18.) The Final Sealing
/To begin this study I am going to use two quotations from the pen of Ellen White which will set the tone for this important topic which all must understand in order to be prepared to receive the seal of God and stand through the time of trouble:
“Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us—the perfection of His character? When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ and the recording angel will declare, ‘It is finished.’” 6 BC 1118.
“Those only who through faith in Christ obey all God’s commandments will reach the condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression. They testify to their love of Christ by obeying all His precepts.” Ibid.
In previous articles I have emphasized that the goal of salvation is to bring mankind back into harmony and agreement with God and His righteous principles as exemplified in His ten commandment law. These principles are the foundation of His government:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not to come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matt. 5:17, 18.
“The law of the Ten Commandments lives and will live through the eternal ages. . . .The Lamb of God was the complete and perfect offering.
“The law of God will maintain its exalted character as long as the throne of Jehovah endures. This law is the expression of God’s character. . . .
“God did not make the infinite sacrifice of giving His only begotten Son to our world, to secure for man the privilege of breaking the commandments of God in this life and in the future eternal life. . . .This law that Satan so much desires to have regarded null and void, is the great moral standard of righteousness. . . .To all the inhabitants of the world who made void the law of Jehovah, and continue to live in transgression, death must surely come.” 6 BC 1116.
According to the scriptures, you cannot separate the subject of the sealing from the necessity of obeying the law of God. They are integrally bound up together:
“Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. . . .To the law and to the testimony: If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8:16, 20. KJV.
Many people in the world see the law of God to be a galling yoke of bondage. They feel its requirements restrict them from their freedom to choose how they want to run their lives. Those who feel this way don’t sense the dangers of setting one’s own course of action without feeling any obligation to God as the giver of life. This attitude reminds me of any man-made product, such as an automobile. Each vehicle comes from the factory with a manual containing instructions for the preservation of the car at optimum levels of performance. Ignoring the operator’s manual can cause deterioration and dysfunction of the vehicle. The same is true of God’s laws for our health and happiness. Obedience keeps us connected to God, who is the source of eternal life, happiness and productivity. Disobedience breaks this connection and causes us to attempt to protect and provide for ourselves and satisfy our desires and needs in carnal ways which bring mental, emotional, and physical dysfunction, disease, and eventually, death.
It is fashionable among Christians today to pick and choose what and how to interpret obedience to the law of God according to one’s personal tastes and opinions. But in the great Day of God, such reasoning will not stand in the judgment. God’s holy law is immutable, unchanging, and the unerring standard of life for all created beings in His universe. There can be no divided commitment, no personal interpretation of God’s requirements, because God’s law reveals the way of life, and the result of disobedience brings separation from life, resulting in eternal death. How rewarding it is when we realize that God’s laws are for our happiness and protection from the evil one!
“He [God] has built a hedge—the ten commandments—about His subjects to preserve them from transgression. In requiring obedience to the laws of His kingdom, God gives His people health and happiness, peace and joy. He teaches them that the perfection of character He requires can only be attained by becoming familiar with His word.” 3 BC 1143.
“The [covenant] that God made with His people at Sinai is to be our refuge and defense.” 1 BC 1103.
“The happiness of man is found in obedience to the laws of God. In obedience to God’s law he is surrounded as with a hedge and kept from the evil.” SD 66.
“The creative energy that called the world into existence is in the word of God. . . .Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature and recreates the soul in the image of God.” Ed 126.
“Each law of God is an enactment of mercy, love, and saving power. These laws, obeyed, are our life, our salvation, our happiness, our peace.” 3 BC 1153.
Satan’s hatred for God’s law has been evident from the beginning of the great controversy which he began in heaven. Therefore I would like to take each commandment and consider the purpose for which it was given to protect our happiness and preserve us from deception and self-destruction. (Biblical quotes are taken from Ex. 20:3-17, KJV.)
