The Vengeful, Sadistic ‘God’ of Christians

God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. – 1Jn 1:5

We do not have sufficient knowledge to understand the complex spiritual mysteries that necessitate the existence of an eternal Hell. But, one thing we do know for sure is that it was created for the Devil and his angels, not for us, and that God is not willing that any should go there (Mt 25:41; 2Pt 3:9).

But Satan, trying to make the most of his damnable fate, has spun his own narrative around Hell. Thanks to centuries of his ‘Fake Revelation’ machinery, rather than being his place of incarceration, Hell’s now known to be his Torture HQ. He’s turned the story round, and now he’s the one who tortures people and he’s the one who holds the prerogative of sending people to Hell, not God. People now fear the Devil more than they fear God (Mt 10:28).

And for those who do acknowledge that God’s in charge of Hell, he’s got a counter-narrative too. To them, God’s been portrayed as sadistic and vengeful. A God who sentences people to eternal torture for the flimsiest of reasons, (like not paying a tithe), and who’s created unique sophisticated torture chambers of unimaginable horrors for each type of sin; (tortures too horrendous for me to repeat in this devotional). Pause, dearly Beloved, and think; is your knowledge of the experience of sinners in Hell from the Bible?

This enduring image of a cruel, merciless ‘God’ – crafted by ‘Fake Revelations’ and perpetuated by unwitting Christians and preachers – is what is keeping many people (especially atheists) away from the Church today.

We need to wrest the Infernal narrative back from the hands of the Devil and his mendacious proxies. We need to spread the TRUE message of the Gospel across the globe, so that everybody – regardless of their social status or standing – should know that God’s not out to get them, but that on the contrary He’s gone ALL-OUT to save them. He’s sent His Son to take on Himself their just punishment; so that once purged from their iniquities, they can now spend an eternity with Him in glory and ineffable bliss.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

The Myth of Dualism

I am the LORD, and there is none else, – Is 45:5

Dualism is the religious/philosophical principle that two opposed and antagonistic forces of good and evil are in control of this world. This philosophy is found in Zoroastrianism and in many native religions.

In Eastern religions, it’s typified by the combination of YIN (darkness, negativity, femininity) and YANG (light, heat, motivation, masculinity). These two forces are said to be opposite and complementary and are thought to exist in varying proportions in all things. The Yin-Yang symbol, (an example is the circle at the centre of the South Korean flag), depicts this supposed Good/Evil inter-relationship.

Unfortunately, many have transferred this principle into Christianity. They’ve created a worldview with God on one side and the Devil on the other. But Nothing could be further from the truth. The conflict depicted in scripture is not between Satan and God but between Satan and Man! The battle in Genesis 3 was between two creations – Adam and Satan, with God as their judge. The notion of Satan being opposite to God isn’t from scripture.

Far from depicting two equally opposing forces, we see the Bible reference Christ virtually on every page, yet has only scant references to Satan, (it mentions “Isaac” more times than Satan/Devil/Serpent/etc. combined)!

If we’re to be bluntly honest, much of what we think we know about demons, Hell Fire and the kingdom of darkness come from extra-biblical sources; like Dante Alighieri’s Inferno and John Milton’s Paradise Lost (with updated insertions from modern day “Deliverance” Testimonies). Theologians, for example, are still not agreed on where demons come from or even what they are.

This manifest understating of the Devil and his world is deliberate, and we would do well to follow the Bible’s cue. Satan is always after attention; but Jesus, Paul and the Early believers never gave it to him (Mk 1:25,34; Lk 4:41; Act 16:16-18).

Beloved, let Christ be the centre of our lives: our devotion, our confession, our prayer and our message. It’s the knowledge of Christ that saves, not of the Devil. And as we look to Christ, we’ll be changed into His image by His Spirit.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

Confronting Hell’s PR

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, except Jesus only. – Mat 17:8

Satan has a thriving and effective PR department; its purpose is not to represent the Devil in the world, but to re-present him to the world; to give him a new look, a new persona, a facelift of sorts.

Image is everything to the Devil. He may be completely defeated and vanquished, but like his daughter, Jezebel, who chose to put makeup on even as her executioner approached (2Ki 9:30), his appearance is important to him.

Every year, his Dept of Information, (under the auspices of the Ministry of Infernal Affairs), keeps rolling out books, movies, visions, prophecies, messages, etc. that give their own version and side of spiritual reality.

