Satan’s strategies are still spiritually lethal

by Barrett Vanlandingham

November 1, 2016

          Luke 4:1-13 tells the story of Jesus being tested by Satan for 40 days in the wilderness just after he was baptized, and just before he started his official ministry. This story is not only interesting, but extremely useful for us today since Satan still uses the same tactics he used back then.

          The devil’s strategy involves our appetites, ambitions, and anxieties. These three points are highlighted in a “21^st Century Christian” curriculum I am teaching to my high school class on Sunday mornings, but these warnings apply to people of all ages. I hope you find this useful in your battle against the devil and his dark forces.

          The way Satan uses our appetites is by identifying our natural drives, and using them against us. During Jesus’ time of fasting in the wilderness, it would have been easy for him to simply turn some stones into bread at Satan’s request. Jesus used knowledge of God’s word to answer “no” to Satan’s schemes. Christians must understand that our existence is about much more than personal pleasure.

          The way Satan uses our ambitions is by trying to get us to sacrifice our values for pleasure. Jesus had a job to do here on earth, bringing salvation to the lost. Satan tried to convince Jesus to take a shortcut to glory. Satan tried to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would simply bow down to him. Satan offers us so-called success, popularity, and even love. But the cost of taking gifts from the prince of lies is too high.

          The way Satan uses our anxieties is by manipulating our fears to lead us into sin. Satan tried to get Jesus to prove his Lordship. He asked Jesus to jump from a high point so that angels could come to his rescue. Satan wanted Jesus’ fear of crucifixion to cause him to take the easy way out. Jesus would have survived the jump, but he would have lost all credibility with the people he was sent to save. Satan tries to convince us that taking a stand for Jesus isn’t worth it. But once again, God’s word proves otherwise.

          Have a blessed week!

It is time to take off your mask

by Barrett Vanlandingham

October 25, 2016

          In just a few days, all kinds of masked creatures will be knocking on our doors, shouting “Trick or Treat”, hoping for something sweet to eat. Seems like it was only yesterday that a six-year old Barrett canvassed the Tahlequah neighborhood where I grew up, trying unsuccessfully to fill my bag with candy from the seven houses on my block. That’s when I decided to take my cousin Steve’s advice and go around the block again with a different costume. It didn’t work very well.

          Even as adults, we sometimes feel the need to wear different masks. For some, a mask may consist of extra smiles and laughter to hide depression or insecurities they deal with privately. Another mask may be worn by those who look like perfect Christians on the outside, especially on Sundays, even though their home life is a train wreck. Other masks may be financial, for those who feel the need to show their success by having big houses, nice cars, lavish vacations, and frequenting expensive restaurants while their debt is out of control. One more mask is worn by young parents who are ashamed to let anyone know they really don’t know what they’re doing. Been there.

          Jesus wants us to come to him, and be used to God’s glory just as we are, not pretending to be someone else. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for appearing as beautiful whitewashed tombs on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones.  “In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness (Matthew 23:28).”

          We’ve got to take off the mask so that the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, can help us. Who would go to a doctor and claim to be somebody else.  Yet, we approach God in prayer and in worship, and we try to mask our hearts from God, and we try to mask who we are from our Christian family. If that’s your strategy to finding true joy, it will never work.

          “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed (James 5:16).”

          May your week be filled with treats!

Christians and pumpkins have something in common

October 18, 2016

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          Several years ago, I heard a story about how people who let God into their lives are like pumpkins.

          “A lady recently being baptized was asked by a co-worker what it was like to be a Christian. She replied that it is like being a pumpkin: God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off you may have gotten from the other pumpkins. Then he cuts the top off and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."         

          Even though we are able to say the right things, and we may look appealing on the outside, everyone has junk on the inside that needs to be surrendered to Christ. Solomon says that the hearts of people are full of evil (Ecclesiastes 9:3).

          Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door; I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20).”

          In fact, Jesus was willing to leave the comforts of heaven and shed his blood so that we could be clean!

          God told the Israelites, “I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you (Ezekiel 36:25-26).”

          After Paul prayed, he was told what he needed to do to please the Lord. “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name (Acts 22:16).”

          When we are in Christ (Romans 6:3), we are a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

          Notice that God never takes the messiness from our lives without replacing it with something much better.

          Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

          In case you would like to have the above mentioned story in book form, I found one online called “The Pumpkin Patch Parable” by Liz Curtis Higgs.

          Have a great day!

The power of God keeps us going

by Barrett Vanlandingham

October 11, 2016

          When Jesus was answering a question from his disciples about who could be saved, he said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).”

          I was reminded of this verse last week as I was pulling the church bus up to our parking garage. I pushed the button on the wireless remote control transmitter to raise the garage door. Nothing happened no matter how many times I pushed.

          I used my key to go in the side door and discovered there was no electricity. This meant nothing worked, neither the lights nor the hard-wired door openers, nothing. And even though the tiny light indicators on the wireless remote transmitter showed that it was in good working order, it was useless because the receiver in the garage had no power. A storm had blown the fuse.

          We’ve all gone through emotional and spiritual storms. It takes a lot of work to maintain our families, success on our jobs, and to reach goals we set for ourselves. The fact is, life is not only difficult, it is impossible. What makes anything possible is God, and unless we are connected to Him, we cannot do anything worthwhile. In the end, even successes that seem worthwhile are nothing without God in the picture.

          In life, God is the transmitter. We are the receiver. If the power is interrupted very often or for too long, we will invariably begin to notice that the joyful life we had when we were fully connected to God, has deteriorated into a life of self-indulgence.

          Young families are often tempted by idolatry by wanting to please themselves and their children more than God, or the created more than the Creator. They begin to justify habitually skipping worship times because of their child’s involvement in a sports league that plays every Sunday morning. But eventually, they will notice their child’s attitude and level of respect and moral standards begin to fall as the family begins to spend less time dedicated to worship and Bible study with their church family. This disconnect from the Power of God will have that same effect on any of us. Remember, “The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).”  Have a blessed day!