You Can Make It Despite Satan and Self

The title of the sermon today, You Can Make It Despite Satan and Self. You can make it despite Satan and self. How many times have you wondered during the past year? Might have been during the past week, am I going to make it through the day, through the week, through the month? How often have you asked God and yourself, why is this happening to me? Do you feel at times that the battle to go God's way is not worth the price? Do you wonder at times whether or not anybody really cares for you?

Do you wonder at times whether or not God really cares for you? Do you feel guilty part of the time, frustrated and angry part of the time, and sort of anxious the rest of the time? Have you felt at times that you're not good enough to be in God's kingdom?

I could pose several other questions that might be applicable to this, but I think this would suffice to get us thinking along these lines. I'm quite sure that every person here has had at least one of these thoughts during the last week. If you haven't, I congratulate you on it because you're well on your way to achieving what Mr. O'Sheil spoke of in the sermonette of an excellent spirit.

The point is that human beings are very fragile and insecure people, and no matter how strong we have been in the faith, or maybe even are in the faith, there are times in which we feel all alone and feel like maybe everything is lost. For example, after Elijah had the showdown with the priest at Baal on Mount Carmel, the next thing you know, he is fleeing for his life because he heard Jezebel wants to kill him.

And that's even after God had performed all those miracles in that great showdown between the Almighty God and the priest of Baal. So all of us at times feel alone. And no matter what our exterior might be or appear to be, all human beings are subject to the four great enemies of faith. The four great enemies of faith, anxious care, fear, doubt, and human reasoning. These four great enemies of faith continually war against the truth of God and against all parts of the armor of God.

Three of the principal ways to defeat the four enemies of faith are to live by faith, realizing that God has our best interests at heart always. 1 John 5, verse 4, this is the victory that overcomes this world, even our faith. Another way to defeat the four great enemies of faith is to hope. Hope is called a helmet of salvation.

And this hope should permeate our entire being. Helmets are worn, of course, on the head. And that hope, that helmet of salvation, has to do with keeping the big picture burning brightly in our minds of what the kingdom of God is all about. And going hand in glove with that is to focus on the very purpose of life. That is, we were created to become members of the family of God. Now Satan would have us to believe that the way is too hard, that we cannot make it.

He would have us believe that God doesn't care, the family doesn't care, perhaps the brethren don't care, the minister doesn't care, parents, friends, neighbors, children. At times, as I've said already, we may feel like we're all alone in this world and nobody cares. So today I want us to examine why we think the way we do. Then I want us to examine God's care for us so we can be assured that we can make it.

We can make it despite Satan and self. So why do we think the way we think? The perceptions that we carry with us are based on the stream of events that flow into our minds. Our conscious stream of awareness is recorded.

And they have been able in various experiments to probe certain areas of the brain, and a person would relive events that happened to them years ago. Satan's influence, of course, is one thing that can affect our thinking. He can and does influence our thinking. He is the prince of the power of the air.

And he can and will influence our thinking if we don't have on the whole armor of God. The environment that we live in, the surroundings, can affect our thinking. If we live in a place in which nobody cares and nobody tries to do that which is right, it wears on us. And the environment can have an effect on us. The environment of Sodom and Gomorrah evidently wore down the people there, so that there was only one righteous person left.

And that was Lot. And God had to jerk Lot out of there by the nape of the neck in order to get him out of Sodom. The people we associate with can affect our thinking. Birds of a feather flock together, and we tend to associate with people that think like we do.

After the funeral, we went to my brother's place. He has satellite radio. It's tuned to Fox all the time. He has satellite television. It's tuned to Fox all the time. So, another thing that can influence our thinking, and perhaps I'll be able to have time to explore all of these a little bit more later, is our exposure to media, because that conscious stream of awareness that goes into our minds are recorded in what some call the subconscious. I like to call it the storehouse of memories. And then how we massage our thoughts. In other words, what do we think on? What do we meditate on? And then the main thing that we want to have influence our thoughts, God and His Spirit and His Word. So, let's look at these, and we'll spend a good bit of time on Satan's influence. Is Satan getting to you or me through any of his strategies? And we need to ask ourselves, am I being used as an instrument of Satan by using these strategies on others? Sometimes it might be unconscious. We're not really aware, maybe, that we're having a negative influence on others. And then are others getting to me by using these strategies on me? Am I letting this get to me? I find myself and I see others having to battle the strategies of Satan every day. So, first of all, we really need to identify who the enemy really is. So, let's notice 2 Corinthians 9, verse 11. 2 Corinthians 9, verse 11. Somewhat breaking in on the thought here, Paul is telling them that they need to forgive and to restore the incestuous fornicator that's described in 1 Corinthians 5.

