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UNLEAVENED BREAD - DAY 7

Fred Coulter - April 3, 2002

And greetings, brethren. This is the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and at sundown tonight you can have some leavened bread. One of the things I’ve always tried to do is go out and have a hamburger that night after sunset. It’s perfectly legal and fine. Because as you know during the Feast of Unleavened Bread leaven is a type of sin. Now as we will see when we come to Pentecost, leaven is not always a type of sin, but leaven can also picture something else. But we’ll save that for Pentecost.

Now, let’s come to Leviticus 23. And we know all the holy days here in Leviticus 23. And the thing that is important to understand is this: is that these are the feasts of God. And even though the Jews claim them for themselves, they don’t belong to the Jews. They did not originate them. They did not invent them. God gave them to all the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. And so it’s important for us to realize that whatever we have in the Bible, brethren, these are the words of God. And if God would come down and talk to us today, He would tell us exactly the same thing that we have here. So this is why it has been written and preserved for us, so that we may be able to understand God’s way.

So let’s begin right here in Leviticus 23:1. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD,…” God is the one Who owns these. God is the one Who created them. God is the one Who sanctified them. God is the one Who has made them holy. “…Which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations,…” And this means “appointed times”. These are appointed times that God has given us to come before Him. And He starts out the holy days by saying “…proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts” (Lev. 23:1-2).

Then He begins with the Sabbath. “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings” (vs. 3). Now, we keep the Sabbath week by week. And it is very important that we do. And the reason why it’s so important that we do is because we fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ on the Sabbath day in a special way that we do not have any other day of the week, with the exception of the holy days, as the annual holy days come to us. And so, with this then, God does a special function with His Holy Spirit and with His word, that if we come to Him in prayer and study, and come together as brethren to fellowship together and learn of His way, then we have a spiritual blessing. And always remember this: that we need the Sabbath every week. Every seven days, because spiritual knowledge does not stay in a carnal mind, and it must be renewed. It must be built up. And so this is why we have the Sabbath every week.

Then, verse 4, “These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread…” And we’ve been eating unleavened bread every day. Today is the last day of it. Verse 7, the first day is a holy convocation, do no servile work, make an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And, “…the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do not servile work therein” (vs. 4-8).

Now, on all of the holy days we always take up an offering. And remember, as we have pointed out, by taking up an offering and bringing it to God, you are honoring God. And you are showing Him by the things that He has given to you that you give back to Him, that you understand that everything that you have has come from God. And so at this time we’ll go ahead and pause and we’ll take up the offering.

(Pause)

And as we know, brethren, every one of the holy days beginning with the Passover, has a great significance in the plan of God. Not only as we have seen in the Old Testament beginning with Abraham, and then down to the children of Israel, and then down to the New Testament church. And God does specific things. And there are memorials of these days in the Old Testament, and I am sure that there will be a future fulfillment of these things for us as we come down toward the end of the age, because these days are days that God has set.

Now, with the children of Israel, this last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread has had great importance. And there’s great lessons for us. Because after they left Egypt with a high hand and were marching out and going toward Mt. Sinai, God brought them down along side the Red Sea. And He deliberately entrapped them between the mountains, the Red Sea, and then Pharaoh. And Pharaoh and all of his host and chariots and armies came after them. Now if we look at Pharaoh as a type of Satan, and if we look at all of his armies as a type of the demons, then we can see a spiritual parallel for us. And we can see that this day has great significance because if we are matched up alone against Satan and his demons, just like the children of Israel…if they would have been matched up with Pharaoh and his soldiers, not having any arms, not having any defense, they would have been slaughtered. An easy picking for them. And that’s what Pharaoh thought, so he went after them. And so when they saw Pharaoh coming they began to waver in their faith. They began to waver in their belief with God. And as a matter of fact, they really reverted back to their old carnal ways. Of course they were carnal because they were never converted. But let’s look at the attitude that they had here. Let’s come to Exodus 14:10 and see the account that took place on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Now Exodus 14:10. “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses,…” Now, they complained. The first thing you do is complain against the man. And they said, “…Because there were no graves in Egypt [meaning, wasn’t there enough room in Egypt for graves for all of us?], hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness” (Ex. 14:10-12). Now you know, Egypt is a type of the world. And lots of times when God calls us and we are confronted with difficulties and problems we may begin to think the same thing, because the world is nice and modern, and comfortable, and everything out there is available. And before God called you, you didn’t have any of these problems. And God began to deal with you, and you didn’t understand that when God began to deal with you there would come a day when you would have a problem, when you would have a difficulty, when you would have a trial, and you would have no resources, you would have no ability on your own to fight these problems or to overcome them. And you see, God has designed it this way because this is the way, then, we are tested in our faith. Because do we really believe in the good times, in the bad times, in the difficult times, and in the times when it looks like there is no way out, and there’s no answer. And it looks like that the calling of God may have even been a mistake. Just like the children of Israel, they were accusing God here, that “You took us out here and God, this must have been a mistake.”

