Category Archives: Devil

Bible, Deception, Devil, Satan, Scripture, Seeing, Truth, Understanding

STILL A LITTLE GROGGY

ZECHARIAH 4:5

“So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’”

Do you know what groggy means? According to the Oxford Dictionary it means “dazed, weak, or unsteady, especially from illness, intoxication, sleep, or a blow.” Have you ever felt that way? I have been taking allergy pills this Spring. This pollen is killing me. These pills can have that effect on me. I hate that feeling.

Zechariah seems to be a little groggy. Now, I am not being unkind. Remember, the angel woke him back in verse 1 of this chapter. Perhaps Zechariah is still a little fuzzy-brained. This new vision wasn’t sinking in. The angel wasn’t being rude to him when he questioned his understanding. And I love the fact that Zechariah openly admitted he did not know. We could learn a lesson from that.

APPLICATION

But for our application today, I would like to focus on that picture of being “groggy.” Before Christ, we are walking around in that state of mind. We may think we are thinking clearly, but we are not. Satan has our minds blinded to the truth. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that. “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Spiritual blindness is a result of people simply refusing to hear the truth. In John 9:39-41, Jesus explains this. “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, ‘Are we also blind?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, “We see,” your guilt remains.’”

Those Pharisees thought they saw the truth but were blind to THE Truth right before their eyes. They refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah because they knew better. Do you know better than Jesus? Do you think you can walk life’s journey without Him? Let Jesus open your eyes today. Get rid of that groggy feeling, that fuzzy-brain. See clearly through Jesus.

Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.

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Asking, Belief, Bible, Correction, Devil, Direction, Questions, Scripture

I DON’T UNDERSTAND

 ZECHARIAH 4:4  “Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’” How many times have you been confused about something? Well, I have to admit that it has happened to me a lot. But one thing I have learned to do is ask questions. If I am not sure about something, I ask somebody to help me, to show me how to do it right or how to understand it. It’s humbling to ask for help. But it sure improves my own knowledge. Zechariah asked the angel what this golden lampstand meant (we discussed this in yesterday’s blog). He wasn’t clear on the vision. But he trusted the angel to show him what the purpose was. That kind of speaks to how God speaks to us. Sometimes He shows us something and we don’t understand. It’s okay to ask questions, just like Zechariah did. APPLICATION Do you have questions for God. Ask Him. It’s perfectly fine to tell Him you don’t understand. He wants you to understand. He is not trying to confuse you. That’s the devil’s job. He is the author of confusion. Paul tells us so in 1 Corinthians 14:33. “…for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” God, I don’t understand. Help me understand. This reminds me of the man who asked for help in his belief. Mark 9:24 says, “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief!’” Is that you today? Then cry out to the One who has all the answers. Don’t you want to fully know Him? Don’t you want to know His purpose for your life? One day we will have the mind of Christ. Until then, keep asking questions. He will answer you. 

Hear my cry, O Lord. Send me what I need to know when I need to know it.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Clothing, Devil, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Lies, Restoration, Salvation, Satan, Scripture

LET’S GET DRESSED UP

ZECHARIAH 3:4

And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ Again he said to him, ‘See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes.’”

Today, in most churches, you don’t see many people dressed up. Men rarely, if ever, wear a suit and tie. Women don’t wear dresses or hats. When I was young, those were common sights. I don’t mind wearing a suit and tie. In fact, I kind of like it. Now, God doesn’t require that, I know. But I kind of feel nice when I dress nicer for church than when I go to a ballgame. That’s just me.

We find Joshua, the high priest, clothed in filthy garments (see yesterday’s blog) in Zechariah’s vision. But the Lord does not leave him like that. He gives instructions to the angels to remove those filthy things and to clothe him in festive robes. These were probably the high priest’s garments. This action represented God’s forgiveness of the people of Israel. They were now cleansed of those sins represented by the other garments.

APPLICATION

The good news for us is God does the same for us. Take me, for instance. I was a filthy dog. Really, I was. My life before Christ was filled with debauchery. I wasn’t fit for my King. But because I placed my trust in Christ, He removed my filthy garments and clothed me in His righteousness. Now, I am wearing His garment of praise. Isaiah 61:3 says, “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Don’t you want that? Barnes says this about today’s verse. “But when God had pity on them, He bade them be freed from their defilements, and in a manner re-clad with justifying grace.”

