Thursday, March 28, 2024

Devotion Page

Posted

GUEST COLUMN

We could say, God could stop the devil if he wanted to. That means the devil only does what God allows Him to do. That’s a religious tradition that will make us weak and a prey to the devil.

When God gave Adam unconditional control over the earth, He gave him His word. Psalm 89:34 says, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” There were no strings attached. The earth was man’s to govern as he saw fit. Adam then yielded to the devil the power and authority God intended for man.

People have seen many scriptural examples of god’s judgment upon man in the Old Testament and have interpreted that as God’s way of correcting us. Under the New Covenant, that is no longer the case, and a number of scriptures will kill that sacred cow. Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings and curses that would come upon the Israelites depending on their obedience or disobedience to God’s commands. Notice the things listed in verses 15-68: sickness, poverty, grief, and every other trouble imaginable. They are curses, not blessings, as many religious people are trying to make them out to be today.

People will say, “This cancer was really a blessing in disguise because it made me turn to the Lord for help.” No! It’s not a blessing; it is a curse. God didn’t put that cancer on them or allow it. The fact that they turned to the Lord is good, but they shouldn’t blame god for causing that problem.

God never uses evil to correct or draw us to Him. Romans 2:4 says it’s the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. 2 timothy 3:16 says that God’s Word—not problems—is given to correct and reprove us. Affl ictions are what the devil uses to steal away God’s Word. In the parable of the sower we find these words, “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affl iction or persecution arise for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. Mark 4:16-17