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Student Life - March 2024

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I wanted to write the article for this month as a follow up from my last article in February. I spoke on being prepared to make a defense for the faith that we have for any circumstance and sharing our faith so that others may be encouraged or enlightened. I do believe these conversations are very important and having a defense is very wise, but I also believe we must stand on guard. I say this because I believe every day we as Christians go to war, to some extent. Obviously not the physical warfare we have seen in the past, but more specifically spiritual warfare. And to be more specific than that, I want us to focus on fighting against temptations and deceit from our common adversary.
Deceit from the enemy can look like a number of different examples and applies differently to each person’s life, but the goal always remains the same: taking your focus off of the Lord. We see this in the garden of Eden where the snake tempted Eve by saying “did God really say?” or when Satan tests Jesus in the wilderness, attempting to shift Christ’s focus to earthly and fleshly desires.

So, lets stand on guard! The Scripture to encourage and help us achieve this is 1 Peter 5 verses 8 and 9. “ 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your
brotherhood throughout the world.” ESV. Now, how should we be on guard against the adversary? Be sober-minded and vigilant, understanding why Peter used the vocabulary of the devil “prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He uses these graphic words to describe the destructive threat that Satan is. So, we must take seriously the ability of the adversary in our lives, but also take seriously the foundation that we fight upon. Verse 9 says to resist him and to stand firm in our faith against him. Consider also Ephesians 6:12-18 how we should fight against spiritual forces with the armor of God. Our greatest ability to stand guard against the adversary is to have faith and lean upon the Lord for strength. He will provide the means necessary to battle whatever spiritual warfare or temptation looks like for our lives.

We must always be on guard against the adversary and fight against his temptations in our lives. I’m not going to be able to explain what that looks like in everyone’s specific lives, but something that takes your sight and focus off of God would be a good start. And one fact we do know is that the world will hate us believers just as it did for our Savior. Jesus explains in John 15 that the world will hate us just as it hated Him. I can’t sit here and explain exactly why this is the world we live in, but it is the truth found from the Word. But be encouraged, believer! I will end this article the same way as I did the last article. We have a Savior who has already paved the way for us to win these battles. One that guides us through these hard times. And One that will constantly sustain us throughout our life. He does this because He first loved us. Nothing can separate us from the love and the grip of the Father. He does not leave one of us for the other 99 and He continues to prepare a way for us. So, instead, lean on Him! Let us all sit under the protection and guidance of the Father and be able to stand on guard against the temptations and deceit from the deceiver.

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in Students, Newsletter

Student Life - February 2024

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For this article, I wanted to take time and talk about one verse in Scripture. This verse has helped me defend and fight for the faith that we share. I know there are times in culture where having a belief in God isn’t seen as “cool” or even seen as being “brainwashed”. But here recently, I’ve seen a vast majority of people sharing about their beliefs on social media. And I must say, I’ve been shocked by this recent trend in faith. However, one thing that always follows when posting about your faith is arguing. At least in my life and my experiences, 99% of the time I’ve had to defend, argue, debate, and elaborate on my faith and personal experiences. Now I’m not here to say I’m surprised by this outcome. But rather, I’m hoping to explain that we should be prepared for these times when we are to defend and fight for our faith.

1 Peter 3:15 says this: “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”. As I’ve said, many people share their faith from time to time. One thing I have learned recently is when someone goes on to explain their faith, they say they are Christian. If you go and ask them what they mean, they say the “believe” in Christ. And if you ask them to elaborate, they can explain
something along the lines of they believe Jesus was good and can send them to Heaven, but they will not accept Christ as Lord. He is not Lord over their life where they submit to Him, His Word, and the will of the Father. They might just believe in a cultural Christianity where its seen as nice to label yourself as Christian, but do not consider themselves washed by His blood. So, I implore anyone who is reading this: please be prepared to have these conversations with people who label themselves as “Christian”. And please be prepared to make a defense when someone asks you about your faith. What does your faith look like? What does your personal relationship with Jesus Christ look like? What foundation do you stand on in support of your faith? These are all great questions to ask yourself when preparing a defense for your faith. And please be prepared to share the love of Christ with those who haven’t submitted their life to Him yet. It is only because He first loved us that we are able to love others and share His love with others.

I also wish to add that our greatest defense for our faith is the Bible itself. If we are to defend ourselves from anything in this world, let us run to the Word of God and stand on its own defense. The students and I are currently going through a new series studying the theme of apologetics and working through a book called “The 10 Most
Common Objections to Christianity”. In chapter 3, where I will be preaching from this coming Sunday night, the chapter asks if the Bible is really authentic. I’ll save you the time of reading the chapter, the answer is yes! The Bible has been defending itself ever since the time of the prophets and judges in the Old Testament. The Bible defends and supports both the Old and New Testaments and all point to the coming Messiah who came once and will come again! What an amazing and beautiful truth we can read in the Bible! So, please, stand firm on the foundation that has been built for us and run to the One who restores us. He loves us, gives freely, and His yoke is so light.

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