Lord Of Lies

Satan's deceptions are the real challenge. Most Christian youth are mature enough to avoid the pitfalls the devil has laid out to kill them. But when it comes to big fibs and little ones, the snares of Satan are legion.

The instruments the devil uses to propagate his lies are almost as numerous as the lies themselves: music, magazines, movies, TV, radio, theater, newspapers, advertisements, video games, novels, textbooks, professors, talk show hosts, sports celebrities, movie stars, acquaintances, false prophets, well-meaning-but-misled preachers, and false religions and cults—for starters. Oh, don't forget this: www.one-deep-pile-of-bunkum.com.

Understand that the individuals the devil uses usually aren't monsters out to serve you a fat, black lie. That would be too obvious. Instead, Satan sells his deceptions packaged in the guise of nice people, mixed with as much truth as possible. More powerful still, the lies people distribute on the devil's behalf are generally convictions they sincerely accept. That's what makes Satan's scams so believable. The more truth and sincerity your Enemy can mix with any given deception, the more effective it becomes.

Even a good friend can be used to lead you astray. She may have the best of intentions, but the suggestion "That guy is perfect for you" may not come from God. If she goes on to insist that "anything goes, as long as your love for each other is sincere," you can be certain your friend has swallowed a fat hook, one the devil gleefully dangles in your face. The apostle Peter was used by Satan in an attempt to deceive Jesus, the very person Peter longed to serve and follow (Matthew 16:21-23).

It's no great exaggeration to say that the devil tries to "hook" you a thousand times a day

Master Murderer

Sobered by the thought that Satan wants to kill you? Good. You're obeying God's Word: "Be SOBER, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8, KJV). 

To be SOBER : To be free from excess, extravagance, or exaggeration, is also to show  self control , sober restraint.

Drugs, alcohol, and illicit sex are three of his weapons of choice against your age group. If he can't get you to OD(Over does), or wrap your pickup around an oak tree(To lost ones mind), he'll take you slowly with an STD. Those aren't his only weapons, of course. Others include foolish dares, abortion, unnecessary heroics, and bottles of sleeping pills. He's a master assassin.

And he's likely to invite you to your own funeral with some pretty obvious lies:

• "It's risky, yeah. But if you're going to join this fraternity, suck it up and take the challenge."
• "Can't you get this thing to go any faster?"
• "But everyone does this on their twenty-first birthday."
• Even Jesus had to ward off Satan's attempt at assassination prior to the cross: "Go ahead and jump. God will send angels to catch you" (Matthew 4:6).
  
  
  Be sober. Stay sober. Don't get paranoid, but do remember, an angel of death roams nearby

Still Hungry? John 8:44, John 10:10

A Journal

One of the most exciting things you can do in your Christian walk with the Lord is to keep a journal of all that He is teaching you. Exodus 24:4 says, “Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.” In other words, he did not want to miss or forget anything. He took notes! If he were attending church with you, you could expect him to pull out a notebook and start jotting things down. Why? God directed Moses to do this because he was the one who would communicate what God said to the nation of Israel.

Today, godly men and women teach God’s truth, and we would be wise to pick up the habit of taking notes, as God taught Moses to do. Actually, the human mind has to hear or record a fact at least three times before it is committed to memory. Sometimes, it can take hearing a fact up to fourteen times before it is actually stored in our knowledge base.
This is why when you walk up to your pastor at the end of the worship service and commend him on his sermon, you pray that he does not ask you to repeat his main points back to him. It also is the reason you can gather over lunch with family and friends and exclaim how much you learned at church, but when you are asked to tell what you thought was the highlight, your mind goes blank.

Learn to take notes. Record your thoughts, and then, when you are alone with the Lord, ask Him to affirm what you have heard in and through His Word. Godly messages never conflict with what God has written in the Bible—it is the infallible Word of God. This means that it is God’s Word to us, and nothing about it can be changed or taken away.
We live in a devious world because Satan is constantly enticing us away from God’s truth. As you worship the Lord, ask Him to make you aware of the Enemy’s subtle and dangerous scheme. 

There is only one way to worship God, and that is with the entirety of our hearts and minds.
Worship is not a place or an event. It's a way of life.


Still Hungry? Genesis 8: 20, Genesis 28:18, Deuteronomy 27:2

Come As You Are

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away..Jesus Christ." - John 6:37 NIV

There is no way to verify this, but I believe that no song is more associated with people’s public profession of faith than the hymn, “Just As I Am.” Though written in 1835, the hymn’s popularity reached its apex in the second half of the twentieth century when Billy Graham used it for his altar calls. Many churches and evangelists also adopted it, making it a tradition at the end of services when people are invited to “walk down the aisle” and declare their lives for Jesus.

And no wonder. Does any hymn summarize the declaration of a spiritual journey more succinctly than “Just As I Am”? Focus on these words – these powerful, beautiful words – of a sinner deciding to place his soul in the hands of Jesus.

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, tho' tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come.

Have you come? Will you come today – just as you are6

Still Hungry? John 17:2, John 17:7

Focus On God's Word

In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18).

In addition to focusing on God’s character, we must also focus on God’s Word in order to resist temptation. Sometimes we don’t understand the importance of the Word and the fact that it is alive and active. We view Scripture like the Queen of England: She holds the top position in the country, but she has absolutely no power. She can’t pass any laws or enforce any decrees. Many of us hold God’s Word in high esteem, but it has no power in our lives. The Bible was not meant to decorate your coffee table or be held under your arm at church. The Word of God was written because of what it can do in our lives. 

James 1:18 explains that we were brought forth by the word of truth; the Word brought us spiritual life.

The Word saved us, and it can also sanctify us. God’s Word works in the spiritual realm. Temptation exists in the spiritual realm, and only God’s words have power and authority in that arena. When the Devil tempted Christ in the wilderness, he told Christ to “command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). He offered a physical temptation to meet a physical desire for food. But Jesus resisted the temptation by calling on the Word of God. He said: “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). This is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 8. Jesus knew the Scripture so well that He could employ it to resist the temptation the Devil was throwing at Him. He stood on the authority of God’s Word to recognize that He would trust in God and God’s Word.

Still Hungry? 2 Peter 2:14, Psalm 119:113