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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Why Lord?


Hebrews 11 : 3, By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word  of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. NKJV
One of the biggest arguments in modern history in America is the debate over the origin of creation. Christians believe the account that is recorded in the Bible but the world believes the theory of evolution which happened to begin with a man named Charles Darwin in the early to mid 1800’s.
Why do you suppose the world has one worldview and Christians have a totally different view? Faith, but not just faith- but faith in the God of the Bible is the reason why we Christians reason differently than people in the world. Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 3 – 4 that there is a veil over the understanding of people who reject Jesus as their Savior. In the Old Testament when the Jews rejected faith in God, a veil would come over their understanding because of unbelief. The same veil covers the minds of the people still today that refuse to accept the truth that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Paul goes on to say that when someone turns to the Lord the veil is removed.
It’s not surprising that people in the world have a different view of creation than we who are of the household of faith. Faith, as the writer of Hebrews stated under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us the ability to understand. So understanding doesn’t begin with the mind of man but with the heart of man when he or she comes to faith in Christ. Just because we come to faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit gives us understanding to know the deep things of God, it doesn’t mean that we will understand everything that God allows.
Since becoming a Christian have you had things occur in your life that you didn’t understand? When we can’t make sense about situations that come into our lives as Christians, the enemy will use our lack of understanding to challenge our faith in God. Satan uses hurt to cast doubt in the heart of the believer in much the same way that he uses lust in the heart of the sinner. Satan loves to bring something between God and our heart but he has to gain our cooperation. Therefore the enemy uses tragedy, disappointment, heartbreak, etc. in an attempt to cause us to have a faith eclipse. A temporary lapse of faith can cause us to begin to entertain thoughts of doubt about God’s character. Though we experience faith eclipses from time to time because we live in a fallen world, it doesn’t mean that we have to go take the next step and sin against God, as Eve did in the garden. This is where the Holy Spirit and your faith come into play. When Satan, the thief attacks us, and we begin to experience thoughts of doubt which cloud our heart, emotions and mind, we must be still and trust God.
It was at this very place that Eve turned on God because she didn’t know God or His character. It is at this same place of doubt that we must trust in God and wait on the Holy Spirit to give us understanding through our faith that we might come to know our God. An attack of Satan is one of the best opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of God but at the same time can be the hardest times to seek God for understanding because of pain. This will cause us to have to make a choice as new covenant believers, whether we will stand in faith or retreat in unbelief. Those who diligently seek Him shall be rewarded.  
As Christians we make decisions continually in our life that show God whether we love Him or self more. When we choose to take offense against God because of an attack by Satan, we fall prey to unbelief and forfeit our faith. If we will draw closer to God during tragedy then we will overcome the Devil but if we choose to become offended then we have chosen to draw comfort from the flesh nature. Pain doesn’t give us the “right” to choose to walk in unbelief. (Ref. Heb 10 : 38 – 39) We must use our shield of faith to protect our heart against offense and draw closer to God when Satan attacks us. The Lord is a very present help in times of trouble. You can trust in Him!
The Lord is my shield,
Pastor Asa Dockery

God’s Way


Romans 12 : 2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV
Sometimes Christians don’t always know what God’s will is in every situation. When I say “God’s will” I mean, we don’t always have His wisdom and direction to guide us so we must train ourselves to seek Him before we act out of our carnal mind or emotions. Satan understands that we are humans even though we’re children of God. Do you remember how he tempted Jesus in the wilderness by using His human needs as a stumbling block in an attempt to get Jesus to abort God’s will?
In much the same way, Satan tries to get us to react to his seductive ways by playing on the weaknesses of our carnal nature. Do you have an area in your life where you struggle to overcome your fleshly ways and obey God’s will for you? The enemy will observe you over time and discover which points in your life where you struggle and he will “push your buttons.” If this principle sounds strange to you just look up the Hebrew meaning for Serpent found in Genesis 3.
Luke tells us in chapter 4 after Satan left Jesus alone when He wouldn’t enter into any of his attempts to lead Him astray, that Satan was waiting for a more opportune time. This is why we must be very careful to guard our own hearts and seek God about things that “set us off” lest we give place to the Devil and sin.
The answer to overcoming the pressures of Satan and this world that tries to use difficult situations to get us to conform to the ways of the world is to walk by faith. This simply means that we learn the ways of God and place our trust in His ways and don’t rely on our old ways of getting through trying times. As we place our trust in Him and wait for His wisdom and direction it gives time for us to cool down and not be moved by the heat of the situation.
When Moses led the people of God to the shores of the Red Sea and they saw Pharaoh closing in on them and they began to panic. God told Moses to instruct the people to trust Him and to be still. Trust and patience are essential if you’re going to overcome the temptation of the enemy who wants to keep you weak and in bondage to the old ways. As we wait and trust in the Lord to bring us through without reacting the same way we always have to certain situations then we can begin to learn the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. You see, it’s a growing process which takes time and practice until you master the one who wants to rule over you.
Do you want to get your way or do you want to be free of getting your way and live in freedom by obeying God’s way? When we “get our way” we are choosing to conform to the ways of the world but when we respond to temptations God’s way, we’re choosing to allow God to transform us through His Word and will. We want our circumstances changed but God wants us to change. He doesn’t want His children to live in bondage to Satan since He’s already set us free from his authority at the cross of Christ. Choose today to take the “HIGHWAY” which is God’s way and respond to Satan’s fiery darts with God’s Word.
It is written,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Headed To The Mountains


