Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

September 20, 2020

9/20/2020

EXPELLED FROM HEAVEN

        How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!--Isaiah 14:12

    The warfare against God's law commenced in heaven. Satan was determined to bring God to his ideas, his way, to force Him to change the law of His government. This was the cause of the war in heaven. Satan worked upon the sympathies of the angelic host by his deceptive attitude, but he was expelled from heaven, and now he is determined to carry out on this earth the plans instituted in heaven. If he can persuade man to be disloyal to the law of God, he will feel that he is revenged upon God.

    He strives to instill into the minds of men his masterly deceptions, thus perverting judgment and justice, and trampling down the law of God. This work--the conflict between truth and error--lies at the foundation of the trial and tribulations which the children of God will experience. This is the "trial of their faith." [1 Peter 1:7.]

    By pressing upon the soul the idea that God is displeased with us, Satan tries to torture us into unbelief. But we are to "rejoice in the Lord always." [Philippians 4:4] The Lord Jesus is our only hope....

    Although God is so high and holy, and though His glory and majesty fills the heavens, yet He looks with pitying tenderness upon all that tremble at His Word. These are the contrite ones. They may feel that they can scarcely hope in His mercy, yet they are the special objects of His care and love.

    When you have a plain, "Thus saith the Lord" for your course of action, He will sustain you. (Letter 24, May 19, 1895)

REFLECTION: Satan, who was once an honored angel in heaven, had been ambitious for the more exalted honors which God had bestowed upon his Son. He became envious of Christ, and represented to the angels who honored him as covering cherub that he had not the honor conferred upon him which his position demanded. He asserted that he should be exalted equal in honor with God. (The Review and Herald, February 24, 1874)

September 19, 2020

9/19/2020

OUR ONLY STRENGTH IS CHRIST

        Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.--1 Peter 1:5

    You cannot keep yourself one moment. You are kept by the power of God through faith. Let your faith rest in His merits, rely upon His mercy, trust in the sufficiency of His grace to keep you every moment. Never allow the enemy to obtain an advantage over you because you do not think you are good enough to be called a child of God.

    By faith you are to constantly repose in the righteousness which God has provided you through His Substitute, Jesus Christ the Righteous. He forgiveth sins, and pardoneth iniquities and transgression. He takes away our sin and in its place imputes His own righteousness. What a blessing this is for us! It is only as you take God at His word, accept Jesus Christ as your Redeemer, that you preserve the honor of God, that you show "that you are kept by the power of God through faith ready to be revealed in the last time." [1 Peter 1:5.]

    Why this revelation of the power of faith in the last time? Why is it to be revealed in the very close of this world's history? because iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxes cold, through the deceptive workings of the satanic agencies, who especially oppose the commandment keeping people of God at this time and bring trial and sorrow upon them.

    In these closing days of probation, days of great trial of faith, you cannot keep yourself. You are kept by the power of God alone, which is revealed in a special manner to offset the working of Satan through the children of disobedience. He would grieve and hurt the soul of everyone who would be loyal and true, who would keep the way of the Lord and do His commandments. Manifold temptations will come to all who believe in Jesus. Satan will seek to discourage those who manifest their love for God by keeping His commandments. (Letter 24, May 19, 1895)

REFLECTION: The grace of Christ is to control the temper and the voice. Its working will be seen in politeness and tender regard shown by brother for brother, in kind, encouraging words. An angel presence is in the home. The life breathes a sweet perfume, which ascends to God as holy incense. Love is manifested in kindness, gentleness, forbearance, and long-suffering. (Christ's Object Lessons, 102)

September 18, 2020

9/18/2020

BE A PEACEMAKER

        A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.--Proverbs 15:1

    We are not to be bribed or to attain the world's favors by bowing to the laws of men and setting aside the law of God; we are not to be brought in bondage to the world; and yet we are in the world to live as long as God shall permit, and the Lord has given us a special work to do to save the world.....

    In this, the closing period of the earth's history, let not men be careless in words or acts, let them not indulge a masterful spirit, and provoke the wrath of their enemies. Let not any soul who claims to believe the truth give others occasion to conclude that he is not a Christian, because he talks and acts like a sinner.

    There are many who have never had the light. They are deceived by their teachers, and they have not received the mark of the beast. The Lord is working with them; he has not left them to their own ways. Until they shall be convicted of the truth, and trample upon the evidence given to enlighten them, the Lord will not withdraw His grace from them....

