Silence Others

Last week we discussed silencing the enemy. We talked about how the enemy “prowls like a lion seeking whom he may devour.”

In the war that is waged against us, he uses whatever tools he can. The three biggest things he uses are others, media and ourselves. Over the next three weeks we will look at each of these areas. Just to clarify, none of these things are bad in and of themselves. It is the negativity and lies of these things we need to silence.

There is an enormous amount of pressure put on teenagers today. You are told that to have a good career, you need to get into a good college. In order to afford a good college, you need to be involved in sports and clubs to get scholarships and have good grades. Teachers give homework which you have to get done after school and you have practice and chores. By the time you do everything that’s expected of you, you have no time for yourself.

In addition to all of the pressure put on you by adults, there is also great pressure on you from your peers. Besides dealing with the gossiping, rumors and bullying that previous generations have dealt with, you guys also deal with cyberbullying. At times it feels like you can’t get away from it because our phones are with us 24/7. Kids and teenagers can be extremely mean to each other. Even when with friends, there is so much sarcasm and teasing that goes on!

Because of these pressures, there has been a dramatic rise in teen suicide over the last number of years. 

So how do you deal with all of this? You obviously can't silence everyone around you. Even if you could, that wouldn't be healthy. We need people.

Silence the Enemy

Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Recognize the Enemy. Satan is real. Demons are real. There are spiritual battles all around us. These verses talk about the “schemes” of the devil. He isn’t just waiting around, hoping that we mess up. Satan and his demons are out to get us. In the book of Revelation, we are told of Satan’s ultimate defeat, but right now, God has given Satan dominion over the earth. “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan’s goal is to stop people from believing in the gospel. He uses demons to toy with our emotions, tempt us to sin and keep us from living the life Christ has for us.

If you have never given your life to Christ, Satan is winning the battle for your soul and you will end up in Hell.

Romans 15:4

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (ESV)


That word endurance just keeps jumping out at me. It's easy to give up, to throw in the towel.

The times I want to give up the most are probably the times I'm not reading my Bible and praying like I know I should. I'm sure that's why Paul includes the encouragement of Scripture with endurance.


Don't let life get you down. Even when you don't feel like it, read your Bible. If you are feeling discouraged, read the verses below. Through the encouragement of these Scriptures, have hope!

• Galatians 6:9 -  And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
• Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (This is Jesus speaking.)
• John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (This is Jesus speaking.)
• 1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 
• Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
• Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
• John 14:26-27 -  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
• Psalm 34:17-18 - The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are some of my thoughts after reading the Verse of the Day on my YouVersion Bible app.

Psalm 91:1

Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

When I first read this verse I thought it seemed a bit repetitive and wasn't quite sure what it meant. So I looked up the keywords in Strong's Concordance but felt more confused. It seems that to "dwell in the shelter" is like a permanent place of protection whereas to "abide in the shadow" seems to be a place of more temporary rest and protection. So to rewrite it based on my understanding of the words is: He who lives under the protection of the Lord will spend the night under the protection of the Lord. I put my notebook to the side because I just wasn't sure what to make of that. It seems a bit backwards - of course if you have permanent protection you will have daily protection.

Then I thought of a few conversations I've had lately with some solid Christians that all seemed to have the same theme. I know I can trust God with big things (the permanent), but it's hard to trust Him with the small things (the temporary). I trust God with eternity, but I question what He's doing when the circumstances of life don't turn out as I hoped. I dwell in the shelter of the Most High, but I struggle to abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Maybe this verse should be my prayer: God, since I dwell in your shelter, since I know I can trust You with the big things, since I know You hold me in Your hands for eternity, help me to abide in Your shadow, help me trust you with the small things, help me not to question You when the circumstances of life don't turn out as I hoped. God, thank You for providing protection permanently and temporarily.

"If we trust you for eternity, why can't we trust you for today?" -Josiah Nordgren

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are some of my thoughts after reading the Verse of the Day on my YouVersion Bible app.

1 Peter 1:3

My senior year of high school, I took a class on HTML.  I liked the class and found it to be fairly easy. There were two freshman who sat to my right who did not find it to be so easy. The girl next to me would ask me TONS of questions which I answered. The boy next to her would generally ask her the same questions and she either wouldn't answer him or begrudgingly answer him and get mad at him for asking. One day after she didn't help him with the same question she had just asked me, I told them both the story of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35). No idea why they listened to me – maybe because I was a senior they thought they had to. But at least for that class period, she helped him.

In the story of the unmerciful servant, there is a king who realizes he has a servant that owes him 10,000 talents. When the servant is brought before the king, he cannot pay his debt and so the king shows mercy and cancels the debt. The servant then sees a man who owes him 100 denarii. (It's generally said to be millions of dollars versus a few hundred dollars. This guy says it's even more drastic of an amount though: http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2010/oct/27/parable-two-debtors/) The servant demands that the man pay him the 100 denarii. When he cannot do so, the servant has him thrown in jail. People go tell the king what happened, and the king reprimands him and throws him in jail. Even after being shown great mercy, this servant does not reciprocate.

Baker's Bible Dictionary says mercy is "compassion and love expressed in tangible ways." The compassion and love of the king is expressed quite tangibly when he cancels the 10,000 talent that the servant owes him. That's what I tend to think of when I think of mercy. Canceling significant debt.

We owe a debt much greater than 10,000 talents. Our sin is a debt we cannot repay. In Romans we are told the wages of sin is death. God loves us and has compassion on us and shows it in a tangible way. He sends Jesus to live a perfect life and die on the cross as a way to cancel the debt of our sins.

1 Peter 1:3 says. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." When we recognize that because of God's mercy we can be born again, we should most certainly bless Him!

Prayer: God, I am thankful for your great mercy. Thank you for salvation through the death and resurrection of your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for the hope that gives believers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are some of my thoughts after reading the Verse of the Day on my YouVersion Bible app.

Isaiah 53:3

There are many who think that if you are a Christian, your life should be happy and full of joy. After all, this world is not our home, we're just passing through.

However, there are plenty of things in life that can get us down. Frustrating job. Unruly children. Sick friends or relatives. Messy relationships. Financial difficulty.

Jesus is referred to as "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." (Isa. 53:3) hope the death of a friend, we are told that "Jesus wept." (John 11:35) if Jesus experienced what we referred to as negative emotions, so can't we.

You are not a bad person or a bad Christian, if you are sad, angry, or in the doldrums. You are allowed to experience grief or anger or any other emotion. Just don't stay in that place because ultimately God has won. We can be joyful.

Food for thought: How does this relate to 1 Thess. 5:14?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These are some of my thoughts after reading the Verse of the Day on my YouVersion Bible app.

The end... (of Ruth)

Open your Bibles to Ruth 4 and read along as we talk through the chapter. (Seriously open your Bible or at least open this in a new tab!)
Read verse 1. Boaz goes to the gate which was a place were business was taken care of publicly. "The close relative of whom Boaz spoke" walks by and since they don't even bother to mention his name, it seems rather unlikely that he'll step up as the kinsman redeemer. We also see God's providence at work that this guy even walks by the gate.