Positive verses from the Bible can be from the devil also – Discern!

Ever flip through the pages of the Holy Bible to look for a verse that will back up your plans? Or ever wish the pastor will say the very words that will assure you you’re doing the right thing? How about waiting for a prophecy that will give a thumbs up to what you’ve got on your mind to do? And surely you get the very verse you’re looking for! But this is where we need to be super careful (if we are truly concerned about what God wants!):

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:  And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone (Ps 91:21). And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Luke 4:3-12 KJV)

Jesus was obviously hungry being in the wilderness for 40 days. Was it wrong for Him to command the stones to be made into bread? Is it illogical for a hungry man to eat? Satan was not planting an evil thought in Jesus’ mind, it’s a fairly rational thought. However Jesus refuses to heed to the devil just because of one reason: that though he gave a logical solution to Jesus’ need, the words was not of God. To listen to the devil is rebellion against God, regardless of how good the thought is! Satan did not tell Jesus anything lewd, evil, dirty; he saw what Jesus was in need of and offered a solution. How often do we succumb to his suggestions when we are in need? Jesus knew that Satan’s intention was not to satisfy Jesus’ hunger but to get Him to obey him! That was the wicked plan behind the innocent solution. When we plan to get a job, a spouse, a date etc, we run to the Bible or open our ears and eyes to every word we hear/see on TV, books, through friends, preachers et al. Who is influencing our desires and giving a “thumbs up” for us to pursue them? Is it God or the devil?

Notice also that Satan knows the Bible like no man does! He knows every reference, passages and incidents recorded in the Holy Book. He used a verse from Psalm 91:12 to combat Jesus when He used the Scripture to fight the devil. God has not prohibited Satan to use His Scriptures! Satan will and does use it to trap God’s children into thinking that the verses and words are from God. Yet Jesus knew his adversary and knew His Father; God would never want Jesus to jump of the temple. If He did, would God not send his angels to save Him? He would! But the very act of testing God and jumping off the temple would have been an act of rebellion. When the devil can dare to use God’s Word against Jesus to accomplish his own agenda, how much more does he do the same with us?

People will always say good and encourage us in our dreams – regardless of them knowing better or knowing nothing. During the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Lord had spoken through His prophets the impending downfall of Jerusalem. Yet there were prophets who claimed to be from God yet they prophesied lies of peace. They might have used their logic and thought the wrathful words of the true prophets were too “judgemental”, and that such a good God would never bring destruction upon His own people.

They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. (Jer 8:11)

If the Word of God does not sound pleasing to you or does not support your vision of the future, do not go around seeking false assurances, even from the Bible. False assurances will be plenty, but warnings few. So discern the source behind your assurances because God does not give a green signal to any human plans.

Deceiving and being deceived by ignoring God’s divine wrath

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2Tim 3:16)

By “all Scripture” the Apostle Paul meant the Old Testament as well as the New. God is the source of the Bible; this book is all about Him – His character, His attributes, His work, His sovereignty.
God knows that in the New Testament He is depicted as a loving Father who desires that no human should perish but should be saved from eternal condemnation unto eternal life, and be reconciled to Him. This is the aspect of God and His Gospel that Christians focus on all the time. When it comes to preaching, evangelizing, teaching, sharing, believing it all revolves around this unfathomable love of God. And it is because of this love that we have the liberty to experience His grace and mercy.

However, God also knows that in the OT He is depicted as a tyrant; unmerciful, unpleasant, unloving, hating, impatient, jealous, short-tempered, unjust towards the ungodly and the disobedient. Why did the authors in the OT portray such a loving and compassionate Creator in such horrid manner? The answer is this: all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God! They were led by the Spirit of the Lord to write all that they wrote about Him.

What people miss out on is that God’s wrath is holy! For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness… (Rom 1:18). What Christians don’t understand is that God’s wrath is revealed against ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. They do not discern that the wickedness of people is the cause of God’s judgment upon them. The Lord, who knows the hearts and thoughts of all, knows that He is looked down upon as evil; yet He will not compromise His “self-image” to make Himself look “nice”, loving everyone just as they are. No! He wants people to know that He alone is God and that there is no other; and His holy way cannot be compromised to make a good name for Himself among mere humans and gain their favor. Why should the Creator care what the rebellious creation (such as Richard Dawkins) think of Him? Humans are like grass, like the flowers of the field; today they bloom, tomorrow they are no more (Psalm 103:15).

The Gospel message is incomplete when the impending judgment of God towards the ungodly and the unrighteous is ignored. And this incomplete Gospel is being believed in and preached today. No one wants to warn people about the fury of God on the ungodly because that would make Him sound mean and nasty and might turn off any “potential” believers. Is it any of our business when we make Jesus look mild and loving, begging people to accept His love? Shouldn’t we be begging people through our lifestyle and words to repent of their sinfulness because we have been given the knowledge of the wrath of God through the Bible? Why proclaim half the Gospel, which is half truth? And not just the unbelievers but also Christians focus on the humanistic love of God, that He loves them just as they are; that He is no longer the terrifying God of the OT after demonstrating His love through Christ.

God is from everlasting to everlasting: He does not morph Himself according to the times, ideologies and concepts of people. The terrifying God of 3000 BC years is the same in this 21^st Century, and He is not ashamed when His true followers depict Him the way He has depicted Himself in the OT as well as the New. His wrath demonstrated some millennia ago will again be demonstrated with the return of His Son, only this time it will be far more intense!