The devil as the source of tragedy

ByPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
Greetings to you, dear friends! Grace to you and peace from Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ!During these past days we have been discussing how our sins and the sins of others cause different tragedies in society. Also we talked about how repentance and life in compliance with God’s Word brings healing, blessing and prosperity. Today I would like to talk about the devil as the source of tragedy.We have already established that the devil also causes suffering for people. The Bible calls him ‘god of the present age’ and our adversary. 
 «Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…» (1 Peter, 5:8-9).
 You might want to ask why the devil (and not God) is the ruler of this earth. The answer is that God entrusted the rulership of the earth to humans for a time and He cannot take it back before the set time. 
 «May you be blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men» (Psalm, 115:15-16).
 God Who has created heaven and earth has blessed people living on earth and gave him the rulership rights. Afterwards a man who walked under God’s rule had to govern this earth. But, unfortunately, the man gave these rights to the devil. The devil openly spoke about it to Jesus when tempting Him in wilderness. 
«Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him,„All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours» (Luke, 4:5-7).
 Did you notice that during the temptation the devil told Jesus that all the kingdoms had been given to him? Who gave him all of it? Was it God? No, it wasn’t! It was Adam and Eve who disobeyed God. 
«Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?» (Romans, 6:16).
 We become the slaves of the one we obey. Adam and Eve had a choice. But since they gave themselves to be slaves of sin and death, death (the devil) started ruling over people and everything that was entrusted to them. By his choice the man made the devil his god; for this reason he controls the lives of people, families, cities and countries. The devil is the specialist in three areas: stealing, killing and destroying. 
 «The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly» (John, 10:10).
 The devil is a thief, and even though he tries to mask his actions, the fruit of his rule are obvious on earth: they are death, poverty, tears, misery and tragedy. Here is why the Bible calls us to pray this way: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.If people will pray for it, then the fullness of God’s original purpose will be established on earth. There are no tears, no poverty, no hatred, no illness, and no death in heaven where the fullness of God’s will exists.We will continue tomorrow! God bless you!Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

Similar Posts

  • Your gift will make room for you! IV

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    In the Gospel of Mathew Jesus told a parable about Master giving his servants different talents. «For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey» (Mathew, 25: 14-15).Jesus shows us here that the criterion of His assessment is not quantity, but faithfulness. God know that every one of us has different abilities, so the quantitative result will be different for different people. Numbers are not important to Jesus; He cares about how faithful you have been with what God has given you. He cares about your attitude towards His work.

  • God gives to everyone according to his or her ability

    AutorsMācītājs Rufus Adžiboije Reading Time: 3 minutes
    We all want more. We want our churches to have more people, but God – according to your ability – will give you what you can handle. God will be able to entrust you His blessings according to the level of your responsibility. For example, you are in a predicament and you think, „Why do I have to live through this?” But God knows that you can handle it. We often are not aware of how responsible or irresponsible we are, but God is. God knows the burden you are able to carry. You may think and say to yourself, «No, I am not able to bear this! I am not capable!» Until you actually go through it, you won’t be able to imagine what you are capable of.

  • In order for us to do the works of Jesus, we must ask for it in prayer!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    «Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son» (John, 14:12-13).When Jesus Himself says ‘most assuredly’, it means He wants us to pay attention. These two verses are connected. Jesus says that we can do the works that Jesus did and even more, if we pray. Jesus tried to tell His disciples that He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and that He will represent them in heaven, because He will be sitting with Him on the heavenly throne. Jesus told His disciples that they should ask in His name and that He would do what they ask so that His Father would be glorified.

  • How important for us is to use our homes and special celebrations for the spiritual work we are called to do

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 2 minutes
    My dear friend, I would like you to think how you could use your times of special celebration, parties and other opportunities for bringing the gospel to your unsaved relatives, friends and acquaintances.In 1 Corinthians 10:31 the bible reminds us that whatever we do, we must do it for the glory of the Lord:“So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”

  • Find someone you can trust fully and without holding back and confess to them!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    When that happens, you will experience tremendous freedom!Freedom comes when we walk in the light; it is not just how long we pray. When we do the right things that are based on God’s Word, the Son of God sets us free and we are free indeed:«Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free» (John, 8:31-32).

  • How to develop a habit of prayer in our life? IV

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    “ … for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)Prayer unites us with our Heavenly Father, helps to know the depth of the His heart, His love and His plans for our life.Do you remember Daniel? He was a man of God, similarly to David, one, whose attitude to prayer and fellowship with God was very serious. In Daniel 6:10 we read:«When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem) and he bowed down on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before».