Now, verse 13, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not,…” This is the whole message for this day. And you need to understand something as we will see. The battles that we are fighting, we’re going to win. Every single one of them. Just like the children of Israel here. Everything was against them, except God was for them. And if God be for you, as we will see, there is nothing, there is no one that can be against you. Now I dare say none of us has had a problem as great as the children of Israel faced right there at the Red Sea. And how are they going to get across the Red Sea? Now Moses didn’t even know, but he knew this from all the miracles and powers and signs and wonders which we have already covered that were done in the land of Egypt to release them, including the Passover night when God slew the firstborn of all Egypt.

Moses knew that God would deliver them. So this is why he said, “…stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD,…” So there’s sometimes we need to stand still. That means, stop, stand still, don’t complain, and look to God for the salvation, for your deliverance from this problem. “…Which He will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (vs. 13-14). Now you see, if you go to God in faith and ask Him to fight this battle for you, it is too much for you, you are overwhelmed with it, and you have completely expended and exhausted all of your own resources and all of your own efforts, then you go to God and say, “God, this is Your battle. You need to fight this battle for us.” The Lord will fight for us. Now we have the things that we need to do too, as we will see.

Verse 15, “And the LORD said unto Moses, [Now why are you crying unto Me] Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get Me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen” (vs. 15-18). So that’s what happened.

Moses held out his rod. The wind blew all that night, and blew the sea back and made a great wide swath for the children of Israel to go through. Not like the one that you see in “The Ten Commandments”, a little narrow channel. Because all the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea in mass, and did so in the morning watch. And it was so impressive that Pharaoh thought he could go in there and come after them. And he looked down there and there was the dry ground, so he said, “Charge on.” And he charged on and God closed the Red Sea over them. Caused them to drown in the Red Sea, and all of them died. Then there was a great victory song, as we find in Exodus 15. Marvelous victory song. God is the one Who won the battle. God is the one Who killed the enemy. And so we need to understand that’s what God will do for us.

Because here, Exodus 15:2, where it says “The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is His name” (Ex. 15:2-3). Now what we need to do is also project forward and realize that likewise again, when Christ returns, He’s going to do the same thing to the beast and the false prophets and their armies. Well, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, a little ahead of the story here.

Now, let’s come here to Exodus 17 because there’s something that we have to do. God will fight for us, that is true. No question about it. God will intervene for us, but we have things that we need to do. Like it said there, stand still, see the salvation of the LORD, and tell the children of Israel to go forward. And that’s what we need to do.

Now Exodus 17, when they were getting close to Rephidim, then Amalek, one of the enemies of God, one of the hated enemies of God, came and fought against the children of Israel. Now let’s pick it up here, Exodus 17:8. “Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed” (Ex. 17:8-11). Now here’s a type of God just intervening with our weaknesses. But it shows that we have things that we need to do. Moses had what he had to do. Joshua had what he had to do. The children of Israel had what they had to do, and so the long and short of it is, the way that they overcame the problem was that they rolled a big stone and put it under Moses hands so he could hold his hands up, and then Joshua prevailed.

Now let’s understand something here. Come down here to verse 14. After Amalek was defeated, we need to understand that we are going to fight Amalek again in every generation. When the Jews were in captivity in Persia, Agag, the man of Hammedatha, and Agag is one of the sons of Amalek. He wanted to destroy all of the Jews. Again, in the book of Esther, God had to intervene in a supernatural way to save Israel from Amalek.

Now notice, here’s what God said concerning Amalek. Verse 14, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book [and we’ve got it right here], and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Not all at once. Verse 16, after Moses built an altar, and called the place Jehovanissi. “For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Now also understand that Amalek was one of the sons of Esau. So we have this antagonism. We have these things going on. In the world today and for the New Testament these things have special significance for us. So I want you to go back, and I want you to read and study, and understand the things that happened to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt. And the troubles that they had. And these are examples.

Let’s come to 1 Corinthians 10 and let’s see the significance of passing through the Red Sea on the last day of Unleavened Bread, and how it relates to us. And these things are written for our examples. And today we live in an age, and we live in a time when we are confronted with so many things. And it’s so easy for us to get into the attitude of complaining, get into the attitude of accusing God, get into the attitude because we don’t have it nice and easy-going all the time that somehow God is at fault.

Now here, 1 Corinthians 10:1. And Paul writes to the Corinthians in verse 1, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea [which was on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread]; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:1-4). This shows an absolute scripture that Jesus Christ was the LORD God of the Old Testament. Now then, there are some people who today are saying, who have been in the church for decades, who now say that they are convinced that Jesus did not exist until He was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. Overthrowing all of the scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament, which show the truth of the nature of God. And here’s one. You can’t get around them. And that Rock was Christ.

“But with many of them God was not well pleased:…” And we have to say the same thing today. Look at what has happened to the church of God. Look at how it’s been scattered into so many, many different small groups. Now there’s a reason for it. God is testing us, God is trying us, God is proving us. God wants to know, “Do you love Me?” God wants to know, are you going to seek Him? God wants to know, are you going to depend upon Him? Are you going to have faith in Him? Are you going to trust Him? Do you love Him through all circumstances? Because you see, we are going to face our own Red Sea. And we are going to face our own Pharaoh, being Satan the devil and his demons. Now we’ll see that in a minute here.

