God's Call

"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." (Gen. 12:1)

When God called Abram to follow Him, He did not provide much information. He doesn't tell Him where He is going, or much about what He will do. God does promise to bless Him and make Him a blessing to the nations of the earth. But that is about it. The remarkable thing is that Abram responds the way he does. "So Abram went, as the Lord had told him." (Gen. 12:4).
Consider how much time we spend arguing with God. "Where are we going Lord? What are we going to do when we get there? Tell me your plan and I will get back to You on whether I want to do it or not?" And yet the call of Jesus on our lives is simply, "Come follow me." We can struggle with the decision of obedience everyday, or we can surrender fully once and for all. The first option creates a great deal of turmoil in our lives, and the second brings peace and joy.
This week we are going to focus on the life of Abraham, formerly Abram, until God changes his name. What's in a Name? Consider how often God changes a person's name as He changes the person's life. God is all about transformation. When you say "yes" to God, He sets in motion a lifetime of transformation as He recreates you in the image of His Son. It is the restoration of what was lost when sin came into the world.
God is about so much more than simply saving your soul from an eternity in hell. He is all about transforming you for His incredible glory.

Satan is Defeated

"And he said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." (Luke 10:18)

It is popular to talk about spiritual warfare today, but it is unfortunate that there are many misconceptions. The other day I heard a man say, "Satan is almost as powerful as God." While he is more powerful than you and me as natural men and women, he is no match for God. Satan is a created being, a fallen angel. God cast him out of heaven by simply speaking a word. Christ defeated Satan's power hold over us at the cross, and one day will cast him into the lake of fire. Satan is neither omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient, as is God.

In fact, Job 1 teaches us that God is sovereign and that Satan cannot get to us without God's permission. So the real question when we encounter spiritual warfare is not what is Satan trying to do, but why is God allowing this in my life at this time. What is it that God is doing? We know that Satan tempts us in order to bring out the worst in us, but God allows us to be tested in order to refine us and bring out the best.

James reminds us to "Submit to God and then resist the devil." The verb tense is continual action. Literally, keep on submitting to God, keep on resisting the devil, and then he will flee. God has provided every Christian all that they need to overcome the enemy. Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might.