1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering."
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Ephesians 6:11-12 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Friday, September 12, 2025
Enjoying the Hoary-white Head
When someone thinks they are encouraging someone who is old by telling them they are young, I bristle a little! Laughing Out Loud
Pretending someone is young when they are old is not helpful. What is helpful is for our age to be revered because of our years of experience and wisdom.
Being placed on the same level as a youngster with all that life has taught me is more like an insult than a compliment. Those of us with grey hair earned every strand, and it is considered something to be admired in our elder years.
Proverbs 16:31 "31 The hoary (grey) head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness."
Perhaps the mentality that thinks telling someone they are young has more to do with a culture that does not respect and admire old age as something that is a blessing. The worship of youth keeps people stuck in immaturity and play-oriented thinking.
Our elder years are something to enjoy as we slow down in life, leaving more time to read God's Word, to ponder what life taught us, and to pass on to the youth all that we learned.
Sadly, the youth are not interested in gaining wisdom or learning from the stories of the elderly; they want wealth, status, and entertainment.
In my earlier days, I loved hearing the stories of old people; they didn't have the foolishness of faces in an electronic device constantly. When we went to lunch, we looked at one another, were interested in what the other person said, and had no distractions except the waitress taking our order.
Electronics brought a great deal of help to many of us, but in a society that has never learned self-control, the devices have become more important than the people right in front of them. And the elderly have become an irritant to most young people.
These are the times we live in now, so what is the solution for us? I think the answer is not as easy as it sounds, but perhaps our goal ought to be to resist becoming like the culture. We can keep our hearts focused on Christ and be led by the Holy Spirit and He will guard us from changing into the culture around us.
Romans 12:2
"2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Becoming what God intended for His children to be is far more satisfying than surrendering our hearts and character to the world to be accepted by it.
Living in an Irrational World
Have you ever spoken something Biblical and made good sense, only for the hearer to interpret your words as unkind or with wrong motives?
We are living in an irrational world right now, in which many people will hear your words but with their own mindset, changing what you said into something erroneous, as though you were rude when you were not. These people will misinterpret our words based on the culture around them and not on our intent.
Jealousy often drives misinterpretations. We see evidence of this when we want to clear things up, but the one who harbors anger refuses to have a discussion about what happened.
Those with innocent hearts full of love see things more clearly and with a gracious point of view. These people listen to understand, while the heart of anger listens to find fault.
Those who listen to find fault will see something from afar and "guess" what might be happening with little to no information about what is really going on. In fact, they are so interested in gossiping that they don't care to discover what really happened; they are satisfied with their own version of events based on what they wish to believe, not what actually happened.
Sadly, many "Christians" do this too, as they read the Bible or evaluate others, all based on their feelings and what they choose to believe, not on reality.
One might ask, "How did it get this way?" I am inclined to believe it has always been this way to some degree, but on steroids in these end times when the devil is roaming around like a roaring lion, attempting to cause trouble in relationships.
Keep in mind that Cain killed Abel when Abel did nothing wrong. Cain hated Abel because he was closer to God and lived righteously. Cain's jealousy motivated him to believe he had a good reason to hate Abel. Cain wanted to believe Abel was a threat and acted upon that false premise.
Then there is the account of Joseph when his brothers were jealous of the attention their father gave their younger brother. They threw him into a well and sold him into slavery because of their envy and resentment.
1 Peter 5:8-9: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith."
Believers will encounter many people who hate God, even some who pretend to love God but are full of anger and jealousy. These people will work to undermine believers merely out of envy of their walk with God, which will not validate the sinful attitudes of those who do not love Him.
Here are some passages that will help in navigating through this mind-mess in these end times. The devil will attempt to cause feelings of guilt over innocent comments or actions. He will turn unsuspecting minds against others without cause over gossip that was not true.
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Ephesians 6:11-12 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."
The devil is deceiving people into believing lies to cause division. The only way to resist these lies is to know the Bible well and petition the Holy Spirit to give great discernment so that we are not fooled.
1 John 3:8 "The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil."
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
We are living in an irrational world right now, in which many people will hear your words but with their own mindset, changing what you said into something erroneous, as though you were rude when you were not. These people will misinterpret our words based on the culture around them and not on our intent.
They do not see our intent; they see their own heart attitude and think it is correct.
Innocent comments are misinterpreted because the hearer had an angry spirit and saw everything you said and did in a negative perspective. When this happens, we know a person with a particular mindset will not be reliable in their interpretations because it is based on their own heart of anger.
Innocent comments are misinterpreted because the hearer had an angry spirit and saw everything you said and did in a negative perspective. When this happens, we know a person with a particular mindset will not be reliable in their interpretations because it is based on their own heart of anger.
Jealousy often drives misinterpretations. We see evidence of this when we want to clear things up, but the one who harbors anger refuses to have a discussion about what happened.
Those with innocent hearts full of love see things more clearly and with a gracious point of view. These people listen to understand, while the heart of anger listens to find fault.
Those who listen to find fault will see something from afar and "guess" what might be happening with little to no information about what is really going on. In fact, they are so interested in gossiping that they don't care to discover what really happened; they are satisfied with their own version of events based on what they wish to believe, not what actually happened.
Sadly, many "Christians" do this too, as they read the Bible or evaluate others, all based on their feelings and what they choose to believe, not on reality.
One might ask, "How did it get this way?" I am inclined to believe it has always been this way to some degree, but on steroids in these end times when the devil is roaming around like a roaring lion, attempting to cause trouble in relationships.
Keep in mind that Cain killed Abel when Abel did nothing wrong. Cain hated Abel because he was closer to God and lived righteously. Cain's jealousy motivated him to believe he had a good reason to hate Abel. Cain wanted to believe Abel was a threat and acted upon that false premise.
Then there is the account of Joseph when his brothers were jealous of the attention their father gave their younger brother. They threw him into a well and sold him into slavery because of their envy and resentment.
1 Peter 5:8-9: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith."
Believers will encounter many people who hate God, even some who pretend to love God but are full of anger and jealousy. These people will work to undermine believers merely out of envy of their walk with God, which will not validate the sinful attitudes of those who do not love Him.
Here are some passages that will help in navigating through this mind-mess in these end times. The devil will attempt to cause feelings of guilt over innocent comments or actions. He will turn unsuspecting minds against others without cause over gossip that was not true.
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Ephesians 6:11-12 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."
The devil is deceiving people into believing lies to cause division. The only way to resist these lies is to know the Bible well and petition the Holy Spirit to give great discernment so that we are not fooled.
1 John 3:8 "The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil."
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
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