So when these things come along, do we put ourselves in a position that God is not well pleased with us? You see, take all of the troubles, all of the difficulties as a challenge to come before God and let Him work it out. Let Him open the way. Let Him open the Red Sea in your own life so you can walk through on dry ground. But you have to come before God and many times just say, “God, I don’t know. I don’t have the way. This is too much for me. This is more than I can handle. Please just intervene, God, and do like You did for the children of Israel.” Claim the promise of God because of His name’s sake, and for His great reputation, and for what Christ has done for you. And you will get through these battles. You will overcome them. No question about it.

Now because God wasn’t well pleased with them, you go back and read all the rebellions that they had. We covered that in the series we did in the book of Hebrews. “…For they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand” (vs. 5-8). That was with the golden calf that they made. And what a horrendous example that was. And Aaron was to blame for leading them into that and giving in to the children of Israel for building their idols. And brethren, you know today we have not only just religious idols, but we have so many things that can become idols for us. So many things, in the world, in our lives, and all around us.

Now let’s understand something. When we come to the point of complaining, and coming to God and accusing Him, then we are tempting Christ. Now notice verse 9. “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.” Now what we need to understand is this: if God meant business with the children of Israel then, pray tell, does God also mean business today in a spiritual sense with us? But, of course. He has called us to the greatest calling, to the greatest thing that can be, and so we need to take these examples and learn from them.

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Now here’s a comfort. Here’s a promise. Here is something you can always rely upon and come to God and claim as His word of truth given to you so you won’t be overwhelmed with problems that are greater than you can handle, too much for you to bear, too much for you to shoulder and burden. Put them on Christ. Let Him work it out. Let Him open your Red Sea. Let Him give you the way of escape just like He did the children of Israel. Verse 13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful [remember that - God is faithful], Who will not suffer [allow] you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (vs. 11-13). And so there is the tremendous lesson for us as we see in this day and age.

Now the whole purpose of the gospel is to bring us out from underneath the world, and Satan the devil, and for us to overcome ourselves. Now let’s come to Acts 26:18, and Paul shows that this was his whole mission, the whole purpose of his ministry and teaching. Let’s come back to verse 15. This is when Saul was called before he was named Paul. And after he was struck down by the Lord… Now I said one time that God knocked him off his donkey. It doesn’t say he had a donkey, but nevertheless he fell to the ground, whether he was on a donkey or whether he was walking. And it doesn’t say there was a donkey, it doesn’t say there wasn’t a donkey, so to assume there was, it’s not wrong. To assume there wasn’t is not wrong. It doesn’t say. But nevertheless. “And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest.” Now understand this: whenever any of the brethren are persecuted it is persecution against Christ. Because each one of us have Christ in us. And if we are persecuted, Christ is persecuted. And so that’s why if these persecutions come upon us then we need to realize that they are also persecuting Christ. And Christ is not going to stand still for it.

Verse 16, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;…” And he did. He spent over three years in the Arabian desert being taught directly of Christ. “…Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes,…” And that is a spiritual blessing that comes with preaching with the Spirit of God working and activating by the inspiring of the preaching, by the inspiring of the hearing, by the action of the Holy Spirit upon the hearers and the speakers. “…To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me” (vs. 16-18). And that’s the whole purpose of this day, to release us from the power of Satan the devil. But, Satan is not done coming after us. He will come after us again, and again, and again. Now we’ll see that.

Let’s come to Colossians 1 and let’s see how the apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians on the great calling of God. And it is God the Father Who has done this. Remember, the ones that God calls, God the Father Himself calls. So in answering the call, you are answering the call of God the Father. Now that’s a very humbling and a very awesome thing to contemplate. That the great ruler of the universe, God the Father Himself, has called you, has selected you, has given you the Holy Spirit, has delivered you from Satan the Devil, and is going to fight every one of your battles for you through Jesus Christ. And that He send His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in your stead.

Now let’s come to Colossians 1:12. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet…” That means qualified us. God the Father is the one Who qualifies us through Jesus Christ, with the power of His Spirit, by growing and overcoming. “…To be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,…” That’s why brethren, don’t go back into the world. It may be glittering, but remember, the light that is in the world is darkness. And if that light in you be darkness, how great is the darkness indeed, because God has called us to light. God has called us to a great inheritance. To deliver us from all of these things, “…and hath translated [or that is, transferred us] us into the kingdom of His dear Son:…” (Col. 1:12-13). To where then the kingdom of God, the word of God, Christ, and God the Father rule in our lives, lead us and guide us, and direct us. We don’t belong to the world. Our citizenship is not here in this world. It is in God the Father, and Jesus Christ, and the saints of God. And when Christ returns then we will fight with Him in great power. Now the tools of our warfare today are spiritual. We have a greater battle, and we’ll see that.

Verse 14, “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature (creation):…” That means the firstborn from the dead of everyone who’s going to be resurrected from the dead, Christ was first. Now notice, here’s what He did, “For by Him were all things created,…” There again, Christ was the creator. “…That are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:…” For God’s plan. Even Satan the devil has part in God’s plan to accomplish the will of God in our lives. Knowing that we have an enemy to fight, and knowing that through fighting this enemy we show our love, we show our faith, we show our loyalty, we show our reliance upon God, because Satan is there to come and trick us, and to come after us and to deceive us.

