Bible Text: Jn. 14:30 | SUNDAY LIGHT (15/09/19)

Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement

 

Topic:   SATAN’S PROPERTIES RETAINED BY MANY IN THE CHURCH (Part 2)

Text:                                                        Jn. 14:30

 

INTRODUCTION:

By now, it should be common knowledge that no person that expects to make heaven can afford to be ignorant of the devices/operations of the enemy (2Cor.2:11,1Pt.5:5). It has been established in our previous teachings that Satan continually peeps into the believer’s life to exploit the existence of his properties (cons. Jn.14:30). So, a Christian must necessarily take advantage of the sanctifying power of God’s word, hence this series (cons. Ezk.36:25, Jn.15:3). So far, we have considered two deadly characteristics namely Unteachable Disposition and Stubbornness; and today we shall look at another namely SELF WILL.

 

SELF WILL (Num.14:36-45, Deut.141-45, Prov. 26:16)

Self-will in our context is the disposition of being fixed and unyielding in one’s wrong course/opinion despite reason or persuasion. The self-willed is always determined to do whatsoever he wants to do without caring about others. Such people are often insensitive to the feeling of others.

 

Self-will makes one deaf to the voice of reason, and blind to the light of wisdom, thereby pushing its victims into injurious conditions emanating from the backlash of their wrong doing (cons. Gen. 4:3-13; 34:1-8,13-31, 49:5-6, Isa.14:12-15; 28:12, 2Pt.2:10).

 

In the Church arena, self-will creates misguided zeal that could bring about sharp contentions and rifts, persecutions from neighbours, loss of precious opportunities, uproar and disintegration of the congregation etc. In the work place, it attracts chastisement or eventual loss of employment.

 

In family life, it is a nuisance that causes continual sorrow and if unchecked could end up in permanent breakage of relationship (cons. Pro.22:24, 26:12, 29:22; 25:24,, 27:15-16, 11:27b,29).

 

The self-willed is narrow minded and is spiritually “short-sighted”, and so does not readily see the consequences of his intended actions. The self-willed may listen to counsel (as a formality), but decides on what he does; independent of the counsel. So, they usually manifest as stubbornness i.e. refusal to change attitude or opinion (cons. 1Sam15:23).

 

Self-will as a trait does run in families, and can develop through association with self-willed persons who may be friends, teachers or mentors (1Cor.15:33). It carries the taint of pride with it, underlined by a feeling of an unfounded adequacy (cons. 1Cor.8:2).

 

The damnable attribute is a testimony of the absence of divine love in somebody’s life (cons. 1Cor.13:5 cp.10:32,33, 8:13). This self-destructive trait was reproved in the early Church and should not have any place in a believer’s life (Tit. 1:7, 2Pt.2:10).

 

A watchman must not be self-willed, but rather a doer of God’s will (cons. Jn.6:38-40, 5:30, Matt.26:39,42; Heb.10:7,9). He should respect the views of others knowing that no one has a monopoly of knowledge (1Cor.13:12); listen to counsel of the more experienced (Job. 32:7), think about the consequences of his actions (Prov.22:3) and maintain the principle of “rather suffer wrong than tarnish God’s image” (cons. 1Cor.6:7).

 

Self-will is Satan’s property that he exploits to cause disorder and eventual damnation (Prov.1:25-32,21:16, 16:17).

                                                                                

(HSCF 163)