In 2 Corinthians 2, verse 8. Wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm your love toward him. That's talking about the incestuous fornicator. For to this end also did I write that I might know the proof of you whether you be obedient in all things. To whom you forgive anything I forgive also. For if I forgave anything to whom I forgave it. For your sakes, forgave I it in the person of Christ. You know, the Scripture says that you will be forgiven according to the way you forgive others. That's in Matthew 6.

If you won't forgive your brother, then God won't forgive you.

Less Satan. Why do you do it? Less Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. The Bible says, Be you angry and sin not.

And so, God wants us to walk continually in a reconciled position, and if we don't, Satan can get an advantage. Are we really aware of his devices? In Ephesians 6, he is clearly identified in Ephesians 6, who the real enemy is.

But I think at times that we can fall into either ditch here with regard to this. Listen carefully. You can give Satan too much credit, or you can give him too little credit. You know, back in the old comedy series with Flip Wilson, he had this routine of, The Devil made me do it.

Well, the devil influences, he tempts, he tries, but he doesn't make you do it. Because if he did, then you would not be responsible. But we note here, in Ephesians 6, verse 10, He is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. He is the enemy. Now, if we go to James 1, we'll see how sin takes place, and the devil doesn't make you do it.

But the devil can influence your thinking, and we'll talk about several ways that he can. And we want to be aware of that. We want to be able to combat every strategy that he has. We also don't want to be guilty of being an agent of Satan by using these strategies on others. And we don't want these strategies to be able to get to us so that we are deceived. In James 1, verse 13, James 1.13, Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man. Now, there are differences and nuances in these words that are translated, tempted and tried in the Greek. God tries us and allows Satan to try us, but God does not tempt us with evil. But Satan tries to tempt us with evil. And notice how things progress with regard to sin. Let every man, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed, and Satan can play a powerful role, then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin.

And sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. So in order for you to be responsible, you would have to make a decision that you are going to do X, Y, or Z. And when the temptation comes, when Satan's influence comes, sometimes there is a battle going, Oh, well, am I going to do this or am I going to do that? Will I yield? Will I go to this movie? Will I look at this magazine? Will I? Whatever it is. And sometimes we've slipped before we know it almost. When lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin. And sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. We can summarize Satan's methods by an anachronym. An anachronym is what stands for something, letters S-A-D, subtlety, accusation, and destruction.

Subtlety and deceit go hand in hand. If you notice Genesis 3, verse 1. Now the serpent was more subtle, more deceitful, than any beast of the field which the Lord had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, as God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden. So he sows that seed of doubt and comes tempting Eve. So, subtlety and deceit.

Now in Revelation 12, in Revelation 12, verse 9, how pervasive is this subtlety and deceit on the sons of men?

Who all is falling for it? Revelation 12, verse 9, The great dragon was cast out that old serpent called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. Everybody's caught up in it. He was cast out into the earth as angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice out of, in heaven, saying, Thou is come, salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before the throne of God day and night. So the accuser, oh, did you see that? Did you see that? And what about that? I bet if you do this, he'll do that. You know the story of Job. And then what is Satan's goal? Satan's goal is to eventually destroy you. So, subtlety, accusation, and destruction. That's what he's all about. He wants to destroy you. 1 Peter 5, 8 says, He walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Then we look at ourselves and say, most of us are not on a willful path of sin. I believe that most people in the Church of God are trying to do the best they can. However, Hebrews 5, 13 says that sin is deceitful. And Satan works to gain control of your thinking by appealing to the vanity and to the physicality of human beings. In the Western world, it's sort of like an epicurean kind of philosophy of eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow we may die.

So let's live it up. Let's have all the fun we can possibly have today. Let's appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Then in the Eastern world, it's more like stoicism or asceticism. Deny the flesh so you can purify the flesh, and maybe you can merge back into the great spirit world. And so you can have people who passively live in various states of agony, misery, and pain and be in the lower caste system of some religion and thinking that by doing so, they will eventually be able to move up a notch and a notch and eventually merge into the spirit world.

