You Gotta Know!!!

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Today's Passage: Matthew 22:23-33
Memory Verse: Matthew 22:29


Are you growing in the Word of God? Are you striving to know more everyday? People often say "what they don't know, won't hurt'em". But we know nothing can be farther from the truth. This statement, in fact, is another example of the world's skewed view of life. In contrast, the Bible says people perish for lack of knowledge. In essence, what you don't know can in fact hurt you.

What do you think the biggest weapon in the devil's arsenal is? It's deception. He takes pride in deceiving people. He's been doing it since he spoke to Eve in the garden of Eden. He has an incredible knack for lacing God's truth with his lies. He has to do that to make what he says believable. Thankfully, God has given us a remedy. He gave us knowledge. The more you know, the more you reduce your chances of being deceived. The devil is a crafty liar. But that's all he is; a liar. Meaning, the ability to tell the truth is not in him. He'll tell you a loved one is sick unto death, when God has already healed them. He'll tell you your troubled marriage is over, when healing is only a prayer away. He'll tell you you can't do something that God has already prepared you to do. He'll even tell you you're a nobody, when God has fearfully and wonderfully made you somebody. But, if you don't know God's truths, how can you stand against the devil's lies?

In today's passage, the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus by asking Him a religious question. Some people will always try to find savvy ways to question your faith. The question they asked was in regard to Moses' law concerning death and marriage. After asking the question, Jesus' response was this: "You don't know your Bible, and you don't know how God works" (Matt. 22:29 Msg). See, they thought they were going to trick Him into saying the wrong thing, or siding with their religious traditions. But Jesus had knowledge. You can have it too. Don't let the devil trick you. What God says is yours, is yours. Don't let him cause you to question what you believe. Study God's word. The Bible says we should meditate on it daily. That's what brings knowledge. I don't know about you, but when I'm up against the devil and he's trying to feed me his lies, I can't counteract his games by "thinking" I know....I gotta know.

Prayer: Father, You have so graciously given us the best part of You. You gave us Your word. Your word is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our pathway. We couldn't see our way through this life without it. The more of Your word we uncover, the brighter our path gets. And that keeps us from falling into the traps of the enemy. Thank You, Lord. Thank you for wanting to know us, and allowing us to know You....in Jesus' name. Amen