In a nationally published magazine, I read, “Thanksgiving is a good time to stop and remember the importance of saying, “Thank you.”  Not just once a year, but every day, to all those who help make our lives and businesses possible.”  As I read the article, I found myself looking for some mention of God—I was disappointed.  Would we, as a nation, leave God out of another holiday that was instituted for His glory and praise?

  Some say that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, by forty Colonists and their Indian friends at the Plymouth Colony, to give thanks for the harvest.  Two years later, Thanksgiving was again celebrated with an official proclamation by Governor Bradford that began, “Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest…, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, …has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience…”

  On November 26, 1789 President George Washington issued yet another Thanksgiving Day proclamation.  He said, “Whereas, It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; …a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God…”

  Though Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and a Deist, refused to issue a proclamation of Thanksgiving, in 1828, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale began campaigning for the restoration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.  Finally in 1863, President Lincoln listened seriously to her plea, and proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November to be the National Thanksgiving Day which was ratified by the Congress in 1941.

  Would you join me this year in the reinstitution of Thanksgiving for the purpose of Praise to God for His merciful bounty to us as a nation?

 We have been considering what the Bible has to say about our enemy, the devil.  He is more than a myth; he is a created angel.  In Ezekiel 28:14 he is called “the anointed cherub that covereth.”  He was the highest ranking angel in heaven.  God called him Lucifer, which means, “Light Bearer.”

  Isaiah 14:12-15 tells how that soon after creation, Lucifer led in a rebellion against God.  He and one third of the other angels were cast out of heaven.  In Matthew 12:24, the Pharisees refer to him as the “prince of the devils.”

  Satan, a powerful, though fallen, celestial being, also exercises a degree of power in the earth.  Before Jesus ascended back to Heaven, He warned, “the prince of this world cometh. (John 14:30).”  Later, Paul referred to him as the “Prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).  He and his minions became the open and declared enemies of God and man.  John tells us, “…he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44).”  We are told that sometimes, he even appears as “an angel of light” (2Corinthians 11:14).”

  Being without Christ, the natural (unsaved) man is no match for the devil.  Many who are impressed with his strength have chosen to worship him—unaware that he blinds them to the truth (2Corinthians 4:4), oppresses them with all manner of evil (Acts 10:38), and inflicts them with sickness, injury or disease (Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; Luke 9:42).  Others he possesses, and leads to destruction of both body and soul. (Luke 8:30; John 13:26-27).

  But God never intended for us to be prey for the devil.  Everyone who has accepted Christ’s forgiveness, has victory over sin, death, hell, and fear.  To them, Satan is a defeated foe, and has no authority where they are concerned (Colossians 1:13).  Though they still live where sin abounds, they are by faith, citizens of another realm, and know experientially that “greater is He that is in them, than he that is in the world. (1John 4:4).”

  Satan is a topic most of us would rather not discuss.  Nevertheless, God has issued some vital information about the enemy of our souls, and we would do well to hear Him.  Last time we looked at Satan as he relates to God.  In this brief article, we will consider Satan’s abuse of the Word of God.

  First, you should know that Satan destroys the effects of the Word of God in unwary lives.  In Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower and soils, He said,  “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. (Mark 4:15).”  When a person begins to understand the Word of God, Satan might say, “Your mind is playing tricks on you; sin is not nearly so deadly as you think,” or “God is a God of love; He will not hold it against you.”  My friend, Satan lies! (John 8:44).

  Secondly, Satan misquotes, misinterprets or misapplies the Word.  When he tempted Christ in the wilderness with a quote from Psalm 91, he taunted,  “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.  (Matthew 4:6).”  This was an effort to get Jesus to test the faithfulness of God in a foolhardy exhibition of faith — a gross misappropriation of the promise.  Jesus exposed his wicked intention when He answered with a verse of His own, “Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God,… (Deut. 6:16a ).”