Oh, friends, He does the same for you. He will free you from your defilements. He will clothe you with His grace. All you have to do is come to Him. Are you still trying to pick up those old, filthy garments? Has the devil got you believing you are not worthy of His garments? You are! God says you are. Don’t believe those lies of Satan.

I have known a lot of Christians who wallow in their own filth. They have asked Christ to be their Savior, but they just can’t believe it is that simple. Well, it is, and it isn’t. Salvation is free but is not cheap. A surrendered life will cost you everything. In return, He gives you His kingdom as a joint heir with Christ. Just look at Romans 8:16-17. “16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Now, live like it.

I don’t deserve Your garments, Lord, but You have clothed me.

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Bible, Courage, Defeat, Defense, Devil, Enemies, Oppression, Prayer, Protection, Safety, Satan, Scripture

FOUR HORNS

ZECHARIAH 1:18

“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns.” 

I am a deer hunter. For all you animal lovers, please forgive me. I love to hunt and eat venison. I put out trail cameras to watch and see what deer are moving through the area I am scouting. I particularly like to watch for the big bucks with their beautiful antlers. The width, height and girth of the antler usually shows the age and health of the deer. The more mature and powerful deer normally have the biggest rack.

As you can imagine, today’s verse sparked my interest. The mention of horns made me curious, just as it did Zechariah when he saw this. Most scholars agree that these horns represented four powerful nations that had the potential to destroy. Benson says this about these four horns in his commentary, “the most ancient and prevailing opinion among the Jews themselves, and perhaps the most probable of any, is, that the four great empires, the Assyrian, or Babylonian, the Persian, Grecian, and Roman, are intended; namely, the empires alluded to by the four beasts, Daniel 7.” Whatever they represented, it definitely caught Zechariah’s attention.

APPLICATION

Okay Carl. Let’s see how you apply this verse about horns to us. I’m glad you said that. What powers or forces do you fear? Who has come against you? It doesn’t matter the number. You may have or have had multiple forces come against you. The same God who defended and restored Israel is here today. He stands ready to take on those horns.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we must be prepared to take on these forces of evil. You have read, I’m sure, the passage on the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-17. But did you stop there? You see, the secret to taking on these horns is found in verse 18. “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,”

We have to pray, seeking God and His strength. It is not about our strength. It is completely His strength that defeats these horns that come against us. And we must pray for “all the saints.” As we lift up others, God lifts us up. So, pray and believe. Let God smite those horns of evil in your life.

I will trust You, O God, to take up my defense. I will not fear when I see these horns come against me.

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Abiding, Bible, Choices, Devil, Enslavement, Following, Hope, Pride, Return, Scripture

FAILURE TO RETURN

HAGGAI 2:17

“‘I struck you and every work of your hands with scorching wind, mildew, and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the LORD.”

When I read today’s verse, my thoughts went back to a dog I used to have. That dog was bad about running away from home. If he got off his leash or out of his fence, he would take off and be gone for days. Most of the time I would have to track him down by neighbors’ reported sightings. You would think he would happy being fed, loved on and cared for, but he had other plans it seemed.

Even though God judged the nation of Israel in the past through the destruction of the crops with scorching winds, mildew and hail they did not return. Amos 4:9 uses almost the same words as Haggai. “‘I struck you with scorching wind and mildew; The caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,’ declares the LORD.” About 200 years separated these two prophets which tells us they were very slow to return to the Lord.

APPLICATION

Our failure to return to our Lord may not span 200 years, but we are just as disobedient. He tries to draw us back, but we reject Him. We are comfortable in our sins. Just like my runaway dog, we like the “freedom” that we think we have on our own. We don’t see the dangers that lurk behind every corner. The devil loves runaway Christians. He will continue to lure you away.

So, what must we do to return? It’s pretty simple. Just stop running. Stop, turn around and fall into the arms of Jesus. Now, what does that remind you of? How about the story of the Prodigal Son that is told in Luke 15:11-32. It says the son came to his sense and returned. Even though he probably still smelled like pigs, his father embraced him and welcomed him home.

