Sandstreams Safe Haven

Psalm 18:28-35  For thou wilt light my candle:  the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.  
As for God, his way is perfect:  the word of the Lord tried; He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him
For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock saver our God?
 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:  and thy right hand hath holden me up and thy gentleness hath made me great.   

Let the Water’s Rise

Don’t know where to begin
It’s like my world’s caving in
And I tried but I can’t control my fear
Where do I go from here

Sometimes it’s so hard to pray
You feel so far away
I am willing to go where You want me to
God I trust You

There’s a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If you want them to
I will follow You

I will swim in the deep
Cuz You’ll be next to me
You’re in the eye of the storm and the calm of the sea
You’re never out of reach

God You know where I’ve been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You’ll be faithful again
I’m holding Your hand

God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I’m holding on to You

God your love is enough
I will follow You
Let the Waters Rise by Mikeschair

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

John 11:25  Jesus said,  I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

Satan assails me to conform to the world through fear of being thought of as a fanatic or religious extremist.  Yet, here I am writing this for all to see.  I do fear what people think of me and because of this any effectiveness I might have to shine a light for Christ is diminished.   This is a subtle scheme of the devil that we all must be on our guard for.

Even though Christians have “become new”  Satan works at blunting our effectiveness by making us miserable and demoralized, weak and defeated.   Christians yielded to God represent a path to freedom, a guiding light showing the way to truth out of the darkness of ignorance.   This is a threat to the solidarity of the devil’s kingdom and his rule over the rest of mankind.

I will fight this urge to conform to the world and let my light shine, glorifying my Father which is in heaven.

Debora P. Gilley

Romans 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God

One of the more misunderstood subjects connected with the spiritual life is spiritual guidance.  Many feel that they are “led” to do something without any evidence of leading at all.  Satan takes advantage of this aspect of Christian life and makes souls confused and distracted over what is the will of God.  He deludes by ignoring the use of good judgment and knowledge, but acts on whims or thoughts instead.

True guidance of the Lord or being “led by the Spirit” means:
1.  We are guided by His skillful hands.  Psalm 78:72 -  So He fed them according to the integrity of His heart; and guided then by the skillfulness of His hands.

2.  We are guided by our faithfulness to God.  Proverbs 11:3  The integrity of the upright shall guide them; but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
We should know by instinct what is right and wrong.

3.  He guides the meek.  Psalm 25:9  The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.

God uses renewed minds:  Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world:  but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.   

The soul that understands and knows the principle of Christ’s character – in that he emptied Himself out on the cross as a sacrifice for all – needs no inner voice or special guidance to show him the path he should be walking.

I being in the way, the Lord led me  Genesis 24:27

“We have to be so one with God that we do not continually need to ask for guidance.”  Oswald Chambers November 14th, My Utmost for His Highest 

© 2011 Debora P. Gilley

Philippians 3:10  That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.

James 3:13-18  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?  Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Satanic subversion comes in to ways, the flesh and the world.  These are the two means he makes his indirect attack against us.  The context of the word flesh in this discussion is that it is the urge to self-centeredness within us.  It is a distortion of human nature which makes us want to be our own god.  It is a proud ego, defiant rebellion against authority.

James 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Don’t let the world squeeze you into it’s mold.  “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit.”  John 3:6

“So this is the world – that human society which insists on satanic value judgments and is guided by satanic pride and philosophy.  While the world is totally unaware of it, nevertheless, it is under the control of satanic philosophy.”  John Stedman

Those who believe in Jesus Christ must know how to distinguish the voice of the Lord from the voice of the enemy.

The Voice of the Lord:

• brings deep calm over the spirit
• is always in accord with the teaching of the Word of God
• brings the ability to discern good from evil. (Hebrew 5:14)

The Voice of the Devil:

• causes confusion, restlessness, agitation and uncertainty.
• falsely interprets scripture, omitting important words or taking passages out of context.
• brings discouragement and depression

Satan schemes to destroy a life God loves.  Life is a battle against a vicious, scheming unseen enemy. Be aware!  Pray!  Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  Give yourself – body and soul to this battle against evil.  We have been brought out of the darkness of evil and into the light of Christ.  We are filled with strength and courage and fight knowing that Jesus Christ is the victorious Commander!

