Bunker Hill Community Church

God does have a will as far as the music we listen to as Christians. While we will not find names of songs, styles, and genres in Scripture, we do find principles that guide us in choosing the right kinds of music. Those principles are all based on the two greatest commandments: love God above all else, and love one another more than yourself. Three principles are derived from our love for God: 1) Does my music truly GLORIFY God and reflect His nature? 2) Does my music conform to God's standard of what is GOOD? and 3) Do I believe that my music is what God WANTS for me in His plan for me as His child? When we start to truthfully evaluate our music based on these standards, not only may some of our music come into question, but it also exposes what we truly worship.

God's will is not limited to just certain areas of the Christian life. He has a plan that includes everything that we do. That is why Proverbs 3 tells us to seek Him in ALL our ways. One of those areas in which we are to seek Him is music. While most Christians would embrace Proverbs 3-5-7 in theory, relatively few practice it when it comes to music. We instead build the music repertoire of our lives around what -naturally- appeals to us, or what we have developed an appetite for. However, personal preference and experience are not the criteria for choosing good music. The same principles of God's truth that form the foundation for every other area of life should be applied to music as well. When we begin this journey of evaluating the music in our lives according to God's standard, we would do well to remember three foundational truths about music- 1- Music is very personal- 2- Music IS communication- 3- Music is NOT amoral.

God's will is not limited to just certain areas of the Christian life. He has a plan that includes everything that we do. That is why Proverbs 3 tells us to seek Him in ALL our ways. One of those areas in which we are to seek Him is music. While most Christians would embrace Proverbs 3-5-7 in theory, relatively few practice it when it comes to music. We instead build the music repertoire of our lives around what -naturally- appeals to us, or what we have developed an appetite for. However, personal preference and experience are not the criteria for choosing good music. The same principles of God's truth that form the foundation for every other area of life should be applied to music as well. When we begin this journey of evaluating the music in our lives according to God's standard, we would do well to remember three foundational truths about music- 1- Music is very personal- 2- Music IS communication- 3- Music is NOT amoral.

In Ephesians 5, Paul admonishes believers to -redeem the time, because the days are evil.- Understanding that to mean that we are not to waste opportunities on earth to invest in things of eternal value, both for ourselves and for others, then we must apply the redeeming of our time based on the principles of loving God first and foremost, and then loving others as God loves them. Part 1 of this message addressed how we can demonstrate love for God in the use of our time. This message focuses on how we love others with our time. There are three main applications of loving others with our time- 1- Using our time to serve others in love- 2- Using our time to teach others in truth- 3- Using our time to share the gospel with the unsaved. The challenge is not in knowing how to correctly redeem our time--the challenge is in avoiding all of the distractions that cause us to miss opportunities. Parents, especially, should be learning to do all three of these DILIGENTLY so that they can raise a generation of believers who go on to continue the legacy of redeeming our time for God.

In Ephesians 5, Paul admonishes believers to -redeem the time, because the days are evil.- Understanding that to mean that we are not to waste opportunities on earth to invest in things of eternal value, both for ourselves and for others, then we must apply the redeeming of our time based on the principles of loving God first and foremost, and then loving others as God loves them. Part 1 of this message addressed how we can demonstrate love for God in the use of our time. This message focuses on how we love others with our time. There are three main applications of loving others with our time- 1- Using our time to serve others in love- 2- Using our time to teach others in truth- 3- Using our time to share the gospel with the unsaved. The challenge is not in knowing how to correctly redeem our time--the challenge is in avoiding all of the distractions that cause us to miss opportunities. Parents, especially, should be learning to do all three of these DILIGENTLY so that they can raise a generation of believers who go on to continue the legacy of redeeming our time for God.

