Enabled for the Evil Day - Temptation

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."—Ephesians 6:12-13

Whether we like it or not, we are involved in a spiritual warfare. This isn't a physical conflict with the Devil; it is a spiritual battle, a conflict in the heart and mind. It is a battle for how we see things. It is a battle of values. It's a battle for what we trust in, believe in and understand to be true. 

Because of these battles, we are told to "take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

What is the evil day?

This evil day can be any day when the Devil lays evil, wicked and morally diseased opportunities in our path.

1. The evil day of temptation.

There are certain days when temptations are more intense, sometimes to the point of almost overwhelming us. The Bible says "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (I Cor. 10:13).

There are times when Satan comes in like a flood and seeks to tempt the child of God in unusual ways. 

• Satan strikes where we are weakest
• Satan is an expert justifying our disobedience to the Lord
• Satan never quits

we are in a continuous spiritual warfare, and it is very real. The battle begins in our mind. Satan wants to get our minds off God so we will not be controlled by His Word.

—adapted from the January 1, 2016 issue of the Sword of the Lord newspaper. Written by Dr. Dennis Leatherman of Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church, Oakland, Maryland

Read a Sample of The Adventures of Catfish Annie

The Adventures of Catfish Annie SAMPLE

With All My Heart

"I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart."—Psalm 9:1

Teach me to trust Thee, Lord, everywhere,

To cast upon Thee my every care,

To seek Thy wisdom ever in prayer

With all my heart, Lord, with all my heart.

Teach me to love Thee, Saviour so kind,

With all my heart, my soul and my mind.

In Thee all pleasure ever to find,

With all my heart, Lord with all my heart.

Teach me to serve Thee; I'm not my own.

Come, take possession of my heart's throne,

With joy and gladness, serve Thee alone

With all my heart, Lord, with all my heart.

Teach me to sing my praises to Thee

For Thy great love that saved even me.

Oh, I will praise Thee, eternally, 

With all my heart, Lord, with all my heart.

—Mable R. Miller

Backsliding Christians. Why Do We Do It?

Why do Christians fail God and fall into sin?

• Some allow themselves to be hurt by others. Too often we get our eyes on others instead of Christ; and when they fail, we, in turn, follow them. Satan uses others as a stumbling block.

• Because they neglect the house of God. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, and ye see the day approaching.—Hebrews 10:24,25

• Some fail to discipline themselves against temptations. We ought to avoid, stay away from, and stay clar of areas where we are weak. Romans 14:13 says, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."

• Often our memory fails us. We need to remember our salvation experience, answered prayer, God's blessings and rewards. Remember the pit from which we are digged and the rock from which we are hewn (Isaiah 51:1).

• Some backslide because of coldness of heart. We grow cold, indifferent, apathetic, lukewarm, and lose our first love.

• Unconfessed sin causes backsliding. The psalmist cried, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18). As Christians, our responsibility is to follow Galatians 6:1-3; Matthew 18:15-19; and James 5;19 and 20 in helping to restore those who have backslidden.

Quotable Quotes

- The man who thinks he can know the Word of God by mere intellectual study is greatly deceived, because spiritual truth must be spiritually discerned.—Samuel Chadwick

- When you have found a promise which meets your need, do not ask God to keep His promise as though He were unwilling to do so and needed to be pressed and importuned. Present it humbly in the name of the Lord Jesus!—F.B. Meyer

- None are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves.—Charles Spurgeon

- At the Last Great Day, there will be a big shake-up and a big shake-down. Princes who rode on horses and servants who walked will change places. True greatness in the sight of God will change our little picture of who's who.—Vance Havner

- Any nation which for an extended period puts pleasure before liberty is likely to lose the liberty it misused.—A.W. Tozer

More Enemies Than Friends

The Lord knew what He was doing when He gave us the
Word of God. Despised, rejected, abused misused burned, slaughtered, whittled to pieces—yet it still lives.
The divinity of the Book is seen in the fact that its
opposition and enemies have been unable to destroy it.
The Bible is the most despised book
in the world and has more enemies
than friends.
—Lester Roloff