Verse 17, “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church:…” And never forget that brethren, no man, no man is the head of the church of God. No man. Everyone who is a minister, or teacher, or preacher, or evangelist, or apostle should always point you to worship and serve God the Father and Jesus Christ. And those who are elders, to serve, and to teach, and to help. The whole purpose is to help you grow in faith, and knowledge, and understanding, and in your relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. We have seen what has happened with vast ecclesiastical empires. Not only within the church of God, but also in the world. God hates that kind of thing because God the Father Himself has personally called you, and He wants you to know that Christ is the head of the church.

“…Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight:…” (vs. 18-22) That’s the whole goal that God has for us. That’s the whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to be without sin, to come totally out of this world, out of the system of Satan the devil, and to be totally converted, to have Christ in us, so that at the resurrection we can join Christ.

Now notice, there is a condition. And this is why the lesson for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Verse 23, “If ye continue in the faith…” Now you see the children of Israel didn’t. When things were going good, they were fine. But when things got tough, they complained to God. And also, living in the age that we live in, we have so many distractions all around us. Never have we lived in an age when there are so many things competing for our attention. That’s why it’s so important that we focus in on the things that God has for us. Not just on Christ, but we need to focus in on the whole of the Bible. On growing and overcoming, on changing, on watching the prophecies that are taking place in the world, and all of these things. So this is conditional. “If you continue in the faith…” Now notice, “…grounded…” We are to be grounded in love, grounded in faith, grounded in belief, grounded in hope. “…And settled,…” Not like a wave being blown by the wind, but settled, stable. “…And be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature…”

Now let’s look at the battle that is facing us. And Satan the devil is right there to come back at us. Satan the devil is right there to bring in his ways, to bring in his wiles, to discourage us, to cause us troubles and difficulties. And he does it through circumstances in our lives, through other people, and yes many times, through us yielding to the thoughts and the wavelengths of Satan the devil. And we partake of his way, and of course, that’s exactly what Satan wants. The more he can get us to partake of his way, the more that he can try and lead us away from God.

Now let’s come here to Revelation 12. Now notice, he’s busy. He is active. He is working. And we know that there are times that he causes more problems for the church than at other times. And we know that in our personal lives there are times when we have more difficulties than at other times, but nevertheless we need to have our guard up always. And we need to recognize that Satan is there to come after us. Now notice, verse 9. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:…” Now there are some people who say Satan is not deceiving the world. Well he is. He’s deceiving the world through every means that he can. Personally, by appearing to leaders and rulers as an angel of light. Using other people. Using media. Using the press. Using music. Using circumstances. He is there. Deceives the whole world. And there are some people, I even heard of one minister who’s supposed to be a minister in the church of God, who let’s his son read Harry Potter’s books on witchcraft.

Listen, if the scriptures say Satan is deceiving the whole world, that has got to be a conspiracy. And it’s going to be a conspiracy, and is, that will look so good to this world because they don’t love the truth. They love their lives. They love their stories. They love their own ways of doing things. And Satan is right there feeding them, feeding them, feeding them, feeding them. And they are the children of the devil because they are breaking the commandments of God and living lawless lives. It doesn’t matter if they appear religious. And so likewise, Satan is after us.

Now notice, notice what Satan is doing. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (vs. 10). Now that’s why brethren, daily prayer, and daily study, and daily overcoming is important because you have someone accusing you before God. And that’s why repentance is so important. That’s why overcoming is so important. And we’re going to see that we need to arm ourselves with this battle with Satan the devil.

Then it goes on showing what’s going to happen when Satan is going to persecute the church. And persecution, as we’ve already covered, is one of those things that Satan is going do. And we know that one of the things that is going to come, that is going to bring about persecution on all the people of God, and yea, many people who will then turn to God, will be the coming mark of the beast. And to use a Biblical phrase, lo, it is coming. And if you are not prepared, and if you are not willing to fight the battles now, you may not make it at that particular time.

Now let’s see some other things concerning the power of Satan the devil. Let’s come to 2 Corinthians 2. Satan has his devices. Satan appears righteous and good, and he loves to take up causes. Especially causes that are right. Especially causes that are good. As we will see, even Peter fell for that trap because Satan was right there with the apostles and Christ, on and off, sometimes in the person of Judas Iscariot. Sometimes just throwing thoughts into the minds of the disciples.

Now here, 2 Corinthians 2:10. Here’s one of the devices that Satan uses to trip up the saints on a point, which appears right and good. “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us…”, or over us. One of the things that Satan would love for you to do is to not forgive. I’ve already covered that. But you go back and listen to that tape again concerning getting along with each other and forgiving each other. Because if not, you give an entrance for Satan the devil for his thoughts. For notice the last part of verse 11, “…for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:10-11). And no, we have to be like General Patton when he met Rommel. He said, “Rommel, I read your book.” In other words, we don’t need to go into the depths of Satan the devil. But we need to know from the scriptures the devices that Satan uses, and the lack of forgiveness, which appears a good cause, is one of those. Just remember, do you want Christ to not forgive you? So that’s one of his devices. There are others we are going to look at in just a minute.