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. This commandment protects us from detaching our allegiance from the only true God, His power, His love and His protection, and focusing our trust upon anything that would take us down to self-destruction and eternal death.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of those that love me, and keep my commandments. This commandment addresses the carnal desire to set our affections upon something or someone that is visible, tangible, and accessible through our five senses. Such “gods” can be controlled by imagining them to be anything we want them to be. And they can be appeased by offerings that come from the works of our hands, such as Cain’s offerings which were unacceptable to God. As in Cain’s example, the results of these tendencies are passed on to one’s posterity.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Any form of using God’s name in cursing, jesting, or out of harmony with His holiness and majesty shows that we do not know God or have a correct respect and understanding of His Kingship in our lives. It reveals an ignorance of who He is, a lack of love and devotion to Him, and a kindred spirit with the world.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. God has set aside the Sabbath to be a memorial of our beginnings with Him as the work of His hands, the object of His care and love. He looks forward to this time with us, just as He did in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. It is a time of rest from labor, and communion and special connection with Him as we receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and visitation from the angels who join us in worship. It is a rejuvenation of body, mind and spirit as a weekly re-creation that He gives us each Sabbath day.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The fifth commandment completes the first half of the Decalogue which deals with our relationship with God, and introduces the second half which addresses our relationships with man. This logically begins with respect for parents, who are the first authority figures in our lives. Since God is our heavenly parent, our attitude toward God is directly relational to our experience with our parents. Although no earthly parents are perfect, a lack of respect for their position in our lives will build a resistance to other authorities in our lives, and ultimately back to God.
6. Thou shalt not kill. This is more accurately translated, “You shall not murder,” which is used in the NIV. Both the Strong’s Concordance and the NIV Concordance define the primary meaning of the word used here to be “murder.” Webster’s Dictionary gives this meaning for the word murder: “The unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.” This is important to understand, because God allowed killing for lawful reasons under the Theocracy in the Old Testament. For example, the enemies of Israel who were a danger to God’s people were to be killed. Certain crimes committed by an Israelite were punishable by death. But in the New Testament, the deeper meaning of this commandment was brought out. “Jesus magnified (Isa. 42:21) this commandment to include anger and contempt (Matt. 5:21, 22). Later the apostle John added hatred (1 John 3:14, 15). . . . We break it when we lead others into sin by our example and action, and thus contribute to the destruction of their souls.” 1 BC 606.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. “This prohibition covers not only adultery but fornication and impurity of any and every kind, in act, word, and thought (Matt. 5:27, 28). Ibid. This, our third duty toward our ‘neighbour,’ is to respect and honor the bond upon which the family is built, that of the marriage relationship, which to the Christian is as precious as life itself (see Heb. 13:4). Marriage makes the husband and wife ‘one flesh’ (Gen. 2:24). To be untrue to this sacred union or to lead another to do so is to despise that which is sacred and to commit a crime as well.” Ibid.
8. Thou shalt not steal. This commandment encompasses much more than stealing another person’s property. The law of God is applicable to the deepest level of the heart and soul, and includes anything that rightfully belongs to another person for their mental, physical emotional and spiritual health and well-being. God wants to use us to minister to the happiness of those who are around us. Thus we are conduits of His love and blessings to others. Otherwise we rob them of the happiness that God wants to give them through us. “It should be our aim to bring all the pleasantness possible into our lives, and to do all the kindness possible to those around us. Kind words are never lost. Jesus records them as if spoken to Himself. Sow the seeds of kindness, of love, and of tenderness, and they will blossom and bear fruit.” 6 BC 1108.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. The obvious meaning of this commandment is to say nothing that is untrue about someone. The deeper meaning is that we should protect the reputation and feelings of our associates as far as possible by not saying anything that would cause others to think adversely about them. However true we may think our feelings and observations to be, the natural rule in passing these to others is that the stories or facts that we believe to be true can become tainted with misconceptions as it goes to others who are listening. The best and safest rule is to avoid all unnecessary talking about our negative opinions or observations about others, and to take these to Jesus for cleansing from our minds and replacing them with His love and mercy for that person.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. The first nine commandments are mainly addressing outward behavior, with the underlying thoughts, feelings and motives left unaddressed. The tenth commandment speaks directly to the thoughts and issues of the heart. All of the other commandments can come under this one, for in order to break the other nine, we would have to be coveting something that belongs either to God or to other people. In the first four commandments, we would be coveting God’s kingship, His honor, His name, and His day. In the last six commandments we would be coveting others’ position, their right to life, the sanctity of their marriage, their right to be socially honored and protected, and their right to privacy and ownership. Therefore, the law of God provides for the safety and happiness of all His created beings.
