GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 4 ~ ~ Psalm 46:9 ~ ~ “He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in the fire.”
The world that God created for us and intended us to live in had no wars and no death because there was no sin whatsoever. Once the first man, Adam, brought sin into the world, murder, wars and disease descended upon the entire creation, including the animal world.
Sea anemones have a sophisticated army with warriors as well as scouts. The California anemones live in colonies of genetically identical individuals. Often, another colony of such clones, but genetically different from the first colony, lives quite close. The colonies are separated by a narrow patch of non-clone anemones. Within the colonies, the individuals are peaceful with each other, but they engage in warfare with the neighboring colonies. While the main object of life is to catch food, the warriors have tentacles that are not used for that, but rather for lashing invading anemones with stinging cells. Sometimes, scouts will enter the non-clone no-man’s land between the colonies. The non-clones appear to be guards that sting any scout that enters their territory from either colony. Researchers were flabbergasted to find such a complex social system and penchant for war among anemones.
Warfare is something we added to the creation when we sinned, because man, and all of the created creatures, were fallen into the hands of evil.
We don’t realize just how evil this world is, and, worse yet, how evil each of us is if left to ourselves.
If it weren’t for the protection of God on mankind, we would be left to only the influence of satan and our fallen selves, which is “only evil continuously” Genesis 6:5
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
“They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
A great majority of people have the idea that God is an easy-going grandfather who let’s the “kids” do what they want, and laughs at “naughtiness”
Many will say that He is loving and He knows “I don’t really want to be bad.” so He’ll let everyone in heaven.
Neither of these things is true. If we had any idea how POWERFUL, JUST and HOLY the Almighty is, we would be on our faces before Him shaking in fear.
If we got a full revelation of the evil within each of us, not only would we lose all hope of salvation, but we would lose our minds!
If it weren’t for the holding back of the Holy Spirit, described here:
2 Thessalonians 2:7 Amp ~ ~ “ For the mystery of lawlessness [rebellion against divine authority and the coming reign of lawlessness] is already at work; [but it is restrained] only until he who now restrains it is taken out of the way.” ———
all of mankind would be a throng of demoniacs.
Does that sound too strong?
Ephesians 2:1-3 in the Amplified version explains it very well. “ And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God]. Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].”
If you are saved, praise the Lord! But it is of no good of you that it happened. No one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him (John 6:44) and no one knows the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6)
So, none of us did anything good—-ever—on our own. What’s more, with all the talk about self esteem, the Word says just the opposite….
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”
Like John Bradford said, looking at depraved prisoners— “There, but by the grace of God goes John Bradford.” And so we may say.
Thank You, Father, for Your protection over our hearts and over the whole world, allowing just enough evil in the world to test each of us to show us what our hearts seek, but not enough to allow the depravity that is in each of us to come to fruition. In Your GREAT wisdom and mercy, you keep things perfectly balanced. Please keep us knowing what we would be capable of without Your restraining force, and remind us of how evil this world really is under the cover of the lies and human control. Thank You that we can rest in the peace that comes from You, knowing every detail is in Your control, and that in the end, we will be with You for eternity, after You have broken the weapons of the enemy. In the Wonderful name of our Lord, Savior and Intercessor, Your Son Jesus Christ, we ask this and praise You forever. AMEN