Time is like money, except that you can never replace it or recover it once it is spent. Ephesians 5 admonishes us as believers to -redeem the time because the days are evil.- This command does apply to our minutes, hours and days, but the Greek word Paul chose to use for time here speaks more toward making use of the one great opportunity we have been given called life. You get one chance to redeem your life--to save it from being wasted on things that hold no eternal value. From the time of your salvation until your physical death, we have an opportunity to invest our life into both our own eternity and the eternity of others. Unfortunately, too many of us miss the smaller opportunities as we get distracted by things that do not matter.

Time is like money, except that you can never replace it or recover it once it is spent. Ephesians 5 admonishes us as believers to -redeem the time because the days are evil.- This command does apply to our minutes, hours and days, but the Greek word Paul chose to use for time here speaks more toward making use of the one great opportunity we have been given called life. You get one chance to redeem your life--to save it from being wasted on things that hold no eternal value. From the time of your salvation until your physical death, we have an opportunity to invest our life into both our own eternity and the eternity of others. Unfortunately, too many of us miss the smaller opportunities as we get distracted by things that do not matter.

Clothes are something that many Christians don't think much about when it comes to God's will for our lives But, in fact, the Bible has more to say on this topic than most would think. God was the original creator of clothing after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, and what He created and the purpose for which He made it should be important for us to understand if we are truly concerned about God's will for us in every area of our lives. God's -dress code- for Adam and Eve became the standard of being -clothed- for almost every civilized culture from that point throughout all of history. In addition to the standard for being -covered- that God set, we should also be concerned about how our clothing demonstrates our love for God and our love for each other. And, YES, we ARE responsible for the temptation that we put in front of others with our mode of dress if we invite them to look, and that look leads them to lust or worse.

Clothes are something that many Christians don't think much about when it comes to God's will for our lives But, in fact, the Bible has more to say on this topic than most would think. God was the original creator of clothing after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, and what He created and the purpose for which He made it should be important for us to understand if we are truly concerned about God's will for us in every area of our lives. God's -dress code- for Adam and Eve became the standard of being -clothed- for almost every civilized culture from that point throughout all of history. In addition to the standard for being -covered- that God set, we should also be concerned about how our clothing demonstrates our love for God and our love for each other. And, YES, we ARE responsible for the temptation that we put in front of others with our mode of dress if we invite them to look, and that look leads them to lust or worse.

Legalism is a problem that has plagued the church from the very beginning of its existence. But while the charges of legalism are many and frequent, the term itself is often misunderstood and misapplied. Legalism at its core is basically an attempt to earn the favor of God or man through outward performance without regard to the condition of the heart. But it is most often the basis of the judgmentalism that defines much of the church today. Those who regularly accuse others of legalism, whether the charge is valid or not, make themselves guilty of the same thing they are charging others with, since they have taken it upon themselves to be the judge of another person's motives and standards. In Romans 14, Paul is very clear as he echoes Jesus' command that we not judge one another. The problem is that we have made ourselves both the standard and the judge, a manifestation of the pride that lies behind the judgment, and a violation of God's command to love one another.

Legalism is a problem that has plagued the church from the very beginning of its existence. But while the charges of legalism are many and frequent, the term itself is often misunderstood and misapplied. Legalism at its core is basically an attempt to earn the favor of God or man through outward performance without regard to the condition of the heart. But it is most often the basis of the judgmentalism that defines much of the church today. Those who regularly accuse others of legalism, whether the charge is valid or not, make themselves guilty of the same thing they are charging others with, since they have taken it upon themselves to be the judge of another person's motives and standards. In Romans 14, Paul is very clear as he echoes Jesus' command that we not judge one another. The problem is that we have made ourselves both the standard and the judge, a manifestation of the pride that lies behind the judgment, and a violation of God's command to love one another.

Our speech says a lot about us. James 3-2 says that the man who is able to control his tongue, that is the perfect man. James 3 also says that the tongue can no man tame. So the only way for our tongue to be under control is through the work of the Holy Spirit. God has given us several principles in His Word that define what He wants our speech to be as part of His will for us. 1- Face-to-face communication is best and preferred. 2- Our speech should be limited to what is necessary, and sometimes silence is required. 3- How we speak is just as important as what we say. 4- Speak only the truth - preferably God's Truth-- and do it in love.

