The disciples once asked Jesus to tell them the signs that would precede His return to earth. He gave them a list that included earthquakes, famines, wars, pestilences, and more. But the first thing He said was, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Deception will be a hallmark of the last days.
One would think it would be difficult to deceive Americans. We are the most-wired, most-informed, most-open society on earth. In fact, in history. But everyday I’m stunned by how ignorant, uninformed, and “in the ozone” so many people are. They seem to believe everything the media says without questioning it. They refer to popular culture as if it’s reality. They spend their time, energy, and treasure on the most meaningless pursuits and stuff.
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..It’s easy to become discouraged when we look at the mounting evils and overwhelming changes that come rushing at us everyday. Maybe the most common emotion is a sense of helplessness. Don’t be alarmed. That’s how you should feel. You see, we are not fighting against other political ideologies. We’re not trying to stem the tide of immorality foisted on us by a few money-hungry entertainment executives. We’re not battling to maintain our free enterprise system or quality of life that’s threatened by some misguided socialists and communists. We’re not even trying to prevent the destruction of our Judeo-Christian heritage by an ever-growing Islamic threat. It’s much bigger than that.
The Apostle Paul described it like this. He said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood (people), but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” In other words, we’re fighting against Satan and his colossally powerful demonic forces. And if we were fighting alone, we WOULD be overwhelmed. But, praise God, we are not fighting alone. The Holy Spirit in His restraining ministry holds Satan’s hordes at bay. And Paul describes how we are armored and armed to fight these battles through the Word of God and the power of His Spirit.
And though it will not be easy — remember, it took the angel 21 days to fight his way through to minister to Daniel — we are promised victory if we follow the instruction of the Word and depend upon the leading of the Spirit.
from The Hal Lindsey Report – March 16, 2012