Satan doesn't really understand spiritual things, and he thinks that man is motivated solely by physical things. And apart from God, he is. Most of the people out there, and there are thousands of vehicles on the road at this moment, gave, and millions across this nation and around the world, and they are on their way to something. But where are they going? Their destination is usually materialistic with regard to their mission, a materialistic mission. Notice in Job 1, when Satan came to God, and as we have already read from Revelation 12 and verse 10, that Satan is the accuser of the brethren before the throne of God day and night.

So, Satan appears before the throne of God, and he brings up the name of Job. And notice what he says in Job chapter 1 and verse 9. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear you for nothing? And God had said, You know, have you considered my servant Job that he is really trying to do the right thing?

verses 7 and 8. Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear you for nothing? Have not you made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and substances increased in the land. Put forth your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.

And there are some people who have lost what they had, and they did curse God to his face. Remember the rich young ruler who came to Christ and he said, Good Master, what must I do to enter into the kingdom? Christ said, if you would enter into life, keep the commandments. And the young ruler said, I've done this for my youth after Christ enumerated some.

And Christ said, well, then if you would be perfect, if you would be whole, then go and sell what you have and give it to the poor. And the rich young ruler went away sorrowful because he had many possessions. So many people cannot win their physical goods, much less their heart.

So Satan generally thinks that if he can appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, he can get to you. So in essence, he's saying to God, look, you take everything away from Job, and he'll curse you to his face. Verse 12, and the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon himself put not forth your hand.

Satan is so very deceitful. If he cannot get you to eat the forbidden fruit and become a part of this world, he will try to get you to believe that life is hopeless. Fall into the other ditch. That life is hopeless. Or strive to get you to accept standards that are not God's standards. Satan is the super salesman.

He's the only being I know that can effectively sell sin and death, and especially death. Death is an enemy. The Bible identifies death as an enemy, and one of the last things to be conquered. But thank God it'll be conquered through the resurrection. So Satan tries to make God a liar from the Garden of Eden to the present. He tries to get you to believe that God doesn't care. Satan hates God, hates Christ. God hates you. I'm sorry, Satan hates you. And Satan hates this way of life that you've been called to.

Satan convinced Eve that God had lied to her. And he convinced Eve that she could be released from bondage by obeying him. And that's been one of the main battle cries throughout the ages. Liberty. And so many of the false ministers of the day preach a cheap salvation. I was standing in my brother-in-law's room when a person gave his testimony. My brother-in-law didn't go to any church yet. He believed in God, according to what he told me, and said to thank all of the people here for their prayers, because he said, I think they're making a difference. But in this testimony, this person gave, well, it's just so simple.

It only takes a minute. All you have to do is call upon the name of Jesus, and you can be saved. So Satan perverts the truth, and he hates the truth because the truth, Christ said in John 8.32, the truth will set you free. You know, one of the great things in education, the world's colleges talk about a liberal arts education. A lot of church members think that liberal arts education has to do with taking a wide spectrum of courses so that you know a little bit about everything.

But the word for it, that in the initial concept with regard to liberal arts education, it was initiated in Athens and Greece, the so-called cradle of Western democracy and education. Where I did my first bachelor's degree in a state university, I walked on the campus and went to the administration building, and I looked over the door, and it said, The state hath decreed that only free men shall be educated, but God hath decreed that only educated men are free. I never forgot that quote. And then as I studied education, Western thought, and the history of the Western world, and came to understand that the word for liberal, as in liberal education, had to do with liberi, that is liberty.

Remember that on the day of atonement, the Jubilee year was declared, declared liberty throughout the land. That's inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. See, true liberty comes from knowing the truth. And when the concept of Ambassador of College was developed by Mr. Herbert Armstrong, the motto, there were two main overriding things. One, the Word of God is a foundation of knowledge.

And two, recapture true values. Those true values are defined in the Word of God. The truth shall make you free. See, in ancient Greece, only the free man, those who were not slaves, could be educated. The concept of public education for the masses basically was initiated by Thomas Jefferson, who said that all Americans should have at least a third grade education be able to read and write so they could vote intelligently in a democracy. Then, gradually through the years, the United States became one of the few places on the face of the earth where every man could be educated.

And I know that we went through some very difficult times in which there was prejudice and many other f-assets that held people back. But even in spite of that, you could still get an education. You know, I drove by when we were at home. I drove by the little dusty dirt road. The main road is now paved, but the little dusty dirt road where I was born, the fourth of a mile off the main road on one cold, windy March night. My folks were sharecropping and then to go from there to all the opportunities that God has given me.

