Scripture

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.

~ Peter 5:8, NLT

Quote

Self is the god of unhappiness.

~Lorenzo Scupoli

One of the things that makes my heart sick is to know that Satan has used me. Peter felt this same sickness when he rebuked Jesus for talking about His death…But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Listen folks, do not get it in your head that Satan cannot use you; he is a cunning manipulator of men, he works through our pride and self-interest. Satan used Eve to tempt Adam and he used Job’s wife to tempt Job to take his own life, but Job was too wise for the crafty demon. For me personally, the biggest problem is a misspoken word, a statement made in pride or one that is not accurate or based on truth. There have been times that I thought I knew the facts only to find out later that it was not as it appeared and I had been deceived. We need to use extreme caution when discussing the lives of other people. You don’t know what goes on inside a home or a heart and your perception is not reality. If you think it is, you have been watching too much TV.

Years ago I spoke my mind to a back biter. What I said was not all that bad but it was an opinion and it was not based on facts. He took what I said and used it against me to cause a lot of hurt and pain in my family. Due to my big mouth and opinions, certain people never spoke to certain people again and it goes back to me. Of course I felt horrible. My carelessness had caused people I love to suffer. You can apologize later but you can’t  undo the harm. What happened? I let the devil use me. He out smarted me. Working through my pride and vanity, he did untold harm. I wish I could forget the whole thing but I can’t. I hope and pray that it never happens again but at the same time, I realize that I am capable.

Years ago, I read a story in OUR DAILY BREAD about a CPA who had worked his entire life for the same firm. He was unmarried and lived alone. When he retired there was no party, no gold watch, no nothing. The next week he took his own life. His suicide note was heart breaking. Basically he said, “I have worked hard all my life and no one has ever noticed; no ‘job well done,’ no ‘thank you’ for your work, no nothing.” He died from lack of encouragement. Who can you encourage today? Chances are very good that you will bump into someone today who needs an encouraging word.

Extra

God is good and I thank Him for another wonderful Sabbath. I baptized a 94 year old yesterday. I guess it is the oldest person I have ever baptized. His name is Jim Mullins and he drives all over the country. He lives in Huntsville and he arrives at the POINT at 8:45 right on the dot every Sunday morning. He is also a member of our men’s bible study class. Then last night we were blessed to be a part of the DBC family celebration. We got to enjoy Rex Looney lead in praise and worship and then sing. Joe David said, “Rex is going to do four songs.” I turned to June and said, “Rex will not do four songs alone.” Rex has a great voice but he is never content to sing alone. Miracle of miracle, he got us singing. Joe David had a good message. We had close to 200 in attendance. It was a good service.

I am loving this weather. Our rye grass is green as a gourd. I hope you have a good Monday and a great week. Thanks for reading the blog.