Part 2

Now since we’re here in 2 Corinthians, let’s come from chapter 2 to chapter 4, and let’s look at some of the power that Satan has, where he has so much power he is called the god of this world. And let’s see how he interferes with people who don’t believe. One of the things that Satan can always use…and mark this down…disbelief. And disbelief closes down your understanding step by step by step, just like a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Now here, 2 Corinthians 4 Paul says, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,…” One of the levers of Satan and his devices, that if you use, and if you have, you are giving place to Satan the devil. Now hold your place here and come to Ephesians 4, and let’s understand something. There are certain things that we do that even though we have the Spirit of God, we give Satan a place in our minds, an attitude for him to work with. And if we don’t repent of it and get rid of it then he can work even more.

Now notice Ephesians 4:23. Here’s what we are to do. “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;…” Constantly, daily, through prayer, through study, through living, through following God’s way. “…And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” So you see, whenever you give space to Satan the devil, you are not allowing God to do the creating of the new man within you. The new person, the preparation for the resurrection. The very character and mind of God. “Wherefore putting away lying [because that’s one of the devices of Satan the devil], speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be angry, and sin not:…” Because anger is another one of those handles that Satan can get a hold of, and use you, and manipulate you. And when you are angry you know you are right, and you have cause to be angry. And yes, Satan will feed that. And he will tell you that you are right, and he will tell you that this is the thing to do. So don’t sin. “…Let not the sun go down upon your wrath:…” Now if you keep anger, and if you keep those things that you develop bitterness, and you develop anger, and you develop all of these things, now notice verse 27. “Neither give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:23-27). Because in all of these things you are giving an entrance of Satan into you, and it creates a greater conflict in your mind, because not only are you having to then overcome your own human nature and your own sin, but you’re giving him a space to have hold of you. And that is leaven.

Now continuing, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,…” (vs. 28-29). All of the swearing and cursing that goes along with the world, and all of the epitaphs of taking the name of God in vain. And you can let these things have an entrance into your mind through television, through movies, through radio, through all of those things that are controlled by Satan the devil to give an entrance, or a place, in your mind. And so you have to have the character to expel that, to get rid of that, to not get all engrossed in it and entrapped in Satan’s way, that his thoughts, that his ways occupy your thoughts and your mind, and your time, see.

Verse 30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” And if you give place to the devil, you’re grieving the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is there trying to convict your conscience that this is sin, get rid of it. Don’t let this have an entrance into you. And Satan is right there with his thoughts and his ideas. So it is a grievous thing that is going on because you are not yielding to God or the Holy Spirit. You are yielding to Satan the devil and his thoughts.

Now here are other things that he uses as a place, as a tool, as a device. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:…” (vs. 31). Because you see, those are the tools of Satan the devil. This is what he can use in your life. And we’ll see in a little bit all the things that we need to do to fight against it.

Now let’s come back here to 2 Corinthians 4. And just like Pharaoh and his armies came after the children of Israel when they were stuck by the Red Sea, so also Satan the devil and the demons are waiting for you to get yourself into a position where you are weak. That’s why you need to be strong in the Lord.

Now back here to 2 Corinthians 4:2, “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,…” That is, having an agenda, having other thoughts other than the pure thoughts of God, political, if you will. “…Nor handling the word of God deceitfully;…” And that’s how so many false doctrines are generated, by people deceitfully going after their own ideas and doctrines in the Bible. Now let’s understand one of the devices of Satan the devil today, and let’s see how that has become a problem with doctrine. It is this: in the world today, especially on television and radio, they have opinion polls. They ask, “What do you think, what do you think of this, what do you think of that, what do you think of the other thing”, and people have become so used to giving their opinion, whether right or wrong, whether good or blither. And that people think when they approach the Bible that their opinion is as valid as the word of God. Now, it’s not.

Now there were some people arguing that when Jesus took Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration, some people said, “Well, God resurrected Moses and Elijah”, not reading the scriptures where it says, “Tell the vision to no man.” But that was their opinion, and they were convinced of it. So that’s handling the word of God deceitfully. No interpretation of the scripture is of any private interpretation. The scripture must interpret the scripture. And that’s one of the devices of Satan in using the word of God deceitfully. And how many ministers do that? How many people with their own pet doctrine do that? Now let’s understand something here concerning the devices of Satan. Know and understand this: all of the doctrines of Judaism come from Satan the devil. Understand that. You do not need prayer shawls. If you don’t have faith, all the prayer shawls in the world aren’t going to do you any good. You do not need praise dancing. You need a pure mind. You do not need head coverings, you do not need beards, you do not need tassels. God wants your heart. All of these things are devices and diversions of Satan the devil and Satan the devil is the god of Judaism. Jesus said so, John 8. He’s the god of the world here, as we’ll see in just a minute. But we on the other hand are not to be doing those things deceitfully. “…But by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Now let’s see how Satan works in these circumstances, you see. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:…”, or that is, being lost. Why? Because they don’t believe. And why don’t they believe? “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,…” Now then let’s understand something. This can be a little leaven that coming into your mind, we’ll see in a little bit how it affected Peter. See, and the more that you allow Satan the devil to have an entrance, or give a place in your life by the works of the flesh, by yielding to him, by following the ways of the world, the more that you give him an entrance to blind your minds, that’s why we live in an age that is Laodicean today. The whole world and everything out there is designed to keep people from God. Now if used properly with the word of God, and the Spirit of God, then these things can become an asset. These things can become good for using for the preaching of the gospel. But look what happens. “…Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (vs. 3-4). So Satan is there to try and stop them from knowing, stop them from understanding.

