God’s word can guide us through Satan’s deceptions
by Barrett Vanlandingham
November 9, 2010
I consider myself to be pretty savvy when it comes to the internet. But about a month and a half ago, I accidentally subscribed to a penny bidding service called swipeauctions.com. The way I understood it, you’re supposed to pay a penny to bid on an item. Then, the company charges your credit card for your bids and your purchase. Here’s the problem. As soon as I signed up for the service and punched in my credit card number, a message popped up saying something like, “Congratulations on your $159 membership purchase!” There was no “Are you sure?” There was no “This amount will be charged to you.” It was just click and then “Congratulations!”
When it comes to doing spiritual battle, that’s the way the devil works. There are no second chances. When a person joins up with the dark side, even by accident, there are negative consequences. Sometimes immediate, sometimes delayed, but there are always consequences.
Satan is very manipulative. He makes sin look so inviting, sometimes almost too good to be true. He even tries to convince us that secret sins are okay since no one will ever find out. But the fact is it’s not okay. Sin is never okay. Sin cannot enter the presence of God. That’s why it’s so important to show by your actions that you believe Jesus is the Son of God, and that you are committed to obeying his commands and example. The New Testament says the saved are those who’ve been symbolically buried with Christ in baptism, then raised to live a new life clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:26 & Romans 6:1-11).
This doesn’t mean Satan will leave you alone because you have committed yourself to Christ. Realistically, the devil will likely target you even more. After all, Satan tempted Jesus himself in the desert for forty days just before his official ministry began (Luke 4:1-13). Even as Jesus was fasting, the devil was cleverly trying to convince Him that it was okay to turn stones into bread and give in to earthly cravings. Satan also tried to make a deal with Jesus to worship Satan, and in exchange the devil would give Jesus more authority over earthly things. Then the devil even tried to get Jesus to jump off the highest point of the temple so that angels could rescue Jesus. Of course, we know that Jesus refused in all three instances, and quoted his reasons directly from scripture.
You see, Jesus not only had God’s word in his heart, but he also obeyed it. Jesus could have taken the easy way out, but he set the example for us so we could have a worthy Savior to follow.
Well, it has taken me over a month to get swipeauctions.com to agree to give my money back. As for me, I’ve learned several good lessons along the way, not the least of which comes from 1 Corinthians 10:12, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” Have a great day! (end)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Facing fears versus fleeing evil: thoughts from the campfire
by Barrett Vanlandingham
November 2, 2010
My 12-year old son Britton and I went on a little hunting and camping trip at my parents’ farm in Tahlequah over fall break. There’s nothing more relaxing to me than a night with a full moon, perfect weather, a campfire, and a tent by a pond on the side of a hill. It was fun even though I kept falling asleep at the upper end of the tent, and would wake up after sliding to the lower end.
We were planning to hunt coyotes in the morning but not at 5a.m.! That’s when I was awakened to the sound of something that just seemed large as it brushed up against the side of our tent. My mind was racing with how to scare this creature away and rescue my sleeping son. So, I manned up, and went outside the tent to stoke the campfire and do my best in my role of protector. But much to my joy, the only things I had to contend with were two friendly donkeys, a curious mule, and a small herd of horses that had come by for a drink at the pond. I breathed a sigh of relief until it dawned on me that horses like to lean up against large solid structures to scratch. I thought to myself, “If those horses lean on this tent and fall over on my son, there won’t be anything left of him.” So, I quickly shewed them away as to avoid such a calamity.
So what does this little camping story have to do with matters of faith? For me, it’s a reminder of how the devil can sneak up on us when we least expect it. Just about the time we think all the conditions of life are perfect, Satan is always slithering close-by to choke the joy out of us. The devil can use anything or anyone to accomplish his task of stealing souls. He can use friends, family members, bosses, co-workers, traffic situations, financial struggles, and lust of many kinds to draw us away from God. And it’s usually when our defenses are down.
I like the story of David and Goliath because even though David’s own brothers were jealous and gave him absolutely no support, God was there to give him strength to face the giant. 1 Samuel 17:48 says that David ran to the battle line to meet Goliath and ultimately achieved victory. So even though scripture also tells us to avoid evil, sometimes overcoming our adversary means facing it head-on, like David did.