Our speech says a lot about us. James 3-2 says that the man who is able to control his tongue, that is the perfect man. James 3 also says that the tongue can no man tame. So the only way for our tongue to be under control is through the work of the Holy Spirit. God has given us several principles in His Word that define what He wants our speech to be as part of His will for us. 1- Face-to-face communication is best and preferred. 2- Our speech should be limited to what is necessary, and sometimes silence is required. 3- How we speak is just as important as what we say. 4- Speak only the truth - preferably God's Truth-- and do it in love.

The Christian life is about living out the principles of God's truth as the Holy Spirit guides us and empowers us. Jesus said that all the law is summed up in loving God and loving our neighbor. So those two principles become the foundation of living in God's will. In loving our neighbor, or Christian brother, Romans 14 teaches that we must first and foremost choose things in our own lives that edify others and make sure that we do not provide a -stumbling block- in their lives that would cause them to sin against their own conscience. That means our love for each other brings about a willingness to give up even what is not wrong for us in order that we may build up our fellow believers in the faith and point them to Jesus. In addition, the apostle Paul emphasizes that judging others should be non-existent as we encourage each other to live out the principles of God's truth.

The Christian life is about living out the principles of God's truth as the Holy Spirit guides us and empowers us. Jesus said that all the law is summed up in loving God and loving our neighbor. So those two principles become the foundation of living in God's will. In loving our neighbor, or Christian brother, Romans 14 teaches that we must first and foremost choose things in our own lives that edify others and make sure that we do not provide a -stumbling block- in their lives that would cause them to sin against their own conscience. That means our love for each other brings about a willingness to give up even what is not wrong for us in order that we may build up our fellow believers in the faith and point them to Jesus. In addition, the apostle Paul emphasizes that judging others should be non-existent as we encourage each other to live out the principles of God's truth.

-God's will- is a generic phrase that nearly all Christians would agree is important to consider when evaluating our Christian life. But, the Bible provides specific principles that, when applied, drastically emphasize the difference between how a non-believer lives and how a believer should live. These principles define God's will for us. All of these Biblical principles are derived from the -greatest commandment,- namely to love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Again, we run into the issue of the generic nature of what it means to love God and to love others. But loving God with all our hearts creates a foundational paradigm from which other principles emerge- glorifying God in everything we do, our desire for holiness, and even the principle of stewardship. As we more specifically define these terms and ideas from a Biblical perspective, living as a believer takes on a whole new meaning.

-God's will- is a generic phrase that nearly all Christians would agree is important to consider when evaluating our Christian life. But, the Bible provides specific principles that, when applied, drastically emphasize the difference between how a non-believer lives and how a believer should live. These principles define God's will for us. All of these Biblical principles are derived from the -greatest commandment,- namely to love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Again, we run into the issue of the generic nature of what it means to love God and to love others. But loving God with all our hearts creates a foundational paradigm from which other principles emerge- glorifying God in everything we do, our desire for holiness, and even the principle of stewardship. As we more specifically define these terms and ideas from a Biblical perspective, living as a believer takes on a whole new meaning.

