Does the Devil Know Who You Are?

whoareyouAfter a 25-year sojourn, about a year ago I moved back to the town where I grew up. I’ve had a great time renewing old friendships and making new friends. Every day, I have conversations with people in my church in which we discover mutual friends and/or memories.

Occasionally, I encounter a face that I recognize, but I can neither remember the name nor the context of how we are acquainted. Usually, the person remembers me and knows exactly who I am, but I am left to stall for time and fake familiarity while trying to recall this person’s name and place in my life.

In the Bible, the book of Acts recounts a story of anonymous identity. While at Ephesus, Paul performs some incredible miracles through Jesus’ name, included casting demons out of afflicted individuals. A group of seven brothers, all sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva, tried their had at invoking the name of Jesus and casting out demons. These guys were not followers of Jesus, they merely attempted to copy-cat Paul’s method while hoping to achieve the same results.

When they attempted to cast out a demon in the name of Jesus, in whom they did not believe, the demon responded to them verbally by saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” The demon did not feel threatened by the sons, and he jumped on them and beat them so badly they ran out of the house beaten and naked. (Acts 19:11-16)

I’m not sure if that was more frightening, embarrassing, or humorous. They thought they had authority over the demon, but that demon had no clue who they were.

That begs the question… does the devil know who you are? Have you caused him enough grief that he has a file on you? Does the devil keep up with your coming and going out of fear you will threaten his work?

Let me suggest a few people the devil knows and tracks.

  1. The believer who is consistent and fervent in prayer.
  2. The believer who dares to share the Gospel even in the face of fear and threat.
  3. The believer who regularly and systematically reads, studies, and obeys God’s Word.
  4. The believer willing to daringly show the unconditional love of God to those who need it most.

If you do not from time to time experience opposition from the devil then more than likely one of two things is true in your life – either he already has you in his grasp, or you are not doing anything to threaten what he is doing around you.

See what you can do to get yourself on the devil’s watch list.

In the comment section below, feel free to share other ways you believe we can get in the devil’s watch list.

What Is Your Plan for a Better 2015?

A plan is a wonderful thing.  We plan events and trips.  Ball teams execute a game plan.  Builders meticulously follow a building plan.  If you want to lose weight, you follow a dietary plan and most likely an exercise plan.  We do not expect important things to happen by accident, so we develop and carry out what we believe to be an effective plan to reach our goals.  Why do we not apply the same fervor to our spiritual growth?  Why do we expect spiritual growth to happen by accident? The Bible definitely doesn’t.

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness… – 1 Timothy 4:7

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. – Hebrews 5:12-14

“Train yourself.”  “Constant practice.”  These are not words that indicate something happening by accident.  Spiritual maturity takes place over time as a person intentionally seeks God in the pages of His Word, then faithfully practices the lessons learned.

What is your plan for Bible reading?  What verses are you planning to memorize? What topic are you planning to investigate?  What Bible character do you plan to analyze and whose example you plan to follow?

How much time do you plan to spend in prayer each day this week?  When will you pray?  Where?  How?

In what ways do you plan to stretch your faith and serve outside of your comfort zone this year?   What about a new ministry, mission trip or a service project?

How do you plan to grow in your financial stewardship?

If you want to grow, don’t expect it to happen automatically or accidentally.  Develop and follow a plan to grow.

Click here for some great Bible reading plans.

Some Practical Ideas for Bible Study

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One of the reasons many people do not engage the Bible regularly and intentionally is that they have no plan for doing so. Where to start? How to proceed? Today, I want to share a few ways I have found helpful in my Bible intake.

I like to read the Bible regularly in 3 different ways. First, I like to read large passages of Scripture to help me get a broader view of God’s Word. You might consider reading the Bible through in a year or even reading the New Testament through in a year. You can find several Bible reading plans online to help guide you in this process. Several good plans are available here.

I also like to read regularly through Psalms and Proverbs. I often alternate months reading one or the other in addition to my other Bible reading. In months with 30 days, you can read through Psalms by reading 5 a day, and in months with 31 days you can read through Proverbs by reading 1 a day, either easily doable during a lunch hour.

The most important reading, I believe, is Bible reading for devotional purposes – gaining immediately applicable truth and wisdom for daily living. This is best done in smaller sections. For this type of reading, I usually like to read through the Gospels or New Testament letters. I read a paragraph at the time – sometimes only one verse, and occasionally one verse over several days. During this time, I want to learn the truth of the text, in its context, and determine specific ways God wants to apply it to my life.

Often people use devotional books and materials to aid in this process. These are OK, but I find it more beneficial to allow God to speak directly to me through His Word without an intermediary source. I approach a text by asking and answering some questions to discover its truth.

One way to do this is called the SPECK method and asks 5 questions of the text. The keyword in each of the questions begin with a letter than when placed in succession spell the word SPECK.

    • Is there a SIN I need to forsake?
    • Is there a PROMISE I can claim?
    • Is there an ENCOURAGEMENT I need to hear?
    • Is there a COMMAND I need to obey?
    • Is there KNOWLEDGE I need to gain?

 

I also like to write what God reveals to me in my study. Often I even write prayers in response to what I learned. On a regular basis, I look back over my notes to review what God has shown me.

Hopefully these tips will get you on your way to intentional Bible study and unleash the power of God’s Word in transforming your life.

Tomorrow, I plan to share with you some tools I believe can help you unlock the truth of God’s Word, but until then what are some practices that you have found helpful in your Bible study? Click the comment button below and share with us.