Matthew 14 : 22 – 23, Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. NKJV
There’s something unique about living in the mountains of North Georgia. It’s the place that many people travel when they are on vacation or when they just want to get away from it all. It doesn’t matter where you live or where you go when you need some time to be refreshed, as long as you take the time to get away.
Jesus showed us the principle of separating ourselves from the crowd by His own example. Many times in the gospels we read where Jesus would just disappear and head to the mountains to pray and seek His Father alone. As a pastor, I hear people complain about having to stay on the job and needing a break but can’t afford to go anywhere. You can get away with the Lord and not even leave your property. Simply find a quiet place where you can concentrate on the Lord and abide.
Vacations are wonderful for getting out of the office and away from the everyday duties and drudgeries so that you can clear your mind and rest your body. But do you ever consider that you need time away just to refresh your soul in the same way that Jesus did in the mountains near Jerusalem? When we grow weary in well-doing it opens the door for the enemy to begin to attack our weakened state. This doesn’t always call for a trip to the beach or a scenic trip up to a mountainous get-away but it does require that we find our own little sanctuary. We all need a place of solitude where we can be alone with the Lord and allow Him to wash over us with His love and presence.
The Bible tells us that we can be replenished in times of refreshing when we take the time to seek the Lord alone. If we neglect setting the time aside to be with the Lord and allow Him to pour back into us, then we will become dull and drained. Our perspective on life can become skewed because of being or feeling worn down.    
This is not a time of fleshly indulgence but rather a sacred time of sacrifice where you’re main objective is to be filled with the power and goodness of God. Once you forsake everything in an effort to be filled with the Lord’s goodness, it gives opportunity for the Lord to capture your full attention. Now you’re in a position to experience the presence and peace of God unlike anywhere else. When we sacrificially honor the Lord by seeking Him alone, He will visit us in a very real way that empowers us with fresh vision and new life.
Headed to the sanctuary of His presence,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Stand Up


John 8 : 2 – 6, Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. NKJV
There’s a huge difference between having belief in the Bible as truth and standing on it as the truth. Jesus tells us in Acts 1 that we are to be witnesses of Him once we become His disciples. Paul tells us that all believers have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We are to lead people who are lost in their sin, into a relationship with the Father through Jesus, the Christ.
As Christians who have placed their faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will discover that our faith will place at odds with the world. First, they will ask you what the Bible says about a certain sin or another faith. After you give them chapter and verse, then they will do to you as the scribes and Pharisees did to Jesus that day in the temple. They will ask you, “But what do you say?” Take notice that they asked that question in an attempt to use it against Him if He misspoke. “They tempted Him.”
Recently, I watched an interview where the anchor was questioning the beliefs of a well-known pastor. In this particular discussion the host brought up the teaching found in John 14 : 6 about Jesus being the only way to the Father or heaven. This man was obviously concerned about this one verse, since he wasn’t a believer in Christ. The host asked the pastor if he believed that John 14 : 6 was true. The pastor answered very emphatically, that it was true and that no one could enter heaven except through Christ. After the host asked this question, he advanced the discussion in the same manner as the religious rulers did Jesus in the temple. He asked the pastor if he believed that people who rejected Jesus were going to heaven. To this, the pastor replied, “It’s not my place to judge who’s going to heaven and who isn’t.”
I only mention this scenario to bring out a very important point on the need for Christians to take a stand when the truth is being brought into question. The pastor was correct in that we aren’t the final authority who will determine who goes to heaven. However, he did miss a great opportunity to take a stand for the truth by telling this man, who had rejected Jesus as being the Christ, that he was lost.
Had the pastor told the man that without faith in Christ there is no hope for him it would have given the Holy Spirit the opportunity to convict his guilty conscience. Now look back at what Jesus did when the religious rulers tried to tempt Jesus with the same type question. He told the men who wanted to stone the woman, if they were without sin, they could throw the first stone. Jesus didn’t back down when they took the focus off of Moses’ law and placed it on HIM. He continued to tell the truth though it placed Him at odds with them. This allowed the Holy Spirit to convict every man that was holding a rock of their own sin and they dropped their rocks and walked away convicted.
If we don’t take a stand when our beliefs are brought into question by the world then the world will miss the opportunity to be convicted of their sin. It’s not easy and it can cause us a lot of trouble when we stand but we must stand anyway. What is more important, our well-being or people’s eternal souls? Jesus warns us in Matthew 10 if we seek to save our life then we will lose it but if we lose our life for His sake than we will keep it. We are to fear God who is able to destroy our body and soul in hell and not fear man who can only destroy our body. Have faith in God and take a stand for the TRUTH. The world is dying to hear it.
Preaching and proclaiming the TRUTH,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Monday, July 28, 2014

Find Forgiveness At The Cross


2 Peter 3 : 9, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. NKJV
When was the last time you heard a sermon that was centered on the “Cross of Christ?” Anytime I think about the love of God and how He placed all of my sin on Jesus, and the sin of every person born into this world, I am humbled. At the cross of Jesus there is personal forgiveness, as well as forgiveness for all mankind for all generations.
Have you stopped to consider all that God did for us on the cross where Jesus hung? We were guilty, yet the Father forgave us. Jesus was innocent, yet it pleased the Father to lay upon Him the iniquity of all mankind. Long before you and I were born, Jesus had already paid the penalty for our sins against the Father. Does this mean that everyone is going to heaven? No. It does mean that they way has been made for every person to enter heaven but not all will choose to accept the free gift of eternal life.
We are to acknowledge the death of Jesus on the cross as payment for our sin, while we confess our sins before Him. Why do you suppose the Father chose to expiate our sin debt in this manner? God knows that Satan operates through the power of condemnation and works to hold people in bondage. God by-passed all of Satan’s schemes when He laid all of our sin debt on Jesus and has given to us the free gift of eternal life.
If you struggle with guilt and shame as a child of God even though you know you have been forgiven then remember this one truth. You were saved by faith apart from your own works. Guess what? You walk in that same saving grace by faith as well. If you begin struggling with guilt, shame, condemnation to the point that you can’t obey God’s will, then know that these are indicators that tell us we are slipping from walking by faith and have gone back under the law of works.
While on the cross, Jesus asked the Father to forgive mankind because He knew that we had been blinded by our sinful ways. The power of forgiveness breaks the bondage and the blindness of sin off of our hearts and lives. Do you need to be free from condemnation and guilt today? Ask the Father to forgive you and to fill you with His unconditional love and for Christ sake He will.
Forgiven in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Friday, July 25, 2014