If you are like me, you probably stink with sin sometimes, especially if you have been wallowing in it. God has been calling you home, but you have ignored Him. Return to Him. Come home. He is waiting for your return.

Come home, come home. Ye who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, calling all sinners, come home.

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Battles, Bible, Devil, Evil, Fear, Scripture, Strength

LIMP HANDS

ZEPHANIAH 3:16

“On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not be afraid, Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.’”

I have had the opportunity to meet a number of college and pro athletes in my life. These guys are impressive with their size and physical builds. Standing next to most of them I felt like a dwarf. I have seen what they could do on the football field or basketball court. One of those athletes, though, had the limpest handshake I have ever felt. It was like shaking hands with a dead fish. No grip, no firmness. It just did not match his physique at all.

God promises His people strength in today’s verse. He says, “Do not be afraid, Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.” The Hebrew word for “limp” means to relax or sink. Now put that in the verse. God was saying to them to have no fear, don’t sink down or relax. You see, God knew they were going to face more challenges, so they needed to stay strong and show no fear. He was with them.

APPLICATION

We often fall into that trap of sinking or relaxing. Let me remind you that we cannot afford that luxury. Luke 4:13 comes at the conclusion of Jesus’ testing in the wilderness by Satan. He had given Jesus his best shot and failed to cause Him to sin. Did he give up? I don’t think so. Look at the verse. “And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”

We can’t have limp hands when it is time to battle the forces of evil. If the devil plotted an “opportune time” against the Son of God, you had better believe he is plotting against us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Strengthen your hands! Gird up and prepare for battle today. This is not an attempt to put fear in you. In fact, my purpose is just the opposite. We have the Supreme Commander leading us. Why should we fear? But we have to prepare ourselves through prayer to wield the Sword of God, His Word, in combat against those opposed to the kingdom. Grab your sword, beloved.

I am thankful that through daily wielding of the Word, my hands are strong and not limp. 

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Devil, God's Will, Judgment, Relationships, Scripture

GOD’S FEET

HABAKKUK 3:12

“In indignation You marched through the earth; in anger You trampled the nations.”

I don’t know if you have ever heard the sound of an army marching. Depending on the size, it can be quite loud. You can hear the sound before you see the bodies, in most cases. In ancient times, armies would stomp their feet and even shout in an attempt to put fear into their enemies.

Habakkuk describes God as marching and trampling. His approach to the nations who do not know Him and who reject Him is no secret. They will stand in judgment. God’s anger, His wrath against sin must be satisfied. That is why He tramples the pagan. That is why He will judge all unbelievers.

APPLICATION

God isn’t making some kind of surprise attack. He is not sneaking in covertly to try to ambush people. He has made known very publicly His requirements. God is not trying to trick people or mislead them so He can zap them. No! God wants all men to come to Him. He sent His own Son to die to make that possible.

So, why do so many people reject Him? Why are so many still left in the world who do not know Him? Because the enemy is working overtime to prevent any others from coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus. It is our job to tell them. How will they know unless we go?

This Christmas, tell someone about Jesus. Maybe while you are out shopping, share Jesus with the cashier at the store. Perhaps you could give a tract to some people at the mall. Maybe you could give gift bags to someone who is homeless and include a message about Jesus. Find some way this Christmas to bring someone to Christ.

Father, I do not fear Your footsteps because I know I belong to You.

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Bible, Darkness, Death, Destruction, Devil, Enemies, Fighting, Satan, Scripture

DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

HABAKKUK 3:5

“Before Him goes plague, and plague comes forth after Him.”

We all have seen scenes of death and destruction in pictures from wars or disease or famine. Those images burn into our minds. They are hard to forget. We feel helpless to do anything to cause any change. Our hearts break for the families of their loved ones caught in such scenarios.

Habakkuk describes the scene here where death and destruction go before God as He conquers all His enemies. He has sent plagues and pestilence. He used hornets and wild animals. Regardless of His instrument, the result was and is the same. His enemies are destroyed. Nothing can stand before Him. We would do well to remember that.