  Admittedly, the Psalm quoted by the devil says that God will protect, but the promise is made to those who “dwell in the secret place of the most High (Psalm 91:1).”  One who lives in the presence of the Almighty, will have no desire, or need, to test His faithfulness.  Just because your car has air bags doesn’t mean that you should run into a tree.

  We must not allow Satan to snatch away the Word, one precept at a time by misquoting, misinterpreting, or misapplying it.

  Perhaps you have noticed how some, in our day, have a strange preoccupation with evil and the “dark side.”  Satan is the prince of that realm and would like to teach you about himself through the mouths of his minions.  Beware, he’s a liar and would steal away the truth—your only hope of deliverance from eternal hell.  He enjoys blinding the minds of those who do not know God. (2Corinthians 4:4)

  Rather than listen to Satan’s cronies talk about their master, let’s expose him with the Word of God.  Even the names that are ascribed to the devil in the Bible are revealing: the fowler, wicked one, murderer, god of this world, prince of the power of the air, ruler of darkness, adversary, roaring lion, angel of the bottomless pit, destroyer, accuser, and deceiver.  There is not one flattering word in the Scriptures pertaining to this nemesis of our souls.

  The Bible reveals that he was created by God as a holy angel (Ezekiel 28:11-14; Colossians 1:15-17).  He rebelled against God in pride (Ez. 28:15-17; Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:18).  He can enter into God’s presence as the great accuser of the brethren (Job. 1:6; Revelation 12:7-8, 10).  He is condemned, and awaits the carrying out of the divine sentence (Is. 14:16; Matthew 25:41; Hebrews 2:14; James 2:19; Rev. 20:10).  His power and works are thwarted by the death of Christ on the cross and subsequent resurrection (Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20; Hebrews 2:14; 1John 3:8).  He accuses God, and tries (unsuccessfully) to tempt Him with evil (Job 1:7-12; Matt. 4:10).  Satan, and the fallen angels that we call demons, are subject to the commands of God (Matt.8:31; 17:18; Mark 1:34; 5:15; Luke 4:35, 41).

  The Bible has more to say about the devil.  We will revisit this topic next time.  Until then, let me remind you that Satan was defeated by Christ.  Those that are Christ’s are eternally safe. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1John 4:4).  Have you made Christ your very own Savior and Lord?

  Did you ever dream a dream that felt life changing while you were asleep, but by morning it seemed irretrievably forgotten? Well, recently I remembered a dream that I had many years ago.  I dreamed of two men with chainsaws, trimming an almost limbless tree that had grown curiously into a rather large arch.  The two were perched high on the horizontal trunk of the tree at the top of the arch.  As one of them moved from limb to limb, he would stand erect, with arms extended, walking “tightrope” style toward the next limb.  As he toddled forward, I could hear his chainsaw idling roughly, as he laughed and conversed loudly with his fellow acrobat.  Both men seemed oblivious to any impending danger.  I watched in awe, impressed by their brazen disdain for the terror that could at any moment overtake them.  …and then, my dream quickly evolved into a nightmare.  That voice, so high above my head, seemed familiar; I strained to see their faces.  Could it be …yes, it is, …it is my son!  No longer could I be a spectator.  With a jerk, I started toward the base of the tree, my mind racing in search of a plan to secure the safety of my beloved son.  And then I woke up, wet with sweat, and in the same panic that had interrupted my dream.

  As I lay on my bed in the dark of night rehearsing the terrible scene that had been my focus just seconds before, the question came to me.  Why had I panicked for the men’s safety only after I had realized that one of them was my son?  I had admired their daring until I understood that if something happened to them, their loss would be my own.    For several minutes in the night, and then in the morning hours of a new day, I realized that my dream was in fact a reality in my life.  No, my son was not in a tree at that moment, but there I stood gazing at a world that lives at the slippery brink of eternity with no thought of the impending terror that awaits those who do not know Christ.  How could I be so thoughtless?  Do they matter so little to me?

  O Lord, help me to see the loss of their souls as You do.