The morning
Manna will be provided at 6am. Thanks. Studying
Genesis in the SSnet.org series Lesson 2, may the Holy Spirit be the speaker to
your heart. The Topic today
is: "The Crucibles that Come: either came, come or will come, Satan." The Opening
Hymn will be 229 "Spirit of the Living God" The Sabbath
School Quarterly, downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on
page 20 and for the laymen edition or Standard Edition, on page 16. The SSnet.org
site allows anyone, anywhere to read the lesson in their own language. Choose
your own language to see God speaking also to your heart. ---The Twitter
addicted society stares into a cell-phone living with eyes fixed on their
hands. They are marked that way by angels or observed that way. ---Hardly any
one is walking admiring nature. ---Nature is
beautiful but also marred with the destructions of sin and Satan. Both are
lessons about God and the Great Controversy with Satan. ---Staring into
a cell-phone robs one of a reminder of the role of Satan. ---Avoid
thinking about Satan is not going to cancel his effects in our lives. ---Until the
smartphone generation arrives at funeral parlors. The reality of death hits
home. Confused and surprised they do not know exactly how to cope with this
one. ---Focused on
populism, icons, importance, honor, shiny lights and shiny clothes, they do not
expect death will hit close. Confusion reigns. ---That is why
the Bible as hardcopy was given to us. With smartphones it is too easy to get
distracted from the Bible to side-shows. Satan is the navigator of Smartphones
as well. ---Special
designed built in devices and features are there to pull us away from putting
our eyes on the biblical text. ---The biblical
text is in opposition to Satan and his devices. That is why Peter asks us to be
sober, vigilant. ---There is no
difference between an alcoholic and a smartphone addicted person. ---A Cartoonist
suggested that when the Smartphone generation get old, they will be staring
into their hands all the time because that is where their eyes were fixed
currently and always. ---When we say
enough, Satan says one more. When we depart, Satan invites. When we turn aside
or want to object sinning, Satan pleads appealing to the feelings and passions.
---Someone
said: "you have to be cruel to be kind". If Satan is the topic, it is
true. One should not allow his humanly soft voice luring us into temptations
and sinning. ---Then when
people sin, he runs to God to accuse them of wrongs and claims ownership over them.
First he opposed them because they do not want to sin. Then he opposes them
because they sinned. ---It is the
same tactics that he used in Heaven with the Rebellion in Heaven events as
described in Patriarchs and Prophets. ---Paul says
that one cannot afford to be kind to evil to accommodate them for the sake of
unity. Evil consumes and destroys. That is what Satan's essence is. ---Dietrich
Bonhoefer said: "The God who is with us is the God who abandoned us".
What an utter untruth! It is completely unbiblical and yet thousands of
theologians cite him as if he is truth. Bonhoefer feels
that God is weak and unable in this world. The Christian knows better.
Bonhoefer was a factive atheist.