Our Faith Opens The Door


Hebrews 11 : 6, But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJV
The God and Father of our Lord is so gracious and kind to us because we have placed faith in Jesus as being the Son of God. Did you realize that from the very moment you turned your heart to place faith in Jesus that God began to bless you? This insight gives us better understanding into the love that God has for those who have placed their trust in Christ as their personal Savior. Let’s look at faith in this light for a moment. When you came to faith in Christ, the blessings of God began to flow in your heart and life because you had realized that Jesus is the source of this life and eternal life.
At the moment of faith in Christ you were deemed blessed in God’s eyes. Once we humbled ourselves and accepted the free gift of life through Christ, the grace of God was bestowed upon our life. Can you imagine being blessed and having the grace or favor of God lavished on you simply because you believed? There was nothing that you did or could do in order to earn it, yet God freely gives us His blessing once we look to Jesus.
Through faith we are able to begin to comprehend the love that God has for those who receive His Son into their heart. If we come to God in another way than faith in Christ and try to earn God’s favor and love, then we will never be able or allowed to experience either in our life. Remember what the writer of Hebrew wrote in today’s scripture, “But without faith it is impossible to please God.” We realize then that faith opens the door for God’s goodness to be dispensed upon us and there’s nothing we can do to earn it.
If we can be saved by faith, apart from works or earning our salvation then we must continue once we’re born again, by faith. Faith in Christ will teach us how to rest in Him and know that the same God who saved us by faith is the same God that will supply all that we have need of, now that we’re in Christ.
I’ve made this statement before but it bears repeating. It seems easy for people to trust in God for eternal security, so why is it hard to now trust God for everyday needs and desires? The answer: We must continue living by faith after we have come to faith in Christ and this is accomplished by denying self and seeking the Lord. Remember, we need favor and not works to accomplish and obtain all that is needed in life.
Resting in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Taking The Next Step


John 15 : 3, You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. NKJV
As Christians, we have been redeemed from sin through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Satan no longer owns you but now that you have received the Holy Spirit, you belong to God. Does that mean we are now made perfect because of the blood of Christ? No. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus but at the moment of salvation we have not yet been made perfect or mature. Jesus told His disciples that had remained with Him over three years that they had been made clean by the Word that He had taught them.
When we’re only taught the principles of salvation but never taken on into discipleship it can cause “believers” to think that we have achieved all that is required of us from the Lord. If all you know about your walk with the Lord is based on salvation teachings alone and you practice those principles that have been imparted into your life, then it can cause you to feel as though you have “arrived.”
This is why Jesus requires believers to continue in their faith by hearing and keeping the Word of God in their everyday life once they become born again. Even though we’ve been cleansed from dead works through the blood of Christ and our spirit has been regenerated through the Holy Spirit, our souls (mind, will and emotions) are yet to be purified.
As I wrote previously, the disciples had been with Jesus for almost forty-two months. During this time, Jesus has taught them many truths that had transformed their carnal minds. Through the truths that He revealed to the disciples they learned the importance of following God’s Law and not the traditions of the elders. As Jesus continued to teach the disciples, they became clean in their souls from the pollution of the world’s ways, which defiles the soul.  
One day as Jesus was teaching in the temple, some Jews believed His teachings. He told those Jews who believed on Him, to continue in His teachings and this would make them become true disciples. So you see, there is so much more to being saved than just becoming born again. Now that we are saved, we must continue living in His Word and keeping His teachings in our heart and life. This will purge our souls from the fleshly ways that we walked in as sinners.
We’re all fine or believe we’re fine until we look into the mirror and see the dirt on our face. In much the same way, we must look into the Word of God that it might reveal to us what is hidden just out of our sight but that others can see very plainly. The Word of God will purge your soul and make you free from the deceptive pride and fleshly lusts.
Lord show me through Your Word,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Endurance

2 Timothy 2 : 1 – 5, You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. NKJV

Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6 that we are not our own but we have been bought with the price of Jesus’ blood. He goes on to say that we must now choose to glorify God in our body which belongs to Him. Satan loves to tempt believers who ignore or they are ignorant of this truth that Paul taught the Corinthians.
This is the reason Paul warned young Timothy to endure hardship as a good soldier. Since we are soldiers of the Lord and are engaged in a spiritual battle, we must guard our hearts against becoming entangled in the affairs of this temporal life. Remember, the Word tells us to live by faith and to walk by faith. We can only fulfill this if we are keeping the Word of God and honoring it when circumstances push us into reacting in our flesh.
Satan will use the hardness of situations as a weapon to tempt us to harden our hearts against God’s Word or His will in a battle, that he might bring a schism between God and us. We must be wise as serpents but remain harmless as doves while we face the pitfalls of living in a fallen world. Therefore, we must continually keep our eyes on Jesus and keep our hearts attentive to God lest we succumb to the strategies of the Devil and sin.
It’s not that God is tempting us with evil and laughing at us when we hit “a wall” in our life. Let’s look at this in a different light, other than blaming God. Satan was very wise when he caused Adam to sin and placed all of mankind under the curse of sin. The curse of sin has caused every person that has ever been born, including Jesus, to experience great anguish and hardship. Satan was elated to discover that Adam and Eve had fallen for his feeble lies. Since that time Satan has used the adversity of living in a fallen world and the hardness of trials to turn people’s hearts against the Lord during a moment of weakness or anguish. (Job 1 – 2)
If you allow hardness to turn your heart against God’s will and His Word than you open the door for Satan to bring you into a place of offense and can cause you to sin against God in your greatest hour of need. We must be willing to submit to God, resist the Devil and he must flee. Guard your heart against hardness, toward God, because we live in a world that offers us hard battles. This world is not our permanent home, if we have faith in Christ.
Endure hardness as a good soldier,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Child-like Faith