A Day With Him

A DAY WITH HIM I heard the voice of Jesus say, "My son, it's time to kneel and pray." Down on my knees I quietly went And talked with Him 'til power was sent.
Alone with God, as Jacob of old, I discovered joy more precious than gold. The peace of God flowed into my heart, And I knew from Him I'd never part.
The things I learned that day from God Gave me wisdom the pathway to trod. "Trust me," He said, "with all your heart, And strength I'll give you the day to start."
Beginning with Him, I felt secure, Knowing His Word is true and pure. During the day, He stayed with me, Giving me light His way to see.
My burden of sin on Him I laid, Knowing His blood the price had paid. When evening came and the shadows fell, I knew that with my soul all was well.
The song He gave me during the night Consoled my heart 'til morning light. With the rising of the sun, I heard Him say, "Together we'll go through another day." —Raymond Barber used from Heaven's Hymnbook: An Overview of the Psalms Volume III ©

Who Cares, Anyway? Part Five

"I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul."—Psalm 142:1-4

Do You Care Enough Not To Quit?

Thanks be unto God for the many through the ages that have cared enough for you and me. Our history tells us of those great men and women that have cared enough. In our present day and time there are those who still care. We need to care enough to go to the lost.

A young couple that had gotten saved brought their elderly grandmother to Christ. Afterward, the couple couldn't find her, so they looked through the village but couldn't find her anywhere. They went to village after village, but they couldn't find her. Days went by and they had not located her.

Finally, somebody in one of the villages was heard to cry, "There's Granny!"

The entire village went out to see her and asked where she had been. She said, "Well, you know after I found out that Jesus is alive and that He's coming back for all those who prayed to Him and is going to take them with Him, I thought about all of my old friends on the other side of the mountain. 

"I told them, 'He's alive. He's up there above the clouds, and one of these days He's going to come back for every one that prays to Him and take them up there with Him."

When Granny was asked if any of them prayed, she said, "I can't count, so I put down a straw for everyone that prayed. Here's my bundle." Tied together with a piece of lambskin were sixty-nine straws.

You have your opportunity to care enough right now. Do you care enough to go over to the other side of the mountain like Granny did?

I know you care, but do you care enough to help people get saved? Don't be indifferent. Do business with God and get it settled, because He wants to do business with you.

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Who Cares, Anyway? Part Four

"I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul."—Psalm 142:1-4

Do You Care Enough to Allow the Holy Spirit to Move You?

Their sin and backsliding won't let some care like they ought to care. They've gotten away from the Lord and taken control at the helm of things in their lives. Their hearts have grown cold and hard, and they've become unfaithful to the point that they've become unmovable.

There was a time when messages from the Word of God could touch their hearts and even bring them to the altar. Their backsliding and sin have gotten them away from the Word of God and the influence of the church.

They've gotten away from a faithful walk with God, and no longer do they have personal time with God. Their hearts have gotten cold and complacent, and they're at the place where they're not moved.

The child of God needs an old-fashioned moving of the Holy Spirit of God until he takes down the fences. We ought to be emotionally stirred and care enough to reach those around the world who are trapped in darkness. Their lives are ebbing out, and they are going to die and go to Hell. If we could get emotional and stirred up enough to pray and give whatever is needed to reach the unsaved of this world, we would see more people saved and in Glory!

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Who Cares, Anyway? Part Two

"I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul."—Psalm 142:1-4

Do You Care Enough About Lost Children?
Do you care about the children in your community and other areas?

Wouldn't it be good if in one of our missions conferences we had slides with all the missionary outreaches of the church and pictures that showed all of the run-down areas reached and little kids all around the church? Maybe then somebody would surrender to become a new bus captain.

God loves every one of those children in Africa and other areas that need clean water, but there are a lot of kids in our own communities that need clean water. There are many kids in our area that need to be saved.