In our previous message, we saw how our own skewed perspective can be an obstacle that keeps us from understanding God's will for our lives as believers, because of our lack of Scriptural understanding of His principles. Two other obstacles to understanding God's will include our own policies, which prevent us from practicing God's principles, and what we believe is PERMITTED because of a lack of direct commands from God in certain areas. In both of these cases, we are making our own decisions about what the standard is, or whether there shouldl even be a standard based on a lack of direct commandment from the Lord. Until we learn to live by God's principles as the foundation of wisdom that guides every decision of our lives, not only will we miss God's will for us, but we will also miss God's blessing,

In our previous message, we saw how our own skewed perspective can be an obstacle that keeps us from understanding God's will for our lives as believers, because of our lack of Scriptural understanding of His principles. Two other obstacles to understanding God's will include our own policies, which prevent us from practicing God's principles, and what we believe is PERMITTED because of a lack of direct commands from God in certain areas. In both of these cases, we are making our own decisions about what the standard is, or whether there shouldl even be a standard based on a lack of direct commandment from the Lord. Until we learn to live by God's principles as the foundation of wisdom that guides every decision of our lives, not only will we miss God's will for us, but we will also miss God's blessing,

One of the biggest questions for followers of Christ is -What is God's will for my life--- But many who ask that question are only concerned about God's direction in big areas of life - college, occupation, marriage, purchasing a home, etc. When it comes to the -small- decisions of everyday living, we often neglect seeking God for direction. Proverbs 3-5-6 tells us to -acknowledge God in all our ways.- In other words, we are to seek His will in EVERYTHING, no matter how big or small. God has already given us much about His will for us in the principles taught throughout Scripture. But the battle begins when we let obstacles keep us from living by God's principles. The first of those obstacles is living by our own perspectives and perception, rather than by God's principles.

One of the biggest questions for followers of Christ is -What is God's will for my life--- But many who ask that question are only concerned about God's direction in big areas of life - college, occupation, marriage, purchasing a home, etc. When it comes to the -small- decisions of everyday living, we often neglect seeking God for direction. Proverbs 3-5-6 tells us to -acknowledge God in all our ways.- In other words, we are to seek His will in EVERYTHING, no matter how big or small. God has already given us much about His will for us in the principles taught throughout Scripture. But the battle begins when we let obstacles keep us from living by God's principles. The first of those obstacles is living by our own perspectives and perception, rather than by God's principles.

Many believers think that our Christianity is defined by the good works and performance of worship that we do. That was the same mindset that God condemned the Israelites for in Micah chapter 6. Like them, the modern church is focused more on the things we do FOR God rather than the relationship we have WITH God. In reality, God only requires three things of us as His followers, the same things He required of Israel- to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.

Many believers think that our Christianity is defined by the good works and performance of worship that we do. That was the same mindset that God condemned the Israelites for in Micah chapter 6. Like them, the modern church is focused more on the things we do FOR God rather than the relationship we have WITH God. In reality, God only requires three things of us as His followers, the same things He required of Israel- to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.

As Peter closes his first epistle, he uses the standard protocol of the day, but puts a uniquely Christian flavor to it. Starting with his doxology in verse 11, to his greetings and final blessing, Peter reminds us of the main principles that he brought out in the content of this letter. With a focus on the grace of God in verse 10, and God's purpose in our suffering at the end of that verse, we are reminded as believers that even in our suffering we are to continue in our worship of the Lord, our faithful service to God, our love for one another, and in the peace that only God can provide.

As Peter closes his first epistle, he uses the standard protocol of the day, but puts a uniquely Christian flavor to it. Starting with his doxology in verse 11, to his greetings and final blessing, Peter reminds us of the main principles that he brought out in the content of this letter. With a focus on the grace of God in verse 10, and God's purpose in our suffering at the end of that verse, we are reminded as believers that even in our suffering we are to continue in our worship of the Lord, our faithful service to God, our love for one another, and in the peace that only God can provide.

After warning us about the intention of Satan to destroy people with his attacks, Peter gives us the strategy to be victorious over Satan's attacks- RESIST. It is not an OFFENSIVE battle, but a defensive stance that believers are to take against Satan. Paul describes the equipment we will need to resist Satan in Ephesians 6 - the armor of God - which we are to put on in its entirety every day if we are to be victorious. All of the armor of God is based on His Word, which is our only offensive weapon against our enemy. But Peter reminds of two other things that are important if we are to be victorious- 1- we are not alone in the battle, and 2- Satan's attacks are part of God's plan to strengthen our faith.