This is why a distinguishing feature of Hell-inspired testimonies is the portrayal of immense power of demons over believers. After listening to a so-called “deliverance” confession, you feel more vulnerable than ever before; all of a sudden you now see demons everywhere; and every man of God that doesn’t mention Hell does so because he gets his powers from there. (Paul, the handkerchief miracle worker of Acts 19:12, obviously falls into this category).  

Deliverance testimonies now do to us what documentaries from “declassified” or “leaked” documents of the U.S. Pentagon are meant to do to the Russians: scare them into non-confrontation.

“We have you surrounded”, “We have so many spy satellites we need satellites to keep track of them”, we almost nuked you 20 years ago and changed our mind – but were too lazy to dismantle the rig”...

When Hell PR’s in charge of a testimony, little mention is made of the host of angels around a Believer; out of sight will be the overwhelming power of Resurrection on the Christian; up front and centre rather will be sophisticated demonic operations, complex rituals, terrible sprites and amazing creatures.

Beloved, it’s high time we weighed testimonies, visions and prophecies based on the edifying value of their content. They all must be about, centred on, and focused on Christ and His finished work on the Cross. Because as Rev 19:10 tells us, “the testimony of Jesus IS the spirit of prophecy.”

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

A Divine Revelation of Heresy

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. – Rom 3:4

Throughout Church History, we’ve had genuine revelations and visions given to us by the Spirit to encourage and edify the Body. However, for each genuine prophecy there’re several bogus, Satan-inspired lies that seek to undermine the legitimacy of the Word of God and the Finished work of Christ.

Why do these lies thrive in Churches and among Christian circles? Because we either tolerate them or are reluctant to confront them because they talk about Hell, Heaven, or Holiness.

We find it hard to believe that people could lie through their teeth about God; or that Jesus could allow a demon to impersonate Him and speak in His name; or assume that it’s counterproductive for Satan to warn people about Hell.

Isn’t it interesting that though Paul prophesied deceptions in the Endtimes and also that Satan disguises himself as an “Angel of Light” (2Co 11:14; 1Tim 4:1) yet we don’t see this ‘Angel’ in the Church today? Is it possible that we missed him because he calls himself “Jesus” and has been appearing in visions to people all over the world?

Why should we confront every 'divine' revelation? 

-          Because there is no other “Divine” revelation other than the Bible (Rev 22:18),

-          Because we’re commanded in scripture to judge all things (1Th 5:21),

-          Because accepting a patently unbiblical revelation opens the door to satanic manipulation and doctrinal error in the Church (2Co 2:11),

-          Because we’re to look to the Word, not “revelations” to know the will of God (2Tim 3:16),

-          Because scripture itself is sufficient for the purpose of evangelism (2Tim 3:16),

-          Because Jesus Himself placed little value in their ability to change people (Luk 16:3),

-          Because these are the Last Days we were warned about in scripture (1Tim 4:1).

Beloved, 1Jn 4:1 says we should, “believe not every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God”.

When we maintain the practice of holding up every "Revelation" to the Word of God, we'll save both ourselves and also them that hear us (1Ti 4:16)

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

The Infernal Propaganda Machine

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. – 2Ti 3:1

We live in the age of information; the age of Google search engine, of “Facebook Live”... and of FAKE news. The audacity and impact of ‘Fake News’ today is nothing short of overwhelming. It has taken over the entire Internet and hardly a day passes without you receiving a ‘Fake News’ article on WhatsApp or Facebook. From bogus cures for cancer, to unfounded claims of the “7 Black presidents before Obama”, to posts about the deleterious effects of drinking cold water.

And while we’re at that, ‘Bishop Oyedepo’ and Pastors ‘Kumuyi’ and ‘Adeboye’ (with the occasional input from ‘Joyce Meyer’) never cease to send us lurid, salacious revelations and visions of Heaven, Hell, the Rapture, etc. just for you to forward to all of your contacts, lest you be considered a bonafide child of Satan.

‘Fake News’ and its religious cousin, ‘Fake Revelations’, are more than just harmless pranks by people preying on the fear, ignorance and prejudices of others; they’re marks of a demonic spirit of lies and falsehood being unleashed on the world today.

God is a God of Truth, (Dt 32:4; Ps 31:5); Jesus IS Truth and was full of Truth (Jn 14:6; 1:14); and the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth (Jn 14:17). The Devil, on the other hand, is not just a liar but the father of it; Jesus says when the Devil lies, “he speaks his native language” (Jn 8:44 NIV).