Bible study, prayer, and advice from an older, wiser Christian can be of great help in deciding which direction is best. Either way, giving your challenges over to God will give you peace when you need it most.
God bless and have a great day!
by Barrett Vanlandingham
November 2, 2010
My 12-year old son Britton and I went on a little hunting and camping trip at my parents’ farm in Tahlequah over fall break. There’s nothing more relaxing to me than a night with a full moon, perfect weather, a campfire, and a tent by a pond on the side of a hill. It was fun even though I kept falling asleep at the upper end of the tent, and would wake up after sliding to the lower end.
We were planning to hunt coyotes in the morning but not at 5a.m.! That’s when I was awakened to the sound of something that just seemed large as it brushed up against the side of our tent. My mind was racing with how to scare this creature away and rescue my sleeping son. So, I manned up, and went outside the tent to stoke the campfire and do my best in my role of protector. But much to my joy, the only things I had to contend with were two friendly donkeys, a curious mule, and a small herd of horses that had come by for a drink at the pond. I breathed a sigh of relief until it dawned on me that horses like to lean up against large solid structures to scratch. I thought to myself, “If those horses lean on this tent and fall over on my son, there won’t be anything left of him.” So, I quickly shewed them away as to avoid such a calamity.
So what does this little camping story have to do with matters of faith? For me, it’s a reminder of how the devil can sneak up on us when we least expect it. Just about the time we think all the conditions of life are perfect, Satan is always slithering close-by to choke the joy out of us. The devil can use anything or anyone to accomplish his task of stealing souls. He can use friends, family members, bosses, co-workers, traffic situations, financial struggles, and lust of many kinds to draw us away from God. And it’s usually when our defenses are down.
I like the story of David and Goliath because even though David’s own brothers were jealous and gave him absolutely no support, God was there to give him strength to face the giant. 1 Samuel 17:48 says that David ran to the battle line to meet Goliath and ultimately achieved victory. So even though scripture also tells us to avoid evil, sometimes overcoming our adversary means facing it head-on, like David did.
Bible study, prayer, and advice from an older, wiser Christian can be of great help in deciding which direction is best. Either way, giving your challenges over to God will give you peace when you need it most.
God bless and have a great day!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Bible is easy to believe when you examine the evidence
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 26, 2010
I used to take it for granted that when I began a Bible study with someone that they at least believed in God, and believed in the Bible’s account of creation. Well, that hasn’t been the case for me for quite some time. In fact, these days it seems it is more fashionable than ever to doubt God word or even profess to be an atheist or to believe in evolution. This shouldn’t surprise us considering America’s school children have been indoctrinated with the Big Bang Theory and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in textbooks for many years now. A book titled “Convicted” by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. has been a great help to my study on Christian evidences, and so much of my information in this article will come from his writings.
One important thing to remember when discussing creation versus evolution is this. No one has ever proven that non-living matter can evolve from nothing. And certainly no one has proven that life can evolve from non-living matter. Therefore, something (or someone) had to have always been there for anything to be created. And that someone is God.
The Bible has proven itself many times over as reliable in the areas of history and geography. William Mitchell Ramsay was a Bible skeptic who lived in 1851-1939. He set out to discredit the New Testament book of Acts which mentions 32 countries, nine Mediterranean islands, 54 cities, and is packed with geographical details. But in every circumstance in which Ramsay was able to check, Luke, the author of Acts, got it right. In fact, the Bible has never been proven wrong on anything. That’s likely why it’s the bestselling book of all time.
Evolutionists insist creation took place billions of years ago. They push this view so there will be enough time to theorize that mankind evolved three-million years ago from non-living matter, then from amoeba, worms, reptiles, lower mammals and so on.
Genesis 1:1-5 says that in the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, water, light and darkness which he called day and night. It also says there was evening and morning on the first day and every day after that. On the 2nd day came sky, day three-plants & trees, day four-sun, moon, & stars, day five-birds & fish, day six-animals and man and woman. Based on the Bible’s timeline, there’s no way the earth could be much older than 6000 years, certainly not millions or billions of years old. Besides, how could plants grow if they had to stay in the dark for millions of years waiting on the sun to be created? Is a six day creation sounding better?