© 2011 Debora P. Gilley

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 2:1-2  And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.  Wherein time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

There are two ways to live out our lives in this world and we have been given the ability to choose which it will be.   Who will you serve?

In Revelation 9:11 Satan is called Apollyon the Destroyer – the angel of the bottomless pit.  He represents chaos, waste, ruin and desolation.
Jehovah God, creator and liberator of all things, is beauty, harmony, order and perfection.  He is love, light and grace and makes it all available to those that choose Him.

I can go ahead and tell you how the war between Good and evil turns out. It is the hope, comfort and joy of God’s people, that He has conquered the devil and has him in his chain.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.  He has broken the power and bondage of Satan over human lives.  Accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior liberates us to live as children of God.  What does this liberation mean?  We are not liberated to live selfishly for ourselves but to answer the call of Jesus to join into the battles to destroy the enemy.

The key to victory in any war is to know your enemy and know his strategies.   We are told in John 8:44 that the enemy is a murderer, a liar and the father of lies, so his strategy is to murder and his tactic is to lie.  He is capable of deceiving, lying, distorting, counterfeiting and clouding minds with illusions and fantasies.  By giving into the desires of the flesh and of the mind we contract filthiness of flesh and spirit.  In 2 Corinthians 7:1 Paul encourages us to cleanse ourselves from this filthiness:  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

As humans we are defeated at one time or another but in James 4:7 it says resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

© 2011 Debora P. Gilley

Colossians 1:11-13
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.

[I have been trying to put this post together all week but have been plagued with the worst sore throat I have ever had in my life! With so much pain I assumed that it was strep throat and went to the doctor for an antibiotic, which I knew would give me quick relief. Wrong! The test came out negative for strep and, according to my lame doctor who recommends a glass of wine for any kind of stress, only gave me the advice to take Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen alternately. That's it. I wanted to cry because I needed to feel better right away - - I had so much to do this week. I've continued to suffer with this throat and tried every home remedy under the sun to make it feel better all for naught. It's very slowly getting better but certainly not at the pace I would have liked.

So, this study... Power to Endure with Joy... Was this a test? On to the study -->]

There is despair in the realization that man is helpless under Satan. 2 Cor. 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Only Jesus Christ can break the grip of Satan. A human soul can not rid itself of this power in his own strength. He must have the impact of the Gospel which is Jesus Christ –> On the Cross –> and His Resurrection. Even after one becomes a Christian he is still helpless and requires the liberation by way of the power of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:13 – who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son

Men obey and worship Satan, even unconsciously, when they do not obey and worship the Creator. Total commitment to Christ is required for freedom from Satan’s bondage.
Satan is known as the god of this world or the prince of this world because of the great interest he has in being the ruler of it and all that are in it. Therefore, his subjects / slaves are under his influence and his darkness seeps into their minds causing ignorance, error and prejudices. This keeps them from the true light (truth) of the gospel of Christ.

God is power and wisdom, grace and mercy, while Satan represents dark ignorance – keeping the light of the gospel out of the hearts of men.

There is no in between in spiritual warfare. You either stand with Christ or against Him. We can learn from Jesus’ reactions to temptations in the desert and find protection from falling into sin:

1.  Develop a single mindedness toward God which will enable you to discern between God’s voice and the devils.
2. Start each day knowing that you are forgiven. There is no condemnation against you.
3. Have a right conscience before God.
4. Meet temptations in the power of the Holy Spirit. Call on His name and use the Word of God with confidence.
5. Trust and obey
6. Live selflessly. Victory over the tempter cannot be expected when one’s character is full of selfishness and self-pity.