And then to be called into His truth and to know the truth. You see, the truth frees you from fear, ignorance, superstition, and the dogmas of man. And the education that is provided by the Church of God and its various outreaches is the only place you can get it. You'll not get it at Harvard or Yale or any other place. I was at a seminar one time back in this transition when in 1995, from what we had gone through there to the formation of the United Church of God, in which the topic of the nature of God came up.

And one of the people there had a master's degree in divinity from Yale and from Harvard. He was very eloquent. Oh, he could really talk. And the nature of God came up and I explained to some degree the nature of God. And after it was over, he asked me a question about Christ. I said, well, I want to ask you a question. How do you view the resurrected Christ? He said, oh, God is ineffable. God is unknowable. God is unreachable. I said, but, okay, how do you view the resurrected Christ?

And finally, he said, frankly, I've never considered the matter. He was a Messianic Jew. Satan perverts the truth. Satan tries to get you to believe that God is not fair. Satan hates the constituted, godly authority that is established both in God's ways and also in the family. We're all familiar with the story of Aaron and Miriam, the story of Cora, the story of Absalom, and many others. Satan hates you, as we've already said, as an individual and tries to convince you that God is too hard. The way is too difficult. Let's look at Matthew 7, 13, 14.

Matthew 7, 13, 14. It ties in with what I've just said about knowing the truth and God calling you. The only place you can really get the truth is from the Word of God. And Matthew 7, 13, enter you in at the straight gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction.

And many there be which go in there at. It's a wide-open door. You see, there have been four main systems. I explained this in the funeral address that I gave. There have been four main systems that have tried to answer the great questions of life. True religion, based on revelation, the Word of God. False religion, whose principle methodology is fear and superstition. And, frankly, lies and deception. Philosophy, whose methodology is human reasoning, which is a great enemy of faith. And the science. And science, the great methodology, is a scientific method, and it limits itself to the physical. So when it comes to things like the question of, if a man dies, shall he live again?

You are either left with true religion, false religion, philosophy, or science. Philosophy, based on human reasoning. Science, based on the scientific method, which denies anything above the physical. Therefore, if you want to know anything about that which is spiritual, you're left with the Word of God. You're left with revelation. Verse 14, because, Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. I think sometimes people confuse straight and narrow with hard and difficult. Yes, it's true. The Bible says that you're going to suffer persecution, and there will be a lot of trials and difficulties along the way.

But yet, at the same time, Christ says, come and learn of me, because my burden is light and my yoke is easy. The Apostle Peter writes, cast all your care on him, for he cares for you. You know, in some ways, this straight and narrow says, few there be that can find it. The pearl of great price. What would you give for it?

And like Mr. Rochelle was talking in the sermonette, at times we even take God's Holy Spirit for granted. And at times we take the truth for granted. The pearl of great price. How precious it is. Now, we're living in very critical, crucial times. We are making decisions that must stand the test of time.

And be careful as to where you cast your lot. Some things cannot be redone. You know, the story of Absalom has always fascinated me. Go to please to 2 Samuel chapter 15. 2 Samuel chapter 15. Remember the story of Absalom who killed his brother because his brother had raped his sister. Yes, David's household had a lot of problems. One of David's great weaknesses had to do with women, his wives, and his children. 2 Samuel 15 verse 1.

And Absalom said unto him, See, your manner are good and right, but there is no man, and a deputy of the king, to hear you. I mean, they just don't really care about you. And then Absalom said more over all that I were made judge in the land, that every man which has any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice. And it was so that when any man came nigh to him to do obesience, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him, and on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. And it wound up that only about 300 people were with David. But God, of course, gave David the victory if he hadn't. Some of the prophecies would not have come to pass. Absalom winds up with his long, beautiful locks caught in the oak tree, and him swinging as it were in the breeze. So be careful where you cast your light. Know and know who God is with and who God is not with. God was not with Absalom, but God was with David. So that's one of the great tests that's continually before us. Satan uses labels, categorizations, stereotypes. The personality of so-and-so is detestable. That's what the Corinthians did to Paul. They criticized his voice. They criticized his appearance. They said that he was a coward. That he was afraid to face them face-to-face. Notice in 2 Corinthians 10, 2 Corinthians 10.