We are saved because somebody cared enough about our soul. Maybe he knocked on our door and gave us a gospel tract or stopped us and talked to us about our salvation.

What is it that stands in the way that won't let you care enough?

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Who Cares, Anyway? Part One

"I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul."—Psalm 142:1-4

We say that we care about many things, but it is not enough just to care. We must care enough!

If I asked church members, "Do you care about your church?" they would say, "That's a foolish question. Sure, I care about my church."

If I asked parents, "Do you care about your home and what happens to it?" they would answer, "Sure! That's a foolish and superfluous question to ask."

If I asked the man of the house, "Do you care about your wife? Your children and how they turn out?" he would answer, "Why ask that dumb question? Sure, I care about my wife and children."

If I asked a wife, "Do you care about your husband and your home?" she would say, "What a foolish question. Sure I care about my husband and my home."

If I asked children, "Do you care about your parents?" they would answer, "Sure I care about my parents."

If I asked the church, "Do you care about all the little children in your church?" the answer would be, "Sure we care about them."

We say we care about many, many things; but the question comes back to us: Do we care enough?"

Do You Care Enough About Your Family?
Husbands and wives, do you care enough about your spouse to be true to each other? To tell each other you care? To live right for each other? Do you care enough to tell each other every day, "I love you"?

I hear some husbands say, "She knows that. I told her that a long time ago!" Don't you think she'd like to hear it again? Don't you like to hear that God loves you?

Husband, do you care enough to take the leadership role, or do you leave that up to her or someone else?

You say you care about your spouse, but do you care enough to live a godly life before each other and do the things that you ought to be doing for each other?

You say that you care about children, but do you care enough to live the kind of life you should before them? Do you care enough to take them to church and to hold the church and preacher in high esteem?

It's not enough just to care; you have to care enough!

99¢ eBook Sale - Jed Cartwright and the Dangerous Journey

Now through Christmas day, we will be offering one eBook at the special price of...

Today's Special eBook:

Jed Cartwright and the Dangerous Journey

About the Book:

Life in 1860 is not easy for Jed and his little sister, Mandy. Orphaned and homeless, the two children face numerous obstacles even before setting out on their own from Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. Sustained only by sheer grit, determination and their love for one another, they set out to find their uncle whom they hope will give them a home. They travel mile after mile, meeting both kindly people and harmful ones, escaping peril and injury again and again.

Travel along with Jed and Mandy through heartbreak, danger and God's provision. Experience with them the fact that in spite of true hardship and genuine challenges, God forgives and welcomes into His Home anyone who will come.

Ed Dunlop is a children's evangelist whose numerous books are popular with young people and adults alike.

Mall Marked Jesus Down

A few years back a nine-inch model of Jesus as a baby appeared in many stores. The doll was "packaged in a straw and satin crib with a picture of the Bethlehem manger and appropriate biblical texts."

But the doll was not a success—people probably felt that to merchandise such a thing was carrying the commercialism of Christmas to a new low—and at least one store, in an effort to unload its supply of the dolls, cut the price rather drastically.

One woman who was comparing prices in various stores excitedly reported to a neighbor, "The mall has marked Jesus Christ down fifty percent."

Strangely enough, this is quite similar to what is happening today. This sounds all too familiar: moral corruption in high places; legalized abortion; prayer taken out of schools and replaced with drugs and guns; displaying manger scenes in public places forbidden; the word blood taken from many hymnals—"too gory"; new Bible versions omitting "virgin" from the Old Testament and "begotten" and "Propitiation" from the New; worldly music in the pulpit on Sunday; preachers who have gone soft; churches catering to the culture—anything to play down Christ, the Bible and the old-time Faith.

Yes, Christ has been marked down drastically—even more than fifty-percent!

So it behooves us who believe in the old-time religion to proclaim it this Christmas with clarity and conviction!
- taken from December 4, 2015 issue of the Sword of the Lord Newspaper

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