21/04/2021 - BE CAREFUL WITH THE ENEMY’S NET

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He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; he lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor when he draws him into his net. Psalms 10:9

The devil didn’t come to spend his holidays on the earth. He was thrown here by the faithful angels of the Lord (Revelation 12:7-9). Lucifer led a rebellion in the kingdom of God, and his purpose was to try to be as great as the Lord. But who was he to fight the Most High and prevail? The heavenly hosts overcame the enemy they were fighting. It is very important to understand that the evil one was only allowed to come here because of Adam’s sin. Be vigilant!

Satan didn’t expect the Son of God to be sent to the world in the form of a man, humbling Himself from the condition He had before becoming flesh and being born of a woman (Philippians 2:6-8). The accuser also couldn’t imagine that Jesus, when He died on the cross, would go to the kingdom of darkness to reclaim the authority the enemy had stolen from humanity. When he saw the Savior in the regions of death, the tempter smiled, thinking he had Jesus under his dominion. He was very wrong!

Jesus walked through the terrifying paths of the valley of the shadow of death, He went straight to the evil one and removed all the power he had stolen from men: Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15). Christ did that when He was alone, separated from the Father, in Calvary (Mark 15:34). The devil wasn’t expecting that! Later, the Holy Spirit went into hell and vivified the Savior and all of us together with Him. Hallelujah!

When He came back to life, the Master carried with Him the keys of death and of hell (Revelation 1:17,18). Since then, the evil one is on his way to the lake of fire and sulfur, where he will spend all of eternity without tormenting the people of God anymore. The sad part is when we think about the wicked, who will be with the tempter forever. It is unbelievable that some people will reject salvation in Christ!

Speaking about those who won’t submit to God, the Bible compares them to a lion who squats and prepares snares in hiding places, in order to steal and arrest the poor. This comparison is faithful to reality, because the unfaithful are cheaters and they deceive others with a single purpose: greed. Poor ones who disrespect the Lord!

Lions use this survival method because the Creator made them with a predatory ability. But it shouldn’t be like that among men. God will provide for those who live in Christ (Matthew 6:31-33). The wicked don’t respect others and practice condemnable acts. Don’t give in to the enemy!

May God free you from acting against the helpless and even against those who have decided to live in sin. Respect the holy institutions, such as marriage, and make things right with those you’re in debt with. The day is coming when all the wickedness will be judged by the righteous Judge. Therefore, make things right with those you harmed!

In Christ, with love,

Dr. Soares