We know from Genesis 1:26-27 that mankind was created in God’s image. Hebrews 2:5-7 makes the point that man was created “a little lower than the angels.” In fact, mankind is to rule over all the creatures. Last I checked, amoebas, worms, reptiles and apes weren’t fit to rule over anything. God bless you and have a great day!
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 26, 2010
I used to take it for granted that when I began a Bible study with someone that they at least believed in God, and believed in the Bible’s account of creation. Well, that hasn’t been the case for me for quite some time. In fact, these days it seems it is more fashionable than ever to doubt God word or even profess to be an atheist or to believe in evolution. This shouldn’t surprise us considering America’s school children have been indoctrinated with the Big Bang Theory and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in textbooks for many years now. A book titled “Convicted” by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. has been a great help to my study on Christian evidences, and so much of my information in this article will come from his writings.
One important thing to remember when discussing creation versus evolution is this. No one has ever proven that non-living matter can evolve from nothing. And certainly no one has proven that life can evolve from non-living matter. Therefore, something (or someone) had to have always been there for anything to be created. And that someone is God.
The Bible has proven itself many times over as reliable in the areas of history and geography. William Mitchell Ramsay was a Bible skeptic who lived in 1851-1939. He set out to discredit the New Testament book of Acts which mentions 32 countries, nine Mediterranean islands, 54 cities, and is packed with geographical details. But in every circumstance in which Ramsay was able to check, Luke, the author of Acts, got it right. In fact, the Bible has never been proven wrong on anything. That’s likely why it’s the bestselling book of all time.
Evolutionists insist creation took place billions of years ago. They push this view so there will be enough time to theorize that mankind evolved three-million years ago from non-living matter, then from amoeba, worms, reptiles, lower mammals and so on.
Genesis 1:1-5 says that in the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, water, light and darkness which he called day and night. It also says there was evening and morning on the first day and every day after that. On the 2nd day came sky, day three-plants & trees, day four-sun, moon, & stars, day five-birds & fish, day six-animals and man and woman. Based on the Bible’s timeline, there’s no way the earth could be much older than 6000 years, certainly not millions or billions of years old. Besides, how could plants grow if they had to stay in the dark for millions of years waiting on the sun to be created? Is a six day creation sounding better?
We know from Genesis 1:26-27 that mankind was created in God’s image. Hebrews 2:5-7 makes the point that man was created “a little lower than the angels.” In fact, mankind is to rule over all the creatures. Last I checked, amoebas, worms, reptiles and apes weren’t fit to rule over anything. God bless you and have a great day!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Bible principles hold key to quality of life
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 19, 2010
Since I love chips and salsa, I didn’t think I would have any problem taste testing just one single hot pepper. Well, I was wrong. Evidently, there was a reason someone dropped off a full bag of peppers at the church recently. I’m guessing it was because they were too hot to eat! And since they didn’t come with directions or a warning label, I cut one pepper into pieces, put one bit into my mouth and began to chew then quickly realized I had made a BAD mistake. In fact, my lips and tongue were on fire for the better part of an hour despite the ice cubes and water.
Too bad our lips and tongues don’t have that reaction when we gossip, curse, or use our mouths as weapons. The world would no doubt be a better place to live without the levels of profanity we have these days in TV, movies, and in real life.
James 3:7-8 says, “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
You see, a man’s tongue can only be tamed when God’s Spirit dwells inside him. Without a relationship to God, the fruits of the Spirit do not grow inside us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are qualities that only obedient Christians can have to the fullest. God’s word is how we understand what God expects of his children.
I saw a quote this week that stated an interesting irony, “Our children are discouraged from reading the Bible in school, but they are encouraged to read it in prison.” Thank goodness this does not describe Fort Gibson.
When I read reports about how schools in other parts of the nation forbid students to read the Bible at school, it makes me even more appreciative of our school system here in Fort Gibson. Our town definitely enjoys a quality of life that other places just don’t have. The importance our town places on God and character education has a huge impact on the moral fiber of Fort Gibson.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).”
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 19, 2010
Since I love chips and salsa, I didn’t think I would have any problem taste testing just one single hot pepper. Well, I was wrong. Evidently, there was a reason someone dropped off a full bag of peppers at the church recently. I’m guessing it was because they were too hot to eat! And since they didn’t come with directions or a warning label, I cut one pepper into pieces, put one bit into my mouth and began to chew then quickly realized I had made a BAD mistake. In fact, my lips and tongue were on fire for the better part of an hour despite the ice cubes and water.
