It Just Doesn’t Matter – Lies of the Enemy #20– Purity 1032
Purity 1032 05/02/2023 Purity 1032 Podcast
Purity 1032 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of the silhouette of a couple, the
roofs of some beachside cabanas, and palm trees underneath a Caribbean sunset
sky comes to us from my niece, Megan, who shared this scene, among many other
photos, from her recent vacation to Aruba, declaring that “Whoever said that Disney
was the happiest place on earth, was wrong.” While I can agree that Disney is
not it, I have never been to Aruba but after seeing my nieces’ photos I may
have to investigate her claims!
Well, It’s Tuesday, and while I won’t be going to
Aruba today, and as far as I know my wife doesn’t have a pass port so I
resisted booking a trip there for my upcoming Memorial Day Week vacation, then
again I guess I could do a solo trip… nah…
Although I am sure the weather and beaches are
fabulous in Aruba, I know that they would be better appreciated in the company of
my love, Tammy Lyn. So Tammy Lyn, if you are listening get that passport, you’re
unwittingly limiting your possibilities for new adventures of joy because you don’t
have your “walking papers”. There could
be lots of “happy places” out there for us to see together but going without a
passport sure would limit the ways we could go and going illegally might put a
damper on our peace and joy if we have to keep looking over our shoulders for
border patrols or customs police!
Anyway, while I won’t be going to Aruba any time
soon, I am blessed with a One Day Weekend today as my shifted schedule has
given me the day off in lieu of having the day off on Saturday. So, although working Saturdays is somewhat of
a drag, I focus on the positive and enjoy the day off here at my place “down by
The River”. I’m not completely sure what
I will do today but I will be checking in to a Webinar for the release of
Marcus Warner & Chris Coursey’s new book “The 4 Habits of Joy-filled People”
to support the authors’ work and to maybe pose a question or two about applying
these habits to the recovery ministry that I begin leading next week.
In the book Coursey stated that these “habits” were effective
in helping people to build joy and to overcome their Type A Traumas - traumas
of neglect – not receiving the good things (love, support, guidance, and acceptance)
they needed growing up. Coursey stated
that when people were able to grow their capacity for joy and overcome these
types of trauma their recovery was more successful than if the focus was only
on trying to process their Type B Trauma – the bad things that happen in life.
Considering that I want to help people to overcome
their hurts, habits, and hang ups, and to grow in their faith, the new book’s
release may be a real God send as I seek to not only teach and encourage the
people who come to the new recovery growth group, I also want to equip them
with the tools that will help them to be successful in transitioning to a
lifestyle of freedom, victory, and Christian Discipleship.
Some of the people who come to the recovery ministry
may have “been there and done that” in terms of recovery before, but I want to
give them something that they may not have been able to find at traditional 12
step meetings – I want to teach them to walk in the Spirit, to encourage them
to grow and apply their Christian faith to the way they think and the way they
live their lives. I want to introduce them to God, to who they are in Christ,
and to invite them to trust and to follow the Lord into the new life that He
has for them and I want to show them that His is a pathway that is paved with hope,
peace, and joy!
Rather than sending everyone to Aruba, or some other
happy place, I seek to show them that the joy of the Lord is something they can
experience right where they live.
But there will be resistance… the world, the flesh,
and the devil doesn’t want us to change or to experience the joy that comes
from living with and for God.
And this brings us to our current series, the Lies
of the Enemy, which is
an examination of some of the common lies, sometimes sneakily whispered into
our minds as “first person” statements, that the enemy tells us to cause us to
doubt our faith, lose our peace, cause division, or influence us to not follow
the Lord with the way we live our lives.
Today’s big lie is:
Lie
#20: It Just Doesn’t Matter!
Not to be confused with Bill Murray’s
inspirational pep talk in the 1979 summer camp classic movie, Meatballs, when
the enemy tells us “It just doesn’t matter”, he wants to keep you right where
you are, locked in addiction, sin, depression, frustration, fear, or
anger.
When you hear this lie, it’s actually
a good sign – it means there is hope – but the enemy doesn’t want you to see it
and seeks to steal it from you by trying
to convince you that no matter wat you do, what you say, or no matter what
happens – It just doesn’t matter because of _(blank)___.
Bill Murray said that even if his
fledgling group of average summer campers should be blessed by God above to achieve
victory over the “rich kids” camp, It just wouldn’t matter because – all the
really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from the other camp
because they “have all the money”. His
impassioned speech actually motivated the group to victory, by keeping it real,
that somethings wouldn’t change – but they would be victorious all the same,
implying that although they wouldn’t win everything – if they won, no one and
nothing could take their moment of triumph away from them!
