Posted on 08/12/2021 1:50:00 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them” (Proverbs 12:26).
If there is a reason why Bible believers press so hard with “It’s the truth! It’s the Bible! ‘Sanctify them with thy truth, thy word is truth!’” and so on and so forth is it's not just about a cause. It's not just about trying to get you involved in some project that will keep you busy and preoccupied. The idea is to get you in the Bible and to get the Bible in you, so you know what God said. So, you don't get seduced away from it.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1).
Now, these are folks departing from the faith, they are saved people. And they are still giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils!
One thing that people have gotten confused about, as far as people's conceptions and misapprehensions about it are concerned, is demon possession. You can call it what you want to call it. A Christian isn't demon-possessed in the way that somebody is before they are saved. Before a man is saved, Satan already possesses him. He is going to hell. He is damned. He is possessed. We cannot go into the depths of it here, but the fact that matter is it's really plain here that only saved people are subject to “seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” if they do not pay heed, if they do not take care.
Call it what you want to, but it is still influence of spirits and devils and it gets a hold of your mind and you run with it. Seduction is a very subtle thing and it is most unfortunate that the world has allowed the word seduction to become only a physical idea instead of primarily a mental and emotional and spiritual primarily is just one of those cases where the Devil’s gotten hold of a word and has done with it what he wanted to do.
“The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them”
A great man is one who maintains his independence of thought no matter what public opinion may be. The great man is quiet. He knows God, trusts His Word and is not impatient. He thinks clearly, speaks intelligently, and lives simply. He always has time. He despises no human being nor any other creature. He has no vanity, seeks no praise, and is never offended.
He is teachable and will learn even from the children. He is rarely elected to anything. He is keenly alive to human relationships and influences.
He loves. He suffers. He cares.
He laughs. All of the simple, strong qualities of the normal soul shine in him, with no pettiness.
The great man changes his opinion easily when he sees his error. He cares not for consistency, which is the fetish of little minds, but for truth, which is the sum of great souls. Love, cheer, and hope abound in him, for these are always the byproducts of greatness.
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