Satan: The Epitome of Inception

I am a big fan of the movie, Inception. This action thriller is based in numerous dreams, with the main premise being to plant a business idea in a man's head using the concept of inception. In the movie, the character, Arthur, says its impossible because, "The dreamer can always remember the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake." Cobb, on the other hand, knows that inception is possible because he had used his wife as a guinea pig. Unfortunately, the concept that he had planted in her mind in order to save her from remaining in her dream world's limbo eventually led to her death in reality.
The concept that our thoughts can be so consuming and crushing that they eventually kill us is a very real matter due to the constant spiritual warfare around us. Satan is continually trying to impress upon us thoughts that turn us against God, which would separate us from His love and eternal life. Satan does this by using our minds to conjure up thoughts that cause us to doubt His goodness and authority. Satan twists positives into negatives, and negatives into positives in order to lead us astray.
When reading Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley, I became very aware of how Satan polluted Eve's thoughts. Her focus turned from the numerous trees that she could eat from, to the one tree she was forbidden to eat from. Satan not only got Eve to question God's authority by asking, in Genesis 3:1, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?", but he also planted a lie into what she thought God had told her originally. In Genesis 3:3, Eve says, "But God did say, 'You must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" Looking back in Genesis 2:16-17, where God originally instructed Adam and Eve, one will note that the phrase "and you must not touch it" is not found within the text. This is the lie that Satan slyly planted within Eve's mind to cause her to become irritated with the boundaries that God had set forth within the Garden of Eden.
Some might wonder how the inception of ideas is possible. The answer is found within Ephesians 6:12 ~ "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The concept of spiritual warfare is reiterated within 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which states, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish the strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We are called to protect our thoughts in order to guard ourselves against the evil spirits who strive to infiltrate our minds in order to turn us against God. Revelation 12:12 tells us, "But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Satan's only goal is to turn as many people away from God and eternal life as possible. He does this by manipulating our weak minds to believe his twisted concepts about God. If someone decides to turn against God and choose the side of evil with Satan, his or her name will not be found in the book of life. Without your name in the book of life, meaning that you accept Christ as your Savior, there can be no eternal life. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:15 which states, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Paul voiced his concern about the grip sin has on the human mind and how easily it can be deceived within 2 Corinthians 11:3 ~ "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
My suggestion is to keep the knowledge of spiritual warfare on the forefront of your mind in order to heighten your awareness to potentially disastrous thought processes. To protect yourself, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand," as Ephesians 6:13 suggests. God is our only source of protection against the evils of this world, so we must make the decision to rely on Him and call on Him in times of need. The best way to protect your mind is to pray, read God''s Word of Truth, and follow the instructions found within Philippians 4:8 ~ "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." You will be amazed by the impact of positive thinking and allowing God to have complete control over every aspect life.

Overlooking an Offense

"A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel." ~Proverbs 18:19
"A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense." ~Proverbs 19:11

It is a natural part of life to endure disputes with your fellow man. It's what happens within society, more so than not, these days. I'm sure many of you have realized, either with close friends or family, that once somebody gets offended, it takes quite a bit of time to overlook such an incident, much like the one in the first above proverb. Man can turn into an unyielding fortress if he gets attacked in a manner that goes against his viewpoints or beliefs. The important lesson in the situation, though, is to not remain stone-cold, but to be patient and try to overlook an offense, like in the second proverb found above.