Therefore, when someone sits down in his room sending out “evangelism posts and prophecies” in the name of ‘Kumuyi’, expecting you to “share after you type ‘Amen’”, you can tell which spirit is indwelling that person.

Beloved, these are the Last Days of which the Apostle Paul warned about (1Tim 4:1). Many are “giving heed to deceitful spirits, and doctrines of demons” and calling it evangelism. We’re being inundated with lies all over that it’s hard to believe anything anymore; which is actually the object of it all: our Faith.

So, let’s be aware of this infernal propaganda machine, and guard our hearts with all diligence; for out of it (our hearts) are the issues of life. (Pro 4:23).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

SIGNS WE ARE MAGNIFYING THE DEVIL

“Neither give place to the devil.” – Eph 4:27.

We are beginning to magnify the devil when: 

·         We spend 3/4 of our prayer time binding demons and witches instead of fellowshipping with Jesus.

·         We stock up on books about the Kingdom of darkness but have little or none concerning the Holy Spirit, the Christian life, the Cross, etc.

·         During a baby's naming ceremony, we spend the majority of the service binding every witchcraft, evil eye, black mind, wicked agenda, etc. present; and not rather in thanksgiving and faithful prophecy.

·         Upon entering a new place we're only conscious of the demons present, without acknowledging the angels that we came there with.

·         We believe deliverance sessions should be dramatic and filled with confessions of ‘hidden’ things.

·         We feel the Bible doesn’t say enough about the kingdom of darkness and how it operates.

·         We shake our heads at believers who just go to church, pray and read ‘normal’ books totally oblivious of the secret operations of the kingdom of darkness.

·         Etc.

I know this may not be comfortable reading, but it’s high time believers realised that the universe does not revolve around the devil. When we allow the devil and his issues use up our spiritual bandwidths, we’ll not have time to explore the unfathomable depths of the riches of Christ.

Christ is the centre of the Universe. As we conclude this week’s meditations on the errors of Satan-fixation, it’s only apt that we end with a passage that speaks of Christ’s majesty and glory.

AMEN!

Col 1:16-18 ERV

Through his power all things were made: things in heaven and on earth, seen and not seen –  all spiritual rulers, lords, powers, and authorities. Everything was made through him and for him.

The Son was there before anything was made. And all things continue because of him.

He is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning of everything else. And he is the first among all who will be raised from death. So in everything he is most important.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

DEALING WITH HIGHER-RANKING DEMONS

 “Demon” is a generic term in the Bible for evil spirits aligned with Satan against God and His people. Like godly angels, they too exist in a hierarchy based on their powers and levels of authority that culminates with Satan at the ‘top’.

Demons are a concrete spiritual reality; and being angelic as they are, even the lowliest one has enough power to cause massive destruction.

However, these levels of authority and power are only relative to each other, NOT to the Believer. In Eph 2:6, the Apostle says God has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”

And Eph 1:21 describes the position of where Christ is seated as “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come”

So, we’re not simply above those principalities and powers, we are “Far above” them.

In an army barrack, there are different levels of authority between a Corporal, a Sergeant and a Warrant Officer. However, all these differences are meaningless to a Major General, they only factor in the type of command he can give to each one.

I’m painting this picture because of the wrong notion many Believers have of demons that some are harder to cast out than others because they are of a ‘higher’ rank.  Yes, in the occult world, the Queen of the Coast may possess very high powers, but if you’re a believer, what has her rank got to do with the price of tea in China?

The scripture never gives us the notion that a Believer is limited to the type of demons that they can command, it only talks of different ways of dealing with each one.

Just like the army General, you may need spiritual wisdom to know how to deal with each spirit, (because of the permissions they have obtained from other human beings through convoluted trickery and manipulations), but that has nothing to do with whether you have the right or power as a believer to command them.

A 1-day-old Christian has a higher authority than Satan himself, (Luk 10:19; Mk 16:18; Eph 2:4-6, etc.). And that means he or she is obviously higher than the Queen of the Coast, Prince of Persia, Beelzebul, ‘An’ or whatever title any demon decides to concoct up.

 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” –1Jn 4:4.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

BEWARE, THOSE ‘DELIVERANCE’ CONFESSIONS

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his cunning, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. – 2Co 11:3.

