Annie
Scriptures:
Ezekiel 28: 1-19
Jeremiah 25 & 28
John 10:7-10
As we continue to reflect upon knowing God, we begin to realise that it is so much more than simply saying hello. signing in with Him out of a sense of duty, whatever form that may take. Having an intimate relationship with Him means enjoying spending time with Him, relishing finding out more and more of how just, how loving and how merciful God is, and doing our utmost to see things through His eyes. Isn’t it wonderful that we are invited to view our world, our life here on earth, all that is going on around us, from His perspective. To look at this life in the way that He sees it.
I recently heard something that very much disturbed me, in fact, that really frightened me. I am praying that what I believe God has been impressing upon my heart, will neither offend nor upset anyone reading this. I truly believe that taking lightly the intelligence of Satan, mocking and deriding him, is a very dangerous attitude to have. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet speaks about the king of Tyre, which is recognised, in this context, as a metaphor for Satan and he is referred to as being full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. God regards Satan as clever, not as an obedient child but as a very clever enemy and we have no right to not believe and take God at His Word over this. Most importantly, we can only begin understanding the true meaning of these prophecies through deepening our relationship with God.
Jesus met with Satan; right at the beginning of His ministry there are three recorded instances where Satan was tempting him, cleverly, mendaciously. And Jesus didn't dismiss these cleverly crafted traps as being foolish. He countered what Satan said with the truth of God's Word. He could do that, effectively and victoriously because of knowing God intimately. He could not have done this in the manner that He did, without having a relationship where He believed every word His Father said, and where He was prepared to trust every word His Father said, and be obedient to every word His Father said.
Our Bible isn't a book of bedtime stories. The Bible is a book of histories; it is a book full of prophecies. It is also a book of joy, of wonder, and, more than anything from beginning to end, our Bible is all about the foreshadowing and fulfilment of the life of Christ being offered to save mankind. By absorbing what is written in these precious pages, we see glimpses of what it means to truly know God.
Christ, as always shows us the way that we must live, the way that we must know God, the way that we must also regard what God regards as serious. I can't claim to have as much deep knowledge of the Scripture as I should have. But I take it seriously. I am awestruck by what the prophets of old have told us of how God redeemed his people, time and time again. And still they rejected Him. Jeremiah foretold of the captivity that was to come upon the nation, reiterating Moses’ words from the book of Deuteronomy, and then, along came the false prophet who prophesied the end of captivity and the end of Babylon. But through Jeremiah, God said He would replace the yoke of wood with a yoke of iron. God did not regard the false prophet, who was being used by Satan, as being nothing, but punished him with death within a year for misleading the people.
God takes seriously what Satan tries to twist to deceive us, and we must do the same. It is only by knowing God that we can do this, only by that intimate, wonderful relationship with Him that we can have the amazing hope of discerning Satan’s wiles. God alone is our safety, He is our protection, Psalm 4 tells us that it is God alone who makes us dwell in safety.
Prayer: Abba Father, knowing You means trusting You and being obedient in all we do. It is also taking what You think is serious, as serious, not to depress us, not to make us fear, but to make us so aware of the enormity of Your love for us. To make us aware of the wonder of Your salvation. Your have given us the great gift of knowing You, the One True God. May we never belittle or take this for granted. Ever. Amen
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