Tag Archives: Max Lucado

Sunday Scriptures — Satan is Vicious But Not Victorious

Posted on by

by Sandy Kirby Quandt

On October 2, 2017 Max Lucado wrote a compelling blog post titled Evil: Why in the World? after the shootings in Las Vegas. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you do. In light of the shootings last Sunday in Texas, I decided to share some of the points Max made in his post.

Max began his post by stating, “Where the Bible may not tell us the why of the tragedies, it is quick to tell us who.”

Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. Ephesians 6:12 (NCV)

He goes on to say, “The Bible names a real and present foe of our faith: the devil. He is not just a symbol for evil, he is the source of evil. He doesn’t live in myths and fables, he is an actual being who stalks our planet. He knows his time is short so he seeks to wreak havoc on every occasion.”

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

The are several main take-aways I received from Max’s post that I would like to share with you: “We play into the devil’s hand when we pretend he does not exist. The devil is a real devil … Be alert to the devil, but don’t be intimidated by him. … But, and this is huge, the devil is a defeated devil.”

Near the end of his post Max reminds the reader what we should do when Satan threatens. Turn to God in prayer. Go immediately to Scripture. Stand on the promises of God regarding Satan.

God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world (1 John 4:4 NCV)

Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7)

[The devil] is filled with fury because he knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12)

 

I will close my post with the same words Max closed his. “Satan may be vicious, but he is not victorious.”

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject.

If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

The God who brings peace will soon defeat Satan and give you power over him. Romans 16:20 (NCV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

 

If you wish to use any of my blog posts, please contact me through the comments section for permission first. All written material is copyrighted.

Harnessed By God’s Love

Posted on by

courtesy bing imagesby Sandy Kirby Quandt

In a recent Max Lucado UpWords Daily Devotional he described God’s love as a harness binding us to him. Max explained that the Hebrew word hasaq meant tethered, attached to something or someone. Harnessed.

This harnessed love served two purposes … yanking and claiming.

When I was a toddler I wanted to explore. That meant I wandered. That meant I was hard to keep track of. That also meant my wandering could put me in danger.

Of course, I had no idea what that meant, nor did I care, the day I walked out of the downtown Sears store on my own and decided to take a look around.

courtesy pixabayTo remedy the problem of my incessant wandering my mother purchased a pink harness to keep me bound to her when we went out.

To this day I have vivid recollections of retrieving the hateful thing, handing it to her, and standing still while she strapped it around my chest.

I didn’t understand the purpose of that harness was to keep me safe. I didn’t understand it showed my mother loved me enough to keep me close, despite my efforts to run away. I didn’t understand it bound me to her to show I was her child and belonged to her.

All I saw was a loss of freedom.

If we think of God’s love as a hateful thing that takes away our freedom, keeps us restricted and unable to enjoy life, like I did with my pink harness, we’re missing the true reason for his harness.

God’s tether of love shows the world we belong to him and are his children.

It says his love is beyond measure and he wants to keep us safe.

Being harnessed by the ropes of God’s love means he chose us and we are precious to courtesy pixabayhim.

Chafing against the tether of God’s love?

Perhaps we need to see it from his point of view and realize he tethers us because he loves us and claims us as his own.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

Look around you: Everything you see is God’s—the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything on it. But it was your ancestors who God fell in love with; he picked their children—that’s you!—out of all the other peoples. Deuteronomy 10:14-15 (MSG)

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

If you want to re-post any of my blogs on your own blog or website, please contact me using the Contact Me form at at the top of the page for permission first.

Sunday Scriptures –Take the Problem To Jesus and Leave It There

Posted on by

By Sandy Kirby Quandt

In Max Lucado’s book, Before Amen The Power of a Simple Prayer, he discusses Jesus’ first miracle recorded in John 2. Jesus’ mother, Mary, told her son the wedding feast was out of wine.

Max writes that Mary wasn’t bossy. She didn’t tell Jesus what to do. She wasn’t critical of the host. She didn’t blame Jesus for allowing the problem to arise in the first place. And she didn’t blame herself for the problem.

Jesus replied his time had not come, nevertheless, his mother told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do.

Max suggests we are to be like Mary when we encounter problems:

  • Identify the problem
  • Bring the problem to Jesus
  • Leave the problem with him and trust him
  • Resist the urge to take back the problem

So I’m thinking … often we go to Jesus with our problems as a last resort, don’t we? We try to solve the situation on our own instead of going to Jesus first. Then once we do go to him, we try to tell Jesus how we want the situation resolved.

In his book, Max says Mary didn’t complain or accuse. She didn’t question why Jesus allowed the problem in the first place. Nor did she keep snatching it back and fret over it.

Mary identified the problem, took it to Jesus, and left it in his hands.

Perhaps it is time we do the same. What do you think?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment below. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, and Jesus’ mother came to him with the problem. John 2:3 (TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please sign up to receive posts every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!