St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 21, The Enemy and his Tricks.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 8.  

In the previous parts of this paragraph Christ has given his disciples tools of war, weapons to fight the evil spirits that they will encounter and do battle with.  He has trained them for the spiritual realm in which they will fight.  This battle is not in the physical realm but the spiritual realm, even though the results of the battle can have physical consequences.  This is what Christ now shows his disciples.  He tells them that there will be physical consequences to this battle.  There will be separation.  There will be division.  There will be blood shed by the people.  The demons will not go easily.  They will cause their own evil disciples to bring about destruction and death and bloodshed upon the believers.

Christ gives his disciples a glimpse into the future, showing them the results of their teachings.  He tells them,  "Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and put them to death."   All this will happen because of the spread of the message of the kingdom of heaven.  The demons will cause believers to fight against unbelievers and this will bring about destruction.  Brothers who grew up together and loved one another will turn and become enemies.  One will give up the other to death because of the evil that is in man's hearts.  Fathers will sacrifice their children to death because the children will not change from their belief in the message of Christ.  Children will rise up against their parents because they think that their parents do not embrace the old teachings of the kingdom.  Destruction will reign and this is the will of the evil one.  They will not be able to change the beliefs of those who hold to the beliefs of Christ so they will persecute, and torture, and beat, and kill the bodies of those who believe.  And Christ will accept them into his kingdom as saints.

Today in our society and in societies all over the world believers in the one true God face the same persecution.  They are tortured, slain, and put to death for their beliefs because the devil has taken control of those areas of the world and invaded the hearts of men.  In this society, in America and more civilized countries, we still have the same persecution but not quite as severe.  Fathers deny their children and cast them out because of their beliefs.  Children give up their parents when they enter into the world because of the teachings that their parents instilled in them .  They are indoctrinated and blinded by the dazzle of the world and give up their spiritual values handed down by their parents.  Brothers separate and build walls between themselves because of their religious beliefs.  The principles of love and family die and the evil one cuts the ties that bind them together and places a wall of separation between them.  We still face the same enemy today, only hidden from us in the cloak of industrialization, glitz and glamour.

Love conquers all and the love of Christ  will open doors to fight the enemy.  The lessons that Christ  has given his disciples must be applied today.  Do not be surprised if you are separated from your family for following the message of Christ .  Do not be surprised if you are persecuted, ostracized at work, unpopular with friends, left out, denied opportunities, talked about, and looked down upon.  All these are the tactics of the devil to sway you into his plan.  Keep the faith.  Hold the course.  Rely on the Lord for your strength.  He will provide.  He will see you through.  You will not be alone because there will be others to share your burdens and walk with you along the path of life given  you by Christ .  Keep the message of the kingdom of heaven and remember the words of Christ , "Do not be anxious!"   Keep your hearts calm and free from anxiety, for the Spirit of the Father will come to you and will speak through you.  Are you ready for the coming separation, brother against brother, father against child, children against parents?  Prepare yourself.

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 19b, The Enemy and his Tricks.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 6.  

Christ continues his discussion with his disciples concerning how they are to respond when they are delivered up to the governors and kings.  He is preparing his disciples for mental and spiritual training.  He has told them that they are not to be anxious when they are delivered up.  He wants them to understand what anxiety does to them.  He wants them to understand that anxiety opens the door for the spiritual demons to come in and destroy their defenses.  Anxiety will cause them to be fearful.  Anxiety will lead them to think about the consequences of what will or may happen.  It will take their focus off of today and put it in the past or in the future.  Anxiety will cause their minds to consider endless possibilities of events that are not real and keep them in a circle of fear.  The design of anxiety is to take control and give way to fear.  And it is this fear that prevents the word of God from operating in their lives.

The disciples must remain calm.  They must focus upon the words that Christ has given them,"Do not be anxious how or what you are to speak."   By maintaining mental and spiritual clarity the enemy will not be able to enter the mind or the spirit.  They enemy will have no foothold upon them.  The door will be closed to fear without having any way of entering.  So Christ says this to his disciples so that they can prepare themselves.  The disciples have been with Christ long enough to know that he speaks with authority.  What he says comes true.  What he says is the truth and they can rely upon his words.  They have seen the results of his words, the results of his actions, and they have come to believe and have faith in who he is. 

Why does he tell them to not be anxious?  It is important that they do not allow their minds to not be filled with fear.  It is important that they not attempt to determine for themselves what they are to say, what will be the best words, what will have the most effect.  When they are considering what to say the enemy can read their thoughts.  They enemy can plan an attack that will lead them into destruction.  But with their minds clear, their spirits calm in Christ, the enemy has no clue what is happening.  Then Christ explains why he wants them not to consider what they are to speak.  He tells them, "For what you are to speak will be given you in that hour." 

You see, with the mind clear from fear, the words that they are to speak will be given to them.  The words that they are to say will come to them.  The words that they are to use to defeat the enemy will be spoken by the Holy Spirit through their mouths.  So Christ wants them to be prepared to receive the Holy Spirit.  He wants them to know that they have a companion with them that will defeat the enemy.  He wants them to be bold and steadfast in the battle they will face with the evil spirits that they will face.  This is a wake up all for us today. It is a tool, a weapon that we can use in our daily lives when we face trials and tribulations with the enemy.  Do not be anxious.  Do not be fearful.  For what you are to say and what you are to do will be given to you.  And the enemy will not know how to read you.  They enemy will not know how to defeat you.  The enemy will not know who you are until he sees the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through you. 

Christ trained his disciples well in preparation for the battle.  He has given us words to help us train today to be bold and steadfast and fearless.  Will you head the words of Christ?  Will you accept the training that he gave to his disciples and that he has provide for you today?  Clear your mind.  Calm your spirit.  Be receptive to the word from the Holy Spirit and you will prevail.  Can you hear the words of the Holy Spirit speaking to you, today?     

