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| Volume 24 Number 11 November 2022 |
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| Volume 24 Number 11 November 2022 |
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Louis Rushmore, Editor
“He’s Everywhere” (1966) is the title of a Gospel song by Sonny James. It was about seeing God everywhere and in everything – from a baby’s smile to the wind that blows – and so forth. Also, “Everywhere” (1987) was a love song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac; more recently (2022), the song was used in a commercial to promote Chevrolet electric vehicles.
“He’s Everywhere,” referring to God, implies His omniscience – the divine characteristic of being all knowing – as well as His omnipresence – the divine trait of being everywhere. Truly, Almighty God is omniscient and omnipresent – “He’s Everywhere.” God “knows all things” (1 John 3:20 NKJV). “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3; cf., 5:21; Jeremiah 32:19; Job 34:21; Hebrews 4:13). God is everywhere – “not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27), and He fills all of creation (Jeremiah 23:23-24). “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell [Hades], behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7-10).
Satan, however, does not possess divine characteristics; he is not equal with God but is a created being as were all the angels (Psalm 148:2-5). Angels are subject to God (1 Peter 3:22; Hebrews 1:4, 6). Nevertheless, angels – with whom Satan and his cohorts were a part (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-9) – are elevated above men (Hebrews 2:6-7) and possess abilities surpassing those of mankind (2 Peter 2:11).
“Satan” or the “Devil” goes by several different names in the Bible (“dragon,” “serpent,” Revelation 12:9; 20:2; “the ruler of this world,” John 12:31; “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,” Ephesians 2:2; “the god of this age,” 2 Corinthians 4:4; “Beelzebub,” Matthew 12:24), and he may seem to be friendly with humans (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). The New Testament portrays Satan as an actual being rather than merely a philosophy or an influence. He tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11), snares Christians and takes them captive (2 Timothy 2:26), uses various devices to tempt people (2 Corinthians 2:11) and must be resisted (James 4:7). Satan is “…going to and fro on the earth, and …walking back and forth on it” (Job 1:7). “…The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Although Satan is neither all knowing nor everywhere, he may be anywhere. In addition, Satan’s angels – doing the same kind of dastardly deeds – may be anywhere, too. Beyond that, Satan introduced sin into the Garden of Eden, and humans have excelled in sinfulness on their own from the murder of “righteous Abel” (Matthew 23:35) by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:8) to the wicked world preceding the universal flood (Genesis 6:5) through the present.
That being said, with every new invention, Satan and wicked souls find ways to use it to promote sinfulness. Often, a person can choose to use the latest apparatus in either a legitimate or a sinful way. Airplanes can transport mail, cargo and passengers, or they can be used for smuggling and warfare. TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones can be used for family entertainment, for educational purpose and for communication, or they can be used for sinful purposes. In fact, television and computerized gadgets multiply the ease with which anyone can become accidentally or purposely exposed to a vast amount of ungodly content. Satan and his evil angelic band especially lurk today in our smartphones, private messaging, social media and in every type of communications. In a sense, it’s easier to sin in many more ways than perhaps has ever been the case before the present.
God is everywhere. Satan can be anywhere, and he usually is. We need to exercise determined self-discipline to refrain from happening upon or from becoming addicted to, for instance, such things as pornography, foul language and anti-scriptural worldviews. Reflect on the fact that God is everywhere watching but desirous that all souls are and remain saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Dehydrated!
Rodney Nulph, Associate Editor
Margaret Bradley, a native of Boston, a University of Chicago medical student and a veteran marathon runner, died from heat exhaustion and dehydration during a July 2004 27-mile day run in the rugged terrain of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Although Miss Bradley was a seasoned runner, the sweltering Arizona heat literally drained her system of the needed moisture to survive. Dehydration can be fatal! The more I research and learn about the health of the human body, the more amazed I am at how common dehydration really is. In fact, some even go so far as to say that 75% of Americans live each day chronically dehydrated.