Now that we have considered the requirements and positive aspects of God’s law, I want to consider how the devil attempts to undermine God’s law, and in so doing, to insert his own character into the minds of men, women, and children.
1. In the beginning of the sin problem, Satan desired to usurp God’s throne and His rulership. He wanted to take the position of God alone and to sit upon His throne. Adam and Eve also fell because they wanted to reach a higher level of existence than that which God had already given them. These seeds of rebellion and self-exaltation have been in the human race ever since our first parents followed the devil’s suggestions to disobey God’s commands. If we do not put God first, we will put self first. When we do this, Satan enters our hearts and gains the victory which he could not do in heaven. He is then in control of our lives, for we are in agreement with him and his sentiments and goals. Everything that is in the world or of the world is governed by this principle of self-exaltation.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17.
“Those who are ever pressing a little closer to the world, and becoming more like them in feelings, in plans, in ideas, have left a space between them and the Saviour, and Satan has pressed his way into this space, and low, worldly-tainted selfish plans become interwoven with their experience.” 7 BC 949.
1. When we do not love and worship God supremely, the things of this world are attractive and fascinating to the senses and ambitions of our carnal nature. Anything that draws us away from a relationship with God becomes an idol, and if not given up, will lure us into a sinful lifestyle, even if we profess to be Christians. Our possessions, entertainment, food, clothing—in short, everything that we make a part of our lives—must be in harmony with God’s statutes, or we will have a divided heart, trying to please both sides of our nature. Anything that we keep in our lives that comes from the temptations of the evil one will allow him to have access to our minds and emotions.
2. Cursing is an expression of anger and frustration when we don’t get what we want. Furthermore, it is blaming God for the problem. It is the natural result of looking to something or someone other than God to fulfill our needs, and being disappointed when our expectations are not met. Cursing is the one thing that is mentioned that the lost continue to do during the seven last plagues, and they do not repent of their evil lives and glorify God (Rev. 16:9-11). Thus, by using God’s name in vain, they are blaming Him for their lost condition, rather than admitting that it is by their own disobedience they have brought this upon themselves.
3. The Sabbath is a day for celebrating the love and mercy of God and associating with others who feel the same way about Him. It is a day for getting completely away from the sights and sounds of the society around us and welcoming the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and companionship with Holy angels in rich measure. But Satan still wants to intrude upon the delight and holiness of the day by creating dissention among the members, using worldly based music or fashions to bring in an unholy atmosphere, and working in the hearts of unconsecrated members to bring in contention or a lack of fervency of spiritual devotion. All of God’s people should make it a priority to come into the Sabbath hours with consecrated uplifted hearts that we can receive and share God’s special blessings with each other on the Sabbath day.
4. Honoring our parents is closely related to honoring God. Parents are the earthly authority God has set up in families where He can teach young minds the meaning of obedience to a higher authority, and prepare them to use the same brain pathways to honor God. Therefore there is no more coveted place in the heart of the evil one than to intrude into the home environment. In this world of sin, many homes are a battle ground and a place where Satan, not God, has control. But that still does not make it right for a Christian feel excused for rejecting their parents’ rightful place in their lives. Under the grace of God, we are to forgive our parents and do all we can to respect them and confess any resentment or anger we may have toward them. It is essential that we do not harbor anything that would come between us and loving and caring for our parents as far as we are able. God is the judge of our experiences, and we must allow Him to heal anything in our hearts that would separate us from a loving and obedient relationship with Him.
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our Spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” Heb. 12:7-10.
Do you see how closely connected parental authority is with God’s authority and His right to discipline us when we need it? Granted, our fathers may not have treated us as kindly, patiently, and lovingly as God does, but God can help us to forgive them and retain proper respect for them, as we are being cleansed of all bad attitudes which will embitter our hearts. In this commandment God promises to reward us by a long life if we honor our parents!
