THE DETRACTOR OF GOD'S KINGDOM

 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

Every kingdom has some way to maintain law and order. In some kingdoms, those who have taken lawlessness to the extreme are served with serious punishment. Orderliness is checked so that the kingdom can achieve a greater degree of success. The detractor(s) are brought to book by some form of enforcement. If not checked by law enforcement, disorderliness will reign in the kingdom. If checked, lawlessness is stopped and success can easily be attained.

In God's kingdom, there is this lawless one who is bent on making disciples of as many as possible out of the faithful citizens of God's kingdom. The lawless one is called the devil. He will not stop until he has caused disorder and destroy the lives of many by ultimately taking them to hell fire.

"... if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:... In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,.."

In our text, the 'god of this world' refers to satan (or the devil). How he became the god of this world' is a story for another day. This world was a subset of God's kingdom until the devil deceived Adam and took the control of the world. Jesus dealt with him on the cross to take it back. But he (the devil) still have some level of control if through those who believe not the good news of the victory of Jesus on the cross. For those who believe and are loyal to the King of Kings i.e. God, and are bonafide citizens of God's Kingdom, they will all enjoy full  previledges and rights of the kingdom. This is what the devil is working day and night to stop. His time is short and will not rest until he cause as much disorder as possible.

Do you know the origin of your pains? Do you know what causes sickness, disease, wars, poverty, hatred, and all kinds of sins? It originates from the devil. All to cause disorder and lead as many as possible to hell.

"...god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light ...should shine unto them."

The god of this world wants to spread as much darkness as possible. The gospel of our Lord Jesus is God's tool to stop him. For those who will believe the gospel, will be out of his trap. Jesus has dealt with the devil but we all must come into the kingdom by faith in Christ Jesus. We must believe. We must turn away from the works of darkness. Once we believe the gospel, the life of faith in God will keep us in track until we find ourselves in heaven.

How does the devil get people to derail into darkness?

Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

Here, the same devil is refered to as the serpent. He was and is still subtil. He deceives and confuses anyone who is his target. If you give him the attention, he will derail you. He is good at that. If he gets the attention of any man, he will make light appears as darkness and will make darkness appears as light until he gets his victim to rebel against God. When he got Eve to go against God, she led her husband astray and as a result, sin entered the world. You are his target victim but he will not succeed. Jesus got you covered. If you will believe in Jesus,  and live a life of faith, you will enjoy the heavenly previledges and have victory over sin and the devil.

You will not be the devil's prey. He will not succeed over you just the same way he didn't succeed over Jesus. You will handle the devil the same way Jesus handled him.

St. Matthew 4:7 "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

Jesus knew what is written in scripture. You have to know what is written so that you gain the upper hand. What is written concerning you is a blessing. You have promises written to claim. You have rights and previledges. The devil will keep you from knowing this. Take the time to know what is written. Jesus also knew how to address the devil based on what is written.

St. Matthew 4:10 "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

He commanded satan to leave and he left. This is what Adam and Eve should have done but did not. For you, command him to leave. The power of satan over your is over. We command him to stay away from your health and your finances. We command him to begone from your success in life. His lure over you to live a sinful life is destroyed. You will live a life of faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, you will make heaven.

Pray:

Lord Jesus, I believe the gospel which is the power of God to those who will believe. I resist the devil and I command him to begone from everything that concerns me. Thank you for answering my prayers in Jesus name. Amen!