Matthew 18 : 1 – 5, At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. NKJV
As the disciples were being “childish” and fighting over who was the greatest among them, Jesus used that occasion to teach them and us some powerful truths about children and God’s view of them.
What is about children or being child-like that God loves so dearly and protects with great passion? He loves children but He also loves the way they trust without having any strings or conditions applied to the recipient to which that trust is extended. Innocent trust is very precious to God and He strives very diligently to protect the willingness of children to trust without question. As parents we have to teach our children not to trust everyone. We have to teach them to know that not everyone is looking out for their best interest.
Since children are so vulnerable to becoming prey at the hands of someone evil, Jesus not only teaches us to become as a child, but He also teaches on offenses as a warning. We live in a fallen world that is filled with evil and wickedness. Jesus wants us to be aware of offenses while we continue to place our trust in God, lest we allow the attacks of our adversary to turn our hearts away from faith in God and become spiritually hardened. Whenever a child or a believer stumbles or backslides from God because of the offense of someone dishonest, Jesus tells us that God takes such violations against the innocent very serious.
Matthew 18 : 6 – 7, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! NKJV
Even though we become born again, it doesn’t mean we won’t experience offenses in our new walk with God. But it does mean that through our faith we don’t have to go back into unbelief or revert to sin in order to get vengeance. We belong to the Lord and He will fight our battles for us but we must continue to trust in Him even though the offense was allowed to occur. Remember, the goal of Satan using offenses or injustice against us is to try and turn our hearts away from God. Be wise as a serpent but remain harmless as a dove.
Our church recently helped a ministry that reaches out to children that have been sexually abused and exploited by the very people who should be protecting them. This ministry works in Bulgaria with children and parents to educate them on the dangers of the sex-trade and predators.  In that region of the world, it is a known fact that 80% of the children involved in Europe’s sex trade come from Bulgaria. The parents are so poor that they can’t afford to care for their children. The parents of the children are approached by people who promise to take their children and give them an education and “save” them from a life of hardship.
Once the children are removed from their family, homes, and villages, they are introduced to a life of slavery. Please pray for the children in America and around the world that are taken daily and sold into the sex trade industry. Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Reaching out to help the hurting children,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Monday, July 21, 2014

Hold On


Hebrews 3 : 12 – 13, Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  NKJV
Jesus warned us that in this world offense would come but He also said, “Woe” to the one who caused the offense. Living by faith can be very tough at times simply because we live in a fallen world.  Let’s take a journey back in time as the Jews are entering the wilderness. It doesn’t take long before they realize that there are no restaurants or hotels to stop at on their way to the Promised Land.
Even though they couldn’t find a place to lodge or dine in late at night, God still managed to take care of their every need while they wandered. They allowed the hostile environment to cause them to harden their hearts against God. Now they had a real problem on their hands. It’s one thing to be wandering around in a wilderness but when you turn your back on the One who was taking care of their every need, this was about to get real nasty.
Can you imagine something physical happening to you that would ever cause you to turn your heart against God? It seems foolish to think that the chosen people of God, who had been delivered out of Egypt’s bondage, would allow natural situations to cause them to react with spiritual rebellion against their Provider. 
Now we’re getting to the reason for today’s word from heaven. If a natural event causes someone to depart from the living God then know that it is the deceitfulness of sin. Only sin in the heart will justify disobedience as a legitimate reaction to hardship and backslide from God.
Satan wants people to believe that it’s God causing us trouble but if you think for a moment, it was Satan who started all of the trouble in the beginning. Faith is more than just believing in God. True faith is followed through with obedience. This was the reason why God allowed the children of Israel to perish in the wilderness after forty years; they wouldn’t obey His voice because they hardened their heart in unbelief.  
Hebrews 10 : 35 – 39, Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: "For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. NKJV
When life gets difficult and you feel as though you’re slipping, hold on! Jesus will pull you out of the troubled waters. Look to Him until you see His hand moving in your situation. Our faith pleases God and He will move heaven and earth to save us.
Waiting on the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Thursday, July 17, 2014