    Let none who have received the truth cherish the spirit of the Pharisees, and make it appear prominent that they want nothing from the powers that be. God does not give any such burden. We may make a very hard time for ourselves, and bring reproach upon the cause of God, if we feel that we are doing God's service in following our own human impulse. We are not to put on the armor and battle to arouse the combative spirit of our enemies, and to provoke them to fight and to destroy. Our influence is to be of such a character that we shall not unnecessarily stir up angry feelings and arouse the enmity of those who do not believe as we do. (Letter 7, October 20, 1895)

REFLECTION: If impatient words are spoken to you, never reply in the same spirit. Remember that "a soft answer turneth away wrath." Proverbs 15:1. And there is wonderful power in silence. Words spoken in reply to one who is angry sometimes serve only to exasperate. But anger met with silence, in a tender, forbearing spirit, quickly dies away. (The Ministry of Healing, 486)

September 16, 2020

9/16/2020

THE DRAGON GOES TO WAR

        The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who kept the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.--Revelation 12:17

    Christ will be represented in the person of those who accept the truth, and who identify their interest with that of their Lord. The world will be enraged at them in the same way as they were enraged at Christ, and the disciples of Christ will know that they are to be treated no better than was their Lord. But Christ will surely identify His interest with that of those who accept of Him as their personal Saviour. Every insult, every reproach, every false accusation made against them by those who have turned their ears away from the truth, and are turned unto fables, will be charged upon the guilty one as done to Christ in the person of His saints.

    Those who love and keep the commandments of God are most obnoxious to the synagogue of Satan, and the powers of evil will manifest their hatred towards them to the fullest extent possible. John foresaw the conflict of the remnant church and the powers of evil, and said, "The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." [Revelation 12:17.]

    The forces of the powers of darkness will unite with human agents who have given themselves into the control of Satan, and the same scenes that were exhibited at the trial, rejection, and crucifixion of Christ will be revived. Through yielding to satanic influences men will be merged into fiends and those who were created in the image of God, who were formed to honor and glorify their Creator, will become the habitation of dragons, and Satan will see in an apostate race his masterpiece of evil-men who reflect his own image. (Manuscript 39, October 4, 1894)

REFLECTION: The substitution of the precepts of men for the commandments of God has not ceased. Even among Christians are found institutions and usages that have no better foundation than the traditions of the fathers....In this day, when we are bidden to call attention to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, we see the same enmity as was manifested in the days of Christ. (The Desire of Ages, 398)

September 15, 2020

9/15/2020

COUNTERACT THE COUNTERFEIT

        For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many.--Matthew 24:5

    The conflict is not yet ended, and as we draw near the close of time, the battle waxes more intense. As the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ draws near, satanic agencies are moved from beneath. Satan will not only appear as a human being, but he will impersonate Jesus Christ, and the world who has rejected the truth will receive him as the lord of lords, and king of kings.

    He will exercise his power and work upon the human imagination. He will corrupt both the minds and bodies of men, and work through the children of disobedience, fascinating and charming as does a serpent. What a spectacle will the world be for heavenly intelligences! What a spectacle for God, the Creator of the world, to behold!

    The form Satan assumed in Eden when leading our first parents to transgress was of a character to bewilder and confuse the mind. He will work in a subtle manner as we near the end of earth's history. All his deceiving power will be brought to bear upon human subjects to complete the work of deluding the human family.

    So deceptive will be his working that men will do as they did in the days of Christ, and when asked, Whom shall I release unto you, Christ or Barabbas? the almost universal cry will be Barabbas, Barabbas. And when the question is asked, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? the cry again will be, Crucify him. (Manuscript 39, October 4, 1894)

REFLECTION: Satan is at work to deceive the very elect, and now is our time to work with vigilance. Our books and papers are to be brought before the notice of the people; the gospel of present truth is to be given to our cities without delay. Shall we not arouse to our duties? (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, 63)

September 14, 2020

9/14/2020

THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT

        Let no man deceive you with words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.--Ephesians 5:6-7 KJV

    The stern conflict between light and darkness, between error and truth, is deepening in its intensity. The synagogue of Satan is intensely active, and the deceiving power of the enemy is working in the most subtle way in this age. Every human mind that is not surrendered to God and is not under the control of the Spirit of God will be perverted through satanic agencies....

    All the vast, complicated machinery of evil agencies is put into action in these last days. Through generation after generation, from age to age, Satan has gathered human agencies through whom to work his diabolical purposes, and to bring about the enforcements of his plans and devices in the earth. The great putrid fountain of evil has been continually flowing through human society.

    Though being unable to expel God from His throne, Satan has charged God with satanic attributes and has claimed the attributes of God as his own. He is a deceiver, and through his serpentine sharpness, through his crooked practices, he has drawn to himself the homage which man should have given to God, and has planted his satanic throne between the human worshiper and the divine Father....

    Satan has made masterly efforts to perpetuate sin. He arrayed all his evil agencies to war against Jesus Christ in an active, desperate conflict, in order that he might bruise the heart of infinite love. He seduced the people to bow to idols, and thus gained supremacy over earthly kingdoms. (Manuscript 39, October 4, 1894)

REFLECTION: God's ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach....The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan. Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin. He came to destroy the works of the devil, and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning. (The Desire of Ages, 311)

September 13, 2020

9/13/2020

STAY FOCUSED

        I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.--Revelation 14:13-14 KJV

    Christ has given warning, so that none need accept falsehood for truth. The only channel through which the Spirit operates is that of the truth. The spirit of truth works upon the human agent to convince of sin, of righteousness, and of a judgment to come. A divine agency is constantly working upon the human agent, and here the divine agency is indispensable....

    Our faith and hope are founded, not in feeling, but in God....