APPLICATION

People today think they can thumb their nose at God and keep on living as they wish. I don’t have to list the abhorrent lifestyles that are being exhibited everywhere, even in churches. Anything goes. There seems to be no moral compass left in the world. The enemy appears to have totally brainwashed society into believing that God has no say in the affairs of men.

But oh how wrong he is! Just like in Habakkuk’s day, God will rise up and defeat all enemies of the cross. We must remain faithful and true. We must continue to share the good news. We have to let our lights shine brightly. Even the smallest light can pierce the darkness. Let it shine.

I refuse to be afraid of those who speak against our Savior. I refuse to allow their disregard for God dampen my passion for Him. I am called to be a soldier of the cross, so I will wield my sword and give my life to advance His kingdom here on earth. I know my God has my back and will be victorious.

Your enemies will scatter, Lord. All You have to do it show up!

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Bible, Captivity, Despair, Devil, Enemies, Evil, Faithfulness, Satan, Scripture, Submission, Surrender, Trust

WILL IT EVER STOP?

HABAKKUK 1:17

“Will they therefore empty their net, and continually slay nations without sparing?”

(This is blog #2500. I cannot believe it. I began these post on January 1, 2016. I am about to finish my 7th year of writing these daily blogs. Please pray for me as I seek the Lord as I write these each day.)

The rise of evil and its spread throughout the world seems to never cease. It just gets worse and worse. Just the moment you think it can’t get any worse, it does. The depth of evil a person will plunge is beyond our imaginations. Will there ever be an end to this? When will God step in and stop it?

That’s the question Habakkuk is asking at the end of Chapter One. God has shown him this vision of the Chaldeans coming in and defeating them. He knows of their ruthlessness. He does not want his people to suffer. He is crying out to God, “When will they stop? Will they ever stop? Haven’t they done enough?”

APPLICATION

You may have been under spiritual attack from the evil one and have cried out the same as Habakkuk. “Lord, when will it end? I can’t take much more of this.” Trials come in all shapes and sizes. Some last a long time and others are over quickly. It is those that linger that truly test us.

We must remember, though, that God will not put on us more than we can handle with His help. We surely cannot handle it on our own, but as we submit and surrender to Him, we can get through whatever it is we face. There may still be dark days as you trust Him, but we are assured of His faithfulness.

I have faced these challenges. I have shared about some of them in my blog posts of the past. Suffice it to say, I have learned these lessons the hard way. There have been times when I entered a trial fully trusting. Then there are other times I went in kicking and screaming. But through them all I have found my Lord to be right there with me, sustaining and nurturing me. Will you rest in Him in the midst of your struggles?

Father, in Your strong hands I place myself. Do with me as You see fit.

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Bible, Devil, Holiness, Humility, Pride, Satan, Scripture

STUCK ON THEMSELVES

HABAKKUK 1:7

“They are terrifying and feared; their justice and authority originate with themselves.”

I have known a few people in my lifetime that you could describe as “stuck on themselves.” As the saying goes, “Their nose is so stuck up in the air, if they got caught outside during a rainstorm, they would drown.” I don’t want to be that way. I had rather be seen as a humble man, not seeking attention for myself.

The Chaldeans, however, were a proud, ferocious people. They believed the sun and moon rose and set in them. They were powerful and demanding. They were ruthless to those they conquered. God would use them, but just like the devil, He would only give them so much chain to run on.

APPLICATION

Two of the new verses I have been memorizing have to do with humility (1 Peter 5:5-6). 1 Peter 5:5b says, “For God is opposed to the proud, but will give grace to the humble.” I prefer God’s grace over His opposition, don’t you? I do not want to face an irate God over my arrogance and pride. That will not end well.

If you are struggling with pride, just look at the middle letter – I. It’s the same middle letter you will find in the word sin. Hmmm. I don’t think that is a coincidence. Pride is what caused Lucifer to lose his heavenly position. Pride is what sent Nebuchadnezzar into the fields eating grass for seven years. Pride is what led Samson to reveal the source of his strength to Delilah.

Would you join me today in denouncing any pride in your life? “Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you at the proper time.” Oh, to fall into God’s hands in this manner. He is comforting. He is consoling. He is loving. Come to Him.

Oh, Lord, I desire to humble myself under Your hand so that You may exalt me when You are ready.

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