Rules of Life from Luke 4

Luke 4 is a narration of the paradigms, principles and values that must govern our ACTIONS AND REACTIONS, if we would gain a chance of becoming successful in the sight of God.

The first rule is that you cannot succeed by accident. There must be a season of life where you separate yourself to discover, define, refine and crystallize your purpose. A season of life when you disengage socially, deny comfort and defy death. You need a season when you lose your life in order to gain it; you impoverish yourself in order to attain glory. You must learn to create a defining moment of quietness and confidence in order to gain the strength to succeed.

The second rule is that you have an adversary who is committed to working against your success. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. When he can't find one, he tries to create one (see Isaiah 14:12).

The third rule is that the devil is in command and control of the airwaves, and he is fully engaged in information warfare. The Bible describes him as "the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:2). The devil rules, he is a spirit and he is at work to make people disobedient. This spirit is a speaking spirit. Every time he is at work he communicates. Don’t be surprised, he uses information and communication technologies too.

The fourth rule is that the devil is a liar. Every time his lips, move he lies. "There is NO truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). If the devil offers you a cup of water, be sure it contains some poison; a truth becomes a lie when spoken by the devil. No matter the volume of water of truth, it is dangerous to taste water that has mingled with the minutest quantity of poison.

The fifth rule is that the devil poses no risk until he finds a vulnerability he can exploit. Jesus said “the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me”(John 14:30). The devil found a thief in Judas Iscariot, and entered him. He found hypocrisy in the marriage of Ananias and Sapphires, and killed the couple. He found greed in Ahab and destroyed him. He found pride in Pharaoh and ruined him. He found ignorance in Eve and deceived her.

The sixth rule is that your greatest threat is not the devil but your lust—“craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world”.(I John 2:16) That is why we must not forget that " every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed" (James 1:14) Let us read further: "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death”(James 1:15)

To be continued...