The Ballestero Blog

The Devil Doesn’t Play Fair!

This is not new news for anyone. Our lives, our churches, and our world are all testimonials of the devil’s dirty tricks.

Hell has no honor code. It is not bound by Rules of Engagement like our Army in wartime. Satan fights dirty.  He’s not your friend. He shows no mercy. He doesn’t ‘love’ you. He’s your enemy.

• He will demoralize everyone he can.
• He destroys everyone he can.
• He kills everyone he can.
• He uses everyone he can.
• He accuses everyone he can.
• He addicts everyone he can.

He’s An Adversary

1Pet. 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

• Take it personal. It’s OK. You’re not being paranoid. He is YOUR adversary.

He’s An Intimidator

• He’s a roaring lion. The lion’s roar is meant to instill fear

He’s An Accuser

Rev. 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

• Take it personal, It’s OK. You’re not being paranoid He is Your accuser.

The Devil Doesn’t Play Fair:

Pastor Johnson with young children at home finds out he has cancer. Stage 4. He is on chemo for many hours a day, almost every day for many weeks. He’s deathly ill. His church suffered a fire. Several families have left him. The church attendance is going down. He’s hurting in every area of his life. The devil doesn’t play fair.

Larry found someone else. He leaves his home, his wife and his children. His now ex-wife is left with the bills and the care of the family. The children are robbed of their father. Their faith in marriage is forever scarred. Behavioral problems surface in the son. The absence of the father gave him more liberties than he needed and the police finally got involved. Now he has a record. The mother loses her job and her house. The devil doesn’t play fair.

Donna went to church by herself. She was on fire for God. Her parents weren’t saved. Her dad got a job transfer to another state where there wasn’t an apostolic church within 50 miles. Donna was only 14. How long can you not go to church and still survive? The devil doesn’t play fair.

Tom died. He didn’t have much in the way of insurance. His wife Linda and her young children struggled financially. A smooth talking Romeo took advantage of Linda’s desperate situation and marries her. She wanted the children to have a father. It’s not long before the Romeo began to physically and verbally abuse Linda. She had to call the police. Tom was gone, Romeo’s gone, and now the money gone. The devil doesn’t play fair.

The doctor told Cheryl that she was pregnant. Cheryl and Bob had wanted a baby for 14 years. The concern on the doctor’s face slowed her celebration. The doctor could find no heartbeat. The baby was taken prematurely. The lab report said Cheryl also had cancer. Chemo is ordered. The devil doesn’t play fair.

Sam was a preacher in the local church. Everyone liked him. He and his landlord disagreed on an issue. The landlord spread a lie about Sam that got back into the church. The church people believed the landlord. No one was interested in Sam’s story. Sam was embarrassed and disappointed in the people. He backslid and never went back to church. The devil doesn’t play fair.

Rachael, a virtuous and talented young woman would have welcomed the attention of a dedicated young man. The ones in her church seemed to be interested in girls in another church. The guys that showed her attention were in the world and didn’t want anything to do with living for God. She knew there were things much worse than being single. She also knew the devil didn’t play fair.

Frank backslid. He started drinking and gambling. He lost everything. His family left. He had nothing to show for his 47 years of life, but the few clothes in his closet and a $300 car. He remembered the days when he led song service in church. He’d gotten offended and left. He hadn’t meant to go as low as he had. The devil doesn’t play fair.

Steven was just hanging with some friends from school. In a moment of weakness, he tried what they offered him. He became addicted in one day. He had to steal to support his habit. He went to jail for 25 years. The devil doesn’t play fair.

Remember the Prodigal Son? The devil didn’t play fair with him either. The good news is that the son woke up to what the devil had done to him.  He went to his Father. The Father restored his world.

• Just like the Father wishes to restore your world today!

Remember Israel in Egyptian slavery? God delivered them.

• Just like He wants to deliver you today.

Remember Job? He lost everything. God gave him back double.

• Just like God wants to bless today.

Here Are A Couple Of Precious Promises To Help You Through Today.

1. 1Cor. 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
2. Rom. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
3. Heb. 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
4. 1Sam. 30:8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
5. Ex. 14:25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
6. Josh. 23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

Don’t Give Up! The Last Chapter’s Not Written Yet! No Matter What Happens, God Is A Good God And He’s In Control!