The Spirit of Seduction


Genesis 3 : 2 – 5, And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." NKJV
Has Satan ever promised you a better life by tempting you? Why do you suppose Satan had to appear to Eve as a serpent and not himself? Satan is a fallen angel and doesn’t have a physical body; therefore he uses vessels to carry out his evil deeds. The Bible warns us about the wisdom of the serpent that we might not fall prey to his deceptive ways when approached by him. Paul tells us that Satan will appear as an angel of light. Since there is no truth in Satan then the “light” that he offers to his victims is false hope.
Paul also teaches in 2 Corinthians 11 that Eve was seduced by the serpent. There’s another meaning for the term “seduced” and its cheat. When Satan promised Eve that she would be like God once she partook of the forbidden fruit and this caused her to turn her heart from the Lord and His will. As they eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge together, their eyes became open and they knew they were naked. Instead of Satan’s lies and empty promise producing “God-likeness,” it robbed them of the blessings and relationship that they had with God previously. Eve had been seduced – cheated.
Satan can’t seduce us unless he first obtains our attention and cooperation. He accomplishes this through the spirit of offense which works hand-in-hand with the spirit of seduction. Notice that Satan had to first convince Eve that God was holding something back and that God had lied about the repercussions of eating from the tree of knowledge. After the serpent convinced Eve that God had rejected her and lied to her, she then turned her heart to see sin as a viable option to becoming blessed.
Whenever we take on a spirit of offense against God because life doesn’t go according to our plans it will cause us to turn away from His Word and will. Once Satan has gotten us to turn from the Lord, we become prey for him to seduce through compromise in the hope of being blessed without having to obey God’s commands. The end result of obeying the spirit of seduction is bondage and loss of God’s blessing and liberty. I want to leave you with scriptures that will confirm what I have written to you today is the truth.
Deuteronomy 30 : 15 – 20, "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." NKJV
God said, “If your heart turns so that you do not hear.” Genesis account: Eve looked at the fruit and saw that it was good.
God said, “And are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them.” Genesis account: Eve partook of the fruit and gave to her husband with her and he did eat. They worshipped and served self and not God.
God said, “You shall surely perish.” Genesis account: And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew they were naked.
Satan promised them the world but through seduction, he stripped them of their authority and blessings from God.
Be careful little eyes what you see,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The Other Man

2 Samuel 12 : 1 – 7, Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity." Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! NKJV

The writer of Hebrews wrote that Moses forsook the pleasures of Egypt choosing rather to suffer with his brethren. Sin may have pleasure for a season but it will rob far more from you than it will offer. If you haven’t read about the consequences of David’s sin in his own family and you’re being tempted with sin, I encourage you to read the rest of the story.
David’s son, Nathan came to the king and shared a parable of a two men. One was rich and had all that he needed but the other man was poor and only had one ewe lamb. Nathan tells David about a traveler who came to visit the rich man. Satan comes to us disguised in such a way that we wouldn’t even consider that it was him that he might seduce us. This was the case in David’s life. Satan had come to him as a traveler and provoked him to sin against God’s Word. The “traveler” had also blinded David to his own wicked actions through his deceptive lies.
Please take notice of the anger that arises in David’s heart against this rich man that had stolen the ewe lamb from this innocent man who was poor. The king not realizing that Nathan was speaking about him and his sin, judged, convicted and condemned the rich man to death. David was quick to pass judgment on another man until he realized that he was that other man. Sin had completely blinded David of his own actions. He didn’t view what he had done for a moment of pleasure as sin in his own life. He never realized that his sin cost a poor man his only possession, as well as his life, until the truth revealed the sin in his heart.
Many people come to their senses after they have committed a sin or crime only to find that they have been seduced and are now in bondage. Satan only comes as a thief that he might steal, kill and destroy but Jesus has come that you might have life and live your life to the full. Beware of “travelers” and “situations” that cause you to despise or distain the Word and will of God. Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and body.
2 Samuel 12 : 7 – 9, Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight?  NKJV
Satan loves it when people who know the Lord decide not to have any time for the Lord. He also enjoys creating diversions to keep them occupied so that they stay out of God’s Word and prayer. Don’t set yourself up for a fall but turn to the Lord and allow Him to bless you in such a way that you’ll be rich without sorrow.
Lord help me guard my heart,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Wait For It


Proverbs 16 : 25, There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. NKJV
When a child becomes rebellious, they sincerely believe in their heart that getting “their own way” will lead to their freedom. Are you currently in a situation where you feel pressed into “getting your own way?” First of all, if you’re feeling pressured into making a decision in an attempt to gain your freedom, know that getting your way doesn’t always lead to having more freedom.
Satan works very diligently on people’s hearts trying to get us to see Godly authority as restrictive and limiting. When the person is young or immature, this can make them a perfect target because they have not gone out on their own and experienced “life” in a way that seems liberating to them. It doesn’t have to be someone who is young or immature but can be an older person that feels bound by the duties of their everyday life and feel as though the walls are closing in around them.
God has promised us that He would withhold no good thing from those who walk uprightly before Him. So if you’re feeling like you need to get you way or spread your wings and fly, but you have to break covenant with God or violate a law or ordinance than know that Satan is setting you up. He wants to use rebellion coupled with unbelief, through the lie that God doesn’t care about you or that He doesn’t want you to have what you currently desire, to drive you into bondage. Please be careful that you recognize these signs that I’ve listed as warnings and allow the Lord to soften your heart so that you don’t sin and go into bondage and lose the blessings that God has already given to you.
Paul tells us in Timothy that Eve was deceived. She didn’t know everything nor had she experienced all that was “out there.” When Satan came to her in the garden he spoke to her in such a way that it made God begin to appear to her as repressive and controlling. After he convinced her that God was holding her back from something special with His “LAWS,” he pressed her into rebellion by tempting her with something that was forbidden. She began to think that her way would be the only way to experience the freedom of being like God without having to keep the dictates of God’s law.
How many people today are living in real bondage and lack, when once they had liberty and their needs taken care of by the Lord?  There is a way that seems right to a person but that way leads to death.
If you struggle with being angry with God because He hasn’t done something that feel like you deserve then guard your heart. If you struggle with rebellious feelings and thoughts against your employer, parents, or anyone in authority over you, guard your heart. Promotion doesn’t come from man but from God. When our ways please the Lord, He will cause our enemies to be at peace with us. As we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. You see, it’s not about “getting our way” but rather it’s about walking in humility and having faith in God. He has the best plan for us but He waits until we’re spiritually mature to handle those desires. He wants us to have things but He doesn’t want things to have us. Love the Lord with all your heart.
I have discovered that Satan offers a counterfeit at the moment right before God is about release the “real desire” into our lives. When you feel pressured by rebellious thoughts and tendencies to get your own way that is the time for you to be alone with God in prayer. You might not see the connection but trust me, Satan does. This is why he is using this distraction as an attempt to separate you from God’s presence that he can rob you of a long-awaited blessing.
In His time,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Monday, July 14, 2014

