Pastoring Is Easy  as is the Christian Life

Please follow your heart and enjoy the Lord as you consider these meditations.

Pastor Tom

“What About the Devil?”

Someone asked "What about the Devil?"

For starters, what about him ?

We don’t spend much time talking about nothing.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross

Collossians 2:13-15 NIV

If he and his powers are disarmed and triumphed over why give them any attention,

our focus and goal is not reasoning in the “tree of knowledge”  but yielding to the Father.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body,

but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence

Collossians 2:20-23 NIV

The “spiritual forces of this world” desire and require a debate to draw you into the “tree of knowledge”. Developing a life living by conversation with God not information eliminates any consideration of his devices. Adam and Eve failed to defer to the Father, love calls us to die to our own thinking and enjoy a life deferred to the Father. Strongholds of thought, imaginations, false doctrines all have no power to them who defer to their Father. This power is in the love relationship and surpasses knowledge and understanding.

 for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2 Corinthians 2:11

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing

that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,

and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Know the Good Shepard's voice 

His sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger;

John 10:4-5 NIV

Live by conversation not by information.