Because

I knelt on the church platform one afternoon, replacing the cover on the new electrical outlet. I was nearly finished when a neighbor came up behind me. I greeted him and made small talk for a minute or too. He glanced down at my hand holding the screwdriver and frowned.

“Why are you holding the screwdriver like that?” He said.

I looked at my hand and the position of the screwdriver and said, “What’s wrong with how I’m holding this screwdriver? I’ve always held it just like this.”

“It’s not the most efficient way to hold one.” He said trying to demonstrate his method in the air.

I rebelled.

I looked at his right hand and noticed that he only had a thumb and a little finger on his right hand. I said something very unkind.

“By the looks of your right hand, you held something wrong one time. The way I’m doing it, has worked wonderful all these years. I’m not changing.”

With that I went back to work and ignored my well-meaning critic.

It didn’t take long for me to understand a powerful truth.

If You Don’t Know Why You Are Doing What You’re Doing, You’ll Quit Doing It.

There has to be a ‘Because’ in your life!

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

If you don’t have a ‘Because’ in your Christian walk, you’ll soon change. If you don’t know why you’re living for the Lord, you’ll quit.

• If you don’t know why you are to worship, you’ll quit.
• If you don’t know why you should pray, you’ll quit.
• If you don’t know why you need to pay tithes, you’ll quit.
• If you don’t know why you should be faithful, you’ll quit.
• If you don’t know why you need to witness, you’ll quit.
• If you don’t know why you should live holy, you’ll quit.
• If you don’t know why you have to obey all of His Word, you’ll quit.
• If you don’t know why you should love the Lord, you’ll quit.

If You Don’t Know Why You Are Doing What You’re Doing, You’ll Quit Doing It.

There has to be a ‘Because’ in your life!

Pretending You’re Okay

The Boxer

The Champ was hit hard with a flourish of jabs from the Contender. A quick 1-2 punch to the body with a solid left uppercut staggered him and he fell backwards into the ropes.

He was saved by the sound of the bell and happily retired to his corner.  He was tended to by his trainer and cut man. When the bell rang again, the Champ came out of his corner, dancing and doing his best not to let the Contender know that he had been hurt. He was pretending that he was OK.

The Card Player

The card player’s cards are not very good. But he can’t let anyone know that. He has to act like he has the best hand in the game. He bets that he does. The other players study his face and do mental math to see if they think he’s lying.

He knows his hand is bad, but by bluffing, he’s pretending he’s OK.

A Lost Husband

He looks out the window secretly hoping to find a familiar landmark. He may not know where he’s at, but he’s not lost in his own mind. He feels that he can still get you to your destination, even if it takes him an extra hour. His ‘man-hood’ is at stake. He won’t ask for help, he’s pretending he’s still OK.

You

What is your response when someone walks up to you with a half-hearted, “How ya doing?”

• You always say, “Fine, thank you.”
• Don’t you?
• You too are pretending you’re OK.

Sinners / Backsliders

They especially pretend that they’re OK. It keeps them from admitting they need help; that they are in need of God. To admit that would be to confess they are wrong. They would have to stop sinning.

If you are not living for God and going to church like you should, then you are just pretending you are OK.

Holiness Haters

1. If you have left the highway of holiness. If you have re-considered all your holiness standards and changed. If you defend your decision to look like the world while still claiming to have the Holy Ghost, then you are just pretending you are OK.
2. If you have rejected the life of separation from the world. If you now justify looking and dressing like the rest of the world. If you now claim to have more freedom and to be happier than ever before, then you are just pretending you are OK.
3. If you now make fun of holiness minded men and women and mock the way they dress. If you try to act superior in your new revelation and lifestyle. If you have a need to flaunt your disdain of holiness. Then you are just pretending you are OK.
4. (No one would even admit to Pretending.)

The hardest thing in the world for some folks is to admit they are wrong.

To admit they’re not OK is to admit they were wrong. They would rather pretend they are OK here on earth and take their chances with God in the Judgment. How insane.

Paul said to Timothy:

2Tim. 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Notice:

1. We humans are our own problems (oppose themselves)
2. If God peradventure (there’s a chance He will)
3. Will give them repentance. (The opportunity to repent is a gift from God)
4. To the acknowledging of the truth. (Truth about what? The truth about themselves and the error of their ways)

It’s not God’s will that you have to pretend that you are OK. No one has to pretend when they are obedient to all of His Word. It’s those that are trying to cut corners with God that feel a need to pretend. Admit it!