Now, remember the parable (we’ll get there in a little bit) of the sower. Satan comes and removes it. Now, verse 5, “For we preach not ourselves,…” And brethren, no minister, no elder, no man is to preach himself. “…But Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” As we already covered, that we are to constantly point you to God the Father, and Jesus Christ. And Christ is the head of the church. And the greatest leaven that comes into any church organization is when men begin to preach themselves.

Now let’s come and see the example of Peter. Let’s come to Matthew 16, and we will see how it is that even with the Spirit of God we can in one minute do something that is good, that is spiritual, that is right, and turn around the next minute and do something that is evil and wrong and give a place to Satan the devil. And it can come that easy. Especially today. Let’s come to Matthew 16:13. Especially today with so many distractions. Especially today when people think they are so intelligent, and people think they really know the scriptures, and know the word of God, and they’re yet still preaching themselves, handling the word of God deceitfully.

Now here Matthew 16:13, “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” Now, notice Peter. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Correct answer. Where did that answer come from? We’ll see that came from God the Father. “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona [that is, son of Jonah]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:13-17).

Now you see, Peter had a weakness. He had a very self-righteous streak. Now, just minutes after this as they’re on their way out to Jerusalem, let’s come to verse 21 and let’s see what Peter did. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Now notice how Peter gave Satan the devil an entrance, for a right cause, a good cause. And it seemed the thing to do. Now notice what Peter did. “Then Peter took Him [that is Peter took Jesus aside], and began to rebuke Him [correcting the Lord], saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not [happen] be unto Thee” (vs. 21-22). “Now we’re here, we’ll protect you. Yes, indeed.” And remember who cut off the ear of the high priests servant. It was Peter. He’s ready to fight. In his own mind he thought this is a good and right cause. “No, we’re here, He’s the Messiah, He’s the Savior of the world. It’s not going to happen to You because we’re here to protect You, Lord.” Now notice, that did not come from God. The other did. Who did this come from? Verse 23, “But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”

Now let’s see what Jesus even said to Peter. How susceptible that Peter was with his own self-will and human nature to give himself in to the devices of Satan the devil. And Satan wanted to have Peter. And Peter was, at another time, remember when Jesus said, “You’re all going to deny me.” And Peter said, “No, I won’t deny you.” And Jesus looked at him and said, “Before the cock crows twice you will deny Me three times in this night.”

Now here, let’s come to Luke 22:31, and let’s see what Jesus told Peter. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you [boy, he would have been a good candidate for Satan, wouldn’t he?], that he may sift you as wheat:…” Use you in the way that he desires. “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto Him, Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death. And He said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me” (vs. 31-34). Those are the devices of Satan the devil. We can’t give space to him.

Now, let’s come to 1 Timothy 3, and let’s see some important things concerning Satan the devil. There are devices and there are traps that come to people, and in particularly to ministers. 1 Timothy 3:5, “(For if a man know not how to rule his own house [household], how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice [or, one newly come to the faith], lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.” So pride brings you into the condemnation of the devil. And I remember hearing a great high apostle in the church of God say openly in a Bible study one Friday night in Pasadena. He said, “Brethren, I have been so faithful to God that Satan has no more interest in me.” And lo and behold that pride, he fell into the trap and condemnation of the devil. And that’s when, after that, he changed the gospel of Jesus Christ to the gospel of give and get. Yes, Satan got him in a way that he didn’t expect. And if he can get him, brethren, he can get any one of us, you see. “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:5-7). Because he’s right there to snare, to take. So we are not to give any place to the devil in any of these things.

Let’s come 2 Timothy 2:22. Some of the instructions to Timothy as a minister, from Paul. “Flee also youthful lusts:…” That’s another device of Satan the devil. Lust, sex, adultery. All of these things just pouring forth and spewing forth on the television, and radio, and media, and press, and all of those things. “…But follow righteousness,…” You see, you need to turn yourself from those things. You need to turn away from those things. You need to turn away from the devices of Satan the devil, or you’re going to be entrapped. You’re going to end up just like Peter. One day you will be spiritual. The next day you will be carnal, and Satanic. “…But follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid,…” That’s another device of Satan the devil. And I tell you, the bane of e-mail is foolish and unlearned questions. And I don’t answer them, because he says avoid. So I do that. “…Knowing that they do gender strifes” (2 Tim. 2:22-23). And strifes is what? A device of Satan the devil.

