Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 18 (The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 7: “Loving This World!”)
By admin On May 30th, 2024.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – April 18
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The Devil Made Me Do It!
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Part 7:
“Loving This World!”
to read part 1, click here…October 13th (The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 1)
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“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
Ephesians 2:2
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Back in the 1970’s, a certain saying was popularized…“The Devil made me do it! The Devil made me do it!”
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And this was merely mocking Christians, who were seemingly obsessed with pointing the finger at the Devil.
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Then this unbelieving world could all joke and mock “the silly and absurd notion” that Satan is a very active and powerful force controlling the peoples of this world, by laughingly saying…“The Devil made me do it! The Devil made me do it!“
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Flip Wilson – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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SATAN, “THE GOD OF THIS WORLD”
2nd Corinthians 4:4
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But the horrifying fact is, the Devil does indeed cause the vast percentage of the world’s inhabitants to do a great number of things!
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After all, the above signature verse reveals a truth that practically nobody realizes nor accepts! It is perhaps the most egregious truth in all of the Bible!
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And this above verse from Ephesians reveals that Satan is indeed… “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
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And let’s face it! To admit that the entire world’s inhabitants are filled with this evil spirit is more than anybody is willing to accept, much less even admit!
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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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WHY DO WE ENJOY SO MUCH OF THIS SELFISH WORLD?
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Now, in this little series, “The Devil Made Me Do It!”, various aspects of how “the god of this world” works within the children of disobedience have been touched upon.
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And today’s devotional will put forth the stark reality of why the people of the world love this world so much.
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After all, the people of the world are so entranced and mesmerized by the cares and pleasures of this world, aren’t we?
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Yes, this world holds an overwhelming fascination for most of us!
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People on Times Square – cropped image – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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A DISNEYLAND WORLD!
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let’s face it! “The god of this world” has given this world a complete make-over in these last decades, turning much of the world into a veritable theme-park!
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There are so many things to do, as far as the pleasures and proud, ambitious pursuits now available and possible!
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Just look around! There are so many more places we can go, via modern transportation! And there are so many new amusements to enjoy!
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Theme-parks, vacation resorts, movie theaters, bowling alleys, shopping malls, museums, operas, clubs, politics, high-tech devices, etc., etc….
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Castle of Disney – Wikipedia – Public Dom
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A FUN CHURCH ENVIRONMENT!
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Even the churches of the world are much more fun to attend, now featuring exciting music, charismatic speakers, comedians, singing idols, sports heroes, movies, various social events and excursions, sports events, picnics & potlucks, parties, and yes, even theme parks!
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And so, even today’s churches have a great worldly appeal!
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Church music – Singers & Dancers – creopped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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“NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN”
Ecclesiastes 1:9
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But all these pleasures and pursuits are nothing new!
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Why, even back in the days of Jesus’ earthly sojourn, the world was filled with tantalizing possibilities!
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Delicious foods, and beverages, places of social comradery, etc., were around even back in the days of His earthly ministry…
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Rich Young Ruler – Hoffman – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain
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NOT LIKE TODAY!
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Oh no, things back 2,000 years ago were not like today’s world!
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Nothing has even come close to the possibilities available in today’s world!
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Times Square – New York City – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 2.0
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JESUS CARED NOTHING FOR THE WORLD’S PLEASURES!
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But when Jesus arrived on the world stage, He didn’t seem to be the slightest bit interested in
those pleasures and ambitious pursuits of the world!
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Oh yes, He faithfully performed His daily duties. And He no doubt enjoyed His profession of carpentry.
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But Jesus was not the least bit mesmerized by all the pleasures and pursuits of this selfish world.
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No, instead, Jesus was devoted to the things of Heaven.
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HEAVEN: “THE SAVOR OF DEATH!”
2nd Corinthians 2:16
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Now to the average person, all the heavenly things which Jesus enjoyed, seem like the “kiss of
death”, as the saying goes!
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And someone might say…“Well, perhaps if Jesus was on earth today, He would enjoy skateboarding, or house-flipping, or pizza parties, or fine dining, or going to the opera, or listening to some good jazz, etc…”
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No, no, no, the Bible tells us the following…“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8
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Jesus is the unchangeable One!
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Jesus in Jeans by Peter Royle – cropped image – WIKIMEDIA – SHARE-ALIKE LICENSE
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PAUL’S TOTAL DEVOTION
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Now, let’s look at a mere mortal, such as the Apostle, Paul.
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Listen to Paul’s testimony…“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
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Yes, Paul had the exact same devotion as Jesus had!
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Paul made the following proclamation…“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” Philippians 3:8
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Paul Shipwrecked – Acts 27:41-44 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – Public Domain
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WHY AREN’T WE LIKE PAUL TODAY?
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And so, why are we professed Christians still so enamored by many things of the world?
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Why don’t we have the very same spirit which Paul had?
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Well, perhaps it is because we still are not fully baptized into Christ! Perhaps it is because so many of us are still allowing the spirit of the world into our lives!
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After all, listen to what Jesus said to His very own disciples… “But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.” Luke 9:55
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Yes, Jesus knew His disciples were not as yet fully baptized into the Holy Spirit.
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PICTURE: Unfunny Judgment Day Cartoon – company’s-coming – revised
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A WORLD-LOVING CHURCH IS A DEAD CHURCH
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And sadly, this is the undone condition so prevalent in today’s church-world!
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Listen to John…“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1st John 2:15
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Yes, those who still love this present, selfish and proud world just might be bereft of the Spirit of Christ within!
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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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FILLED WITH, “THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD”
1st Corinthians 2:12
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The sad fact is, these deceived ones might be still under the power of the “prince of the power of the world, that spirit which now works in the children of disobedience!”
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And the love they have for the things of the world may be derived from that Antichrist spirit of the world which possibly still dwells within them!
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ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who offers a world-loving gospel – www.signsofheaven.org
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ANY GOOD NEWS?
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Well, with these things in mind, is there any Good News?
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Yes, much!
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The wonderful News is that Jesus is still calling out new disciples to, “Come and follow Me”
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But to truly become a disciple and follower of Jesus requires us to forsake ALL and follow Him!
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Listen…“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33
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Yes, as this above verse reveals, to truly become a disciple and follower of Jesus requires a total forsaking of this present world.
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Christ calling His Disciples by Edward Armitage – 1869 – courtesy Wikigallery.com – Public Domain
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“THE WORLD GROWS STRANGELY DIM”
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And this kind of total commitment is only possible through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
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But once this is accomplished, the new disciple will no longer be enamored and mesmerized by the pleasures and proud, ambitious pursuits of the world.
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Instead, he or she will begin to love the very same things that Paul loved, that John and Peter and James loved, that Jesus loved!
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And every true disciple will be able to wholeheartedly sing that old song…“Turn your eyes upon Jesus! Look full in His wonderful face! And the things of the world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!”
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TO READ PART 8, GO HERE…
(The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 8: “Loving The Devil’s World”)
Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to be wise as a serpent regarding this very deceptive world. Let me not be ignorant of Satan’s devices, nor of his power over this world…
Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… November 23 (The Two Spirits In The World) or you can also read this shorter article…“March 13th (Planet Earth: Devil’s Island!)“
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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7 HEADS, 10 HORNS, & 7 CROWNS OF THE DRAGON
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“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” Revelation 12:3
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In Revelation, the Dragon of Revelation 12 is described as having seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. However, the Dragon Constellation up in the night sky does not.
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But God has faithfully created the wave of water, in such a way, as to illustrate this same concept of the seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. Because this wave of water is basically composed of ten stars.
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The main body of the wave has seven stars (#‘s, 1 thru 7). And the tip of the crest of the wave has the other three stars (#’s, 8, 9 & 10). So we have this 7 and 10 numbering. And this gives us a great clue, as to where in the Bible we should look, to find out the riddle as to just what or who do these 7 heads, 10 crowns, and 7 horns represent. Because, the Bible speaks very much about floods and waters as being associated with Satan (the Dragon).
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… Flood Waters of Satan-Introduction
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW…
April 19 (David’s Secret Strength: Prayer! Part 2: “Begging & Pleading! Pleading & Begging!”)
David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH 
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
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THIS STUDY #108 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain
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