1. Murder begins in the heart. Satan was a murderer from the beginning, Jesus said. Selfish ambition, hatred, and anger were the poisonous plants that he allowed to fester and grow, until he was ready to kill God if it had been possible. So it is with fallen mankind. Avarice and jealousy will reap a harvest of death, both for the victim and the perpetrator of the crime. We must become extremely aware of such sinful feelings in our hearts, and give them to God immediately, lest they gain control of our spirit and cause us to have the same sinful emotions that ruled the heart of Lucifer until he became the enemy of God and all that is good and righteous. Let not one angry, critical, resentful, self-protective thought remain uncontrolled, uncleansed and unconquered by the grace of Jesus in our hearts.
2. Lust is one of the most successful temptations Satan has for the human race. In the name of love and desire for closeness and intimacy, the lure of physical attraction and sexual satisfactions captivate the senses, the minds, and the bodies of men and women, and even children. How can anyone who has become a mental and physical prisoner of these powerful emotions be clean before God and worship Him with holiness? Only God has the power to deliver us from these desires that spring from within. Paul says that overcoming this sin is like being raised from the dead!
“The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside the body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Cor. 7:13-20.
Because of the enormity of this particular sin upon the human race, and the power Satan has to use it to get control of minds and bodies through sexual sins, I want to dwell longer on this than any of the other nine commandments. When Adam capitulated to Eve’s temptation in the Garden Eden, he set up a precedent which the whole human race has followed since then. Sensual attraction brought on the necessity of the flood:
The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not *remain in man forever, for he is *corrupt; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.’” Gen. 6:2, 3. (*italicized words are from the NIV margin.)
The Israelites were given the land of Canaan because the iniquity of the dwellers there had become so wicked that they had to be destroyed. One of the major sins that God mentioned is sexual sins. In Leviticus 18, a long list of sexual deviations is named which are unacceptable to God, the last one being same sex partners and human/animal sexual relations:
“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.” Lev. 18:22-25.
It seems that one major sign of a people or generation whose cup of iniquity is full is sexual sins and deviations from the blueprint plan of God for marriage which He initiated in Eden. It is one of the primary ways that Satan gains control of the bodies and souls of men and women. To help understand this more clearly, I want to share with you a little story of my own experience.
A number of years ago, I was introduced to a young woman whom I will call Regina. When I first saw her, she was dressed all in black—black hair, black cape, and black leotards. She had appeared in the foyer of the church seemingly out of nowhere. No one knew her, or why she had come to our church. This was a very special day for our congregation, because we were dedicating our newly-built church, and the place was packed with people. Fearing that Regina would destroy the sacredness of our special day, one of the ladies in the foyer slipped into the meeting and asked me to help with the situation. I took her out to the hillside in back of the church to keep her occupied until the meeting was over. I learned that she had been a Satan worshipper for seven years. She called herself the bride of Satan. She described the orgies of the cult and how demons would enter the people and give them heightened sexual experiences as they would have different partners, male or female, and how Satan made her feel special to be his bride.
This first encounter with Regina grew into a friendship, and eventually, I gave Bible studies to Regina, and she was baptized. But it was such a struggle, because sometimes, especially at Halloween, the devil would come back and try to get her to come back to the cult. It was such a battle to keep her on track with the Lord! I remember one day especially. I was sitting beside Regina on the couch, when suddenly I felt a strong sexual urge toward her. Moments later she turned slightly toward me and said, “Oh by the way, have I ever told you that I am bisexual?” Of course, I knew instantly that a demon had caused these sudden sexual urges, and I sent up a prayer for help to Jesus and He freed me immediately. But the point I want to make by this story is that demons are very much involved in bringing about sexual encounters and attractions.
Another story that I will relate is also from years ago. Two couples were friends in the church where I attended, and the wife of one couple and the husband of the other couple worked at an Adventist nursing home nearby. They came to me for advice, and told me about a strange phenomenon that they had been experiencing while at work. They both could sense in their spirits where the other one was in the building, and when they were about to meet in the hallway before they would see each other. Accompanying this was a strong physical attraction. They began to feel that they were meant to be together, and that these experiences were signs from God that they should divorce their respective spouses and marry each other. I told them both to go home and pray that if these experiences were not from God, He would bring them to an end. They took my advice, and the clairvoyant experiences stopped, and their marriages and their relationship with God was saved from disaster.
