Book Recommendation-Spiritual Warfare & satan’s schemes by Rev Darrin Lauder

There it was, a small book sticking out among the others in the spiritual warfare section. Some were books that blamed everything on demons and told how to get deliverance. Some told how to address the demons, while others saw demons under every rock, and around every corner. This one looked to Christ and His Word.

In his first book, Darrin Lauder uses a devotional approach presenting 31 meditations on spiritual warfare. It’s an easily accessible book that is practical and biblical. I like the approach as it allows Rev Lauder to target several areas and aspects of true biblical warfare. And while he urges us no tot be ignorant of the devil’s schemes, (2 Cor 2:11) he points us to Christ in every chapter.

This book grasps the reality of God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. The Lord is our strength, and we fight the battle in His power. He helps us to persevere. Yet we can not ignore the situations where we may stumble and fall. This is every day Christian living, not dramatic demon hunting. It may not seem as dramatic, but following Christ has its own drama.

I do know of people who minister in cultures where demons are given undue attention. They do encounter more dramatic situations than most of us do. I am glad I do not have the encounters they do, but the devil’s schemes are no less dangerous in my life. They may be more so in some ways as they can be much more subtle.

Reading this book I was reminded of C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters. In that book he points out the devil’s two main schemes are get us to ignore him or even deny he exists, or to go the other way and obsess about him. Unfortunately much of the Church does one or the other. But this book presents a good balance-we are not ignorant of his schemes, but we focus on Christ, and go to Him.

One of the chapters I enjoyed the most was one on perseverance through pain. (Those who were reading this blog in November and onwards know, at least in general that I lived through that.) While he wrote this book before I experienced my pain, Rev Lauder wrote words I could relate to so well. With the Lord’s grace I made it through.

I also enjoyed the chapter on James 4:7. That is a wonderful verse that sums up how to deal the devil. Submit to God and resist the devil. Of course if we submit to God we will resist evil and sin. Unfortunately we don’t always submit.

I certainly recommend this book. You could use it as a devotional, as a starting point for study-individually or in a group, or just read it as any other book. But digest the words and go to the Word and pray. And yes, the author is an old friend of mine, but it is encouraging to see growth in him from many years ago, and to see familiar patterns in his writing.

You can find the book online, and there’s more info at his church website.

Things in my Profile-Part 1-Theology

In a new series that I will post from time to time I will go through what I have listed in my profile, and hopefully explain why it's there, and what use or value it has. Partly in case you were wondering, and partly because they are things that interest me.

I'll start from the beginning-
The first thing I listed is under interests-Theology.

Why do I like theology?
1-If you love someone you want to know more about them-if you love God you should love theology. Yes, you can overdo it. You can get so involved in theology that you ignore God. You can forget to put theology into action. But let's not go too far and treat theology as a hindrance to loving God and serving Him--they should work hand in hand.
2-I love to read, and theology makes for interesting reading. It stimulates my mind, and it gives me things to think about-both wonderful and not so wonderful.
3-It can be corrective in my beliefs, actions, motives and thoughts. This helps me to better serve God and man. It is a protective against a danger mentioned in #1 above.
4-In the hands of a gifted author or speaker it can be exciting. Yes, exciting. Theology is the study of God, and by studying it I learn great things about God- things that excite me about His love, grace, forgiveness, etc.
5-It can drive me deeper into the Word. Why should I take an aithor or speaker's word for it--what does God's Word say?

I'm sure I could go on longer--but those are major reasons I enjoy theology.

Theism and Deism

This post is primarily to set up a point in the one that will appear above it.
I tried fitting this in the other post--but it felt too forced.

In this post I am presenting a general broad definition of these two worldviews.
I acknowledge there is a lot of variation among those who hold these views--and I can't cover them all here.

Theism is a view that says there is a God (or gods.) Christianity is theistic. While there are those who would call themselves Christians who are not theists, if we look at it biblically & historically, all Christians are theists. The reverse is not true, for not all theists are Christians.

Theism goes beyond just believing there is a God/gods. It speaks to the nature of God. The Bible says there is a God, and that there is one God, and so Christianity is not merely theistic, but monotheistic.

In his book "The Universe Next Door", James Sire outlines several world views, starting with theism and deism. He lists characteristics of Christian theism-
God is infinite, personal, transcendent (beyond us, otherly), immanent (He is with us), omniscient, sovereign, and good. From there he points out the Christian view of God's relationship to the world and people. God created the Universe and cares for it. He is involved in His creation.

Deism is different. There are many variations of deism, but in general to the deist, God is otherly but not with us. The song, "From a Distance" is often used as an example of deism. God is "watching us from a distance." He is not directly involved. Some deists do believe in a personal god, but that god is distant. He may watch, but he doesn't get involved-or perhaps he cannot.

For many deists "Reason" replaces a personal god. God is impersonal to them. He is more of an "it" or a "force." He started things rolling, but lets it run itself.
The deist god is not sovereign. Whether this god is good is a relative concept.

I have heard deism described as "God without the baggage." While I do not want to ascribe motives to others, it seems likely many deists hold to their beliefs to have some comfort from belief in God, or they make some sense of the world by this belief. Yet they do not want a god who has claims on their lives. So they have a god who, if he watches us (for many deists would say he does not watch us), it is "From a Distance."