After warning us about the intention of Satan to destroy people with his attacks, Peter gives us the strategy to be victorious over Satan's attacks- RESIST. It is not an OFFENSIVE battle, but a defensive stance that believers are to take against Satan. Paul describes the equipment we will need to resist Satan in Ephesians 6 - the armor of God - which we are to put on in its entirety every day if we are to be victorious. All of the armor of God is based on His Word, which is our only offensive weapon against our enemy. But Peter reminds of two other things that are important if we are to be victorious- 1- we are not alone in the battle, and 2- Satan's attacks are part of God's plan to strengthen our faith.

1 Peter 5-8 warns believers to be aware of the attacks of our adversary the devil. The first of his primary tactics is obstruction of God's truth through imitation of God's works and God's Word and deception through -doctrines of demons.- Satan's second tactic is temptation, in which he appeals to our natural desires and suggests that we fulfill them in perversion of God's intended way. Thirdly, Satan uses oppression to try to drive people into despair and frustration, doubting God's goodness and -falling away- from the faith. Job gives us an excellent picture of how Satan oppresses the righteous, using unjust nations, extreme weather events, sickness, and even supernatural occurrences to oppress us, with the goal of weakening our faith and causing us to blame God for all the bad things that happen to good people. Then he will accuse us before God as he has many before us. If Satan cannot get us to curse God, then he will attempt to get God to curse us. In the case of true believers, he will fail in both, since God has given us everything we need to -withstand in the evil day.-

1 Peter 5-8 warns believers to be aware of the attacks of our adversary the devil. The first of his primary tactics is obstruction of God's truth through imitation of God's works and God's Word and deception through -doctrines of demons.- Satan's second tactic is temptation, in which he appeals to our natural desires and suggests that we fulfill them in perversion of God's intended way. Thirdly, Satan uses oppression to try to drive people into despair and frustration, doubting God's goodness and -falling away- from the faith. Job gives us an excellent picture of how Satan oppresses the righteous, using unjust nations, extreme weather events, sickness, and even supernatural occurrences to oppress us, with the goal of weakening our faith and causing us to blame God for all the bad things that happen to good people. Then he will accuse us before God as he has many before us. If Satan cannot get us to curse God, then he will attempt to get God to curse us. In the case of true believers, he will fail in both, since God has given us everything we need to -withstand in the evil day.-

In 1 Kings 4-6, we read about a series of miracles that God performed through His prophet Elisha. Beginning with multiplying oil so a widow can pay her debt, to providing a miracle son to a barren woman, and then raising that child from the dead several years later, God uses miracle after miracle to meet the needs of two women. Then we read about how a group of prophets are miraculously saved from poisoning by a handful of meal, and the multiplying of bread and corn to feed more than 100 men. Chapter 5 relates the account of how Naaman is miraculously healed from leprosy. Then chapter 6 begins with a man losing an axe head in the water and Elisha causing it to float so that it can be recovered. That last miracle is small in comparison to the others, but it demonstrates that God cares about even the small needs in our lives, and often uses miracles to provide for even them.

In 1 Kings 4-6, we read about a series of miracles that God performed through His prophet Elisha. Beginning with multiplying oil so a widow can pay her debt, to providing a miracle son to a barren woman, and then raising that child from the dead several years later, God uses miracle after miracle to meet the needs of two women. Then we read about how a group of prophets are miraculously saved from poisoning by a handful of meal, and the multiplying of bread and corn to feed more than 100 men. Chapter 5 relates the account of how Naaman is miraculously healed from leprosy. Then chapter 6 begins with a man losing an axe head in the water and Elisha causing it to float so that it can be recovered. That last miracle is small in comparison to the others, but it demonstrates that God cares about even the small needs in our lives, and often uses miracles to provide for even them.

