DRAWING NEAR
September 26
Satan Opposes God's Word
"Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"
(Eph. 6:17).
Despite Satanic opposition, God's Word will accomplish its work in
His people.
In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed:
"Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell
beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. And others fell
upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and
immediately they sprang up. . . . But when the sun had risen, they
were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And
others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them
out. And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop" (vv. 3-8).
Jesus went on to explain that the seed is the truth of God's Word.
Satan and his demonic forces can snatch it away from those who hear
it yet don't understand what it means. They can bring affliction and
persecution against those who have an emotional commitment only,
thereby causing them to lose heart and fall away. In some cases they
choke out the Word with worry and the deceitfulness of riches (vv. 19
-22).
But truly repentant sinners receive and nurture the gospel truth,
just as prepared soil receives and nurtures seed. They hear it,
understand it, receive it, and produce spiritual fruit (v. 23).
Proclaiming the gospel is an important aspect of taking the sword of
the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). As you do, others are saved and join God's
army. But be warned: Satan never gives up territory without a fight.
Some of the people you witness to will forget what you tell them.
Others will refuse to turn from worldly influences. Still others may
respond emotionally, but without a genuine commitment to serving
Christ and forsaking sin.
Those spiritual battles should compel you to bathe your evangelism in
prayer and undergird it with a clear gospel presentation. If people
understand precisely what it means to receive Christ, and if their
hearts are prepared by the Holy Spirit, they'll not be so easily
victimized by satanic opposition.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to share Christ with someone
today, or to encourage a struggling believer.
For Further Study:
Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8.
What was Paul's concern for the Thessalonian believers?
What did he do to eliminate his concern?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
(NKJV)
Matthew 13:1-23
13:1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got
into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a
sower went out to sow.
4 "And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds
came and devoured them.
5 "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth;
and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6 "But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had
no root they withered away.
7 "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked
them.
8 "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them
in parables?"
11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has
not been given.
12 "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have
abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken
away from him.
13 "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do
not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will
see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are
hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should
see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should
understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'
16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they
hear;
17 "for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men
desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you
hear, and did not hear it.
18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not
understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was
sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
20 "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who
hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For
when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word,
immediately he stumbles.
22 "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the
word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches
choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23 "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the
word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
1 Thessalonians 3:1-8
3:1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good
to be left in Athens alone,
2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow
laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you
concerning your faith,
3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you
yourselves know that we are appointed to this.
4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we
would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.
5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know
your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our
labor might be in vain.
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good
news of your faith and love, and that you always have good
remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you;
7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were
comforted concerning you by your faith.
8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus Is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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