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;…” Because see, if you get rapped up in the devices of Satan, and you allow a place for Satan the devil in your life, then you are opposing yourself, and the purpose that God has called you for. “…If God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;…” So when those things happen you have to acknowledge the truth. We have to acknowledge where we’re wrong. We have to acknowledge that we need to repent to God. So notice, “…and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil…” Because all of these things are the snare of the devil, see. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. And Satan appeals to that. And all of that is of the world, and it’s all going to perish. Now notice, “…who are taken captive by him at his will” (vs. 24-26).

Now how do you resist Satan the devil? Let’s come to 1 Peter 5, and then when we see that then we will see how, then, we get out minds squared around the way they should be with the Spirit of God and the truth of God, and the words of God, to do the things that God wants us to. Because not only are we to not give Satan an entrance into our lives, we are also to overcome our own thoughts and our own minds. That’s all part of character and growing and overcoming.

Now, let’s pick it up here in 1 Peter 5:6. “Humble yourselves therefore under the might hand of God,…” Instead of complaining like the children of Israel, instead of accusing God because a trial that comes upon you, instead of giving an entrance or a place to Satan the devil into your life, repent and humble yourself to God, “…that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” You trust fully in Christ. You trust fully in the Spirit of God. And when things get desperate in your life, just as it says here, cast yourself upon Him. And all your cares. And say, “Oh Lord, You know. Help me. Fight this battle. Drive Satan away.” And there are times when you have to actually command Satan the devil to leave. “Get you hence, Satan.” Just like Jesus did. And know and understand this: that the demons must obey. So you don’t have to be victim to the things that they bring upon us. Don’t give place to Satan the devil, see.

Verse 8, “Be sober [that is, serious-minded], be vigilant [that is, always on guard]; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:…” And as we saw in 2 Timothy 2, that he takes them at his will. If you yield and give place to Satan the devil, then you’re going to have a split mind, just exactly like Peter. You’re going to serve God one time, serve Satan another time. And you’re going to be brought back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth until you resist in the faith.

Now notice verse 9, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith,…” Not wavering, not wondering whether the things that you know are from God or not. No, “…knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” Because Satan is after us all the time. His is the adversary. He is the one who is looking for an entrance. He is the one that we must fight, and we must fight steadfast in the faith. And that’s the fight that Jesus Christ is asking us to stand still and let Him fight the battle, and we fight just like Joshua and the armies of the children of Israel fought against the Amalakites. We have our part to do, and this is our part here.

And here is a promise. And claim this promise. “But the God of all grace,…” Because we receive these things through the grace of God. “…Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (vs. 10). Because you don’t yield to the devices of Satan the devil. And you don’t let your mind get involved in these things. But you put them out of your mind. And if there is something that is stuck in your mind…now every once in a while you’re going to get something that’s stuck in your mind, and you’re going to have a hard time overcoming. And sometimes it may take quite a while to overcome it. Let’s see how we fight that.

Let’s come back here to 2 Corinthians 10. This is how then, we can put away the devices of Satan the devil. This is how, then, we can not give him a toe-hold in our mind, or in our thoughts, or in our actions, and the things that we do. Let’s pick it up here in verse 2. “But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.” Now you see, if we walk according to the flesh by carnal devices, by carnal means, by things of human beings, and giving a place to Satan the devil, you see. No, we don’t do that, and we are not to brethren. “For though we walk in the flesh,…” Yes, we’re still in the flesh, “…we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,…” They are not physical. You cannot use psychology to overcome sin. You cannot use psychology to get rid of Satan the devil. You must use the Spirit of God, the power of God, the word of God, and resist him steadfast in the faith, you see. And the weapons of our warfare then are “…mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) ” (2 Cor.10:2-4). And the biggest stronghold is right here in the mind because that’s where the Spirit of God resides, that’s where Satan the devil wants to have an entrance with his device to grab a hold of you.

Here’s what you do. Instead of letting these things and these problems just sort of toss you to and fro, and you love God one minute and you complain to Him the next minute. You do what is good spiritually one minute, and you sin the next minute. You yield to God one minute, and you yield to Satan the devil the next minute. And you’re back and forth, and back and forth. Use the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Here’s what you do. You grab those things in your mind, pray before God, let Him know exactly what is going on, and ask God to cast those things down with the Spirit of God, “…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;…” (vs. 5). That’s how you overcome.

Now let’s also understand another thing, because this has come up recently too. Wherever there are idols and signs of Satan the devil of the occult, be it something in a statue, be it something in a painting, be it something in jewelry, know that all of those things are calling cards for demons. And they will come, and you give them entrance. Don’t give them any space. Now with children, do not give them any space with the media and television and music, rap and rock, and the cartoons that they have to mold their minds in Satanic form. Now you can’t avoid all of it, but you have got to teach your children at a young age that those things are not from God, they are from Satan the devil. And do not allow your children to play with those things. And do not allow them to read books like Harry Potter. Now I know, as I’ve said before when we went and saw the Star Wars and came home, and I told my boys, I said, “This is all Satanism.” “Naw, Dad.” You see, you need to explain to them why it is, because it’s not of God. And you watch and see, all of the movies forthcoming of Harry Potter are going to lead more people into the depths of witchcraft and Satanism, and set up this world for the great deception of Satan the devil. And it is going to be so great and so marvelous, and there are going to be signs and wonders that will happen that Christ said that even the elect could be deceived. And they can be deceived when they do like Peter and allow an entrance of Satan the devil. They can be deceived when you have one foot in the world, and one foot in the church. One foot in your way, and one foot in God’s way, thinking that you can play both ends against the middle. Isn’t that a perfect description of a Laodicean? Yes, it is. And it talks about the Laodiceans being blind. And who blinded them? Satan the devil, as we found out. Those are the devices of Satan the devil. Those are the things that you need to understand and realize.