God's will is not limited to just certain areas of the Christian life. He has a plan that includes everything that we do. That is why Proverbs 3 tells us to seek Him in ALL our ways. One of those areas in which we are to seek Him is music. While most Christians would embrace Proverbs 3:5-7 in theory, relatively few practice it when it comes to music. We instead build the music repertoire of our lives around what "naturally" appeals to us, or what we have developed an appetite for. However, personal preference and experience are not the criteria for choosing good music. The same principles of God's truth that form the foundation for every other area of life should be applied to music as well. When we begin this journey of evaluating the music in our lives according to God's standard, we would do well to remember three foundational truths about music: 1) Music is very personal; 2) Music IS communication; 3) Music is NOT amoral.

In Ephesians 5, Paul admonishes believers to "redeem the time, because the days are evil." Understanding that to mean that we are not to waste opportunities on earth to invest in things of eternal value, both for ourselves and for others, then we must apply the redeeming of our time based on the principles of loving God first and foremost, and then loving others as God loves them. Part 1 of this message addressed how we can demonstrate love for God in the use of our time. This message focuses on how we love others with our time. There are three main applications of loving others with our time: 1) Using our time to serve others in love; 2) Using our time to teach others in truth; 3) Using our time to share the gospel with the unsaved. The challenge is not in knowing how to correctly redeem our time--the challenge is in avoiding all of the distractions that cause us to miss opportunities. Parents, especially, should be learning to do all three of these DILIGENTLY so that they can raise a generation of believers who go on to continue the legacy of redeeming our time for God.

Time is like money, except that you can never replace it or recover it once it is spent. Ephesians 5 admonishes us as believers to "redeem the time because the days are evil." This command does apply to our minutes, hours and days, but the Greek word Paul chose to use for time here speaks more toward making use of the one great opportunity we have been given called life. You get one chance to redeem your life--to save it from being wasted on things that hold no eternal value. From the time of your salvation until your physical death, we have an opportunity to invest our life into both our own eternity and the eternity of others. Unfortunately, too many of us miss the smaller opportunities as we get distracted by things that do not matter.

Clothes are something that many Christians don't think much about when it comes to God's will for our lives But, in fact, the Bible has more to say on this topic than most would think. God was the original creator of clothing after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, and what He created and the purpose for which He made it should be important for us to understand if we are truly concerned about God's will for us in every area of our lives. God's "dress code" for Adam and Eve became the standard of being "clothed" for almost every civilized culture from that point throughout all of history. In addition to the standard for being "covered" that God set, we should also be concerned about how our clothing demonstrates our love for God and our love for each other. And, YES, we ARE responsible for the temptation that we put in front of others with our mode of dress if we invite them to look, and that look leads them to lust or worse.

Our speech says a lot about us. James 3:2 says that the man who is able to control his tongue, that is the perfect man. James 3 also says that the tongue can no man tame. So the only way for our tongue to be under control is through the work of the Holy Spirit. God has given us several principles in His Word that define what He wants our speech to be as part of His will for us. 1) Face-to-face communication is best and preferred. 2) Our speech should be limited to what is necessary, and sometimes silence is required. 3) How we speak is just as important as what we say. 4) Speak only the truth - preferably God's Truth-- and do it in love.

Legalism is a problem that has plagued the church from the very beginning of its existence. But while the charges of legalism are many and frequent, the term itself is often misunderstood and misapplied. Legalism at its core is basically an attempt to earn the favor of God or man through outward performance without regard to the condition of the heart. But it is most often the basis of the judgmentalism that defines much of the church today. Those who regularly accuse others of legalism, whether the charge is valid or not, make themselves guilty of the same thing they are charging others with, since they have taken it upon themselves to be the judge of another person's motives and standards. In Romans 14, Paul is very clear as he echoes Jesus' command that we not judge one another. The problem is that we have made ourselves both the standard and the judge, a manifestation of the pride that lies behind the judgment, and a violation of God's command to love one another.

