We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood: Part One :: by Lynda Janzen

Published on: August 17, 2021 by RR7

Please take a close look at the image at the following link:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32386095448.html

At first glance, we may think this is a confrontation between two equal forces … one, evil, and the other, good. But the representation of the devil arm-wrestling with Jesus doesn’t actually show equality. Look at the artist’s rendition of Jesus’ face. It is serene. Calm. While the devil’s face is tortured. Angry. Jesus seems to be holding the devil at bay effortlessly while Satan is struggling to keep his equilibrium.

The truth is that if Jesus ever did choose to arm-wrestle with Satan, He would have already won before the match had even begun. There is no equality between Jesus and the devil. There is no equality between good and evil. Jesus is THE Victor over all evil, which means evil has no chance against good.

Now, you and I have the choice on which side we choose to be. Choose the devil’s side — you’re going down. Choose Jesus, and you choose eternal life with Him. Wouldn’t you think that would be a no-brainer? Well, something called life gets in the way of our choices, sometimes. Life often blurs the lines of good and evil. At times, what seems to be an informed, positive choice actually turns out to be the first step on a slippery slope to destruction. Evidence for this statement is found in Genesis 3.

The Serpent said to Eve (in modern language), ‘Ah, c’mon Eve. Did God really say not to eat from any tree?’ Of course, the LORD didn’t say those exact words, and Satan knows that. He is conditioning the woman to do his bidding. And Eve replies, ‘We can eat from any tree we want, except from the tree that grows in the middle of the garden. If we do, we will die.’

Oh, the crafty one is slimy and wily. ‘Eve, you will surely not die. What will happen is that when you eat that fruit, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

The implication is that God doesn’t want His created beings to be like Him, which is as far from the truth as possible, for we were created in His own image. Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”

In Scripture, when a fact is repeated, as it is in this verse, it is like a sign that says, ‘Listen up! This is important!’ Of course, God wants us to be like Him … He created us to be like Him. The key phrase is “in the image of God.” He created us to be LIKE Him — not to B.E. Him.

At any rate, the woman decided she had better have some of this fruit, and when she tasted it, she found it was good and gave some to Adam. Then their eyes were opened to what they had done. Please note that it wasn’t eating the fruit that was their downfall; it was their disobedience to a command from their Creator and their obedience, instead, to their tempter!

Satan thought he had won a victory over the One Who had created him, but God … but God … immediately put His Plan of Redemption into place to bring His own begotten Son to the earth to personally atone for the sin of humankind, that anyone who believed in the Son of God would be saved for eternal life with Him.

Genesis 3:14 and 15 – First, the LORD God cursed the serpent. Then He said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

I think it’s safe to say that Satan was outraged. No doubt, he began scheming against God’s Plan of Redemption as soon as it was put in place. Since that day, the evil one and his minions have been working feverishly to get to wreak revenge on humans and somehow overturn God’s redemptive plan for His beloved human beings.

Now that all the prophesied end-times indicators are converging on point zero, we see evidence also of the increased activity of evil in the world.

Someone wrote recently, “Imagine what Hitler could have done with COVID.” This cringe-worthy statement actually ought to wake up people to the evil that is happening everywhere in the world, right now, as a result of this so-called pandemic.

Since April 15, 1960, when the discoverers of DNA, Brenner & Crick, conceived the idea of mRNA, a cooperative effort among several nations, including the U.S. and China, has been searching for a way to use this breakthrough technology. At one time, science thought it could be used to cure diabetes and even cancer. However, testing showed that while it had some benefits, the long-range outcome was that the host’s immune system could be compromised, perhaps even destroyed. At that point, all research and development were suspended.

Enter one Dr. Anthony Fauci and a handful of colleagues, who decided the technology might have merit after all. They began researching something called “gain of function” for mRNA. There must be something it is good for was the rallying cry, and lo and behold!