2 Corinthians 10. For his letters say they are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible. So Paul didn't have the pleasant voice and apparently was not an eloquent speaker. In 2 Corinthians 11.6. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge, but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things, with great signs and with power that could not be denied for those who were in the faith. And in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 15. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. And that's one of the great ironies throughout the Word of God of the people of the men and women that God has sent to his people. One of the great ironies. Another thing, of course, that Satan tries to do is to get you to believe that obedience is not necessary.

I was reading recently the website of what some call our former association, who now call themselves Grace Communion International. And I finally sort of got a grasp on what they're saying. And if you look at Colossians, well, I'm going way off here, but anyhow, look at Colossians just a moment. I don't have this course in my notes. Look at Colossians 1.20. That seemed to be apropos in a way at the moment. In Colossians 1.20, "...and having made peace through the blood of the cross by him, to reconcile all things unto himself, I say, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven." So the basic premise is of this branch of theology now that is called Trinity Theology. Exactly how the Trinity part plays out. I'm not yet fully apprised of that. But the theory is something like, God has extended His grace to all humanity, and all humanity is reconciled within this.

You have to come to understand this grace, and you have to commune with this grace, and you grow in this grace. As far as obedience, that's really not an issue. It's coming to understand and grow in this grace, hence the name, Grace Communion International.

So Satan tries to get people to believe that obedience is not necessary. Let's look at James 2 and verse 19. You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils all so believe and tremble. The devil believes that God exists.

The demon said to Christ, when he saw Christ coming, are you come to torment me before the time? He knew who Christ was. The devils believe and tremble, but will you know vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our Father justified by works or obedience when He had offered Isaac, His son, upon the altar? To see you how faith wrought with His works for obedience and by works was faith made perfect.

Satan tries to sow all kinds of seeds of doubt, as we've already mentioned, such things as, I wonder why? I can't understand. It seems to me, in various come-ons that he might have, with Eve, he says, well, as God said, Satan set himself up as a teacher of Eve. Set himself up as a teacher of Eve, and Eve was deceived.

So here we are.

Though Satan has long known the Bible, he has understood but little of it. He goes around quoting Scripture, generally out of context and usually distorted. So like Paul says, it's no wonder that the ministers of Satan are transformed into ministers of light. When Satan came to the great temptation of Christ, he came quoting Scripture. He knew that Christ was hungry. He says, well, turn these stones into bread. And you know the other temptations. There are a lot of people like that. They're quick to throw a Scripture up in your face, but they do not really understand the truth and true conversion.

In Satan's great temptation of Christ, he came to him quoting Scriptures. But of course, he quoted them out of context and not correctly. The Bible is written in parables, symbols, and figures, the speech. And God reveals the truth to those that he's working with, that he is revealing himself through his Spirit, through his Word, through his Son, Jesus Christ. Satan does not possess the Holy Spirit. He's not guided by it. And consequentially most of the divine plan and Word of God is foolishness unto him. He doesn't really understand it. But Satan has probably learned that the seeker of the Lord is with those that fear him.

And I would say that Satan, you know, is there. He might like to attend church and see what's going on, to see what they're saying, to see what they're thinking.

He wants to know what strategy he can use next to trip up the people of God. So we have to desire knowledge for the right purpose and motive. Paul writes in one place that knowledge puffs up, the charity edifies. Satan stirs up envy and strife. Satan wants us to feel sorry for ourself. And Satan is, as we've already said, the super salesman. So what can we do? One thing we can do, we can embrace God's culture. God's culture. Now, what do we mean by culture? A culture has to do with basically the standards of a people.

Now, we all have maybe come from different cultures in the sense of, we grew up eating whatever we grew up eating, or we grew up wearing whatever we wore. And we could go on with that, the physical side of things. But when it comes to the spiritual, to the moral, there is one standard for all people. The Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments in the expansion of the Christ came to magnify the law and to make it honorable. And it's just as applicable to the Chinese as the Japanese has to any other knees or cans that you want to name.

Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not covet.

That is not limited to any particular culture. God has standards that transcend the human mind and what the human mind might come up with, but in most cases, that even in many of the pagan cultures, they thought murder was wrong.

They thought that stealing was wrong. They had a few principles that were according to God's way, but we have to embrace the whole package. We can't necessarily change our environment. We live in the Houston, Texas area. It's a great megalopolis.

They say five or six million people are crowded into this area. Life here is different than it is in East Texas. It is different than it is in Northwest or any other part of Mississippi you want to name. It's different.

