I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself. 3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake’s clever lies. 4 For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us! (2 Corinthians 11:2-4)
A different Jesus is any message, gospel and way of salvation which contradicts the goods news as preached by Jesus and the apostles.
Pure devotion to Christ
We notice that Paul talks about pure devotion to Christ and proceeds to lament over false doctrines and gospels. The objective of every false gospel or way of salvation is to lure us away from pure devotion to Christ. Pure devotion to Christ means pure devotion to His word.
We are promised in marriage to the word of God alone and our purity proceeds from Him alone. We are to cherish this purity and virginity so much that we desire the word of God alone in humility and love.
By the time we have spent quality time loving and practising the word of God with praise, prayer, worship and thanksgiving, the presence of the word of God with fill us up and surround us. He will beautify us and crown us with love, peace and joy.
May we always love and cherish our purity and virginity in Christ. May our devotion be to the word of God alone as we reject lies and false doctrines.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24- 7:27 NKJV)
In this Scripture, Jesus is stressing the importance of building our lives on the word of God. So it is all about hearing the word of God and doing it. It is very possible to hear the word of God everyday and refuse to do it.
It is very possible to be in Church everyday like the pews and chairs in church and refuse to change. Inanimate objects remain constant just as stone hearts remain constant. Only the power of God can break and change stone hearts – that is, if we are willing and cry out for grace.
Nobody can force anyone to practice the word of God and God does not force us. We have to decide that we love God enough to desire, treasure and practice His word.
The Bible describes us as being slaves of righteousness. This means that even though we have a free will to obey or disobey, we must obey. It is just like having a free will to eat poison, yet most rational beings will not take poison so as to preserve their lives and keep living.
Righteousness is not a choice but a mandate and a commandment – we have a choice but we really have no choice but to obey because disobedience is judgement and death.
not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Ephesians 6:6
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Romans 6:18
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
Sin is spiritual poison – we are free to eat spiritual poison but spiritual wisdom will warn you not to try it because sin when it is full blown leads to death. It kills and is a killer.
The root cause of judgement or death is sin. God who is the author of life does not cause death and Satan does not cause death because he has to take permission from God before he can test us, tempt us or afflict us. He took permission from God to test Peter. Death comes from the sinful nature of man – period.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. Luke 22:31
If God is testing us it means that there is an unfinished work in us. The purpose of testing is to purify our faith so if we determine to be purified and not give up on our journey to spiritual maturity, we will get to a state that is acceptable to God. We will never be perfect like God is but if we are mature and acceptable in our ways before God, God will regard us as perfect.
Remember God called Job blameless – it means that Job was acceptable to God in his ways. God boasted with Job and the Bible also boasted about Elijah being a man with passions like ours yet he stopped rain for three and half years. These men were exceptional.
When we disregard the word of God, a fall or many falls await us because our lives are built on chaff instead of the rock. In that state, a wind or wave can knock us down and leave us spiritually breathless. We become wells without water and trees without leaves. We become dry and empty.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
The word of God is bread and water to our soul. May God give us the wisdom to desire and practice the word of God so that our souls will grow and be saved. May the word of God dwell richly in us.
Does man not enjoy the rewards or pleasures of sin?
Is it the devil that gets the gain, pleasure and happiness
On earth or is it the person who sins?
The truth is that sin has pleasures
Attached to it.
To resist sin is to resist the benefit
Or the pleasure attached to sin.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy
the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Hebrews 11:25-26 NKJV)
The devil does not benefit from gossip,
He does not benefit from idol worship,
He does not benefit from robbery,
He does not benefit from bullying,
He only tempts man and men fall.
The devil has already fallen
And is a fallen being,
But man can choose if he stands
Or falls.
So why shift all the blame to him?
Makes no sense.
Except we can describe his clothing
The day that he came and forced us to sin.
I am of the opinion that if a woman or man cheats
On their spouse, they must not play victim
And blame their partner in crime.
Some even blame their spouse for cheating.
Cheaters should
Accept that they cooperated and ultimately
Chose to cheat.
I hope it makes sense.
Adam and Eve precious beloved of God
blamed God, their spouse and the devil – the partner
in crime but never looked inwards or blamed themselves
or admitted their guilt.
Only acknowledge your guilt– you have rebelled against the LORD your God, you have scattered your favours to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,'” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 3:13
He – the devil or death might have been glorified.
But can death have pleasure or life? No.
So he did not benefit because he can never have joy or life.
He is dead and nothing can change that.
Even if he drags everybody to hell, he is still
Dead.
The only power he has is the power of deception
And through deception he makes man sin.
He is filled with misery and will want as many people
To roast with him
At the second death.
Man is blessed to have a free will which is superior to no free will
Our focus must be on us, grace and God and not the devil since
He is changeless and fixed in evil and temptation.
When Eve was given her own temptation
She saw that the fruit was good,
So she imagined or perceived good, pleasure
And benefit in disobedience.
We have been commanded to resist sin and the devil
So we must not play smart with God
By denying any form of responsibility
By blaming the devil.
Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the devil,
However, they Got their judgement
And the serpent got its judgement.
Yes,
The devil tempts us
But we ultimately have to yield
And cooperate to have his baby
Or the fruit of sin.
Our focus should not be on the devil
Or if he made us do it or not
Our focus should be on the grace
Of God, the blood of Jesus,
And our ability to resist sin.
We must loose sin consciousness,
And accept grace consciousness.
God Himself was aware that He threw the devil
To the earth.
The devil has a job to do on earth
And that job is to tempt man,
Test man,
Persecute man,
Accuse man,
Oppose man,
Irritate and annoy man
And carry out God’s judgement on man – He is the prison guard.
The devil even tested righteous and blameless Job
And Job did not fall.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him[b]because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18
And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Acts 1:15
Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:25
Perfect love for the word of God and submission to Him casts out every fear. It gives us boldness as the demons will know us and respect us the way they knew Jesus and Paul.
Does the devil pass judgement? No.
Is He the judge?
God is the only lawgiver and judge.
The demons even believe in God and fear God
Yet, man does not fear God.
They seam to know what man does not know – That death gets its power
To hurt from sin and sin gets its power from the law. Christ has a law that must
be obeyed.
There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? (James 4:12 NKJV)
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble! (James 2:19 NKJV)
But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Luke 12:5
In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don’t obey God’s law; I am really under Christ’s law. 1 Corinthians 9:21
Absolute fear of God and his law means no fear of the devil.
Fear of the devil means no fear of God and his law.
So we have to choose whom to fear and respect – God or the devil.
The one who fears the devil fears judgement or punishment
But Jesus and His blood is the cure
For sin, judgement and fear.
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Hebrews 2: 14
May we exalt Christ
And obey His law and good news.
May we pray for extraordinary grace
To live in the fear of the Lord like Jesus did.
May our fear of the Lord not be fear of punishment
