The Temptation of Jesus
Matthew4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13 S-1735 SLIDE # Read Luke 4:1-13 from The Message. OK. There was this overweight man who was so serious about his new diet that he even changed…
Matthew4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13 S-1735 SLIDE # Read Luke 4:1-13 from The Message. OK. There was this overweight man who was so serious about his new diet that he even changed…
How do you handle criticism? How does one protect himself from the “scourge of the tongue” (Job 5:21)? If you are going to be successful in the Lord’s work, you…
Do ghosts exist? Do we have access to the spirit world? If so, what does that mean for our spiritual life? Not long ago I was asked by a congregant…
“War in Heaven Brings Wrath on Earth!” That could be the headline of Revelation 12. The ongoing battle of the ages that began in heaven and has played out…
We are involved in a spiritual war with the Evil one. We need all the advice we can get. SLIDE #: “When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is…
Our main verse… 1 Corinthians 16:13… Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Matthew 24:42… Therefore be on the alert, for you do…
Dear Roger, I believe I’m in a spiritual battle right now. What are some things that I need to keep in mind when I’m fighting Satan? Sincerely, Paul Dear Paul,…
Almost every spiritual conflict is fought on a specific battlefield. This is because the Enemy, Satan, only has access to a specific area of our lives where we might…
Ephesians 6:10-12: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our…
As we have seen in this series, some of the Bible’s greatest heroes had darkroom experiences. They were developed by those painful experiences and used by God to impact their…
Judges is a book concluding with the words, Judges 21:25: “In those days, Israel had no king. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Gideon was an unlikely…
Dear Roger, When I think of the signs of the End Times, I usually focus on the outward, visible signs. I’m familiar with what the Bible says about what…
Introduction Some people have a compulsion to hoard things like collectibles, sentimental items or even garbage. When someone accumulates garbage, that waste attracts insects and rodents, making a bad situation…
Introduction Whenever a teacher in school gave you a test, they never had much to say during the test. The teacher had nothing to say because the test was designed…
Many Freemasons are unaware of the secret practices of their members, but the demonic implications are significant, and require warfare prayers. These “secret” upper levels are well-documented and should be…
By now you have discovered that we who are Christians are surrounded! There seems to always be more who are against us than who are for us. We face the…
As Jude called his readers to fight for the faith, he wanted them to know that turning from the truth was not new, nor was it novel. The battle for truth…
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. . . . Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may…
Introduction When a child becomes ill with a virus or disease, they cannot see or comprehend what is happening internally on the microscopic level to make them sick. A child…
Prayer – It is a gift to us from our loving heavenly Father, a gift that wields mighty power. We know these things. Yet, I have to stop and ask,…
“Take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:13). Spiritual warfare isn’t…
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God” (Eph. 6:10-11). Spiritual victory is not passive; it involves the discipline of…
If you have ever tried to walk straight while aboard a ship being tossed by the ocean’s waves, you know how hard that is. The motion around you challenges the…
Hebrews 12:27 moment—everything that can be shaken will be shaken. God is shaking false securities and false identities, false assumptions, and false narratives, false idols, and false ideologies. But we…
Esther had the courage to risk her life to save her people, the Jews. We can learn to have faith in the midst of tremendous obstacles. Preached at New Life…
Satan tempts us to sin and stops us in our tracks by accusations, but his most insidious weapon is deception, because we don’t know when we are being deceived. Through…
“Then war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels going forth to battle with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there…
Christmas is full of cozy thoughts: a sleeping Jesus, wide-eyed shepherds, a soft-faced Mary. The nativity sentiment is warm, the emotion is joy, and the feeling is peace. Such is…
Dear Roger, I’m a new Christian, and I got invited to a Bible study. Everyone in the circle prayed a nice prayer, but when it came to my…
“Heavenly places” means the “spiritual realm.” When you are under assault, when your life is being shattered, when you are trying to be in the will of God, you have…
If you feel disconnected, hopeless, or you just know something is missing—it’s not the end of your story. It’s an opportunity to reconnect. To find hope. And to rediscover what…
When Christians are at the center of cultural and political power, we don’t quite understand the Lord as a Warrior, but when Christians are marginalized, seeing that the Lord wars…
Everything visible and physical is preceded by something invisible and spiritual. The consequences we are dealing with in our lives, in our homes, in our culture, we are dealing with…
Author Larry Stockstill penned this prayer guide as a chapter in Praying for a Christ Awakening by Dr. David Ferguson.
Anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem of the world; so fear is a very serious issue that we’re dealing with. Fear of anything other than God is…
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. 2 CORINTHIANS 11:14-15 Paul had discovered that false…
Are you attributing bad circumstances as an attack by Satan?” Here are some thoughts on spiritual warfare. Angels and demons are real entities. One serves God and the other rebels…
One of the most heinous crimes that can be committed is identity theft. According to The Harris Poll, 60 million people in the US were affected by it in…
When life gets turned upside down, we might try to solve our problems on our own or turn to food, shopping, or an addiction for comfort and strength. But those…
It is of the utmost importance that believers understand the spiritual authority they possess. In Ephesians, Paul prayed that the believers would grasp the depth and breadth of their authority…
Our battles are sourced in the spiritual realm, not in the physical realm. If you are focused on the physical realm, then you will not get to the root of…
“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes…
So what’s needed to have stronger faith, the faith of Paul? What’s needed is that tenacity. What’s needed is that spirit that says, hold on a second. I’m not going…
We are facing so many different challenges right now. Nothing seems certain, but everyone is experiencing loss. One may argue, “Our world is decaying. We should be mad.” Yes, but…
Dear Roger, I believe that vampirism is alive and well today. Vampire lore seems innocuous enough, but I have observed cases in my counseling practice that give me pause. Several…
Dear Roger, I’ve read a lot in the Bible about demons. I have a lot of questions like about who they are and what they can do? Do they still…
Ever wake up with a pounding heart, racing brain, and knots in your stomach? I hate anxiety. My body and brain are just convinced that the world is falling apart,…
Ever wake up with a pounding heart, racing brain, and knots in your stomach? I hate anxiety. My body and brain are just convinced that the world is falling apart,…
Brandon Cox shares the prayers his church prayed for revival. You can pray them, too! “There were nine particular prayers we’ve prayed, repeatedly, and that we’re going to continue to…
One of my Christian heroes is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I even asked my wife if we could name our son Dietrich. For some reason she didn’t like that idea. Go figure.…
Dear Reader, In my “Ask Roger” role, you might be surprised by how many angelic/demonic, Jesus/Satan dreams that people share with me—about one of every 20 emails! The…
Dear Roger, I have studied Scriptures about angels in the Bible, but there doesn’t seem to be much information about how angels interact with us. How can we actually know…
Spiritual Weapons “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh . . .” 2 Corinthians 10:4— that is, they are not merely human. This is not a…
Spiritual Weapons “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh . . .” 2 Corinthians 10:4— that is, they are not merely human. This is not a…
Have you ever sensed a time when you were fighting a spiritual battle? This is what Randy Alcorn has to say: “The warfare against demonic powers depicted in Scripture is…
Scripture says that the Lord left nations in the promised land “to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan); only…
Intercessors live on the frontier of change. We are positioned to stand between the needs of man and the provision of God. Because we are the agents of redemption, Satan…
We must declare war on the version of ourselves we don’t like, we are encouraged to be intentional with our thoughts. Negative thinking cannot lead to a positive life. Preached…
Lysa encourages us to persevere when life gets hard: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of…
Author and pastor Brandon Cox shares his personal insights on the fight to spiritual victory for those who lead men and women to Christ. Here are his valuable observations: …
Dear Roger, I’d like to know more about spiritual warfare. I remember one Sunday night at Casas Church you taught on the subject. I wish that I had taken notes…
Prayer is not mainly a peace-time activity in the New Testament. It is surrounded by a sense of urgency and alertness and warning. It is a war-time instrument. It’s made…
History is being played out on two levels. One is seen, the other is unseen. One has humans as the main actors; the other has “gods” as the main actors.…
I believe there is a Satan precisely because I believe in Jesus. If Satan is our mythological holdover from a pre-scientific age, then the life-long struggle of our Lord Jesus…
Have you ever heard someone pray, “Satan, I bind you?” Or perhaps you may have uttered such a thing yourself? I’ve heard many people use phrases like this in their…
STOP: Trying to make it happen and get it done. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” Ps. 37:7. STOP: Focusing on yourself, your issues, your…
Does the news overwhelm you? Every day mass murders leave us reeling; struggling to make sense of such tragedies. Where the Bible may not tell us the why of the tragedies, it…