So the enemy, tells the same thing –
It just doesn’t matter – but instead of focusing on the benefits of a “limited
victory”, Satan and his demons focus on the negative aspects of working for a
victory that won’t – change or restore everything that was lost. The enemy will point out how hard it will be
to overcome and then play “devil’s advocate” by allowing you to imagine
accomplishing something but then will gloat over how “even if you win
somethings, you won’t win everything” stating that in effect your efforts and
hard work will be for nothing because “it just doesn’t matter”.
But that’s a lie! It does matter.
Your efforts to live a better life matter! Your efforts to do what’s right
matter! Your intention to follow the Lord really matters because if you decide
to follow the Lord, while you won’t necessarily win everything or restore all
that is lost, He will be with you to guide you into “good things” and a better
life than what your living now, in some way – even if it’s just the peace you
get from walking with Him and knowing that you are doing what is right according
to your Heavenly Father.
Peace regardless of circumstances,
peace with God alone is a great victory.
But I know from experience of walking
with the Lord, that peace just the beginning – and something you never lose –
when you decide to follow the Lord.
So don’t believe the lie “that it
just doesn’t matter” because it does matter. The decision to follow the path less
traveled after Lord is the difference between life and death, between pain and
peace, and defeat and victory.
So make today count. Make today
matter by simply turning to the Lord and declaring that you are His and you
will follow where He leads.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity
than my simple apologetic will provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s
website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
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Today’s
Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This
morning’s meditation verse is :
Micah 6:8
(NLT2)
8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to
do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with your God.
Today’s verse is an Old testament Prophet’s marching orders from God on how to live our lives:
To do what is right,
To love mercy
And to walk humbly with our God.
Mic drop! This is walking in the Spirit! The Lord has told us what is good and this is what He requires of us: to humbly wall with Him in righteousness and love.
This is the path of Christian Discipleship and the way we do it – doing what is right – loving the Lord for the mercy and grace He gives us and giving it away to others to show we “love mercy” by practicing it.
So put this verse in your heart and keep walking and talking with God.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we begin sharing from “Satan, Demons & Satanism: A Sinister
Reality” By June Hunt.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own
private study and to support her work. This resource is available online
for $7.99 (https://june-hunt.myshopify.com/collections/keys-for-living/products/keys-for-living-on-satan-demons-satanism_ ).
Satan, Demons & Satanism
A
Sinister Reality
by June Hunt
C. What
Is the Church of Satan?
Today’s
organized worship of Satan is linked to the teachings of Aleister Crowley. Born
in England in 1875, Crowley rebelled against his Christian upbringing by
rejecting Christ and seeking supernatural guidance through the occult.9
He believed Satan to be more powerful than Christ and sowed the seeds of modern
satanism in the United States, where religious freedom allowed his evil
influence to flourish.
• A
legal and highly organized religion that teaches that indulgence in sin is the
path to freedom.
• Founded
in the United States on April 30, 1966, by Anton LaVey (a former carnival
member).
• The
rituals mock Christianity.
• The
initiation rituals are sexual.
• Teachings
include the following:
— No
supernatural being exists.
— Satan
is only a symbol of self-indulgence.
— No
personal devil exists.
— Man
is the epitome of existence.
• Published
The Satanic Bible in 1969.
“The
Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow
deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
(1
Timothy 4:1)
Basic
Beliefs of Satanism from The Satanic Bible
The Satanic Bible perverts the truth
about God and Satan by representing beliefs associated with God in a negative
light and Satan in a positive light.
|
• Satan
represents: |
• God
represents: |
|
— indulgence |
— abstinence |
|
— vital
existence |
— spiritual
pipe dreams |
|
— undefiled
wisdom |
— hypocritical
self-deceit |
|
— kindness
to those who deserve it |
— love
wasted on ingrates |
|
— vengeance |
— turning
the other cheek |
|
— responsibility
to the responsible |
— concern
for “psychic vampires” |
|
— man
as just another animal |
— becoming
the most vicious animal of all |
|
— all
the so-called sins |
— all
leading to physical, mental or emotional gratification |
“Woe to
those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light
for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who
are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”
(Isaiah
5:20–21)[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] June
Hunt, Biblical Counseling
Keys on Satan, Demons & Satanism: A Sinister Reality
(Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 4–5.