It is in our best interests to try and soften our hearts in order to get past an offense, great or small. You might ask, "Why?" and the answer is to bring glory to God. By overlooking an offense, it does not necessarily mean that you were wrong in the situation, or that how you were treated was right. It just puts you on the path towards forgiveness so that you can walk in a more Christ-like fashion. For many, this is hard because our sinful human nature always yearns for revenge. Many times we just want the other person to suffer the same pain and anguish that we felt, but that's not how we are meant to function. Instead, listen to the words found in Romans 12:17-21, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." A similar version can be found within 1 Peter 3:8-9, which states, "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." Not only are we called to overlook an offense. We are also called to heap blessings onto the people who have wronged us. Again, this goes against our very human nature and the sinful thoughts in our mind. Too often we feel that kind gestures should only be reserved for those times when friends have been kind to us, not when they have sinned against us. The knee-jerk reaction we lean towards involves anger and revenge, but Ephesians 4:26 proclaims, "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." The problem with getting angry is that anger festers and only makes problems worse. The best solution is to pray and demonstrate your true colors, utilizing the stalwart character that God blessed you with, by deciding to be compassionate and blessing those who have caused you pain. This essentially helps you live out the words found within Luke 6:27-28: “'But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.'"
In my experience, emotional and verbal wounds take the most time to heal. Many seem to forget that words, whether spoken or written, can pack a punch. Other times, words morph into empty promises and hang limp like dead leaves on a tree limb because they aren't coupled with actions, or they lack follow-through. Too many times our own words get thrown back in our faces and used against us. It is times like these that are hardest for me to remember to be compassionate and loving, especially because I feel like my heart has been seared with a cattle prod. All I really want to do is rant and rave and let others know the pain I've had to endure. Deep down, I know that this won't solve anything. I know that the best solution is to try and move past the hurt in an attempt to make amends and salvage the relationship I have with the person who hurt me. But the key to overlooking an offense and putting an incident in the past is to make sure it stays there. Digging up old wounds defeats the original purpose of overlooking the offense. Proverbs 17:9 states, "Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." In order to avoid separating close friends, bury your old wounds and throw away the key.
While reading my book Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills yesterday, I came across the following quote: "Love involves sacrifice." This of course got me thinking about the word "love" and the scant few people I claim to care enough about to use this word to express how much I care about them. It made me question whether I have sacrificed anything for them, and vice versa. I think it made me realize that without the sacrifice, great or small, the word "love" should not be used. Now sacrifice does not mean some monumental task, like Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross to demonstrate His immense love for us. Instead, it is that moment where you analyze a situation and decide to do what is best for the other person involved, even if it is not what you want in your heart, and even if it causes great anguish in your heart and mind. In my mind, that is the demonstration of true love. It also embodies the message of this post about why it is best to overlook an offense: In order to demonstrate your love for the other person. All the more reason to take to heart this following verse:

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." ~Ephesians 4:32

Biblical Friendship

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. 
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

Anybody who has experienced life knows that it is not easy. There are always little stresses throughout the day, along with bigger issues such as financial difficulties, unemployment, relational issues, or unexpected health or car issues. Without God, we would never get through each day. We must also realize that God has blessed us with a Christian community so that we have friends to help us through difficulties we might come across on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Friends can provide the necessary physical and emotional love that is uplifting to the soul as we yearn to feel God's spiritual love. Friends help remind us that God does care about us and that he blesses us with others who love and care about our well-being.
It is to our own benefit to take advantage of all friendship opportunities in order to be able to handle the stress life throws at us. It is necessary to be surrounded by dependable individuals who will always have your back in good times and in bad times. If we are lucky, we find a handful of individuals who we do not hesitate to call on in any situation. Proverbs 18:24 states, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." These friends should be cherished like the treasures they are and should not be taken for granted.
There are a few characteristics of biblical friendship that are essential for a close knit bond; brotherly love and providing good counsel. Close friends become almost like family and we should desire to put their well-being and happiness in the same realm or above our own. This concept is outlined in Romans 12:10 ~ "Be devoted to each other in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Also, we must be open to counsel from close friends and be willing to reciprocate in times of need and in everyday life. Sometimes we find ourselves too invested in a situation and need to step back and see it from another point of view. A true friend understands your heart and will be able to discern how to best handle a situation. Proverbs 27:9 outlines the joy that can come from seeking the counsel of friends by stating, "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice."
My advice is to cherish a biblical friendship whenever God provides one in your life. He knows the struggles that we endure, and He doesn't want us to try and be independent. God desires for us to go through life in fellowship. Remember that the best way to have a great friend, though, is to strive to be one in return.

A Prayer For Self-Control

I opened to this prayer in my book Prayers for People Under Pressure by Jonathan Aitken.

O God,

Control my tongue.

Keep me from saying things that make trouble

and from involving myself in arguments

that on make bad situations worse

and that get nowhere. Control my thoughts.

