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A Call to Stand Apart
work of the heavenly angels is to prepare our hearts so to understand
God’s Word that we will be captivated by its beauty, cautioned by
its warnings, and energized and strengthened by its promises. We
should make the psalmist’s prayer our own: “Open my eyes, so
that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
Psalm 119:18
.
Temptations often appear irresistible because, by neglecting prayer
and the study of the Bible, we cannot quickly remember God’s
promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons. But angels
surround those who are willing to be taught heaven’s secrets, and
in a crisis they will bring back to our minds the very truths that we
need.
Jesus promised His disciples, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything,
and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
John 14:26
. But the
teachings of Jesus must previously have been stored in our minds in
order for the Spirit of God to bring them to our memory in the time
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of danger. “I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin
against you.”
Psalm 119:11
.
If you value your eternal interests, be on guard against the inroads
of skepticism. The truth will be attacked. It is impossible to keep be-
yond the reach of sarcasm, fallacies, and subtle, destructive attitudes.
Satan customizes his temptations to harass everyone. He attacks
the illiterate with jokes or putdowns, while he meets the educated
with scientific objections and philosophical reasoning. Both are
premeditated to provoke distrust or contempt of the Scriptures. Even
young people, with little of life’s experience, sometimes presume
to insinuate doubts concerning the basic principles of Christianity.
Their skepticism, shallow as it is, influences others. Many are led to
joke about the faith of their ancestors and cause pain to the Spirit of
grace.
Hebrews 10:29
. Many lives that could have been an honor
to God and a positive impact on the world have been spoiled by the
foul breath of infidelity. All who trust to the bragging decisions of
human reason and imagine that they can explain divine mysteries
and arrive at truth unaided by the wisdom of God are entangled in
the snare of Satan.
We are living in the most critical period of this world’s history.
The destiny of every person on Planet Earth is about to be decided.
Our own future well-being, as well as the salvation of others, de-