Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Old Testament WORDS for Today

Old Testament WORDS for Today
By Warren W. Wiersbe
(President Back to the Bible)
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die."
Genesis 3:4





Warren W. Wiersbe the author of this book in its Preface Says: 

Yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.  1 CORINTHIANS 14:19

“If you know how to select them, five words can express unforgettable, life-changing thoughts.

Thomas Jefferson put five words in the Declaration of Independence that declared liberty for the American colonies: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." Abraham Lincoln quoted those five words in his famous Gettysburg Address.

"A specter is haunting Europe" are the words Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels chose to open their Communist Manifesto, a small book whose message changed the map of Europe.

On June 18, 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill heartened the British people with a speech that concluded with five unforgettable words: "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Commonwealth and its Empire lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, `This was their finest hour.'"

The Bible contains many memorable five-word statements that are "living and powerful" (Heb. 4:12), inspired words that the Holy Spirit can use to direct us in today's chaotic world. In this book, I have provided meditations based on one hundred of these phrases as they are found in the Old Testament, using the New King James Version of the Scriptures. I trust that as you meditate on God's Word and ponder my words, the Spirit of God will enlighten you and encourage you, enabling you to discover the will of God and enjoy doing it."

Here is a page from this treasure:

God put our first parents into a lovely garden where all their needs were met and they had the privilege of fellowshipping with him and serving him. The enemy was prepared to attack, as he always is, and from this event we can get the instructions we need to obey to defeat him.


Don't give Satan a foothold. One of Adam's responsibilities was to "keep" the garden (Gen. 2:15), which means to guard it. It's the same word used in Genesis 3:24, "to guard the way to the tree of life." It seems that Adam was not with his wife at that time, so she was an easier target for the evil one. Ephesians 4:27 warns us not to "give place to the devil," for all he needs is a small foothold and he can begin to wage war. Even today, his servants stealthily creep in and cause trouble (2 Tim. 3:6; Jude 4). Cultivating a lustful or unkind thought can provide a foothold, and so can deliberately re-fusing to do God's will.

Don't listen to Satan's offers. Satan is a counterfeiter and a masquerader who never reveals his true nature. He can even come as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and lead us astray. We can tell when Satan is at work because he questions God's Word and encourages us to deny the authority of Scripture, asking us, "Has God indeed said . . . ?" Satan first questions the Word, then denies the Word, then substitutes his own lies. Our reply must be, "Yes, God did say, and I am going to respect it!" We must immediately turn to the Lord in prayer and seek his wisdom. He will remind us of what we have learned from the Scriptures and we can use the sword of the Spirit to defeat Satan, as Jesus did when Satan attacked him (Eph. 6:17; Matt. 4:1-11). It's important that we hide God's Word in our hearts, because this will enable us to overcome him (Ps. 119:11).


Remind yourself of God's rich blessings. A temptation is Satan's offer to give you something he claims that God hasn't given you. When Satan tempted Jesus, he suggested, "Your Father just said you were his beloved son. If he loves you, why are you hungry?" The warnings against temptation found in James 1:12-15 are followed by reminders that we are the recipients of God's good and perfect gifts (vv. 16-18). A temptation is Satan's cheap substitute for the real gifts from heaven, the Father has given us. The devil wanted Jesus to transform stones into bread, but Jesus preferred the nourishing bread of life, the Word of God (Matt. 4:4).


First Timothy 2:14 reminds us that Eve was deceived by Satan, but when Adam showed up, he sinned with his eyes wide open because he wanted to remain with his wife. It was his deliberate disobedience that plunged the human race into sin and judgment (Rom. 5:12-21). It was our Lord's obedience and death on the cross that saved us from condemnation and made us the children of God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

And take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17

(An adaptation from the book  "Old Testament WORDS for Today"  This book is now available from Back to the Bible Office for a donation of Rs. 590.00. Including packing and postage. Avail your copies before stock ends. For more information, please contact:
info@backtothebible.in OR call 040 27796353; 
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Source: BakerBooks - Used by permission

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