherib claims that the Lord sent him to go against Judah, to destroy the land. (36:10)

TRUTH--He was seeking his own ways, doing what he wanted to do, never heeding the voice of the Lord or honoring the Lord's people.

Lie #3--Casting doubts on the ability of God. Sennacherib claims that Hezekiah can't deliver them. (36:14-15) And he boasts of his own accomplishments, for surely if the gods of the other cities did not deliver the people, why would the people of Israel think that their God could deliver them? (36:18-19)

TRUTH--The Lord can accomplish whatever He wills, including taking down the King of Assyria. The children of Israel serve a LIVING God, not one that had to be propped up and was made of wood or stone.

"For I am God, and there is no other;

I am God and there is none like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Saying, 'My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all My pleasure,'

...Indeed I have spoken it;

I will also bring it to pass.

I have purposed it;

I will also do it."

Isaiah 46:9-11

Lie #4--Promises of Provision. The king of Assyria promises 2000 horses (if they can even find that many to ride them!) along with practical provisions of food, water and land. He offers all that is fleeting and will not truly satisfy. (36:16-17)

TRUTH--Only the Lord can satisfy. Only the Lord is our Jehovah-Jireh, the One who provides that which is lasting.

"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light." Psalm 36:7-9

Sennacherib was putting fear into the hearts of the people. He was attacking the very foundation of their faith in their God, the true and living God. He used lies and deceit and his tactics worked. The people came before King Hezekiah, tearing their clothes, in obvious distress over the words of king Sennacherib. His tactics were working! (Stay tuned...in a later post we'll talk about King Hezekiah's response to these lies and I think we can learn a little something from him!)

Challenge: Is there another time in early biblical history that we've seen these same tactics of lies and deceit used? I can think of one and we'll explore that later this week in our next installment of our series on Truth!

Delay...

...I was hoping to post the second part of the series on Truth today but it's a bit more involved than I anticipated. I suppose I can be over zealous sometimes...but I promise, its in the works and will be coming to a blog near you soon. And to add one more hiccup...I'm without a computer until the weekend! :(

Bear with me as I ask for your patience and by the end of the weekend, installment two will posted in your direction!

In the meantime, check out Isaiah 36 and as you read pay particular attention to the tactics of the King of Assyria. This will be the topic of focus in my upcoming post!

TRUTH Series: An Introduction

Lately, the Lord has been showing me the importance of TRUTH in our lives. We are surrounded by lies and deceit. We live in a society that says there is no truth or we can make up our own truth, there are no absolutes--a society of lies. Last year, I did Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and we studied the book of Isaiah. As I studied it, I was struck by the tactics of the enemy, the tactics of Satan. He uses lies and deceit to attempt to undermine our faith, to cast doubt in our minds--doubts of who our God is and what He is capable of--and he attempts to paralyze us with fear so we are ineffective for the work of the Lord. I do not want to see me or any of you to be rendered useless for eternal purposes because we have been deceived by lies, lies from the pit of hell. Our mindset must be focused on TRUTH...the truth of God's character, the truth of God's promises, and the truth of our circumstances.

As this theme of truth keeps raising its head in various aspects of my life and the lives around me, I've decided to do a series of blog posts about truth and what the Lord has been teaching me. I hope in the process, it will be a blessing and a challenge to your hearts as much as it has been to mine!

Stay tuned....tomorrow we will open the word of God to Isaiah 36 and see what we can learn from King Hezekiah and the people of Israel about truth and how it applies to our lives today!

Art Gallery Postings

Kate has become quite the artist and my family loves finding her little snippets of artwork here and there and everywhere. So, every once in a while, you may see me post a little something that she has done...just as a sweet little memory of her artistic side that I am incredibly impressed with because I don't have an artistic bone in my body!

Here's my first installment in Kate's Gallery:

A new bookmark for my Bible!

Waiting...

Waiting. Another lesson I continue to learn is about waiting. I had a timeline for my life. An unspoken one but a timeline nonetheless. A few years ago, I began to see my precious timeline crumbling. All the plans I had made weren't turning out as I had hoped. But that's where the mistake is made. My hope was too securely wrapped up in an earthly hope rather than placed in the one true Hope of my Savior. I put too much stock in my own ability to plan my life. I didn't allow room for my Savior and God to make the plans, for Him to show me His best. So now I am learning what it means to wait on His timing rather than trusting my own perception of an ideal timeline.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

When the cloud remained...the Israelites...did not set out.

Numbers 9:19

Sometimes the "cloud" remains and we must sit and wait. And while I sit and wait I do the next best thing. Sometimes, the next best thing is trivial (or at least that's how it appears to me!) like doing the laundry or cleaning the house. Other times its helping with a kids outreach or taking an elderly couple to lunch. And while I do these things I learn to wait for what my heart desires, all the while trusting God for the best, learning day by day that He is much more capable of directing my steps than I am. (shocking, I know!) :)

And in this process, I am seeing His hand as He directs my steps. I am seeing His blessings and faithfulness. So even though this thing called life isn't always going the way I want it to go, I am choosing to rejoice and be thankful for my God, His faithfulness, and direction...and maybe while I'm waiting, the Lord is busy working in and through me to accomplish His perfect will in me! :)

The One Who Provides

I am thankful the Lord has shown me more and more of who He is over the last months. I am thankful that He is teaching me that He is Jehovah-Jireh. He is teaching me that in all things I can trust Him to provide my every need. He made provision for my salvation and if He is capable of that great provision than He is able to see to all my other needs...physical, emotional, spiritual. He knows what I need more than I even know. He knows what I need when I'm all alone. He knows how to provide for me in every situation. I do not need to fear what the future holds....it reminds me of the verse in I John..

"There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear..."

I John 4:18

...I have experienced the greatest love possible through my Savior. This perfect Love casts out fear. This Love can take away all my fears of what the future holds. Fear of being lonely. Fear of failure. Fear of not being cared for. Fear of being single forever and ever.. :) Fear.

Fear can be so debilitating. I don't want fear to keep me from being productive for the Lord and His work. I don't want to look back over the years and have regrets, knowing that I allowed unfounded fears to paralyze me.

And so I rest in knowing that I serve a God who cares about the big things (like my salvation!) and the little things (like flowers for my birthday). I can put aside my fear of the unknown, knowing He holds it all in His hands! He cares for me. He loves me. He is Jehovah-Jireh, the One who will provide.

Impossible Odds

Sometimes when I'm reading the Old Testament, I read of the victories the Israelites had in battle and I think to myself, "Of course, they won...they had the Living God on their side...duh!" But have you ever stopped to think what it must have been like to be the Israelites going into battle? They didn't have horses and chariots (that would give them the power of man and animal to trust in rather than in the Power of the Living God). And then I read Judges 7 about Gideon's victory over the Midianites. He had 1 soldier for every 450 Midianite soldiers. I'm no warrior but I'm pretty sure its not a good thing to be so outnumbered when you're headed into battle! Also, they went into battle with a vessel and a trumpet. Definitely not ideal weapons for war. Who trembles at the sight of a trumpet or vessel? But Gideon obeyed. He went out in faith and he prevailed! (Say what!?) How can that be possible for him to come out victorious with such impossible odds? And yet, the Bible records it and so we know its true and that the glory for this great victory goes to God alone, certainly not the men or their weapons!

I wonder what Gideon thought? They had more men but the Lord whittled away until they were at a disadvantage. And what did he think of the Lord's choice of weapons? I can wonder about Gideon's response but I know what my own response is when I feel the odds are against me, when I feel inadequately equipped according to my own feeble perceptions for the task at hand. I am reminded that, like Gideon, I need to obey the Lord's commands and respond in faith. Oftentimes, it seems the Lord asks us to respond in obedience, even if we are not actually adequate for the job...for in our own inadequacies is where we learn to rely more fully on Him and where He gets the most glory for the success. If the Lord has asked me to do it, then I must obey in faith and trust Him with the victory! May we be reminded today that even in the midst of impossible odds, there is victory when we respond in obedience and faith to the commands of our God and Savior.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 27:1-5

Am I going anywhere?!

Do you ever wonder what the point is? The point of going through the motions of every day...the scrubbing of the floor and cleaning the dishes, bathing the kids again...getting up for yet another day at work. We've each got our own ideals and expectations of how this life is supposed to go...and somehow each one of us ends up with some sort of disappointment when it doesn't go how we expect. But do not fret over those unmet expectations...do not worry over those many disappointments. For God is leading us. And He is leading us somewhere, with great intent. All those things...big and small...that seem to stretch us, those trials and challenges that we wish would just leave us alone already...they are with purpose...a purpose to make us who we are supposed to become. So, be of good cheer...God is leading...He's got the map...we are to follow, and learn and grow...for God is leading us somewhere!