Our meditations this week are about the massive full-scale PR campaign that Satan runs to launder and bloat his image.

One of such means is through so-called “deliverance Confessions” by people who claim to have served Satan as witches, occult grandmasters, etc.

Somehow, we generally hold the impression that a former witch knows much more about spiritual realities than we do. Just imagine with me, a 15-year-old girl, recently delivered from witchcraft, giving a speech about the goings on in the spirit-world. Huddled among the audience are her Pastor, deacons, and elders: all entrapped in her narrative. She speaks with an air of authority and confidence. This is, after all, her area of expertise, she has been doing this for years, she should know what she’s talking about.

She is also only 2 weeks in the Faith.

I find it absurd that we would presume a 2-week-old convert to be suddenly more knowledgeable than our pastor who has been studying the Bible for years.

While I’m not questioning the genuineness of the salvation of such former workers of darkness, or the sincerity of their experience, but even common wisdom tells us that evil masterminds do not reveal their ways to the lowly pawns that work for them. Jn 8:44 says lying is the native tongue of the Devil and calls him “The Father of Lies”. What modicum of truth can we then expect to get from persons who spent their lifetime with him?

Many of these testimonies end up simply glorifying the Devil, filling us with fear and reducing the power of the Finished work of Christ on the Cross.

Testimonies are good; at the very least, they’re indications that a soul has been won to Christ; but let us not forget our PRIMARY source of revelation: the very Bible in our hands.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE SECRET THINGS

The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. – Deu 29:29

I’ve heard several Christians, even ministers, lament on the paucity of information the Bible has on Satan and his kingdom. They keep harping on things they learnt from one occult convert, deliverance minister, or mystic book they read somewhere.

Beloved, once we enter that mindset, we have fallen into the snare of the sly serpent. Because now, we have left the sure words of Scripture to the subjective, shifting, and (admittedly) fantastic world of human imagination. The Devil has also made us to fall for the very first temptation of mankind, which is the impression that God is not telling us EVERYTHING.

We must learn to be content with what God has revealed. Our opening verse states that what we have in scripture are written, NOT for our mental stimulation or intellectual satisfaction, but to enable us “do all the words of this law”. This is the first indication that those “revelations” many of us crave for have no real edifying power.

People usually love to flock to meetings where a recently converted witch, occult grandmaster, ogbanje, etc. is billed to deliver their testimony. They love to be enthralled by the exciting escapades of the dark world; how these “agents” go about the world wreaking havoc, etc.

The crave for forbidden knowledge is a symptom of the fallen nature. When you couple this with a Devil who is more than willing to satisfy that appetite, then we have a recipe for total deception.

Mystic books, “Lost” Gospels, hidden wisdoms, ‘unrecorded’ miracles and sayings of Jesus, plus the odd weird “revelation from the dead”, are all examples of the Serpent’s answer to mankind’s dissatisfaction with “that which is written” (1 Cor 4:6).

We should take heed to the last words of our Lord in His story of “the Rich Man and Lazarus”: “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.” (Lk 16:31 GNB).

That which is written is sufficient for salvation, for edification, and for deliverance.

AMEN.
More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN

GLORIFYING THE DEVIL

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his cunning, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. – 2Co 11:3.

The Devil goes by several titles in scripture: Adversary, Beelzebub, Belial, Great Red Dragon, the tempter, Satan, etc. But the first introduction we have of him is in the Garden of Eden: as a sleek, beguiling Serpent.

Satan is a defeated foe. When our Lord Jesus died on the Cross and resurrected, he destroyed all the works of the devil (1Jn 3:8). Col 2:15 says that Jesus “ defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” (ERV).

He, however, is a sore loser. Defeated and vanquished as he is, he still manages to run a massive and successful PR campaign from his infernal headquarters that launders his image and magnifies his powers.

There’re many impressions that even believers have of the Devil that have no basis in scripture but have come through centuries of distortions of the truth.

One of these is the thought that Jesus died for our sins to pay the devil our debt! Another way it reads is that, if Jesus didn’t take our punishment, the devil would cry foul if God allowed us to enter heaven.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The Cross transaction was solely between Jesus and the Father on our behalf. It has nothing to do with any perceived squabble of the devil.

The Debt Jesus paid on the Cross was the sin-debt that we owe TO GOD and not to the devil.