Too bad our lips and tongues don’t have that reaction when we gossip, curse, or use our mouths as weapons. The world would no doubt be a better place to live without the levels of profanity we have these days in TV, movies, and in real life.
James 3:7-8 says, “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
You see, a man’s tongue can only be tamed when God’s Spirit dwells inside him. Without a relationship to God, the fruits of the Spirit do not grow inside us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are qualities that only obedient Christians can have to the fullest. God’s word is how we understand what God expects of his children.
I saw a quote this week that stated an interesting irony, “Our children are discouraged from reading the Bible in school, but they are encouraged to read it in prison.” Thank goodness this does not describe Fort Gibson.
When I read reports about how schools in other parts of the nation forbid students to read the Bible at school, it makes me even more appreciative of our school system here in Fort Gibson. Our town definitely enjoys a quality of life that other places just don’t have. The importance our town places on God and character education has a huge impact on the moral fiber of Fort Gibson.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).”
Friday, October 08, 2010
Taking a fresh look the Creator
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 12, 2010
Who are we supposed to believe anyway? As I watched a world news report the other day, it focused on a crystal cave in Mexico that scientists say is 500-million years old. The cave is quite impressive. But is it really that old?
Between Hollywood, textbooks and science museums, an entire culture if not an entire world has bought into this so-called pre-historic idea. What does that mean anyway? How can there be anything before history?
The Bible gives a pretty straight forward timeline of how long it took God to create the heavens and the earth and all that is in it. Six days. He rested on the seventh day. Then, when you add up the length of time people of the Bible lived, 6000 years is a more accurate picture for the age of the earth and mankind. Yes, six-thousand years. That’s it.
But how could this be? After all, just look at natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon. Could it really be that young? Yes. Just think about how quickly such a tremendous amount of pressure and devastation could have taken place courtesy of a worldwide flood.
And as for evolution, just how many supposed “missing links” do we have to endure hearing about. One after another, these man-ape models have turned out to be hoaxes. They’ve been created alright, just not by God, but instead by men using a vivid imagination along with old teeth and bones of animals like pigs and donkeys.
Seems it takes a whole lot more faith to believe in evolution and pre-historic notions than it does to agree with the Bible’s account of creation.
There’s really no reason why a Christian can’t be a scientist. I read recently that 40-percent of scientists are Christians. The Bible spoke of many things long before science accepted them as fact. The Bible described the water-cycle long before scientists did. The Bible also described the earth as round and floating even before a flat earth had been disproven. The Bible also agrees with astronomers today who say that stars cannot be numbered even though early star gazers had estimated there to be only about a thousand stars. The Bible also had it right on matters of cleanliness and disease long before the importance of hand washing had been discovered. And the Bible talked about trenches and springs under the surface of the ocean long before they had been discovered.
Our God is truly amazing. His word hasn’t been wrong about anything yet including history, geography, and science. Won’t you trust Him today?
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 12, 2010
Who are we supposed to believe anyway? As I watched a world news report the other day, it focused on a crystal cave in Mexico that scientists say is 500-million years old. The cave is quite impressive. But is it really that old?
Between Hollywood, textbooks and science museums, an entire culture if not an entire world has bought into this so-called pre-historic idea. What does that mean anyway? How can there be anything before history?
The Bible gives a pretty straight forward timeline of how long it took God to create the heavens and the earth and all that is in it. Six days. He rested on the seventh day. Then, when you add up the length of time people of the Bible lived, 6000 years is a more accurate picture for the age of the earth and mankind. Yes, six-thousand years. That’s it.
But how could this be? After all, just look at natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon. Could it really be that young? Yes. Just think about how quickly such a tremendous amount of pressure and devastation could have taken place courtesy of a worldwide flood.
And as for evolution, just how many supposed “missing links” do we have to endure hearing about. One after another, these man-ape models have turned out to be hoaxes. They’ve been created alright, just not by God, but instead by men using a vivid imagination along with old teeth and bones of animals like pigs and donkeys.
Seems it takes a whole lot more faith to believe in evolution and pre-historic notions than it does to agree with the Bible’s account of creation.
