Are you on Satan's radar?

While watching an online sermon from this past Sunday (03/14) preached at First Baptist Orlando, I was struck by something the pastor said. The entire sermon was a blessing but this one thought pierced my heart more so than any other. Pastor David asked "Are you on the Devil's radar?"

Let me explain the context of his question. The sermon was about Paul and his ministry to the lost at Ephesus and Pastor David read the account of how God used Paul to perform many miracles in Jesus' name. Well there were quite a few pharisaical Jews in the area at that time that both observed these acts and wanted to capitalize on them. So these "itinerant Jewish exorcists" decided to start performing "miracles" in Jesus' name as well. The next thing we see happen in Acts is really quite amazing. See for yourself...

Acts 19:11-15

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims." Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"

Do you see what happened there? While claiming to be of God, the Jewish exorcists were confronted by the devil himself with a very telling question. "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" This question led Pastor David to ask his Sunday morning's congregation which category they would fall under if confronted by the devil. Would they be recognized by the devil? Or would Satan ask "who are you?"

Your first thought may lead you to believe there is no better place to be than off of Satan's radar. I tend to have this mentality. "I'll just blend into the back of the classroom and count down the minutes until the end of class." But life can hardly be compared to class and skirting by with a C is not even close to what it means to live your life for anything or anyone other than Christ. If I am giving my all for the Lord then I am going to be on Satan's radar. If I love the Lord then I WANT to be on Satan's radar. I want to be the thorn in the devil's side. I desire to make his job of wooing the lost sheep as hard as possible. I love to think that little, ole' Leslie can absolutely disrupt Satan's day and cause him to shake his fists at the heavens.

So despite my tendency to want to simply get by and in spite of my own selfish acts and downright laziness, I am going to do my best to be a pain in the butt. I'm going to be a disciple of Christ and I'm going live for Him. And if and when I ever come face to face with an evil spirit or Satan himself, He'll know exactly who I am. He'll know whose side I'm on. And though I am feeble and weak, I serve the most-high God who is abundantly able to do miracles through me. My fear will not conquer my faith for my spirit of fear has been replaced with the Holy Spirit who will cause even the demons in hell cower. When God speaks, hell trembles. Of whom should I be afraid?

Yes, I most definitely am going to be on Satan's radar. And should I face trials and tribulations because of this, I will rely on the promises of the Almighty God to protect and preserve me. This is a declaration to both you, the reader, and to my Father in Heaven. And to Satan I simply say, "Bring it."

First Baptist Orlando

Reflection

Is it just me or do you ever pause to reflect on who you are now versus who you used to be? This is not a "I can't believe how old I am" post but it does come on the cuff of my 32nd birthday week. And I can't help but realize just how far reaching and deep God's grace can go.

The transformation that I have experienced in my 31 years is nothing short of miraculous. To some, my past may seem quite benign but to the One that knows my heart better than I know myself, my past is full of wickedness in thought and deed. I think back to the many poor choices I made in young adulthood and marvel at how my Father not only protected me from tangible consequences but how He held my soul in the palm of His hand and protected my eternal future.

It is no coincidence that I am currently learning about the promise of eternal security for all believers in my studies at church. God does not mince words when He has Paul explain just how safe our souls are in the hands of an almighty and just God.

Romans 8:35-39 is quickly becoming one of my favorite Bible passages:

"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 the daylong; 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."

This message is worthy of much meditation. And the more I think on it, the more I am shaken to my core. My eternal security is not about how tightly I can hold on to Christ. It's about how tightly He is holding on to me! Do you fully appreciate that statement? Beyond the sacrifice, beyond the suffering, beyond the love above all loves, God continues to draw His children closer and continues to transform us into the Christ-like disciples we are called to be.

I am not as Christ-like as I desire to be. And I realize I will never be close to perfect in this world. But today, as I look back on the past 10 years of my life, I can clearly see God's hand in it. His hands have been a protector and punisher. His hands have directed and drawn. His hands have pushed and pulled. His hands have received anger and adoration. His hands have given lessons and love. But never, not even once, was I ever outside of His hands. And for that, I am grateful. For I am not the woman I once was.