Our sin indebtedness is to God; and Jesus most definitely did not go to Hell to be tortured by the devil for our sins. Many Christians hold this opinion even its origins are outside of Scripture.

Okay, so the Bible says that Jesus went to Hell to STRIP the devil of all his powers and make a public spectacle out of him, ( Luk 10:18; Joh 12:31; Col 2:15; Heb 2:14). But somehow, the devil has managed to change that picture to him TORTURING Jesus in Hell (ostensibly) for our sins! Talk about a PR facelift.

Beloved, if the Apostle Paul was concerned the Early Church was susceptible to Satan’s deception, then we too need to be on guard and “Put on the whole armour of God, that (we) may be able to stand against THE WILES of the devil”, (Eph 6:11).  

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 4)

I smiled guiltily the first time I saw this image. It was as though the artist could see into my heart. I admit to this because many years ago, I really, really, really wished this was what happened at the Cross. I wasn’t comfortable with the humiliation, shame and pain that Jesus had to go through in the hands of those vile Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders.

When the High Priest asked that Paul be smitten he got a terse, acidic reply from the Apostle, (Acts 21:1-3);

When King Jeroboam merely assayed to arrest a prophet his arm froze dead (1Kg 13:1-4);

Yet my Lord was spat upon, slapped, flogged, mocked and crucified. And nothing happened.

In my childish mind, I had actually fantasized about this Cross-breaking Jesus: after he has been scourged mocked and crucified, just when they though they’ve given Him the most public of all humiliation, they hear a...

CRACK!!!

Centurion: What was that?

Soldier (stammering): It’s, it’s the cross sir.

Centurion: The cross what?

Soldier: The cross, the man has broken his cross!

(camera pans from centurion to the Christ on the Cross, all muscularly pumped up; he slowly descends to the ground – Iron Man levitating style... and crouches (picture the iconic crouching image of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator movies);

There’s confusion everywhere: the soldiers are running around, the women are screaming and pointing at the silent Christ, the Pharisees and High Priest are struck with fear knowing that they have gone too far this time;

Jesus rises and looks around at them all:

“Thou dareth crucify Me?” He thunders;

“Dost thou know who I am? I AM the Son of the Living God! NOBODY can touch me!

Then, partly out of madness and partly out of fear, the soldiers rush in on Jesus. Screaming defiantly with weapons raised, they descend on Him; hundreds and hundreds of them...

The battle will be EPIC!

Jesus Christ the SUPERMAN, Jesus the faster-than-FLASH, more-powerful-than-HULK, more-awesome-than-THOR Christ; against all the Roman soldiers.

It would have been an awesome battle...

 “AND YOU WILL STILL BE DEAD IN YOUR SINS TODAY AND DESTINED FOR HELL”, Said a voice in my spirit, abruptly cutting my fantasy short.

“That is exactly what Satan wanted Him to do when he instigated the people around Him to provoke Him with mockery and jeering” (Mat 27:39-49).

“He wanted Him to get down from the Cross because that would have been his (Satan’s) way of doing things.”

“Satan’s way is all about

·         proving a POINT,

·         SHOWing them

·         telling THEM

·         etc.

MY way, on the other hand, is always LOVE”.

“Allowing myself to be crucified may look foolish and weak, but 1Cor 1:25 says, the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men”.

I felt terrible about my fantasy after that Divine rebuke; because it seemed that it was I now who was making mockery of God’s weakness.

I turned back to the Cross…

CRACK!!!

What was that?

It’s the heart of Jesus, broken in sorrow for me: “Father, forgive him; for he knows not what he does”. (Lk 23:34)

Use this moment to thank Jesus, for obeying the Father’s will to the very last. If He didn’t, we wouldn’t be here today.

AMEN

More Blessings await you; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 3)

Greetings Brethren, and welcome to our 3^rd instalment of What’s Wrong With This Picture?

I’m not talking about these pictures because I feel we’re directly guilty of them; I only use them as a talking point for us to address fundamental problems in our collective belief systems that creates loopholes for the enemy.

In today’s picture, we have Satan and Jesus, Again!

On the left is Satan, arms akimbo, jeeringly taunting the Christ; on the right is Jesus, peaceful and calm, confident of the actions of His “followers”.

First of all, we have already established in Part 1 of this series that the devil is too small to have these kinds of conversations with God. Secondly, Jesus does not have a Facebook account, so to “follow” Him there doesn’t grant anyone access to Heaven.