Speaking Life


Isaiah 55 : 3, Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; NKJV
Have you thought about the power that is required to fuel the entire world? Take a moment and think about all of the things in our lives that require power from all kinds of sources. It seems that anything functional requires some type of power to make it operational. Humans require electric impulses fired from our brain to operate on a daily basis and to make rational decisions. Our bodies must be fed nourishment in order to maintain strength.
Society seems to be slowing to a screeching halt in some aspects and economists and governmental officials are baffled trying to remedy the problem. We wind up clocks and plug in our cell phones, and fuel up our cars but the world doesn’t realize that man doesn’t live by bread alone. No one can live independent of God for very long. Society can’t flourish and prosper apart from the blessing and power of God either.
You’ve probably read on a church sign somewhere, when someone goes seven days without the Word, it makes one WEAK. Jesus tells us in John 6 that He is the bread from heaven. The fathers of the Jews that He was speaking to that day had eaten of the Manna that Moses gave them and were dead but that Bread that He was offering them would give them everlasting life. He also tells us that His Words are spirit and they are life. The point of today’s devotion is to impart some wisdom from God’s Word that you might have life and enjoy it to the full. (John 10 : 10)
No one can live eternally without placing faith in and living by the Word of God. It’s not just a book but He is the Son of God. God upholds all things by the Word of His power. In other words, we don’t perpetuate life as humans but God sustains life through the power that is contained in His Word.
John 1 : 1 – 5, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. NKJV
Many countries around the world are experiencing very troubling times and the leaders of those countries are perplexed and dumbfounded as to how to go about rectifying their adverse situations. You see, when people neglect the Source of life and try to separate themselves from the Word of God; this negligence allows death to begin to take hold of everything that isn’t plugged into the OUTLET.
The Lord is calling His people to repentance and to turn back to His Word which is truth. The text from Isaiah 55 tells us that if we will incline our ear, turn to Him and hear that our souls will live. Satan has worked overtime trying to separate the people of the world from the Word of God that he might pollute our hearts with sin and cause death to people’s souls.
In the beginning when God spoke light into existence there was nothing but darkness and death. But once He spoke and there was light, it didn’t take long before the world began to show signs of life. We must come out of the darkness of Satan’s lies and walk in the Light of God’s Word that He might empower us with life once again.
God’s method of introducing life to the earth, mankind, and dead situations has never changed. In the beginning we read, “And God said.” After this we read where God spoke through holy men to His people. “Thus says the Lord.” In the New Testament the Word became flesh and we heard, “Verily, verily, I say unto you. Jesus taught His disciples and us to use the Word to speak to dead situations. “It is written.” If you are living in a dead situation begin to speak the Word of God in faith over it until the power of God resurrects it with new life.
And God said,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Friday, July 11, 2014

Under Authority

Luke 10 : 18 – 20, And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." NKJV

Can you see the heart of a loving Father in the Words of Jesus to His disciples? The Lord had sent seventy of His followers out to minister in His name. When they returned to Him with the report, they were almost overcome with adrenaline because the demons had to obey them. In a loving but firm manner, Jesus began to instruct them by showing them how unimportant Satan really is to the true disciple.
The Lord wants all of His people to know that He has come to set us in a seat of authority over Satan. Paul teaches us in Ephesians 1 that God has made us to sit in heavenly places in Christ, far above principalities, and powers. Jesus doesn’t want us to become fixated over the fact that we can rule over the powers of darkness, but rather He wants us to focus on the truth that Christ has given us eternal life.
Since the Lord wants us to walk in spiritual authority but doesn’t want us to become distracted by the power He has given to us as children of God, then we must be very careful to keep our priorities straight. If we focus our hearts on our relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, as we go about fulfilling the plan of God, this can keep us balanced. He gently reminded them that their authority was granted to them through their relationship.
One day a Roman soldier came to Jesus and sought Him to heal one of his soldiers. This gentile told Jesus that he recognized the authority on His life and that he knew Jesus could heal His soldier. How did a gentile Roman soldier know this about Jesus to the point that he also knew that Jesus had the power to heal people? He said to Jesus, “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." NKJV
Notice that this commander in the Roman army recognized that Jesus was also a Man under authority. Because he recognized that Jesus was under the authority of someone else (the Father) he was also admitting that he believed that Jesus was being used by the Father, unlike the Jews who rejected that truth. When he told Jesus this truth about His authority, Jesus replied to his faith in this manner. "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” NKJV
Simply because this Roman soldier realized and acknowledged the relationship between the Father and Jesus, and that He wasn’t acting on His own, Jesus tells us that he had great faith. The Lord also wants you and me to walk in authority over the Devil and his imps. But He wants us to be submitted to His authority as our Lord. Those who remain in submission while walking in authority remain in power. Satan wants us to begin to think that we have the authority without or apart from walking with or obeying God. He tempts people in this regard with the aim of luring them into bondage to him through rebellion to God’s will.
Now that we’re in Christ, we have been granted authority over the Devil but beyond that we have been granted eternal life- relationship with the heavenly Father. Maintain your relationship and you will also maintain authority over the wicked one.
Glad to be a child of God,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Caterpillars and Butterflies

