0760. Satan Resists Our Full Surrender
Satan Resists Our Full Surrender
"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" (Act_5:3).
The scene is one which occurred early in the history of the Church. Many of the believers were bringing in their gifts. They were selling their property and laying the proceeds at the Apostles’ feet. Ananias and Sapphira purported to bring in their all, but they kept back part of the price, and lied to the Holy Ghost. Peter pronounced their doom, and they both fell down and gave up the ghost as the penalty of their deception.
Satan has not ceased resisting us along this very line. He certainly does not want us to bring everything to God. It is not a question merely of money; it is a question of full abandonment along every line.
The Bible clearly commands: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice" (Rom_12:1).
The Bible teaches that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Eph_5:18). This is another way of teaching full surrender. God cannot fill what is not wholly surrendered or yielded to Him.
The Bible says, "The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy" (Jam_4:3). This passage means that the Holy Spirit wants to have us wholly to Himself. The same thing is taught when we read, "Our God is a jealous God." He is a God Who wants the supreme place, every place in our life.
Satan will resist our surrender by endeavoring to make us doubt the Lord. He did this in the case of Eve. He impugned God’s motive and God’s veracity with, "Hath God said?" or, with, "God doth know."
Satan will resist our surrender by endeavoring to make us think that God hath forgotten us and is therefore unworthy of trust. He did this in tempting Christ. He said: "If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." That is–"You have fasted forty days and nights. God has forgotten You. You are not His Son. If You are, prove it–command that these stones be made bread."
Satan will resist our surrender by urging us to go beyond the plain will of God. That is, satan will press us into doing rash things in order to show the perfection of our full trust. This he did when he said to Christ: "Cast Thyself down."
However, in spite of all of satan’s efforts to the contrary let us yield ourselves, and all that we are and have to God.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR