Strong

1 Peter 5 : 6 - 9, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. NKJV

God, our heavenly Father wants you to be strong in Him. However, Satan wants you to be weak, so he can devour you. Satan wants all of us to be spiritually weak in our faith against him because he wants to rule over us. Let me qualify the statement that I just wrote. We know that, in Christ, Satan has no rule over us because Jesus is our Lord. Nevertheless, in John 8, Jesus was teaching the Jews (and us) that they needed to continue in His teachings so that they might come to know the truth, and then the truth that they knew would make them free.

Satan doesn’t want Christians to learn about the God of the Bible because the truth that we’re exposed to will make us like Christ…strong. If you read the gospels, you will see that nothing Satan or man attempted to do against Jesus caused Him to stumble or rebel against His Father. Why? Jesus knew the Father intimately and personally. It is for this reason that Satan fights the Word from being proclaimed. He doesn’t want individuals to learn who they are in Christ, and the authority that Jesus gives us as the children of God.

Allow me to give you a couple of examples that will better convey the purpose of today’s devotion. The Jews had been in Egypt for four-hundred years; and all seemed well, until Pharaoh took notice that the Jews had greatly increased in the land of bondage and were now a nation within a nation. When Pharaoh realized this TRUTH about the Jews, it concerned him that they might decide to rebel against Pharaoh’s authority and begin a war against him.

Consequently, Pharaoh devised a plan to make it hard on the Jews. Pharaoh perceived that his position was threatened; therefore, instead of being a passive dictator over the Jews, he imposed rules to afflict them. Pharaoh didn’t want the Jews to become any stronger than they already were. In much the same way, Satan has worked diligently against the church of America. In the past fifty years, he has launched his agendas to make it more difficult for the truth to be proclaimed in our nation. I’ll explain:

When the education system was established in America, our leaders chose to use the Word of God as part of the curriculum in our schools, colleges, and universities. The leaders of our newly formed and developing country understood the value and importance of the principles that are contained in God’s Word. Because the early Americans honored God and the Bible and implemented godly principles in all elements of society, God blessed their faith and obedience. We know that their plan to utilize fully the Word of God as the basis of our values, morals, beliefs, policies, and laws succeeded. America became a super power and a leader of the FREE-WORLD.

Until…like Pharaoh, Satan saw that the Bible and the church of America was becoming a great threat in the land. We were a tremendous influence in the entire world. And like Pharaoh, Satan realized that the church in America could no longer be allowed to proclaim its beliefs openly without retribution. So Satan devised a plan to put it in people’s hearts to challenge and persecute the teaching of the TRUTH in public places, particularly, the public schools.

Fifty years later, we can see the results of Satan’s attacks, and the influence that the demonic forces have had in the spiritual direction America has chosen. It’s time for Christians in America to be reintroduced to the God of the Bible and the truths that are written within its cover. We must take a stand once again and speak the truth openly so that others can come to know the “Unknown God.” Will you become a part of this move of the Spirit? God is again calling His people to Himself; and Jesus is calling His church back to our First Love. Let’s make God the center of America. Be strong in the Lord and walk in the power of His might.  

Getting Back to the Basics,
Pastor Asa Dockery

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