And there are many more distractions in a place like this than there are in some other places.

You know the great story in the Bible about Lot becoming part of Abraham's household after Lot's father was no longer with him. And eventually, there came a point in time in which Lot's herdsmen and Abraham's herdsmen got into a dispute over apparently the grazing land. So Abraham said, my brother, whatever he said, title, let there not be strife among us. You choose whichever way you want to go, I'll choose the other way. So Lot looked out at the fertile plain and he chose that way. And Lot pitched his tents toward Sodom. And if you pitch your tent toward Sodom, you will wind up in Sodom. And that's what Lot did.

Like you heard the story of Daniel, last Sabbath and today, Daniel went to graduate school in Babylon. He heard it all, he saw it all, and he was immersed in a sense of that culture, not only in the surround, but also in what they were teaching and saying. And yet, he remained faithful. So it is possible that you can come out of Babylon spiritually no matter where you live. It is possible. But in order to do that, you have to be attuned to God and His Word. And we know what Daniel did. The people we associate with, as we've already said, will affect us. The media will affect us. The music we listen to will affect us. I want you to notice this in 1 Samuel 16. Music has an uncontrollable effect on the human psyche and nervous system. I'll say it again. Music has an uncontrollable effect on the human psyche and nervous system. Now, you can control the psyche part to some degree, but the autonomic nervous system of the human body will respond to the beat of the music. And you'll find yourself tapping your toe before you know it. You're tapping your toe or you're doing whatever you're doing. But here, we find the spiritual psyche part of it in 1 Samuel 16 beginning in verse 14.

So, even back then, they knew about the power of music. It was one of the ways that change line perverted so many things had to do with the use of perverted music. Perverted music has been one of the main ways that this culture started in the early 60s and has been subverted and turned over. And it came to pass when the evil spirit from God is upon him that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well. And Saul said in his service, Provide me now a man that can play well and bring him to me. Then answered one of the servants and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, which is cunning in playing in mighty, valiant men, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and calmly person, and the Lord is with him. Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse and said, Send me David your son, which is with a sheep.

And Jesse took his donkey with bread and a bottle of wine and a kid and so on, and he sent his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and stood before him, and he loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. And Saul said to Jesse, saying, Let David I pray you stand before me, for he hath found favor in your sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp and played with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

Of course, God is there. He is working with David in all of this, but it shows the influence of the environment and the culture to which we are attuned to. Perhaps the thing that affects our view of God's promises more than anything else has to do with our own mind, our own thinking. And we have to get our thinking in line with God and His Word. Let's notice a few Scriptures there and really focus the next 10 minutes or so on what God would have us to do. You can make it despite Satan and Saul.

In Proverbs 23 verse 7, Proverbs 23 and verse 7, one Scripture as you are returning there comes to mind, a man that controls his own spirit is my ear than he that takes a city.

In Proverbs 23 and verse 7, for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. So as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

And in Proverbs 4 and Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 23, Proverbs 4 and verse 23, keep your heart with all diligence, the center of thought, the action that comes from within.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.

And then in Philippians 4 verse 8, Philippians 4, Paul gives several admonitions in Philippians. Philippians is really a book about humility. Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians. A lot of people were criticizing him for being in prison, saying if he were really an apostle, he wouldn't be in prison.

Let's start in verse 6, Philippians 4.6, Be careful, or anxious, for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God.

And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Finally, brethren, what's everything are true, what's everything are honest, what's everything are just, what's everything are pure, what's everything are lovely, what's everything are of good report. If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. So are we going to believe Satan, Satan society? Are we going to believe our mind, the carnal mind is emmity toward God? Or are we going to believe God? Philippians 2.5 says, Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus our Lord, that we will be directed, that we will be guided, by the mind of God in Christ. And the mind of God in Christ are revealed through the pages of your Bible. And as I said earlier about two weeks ago, in the times in which we live, if we're not hiding the word of God in our heart, we do not stand a chance. We do not stand a chance. We must believe God and accept His answer. Titus 1.2 says, In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began, claim that promise. Believe it. Have faith in God. Have hope. Keep the big picture burning brightly in your mind. God has provided us with spiritual weapons so we can overcome Satan in this world. Let's notice in 2 Corinthians 10 and 3. If you're not equipped with the spiritual weapons, you can read the armor of God. And that should be our assignment, along with the book of Daniel, for this coming week to read about that armor of God that we've read so many times, Ephesians 6.11-18. Now we are looking at 2 Corinthians 10 and 3.

