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Play the song “It is well with my soul” by Chris Rice.
Lyrics:-
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, “We can’t keep Christians from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior.”
“Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.”
“So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don’t have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.
This is what I want you to do”, said the devil:-
“Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!”
“How shall we do this?” his demons shouted.
“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered.
“Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.
Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.
Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!
Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.
Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mail boxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products , services and false hopes.
Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what’s important, and they’ll become dissatisfied with their wives. Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! If they don’t give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly!
Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas.
Give them an Easter bunny so they won’t talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death.
Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God’s creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy!
And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences.
Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.
It will work! It will work!”
It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.
I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme?
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)
Jesus is the greatest teacher who ever lived on planet earth. His teachings inspired the weak and angered the proud. Though full of heavenly wisdom, His teachings have great clarity of thought.
The Gospel of John records a bunch of interesting statements which Jesus made about Himself. These are known as the “I AM” sayings of Christ. A reading into these passages will remind one of the Old Testament passages where God revealed Himself as “I AM” – the eternal, ever-present God (Exodus 3:14). The “I AM” sayings illustrate Christ’s equality with the Father.
There are seven “I AM” sayings of Jesus. These express His identity, acts, purpose and uniqueness.
Gate (John 10:7)
Jesus called Himself the ‘gate’ for the ‘sheep’. A gate is an entry into something new or different. As Savior, He is the entry into something that is different from the world – God’s Kingdom. Many have claimed to be that entry but only Christ has proved to be true.
Shepherd (John 10:11)
Jesus also called Himself the ‘shepherd’ of the ‘sheep’. Shepherds have the passion and courage to nurture and protect their sheep. In tough times, they stick to their job; but false shepherds give up.
Many follow false ‘gods’ who lead them astray and abandon them during tough times. As Savior, Jesus loves to be a shepherd to all people regardless of color, creed or country. He loves to nurture and protect them. And he sticks to His promises, especially in tough times.
Resurrection (John 11:25)
No leader has ever come back from death to life other than Jesus. Death and decay could not hold Him. As Savior, He saves those who follow Him from eternal death. Fear of death has been broken from their minds.
Life (John 11:25)
Jesus is the giver of life. When Satan plans to destroy lives, Christ gives life. ‘Abundance’ is the quality of that life which He provides – and it’s not just for some days, but for eternity.
Way (John 14:6)
A guide can show the way to a particular place. There are many who claim to be ways to heaven. Unlike all of them, Jesus not only shows the way but also is the way to heaven.
Truth (John 14:6)
Truth is an absolute and ultimate certainty that cannot be rivaled. All the so-called truths of the world fail miserably when tested. But Christ uttered truths that withstood all tests because He Himself is the truth.
Vine (John 15:1)
Vine is a woody climbing plant which bears grapes used especially for making wine in ancient times. Jesus calls Himself ‘the vine’ because He is the one who can produce real joyful living in the lives of people. When the world offers ‘packs’ that supposedly help people enjoy life but prove to be fake, Jesus brings everlasting joy and blessings to people who choose to follow Him.
During this Christmas season, let these seven “I AM” sayings help you to recognize and appreciate the person of Jesus Christ and motivate you to follow the Savior more closely.
Model Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for helping me to know you more through the “I AM” sayings. Help me to apply this teaching in my life. I choose to follow you as my Savior.
[Thanksgiving and Prayer] We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. — 2 Thessalonians 1:3