Shut the door of my mind

against all envious and jealous thoughts;

shut it against bitter and resentful thoughts;

shut it against all ugly and unclean thoughts.

Help me to live today in purity, in humility, and in love.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord.

Amen.

                                                 William Barclay (1899-1978)

Accountability, Authority, and Encouragement

Accountability is a concept that popped into my head during Bible Study on Sunday night. I'm not exactly sure why, but it might have stemmed from our discussion about how we as humans react to authority. Our study was based on Matthew 8:1-17, which discusses Christ's authoritative actions and words, along with the faithful Centurion. What was outlined was how we are all under some form of authority and held accountable for our actions. A hierarchy was created in order to illustrate this concept. Children under parents. Wives under husbands. Parents under church elders. Church elders under Jesus. Jesus under God. This gives us a sense of who on Earth we must be held accountable to, along with demonstrating how we are all accountable to Jesus and God.
As I was surfing the internet trying to gather more insight into the matter of accountability, I came across an article entitled, Accountability, by Kenneth Boa. I found the beginning quite interesting because he discusses how we are more apt to deal with issues after they arise and boil over instead of confronting them when they are relatively minor and easy to handle. One of the most striking illustrations that reminded me of my own life was when the author quoted Neil Plantinga saying: "We deny, suppress, or minimize what we know to be true. We assert, adorn, and elevate what we know to be false. We prettify ugly realities and sell ourselves the prettified versions. Thus a liar might transform 'I tell a lot of lies to shore up my pride' to 'Occasionally, I finesse the truth in order to spare other people’s feelings.'" I think we all accidentally fall into this trap of trying to spare other people's feelings as a way of avoiding confronting the real problems. Thus the reason we are called to encourage on another and hold each other accountable.
1 Corinthians 12 discusses how we are all members of the body of Christ and we must all work together and help each other. This excerpt from 1 Corinthians 12:12; 14; 18-20; 24-27 provides a decent illustration of the matter: "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body...But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." This is proof that we must all work together as one body and help each other out when necessary. The notes from my NIV Life Application Study Bible stated the following: "Believers are in the world together--there is no such thing as private or individualistic Christianity. We shouldn't stop with enjoying only our own relationship with God; we need to get involved in the lives of others."
There is a distinct need to be involved in each other's lives. We are all part of one great big community in Christ and we are meant to uplift one another, along with holding each other accountable when we stray away from the Word. Now this does not mean that we point out everybody's faults and put ourselves up on a pedestal. We must kindly rebuke others, provide advice, carry each other's burdens, and encourage one another. Truth is necessary in the framework of accountability, even though it is occasionally hard to swallow. Ephesians 4:25 mentions the necessity for truth in order to maintain unity: "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." We are all scared to speak the truth due to the potential harm that it might cause. Sometimes it is hard for others to see your viewpoint and remaining quiet seems like the best option. Unfortunately, this tends to prolong the issue, making it more difficult to deal with down the road. This is when we must seek out advice from fellow Christians in order to figure out how to handle a problem. In the process of doing so, some of your own faults might be pointed out, and one must accept this with dignity and not revenge. Proverbs 19:20-21 discusses the importance of listening to advice and discipline when it states, “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Nobody enjoys being disciplined. It takes a very discerning person to humble himself in order to accept what is being said and try to incorporate the advice in order to continue following the Lord's purpose. I'm not saying that this will be easy by any means, but it is important to allow others to correct you out of love in order to rebuild what is broken.
We all struggle with sin, which occasionally blinds us to any wrongdoing in our lives. If we sense that one of our fellow Christians has stumbled, we must gently help guide them back to the right path. We are not meant to go through life on our own. Instead, we are called to help one another and receive help. Galatians 6:1-2 states, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." We are specifically instructed to bear the weight of other's misfortunes and grievances in order to lighten the load. This is exactly what being apart of one body in Christ and sharing in community is all about.
The foundation of any community should involve encouragement. This can help bolster morale and keep others from throwing in the towel when they are struggling and have a strong desire to just give up. I will leave you with two excerpts about encouragement. The first can be found in the book of Hebrews while the second is found in 1 Thessalonians. I hope that these will serve as a reminder to look outside your own little world and the stresses you are dealing with and turn your focus to those around you who may be struggling with the same issues or something much harder.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." ~Hebrews 10:24