His love is strong and His love is eternal. Not even death can separate me from the love of my God! It's no wonder that my sinful past can't even make a dent in my relationship with Christ. As usual, my thoughts are disjointed at best. But my message is this: Not because of who I am, but because of who He is, I am a child of God and I am actively being drawn closer to my Father. My God is bigger than my sin.

I Love My Mom

(Call to my phone)
Me: This is Leslie
Mom: Hey, can you call me right back on my cell phone? I set the ringer to vibrate and I need to make sure I did it right. I’m getting ready to go in somewhere and I don’t want it to ring if someone calls me.
Me: (snicker) OK.
(hang up)

(Call to Mom’s phone )
Mom: Hello?
Me: Did it ring or vibrate?
Mom: It rang AND vibrated.
Me: It did? (in an overly exaggerated tone) What are you going to do??
Mom: I don’t know. I don’t want anyone to hear it.
Me: Hang up from me and use the volume buttons on the side of the phone. There should be a button with up & down arrows on the side. Use that to set the ringer. Look at the display and set it to “Vibrate Only.” Then call me back.
Mom: Oh, I thought I had to go into Tools.
Me: No.
Mom: Okay.
(hang up)

(Call to my phone)
Me: Did it vibrate?
Mom: Yeah but I can’t hear it very well.
Me: Sigh.

It Is Good to Give Thanks to God

PSALM 92

Throughout the Psalms, we are reminded and even commanded to give thanks to the Lord. Thanksgiving Day should never become a substitute for the daily expression of gratitude to God for all that He has done.

Because our culture is largely characterized by ingratitude, we need to work at developing a grateful heart. Even in prayer, we can become self-centered and drift from one petition to another without a word of praise to God. Giving thanks refocuses our attention onto the Lord as we remember His love and faithfulness and praise Him for who He is and what He has done.

Thanksgiving refreshes our souls as we spend time with God, concentrating on His goodness and grace. Anxiety is replaced with peace, and despondency with joy. If you wake up each morning and thank the Lord for deliverance from the power of sin, provision for all your needs, and guidance for the day ahead, what is left to cause worry or discouragement?

Gratitude to God for His faithfulness in the past increases faith and strengthens trust in Him for the future. Remember how He carried you in times of pain, helped you in periods of weakness, and supplied all your needs. You can trust Him with whatever lies ahead.

To establish a habit of thanksgiving, recall God's lovingkindness in the morning, and recount His faithfulness at night. Thank Him for blessings—and also for the deep work He is doing in you through difficulties. As you start to see situations from His perspective, your gratitude and trust will grow.

In Touch Ministries

Serving the Purpose of God

2 CORINTHIANS 5:9-10

Church members sometimes get the mistaken idea that service to God must be an "up front" kind of activity. To their way of thinking, the preacher and the choir soloist serve God, but the rest of us are just trying to get through the day—and maybe in the future we'll get a chance to do some great thing for the Lord.

The truth is that much of our daily life is spent serving God's purpose. In fact, our greatest impact might come out of a small act of faithfulness. When I was 17 years of age, my grandfather spent one week with me. He likely did not think there was much eternal significance to sitting on the back porch swing talking with his teenage grandson. But the spiritual principles he shared changed my life. I've used them in almost every sermon, which means that my grandfather has blessed millions of people.

God's followers shouldn't underestimate the scope of ministry. If we limit our service to special "church tasks," we'll miss everyday opportunities to make a difference.

The Scriptures are full of ordinary but necessary things for believers to do: care for the less fortunate (Ex. 22:22); train children (Prov. 22:6); use Christian liberty wisely (1 Cor. 8:7-13); "admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak" (1 Thess. 5:14); and so on.

Believers make up Jesus' body on earth. We are His hands to reach out, His feet to go where the need is, and His mouth to give comfort and share the gospel. What role are you meant to fulfill today? Prayerfully commit to serve the Lord in everything you do.

In Touch Ministries