There is no need to be afraid of Satan when we have this confidence of victory. Trust, obey and depend on the Holy Spirit and He will give you the power to endure. If you have to, pray like Corrie Ten Boom did in front of a congregation full of people in bondage: “In the name of Jesus I command all dark powers keeping people from the blessings of God to disappear. Go Away! Get out of the hearts of these people. Get out of this church. Go to the place where God sends you.” Tramp for the Lord (pg 68-69)

© 2011 Debora P. Gilley

CHRISTIAN-THEMED MOVIE HITS TOP 5

John 8:44 – Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own for he is a liar and the father of it.

Jesus was speaking to those who were trying to make everything He said a controversy.  They had already tried to snare Him by bringing Him a woman taken in adultery.   These people argued about Him being the light of the world (v. 12-20), about the ruin of the unbelievers (v. 21-30), about liberty and bondage (v 31-37), and about His Father and their father (v.38-47).  Yet Jesus successfully evaded all of these snares and endured the contradiction of those against Him.  He continues to convince and convert while they continue to contradict and oppose.   He then, in verse 44, called them out for who they were – Children of the devil.

With the kind of description given in John 8:44, it’s easy to recognize them.  They do the devil’s lusts. They are spiritually wicked and their reasoning is corrupt. Pride, envy, wrath and malice, are in their character and they have enmity to that which is good – enticing others to do evil.

When sin is committed of choice and not by surprise, with pleasure and not with reluctance, when it is persisted in with a daring presumption and separate resolution, like theirs that said, we have loved strangers and after them we will go, then the sinner will do the devil’s lusts.  Matthew Henry

Our enemy, the devil, is a powerful, invisible ruler of darkness and an agent of spiritual wickedness.  He is actively working to undo and defeat God’s plan for the world and human history.  Wars, genocide, persecution, famine, hatred, and racial unrest are all symptoms of the spiritual rot consuming us from the inside out.

This is the nature of our struggle in this world and thus we are instructed by Paul in Ephesians 6:11, 13, to put on the whole armor of God, to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, “that we may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand.”

To those that believe in Him, He says “If ye continue in my Word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:31-32

© 2011 Debora P. Gilley

Spiritual Warfare

Ephesians 6:13  Take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.

The real world is a facade.  If we reject God’s truth we only succeed at deceiving ourselves.

Life is made of conflicts, struggles and difficult choices. Some may be subtle, others overwhelming.  Everyday attacks come in the form of:

• Strife that disrupts family and relationships

• Bitterness and suspicion

• Anger over slight provocations

• Guilt

• Envy of others’ circumstances or lifestyles

• Anxiety and insecurity

These conflicts force us to put on the armor of God for battle. If we choose to ignore them hoping they’ll resolve themselves and just go away we will find ourselves shaken by spiritual reality. Truth intrudes on our pleasant illusions of life.  We can take a stand against the enemy’s oppression by prayer and spiritual warfare.

Romans 8:38-39  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things to come nor height, nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand.  Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

I’ve written about Deborah of Judges 4 and 5 in previous studies.

A Very Present Help:
I marvel at her strength and courage during a time when her people had many strong enemies against them. Deborah was a brave and wise woman who loved and worshiped the One True God. She knew and understood the power of God and she allowed Him to use her to lead the way against the 100,000 men and 900 chariots of Sisera.

Judges 4:14 Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand!

Sisera, ready to annihilate Israel’s weak army with few weapons and no chariots, met with the sudden crashing waves of the Kisron River. The army of Sisera was thrown into disarray and panic. The 10,000 men of Israel fell on Sisera, his chariots and all his host with the edge of the sword leaving not one alive but a fleeing Sisera.

It was by the awesome power of God that Israel was saved that day. Deborah, having allowed herself to be a vessel of God, devoted herself to the freedom of her people.

Judges 5:31 So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: But let them that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

Even I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). This God of love who is supreme over all, provides His power to me daily for the smallest and greatest tasks.

Ephesians 3:20 He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us

Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.

© 2011 Debora P. Gilley