Real Power

Real Power Luke 22:31 - "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

I was taught at a young age that the devil was very powerful. We were taught that the devil had power over us and could make us do stuff. But to read the bible and really walk with God has taught me something different. If the devil was defeated at Calvary and is still defeated, and if Jesus rose with "all" power, then that can only mean one thing...........The devil does not have any power over us! How could Jesus have all power and the devil still have some over us? If Jesus has all power then we have it too! We get power from the Holy Spirit of God because of what Jesus did on calvary. And the enemy is powerless against it. He can only deceive, manipulate, and use the power that he steals from us! You see, because of what we say, what we do, or where we go, he finds opportunity to enter into our lives and rob us of the God given power that we have.   In this passage in Luke, Jesus spilled the beans on how things operate in the heavenlies. Satan desired to sift, or "riddle" Peter. This word is telling us that the devil wanted to set Peter up for a fall, but Jesus says that he prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail and once he turned back to him again, he would help others. Wow! Okay, let's back up. Jesus said that Satan had asked permission of God to test Peter. God says, go ahead. Jesus says, I have prayed for you so your faith will not fail. And then Jesus gets prophetic and speaks a word of prophecy by saying, "When it's over and you come back to me, help others that go through testing times!" You see, if the devil had power over Peter, Peter's test would have been his end! But God only allowed the enemy to test Peter so he could lose his pride and help his brothers with their testings! The devil had to ask permission, and I'm sure God was like, "well, go ahead cause i need to work something out of Peter so he can stop being so hard nosed and unfeeling." So, God gave him permission to test Peter. But the test was fixed because the outcome of the test was already spoken by the Word himself! Peter wasn't being tested to see if he would fail or not. He was being tested so that he could know what a test felt like and he would have compassion for God's people while he ministered to them. You see, Jesus had already declared that Peter would pastor the first church, so Peter wasn't going anywhere. And had Peter not had pride in his heart, he would not have denied Christ and would not have needed to go through this testing period. The devil sought an occasion against Peter because of the pride that Peter had in his heart. But without that, Satan would not have been able to test him. There would have been no occasion or reason for the testing!   Suggested Reading: Matt. 28:18, 1Pet. 1:7, 1Pet. 4:12, Rev. 1:18

Timing Is Everything

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Timing Is Everything October 4, 2012 Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn READ: Psalm 37:3-11 All things work together for good to those . . . who are the called according to His purpose. —Romans 8:28 It was quite a few months before I realized that what I thought was a coincidental meeting had been good timing on my future husband’s part. From the balcony of the church, he had seen me, deduced which exit I might be using, raced down two flights of stairs, and arrived seconds before I did. As he casually held the door and struck up a conversation, I was oblivious to the fact that his “impromptu” dinner invitation had been premeditated. It was perfect timing. Perfect timing is rare—at least where humans are concerned. But God has specific purposes and plans for us, and His timing is always perfect. We see that timing in the life of these Bible characters: Abraham’s servant prayed for a wife for Isaac. God answered his prayer by bringing the young woman to him (Gen. 24). Joseph was sold as a slave, falsely accused, and thrown into prison. But eventually God used him to preserve many people’s lives during a famine (45:5-8; 50:20). And we marvel at Esther’s courage as Mordecai reminded her, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est. 4:14). Are you disappointed in the pace of God’s plans? “Trust in the Lord” (Ps. 37:3). God will open doors when the timing is perfect. —Cindy Hess Kasper Have faith in God, the sun will shine Though dark the clouds may be today; His heart has planned your path and mine, Have faith in God, have faith alway. —Agnew God’s timing is perfect—every time!

Richman Borrowing

 

A man walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. He tells the loan officer that he is going overseas on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the man hands over the keys and documents of new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the title and everything checks out. The loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the man for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drives the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the man returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow "$5,000" ?

The man replies: "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"