Now let’s come to Ephesians 6, and let’s see the tools of our warfare are spiritual. And we are fighting against so many things today. Here, hold your place in Ephesians 6 and come to Revelation 3 for just a minute. Because we are living in the end-time when the synagogue of Satan and the great deception that’s on the world is coming full bore in all of it’s glory, and all of it’s power, and all of it’s wonder, and all the signs and things that Satan can do with all the modern devices of the world and everything. It is going to be awesome.

Now notice, Revelation 3:8. “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word,…” That’s how you can fight against Satan the devil, because you keep the word of God. It doesn’t matter whether you are weak physically. It doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old. If you are strong in the Lord, that is what counts. If you’re weak in the flesh and strong in the Lord, God’s strength is made perfect in you. “…Hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of My patience [or, patiently kept My word], I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation [which is the coming mark of the beast], which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:8-10).

This last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread we need to let God fight these battles for us. We need to arm ourselves with His power, with His Spirit, with His devices, and not allow any entrance of Satan the devil into our lives. Not to be spiritual one minute, and Satanic another minute.

Now, let’s come back to Ephesians 6 and see how we need to do this. And is a full-time job. It is a full-time armor. Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren,…” Now remember, recently I did a tape on “You, Satan, and the World”, and how that those in the city of Ephesus, they were living at the headquarters of the goddess Diana. And they were wrapped up in witchcraft, with trinkets, with idols, with books, with demons. And there was such a great conversion that all of the idol-makers were about to go out of business. Now that’s what there needs to be in the church of God today. A great revival in the church of God that we do not allow the entrance of Satan the devil, and understand whom we are fighting. And understand that the world is going back head long into occultism, and Satanism, and witchcraft.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might [because He will fight for us]. Put on the whole armour of God,…” Now you tie that in the with the Laodiceans who were told to put on the righteousness, see, they’re naked and miserable. Here’s the way to come out of that. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:10-11). Because he will come with one scheme at one time, another scheme at another time. That’s why you’ve got to constantly be bringing these thoughts into captivity, pulling down strongholds through the Spirit of God, you see.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,…” And this means we’re not just wrestling against our own flesh and blood. No, “…but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,…” And remember Christ came to deliver us from the darkness of Satan the devil. And we have been delivered. “…Against spiritual wickedness in high places.” That also confirms a conspiracy. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,…” Don’t leave anything to chance. That’s why you’ve heard it over and over again, and after being in the church of God now 42 years, and a minister for 38, I can tell you one thing for sure: prayer, study, fasting, overcoming, is a daily task. And those are the whole things which are the whole armor of God, that you fortify your mind with the word of God, with the Spirit of God, the truth of God, and loving and serving Him with a whole heart. That way, it says, you may be able to withstand the evil day. And there’s enough evil in every day, as Jesus said. “…And having done all, to stand” (vs. 12-13). Just like it said back there where we began in Exodus 14, “Stand still and see the salvation of God.” That we may stand and resist. We may stand and fight. Not run and flee. Resist in the faith.

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth [so that you can always have it right there to resist the lies], and having on the breastplate of righteousness;…” That is, through the grace of God you are in right standing with God. You keep the commandments of God, you love God. And this is just like a breastplate which covers your vital organs so that you will be able to withstand all of these things in the day of battle. “…And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;…” Always looking to the hope of the gospel, always understanding the gospel, always yielding and understanding to Christ. “…Above all, taking the shield of faith [just like you resist all the fiery darts that come], wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked [one]” (vs. 14-16). And this means these fiery darts are like missiles of passion. He’s the prince of the power of the air, and he’s sending these out phew - phew, to come into your mind, to get you away from Christ, to get you after lust. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These are all the missiles of Satan the devil that he’s sending in to try and entrap you.

“…And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:…” (vs. 17). That’s why brethren, it’s so important that we have, and we understand the word of God, and know it and believe it, and love it, and live by it. That’s the whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to renew us, to give us the invigorating power of the Holy Spirit of God, to give us the determination to put out leaven and sin, and to put in righteousness and to fight the good fight of faith, and go forward as God wants us to.

Now here, verse 18. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all [of the] saints;…” So not only do you pray for yourself and your family and your loved ones, but all of the saints. That way we can all be together, and we can all love God, and we can have God fight our battles for us. We can overcome Satan the devil. We can put away the works of the flesh, we can put away the sins of the mind, and to be steadfast and fixed and not unstable like Peter was. So this is the meaning of this day. God will fight your battles for you, and you have your part to do it.