The Devil’s Darts

The visiting Bible teacher told us, “Continue to read the Word of God even when you don’t understand it. It washes away the rubbish anyway.” I’m glad I took his advice. Back then, my head still contained too much rubbish – humanist rubbish, religious rubbish, superstitious rubbish, pagan rubbish, New Age rubbish, Marxist rubbish, Satanic rubbish – you name it – rubbish, all of it. The teacher’s advice has also played a part in disciplining me from avoiding Scriptures difficult to understand in preference for those not difficult. There’s still much in the Word of God I don’t understand, but all thanks to God there’s none I willingly avoid.

He also told us, “If we love God we will love His Word.” I’ve learned that it’s not possible to love God unless we love His Word. Without love for God’s Word, one doesn’t really know who God is. When that’s the case, one is unable to develop respect for His divine character, respect for His divine mind, respect for His divine will and respect for His divine plans. A healthy attitude towards God’s Word is crucial because there’s no other way for one to develop a healthy attitude towards God Himself. A note of encouragement to new Christians and others not so new: it is not how much of God’s Word you know, only your attitude towards what you know – that’s the key. The Pharisees knew every jot and tittle but they didn’t love God – they didn’t know Him!

Today’s Bible Schools, Seminaries and pulpits are full of men and women just like the Pharisees of old. Academically and historically they know God’s Word but spiritually they do not. Consequently, God’s Word doesn’t get to do what it’s designed to do, which is wash away the rubbish within them as well. That is why today’s Christendom in the Western world is contaminated with humanism, superstition, paganism, New Ageism and Marxism. I don’t know where we are on God’s rapture timeline but it seems clear that the falling away is well and truly under way. Not that Bible Christians will see him,but it can’t be too far off now before the man of sin reveals himself, the son of perdition spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

Most Christians in generations past had zero problems with accepting the Word of God as the Word of Jesus Christ John 1:1. The command to, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs….. Colossians 3:16 was embraced without question. As a result, from Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures meant for them exactly the same as they meant for 1700’s Bible Commentator John Wesley, “Dwell – Not make a short stay, or an occasional visit, but take up its stated residence. Richly – In the largest measure, and with the greatest efficacy; so as to fill and govern the whole soul.” That’s one grand reason why the Word of God has been given to us – to fill and govern the whole soul. 

The whole soul is our entire innermost being – ‘heart’: soul (mind, will, emotions) spirit (conscience, communion, intuition). It is the heart Jesus seeks to get at, renew and govern. Only the Word of God under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit is capable of such a task. Blessed are the pure (blood-washed) in heart, for they shall see God Matthew 5:8. Brood of wipers! Jesus said. How can you, being evil (derelict, vicious, facinorous), speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good (born again) man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things Matthew 12:34-35.

In the opening paragraph, I say my head contained rubbish, not my heart. A couple of years earlier my heart had been regenerated and was in the process of being renewed. I had learned that a head full of rubbish is folly, but a heart full of rubbish is deadly and I wanted them both cleaned out. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9. Indeed no argument there! I am eternally grateful to God for allowing Jesus to get to my desperately wicked heart when He did, for had He not, I would have been well down the path to hell by now with the rest of those calling evil good and good evil; putting darkness for light and light for darkness; putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Isaiah 5:20.

A concerned Christian once told me, “There’s still a lot of wickedness in my heart.” Only God really knows what’s in the heart of another person but it didn’t seem to me that that was a truly accurate statement. I believed he was under the devil’s condemnation, so I asked, “Are you sure you’re not confusing what’s in your heart with what’s in your head?” For that was my confusion too until the Word of God showed me the truth.” Wicked and evil thoughts can quickly come to mind and constantly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they come from the heart. And if one is truly seeking the divine character, mind and will of God as he was then that wickedness is not in the heart.

The Holy Spirit turned a light on for that man … and once he grabbed hold of Romans 8:1 liberty entered his heart too! There’s no other word but the Word of God truthful enough to sort out the rubbish from the real in our head and there’s no other word but the Word of God powerful enough to toss it out! You can listen to a ton of sermons, read multitudes of Christian books, do some Bible studies, listen to lots of Christian music, watch countless videos on You Tube yet still contain rubbish in your head. All those things are great, helpful and important but they are no substitute for daily sitting alone in a quiet place with the Word of God in hand and a pencil and paper close by to capture what God springs forth to you.

The “isms” contaminating Christendom mentioned in paragraph three are here to stay. All of them and more have been successful enticements to the wicked heart – the heart that wants religion but not reality. God is giving them the desires of their heart and they will go on into the Great Tribulation carrying them. There is the ignorant dark heart and there is the stubbornly rebellious dark heart. God shines the light of His Word in on both so that none are without excuse. So those who do go into the Great Tribulation will know they can point the finger at nobody but themselves. Just as God sends nobody to hell, He will send nobody into the Great  Tribulation; they will send themselves there.

Christians who read the Word of God daily and study it as often as they’re able to, can still feel as though the rubbish in their head is winning out over the Word, but that’s not true. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He (the Holy Spirit of God) who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world 1 John 4:4. When the Word of God goes in to your heart the word of the devil goes out of your head – give it time. Imagine your head as a large jug filled to the brim with dirty, black, contaminated water. Imagine the Word of God as a cup containing the purest of water. When you pour that pure water into the jug the dirty water begins to go nowhere but out – end of story! The more you pour in, the purer the water in the jug becomes.

I’m using the analogy of a cup of pure water because it’s not the quantity of God’s Word we take in at one sitting, it is the quality … and every word of God is pure, not some words. Believe the truth of those 6 words and soon you will experience the reality of the rest of the promise, He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him Proverbs 30:5. When that happens you won’t have problems believing the other 773,674 words as being the Word of God, regardless of those that are difficult to understand. Believing the Word of God because God spoke it and wrote it is the key. Understanding comes from believing; those who won’t believe never get understanding. That’s why rubbish rules both their heart and their head.

You’re redeemed, you love the Lord, you’re His servant, you love His word, you read it, you study it, you embrace it, you live it … but still believe you’ve got rubbish in your head?” I don’t think so … not in your head, at your head. I’m referring to the devil’s darts – the fiery darts of the wicked one Ephesians 6:16. Whether one comes at you or one hundred and one, you already know Satan is a liar and an accuser. But what you may not have given thought to: God has written those two words on every dart Satan sends your way. So, in the name of Jesus Christ send them back to him; they don’t belong to you. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you John 15:3. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31.