    The faithless position of many is dishonoring to God. We want a continual increase of faith. We must walk by faith, not by feeling, nor be sight. Stormy times are before us, severe tests will come, and if we have not educated and trained ourselves to serve God through faith in Christ our righteousness, we shall begin to look to our own imperfect lives, and lose all hope....

    We shall be tried sorely, for Satan will come in every conceivable form to distress, annoy, and delude every follower of Jesus. We must live by faith, not be feeling. We must advance step by step into a more experimental knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. There is need of daily, hourly communion with God. Our life, our soul, hid with Christ in God, is safe. Jesus, precious Jesus, is stronger than the strong man armed. (Letter 12, May 10, 1894)

REFLECTION: We must live close to God, abiding close by His throne in prayer. If we have self-confidence, confidence in our own wisdom, then the Lord Jesus leaves us to our own weakness. We must look to Jesus and live. (Letter 12, May 10, 1894)

September 12, 2020

9/12/2020

DON'T BE DECEIVED

        For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.--Matthew 24:24

    Let none cherish the idea that special providences of miraculous manifestations are to be the proof of the genuineness of their work or of the ideas they advocate. If we keep these things before the people, they will produce an evil effect, an unhealthful emotion. The genuine working of the Holy Spirit on human hearts is promised, to give efficiency through the Word. Christ has declared the Word to be spirit and life. "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea." [Habakkuk 2:14.]

    Satan will work in a most subtle manner to introduce human inventions clothed with angel garments. But the light from the Word is shining amid the moral darkness; and the Bible will never be superseded by miraculous manifestations.

    The truth must be studied, it must be searched for as hidden treasure. Wonderful illuminations will not be given aside from the Word, or to take the place of it. Cling to the Word, receive the ingrafted Word, which will make men wise unto salvation. This is the meaning of the words of Christ in regard to eating His flesh and drinking His blood. [John 6:54.] And he says, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent." [John 17:3.]

    We shall encounter false claims, false prophets will arise; there will be false dreams and false visions; but preach the Word, be not drawn away from the voice of God in His Word. Let nothing divert the mind. The wonderful, the marvelous, will be represented and presented. Through satanic delusions, wonderful miracles, the claims of human agents will be urged. Beware of this. (Letter 12, May 10, 1894)

REFLECTION: Watch and be ready. Satan will do everything possible to deceive even the very elect of God's chosen. We do not need to be fooled by great wonders. We have God's Word to keep us from error and the Holy Spirit to "guide [us] into all truth." (John 16:13)

September 11, 2020

9/11/2020

TIME TO CHOOSE

        Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.--Matthew 7:13-14

    It is not human beings that are creating such intensity of feeling as now exists in the religious world. A power from Satan's spiritual synagogue is infusing the religious elements of the world, arousing men to decided action to press the advantages Satan has gained by leading the religious world in determined warfare against those who make the Word of God their guide and the soul foundation of doctrine.

    Satan's masterly efforts are now put forth to gather in every principle and every power that he can employ to controvert the binding claims of the law of Jehovah, especially the Fourth Commandment, that defines who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth....

    Here is the great issue. Here are the two great powers confronting each others, the Prince of God, Jesus Christ, and the prince of darkness, Satan. Here comes the open conflict. There are but two classes in the world, and every human being will arrange under one of the two banners, the banner of the prince of darkness, or the banner of Jesus Christ.

    God will inspire His loyal and true children with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the representative of God and will be the mighty working agent in our world to bind the loyal and true into bundles for the Lord's garner. Satan is also with intense activity gathering together in bundles his tares from among the wheat.

    We are engaged in a warfare which will never close until the final decision is made for all eternity. (Letter 38, April 14, 1894)

REFLECTION: The path which I have set before you, He said, is narrow; the gate is difficult of entrance; for the golden rule excludes all pride and self-seeking. There is, indeed, a wider road; but its end is destruction. If you would climb the path of spiritual life, you must constantly ascend; for it is an upward way. You must go with the few; for the multitude will choose the downward path. (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 138)

September 10, 2020

9/10/2020

NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOD'S WORD

        All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.--2 Timothy 3:16

    Some will accept and promulgate the error, and when the reproof comes that will place matters in the true light, those who have had little experience and who are ignorant of the oft-repeated workings of Satan, will cast away with the rubbish of error that which has been before them as truth. Thus the light and warnings which God gives for this time will be made of no effect....

    It is no light matter to substitute of God's revealed will opinions and assertions, dreams, symbols, and figures, from human finite beings. Our actions, words, spirit, and influence are watched and criticized. Those whom God has chosen to be His ministers are to settle solidly into His Word, and let the Word of God be their authority....

    There will be counterfeit messages coming from persons in all directions. One after another will rise up, appearing to be inspired, when they have not the inspiration of heaven,, but are under the deception of the enemy. All who receive their messages will be led astray. Then let us walk carefully, and not open wide the door for the enemy to enter through impressions, dreams, and visions. God help us to look in faith to Jesus, and be guided by the words He has spoken. (Letter 66, April 10, 1894)

REFLECTION: The devil is the master of deception. He has always had a counterfeit for everything that points to God. However, we have God's Word to decide the true from the fake." "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to the word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20)