There’s really no reason why a Christian can’t be a scientist. I read recently that 40-percent of scientists are Christians. The Bible spoke of many things long before science accepted them as fact. The Bible described the water-cycle long before scientists did. The Bible also described the earth as round and floating even before a flat earth had been disproven. The Bible also agrees with astronomers today who say that stars cannot be numbered even though early star gazers had estimated there to be only about a thousand stars. The Bible also had it right on matters of cleanliness and disease long before the importance of hand washing had been discovered. And the Bible talked about trenches and springs under the surface of the ocean long before they had been discovered.
Our God is truly amazing. His word hasn’t been wrong about anything yet including history, geography, and science. Won’t you trust Him today?
Saturday, October 02, 2010
The greatest homecoming of all is still to come
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 5, 2010
Homecoming weekend here in Fort Gibson was quite spectacular. The weather was perfect, the school spirit was “over the top”, the parade featured a long line of class floats as well as an impressive cast of queens and their kings.
Every parent and grandparent along the parade route, in the fieldhouse, and in the stands before the game were no doubt proud as punch of their child. I know I was. My daughter, Ashton, is this year’s “Drama Queen”. Hee hee. And thanks to Murrys Nissan, I was able to cart her and her king, Austin Adamson, down the parade route in a new 370Z Convertible Touring Roadster. Wow! Just getting to drive that car for the day made my year a lot more memorable!
Spiritually, the idea of homecoming is central to the very existence of every Christian. Some of my favorite hymns are “Here We Are But Straying Pilgrims”, the old spiritual “Poor Wayfaring Stranger”, and of course “To Canaan’s Land” and “I’ll Fly Away.”
Each of those songs, and many more remind us that our time here on earth is only a very small piece of our life overall. One day, there will be a homecoming like none other. That will be the day that God calls all of his faithful home to heaven.
When Jesus left this earth, his disciples gazed at his ascension until a cloud hid him from their sight. That’s when two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:11)."
Can you even imagine what that day will be like? Just think of all the things that consume our minds with worry, heartache, and depression here on earth. Just think of all the physical, emotional, and mental aches, pains, frustration, and illnesses that plague so many. The fact is, we as Christians who stay faithful in spite of worldly persecution have a promise that was inspired by God and written down by John two-thousand years ago. Revelation 7:17 says, “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20 that our citizenship is in heaven, and that Jesus “…will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
May God bless everyone who bears the name Christian, on the journey through this life towards the greatest homecoming of all.
by Barrett Vanlandingham
October 5, 2010
Homecoming weekend here in Fort Gibson was quite spectacular. The weather was perfect, the school spirit was “over the top”, the parade featured a long line of class floats as well as an impressive cast of queens and their kings.
Every parent and grandparent along the parade route, in the fieldhouse, and in the stands before the game were no doubt proud as punch of their child. I know I was. My daughter, Ashton, is this year’s “Drama Queen”. Hee hee. And thanks to Murrys Nissan, I was able to cart her and her king, Austin Adamson, down the parade route in a new 370Z Convertible Touring Roadster. Wow! Just getting to drive that car for the day made my year a lot more memorable!
Spiritually, the idea of homecoming is central to the very existence of every Christian. Some of my favorite hymns are “Here We Are But Straying Pilgrims”, the old spiritual “Poor Wayfaring Stranger”, and of course “To Canaan’s Land” and “I’ll Fly Away.”
Each of those songs, and many more remind us that our time here on earth is only a very small piece of our life overall. One day, there will be a homecoming like none other. That will be the day that God calls all of his faithful home to heaven.
When Jesus left this earth, his disciples gazed at his ascension until a cloud hid him from their sight. That’s when two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:11)."
Can you even imagine what that day will be like? Just think of all the things that consume our minds with worry, heartache, and depression here on earth. Just think of all the physical, emotional, and mental aches, pains, frustration, and illnesses that plague so many. The fact is, we as Christians who stay faithful in spite of worldly persecution have a promise that was inspired by God and written down by John two-thousand years ago. Revelation 7:17 says, “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20 that our citizenship is in heaven, and that Jesus “…will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
May God bless everyone who bears the name Christian, on the journey through this life towards the greatest homecoming of all.
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