When we make light of sin.

When we make light of sin ("But a little [insert sin type here] won't hurt..."), we make light of Satan. Jude 9 says, " But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Satan's a powerful, supernatural evil. Take sin, and thus Satan, seriously and with a sober mind.

Maintaining Strong Bonds: How to Stop Satan from Dividing and Conquering

Maintaining Bonds

Philippians 2:1-7

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

BQ:  Would you kill your family members off one by one because of small differences? As a Christian family, we must never let the world drive us apart. We cannot let petty differences divide us. We must NEVER become embittered against a brother or sister in Christ, because,  “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls." (Mt 12:25)

Instead, at all times we must be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph 4:3)   Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) Instead of looking for a reason to abandon your family, find a reason to cling to them. 

BQ:  Christians need to maintain relationships, because we're an army and a family.  Phil 2:1-2 says, "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose."  How can you do that? How can you always be of the same mind or someone that perhaps you have little fondness for?

The easiest way is to realize that we all have the same commission from Jesus and the same purpose: to go and baptize people and teach them all that He commanded. That person you don't get along with because his sense of humor is weird? He is your battle buddy, and might save your skin one day. 

Apply this to romantic relationships, too. Realize that you MUST have the same mind and purpose, or you will never have complete joy, unity or spirit, encouragement of Christ, affection, compassion, or consolation of love.

BQ: Do you ever see a sister or brother in Christ and not feel like they're really someone you want to fellowship with? God says in Phil 2,  "if there is any fellowship of the Spirit...Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves."  That person that is a little rough around the edges, maybe, don't regard as not good enough yet, but rather as more important than yourself.  Do everything to serve them and help them grow. 

If you're married or going to be married, realize the same thing. You have to regard your spouse or future spouse as more important, and be willing to go the extra mile, serving them and showing sacrificial love. It's a lot easier when you both have the same focus and goal: serving Christ.  If that's true, you'll never feel conflict in being a servant, but rather joy in being a part of an effective team.

BQ: As Christians, we can't let Satan divide us. We MUST remain united. Often we take offense over the coarse actions of a brother or sister or spouse, but we need to take a step back and realize that stumbling does not mean that we have to fall. Philippians 2 says that if we want to be united in spirit, we must, "not merely look out for [our] own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."  
 

Did your spiritual family member hurt your feelings? Don't be bitter. Instead, talk to them and show them how you can look out for his or her interest. Do something kind. Show your love and grace not through mere words, but with actions. It'll reveal the character of Christ, which can do more than anything else to change a person. 

BQ: Philippians 2 tells us that, in order to remain united in spirit, romantically or not, we must, "have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus: who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant.

Stick together with those who have the same goals as you. Empty yourself of selfishness and be willing to take on the attitude of a servant. It's one of the hardest things for us to do, and because of that, being a servant is one of the most memorable things, and the most inspiring to others. Lastly, don't think of servants as just those who clean up counters and do dishes. Soldiers serve their country, and are thus servants.  Be a solider in a great army, and never let anyone divide you to wreck your ability to serve God. 

Satan's Serious Business!

BQ: Today many Christians take sin and Satan pretty lightly? Are you one of them? I used to be, but it began to occur to me that maybe it's a little bit more serious than I'd thought.  Why?  Here's a good example of when Michael the archangel was having a conflict with Satan:

"But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”" (Jude 1:9)

Notice that even Michael, a very powerful angel, understood that Satan was a supernatural and powerful evil, and not something to be taken lightly. I've heard people today make some pretty snide remarks about the devil, but it's important to realize that we simply can't take on Satan one-on-one and win. We have to have the Lord firmly on our side, and we have to realize that it's Christ's strength that's empowering us in the battle.  If even Michael treats Satan with great caution, shouldn't we do the same? Or as Barclay said, "If the greatest of good angels refused to speak evil of the greatest of evil angels, even in circumstances like that, then surely no human being may speak evil of any angel." 









BQ: We're looking more at the supernatural strength of supernatural evil, or Satan, and why we should sometimes take it more seriously than it is. I suppose the connection in my mind is that of casual sin (or sin that we want to keep around and pretend is ok) and Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that we should, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

A roaring lion honestly isn't something that any of us would probably want to tussle with mano a mano.  Even Michael the archangel showed great caution around Satan and turned to the Lord and not his own strength when dealing with Satan. Gen 4:7 connects with the above noting that, "I you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

Satan's power comes through sin, so this evil that even Michael took very soberly...is sometimes something that we don't take seriously. It can be the little sin that we want that leads to a bigger one. In a marriage, it might be a husband hanging out once or twice with a female coworker in a group environment, then enjoying that, then in a more intimate setting, and on and on until adultery occurs. The thing is, Satan is a clear and present danger, but he's a master of deception, too. More tomorrow.






BQ: We've been looking into the seriousness of Satan, and thus sin. Today we're going to look at 2 Pet 2, starting in verse 9, emphasis mine:  "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,  and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.

Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.  But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,  suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong."  Jude 8 confirms saying, "Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties."

Satan is the most powerful of the fallen angels. Do the above verses make him seem like a being to be trifled with? Like he's just a chump? No way! Instead, he's a massively powerful being, and even angels don't revile him! I also can't help but notice that people that don't take him seriously are mentioned as "indulging the flesh" and "having no knowledge."  This can absolutely apply to us if we're not careful!






BQ: In looking at how we should treat Satan, we need to look at how Jesus treated him, too. Matthew 4:1-4 has a little bit of this:

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.  And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

Notice that even Jesus did not take Satan lightly, but instead was prepared with the Word of God in defense. Jesus actually had preparation for dealing with Satan. He took it seriously and wasn't flippant, and instead used the Word as a familiar weapon.  Can you use the Word in your defense when you're weak?  If Jesus and the angels all take Satan and his angels seriously and soberly, we need to, too. Satan and sin are just aren't things to be taken lightly! :)