Five lies of the Devil, Lie Four

 Lie four, Who are you?

Who do you think you are? You can’t teach or lead others. Who are you? This is what we will be discussing today. Let us pray. 

Heavenly Father, LORD God, we come before you today with all praise and worship. You are the Alpha and the Omega. You are the great I AM, and we thank you for the ability to become your children. As your children, we ask for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a spirit to receive Your Truth and Revelation in Your Word. In this, we ask and pray in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Are you a good person? I have always considered myself a good person. If you ask, most will view the question in an earthly, worldly sense. They would reason it out. "Let's see, I haven't been arrested. I love my spouse and kids. I give to charity, attend church on Sundays, and try never to speak ill of anyone. Yes. I would say I was a good person."

If you look at it strictly in a worldly sense, you would be right. However, remember what Jesus said when Peter called him "Good Master?"

“And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19

Yeshua, the King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega, the Lord himself, corrected it when he was called good. If “Jesus” did not consider himself worthy to be called good. Then are you better than he? You see, Jesus was in the flesh, the same as we all are. Therefore, the temptations of the flesh were the same for him. The fruits of the flesh would have had the same result for him if he had given in, as they would and do for all of us.

The Word declares the very distinct difference in walking in the flesh and in the Spirit. If you have your Bible and wish to, turn to Galatians 5, start at verse 16

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:16-21

All these things mankind, men and women, do daily. Walking in the flesh and the things of the flesh are natural. They are human nature. The result of them all is the same: death.

Oh, society may, and has, become numb to some of them. It may even have become acceptable, or at least seen as "no big deal." But none of that changes the fact of what these things are. Most of these are self-explanatory. The others?

Lascivious? Characterized as or by expressing lust. Tending to incite lust. Look at the TV? Look at movies. Go to the malls and see how our young women are dressing. The Internet? You get the point.

Sedition?       Stirring up rebellion.
Revellings?   To rebel or take much merry in oneself.
Effeminate?  Characterized by weakness or self-indulgence.
Covetous?     Excessively desirous of something. Greedy.
Emulations? To try to surpass or become equal to something greater than you.

These are all the fruits of the fresh. The works we do in the flesh. These are the normal desires of one walking in the flesh. 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 says it this way.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Before you accept the gift, before you become a child of God, you must do these things. Many of the 12 did these things. These are the works of the flesh. But wait, we are all God's children, right? Wrong. We are all God's creation, but not all are God's children. The only way to become a child of God is through Jesus.

If you look at it in a worldly sense, the devil would be right. Who are you to sow the seed? To share the Truth? You are an ignorant, wretched person. You are not a Pastor. You have no degree in Scripture. You are not ordained. Who are you? You cannot teach or lead others.

Again, if we were looking at this in a worldly sense, the devil would be telling the truth. However, we know that the devil is “a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 You see, if you ARE a child of God, if you did say a prayer like this;

Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus' sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent of my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

Then you are no longer that person. You are NOW a child of the living God. One of the simplest ways I know to look at this for a newborn, if you will, in Christ, is to turn to Romans 8, start at verse 15

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

Only now can you claim to be a child of God. Now? Drop down to verse 31

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

"For your sake, we are being killed all day long;
We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Amen? Amen! Now and only now, can you fulfill what Jesus asked everyone of us to do.

“And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Now, here is an important thing to remember. Well, maybe a couple. First, if you are a child of God, then YES, God is calling you to be a sower of the seed, teller of truth, and shower of the way. However, He is not asking you to change the world. The world is what it is, and the world’s fate is sealed. In His prayer in John 17:6-11, Yeshua does not pray for the world. He prays for you. He said: "I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours." He did not say, I pray them out of the World, rather to "keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one."

He taught us that the basics of being a child of God hang on two Commandments. All ten can be summed up in these two. "Love God with all your heart, mind, and body, and love your Neighbor as yourself." He even told us," Do this, and you will do well."

You hold the keys, and with them comes responsibility. You are fortunate to have the ability to make a difference. However, always remember this crucial fact: others have free will, just like you do. They can choose to accept or reject the truth. They can decide to repent or continue to sin freely.

Will you lose loved ones? I hope not, but it is a possibility. This is why we are warned about it; it is part of the cost of discipleship. Are you able to do whatever it is that God calls you to do? Yes. Are you significant? Are you sufficient? Are you called? Yes. As a child of God, you have whatever it takes to do whatever He calls you to do.

Do not listen to the lies of the devil. Even if he tells you you cannot do this or that. Do not believe the devil if he tells you it is impossible.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.’ Mark 10:27

You are now a child of God. The one who created the Heavens and the earth, the one who spoke all things into existence, is now your Father. I’m pretty sure He can handle anything that comes your way.

Join us next time, when we discuss the fifth lie. This one is not as clear and simple as you may think. Is going to church important? What is the main question you need to ask? This is what we will be discussing next time.

The email, if you wish to contact me, is truthbygod1@gmail.com

May the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. May God bless you and be with you always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!