2 Corinthians 10, verse 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. You can't defeat what we're up against with just the flesh. You can think, you can reason, you can do all you want to do. But you cannot defeat the enemies that are out there. You cannot even control your own thoughts and mind without the help of God and Christ. And then, David says, Oh, how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. I have more understanding than the ancients and my teachers because I meditate on your law.

Your word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path. Though we walk after the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. What are those strongholds? They are the things that grip your mind. You might be paranoid. You might be discouraged. You might think that everything is lost, that no one cares, like we talked about at the first.

Have you ever felt this way or that way, frustrated, angry, upset, filled with anxious care, casting down imaginations? See, these are figments of your mind and thought and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. God says, I love you, I need you, I want you in my kingdom, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God will go seek the One. He will leave the ninety-nine and go seek out that which is lost, casting down imaginations, every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. You know, I've heard people say, well, God doesn't need us. Well, in one sense, you could say, God doesn't need us in fulfilling His plan.

He's going to get it done. But at the same time, if we are His children, and if God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son, it must matter to Him. He must want us in His kingdom, not willing that any should perish. I would say He needs us. Do you need your children? Are we more righteous than God? And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. We have to believe God and accept His answers for us. God does have our best interests at heart, and He will give us the power to make it. Let's notice Romans 8.28. We know this Scripture. We can quote this Scripture.

Have we internalized this Scripture? That is one of the great questions. The problem in the church of God, it is not knowledge per se. It is closing that gap between what we know and what we do. At times the gap is like this. We need to close this gap. We know it and we do it. We've internalized this part of us. It's the way we are.

It's who we are. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, and you cannot love God without loving your neighbors. We know from verse 4, to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. In one sense we could say that none of us are worthy. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Paul said of sinners, I am chief. We are not worthy, but God in His love and mercy has provided us a way. God is the Father of mercies who comforts us in all of our difficulties and trials. God has revealed His mercy to us from time immemorial. He revealed His mercy to Moses and He spared Israel. So in our prayers, appeal to God's mercy. For mercy's sake, God sent Christ, that we might be cleansed from sin, that we might be made whole. He has removed our iniquities as far from us as the east is from the west. He's not dealt with us according to our iniquities. One Scripture says if He deals with us according to our iniquities, no man would be able to stand.

He's not the, oh, you did that. Okay, I'm going to swatch you over here for that. But at the same time, He wants us to humble ourselves before Him, to call upon Him in the day of trouble and to believe that He will deliver us. One of the Scriptures that I try to pray every night, I want us to turn to Hebrews 7. I would encourage you to do the same, to keep this in mind. Hebrews 4 says that we can come boldly before the throne of God and make our wants and petitions known to Him.

And then, in hand and glove with that, talking about this great High Priest Melchizedek, who has passed into the heavens, who sits at the right hand of the Father. But this one, and this one is Jesus Christ, because He continues, ever hath an unchangeable priesthood, wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.

Every night I try to claim that promise. As you have said, you make intercession for us, and because of that, He's able to save us, and you're able to save us to the uttermost. God has provided for us even spiritual helpers. Notice in Hebrews 1, verses 13 and 14. Hebrews 1, 13. But to which of the angels said He at any time sent you on my right hand until I make your enemies your footsoe? Well, He never did.

But are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister, to serve, for them who shall be heirs of salvation? That's you and me. We have God's Spirit. So brethren, God has revealed to us great and precious promises. Let's remember to thank God, to praise God, like Paul says in Philippians 4, verse 6. To offer up thanksgiving, another place to sacrifice of praise continually. God can overcome any obstacle that lies before us.

So let's hold fast to the promises. If we do that, we will not be filled with anxious care, fear, doubt, and human reasoning. And finally, I want to close with these verses. Romans 8, Romans 8, starting in verse 31. What shall we say at the end of these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? There is no enemy, no power, visible or invisible, that God cannot conquer. If God be for us, who can be against us? He who spared not his own son, but deliver him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's leg? It's God that justifies. Who is he that condemns or judges? It is Christ that died, yes, rather, that has risen again. Who is even at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword, as it is written, for your sake we are killed all the day, all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter?

Anything that we get above death is a gift, and we are willing to give up all to receive that gift. No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us, for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.