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| Volume 24 Number 12 December 2022 |
Page 8 |
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| Volume 24 Number 12 December 2022 |
Page 8 |
Mark McWhorter
Every person wants to be safe. Every person desires to have peace by feeling safe. Danger can come from any direction. In the spiritual realm, Satan may attack from any direction. He will come from behind, from in front, from the side, from above or from beneath.
Since Satan can attack from any direction, a person needs protection in all directions. It is impossible for a human to be awake at all times. It is impossible for a human to see in all directions at once. So, it is impossible for an individual to feel safe from Satan unless there is help from another source. Thankfully, there is another source.
God wants to be that source. God loves every person. If a person will obey God, He will protect him or her from Satan. We read in Deuteronomy 33:26-27, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’” (NKJV).
Notice that God is above in Heaven. He is around the person since He is the refuge, and thus, He is behind. He has His arms underneath the person protecting beneath. Furthermore, He is in front of the person, thrusting the enemy away from before him. Those protected by God are able to “dwell in safety” (Deuteronomy 33:28).
What a wonderful God we have. Do all you can to learn about our God. Obey Him. Get His protection. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Ernest S. Underwood
“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (NKJV). Here is a familiar verse, a verse from which we can learn some vital lessons.
The church at Corinth had a problem; that problem was division. Jesus had prayed for unity (John 17:20-21); later, the apostle Paul explained and commanded unity (Ephesians 4:1-6).
Division was the problem, and following men was the cause! When men turn from following the Lord – turning from “the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:13) – and begin to follow men – even in small things – division will always result.
When there is a problem and the cause is known, a remedy must be sought. Paul’s remedy was that they all speak the same thing. However, men can all speak the same thing and still be saying what is false. The 450 prophets of Baal are a good example (1 Kings 18:20-40). Therefore, there must be a standard. That standard is the Word of God. It and it alone is what God would have all men to follow. Only those who are doing this are pleasing to Him. Peter commanded: “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God…” (1 Peter 4:11).
Can you prove your religion and your church by this sacred standard? Does the Word of God authorize your religion and your church? If not, the Word of God alone provides the remedy.