The Christian life is about living out the principles of God's truth as the Holy Spirit guides us and empowers us. Jesus said that all the law is summed up in loving God and loving our neighbor. So those two principles become the foundation of living in God's will. In loving our neighbor, or Christian brother, Romans 14 teaches that we must first and foremost choose things in our own lives that edify others and make sure that we do not provide a "stumbling block" in their lives that would cause them to sin against their own conscience. That means our love for each other brings about a willingness to give up even what is not wrong for us in order that we may build up our fellow believers in the faith and point them to Jesus. In addition, the apostle Paul emphasizes that judging others should be non-existent as we encourage each other to live out the principles of God's truth.

"God's will" is a generic phrase that nearly all Christians would agree is important to consider when evaluating our Christian life. But, the Bible provides specific principles that, when applied, drastically emphasize the difference between how a non-believer lives and how a believer should live. These principles define God's will for us. All of these Biblical principles are derived from the "greatest commandment," namely to love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Again, we run into the issue of the generic nature of what it means to love God and to love others. But loving God with all our hearts creates a foundational paradigm from which other principles emerge: glorifying God in everything we do, our desire for holiness, and even the principle of stewardship. As we more specifically define these terms and ideas from a Biblical perspective, living as a believer takes on a whole new meaning.

In our previous message, we saw how our own skewed perspective can be an obstacle that keeps us from understanding God's will for our lives as believers, because of our lack of Scriptural understanding of His principles. Two other obstacles to understanding God's will include our own policies, which prevent us from practicing God's principles, and what we believe is PERMITTED because of a lack of direct commands from God in certain areas. In both of these cases, we are making our own decisions about what the standard is, or whether there shouldl even be a standard based on a lack of direct commandment from the Lord. Until we learn to live by God's principles as the foundation of wisdom that guides every decision of our lives, not only will we miss God's will for us, but we will also miss God's blessing,

One of the biggest questions for followers of Christ is "What is God's will for my life?" But many who ask that question are only concerned about God's direction in big areas of life - college, occupation, marriage, purchasing a home, etc. When it comes to the "small" decisions of everyday living, we often neglect seeking God for direction. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to "acknowledge God in all our ways." In other words, we are to seek His will in EVERYTHING, no matter how big or small. God has already given us much about His will for us in the principles taught throughout Scripture. But the battle begins when we let obstacles keep us from living by God's principles. The first of those obstacles is living by our own perspectives and perception, rather than by God's principles.

Many believers think that our Christianity is defined by the good works and performance of worship that we do. That was the same mindset that God condemned the Israelites for in Micah chapter 6. Like them, the modern church is focused more on the things we do FOR God rather than the relationship we have WITH God. In reality, God only requires three things of us as His followers, the same things He required of Israel: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.

As Peter closes his first epistle, he uses the standard protocol of the day, but puts a uniquely Christian flavor to it. Starting with his doxology in verse 11, to his greetings and final blessing, Peter reminds us of the main principles that he brought out in the content of this letter. With a focus on the grace of God in verse 10, and God's purpose in our suffering at the end of that verse, we are reminded as believers that even in our suffering we are to continue in our worship of the Lord, our faithful service to God, our love for one another, and in the peace that only God can provide.

After warning us about the intention of Satan to destroy people with his attacks, Peter gives us the strategy to be victorious over Satan's attacks: RESIST. It is not an OFFENSIVE battle, but a defensive stance that believers are to take against Satan. Paul describes the equipment we will need to resist Satan in Ephesians 6 - the armor of God - which we are to put on in its entirety every day if we are to be victorious. All of the armor of God is based on His Word, which is our only offensive weapon against our enemy. But Peter reminds of two other things that are important if we are to be victorious: 1) we are not alone in the battle, and 2) Satan's attacks are part of God's plan to strengthen our faith.