"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else." ~1 Thessalonians 5:11-15

Admitting My Faults

As Christians, we are called to confess our sins, which is outlined in James 5:16 ~ "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed..." Lately, I have been analyzing my life and realizing some aspects that I have been struggling with in recent weeks. I'm not really going to elaborate on anything, but just make you aware of my recent shortcomings. I am only going to cite the Scriptures that have convicted my heart and type the corresponding notes from my NIV Life Application Study Bible that have gotten me thinking and also convicted my heart. Most are self-explanatory.

Psalm 118:8 ~ "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." Notes: "Are you willing to trust God to guide you here on earth and to your eternal destination? Do you trust him more than any human being? How futile it is to trust anything or anyone more than God."
Proverbs 3:3 ~ "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Notes: "Love and faithfulness are important character qualities. Both involve actions as well as attitudes. A loving person not only feels love; he or she acts loyally and responsibly. A faithful person not only believes the truth; he or she works for justice for others. Thoughts and words are not enough--our lives reveal whether we are truly loving and faithful. Do your actions measure up to your attitudes."
Proverbs 9:8 ~ "Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you." Notes: "Are you a mocker or a wise person? You can tell by the way you respond to criticism. Instead of tossing back a quick putdown or clever retort when rebuked, listen to what is being said. Learn from your critics: this is the path to wisdom."
Luke 17:3 ~ "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." Notes: "To rebuke does not mean to point out every sin we see. It means to bring sin to a person's attention with the purpose of restoring him or her to God and to fellow humans. When you feel you must rebuke another Christian for a sin, check your attitudes before you speak. Do you love the person? Are you willing to forgive? Unless rebuke is tied to forgiveness, it will not help the sinning person."
Galatians 5:14-15 ~ "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." Notes: "When we believers lose the motivation of love, we become critical of others. We stop looking for the good in them and see only their faults. Soon we lose our unity. Have you focused on others' shortcomings instead of their strengths? Remind yourself of Jesus' command to love others as you love yourself. When you begin to feel critical of someone, make a list of that person's positive qualities. When problems need to be addressed, confront in love rather than gossip."
James 1:19-20 ~ "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." Notes: "These verses speak of anger that erupts when our egos are bruised--'I am hurt.' 'My opinions are not being heard.' When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt. But we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument or when we feel offended or neglected. Selfish anger never helps anybody."

Book Club and Ephesians

I am very enthusiastic about the new book club that has sprung up through the Young Adults Bible Study that I attend on Sunday nights. It was proposed that a book club be started in order to discuss particular books in a casual setting in order to gain input and insight from other women. I feel that this is a spectacular idea because the various perspectives gained are intriguing since each participant comes from a different walk of life, whether it is professionally or spiritually. It is a great blend of new and seasoned believers who are very open to express their opinions and understand the other viewpoints gathered.
The book we are starting with is entitled "Radical Womanhood," which was written by Carolyn McCulley. This book is about "feminine faith in a feminist world." The author used to be a feminist, but became a Christian after a trip to South Africa. It is very interesting gathering her perspective as a feminist and combining it with how we are to live out womanhood in a biblical fashion. The verses that the book is centered around can be found within Ephesians 5:22-30, which state, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--for we are members of his body."
Though we have only reviewed the preface and first chapter, some compelling conversation topics have already been introduced. The concept of prideful independence vs. responsible independence has been brought up in regards to when it is okay to take care of our own needs. Also, it is import to note that these verses are not male dominated. Though wives are called to submit, husbands are commanded to love and care for their wives as if it were their own body. So in essence, it is a mutual appreciation for one another.
I look forward to learning more on the topics within this book and how the feminist movement has misconstrued the biblical role of the female. I also look forward to getting to know better all of the members involved with the book club so that we can continue to strengthen one another's faith by discussing Scripture and everyday life.

Insight From Another Blog

I found the following post to be very intriguing and definitely something to start focusing on.
Elephant Mentality