by Randy Willis
Serendipity refers to the course of fortunate, pleasant, or valuable discoveries by accident, luck, or unexpected coincidence. It is a “happy accident” where you find something wonderful that you weren’t actively looking for. — Merriam-Webster Dictionary
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Today, we read a lot about chance and good luck. These serendipitous words are what many place their hopes and dreams for their future. Casinos and the lottery fuel these hopes of chance. Life is one happy accident after another, many believe. Or perhaps disaster after disaster.
But in God’s Word, the Bible, there is an outline for God’s blessings. And it is not based on the turn of a roulette wheel.
It can be found in the book that Jesus quoted three times from when He was tempted 40 days and nights in the wilderness by Satan. The Greek word “tempted can also mean “tested.” It’s like testing 24-carat gold. The test documents the gold’s purity for the public. The maker already knows it’s pure gold.
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Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Satan waits for 40 days when Jesus is the weekest physically. —Matthew 4:1-2
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. — Matthew 4:1-4
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3.
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Then Satan has the audacity to quote scripture.
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. — Matthew 4:1-5-6.
Today, we hear from politicians and even many pulpits taking the Holy Scriptures out of context and misquoting the Word of God. This is not new. Satan did it in the Garden of Eden to Eve, and He did it to Christ himself. Satan is quoting Psalm 91, but he does not quote it in full. Sound familiar?
After Psalm 91:11-12, which Satan quotes, the next two verses say:
“You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent [Satan]. Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. —Psalms 91:13-14.
Jesus answered him, It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ — Matthew 4:7.
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16.
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Satan ups the ante in Matthew 4:8-9.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.
Jesus responded in verse 10.
Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13.
The conflict concludes in the next verse.
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. —Matthew 4:11
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The Epistle of James (James 4:7) records what we are to do when Satan tempts us: ” Submit ourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Resist Satan, even though at times you may feel “battered and bruised,” remember God will send His mighty angels to protect you. Read, claim, study, and stand on the Lord’s promises in Psalm 91 daily.
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As I read the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, I’m reminded that if Jesus spurned Satan by quoting Holy Scripture. How much more do I need to read and study the Bible to have a chance against my archenemy as a Christian? He is your archenemy, too.
I’m also intrigued when Satan says to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God,” when he knew who He was, the Savior, the Lord of Creation. Here, he attempts to make Jesus doubt who he is after Jesus hasn’t eaten for 40 days and nights. Satan attacks us, too, at our weakest moment.
It reminds me of when Satan spoke his first lie on this planet in the Garden of Eden, “Did God say?”
And he [Satan] said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? —Genesis 3:1
The fact that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy repeatedly drew me to that incredible book in the Bible. What I discovered also answered the question of serendipity. Is life a series of random chances? Is it the luck of the draw? Not hardly. Our Sovereign Lord is in control of our destiny, not random chance. Satan wishes to paralyze us with fear.
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We all want God to bless us and protect our families. How do you and I receive God’s blessing? And the flipside, avoid His lack thereof. Let’s look at the same book, Deuteronomy, that Jesus quoted to Satan in the Judean wilderness, beginning each with “It is written.”
Deuteronomy 28 lays out how to receive God’s blessings.
Blessings on Obedience
28 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
9 “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord [b]swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. 14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
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Note that in verse 2, it says, “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” Do you want God to “overtake” you and bless you? Seek His voice in the Word of God and obey what He says.
Verse 2 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I’m not a Biblical scholar or theologian, so forgive me for my interpretation of this verse. Imagine God “overcoming you.” Running you down, “tacking you” is my football metaphor, and blessing you more than you ever dreamed because “you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe all His commandments carefully.”
This is not legalism or salvation by works. It’s just plain old-fashioned “horse sense” as my Dad used to say: “Trust and obey God.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. —John 14:23
Curses on Disobedience
15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.
17 “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
19 “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 “The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. 21 The Lord will make the [f]plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. 22 The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.
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When I was a kid, we sang a classic gospel tune entitled “Trust and Obey.”
The chorus was Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Today, in many churches, the lyrics are about positive thinking. The purpose is not to offend. I have news for you: the Gospel of Jesus Christ will offend. It will divide. Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke:
Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. —Luke 12:51
“Did God Say?”
As mentioned before, “Did God say?” was the first lie on this planet. The fallen angel Lucifer spoke those words to Eve in the Garden of Eden. I have used an image of a beautiful woman. The reason is that Ezekiel 28:12 speaks of Lucifer’s perfect beauty before his fall.
My prejudice is that women are far more attractive than men, so please grant me my feeble interpretation. I suspect Lucifer looked like no human. He was far more attractive than a “mere mortal.”
And no, the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” was not an apple tree. It essentially gave Adam and Eve the power to decide morality for themselves. This act denied God’s authority in their lives.
I’ve heard “Did God Say” packaged and repackaged in hundreds of ways in the press and pulpit. Lucifer, known as Satan today, wants us to think we can’t trust God. So Satan attacks the accuracy and authority of the Word of God. Satan wants us to think we can’t believe the Word of God, the Bible.