My purpose in telling these stories is to point out that Satan loves to influence our emotions, especially sexual. Thus he can get control of the minds and bodies of men and women and make them captives of their sexual desires. Recently I purposefully asked a number of Christian people if they had ever experienced sexual feelings, urges and attractions for someone of the same sex. Almost every person I asked said they had felt these feelings one or more times, but had immediately recognized it to be from the devil and prayed for deliverance through the power of Jesus.
Recently I saw a YouTube video by a psychiatrist who had experienced a complete sex change and lived as a homosexual for years. Eventually he rejected this lifestyle became a Christian, and dedicated his life to working with people with this problem. He stated that in spite of the fact that there are rare cases where people are born with both male and female sexual parts, or with aberrational genetic problems, the majority of people make sex choices because of something in childhood that has caused the person to be more open to one sexual orientation than the other. It seems to be becoming fashionable to believe that whatever we are feeling about our sexuality is a personal issue, and if I feel attracted to a person of the same sex, other people should accept my choice to have a same-sex partner as natural because I was born that way. But isn’t that true of all sin? We are all born with a sinful nature, which means that our only salvation from any sin is through the power of Jesus. Why are sexual sins that God has condemned now being considered acceptable because a person feels that he or she was born with it? David said:
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. . . .Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will turn back to you.” Ps. 51:5-13.
David knew the power of sexual sin. And although he turned from it and received forgiveness, his sin was perpetuated in his family, and his life was never the same again. What is the power that sexual desires have over us? Sex is a very intense feeling of bonding that God has placed in the neuron centers of the brain which respond to touch and the desire for intimacy and connection with another person. These sensual receptors respond to any kind of touch that brings about this feeling of intimacy. Therefore these desires and needs for intimacy must be carefully kept within the boundaries that God has made to keep us safe from the devil’s desire to use these same brain pathways to access us through this powerful avenue to our souls. God has made these neuron pathways for Himself to create the beautiful bonding between a husband and wife which will produce safe, happy, loving homes where all the members of the family can enjoy the benefits of heaven’s blessing. No wonder Satan wants to abort God’s plan and usurp the place in our lives that only God should have! The apostle Paul gave these instructions to the Corinthian believers:
“The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?” 1 Cor. 10:20-22.
We are a part of the church, the bride of Jesus, and we have no right to give ourselves to lusts and practices that come from His arch enemy!
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Eph. 5:25-27.
Many years ago I counseled a young mother who came to me because she was having strange, compulsive thoughts to stab her new baby son to death. Every time she was in the kitchen, she had an urge to get a knife from the drawer and kill her son. She was a very devoted mother and loved her children completely. The child was planned by both parents. How could such terrible thoughts come into her mind? Now, what would happen if she said to herself, “I am having strong compulsive thoughts to kill my baby—maybe I was born to be a murderer!” Of course, anyone would call this absurd reasoning. But is it any less absurd to think that if I have thoughts and feelings come into my mind to change my sexual orientation, I must have been born to be different than my bodily parts would indicate? These thoughts originate in the mind, and the mind controls the body. Isn’t it possible that Satan could be putting these thoughts there to deceive us? Fortunately, the young mother I mentioned was healed through counseling and prayer. Here is another similar story, which is taken from Mark Brubeck’s book, The Adversary, p. 110.
“A believer related to me how he had some horrifying thoughts of murder constantly intruding into his mind. Every time he’d see a knife when in the kitchen with his wife or children, a suggestion to grab the knife and stab his loved one would intrude his thoughts. Great guilt and fear ensued. ‘What kind of a person am I to have thoughts like these? How sinful and vile could a man be? Surely I am losing my mind.’ How great can be the torment of one so tempted! As he learned about warfare praying, however, complete victory came very quickly. I share with you the kind of prayer I suggested he use, silently unto God, whenever such thoughts came.
