Who is Satan

To begin you must know this evil one has many names: Satan, Devil, Lucifer, Anointed cherub, Evil one, Serpent, Tempter, Deceiver, Beelzelbub and Belial just to name a few.

Satan began as a beautiful angel created by God but he became full of pride and desired to be equal to God.
For you said to yourself,‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:13-14, NLT)

In his desire to be the all powerful he persuaded other angels to join his rebellion against God. For this sin God threw him out of heaven to the earth where he will remain until he meets his final punishment after the reign of Christ.

I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy
mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led
you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was
filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of
splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire
out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of
all who were watching. All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a
terrible end, and you will exist no more.” (Ezekiel 28:14-19, NLT)
Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur,
joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever
and ever. (Revelation 20:10, NLT)
Satan is our enemy and he hates all of God's people and seeks to destroy us, he plants false Christians among us. He is merciless and his ultimate goal is through temptation to cause all Christians to deny our faith. For this reason we must be on guard at all times. Learning the Word of God and how to apply it with humility and gentleness so that we can have a chance at identifying the impostors and false teachers.

Satan is not all-powerful, omnipresent or all-knowing as our Heavenly Father is. He has limitations but even with his limitations he is still clever. To increase his army he uses his influence over people through things of this world. John warns us of this:

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not
have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical
pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.
These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away,
along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live
forever." (1 John 2:15-17, NLT)

Open your Bible and learn God's Word so that you can fight this demon and his temptations. Develop a love for Jesus and His Father, Our Father and hold up your shield of faith.

"Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of
telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. (Philippians 3:1, NLT) Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the
devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and
authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil
spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the
time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting
on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace
that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these,
hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your
helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your
prayers for all believers everywhere. (Ephesians 6:11-18, NLT)

Are you a Religion or a Christian?

What religion are you? There are plenty to choose from: Islam, Hinduism, Baptist, Judaism, WICCA, Atheism or Pentecostalism just to name a few. Each one has it's own set of rules and beliefs of various nature. What you must realize is that no matter which one of them you choose none of them gives you power. Religion is mostly about what you can do and not about what Jesus has done.

A Christian is a person who professes belief in Jesus as Christ and lives a lifestyle based on the life and teachings of Jesus. Someone who lives according to the teachings of Jesus and understands that God's spirit has a permanent dwelling in you.

"Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16, NLT)

And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. (1 John 3:22-24, NLT)

Jesus didn't die in order for us to be a certain religion but so that we could have a deep and intimate relationship with God through Him the son.
"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?" (Romans 7:24, NLT) And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. (Romans 8:2, NLT)

Enough Is Enough

Milan Ford
Milan is scheduled to release his first book, 83 Things I Wish The Black Church Would Stop Doing, later this fall (2009). You can find Milan blogging at ThePewView.com or follow him at Twitter.com/milanford.




This past Sunday evening, I struggled heavily with writing this devotional for today. The theme for this week, Generational Blessings, is such a great one for us to discuss, that I wanted to find just the right words to say to stress the importance for us (as believers) to pass the wisdom, statutes, and blessings of our God from generation to generation.

After hours of staring at a blank page, I decided to take a break and flip through a few TV channels. It wasn't long till I discovered that BET (Black Entertainment Television) had scheduled a special Michael Jackson tribute during their 2009 music awards show. While not a fan of the network, I (along with millions of people across the world) was a huge fan of Jackson as a child.

Like many of you, I had been glued to the TV for three days straight in disbelief. While we all understand that indeed our days our numbered with the Lord, the passing of Michael Jackson still hit hard for many of us who grew up listening to his music. Despite the many personal challenges and character flaws he has often been attributed with, it is difficult to argue that his influence on today's pop culture and music is immeasurable. (I still have the glitter glove to prove it!!) So despite my distaste for the network - my wife and I decided to endure it anyway to see how this generation would pay tribute to one who helped pave the way for so many. Towards the end of the program, one of this generation's most popular artists, Lil Wayne, performed a song along with several others entitled, Every Girl. {enter a frown here}

Without assuming every one reading this devotional today is aware of this song, Every Girl is basically about the desire of this artist, and those who accompanied him on the song, to have sexual intercourse with "every girl" in the world. The explicit lyrics of this song (I promise you) are unparalleled. And despite the implications of this song, BET allowed Lil Wayne and those with him to perform the song with what appeared to be several underage girls dancing on stage.
{enter another frown here} My wife and I were frozen in shock. And our shock, quickly turned into tears. And with tears in my eyes, I walked back to that blank page I spoke to you about earlier and wrote these three words: Enough Is Enough.