There’re dozens of images like these on Social Media based on the same theme:

If you’re truly a child of God, you will “Like” this, or “share” this or “follow”, etc.

If you don’t do any of the specified actions, then you’re not a Believer, you don’t have “time for God”, or more directly (as in our subject for today), you’re a “Satan Follower”.  

The antics of this image are summed up in one word: MANIPULATION!

I was filled with anger when I saw this; but unfortunately, we as ministers sometimes use these same tactics to blackmail our members into doing what we want them to do.

We established yesterday that the work of the Kingdom is a mandate on every believer, but sometimes I hear Job’s accusing voice asking me as a fundraising minister, “Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him?” (Job 13:7 NET)

I tuned to a Christian channel one day and heard a Man of God commanding me to “Go to the Phone NOW! Delay is disobedience”. I was really rattled by that approach. I came to hear the word of God from you and be blessed and all I get is condemnation and judgment for every time I spend looking at you instead of going to the phone. (It also seems like you don’t want my brain to analyse what you just asked me to do).

Most blessed is that pastor whose members are so established in Christ that they are “Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith”; converts who are not easily “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,” (Col 2:7; Eph 4:14).

Brethren, Heb. 13:9 says, “It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace”.

God’s children will do more out of genuine love for Him than out of fear or emotional blackmailing.

The average Christian now feels as though God was more in love with them when they were stark sinners than now that they’re His children. He would willingly die for them then; but now He wouldn’t raise a finger to solve their problems if they didn’t “act”, “serve”, “sow”, etc.

Before we judge Mr. Tirmah, let’s check our ways; and establish ourselves in “the love of Christ, which passes knowledge” so that “we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear”(Eph 3:14-21; Luk 1:74).

AMEN

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 1)

The phrase, “What’s wrong with this picture?” is an idiomatic expression stated when there is an apparent oddity or unfairness in what has just been said. This week, however, we’ll be using it in the literal sense of the word. We’ll be looking at popular faith-related images or screenshots and deducting biblical lessons from them.

Our first picture is one that has inspired, (and misled) countless millions around the world.

The above image is probably an artist’s conceptualisation of the ‘eternal’ battle between GOOD and EVIL: Satan on the left side, Jesus on the right, both locked in an arm wrestling match to see who would overcome.

So what’s wrong with this picture?

While this picture is what Satan would have us believe is the reality of the spirit world, it SUBTLY places him on the same level with Jesus. Even though he loses (as many internet commentators conclude) he’ll just be a sort of “second among equals”.

So, let’s state this as categorically as possible: SATAN IS NOT JESUS’ EQUAL!!!

They do not arm-wrestle behind our backs, they do not engage in banters, quarrels, or any such like.  Satan is a created being just like any of the other beasts, seraphs, cherubs, angels, etc. in heaven. Rebellion did not automatically confer on him the power to arm-wrestle God.

Even Satan’s so-called “War in Heaven” of Rev 12:7 was NOT with God but with Michael and co. Satan is not Jesus’ equal. Here’s a passage from Rev 20:1-2

“And I saw AN ANGEL come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years”.

Not ‘Jesus’, not even ‘Archangel Michael’, but “an angel”, just one of the ranks, was sent to bungle him. Even that does not automatically make him that “angel”s equal!

Jesus is the creator of ALL things;

“Things in heaven and on earth, seen and not seen – all spiritual rulers, lords, powers, and authorities. Everything was made through him and for him”.  (Col 1:16 ERV)

Jesus is not seated on a pub stool contesting with Satan; He is seated in Heaven, “FAR ABOVE all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come” (Eph 1:21).  

Not trying to put a guilt load on us or anything but the disrespect of this picture wouldn’t have been thinkable if God had not come down in the flesh to rescue us from the bondage of sin.

Yes, He came as the man Jesus and took on Himself our just punishment so that He can win the victory over Satan FOR US, (not for Himself), Now WE are seated “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).

That means this picture is not just untrue of Christ, it is also untrue of the ‘weakest’ Born-Again Christian.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.  Hos 4:6.

“My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge”.  Isa 5:13

“By knowledge the righteous will be delivered”.  Pro 11:9 (NET)

AMEN

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT  TEMPTATIONS (Part 2)

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:33).

