What I'm Listening To: Run Devil Run

David Crowder's 2016 song Run Devil Run is a crude transliteration of James 4:7 (b)

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you

It is no secret that sin corrupts us and distracts us from the new life of right relationship with God (Eph. 4:22), but we have this truth to help us put on the new self:  we are renewed in the spirit of the mind and now live in the likeness of God!  (Eph. 4:23-24).  In this passage in Ephesians, Paul encourages us to completely change, putting aside the old ways of doing things - anger, falsehood, stealing, unwholesome words and contrasts these with the new life:  good words for edification, kindness and forgiveness.

... and do not give the devil an opportunity (v.27)

It is not easy to resist when we are tempted, but we have a perfect example to follow:  Jesus was tempted in every way, yet was without sin.  

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb. 2:18 ESV)

So we have the example of Jesus going before us, being tempted but succeeding in His battle against the devil.  In fact, He was so successful that He died as the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God; death could not hold Him - he was raised to life on the third day after His death on the cross!   It is in Jesus that we have our victory over sin.

I previously wrote about the progress of temptation in "Gollum":  lust leads to temptation, conceives and gives birth to sin, then when it is fully grown, sin gives birth to death.  See https://twdthegoal.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/gollum_22.html

Many religious people are really trying to live good lives and avoid sin, but the problem is that without Jesus, they are doing it in their own strength.  Nobody is good enough for God's standard except Jesus.   Jesus is the only way to God; the only way to have victory over sin; the only way to resist the devil. 

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Jn. 14:6 ESV)

In fact, the devil's fate is sealed.  It has been sealed since Jesus uttered His last words on the cross,

It is finished!  (John 19:30)

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev. 20:10)

Let's not forget the context of James 4:7 and what comes before and after the exhortation to resist the devil...

Being a friend of the world means we are an enemy to God, so we should submit to God.   Having submitted to God, we have the power to resist the devil and he will flee.   Then as things are in the right priorities in our lives, we can draw near to God, and He will draw near to us.

Notice the verbs, requiring our action:  Submit, resist, draw near.   There's an onus on us, but God doesn't leave us unequipped.  He provides the tools for us (I've highlighted the actions and underlined the tools):

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.  (Eph. 6:10-18 NASB)

The lyrics of Crowder's song are,

I got somethin' make the devil gonna run
He been dancin' till the break of dawn
Devil gon' try to take a shot at me
He got none, but baby I got three

He tryna make a fool outta me
Y'all takin' out my sanity
He ain't nothin' but a silver tongue
I got somethin' make the devil gonna run

I got somethin' make the devil gonna run
I got somethin' make the devil be gone
Run devil, run devil, run devil run
You bet your bottom dollar he's gonna be gone
I got somethin' make the devil gonna run

Run devil, run devil, run devil run

I got somethin' make the devil go away
I've been dancing all night and day
Holy Ghost, filled with fire
Look out devil we got revival

Now people gonna move and say
Holy Roman murder scene
He ain't nothin' but a silver tongue
And I got somthin' make the devil gonna run

I got somethin' make the devil gonna run
I got somethin' make the devil be gone
Run devil, run devil, run devil run
You bet your bottom dollar he's gonna be gone
I got somethin' make the devil gonna run

I got the King of kings and the Lords of hosts
I got angel armies and a Holy Ghost
I got spirits here that are tied by fire
I got a valley of bones that came alive
I got a cross, a hill, and an empty grave
I got a trumpet sound and one sweet name
Shake the gate of hell, the sinners and dogs
I got my Jesus and the devil gotta run

I got somethin' make the devil gonna run
I got somethin' make the devil be gone
Run devil, run devil, run devil, run
You bet your bottom dollar he's gonna be gone
I got somethin' make the devil gonna run

Run devil, run devil, run devil run

You can stream Crowder's official music video on Vevo at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US1-R-R9lYQ.  It's really quite good!

Are you a Warrior?

Warriors fight in war.  We are in a war.

Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

In my workplace, we sometimes have to deal face-to-face with the gay-lobbyists.  This week was one of those occasions.  Now I'm not referring to people who think gay marriage is ok and people can do what they want - we all know someone with views like that - but I'm talking about the organised, militant gay lobby that is driving a cultural agenda in attack of the marriage and family.

During our dealings this week, a workmate asked me how I feel about this gay lobby.   After reflecting for a few seconds and gathering my words carefully, I responded along these lines:

Like every one of us, the gay lobby is also made up of fallen individuals, each of whom God loves.  Jesus died for these people.   God also calls us to love each of them.

God created marriage to be between one man and one woman, pure in every way, just as a picture of Christ and the Church.   Marriage is not to be compromised.

Our law is good and fair and requires us to treat each individual equitably and without prejudice or discrimination, and so we should.   Our laws also do not require us to deny our Lord or our faith, and we can live out our standards based on our biblical beliefs, so we need not be compromised.