Romans 12 : 1 – 3, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. NKJV

There is something innate that is seated deep in the hearts of humans which seeks to be free. Throughout history people have fought and died for the dream of being free from various bondages. When people are in spiritual darkness or bondage they will endeavor to be free but apart from divine instruction, Satan can use their passion for freedom to drive them from God, thus placing them deeper into bondage.
If you truly want to experience total liberation, you will have to undergo a transformation as well. A person can’t fully experience liberation apart from first encountering a spiritual transformation. In other words, we can’t do the same things the same way and expect different results. In John 8 Jesus saved a woman who was taken in the very act of adultery from her accusers who sought to stone her. After the men all left Jesus and the woman alone, He told the woman that He didn’t condemn but that wasn’t the last thing He told her. He said, “Go and sin no more.” She had to have a change in her heart before she could be totally free from the very thing that brought her into bondage.
As a pastor who teaches the principles of God’s Word, I have taught from Romans 12 : 1 – 2, many times. Today, the Lord opened my eyes to see deeper into these verses. We all need our minds renewed through the Word of God that we might have a spiritual perspective on things that we face, instead of a worldly view. It’s one thing to have your mind renewed and to become a true disciple of Christ but Jesus doesn’t want us to stop there. Jesus tells us in the gospels that if we desire to follow Him we must deny self, take up our cross and follow Him. Let’s look at the first condition Jesus requires of us who seek to live completely free.
We must be willing to deny self in the way that He denied His will and obeyed God’s will. What does it profit us if we learn the truth of God’s Word but we don’t submit our hearts to obey any of them? Nothing!
Paul doesn’t just tell us to have our minds renewed in order to be transformed but in verse 3 he continues by instructing us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Now we’re getting down to the place of getting real with our walk and taking ownership for our own actions. It is only when we deny self and ask the Lord what He wants to change in us that we will begin to experience true and lasting liberation from the flesh nature. We can have our minds renewed but still be filled with spiritual pride and fall prey to Satan’s devices.
Obviously, the Lord has this on His heart or He wouldn’t have revealed it to me to share today. Are you submitted to God’s plan for your life? Are you a true disciple that denies self that you might experience God’s liberating power in your heart? Let the Lord speak to your heart today as you seek His will and not your desires and see what happens.
Whom the Son sets free,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Exercising Our Faith

Hebrews 13 : 5, 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." NKJV
When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by the Devil, He quoted the Word. He said, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Our heavenly Father asks that we walk in faith knowing that He is faithful and will never leave us nor forsake us. Occasionally, there will be those times where our faith will be tried. When this happens we must remember that God will test our obedience but it’s Satan who will test our faith.
When we find ourselves in tests as Jesus did in the wilderness will we do as He and stand on the Word and faithfulness of God or will we allow covetousness to cause us to begin to doubt God’s faithfulness? Personally, and you won’t hear that term from me often, I believe we all struggle with doubt from time to time. This is not the issue. The real issue is what will we do when doubt comes knocking on our heart’s door wanting to come in and deceive us.
Why do you suppose Jesus being the Word of God in flesh had to quote scripture in order to combat Satan? He was walking “by faith” in God and wasn’t going to allow His desires to dictate how He responded to the temptations of Satan. It’s not about being hungry or broke, but it’s about answering Satan when he comes to us and casts doubt in our heart about the “seemingly” absence of God during this time.
This is why we must stand on and speak the Word of God because it shows Satan that we trust our Father hasn’t abandoned us. It reveals to God that we are submitted and committed to walking by faith because we know He won’t forsake us. Here’s the key for today’s devotion. It goes against the carnal nature to trust when walking in a time of lack. Furthermore, it crucifies our flesh when we choose to stand on God’s Word in a time of lack. Therefore, we can take a bold stand against the strategies of the Devil and keep him under our feet by speaking the Word over the situation, knowing that God is indeed with us.
Since God has sworn to us that He won’t forsake us, especially in a time of lack, then we can have confidence and boldness to stand on His Word and declare the truth to Satan and silence his lies. Lack does not mean that God has forsaken you it is simply an opportunity for us to use our faith in God’s Word to see Him provide for us. The widow at Zarephath was in a time of lack but she obeyed the Word of the Lord from Elijah. Man didn’t provide for her during the remainder of that famine but God’s Word caused her food supply to last until the season was over. 
What good does it do us if we say we walk by faith but won’t allow our faith to be tried? This will only cause us to grow weak spiritually. As our faith gets tried and we remain faithful to God and stand on His Word, then God can supply all of our need and our faith will make us strong.
Living by the Word of God,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Hidden