1 Peter 5:8 warns believers to be aware of the attacks of our adversary the devil. The first of his primary tactics is obstruction of God's truth through imitation of God's works and God's Word and deception through "doctrines of demons." Satan's second tactic is temptation, in which he appeals to our natural desires and suggests that we fulfill them in perversion of God's intended way. Thirdly, Satan uses oppression to try to drive people into despair and frustration, doubting God's goodness and "falling away" from the faith. Job gives us an excellent picture of how Satan oppresses the righteous, using unjust nations, extreme weather events, sickness, and even supernatural occurrences to oppress us, with the goal of weakening our faith and causing us to blame God for all the bad things that happen to good people. Then he will accuse us before God as he has many before us. If Satan cannot get us to curse God, then he will attempt to get God to curse us. In the case of true believers, he will fail in both, since God has given us everything we need to "withstand in the evil day."

In 1 Kings 4-6, we read about a series of miracles that God performed through His prophet Elisha. Beginning with multiplying oil so a widow can pay her debt, to providing a miracle son to a barren woman, and then raising that child from the dead several years later, God uses miracle after miracle to meet the needs of two women. Then we read about how a group of prophets are miraculously saved from poisoning by a handful of meal, and the multiplying of bread and corn to feed more than 100 men. Chapter 5 relates the account of how Naaman is miraculously healed from leprosy. Then chapter 6 begins with a man losing an axe head in the water and Elisha causing it to float so that it can be recovered. That last miracle is small in comparison to the others, but it demonstrates that God cares about even the small needs in our lives, and often uses miracles to provide for even them.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the most important truth undergirding the Christian faith. Since the beginning of time, man has pondered the question of whether there is life beyond this life and has found no satisfying answers apart from God's promise of eternal life. The promise of a future resurrection was shared with Old Testament saints, who believed despite their lack of total understanding. Jesus fulfilled that promise when He came out of the grave on the third day after being crucified. And the promise is extended to us today so that we might have hope.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the most important truth undergirding the Christian faith. Since the beginning of time, man has pondered the question of whether there is life beyond this life and has found no satisfying answers apart from God's promise of eternal life. The promise of a future resurrection was shared with Old Testament saints, who believed despite their lack of total understanding. Jesus fulfilled that promise when He came out of the grave on the third day after being crucified. And the promise is extended to us today so that we might have hope.

When Peter warns believers about a believer's primary adversary in 1 Peter, he gives us some information about who we are up against just in how he describes him. The -devil- is one who falsely accuses and slanders, while -adversary- is literally the word -Satan- in Hebrew. His objective is to DESTROY us, not just to sidetrack us or derail our Christian walk. He does this in three ways- obstruction of the truth, temptation to sin, and oppression meant to drive us from God. While unbelievers will continually fail in resisting these attacks, believers will be overcomers and will never be totally destroyed, since we have assurance that NOTHING can take us out of the love of God.

When Peter warns believers about a believer's primary adversary in 1 Peter, he gives us some information about who we are up against just in how he describes him. The -devil- is one who falsely accuses and slanders, while -adversary- is literally the word -Satan- in Hebrew. His objective is to DESTROY us, not just to sidetrack us or derail our Christian walk. He does this in three ways- obstruction of the truth, temptation to sin, and oppression meant to drive us from God. While unbelievers will continually fail in resisting these attacks, believers will be overcomers and will never be totally destroyed, since we have assurance that NOTHING can take us out of the love of God.

There are many, Christian and unsaved alike, who do not believe in the literal existence of Satan. In 1 Peter 5-8, Scripture makes it very clear that Satan is the arch-enemy of believers and that his intent is to destroy us. Therefore, not only should we believe that he exists, but we need to be aware of his nature and tactics so that we may claim victory in the battle against evil. The first step in preparing ourselves then is to avoid unbiblical ideas regarding the devil and be firmly grounded in what God says about him.