Family, please hear me: I am thoroughly convinced that there is a direct link between one's ability to obtain and benefit from the GENERATIONAL blessings God has for them, with one's inability to address and eliminate the GENERATIONAL curses that they are faced with.
For generations, African-Americans have endured pain and suffering at the hands of unjust racial discrimination. However, because of a desire to see the next generation experience the blessings of God, a decision was made to fight against the discrimination that had for so long cursed them. However, there is one GENERATIONAL curse that has hindered our communities for far too long. Although we see it and know that it is there, we remain silent. However, interesting enough, our silence can be heard around the world every time you turn on the radio or television.

This curse must be addressed and broken for us to truly see the blessings God has for our people, regardless of race and creed. I am talking about the TREATMENT OF OUR WOMEN.
How can we continue to allow the very vehicle God created to bring forth and redeem mankind, be turned into a such an immoral and commercial commodity? How do we expect our nation, our churches, and our homes to be blessed when we curse the very creation of our God?

As a husband and father of three, I have come to understand that the manner in which I raise, protect, and pour into my family has GENERATIONAL implications, none greater than with my children. Church, we are the LIGHT of the world - and the SALT of the earth (Matt 5:13-14).
How can we continue to be fixated on receiving the blessings of God, when we are surrounded by curses that remain unbroken? Our voices must be heard. And our influence must be seen.
Today, I am serving our nation's entertainment industry this final notice: Enough Is Enough. We are the people of God, and our women are not just EVERY GIRLS. They are a BLESSING.
A blessing that must be protected GENERATION after GENERATION.
Church, it is time to rise.

Restore Our Land

(Isaiah 41:10, NLT) Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

I remember reading about the children of Israel who turned from God time and time again, only to realize their mistake and pray for forgiveness. Each time, God would forgive them and they would walk with him for a time. So, I am going to ask you to join me in praying for our nation every day.

May God Have Mercy On America & Protect Our Troops

Our nation is and has been on a slippery slope for a long time. If you look around you will find corruption, greed, moral decay. However, we can reverse this trend.

(2 Chronicles 7:14, NLT) Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

I truly believe this is why the United States of America is in the shape it's in today.
Most people have forgotten that we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD! Let us as Christians stand up and remind people of this.

What chance will you take???

If I believe in God and live my life according to biblical standards, glorifying and praising Him and after death find out I was wrong, what harm have I done? On the other hand if you don’t believe in God and you live your life according to your own standards, glorifying and praising yourself and after death find out you were wrong… do you really want to take that chance?

~ Derrick Rosborough

Let me start by saying...

Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad,
is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here, we should dance.

Money Wise

12 When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. (Genesis 26:12, NLT)

11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.[a] Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
(Malachi 3:11, NLT)


Where money is concerned, the Bible teaches us that we are to:

Save for a rainy day. "The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get." (Proverbs 21:20, NLT) Learn to live within your means and teach your children to do the same. Instead of maxing out your credit cards remind yourself that you can live happily without most of the stuff advertisers are peddling. Before you make another purchase, pray. Just because your banker approves the loan doesn't mean it's wise, or that God approves the expenditure. All boats rise with the tide; they also go down with it. Joseph instructed Pharaoh to "Have them gather all the food produced in the good years....Store it away, and guard it...That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come....Otherwise this famine will destroy the land." (Genesis 41:35-36, NLT). Live by "the Joseph principle," and save.

Sow in the time of famine. The Bible says, "Whoever sows generously will also reap generously" (2 Corinthians 9:6, NIV). You say, "But things are tight for me right now." Don't withhold because you are afraid of not having enough. Give God a seed to work with and He'll make sure you have a harvest when you need it. God's ability to provide is not limited by the world's economy. Do what Isaac did: "A severe famine now struck the land...." (Genesis 26:1 NLT) Isaac planted his crops...he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow."(Genesis 26:12-13, NLT) Who blessed Isaac? The Lord! When God tells you to give, give in faith, confident that at the right time, in the right way, and in exactly the right places, you'll receive!

“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close” (Revelation 3:8, NLT).