When Potiphar’s wife asked Joseph to lie with her, the devil in her that was instigating the strange lust wanted to eclipse Joseph’s destiny. He wanted to truncate not just the young man’s life but also the extended salvation plan that God had in store for the Jewish race.

This was not the first time, and this would not be his last. Many centuries later, he tried it again with a certain Israelite judge named SAMSON. This time, he succeeded.

Or so it seemed.

Sometimes, God has a way of messing up the devil’s mess.

If Satan had looked at Samson’s life after Delilah, he must have really thought he had him there. He didn’t just tempt Samson; he actually succeeded and got him blinded, literally. But clearly, GOD AND SAMSON had other things in mind. Samson turned around in the end and wiped out a great deal of the devil’s people in the process.  The plan to push Samson into oblivion didn’t succeed because, clearly, his story is set in scriptures for all eternity.

However, it is not simply the fact that Samson is mentioned in the Bible that’s the big issue here, but WHERE he is mentioned. Samson is mentioned in the book of Judges, and also somewhere in the New Testament; in Hebrews chapter 11, OF ALL PLACES!

Hebrews 11 is a listing by the Holy Spirit of the names of great people of faith that are worth emulating. He mentioned Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joseph... and in the end, He said, “And what shall I say more? For the time would fail me to tell of ... SAMSON”.

I can imagine the devil’s heart skipping a beat the first time he saw that.

SAMSON?

Satan really went to great lengths to bring Samson down. He probably assigned special demons for his case. We know Delilah was not just any prostitute; she was, for all purposes and intents, a hired assassin. If that’s what we see in the physical we can infer even more was going on in the spiritual realm.

“And all that effort for what?” (Says the devil), “To have his name listed among the spiritual giants of the Old Testament?”

Hebrews 11:32 is probably one of the most frustrating verse for the devil.

If you are blessed, you are blessed. The devil CANNOT have the final say in your destiny. When he thinks he has done his worst, then comes God to do His best. Never let the devil trick you into thinking he has destroyed your destiny; (he doesn’t know it anyway, he just has an idea).

Do not let him deceive you into believing you have sinned beyond recovery, or that you have really disappointed God this time, (it’s impossible to ‘disappoint’ an omniscient being in the first place).

Be like Samson, believe and know that God still loves you and will receive you back. God will turn every mess into something so beautiful, the devil will have to bang his head on the nearest wall.

Remember Hebrews 11:32!

AMEN.

We’ll continue on these thoughts tomorrow.

More Blessings Await you today, you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT  TEMPTATIONS (Part 1)

The devil is wicked. No, scratch that.

The devil is VERY wicked.

He has no iota of good in him. When he looks at a man, all his thoughts are geared towards hurting, destroying, and bringing that man down.

I say this because one day I was thinking about the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. It’s on oft-repeated tale about the Master’s wife trying to seduce a dedicated slave. The Bible says, “She kept begging Joseph DAY AFTER DAY, but he refused to do what she wanted or even to go near her”.  Gen 39:10 (CEV).

Why Joseph? He was not the only man in that large house. Potiphar doubtlessly had other male slaves in that house who would be more than happy to oblige her, so why would she keep insisting to sleep with Joseph?

I was somewhat bothered about this until one day it occurred to me that, though there were dozens of male slaves in that house, only Joseph had a throne in his DESTINY! Joseph may have been a slave, but sitting inside him was the ruler of Egypt! Potiphar’s wife may not have been able to know this, but the devil inside her that was instigating her lust definitely knew.

If she had said to Joseph, “Come lie with me, no one will ever know”, she would have been absolutely right. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!

Potiphar wouldn’t know

The slaves wouldn’t know

The Egyptians wouldn’t know

And yes, YOU AND I too wouldn’t know

She was right, Joseph’s destiny would have closed up there and then and his bones would be part of the sands of Egypt today.

The glorious story of Joseph moving from slavery to being the de facto ruler of Egypt that we read about would never have occurred and we probably would never have known anything about him, at least that was the plan.

The devil is very wicked.

“Don't give the devil any opportunity to work”. Eph 4:27 (GW)

“So place yourselves under God's authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you”. Jas 4:7 (GW)

“Put on all the armor that God supplies. In this way you can take a stand against the devil's strategies.” Eph 6:11 (GW)

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”.  (1Co 15:57)

“Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ”.  (2Co 2:14)

AMEN.

We’ll continue on these thoughts tomorrow.

More Blessings Await you today, you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN