[Faith-talk] FW: [URCTCPrayerGroup2] The invitation by Joyce Meyer

[Eric Calhoun]

Another one on forgiveness.


Original Message: 
From: "Donna" <godsgirl54 at att.net>
To: <URCTCPrayerGroup2 at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [URCTCPrayerGroup2] The invitation by Joyce Meyer
Date: 
Wed, 4 Jan 2012 20:29:01 -0500

The Invitation
by Joyce Meyer - posted January 04, 2012 


What I have forgiven . . . has been for your sakes . . . to keep Satan
from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles
and intentions.
-2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Suppose we receive a package from an overnight carrier. After we open it,
we stare at a beautiful, oversized envelope, with our name written on it in
exquisite calligraphy. Inside, the invitation starts with these words: 

You are invited to enjoy a life filled with misery, worry, and confusion.

Which one of us would say yes to such an outrageous invitation? Don't we
seek the kind of life that keeps us free from such pain and distractions?
Yet many of us choose such a life. Not that we blatantly make that choice,
but we sometimes surrender-even temporarily-to Satan's invitation. His
attack is ongoing and relentless-the devil is persistent! Our enemy
bombards our minds with every weapon at his disposal every day of our
lives.

We are engaged in warfare-a warfare that rages and never stops. We can
put on the whole armor of God, halt the evil one's advances, and stand fast
on the Word of God, but we won't put a complete end to the war. As long as
we are alive, our minds remain Satan's battlefield. 

Most of our problems are rooted in thinking patterns that produce the
problems we experience. This is where Satan triumphs-he offers wrong
thinking to all of us. This isn't a new trick devised for our generation;
he began his deceptive ways in the Garden of Eden. The serpent asked the
woman, "Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every
tree of the garden?" (Genesis 3:1a). That was the first attack on the human
mind. Eve could have rebuked the tempter; instead, she told him God would
let them eat from the trees, but not from one particular tree. They
couldn't even touch that tree, because if they did, they would die.

"But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God
knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and
calamity" (vs. 4-5).

This was the first attack, and it resulted in Satan's first victory. What
we often miss about temptation and the battle our enemy levels against us
is that it comes to us deceptively. Suppose he had said to the woman, "Eat
of the fruit. You'll bring misery, anger, hatred, bloodshed, poverty, and
injustice into the world."

Eve would have recoiled and run away. He tricked her because he lied and
told her what would appeal to her.
Satan promised, "You will be like God. You'll know good and evil." What a
marvelous appeal to the woman. He wasn't tempting Eve to do something
bad-or at least he phrased it in such a way that what she heard sounded
good.

That's always the appeal of sin or satanic enticement. The temptation is
not to do evil or to cause harm or bring injustice. The lure is that we
will gain something.

Satan's temptation worked on Eve. "And when the woman saw that the tree
was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look
at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its
fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate" (3:6).

Eve lost the first battle for the mind, and we have continued to fight
for it since that time. But because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in
our lives, we can win-and we can keep on winning.

Victorious God, help me resist the onslaughts of Satan, who attacks my
mind and makes evil seem good. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.





This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Ps
118:24