Genesis 3 : 1 – 6, Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good… NKJV
Where was God while Satan was in the garden tempting Eve? Where was God, while Satan was afflicting Job? He was and still is present in His Word. Didn’t God give them specific instructions concerning what they should eat and the tree that they were not to partake of in the garden? Therefore, God was present with them but in Word form.
He wasn’t physically with them because He wanted them to trust in His Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD!” If they had the Word in their hearts than He was in their hearts with them but they could only know this by faith. The same applies with us. If we have the Word in our hearts, then God is with us but not in a physical or tangible way.
Therefore, we must believe that He is with us through faith. Why? Jesus, the Word incarnate said, “If you have seen Me than you have seen the Father.” If we hide the Word of God in our hearts than the God of the Word is also in our hearts. Now, if Satan can get us to doubt the Word or be hearers of the Word and not doers than he can use this to his advantage.
David wrote a psalm to the Lord and in it he declares a truth that we all must know and practice as children of God. He proclaimed, “Your Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against it.” If the Word isn’t hidden in our hearts through obedience, then we can fall prey to temptation and sin against it. It is very obvious that Adam didn’t keep the Word that God spoke into his hearing because he didn’t keep the serpent out of the garden, nor did he stop Eve from eating the fruit. He was standing beside her while she looked on the fruit, took the fruit from the tree and partook of it and gave to him and he ate.
Since they didn’t bother to obey God’s commands the Word of God wasn’t in their hearts and this opened the door for Satan to bring doubt into the hearts. If we separate ourselves from God by ignoring the Word of God through the act of omission, this will cause us to feel as though God has somehow forsaken us but He has promised us that He will never leave us, nor forsake us in the New and Old Testaments. Let’s look at an example of where it seemed as though God just didn’t care about someone and allowed them to die without any help.
When Lazarus died, Jesus waited four days to return. Martha chided Him for His negligence. She was angry at Jesus because He had ignored her request for Him to come in person and heal her brother. Why didn’t Jesus come to heal Lazarus while he was sick? Why did He ignore Mary and Martha’s request and allow their brother to die and lay in a tomb for four days?  The answer has been there all this time and apparently we’ve been so distracted that we missed it like they did that day.
John 11 : 11 – 15, These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." NKJV 
Jesus didn’t go that He might cause the disciples to believe in Him once Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jesus used a “death” situation to teach His disciples, and us to have faith in His Word and use His Word in the same manner that He does and expect the same results. When we live by the Word and activate the power of God’s Word in our death situations, the Word will reassure our hearts through faith that God is with us. We might not be able to see or touch Him but He is just as present, powerful and real.
Romans 10 : 6 – 11, But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." NKJV
Are you living by faith through obedience to God’s Word? If you’re not abiding in His Word through active faith then it will give place to the enemy to cause doubt and unbelief in your heart. We don’t need Jesus in the flesh in order to have a victorious life. We have Him already in our hearts when we believe and obey His Word on a daily basis. With God all things are possible.
God has been there all along,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Monday, July 7, 2014

Recognizing The Signs


Genesis 3 : 11 – 12, And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." NKJV
If you ask the Lord to reveal more to you about His nature and power, you will discover as I have that it usually means that He shows you something new about you. If that seems puzzling or contradictory to you consider this; you were created in His image, but sin has blinded us to who we really were supposed to be before the fall.
Recently, the Lord gave me a deeper understanding about the scriptures in today’s devotion. When the Bible refers to sin it is generally in the context of darkness or spiritual blindness. In fact, when Adam and Eve sinned the eyes of the flesh nature became opened and for the first time man had become sin conscious. When we hear the term “sin-conscious” we tend to think of the realization that there is sin in our lives, but that isn’t always the case as we have read in today’s verses concerning Adam’s sin.
I find it very interesting that Adam had all of the symptoms of sin but wouldn’t confess that he had sinned when God confronted him on the issue. We see that Adam was fearful, ashamed, and knew he was naked, which was the indicator that told God that Adam and Eve had sinned. But in spite of all these signs, Adam was blind to the truth that he had indeed sinned.
How could Adam have all the symptoms of sin but not take responsibility for his sin? When God asked him if he had partaken of the tree of knowledge, instead of confessing his sin Adam chose to blame Eve. This condition or state-of-being is what the Bible calls spiritual blindness or being lost. It has now become a human trait that all humans have fallen prey to because we have all sinned. Adam blamed Eve and she blamed the serpent. Sin isn’t gender bias; it blinds us all to what is really hidden in our hearts before Christ reveals the truth to us.
When sin isn’t recognized and confessed it will lead us deeper into a state of bondage where we will begin to view ourselves as victims of sin instead of participants of sin. You see, Adam saw himself as a victim of sin instead of being guilty of a transgression that needed to be confessed and taken ownership of.
When God confronted Adam about what he had done, Adam responded as a victim of his wife’s actions. By doing this, he was seeking to find pity in God’s sight that He might be willing to assist Adam as a victim. Let’s break down that last statement. Instead of repenting for his sin Adam wanted God to have pity on him in his fallen state. If this sounds familiar it is called a spirit or mindset of entitlement.
When people live in unrepentant sin they will generally view themselves as victims and play up their negative situations trying to get someone to help them “out” of their negative situation by feeling sorrow for them, without addressing the real problem of sin in their heart. Instead of seeing sin as bondage Adam and Eve both saw themselves as victims of sin.
Perhaps you know someone who plays the “guilt strings of your heart” occasionally, trying to manipulate you into helping them while they live in bondage to sin which brings a curse upon their life. If you know someone who fits this description, than you have an obligation to assist that person but not in a way that enables their sinful ways, but empowers them to overcome the sin and live in freedom. If we bear one another’s burdens, then we have fulfilled the law of Christ which is to love our neighbor as our self.
Jesus requires us to speak the truth in love. Jesus always brings balance to the way the gospel is to be implemented. The knee-jerk reaction to this word today is to tell people that you can’t help them because they have sin in their life. We don’t have to remind someone they have sin whenever they ask for help. However, if they use the same story over and over trying to get you to help them over and over, then you know that you have to speak out in order to truly bring freedom into their life.
What is the answer for this bondage mindset and is there any hope? Yes there is hope, because we’ve all been in bondage to sin at one time or another in our life. Hebrews 11 : 6 says that without faith no one can please the Father. When we look to Jesus as the answer for our sin problem and we confess our faults before the Lord then He will forgive us and cleanse us from our unrighteous ways. Once we humble ourselves before God by faith then He will empower us to come out of bondage to sin through His grace. Grace is spiritual strength from God’s Spirit which empowers us to face the truth about the sin in our heart and to walk out of the pit or bondage of sin.
Once you are liberated by the power of God’s grace you will no longer view yourself as a victim but rather as a victor. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Beware of people who continually seek for your pity as a means to get their needs met. By the same token, guard your heart that you don’t become a judge of people and condemn them before they’ve had time to prove their real intent. Words of wisdom from God’s Word to equip you as a disciple of Christ!
Serving God and loving people,
Pastor Asa Dockery