The Battle Rages On

 Hebrews 12-13; Jude 

“…certain men…have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Christ our only Sovereign and Lord…These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”

Jude 4, 16

The enemy of our souls is not content to tempt and deceive individual disciples of Christ. He is also interested in dividing and destroying local churches and leadership teams. The grace of God can be distorted to justify immoral and rebellious living. When that happens to leaders, those they lead become vulnerable to much deception. Attitudes which are warned against include grumbling, faultfinding, pride, flattery, and manipulation.

How are we to respond to these sins?

Jude calls us to strengthen our faith by praying in the Holy Spirit and keep ourselves in the love of God. We are called to rescue and restore, like sticks pulled out of the fire, those trapped by sin. God is able to keep us and bring us to himself without falling; however, we must be self-controlled and alert. This spiritual battle will continue until Christ returns.

“Lord Jesus, I humble myself before you and pray for faith, hope, and love to grow in my life and in your Church, for your glory.”