God is leading me somewhere--I don't know where, but that's not the important question. The thing I should be asking myself is, Who am I becoming? And I don't think I'm becoming just one thing--like a mother only. I am becoming the woman that God created me to be in work and family and relationships and experiences and challenges, setbacks and trials. there are so many things that are a part of who we are becoming.

Now and Not Yet, Jennifer A. Marshall (p. 46)

Tel Aviv Jaffa (aka Joppa)

Israel, the continuing story....

From Haifa, we traveled along the coastal plains and found ourselves in Tel Aviv Jaffa, known in Biblical times as Joppa.

View along the drive from Haifa to Tel Aviv

(through the bus window!)

The gorgeous Mediterranean sea

(also through the bus window!)

Today, Tel Aviv is the biggest city in Israel and is thought to be one of the oldest seaports. Did you know all embassies of the world are found here? Why? If they were in the capital of Jerusalem, they would have to choose between Jewish or Palestinian quarters. In order to avoid offense of either group, embassies have landed themselves in more neutral territory...Tel Aviv!

Here is a monument in honor of Jonah and the great fish!

He sure looks like a happy fish, doesn't he?

Here is a rooftop restaurant in Joppa...it looked so inviting, I wish there had been time to stop and have a snack! We saw various rooftops in this area...it brought to mind various passages of scripture where rooftop experiences happened.

Here is our group...walking along the paths of Joppa...such a neat experience...and quite the miracle that we didn't lose anyone during the trip! :)

Here is the Joppa harbor. This is the place that Jonah came to when fleeing the Lord from Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). And when Solomon was building the temple, cedars were brought to this harbor from Phoenicia before being transported to Jerusalem (II Chronicles 2:16).

Here's another pic looking over the harbor area..love it!

St. Peter's Church: Peter had come from Lydda to Joppa to raise Dorcas from the dead. While in Joppa he had a vision on a rooftop (Acts 10). This church marks the traditional site of Peter's vision.

A magnificent doorway into St. Peter's Church (Oh how I love neat doorways!)

Here is Micah, trying to get that perfect picture. Yep, this is how most of us looked throughout the trip. We just had to reconcile the fact that we were in fact tourists...embrace it...and maximize that tourist look....cameras clicking at every opportunity! :)

Perhaps, this is what Micah's picture looked like. At any rate, this is a glimpse of the inside of St Peter's Church!

I know these pictures are dark..but we literally stepped in the door, snapped our pics...then kept on movin!

The following pictures are just a glimpse at city life that we observed as we walked...

A street vendor...

Just a neat church steeple along our walk...

Here are some street entertainers we watched as we boarded the bus (aka our second home for the week!)

A cute little shop...too bad our guide kept saying "no more shoppin" :)

Waiting at a crosswalk, this horse walked by...no rider, no owner in sight. No one was sure what to do with a random horse...and he seemed to be obeying the traffic rules so why bother him!? :)

I'm-a back!

Perhaps you've been wondering where I've been for the last 16 months...or maybe you haven't missed me at all! Either way, I promised my friend Liz that I would start posting on my blog from time to time so here I am...fulfilling my promise!

I've really missed blogging. I've missed the blog to capture various events in my life...the little and the big....to capture the lessons I'm learning...the new ones and the ones I just can't seem to grasp but the Lord keeps teaching me patiently...to capture the funny little things that happen every day but my pea brain just can't remember after 2 minutes! Then again, with facebook who has time to do a full blog post any more? :)

I haven't blogged much because there didn't seem to be much to share...and at other times the pressure to put together the "perfect" post just proved to be too overwhelming! Sometimes it just felt like the things that were on my heart, the things the Lord was teaching me, didn't belong on a blog for all the world to see. (Some things just need to stay between me and the Lord and my few besties! :))

So, here I am...trying to capture my life again! I'd like to finish posting on my trip to Israel...maybe post a few of the lessons the Lord has taught me in the past months...and some things the Lord is teaching me now. My life isn't all that exciting so feel free to join me in my mundane-ness...or not! :)