The bottom line:  We are called to love the individuals without loving the sinful behaviour.  Pretty much business as usual!   This is opportunity for gospel discussion.

Are you legalistic and judgmental, or loving and gracious?

Bill Muehlenberg recently posted the following thoughts, and I reproduce his article in full:

"Christians: How Long Will You Keep Denying the Lord?

Aug 20, 2017

 

“Who me, deny the Lord?” you might be saying right now. Yes you. It is time to get real here. How many Christians are in fact denying their Lord in all sorts of ways, maybe even on a daily basis? How many because of cowardice, because of being men-pleasers, because of wanting to be accepted, will refuse to stand for Christ, especially at crunch times?

How often have we had a chance to share the gospel or talk about Jesus or stand up for a crucial ethical issue, yet we have remained silent, fearful of upsetting folks and losing “friends,”  or worried about what they might think of us? Come on, let’s be honest with ourselves here.

This is a massive problem and sadly I see it happening all the time. Indeed, I have even had good Christians tell me how fearful they are of speaking up. And they may have all sorts of good reasons for this silence, such as the need to keep their jobs so they can feed their families.

But just how long can we expect that our silence will be winked at or overlooked by our Lord? How long before we realise that maybe some things are more important than even keeping our jobs? How long before we realise that God is quite able to look after and support his own, if they faithfully give him 100 per cent of their lives?

Yes we all must look after our families, and yes we all must be wise here and not reckless, silly or presumptuous. But I believe that as Western culture grows increasingly hostile to Christ and Christians, we will all be forced to make a choice: do we keep denying our Lord with our silence and our cowardice, or do we risk everything for Christ and the Kingdom?

Will we be willing to lose our jobs because we were much more worried about denying our Lord? And do we really believe that God is able to look after us, provide for us, and feed and clothe us, if we stand for him unflinchingly, whatever the cost?

Well, do we? We all need to be asking ourselves these sorts of questions as the days grow darker, the anti-Christian bigotry gets worse, and more and more believers decide to deny their faith instead of stand for what is right. Just whose side are you on actually?

And it is not just refusing to speak up for the Christ and share the gospel that I am referring to here. I believe we can just as effectively deny our Lord when we refuse to speak out on the issues of the day that are so vitally important. And it should be clear what some of these crucial moral and social issues are.

The battle for life is one obvious area. We all should be standing up for the unborn, for the elderly, for the weak. We should be resisting the culture of death. Consider just three biblical passages on this:
Psalm 82:2-4 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

Proverbs 31:8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

And the same with the war on marriage. God’s institutions of marriage and family are under massive assault right now, especially with the push to redefine and destroy marriage, and to steal from children their right to their own biological mother and father.

All Christians should be standing strong on this. All Christians should be speaking out on this. All Christians should be doing everything they can to support natural marriage and resist the militant homosexual agenda. Yet we find most Christians refusing to say a word or do a thing.

For all sorts of reasons they are sitting on their easy chairs tight-lipped as this war on marriage escalates. Shame on them. This is a gospel issue. This is something all followers of Jesus Christ must be involved in. By refusing to engage, we are effectively denying our Lord.

And the Bible speaks to this often, as you should know. One very ominous passage is found at the end of Luke’s gospel. In Luke 22:61-62 we find this: “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.”

Wow, Peter denied Christ three times. But how many Christians have denied Christ hundreds of times by refusing to speak up, by refusing to resist the war on marriage, by worrying about what others may think, by cowering in fear? This is equally as serious and sinful as what Peter did.

Think also of some other very stern words from our Lord, such as Mark 8:38: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Another such passage is Matthew 10:32-33: “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

These are some very serious warnings which we all better pay very close attention to. I ask this again: Are we denying our Lord? Are we keeping silent about the things that matter when we should be shouting truth from the rooftops? Well, are we?

Let me finish with a few words to encourage you and inspire you in these matters:

“The desire to please may be commendable enough under certain circumstances, but when pleasing men means displeasing God it is an unqualified evil and should have no place in the Christian’s heart. To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.” A.W. Tozer

“Rule of thumb: if your principles evaporate the moment courage is required to defend them, you have no principles. You’re a panderer, not a warrior.” Matt Walsh

“How few men are strong enough to stand against the prevailing currents of opinion.” Winston Churchill

“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battle front besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.” Attributed to Martin Luther

“Boldness enables Christians to forsake all rather than Christ, and to prefer to offend all rather than to offend Him.” Jonathan Edwards

“Even a dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.” John Calvin

“What the world needs most is a voice that courageously speaks the truth, not when the world is right, but a voice that speaks the truth when the world is wrong.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” Billy Graham

Let me ask one last time: Are we denying our Lord?"


References:
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2017/08/20/christians-long-will-keep-denying-lord/
Artwork:  Peter's Denial by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890)