“Heavenly Father, I reject these thoughts of murder in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I recognize they are from the one You called a murderer from the beginning. I apply my union with the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood directly against the power of Satan causing these thoughts. I command him to leave my presence. I submit my mind, my will, and my emotions only to the Holy Spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“A prayer of this type should be ready always to launch an aggressive attack against any messenger of Satan that dares to intrude into our lives.”
It is easy to see why a Christian afflicted with thoughts of murdering their loved ones would recognize these thoughts to be coming from the evil one, and seek help. But thoughts of adulterous relationships are not so easily identified as coming from the same demonic source. This is because every human being is born with the deep need for love and connection with others, and sex is programmed into our mind and body by our Creator to feel like love and connection with another person. The only way to identify illicit sexual behavior is through the word of God, and specifically the seventh commandment. If we could see as God sees, and be aware of the terrible suffering and devastation that just this one sin has caused and even now is causing all over the world, especially for women and children, our hearts would not be able to bear up under it. It is time for every Christian to determine that the allurement of this sin shall not be given one inch of room in our hearts and minds, for with it comes defilement of the soul, and a foothold that the devil can use to lead us into further temptations that will disqualify us for the courts of heaven.
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. . . .Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” Rev. 22:12-15.
These few, short words make it very clear that those who are breaking any of God’s commandments will not be allowed entrance into the glorious city of God. Only those who wash their robes of character—their thoughts and feelings—will be welcomed through the pearly gates into eternal life.
“All of God’s people should come nearer to Him and wash their robes of character in the blood of the Lamb.” 3 T. 324.
“The thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character.” 5 T. 310.
“The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character.” 7 BC 970.
“The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. . . .All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven.” 5 T. 216.
“Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the heavenly mold, and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity.” 5 T. 216.
“Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself, ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.’ Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.” GC 623.
“In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels; but there can be no security for the transgressor of God’s law. Angels cannot then protect those who are disregarding one of the divine precepts.” PP 256.
God calls His law His “covenant of love” because when we obey the terms of the covenant, He promises to protect and bless us and our families. Our part in this covenant is to love and obey Him; His part is to surround us with His blessings and protection:
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. . . .
“If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land. . . .You will be blessed more than any other people.” Deut. 7:9-14.
Jesus narrowed down His “covenant of love” into only two parts—love for God and love for mankind. When He was asked, “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?” He replied:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matt. 22:37-40.
In the last three commandments, God finishes the section of the Decalogue which addresses our relationships with people. If we truly realize and appreciate God’s love and care for us, we will want to pass these blessings on to others. We will not desire to do anything that would be hurtful to them. Lying (#8), stealing (#9), and coveting (#10) will be banished from our lives, even in the common, daily relationships with our associates. We will protect their possessions, reputations and physical and emotional needs in the same manner as we would want them to do for us. Thus, when obeying God’s commandments we will be beloved of God, and a channel of God’s blessing to all around us.
“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:7-9.
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:3, 4.
While these words may sound impossible to many readers, I assure you that the closer you come into relationship with Jesus, the more you will be able to experience this cleansing and sealing. Many Christians have been satisfied to have a divided heart for too long. Some of the Lord and some of the world is the attitude of those who are satisfied with a lukewarm religion. But those who will be sealed are those who are willing to make every effort and every sacrifice to be guided every moment of their lives by His indwelling Spirit. Everything that is in disagreement with the mind of Christ must be changed and given up. Everything that is in agreement with Satan must be expelled from the mind and heart; no cherished sin can be tolerated. Then we can have the peace and joy and love that only God can give. Agreement with God on everything is the prerequisite of the seal of God being placed upon our foreheads, which is the symbol of the whole mind being cleansed of anything that would defile us or separate us from God. It is the very mind and thoughts of Jesus being stamped upon our characters. Then the new covenant promise will be fulfilled, and God’s chosen and faithful ones will be ready to spend eternity with Him.
“’This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” Jer. 31:33, 34.
Notice that the prerequisite to receiving this experience is knowing the Lord. This is the only way we can become like Him. By beholding Him, by learning to know Him in a deep and loving, trusting relationship with Him, we will be changed into His image and become like Him in character. May God give us grace to allow nothing to keep us from giving Jesus our whole hearts from this day forward until He returns.