“Then war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels going forth to battle with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there…
Binding Satan Without A Rope Have you ever heard someone pray, “Satan, I bind you?” Or perhaps you may have uttered such a thing yourself? I’ve heard many people use…
Dear Roger, How do we know which Old Testament Laws should be acknowledged and which ones can be ignored? My pastor says that some laws were cultural (like eating…
How could younger people be more spiritual than their elders? The next generation sees God and the world more clearly than we do. Electronic Arts and Hollywood know their…
Expectantly, Emily looked over the shoulder of her precious grandchild doing a connect-the-dots picture in a coloring book. The seemingly random dots held such mystery. What was hidden from her…
Hi Roger, Here’s one I thought of after your series on the Book of Daniel and the End Times: You said that ‘discerning Christians’ will recognize the signs that the end…
We can learn to see through our enemies to see God’s presence. When troubles like fear, depression, or anxiety seem right on top of us, we can look through them…
Satan’s tactics are subtle. He masquerades as an angel of light so that the things he tempts us with look beautiful. However the only good and perfect gifts come from…
How do you know if you are a lukewarm Christian? You crave acceptance from others rather than from God. You rarely share your faith in Christ. You think more about…
Children need us to be strong and confident in the Lord. We cannot impart what we don’t possess. If the parents are not experiencing freedom in Christ, they will have…
Dear Roger, A friend told me that Demons rule over nations. Is that right? Sincerely, Quinn Dear Quinn, Yes, your friend is right. According to the Bible,…
The Greek word for “royal” translates as “support of/to the people”. It’s a title of service and humility. Not how we typically think of royalty. This is then tied to…
We learn much about deep faith when we examine the temptation of Christ. Deep faith begins when we stop trying to prove who we are and by what we do…
The number of very large churches continues to increase, as our graphic dramatically illustrates. And within that group, the biggest churches continue to get bigger. In the past I’ve written…
The tiny skiff sailed across the English Channel in the foggy dead of night. Icy winds and frothy waves tossed the boat from side to side, nearly capsizing the fragile…
Pig business: The story of Jesus and the Gadarene demoniac poses many questions regarding demonization. Is demonization for real? What might a demonic attack look like? Can Christians be demon…
I opened up the paper on Sunday morning and found it telling me that science may well show us that “dogs are people too” and should possibly be given the…
Dear Roger, What are your thoughts regarding the significance of government stymieing themselves in their ability to pass a bill to increase our country’s debt? Love, Julie Dear Julie, Democrats…
There is a place of immunity for the believer, a spiritual fortress in Christ that shelters us from the attacks of the devil. For those who abide in this stronghold…
The battle for the mind of God’s servants is continual and intense. Five principles for guarding your thoughts are 1. Don’t believe everything you hear. 2. Guard your minds from…
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do.ROMANS 14:1 MSG Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise…
We must discern between negative circumstances in our lives that are “frontal assaults” from the Devil or circumstances in which God is calling us to grow up and “stand”. The…
Scripture tells us that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. When we praise, we invite God’s presence and authority into our situation, and silence Satan’s accusations and…
Mary Magdalene is lifted from the clutches of Satan and transformed into a disciple of Christ. Satan is real, but we can find freedom from spiritual harassment through worship, prayer…
The speakers in the mall are playing sleigh-bell songs, Santa is in his grotto with a long line of children waiting to stroke his whiskers and the media is…
A satanic foothold is established in our minds when we embrace deception, bitterness, rebellion, pride and habitual sin. Generational sin and involvement in occult practices can also cause strongholds in…
“The Temptations” lesson includes a discussion of sin and human nature, the temptation of Adam and Eve and the temptation of Christ. Satanic temptations include doubt, vulnerable times of fatigue…
Spiritual warfare is part of every believer’s journey to spiritual maturity. As the Word of God dwells in us, Jesus empowers us to resist the enemy and exercise authority over…
Jesus came to destroy Satan’s work and seal the devil’s destiny. Believers can draw upon Christ’s power and authority to battle Satan because He has won the victory over the…
The armor of God consists of the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. Each piece…
The detestable nature of rebellion is contrasted with submission. Pride’s destructive nature is weighed against humility.
The personality, position, power, purpose and destiny of Satan is carefully studied. His demonic forces are described, and the victorious power of God over the Adversary is taught.