Jerusalem Tomorrow

Christ Will Give You Light

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NKJV)

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:8-17 NKJV)

You can’t get any farther from the devil than God, and God demands that we not only separate ourselves from the works of darkness, but blow the whistle on them. And yes, the Bible is full of advice on how to tell the truth in love, but no compromise. If it’s wrong for the devil to come after you, it’s wrong for him to come after the next guy — even if the next guy likes it.

“Life is hard. Compromise is tempting. Critics are real. But Jesus’ love is always enough. It sustains us, empowers us, & encourages us.”

— Mark Driscoll

(via bayoulilly)

My Way Or the Highway

But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?

Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:15, 17-18, 20-26 NKJV)

I know the title of this post raised the hackles on some of you, but I hope this passage makes you understand a little better. The devil wants us to believe that Jesus is militant and hostile, while the devil is tolerant and inclusive.

This Scripture reveals the truth: The devil is absolutely intolerant of anyone he hasn’t conquered. If we’re not filled with the Spirit of God, the devil will sweep in with seven times the reinforcements, doing his utmost to ensure that God will never come near you again.

Thankfully, God is an expert at beating the devil with patience and persistence, but He also loves us enough to warn us that another housecleaning will cause us more pain and heartache than we want to deal with — certainly more than He wants to see us go through.

You know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by the hatred Satan has for you. Why not let yourself be overwhelmed by the love God has for you.

(Source: Flickr / zwartwit, via c-o-l-o-u-r-world)