On October 18, 2019, in New York, a high-level pandemic exercise was held, coordinated by The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Called “Event 201,” the exercise illustrated areas “where public/private partnerships will be necessary during the response to a severe pandemic in order to diminish large-scale economic and societal consequences.” Quote, unquote! Google’ Event 201′ for more details.

Just a little over a month later, the first cases of COVID-19 began to appear, and by March 2020, it was declared a full pandemic. Dr. Fauci’s gain-of-function research for mRNA was developed with money supplied by Bill and Melinda Gates, and the rest is history. The shot was rushed into production and application without the usual five to ten years of testing.

So, what does this have to do with Satan trying to overturn God’s Plan? Well, it turns out mRNA is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to revisioning God’s creation called homo sapiens. Science has decided it now knows better than God how the human body ought to work. It would appear that mRNA is just one step in the technology platform to replace our God-given immune system with a man-made one. But God will not be mocked. He cannot divide Himself, which means He is not at the center of this technology … and it doesn’t take much connecting of the dots to lay it all at the feet of the great serpent of old … Satan.

The point is, we have seen people running super scared, throwing away their rights and freedoms, and ultimately their health, with both hands for … what? “Health and Safety”? Does that phrase remind you of something? How about, “While people are saying ‘Peace and Safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Labor, or birth pains, begins intermittently at first, then slowly increases in occurrence, intensity and duration. In 2021, it almost seems we are seeing the whole world going through birth pains, with an unprecedented number of higher magnitude earthquakes (7.2 in Haiti!), more explosive volcanic action across the globe, a higher number of landslides, tornadoes, floods, and other Acts of God, as insurance companies like to call them.

One of the most unexpected prophesies we have seen come to pass in recent years is pestilence. Of course, the pandemic COVID but also in Australia earlier this year was what was billed as a mouse pestilence of Biblical proportions. The rodents overran whole towns, looking to escape from flooding rivers. Also, Somalia and Ethiopia and nine other countries in Africa and the Mid-East have been battling billions of locusts as the plant-eaters swept through, denuding fields and gardens of anything green.

Add to the locust plagues the widespread drought and flooding this year, and know that world food supplies are going to be in critical shortage before too long. We call that famine.

In the U.S. over the past 18 months, the BLM and Antifa movements have devasted downtown areas of several cities, giving rise also to the Defund Police movement. An increase in lawlessness is another manifestation of the coming of the Day of the LORD.

So many Christian friends right now appear to be under siege, from horrible illnesses, loss of family members and friends, loss of jobs, houses, cars, possessions, and sometimes, as a result of physical and material loss, loss of self-esteem. Suicides are on the increase as people turn away from God and then don’t know where to turn.

Here’s the thing: If these are not in the End Times, the pre-tribulation days right now, what do you think those days will look like?

Years ago, a friend told me, “We all have a God-shaped hole in each of us that can only be filled by Him. If we don’t fill that hole with God, we will try to fill it with things which anesthetize the pain of life, such as drugs, alcohol and other addictions.” As our options diminish in the world, we need Jesus more than ever before. We need to fill that God-shaped hole with the only One Who can fill it.

Our Scripture from Ephesians 6 tells us, “Finally, my brothers [and sisters], be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers – against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The darkness of the spiritual realms of the Evil One is manifesting increasingly in our modern world, and modern people have no idea how to cope with it. Our churches have not prepared people well for what is now coming into the world. For years, congregations have begged for ‘nice’ messages. Pastors were happy to hold ‘church lite’ because it is easier to preach only the Love of Jesus Christ than it is to preach the whole of the Gospel of Christ, including Prophecy of what is to come. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

So today, my fellow believers, I am telling you that it is imperative for Christians, now more than ever before, to learn the Word of God and be strong in the LORD. What does that mean? It means we need to keep our God-shaped hole filled to the brim with Father, Son and Holy Spirit at all times. In other words, we need to put on the full armor of God.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD’s people” (Ephesians 6:14-18).

Now more than ever, we need to put on our spiritual armor every day so we will not be intimidated by the world, and so we are able to stand strong in the LORD.

And always remember: Jesus has already won the war over evil.

Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father — Our thanks and praise cannot be loud enough or heart-felt enough for Your great plan of redemption for those of us who love You. This week, dear LORD, please, may we feel Your sure Presence by our side as we live our lives in this fallen world. Please help us also to give encouragement to each other and to encourage those not yet in Your sheepfold to know that peace is available through Your grace and mercy, through our LORD Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

If anyone reading this article has not yet received Jesus as their Saviour, but God has touched your heart by His Holy Word, please email me (amadea649@gmail.com) or find a Bible-believing local church and ask the Pastor what you must do to be saved in Grace. In the meantime, please consider the ABCs of Salvation:

A – Admit

Admit what you have done wrong and ask forgiveness.

Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”

1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

B – Believe

Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as payment for your sins.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

C – Confess and Choose

Confess and choose to allow God to be in charge of your life.

Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This article, based on God’s Holy Word, was written by the inspiration of God’s own Holy Spirit. All glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sheep Among the Wolves :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: August 17, 2021 by RR7

Matthew 10:16-26

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;²⁰ for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

²¹ Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.²² And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.²³ When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ²⁴ A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! ²⁶Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”

We live in dangerous times. It is becoming more and more dangerous to be a free thinker, and especially if you are a free thinker and a Christian, the dangers are mounting. In the chapter that this text is taken from, Jesus selects his 12 apostles and sends them out to the people of Israel to tell them the Good News, the Gospel, the Messiah has come. But Jesus does not send them out blindly and unprepared. He warns them that the vast majority of the people they are going to are wolves; they normally kill sheep. But in this case, it is the sheep’s job to rescue the wolves from an eternity in Hell. It is the sheep’s job to tell the wolf how to be a sheep. It is the sheep’s job to tell the wolf about the salvation that takes it from being the predator to being the prey.

Wow, what a daunting task! When we get that, it can help us to understand why it takes a work of the Holy Spirit to transform someone. All we do is tell the truth; the Holy Spirit helps them see it. If He does not, then the Gospel sounds like nonsense. What person in their right mind wants to be the sheep when they can be the wolf? Only the Holy Spirit can make this make sense.

We live in a difficult time where truth is very subjective, or at least people say that – ‘What is true for you may not be true for me.’ They are convinced that they have their own truth and that we all have to accept it. This conditioning started a long time ago. The idea of questioning clearly stated truths, as Satan did in the Garden with Eve, has laid the foundation to where we can hear what we know to be a lie, and we say nothing. Maybe that is their truth, even if we know it is a lie, and we base our lives on people’s feelings rather than truth. Then we get mad at the truth-tellers; they are mean, and they don’t really love like Jesus, we say.

Yet Jesus was the bluntest truth-teller to ever walk the planet. He confronted truth over feelings all the time and stated the truth no matter who was offended, even His own disciples. He taught them that truth was more important than life and wealth; it was more important than fame and freedom. Truth is important because God is truth; He is the absolute standard of truth, and if we tolerate lies, we put man’s word ahead of God’s.

Romans 3:4-8 “Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: ‘That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.’ ⁵But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) ⁶ Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? ⁷ For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? ⁸ And why not say, ‘Let us do evil that good may come’? —as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.”

When we get to this in the book of Romans, Paul is a seasoned missionary; he has encountered false religion and false logic everywhere. He has to come to grips with the falsehoods of the Pharisaical life he was living when Jesus met him. When Jesus met him, Paul was a wolf going to kill the sheep, Jesus’ sheep. But when he met Jesus, he stopped being a wolf and became a sheep. He then spent the rest of his life being chased by wolves, his former peers and others. But Paul never regretted being a sheep. Paul was adamant that God’s words were and are true and that any of man’s words that contradict God’s words are lies.

In the past 18 months or so, we have seen how easy it is for lies to take hold of the whole world. Let me deal with a few things. COVID is a real disease; no one in their right mind questions that. We are learning more and more that there is a good chance it was man-made, a sad state of affairs; but as they say, ‘it is what it is.’ We have had very, very conflicting messages about the disease, the treatments, the vaccines, and the effect of these vaccines. We have had conflicting messages about the wearing of masks and even distancing.

