“But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” –Luke 12:5, NET
For humanity, the Devil is not our problem. God is.
Let that sink in.
“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” –Deuteronomy 32:39, ESV
It is the sovereign God who is responsible for “both calamity and blessing” (Lam 3:38). He has made for us times of prosperity AND times of adversity for a purpose (Ecc 7:14). Thus, we must be willing to accept both good and bad from the Lord (Job 2:10). Consider this: if you feel forces coming against you, know that it is not “the devil keeping you down.” It is the LORD who is using the “cords of affliction” to reveal to us that we are “behaving proudly” (Job 36:8-10).
And if you do not know God (2Th 1:8), there is no escaping His wrath (Isa 13:6). You are His enemy (Rom 5:10).
“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” –Hebrews 10:31, NET
Yet He is a compassionate and kind God who desires that sinners live (Eze 18:23). So He comes with an outstretched arm of mercy (Eph 2:4-5). As long as you draw breath, the door to His ark remains open. Do not delay, you do not know if He will spare you another day (Jam 4:14). Run to the ark of your merciful enemy in full surrender for salvation (Jer 21:9). There is no other way (John 14:6).
“Please obey the Lord by doing what I have been telling you [and surrender]. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared.” –Jeremiah 38:20b
Billy Neal