While I am concerned about my physical hydration, there is a more serious dehydration than that of the physical body. Spiritual dehydration not only causes us many problems on this earth but in eternity as well. Many centuries ago, at Jacob’s well, on the outskirts of Sychar, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman who had come to fill her water jar. However, her hydration problems were much more serious than what she realized. As Jesus looked deep within her soul, He saw her dry, dehydrated spiritual life and offered her “living water” (John 4:10 NKJV). There are numerous parallels between physical thirst and spiritual dehydration.
Firstly, like physical dehydration, spiritual dehydration can be forgotten. Personally, I must remind myself regularly to hydrate my body. In fact, if I do not set a reminder, some days I will drink very little water, and before I realize it, my body is in serious need of hydration. The same is true spiritually. Life gets busy. Schedules get full, and before we even realize it, our spirit is dry and beginning to wither. Work, sickness, fear and even negligence keep some in the spiritual desert of dehydration. Jesus clearly reminded the woman at Jacob’s well that drinking of anything else, but His water, leaves us dehydrated (John 4:10-14).
Interestingly, as we drink more water physically, we become thirstier, and it is easier to hydrate. However, the opposite is true as well; when the body becomes dehydrated, our thirst trigger wains. What a parallel spiritually! Some souls have become so dehydrated that they no longer have the spiritual thirst and desire to drink. “…Jesus stood and cried, saying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink’” (John 7:37). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Are you thirsty for Jesus?
Secondly, like physical dehydration, spiritual dehydration can be faked. I am guilty under this point for sure! Some days I fulfill my thirst with coffee and iced tea and have no room for water. However, coffee and tea (especially caffeinated versions) are diuretics, which drain the body of moisture, while adding very little hydration back. In my mind, I appease my thirst by drinking these drinks but am honestly adding nothing to my hydration – actually detracting from it. The same is so true spiritually! Some fake their spiritual hydration by worshipping God sporadically, occasionally reading the Bible, sometimes saying a prayer, and all the while, they become more and more dehydrated spiritually! Why? Because we appease ourselves by giving God a small piece of our life. Yet, this lifestyle will never really hydrate a soul spiritually! The only way to really hydrate spiritually is to prioritize the spiritual over the physical (Matthew 6:33; 22:37-40; Hebrews 3:13; 10:23-25). A sip here and there of Jesus leaves one seriously dehydrated!
Thirdly, like physical dehydration, spiritual dehydration can be fatal. Sadly, Margaret Bradley learned this fact a bit too late! A physical body can pass the point of being able to be rehydrated. Organs begin to shut down, and death becomes inevitable. Sadly, by just drinking a little more, Bradley could have finished that race. The spiritual application is even more serious! A soul can reach the point where it can no longer be rehydrated (Hebrews 6:4-6; 1 John 5:16-17). What then? Spiritual death is inevitable! Jesus pleads for all to come to Him and drink of life eternal. Heartbreakingly, some are content to trudge through this barren wasteland spiritually dehydrated and to ultimately lose their souls to dehydration!
Lastly and most excitingly, like physical hydration, spiritual dehydration can be fixed! By simply being a bit more mindful of our hydration physically, we can flood our bodies daily with pure water that refreshes us and keeps us healthy. Thank God that this is true spiritually as well! We do not have to navigate the desert of life dehydrated! Jesus can fill our souls and give us the hydrating fluid of His Word to strengthen and to sustain us until we reach the “river of water of life” (Revelation 22:1).
Physically, there are ways we can tell if we are dehydrated. If a person is dizzy, lightheaded, has a dry mouth and lips or urinating less and less, dehydration may be the problem. Spiritually, there are ways we can test our hydration as well. Do you feel less than zealous for the Lord and His work? Do you view worship, Bible Study and service as a drudgery? Do you infrequently pray and study the Word of God? Are you critical and condescending toward the church? You may be suffering from spiritual dehydration! Rehydrate yourself in Jesus, and see your entire spiritual life be refreshed. Do not take the warning signs lightly because there may come a point in your spiritual journey where rehydration is impossible. Drink deeply at the well of Jesus today. Your soul will thank you!