Then Satan tells Eve another lie, “You will not surely die.” Satan wants us to believe there is no punishment for rebelling against God—sin. Satan wants us to think there is no eternal separation from God because of sin—hell. Tell the Judge of the universe, Jesus, when you stand before Him, and you will, that.
Satan explains to Eve why God lied.
“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” —Genesis 3:5
Now, Eve, you will be enlightened. Reminds me of what we were told in college if we did LSD. George Harrison of the Beatles popularized Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the West. Then, as now, many will follow anyone except Christ. Satan is not against religion; he’s against Christ.
Satan tells Eve in Genesis 3:4-5 what he said of himself in Isaiah, “You will be like the Most High.”
It’s the same lie we hear daily: You can be like God and be in control. You are your own God. You are a God. It’s all about me, myself, and I. No one can tell me what I can and can not do. You are in control of your body, your words, and your choices, not God.
I’ve tried being in control far too often. Spoiler alert—it does not work. You’ll lose your peace, joy, purpose, and life. We were created in God’s image. He is the potter, and we are the clay. Take hold of His pottery wheel, and what a mess we make.
Surrender is Victory!
I remind myself daily that any decision I surrender to the Lord will have the best results. Easier said than done, I know. But Lord, I want to do “My Way” as Frank Sinatra sang. It’s almost as if He says, let me know how that works for you. No, He didn’t say that to me.
Life is a battle of the “wills.” Jesus, God the Son, faced death on the cross and separation from God, the Father. Jesus, the Son, surrendered his will to God the Father. Jesus paid our debt for our sins. The Just for the unjust. The Righteous for the unrighteous. The sinless Lamb of God for the sinner, you and me.
Dr. Luke records Jesus’s words. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” —Luke 22:42
Jesus died on that infamous tree, the cross, so you and I don’t have to. Thank God Almighty. He made that choice so we can spend eternity with Him and hopefully our loved ones in Heaven.
Thanks be to Christ. He gave his lifeblood—God’s blood and his sinless body for us. He chooses us over Himself on the cross of Calvary. How precious are we to Him?
Accept that gift today. Make the right choice. Choose Jesus—today. You will never regret that decision. No response is a no.
Our victory has been paid for by His blood—the blood of the Lamb. And the Word of God—sharing your faith in Jesus Christ based upon the words in the Bible.
I often share my testimony through my life experiences, but they have no promised power.
Only the Word of God, the infallible and inerrant Bible, has the power of God. The Holy Spirit wields that sharp two-edged sword (Ephesians 6:17). If I put my trust in a bolt of lightning or any other experience (and I have had several) other than the Word of God, the Bible, I have no way of knowing for certain the validity of that experience. Satan can cause lightning to strike.
Our victory in Jesus can be found in the Book of Revelation. Trust the Word of God, not your experiences or Satan, can and will have a “field day” with you. Our Blessed Hope is in Jesus alone (Titus 2:13). When I hear someone on TV say, “God told me to tell you” (often to send them money), I turn the channel almost as fast as a bolt of lightning.
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” —Revelation 12:11
The Battle of Control
Control: “To have power over, RULE.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary
“The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy,” Jesus said in John 10:10. “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Only God can create life. Only God can create something from nothing. Only God can speak the universe into existence, and He did.
Satan convinces people to kill God’s gift of life through greed, revenge, and anger. He influences the murder of millions of our most innocent, the unborn, in the name of control. You are in control of the life in your body, your baby, not God, Satan declares to the world.
Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Satan is the source of all lies. Jesus said of Satan in John 8:44: “He was a murderer from the beginning…”
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus said in Matthew 19:14. Jesus also said in Matthew 18:6, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned.”
Our greatest need is forgiveness. Christ came to forgive us, but we must accept that free gift. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. —Revelation 3:20
Jesus knocks, but you must open the door to your heart, to your life, to your future.
It’s not a prescribed list of words. In Luke 23:42, one of the criminals crucified with Jesus pleads, “Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom.” His heartfelt cry of faith from the cross saves him.
Jesus answers in the next verse with His promise. “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The first person to accompany Christ to Heaven was this lowly thief on the cross.
Isn’t it time to decide which “thief” on the cross you are? Are you the one who put his faith in Jesus Christ? Or are you the one who rejected our Savior who gave His lifeblood for us?
Living in the Abundance of God’s Blessings? There is none greater than this. Eternity with Jesus Christ.
The most famous 25 words ever written.
For God so loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. —John 3:16
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If these words are how you feel in your heart, then pray:
Heavenly Father,
I pray to You, asking for the forgiveness of my sins.
I confess with my mouth. I believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross at Calvary so that I might be forgiven.
Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I ask Jesus to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.
I turn from my sins and will surrender to your will throughout my life.
Your word is truth. I confess with my mouth that I am born again. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus!
In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen!
Reach out and touch Him today!
“Many today have just enough religion to inoculate them from knowing Christ.” —Randy Willis
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