I have a dear friend that will not let his son go into another person’s home. Apparently, the disease does not go out; it is a homebody. We have been encouraged, then bribed, and now threatened about the vaccines, and there are serious conflicting reports about the protection that they give. Over the past 18 months, these conflicting reports have caused serious economic issues; our governments have used the COVID mess to spend like a drunken sailor on shore leave. They have amassed debts that our great-grandchildren will be paying. The ruling elite have grown richer and the masses poorer by far. We bankrupted ‘mom and pop’ stores and grew the profits of the mega-stores. This was deliberate and calculated. They need dependent people whose only relief is from the government.

Over the past 18 months, truth has been censored, and anyone who dares asks what or why or how is dangerous and trying to kill everyone. We are not. People are dying both with and without COVID, both with and without the vaccines, and we are not allowed to ask any questions. Let me be clear; if you want to get the vaccine, then do so. I will take you to the place to get one or two, or the booster shot or shots. But no one should be forced to take a vaccine that is highly suspect as to its ability to work. But what I want to really get at is the idea of truth.

Jesus warned the men he sent out that truth would be the dividing factor in their lives. The truth would cause serious division in their lives and, in particular, their families. Their enemies will be right in their own homes.

Matthew 10:21-22 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.”

When people have become accustomed to living by lies, and the lies are not allowed to be challenged, like the ‘fact’ checkers and all the trouble people get in for asking logical questions, then people begin to turn on each other. In this pandemic, I have seen families destroyed, neighbors have called the police on their fellow neighbors, and friends have been separated. Churches have split over meeting or not meeting, masks or no mask, singing or no singing.

What a mess! But we can see how easy and how quickly people will turn on each other. People will shame you and call the authorities on you. Your own people, and they do it in the name of safety – ‘We are just trying the keep everyone safe. If you don’t want to do it for yourself, then do it for the children, do it for the elderly, find an excuse, but just follow along and obey. Stop thinking, stop asking questions, and stop making obvious observations.’

Once again, if you want to follow along, I will not bug you. I wear a mask so as not to cause too much panic in the people around me. Most of the people I hang out with do the same. They are not convinced of the validity of the masks; it is just easier to wear one than being confronted by hysterical people, and it has happened to me more than once.

What we have learned is that it does not take much for your loved ones in both your human and spiritual families to turn on you if you don’t follow suit. Now, as we get closer and closer to the return of Jesus, the idea of truth will become more and more fluid, and the idea that Jesus is the Only Way will become hated more and more. Soon, as Jesus said, the most dangerous people in your lives and mine will be in our home and church families.

Sadly, we are seeing an exodus from the truth of God. Many Christian ‘celebrities’ are wishy-washy about the whole transgendered issues, the homosexual issues, and many other areas where the Bible makes clear statements. They are making it harder and harder to state the truth. It is not loving to tell lies. It is hateful. Love requires the truth. But we are being told that love requires us to lie, tolerate lies, and be a party to lies. Jesus would have been hated and killed; oh wait, that is just what happened, and He tells us at the end of our text that we should expect the same treatment if we speak the truth.

Lastly, we can see how they will get the whole world to take the mark of the beast. NO, the COVID vaccine is not the mark, but we can see the framework. People are so desperate to get back to ‘normal,’ they will do anything, including taking a vaccine that has a lot of questions around it. By the time people get to Revelation 13, and they are hungry, thirsty, and desperate, they will gladly take the mark so they can buy and sell. But the truth people, those that know Jesus, will say no, normal is not worth the lie, and there will be a line drawn in the sand. The government will threaten death or take the mark. We are not there yet, but we can see how it can be done.

The world is setting up for the return of Jesus. The framework is in place for the Messiah to return and rule the world from Jerusalem. Are you ready? Are you saved? Have you trusted Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and your only salvation? God will not accept anyone who is not saved by Jesus. That is the truth.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

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