Posts Tagged ‘financial insecurity’

Master of Deceit and Fraud

Friday, June 25th, 2010

It’s no joke that Satan is our enemy and that his mission is to steal, kill and destroy. Sometimes he uses blatant means to accomplish his goal. Other times he’s more subtle.

Paul pegged it when, on one occasion, he looked a sorcerer in the eye and said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:9,10)

Satan is a master of deceit and fraud. He loves to take what God deems good and then pervert it for his purposes. This is especially true for sex. God designed it as an intimate gift to be shared between husband and wife. But Satan – the enemy of all that’s good – has perverted it. He’s twisted it into sexual abuse, addictions, adultery, and more. He deceives men and women into believing that lust is actually love, and that they have a right to fulfill their sexual needs whenever they wish and with anyone they desire.

What happens? Chances are good that they’ll pick up a physical disease. But they’ll also experience emotional and spiritual sickness – guilt, shame, fear, a hardened conscience, and distance from the God who loves them and wants the best for them. Presto! Satan has achieved his goal.

Satan’s also a master of deceit in the financial department. While God deems work a good thing and has promised to provide for our needs, Satan feeds lies about financial insecurity. Men and women believe those lies and work harder to save more (or to pay off the credit debt that they’ve incurred after believing the lies about needing more stuff). Before long, their work consumes them. They have neither time nor energy for their families or for God. They neglect prayer, Bible reading, reflective time and fellowshipping with other believers. And they sure can’t afford to tithe! Voila. Mission accomplished.

How can we detect this master of deceit and fraud? By being filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 12:9 says that Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit when he looked that sorcerer in the eye and exposed him for what he was. The deeper our walk with God, the more sensitive we’ll become to evil and the less likely we’ll be deceived by the enemy. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

In what other areas of life does the enemy pervert the true ways of the Lord?

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Encouraging Words

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Proverbs 17:25 says, “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” I can attest to that!

When preparations for upcoming speaking engagements, writing deadlines or missions trips overwhelm me, I find huge encouragement if someone says to me, “I’m praying for you.” Those words bring added encouragement if that individual actually prays for/with me via phone, email or in person. The reassurance that someone cares about me lightens my worry-load.

I remember one instance in particular. Last July, I was one hour from leaving for the Vancouver airport enroute to Romania. My husband and I were leading our first volunteer team to a camp for young adults living with HIV/AIDS. The prospect excited me, but I felt a little anxious about details such as how the team would mesh, how travel details would work out once we landed in Budapest, how effective we’d be, etc. Then the phone rang.

The caller was a local pastor – a man with whom I’d attended Bible college in the late 70s. I’d had no contact with him since because our lives had taken different directions. He was calling in response to a magazine article I’d written about dealing with the fear of financial insecurity. “Thank you for addressing this topic,” he said. “Where did you gain your insights?”

“From life experience,” I said. “My husband and I are missionaries, and we deal with it all the time.”

“Really? Tell me about your ministry,” he said. And so I did. I started by telling him that we were headed for Romania later that day. Guess what he said? “Let me pray for you right now.” Those words, spoken at that moment, stripped my worry away. They were like a hug from heaven, a divine reminder of God’s presence and blessing on us.  

Perhaps you can relate. If you’ve experienced an encouraging word, please tell us about it. I guarantee – your words will be an encouragement to those who read them.

In the meantime, here’s a word for you today: “There is no one like the God of Israel, He rides across the heaves to help you. The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you” (Deuteronomy 33:26,27).

Have a great weekend!

It seems like forever, not a mere 12 days, since we visited the "Mother-in-Law" bridge in Odessa. These padlocks are posted by young couples to signify enduring love.

"Mother-in-Law Bridge" in Odessa, Ukraine

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Fear of Financial Insecurity

Friday, June 26th, 2009

If you’re struggling with the fear of financial insecurity, you’re not alone! You might appreciate this article; it’s written from life experience…

http://www.canadianchristianity.com/christianliving/080103fear.html

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Fear is a Big Deal, but God is Bigger

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Fear is a big deal to most people. That’s nothing new. It was a problem for the Israelites, too. Deuteronomy 7 tells the story of how God commanded the Israelites to conquer seven nations that outpowered them. Perhaps the very thought struck fear into their hearts, and they wondered how in the world they could ever go to battle against these nations and win (v. 17). (more…)

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