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 19a, The Enemy and his Tricks.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 5.  

Christ now begins to tell his disciples how they are to act when they are delivered up.  A prisoner of war will only give his name rank and serial number to the enemy and the disciples are given instructions as to how they are to respond.  For they will be brought before governors and kings.  They will testify for the sake of Christ.  They will be questioned about the new doctrine they preach.  And the spiritual demons will want to devour them like sheep.  Christ, however tells them, "Do not be anxious how or what you are to speak."  

Do not be anxious, he tells them.  Do not allow yourself to fear.  Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with anticipation.  Do not let your mind race with thoughts of what will happen.  These are the things that Christ wants to prepare his disciples for.  He wants them to practise mental training.  He wants them to still themselves spiritually so that they have a defense against the enemy that they will face.  For the battle is for the souls of men and the soul is reached through the heart and the mind.  So they must be prepared.  They must be ready.  They must know what to expect. 

Anxiety opens the door to fear.  Fear is the gateway to speculation of what will happen in the next minute, the next hour, the next day, and the future.  And fear will give the enemy the advantage to destroy the faith implanted in the disciples by Christ.  Christ has spent time preparing his disciples for the coming battle.  He has spent time showing them the results of faith.  He has questioned their faith in order to strengthen it for the battle ahead.  He has demonstrated to them what faith looks like and what it can do.  Now it's time for them to exercise that faith in the battle that they will face before the evil governors and kings of the land. 

So Christ is warning them to keep the door to anxiety closed.  He is showing them the tricks that the enemy will use.  And he is giving them weapons that they will use to defeat the enemy.  They are the disciples of Christ.  They have the spirit of Christ within them.  They are prepared for battle. 

Can we say the same today?  Do we allow anxiety to control our lives?  Do we open the door to spiritual evil allowing it to bring forth fear into our lives?  How can we fight the spirit of anxiety?  How can we control the entrance of fear into our lives?  Sometimes just repeating the words of Christ begins to help us keep the door closed.  He said, do not be anxious.  So we can tell ourselves to not get anxious, over, and over, and over again, as a means of bringing calm into our lives and our situations.  We can breath and listen to our hearts so that they do not become gateways to fear.  A calm heart is a clam mind, and a calm mind fixed on Christ is a steel door that the devil cannot penetrate.  So let us put on the armor of Christ and keep him before us as we face our trials and tribulations daily.  Will you close the door to anxiety and stop fear from entering your life??

 

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verses: 12 - 13, The Instructions

Our paragraph topic is:  (Instructions to the Twelve) Part 5.  

Christ continues to instruct his disciples how to battle with the spiritual forces that they will encounter on their solo journey.  As seen in part 4, Christ has told his disciples that they are to seek the one worthy in the towns and villages they enter.  This is their challenge call to bring out the one who is worthy, all those who would be worthy, and the spiritual demons who would put down this declaration of worthiness.  In this part he tells his disciples,  "As you enter the house, salute it."   In making this salute to the house, Christ is telling his disciples how to know if there is evil in the house.  He is telling his disciples how to distinguish between a house that has had practised in it the spiritual principles handed down by Moses or if the house is filled with demon spirits. 

He tells his disciples to greet the house by saying, "Peace be to this house."  If there is spiritual peace and loving peace in the house then it will accept the peace given it by the disciple.  If there is hate, and anger, and fear, and deceit, and all other evil spirits practised in the house then the house will not accept the peace given it by the disciple.  That peace will return.  Christ tells his disciples,  "If then that house be worthy, your peace will come upon it; but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you."   The disciples will know for certain the nature of the house and the spirits therein.  They will be able to feel the calm in the house or the unrest in the house.  And in doing so, they will also know the nature of the people who inhabit the house and the spirits that inhabit them.

The disciples are in combat training.  They are learning the ins and outs of how to encounter the enemy and how to defeat it.  They are being trained in stealth fighting and they are being taught by the best, Christ himself.  They must learn about booby traps.  They must learn how to determine the true enemy.  They must be able to discern the inner being of the people they are talking with, walking with, living with, and teaching with.  For the enemy will look for every opportunity to sabotage their mission.  The enemy will attempt all kinds of tricks, to destroy the disciples.  They will stoop low to undermine.  They will call from high places to bring down fear and doubt and pressure upon the disciples.  And Christ is preparing them to meet all of the tricks and trades of the demons. 

Christ knows what they will face.  He sees beyond the human face, into the soul of the people.  He knows those who are possessed of pride and hate, and fear, and deceit, and lust and envy and all other evil passions that destroy men.  The instructions that he has given to his disciples were good then and are good today.  We eat, sleep, work, play, shop, travel and worship in a world filled with people possessed of evil spirits.  And they are not aware that they are possessed.  Fear grips them.  Anger takes over.  Lust directs them.  Envy fills them.  Deceit sits on their shoulders and whispers in their ears.  All manner of evil lurks in this world that we live in.  And Christ gives us directions how to do battle.

It is easy to speak peace into a room.  It is easy to feel the comfort and joy of love in a house.  It is also easy to note discomfort in a place, if you are at peace with yourself.  Today we can practise the principles of peace within ourselves if we try.  We can call upon Christ and ask for his peace.  We can experience the eternal peace and joy that comes from knowing that Christ will walk with us wherever we go, whatever we do, and with whomever we are with.  Practise the peace of Christ.  Open your heart and receive his peace.  Spread that peace wherever you go.  Know the places where you are, that keep your peace and those places that have evil spirits that will seek to destroy you.  Will you speak the peace that Christ offers you today?  Will you accept the peace that is yours to have from Christ himself?  Come seek it!!!