THE DEVIL'S TRICKS

The devil is a mean one. He is a real person, a spirit trying to influence our lives and he has a bag of tricks. I don’t like to call him Satan, because that word is too smooth, silky and slimy. He is an evil, cruel personality. He tries to deceive us even after we have become followers of Jesus.

Do you have a strong point? Are you a little bit proud of your dedication to God? Watch out, because the devil will attack you right there.

When I was younger, I knew Jesus was my best friend. He would always be with me. The girls I knew at church, even in junior high, were always talking about getting a boyfriend. Well, I told them I would never chase a boy. If God wanted me to be married, He would bring the right young man into my life. God had called me to serve Him, and that was my main interest even at a young age.

So I set my face toward the mission field. I went to Prairie Bible Institute where the girls weren’t even allowed to talk to the boys, let alone date one. It didn’t bother me. Studying Gods Word was all I needed to satisfy my soul, I thought.

Then I went on to the home mission field and worked among the Navajo Indians in Colorado and Utah. Finally God opened the door to southeast Asia and gave me the courage to go to Laos. I was strong and committed to the Lord alone.

But I wasn’t as strong as I thought. Several times along the way I became fascinated by a young man who was serving God. I even tried to help God make him notice me.

I struggled against these infatuations for a long time. God told me to give them up, and finally I yielded completely. I put my “Isaac” on the altar. But I didn’t confess it as sin. I knew I hadn’t had any evil thoughts or done anything wrong. Surely it was just a weakness. But the obsessive affection didn’t go away for years until I confessed it as sin. It almost ruined my ministry and put me on the ash heap. I should have been focusing only on Jesus.

The devil had tricked me right at the point where I thought I was strong. It really humbled me when I realized what had happened.

Beware of the devil’s tricks. If you are a Christian he is still working on you today, trying to lead you astray. Maybe you are obsessive about studying and you think you don’t need friends. You won’t take time to be friendly or open with other believers because you think Jesus is the only one you need. I fell into that trap, too, for awhile.

It was a revelation when I heard my acquaintance Ellie talking to Flo, sharing a spiritual battle she was having. Was that a good thing? I was blessed as I got to know these young women, and I found out it was good to have close friends. So gradually I let down the barriers in my soul and became more open and honest with a few girls. This has enriched my life. But I almost became a cold, stern, lonely Christian just to satisfy a feeling of pride.

It is humbling to be honest with your friends, to even admit that you need friends. Yes, you need to be very careful that you pick the right friends to share private thoughts with. But the Lord will lead you and keep you from being tricked by the devil if you seek God with all your heart and humble yourself before Him.

We can never make it on our own. We need to be watchful and resist the evil one.
The devil has some special tricks planned for each of us, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will be safe.

Don’t let yourself be tricked by the devil and his evil designs. Jesus has overcome him!

NEVER FEAR WHEN GOD CALLS

When I was only 13 years old, God called me to serve Him overseas. He led me to work in Laos with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. I had experienced leg aches and back trouble since I was a child, but I knew God could help me overcome every health problem, and He did. In 1959 I found myself striding up a mountain in Laos, feeling great. By the end of the day, 25 miles later, my legs felt like numb stumps attached to my hips, but I was thrilled to be where God wanted me. We were able to take two treks into the Nong area where missionaries had never lived.

In April 1961 God led me to visit a remote village near some territory controlled by the communist Viet Cong. I rode my bicycle to La Tup village where I played Gospel recordings on my portable phonograph for the people. That village sent a guide with me to the next village. It was a hot two-hour walk across the dry paddy fields to Keng La Teng. Both villages showed good interest. At the last village I saw men in black clothing sitting in the background as I chatted and played the records in the headman’s house. They were probably rebels looking me over. I felt a chill of anxiety but pushed it away, knowing that God had led me there.

One man in black asked what I thought about the war. I told him honestly that I was not on either side because my main responsibility was to teach people about Jesus. I ate the rice they served me and didn’t stay long. I had traveled a total of 46 kilometers that day, walking 20 miles of that with the guide. The next day people came from that village to inquire more about the Lord. Two weeks later my home and all that area were taken over by communist troops, and we were never able to return.

This may sound like a dangerous adventure, but it doesn’t compare with what Alice Compain did the same month. She had stayed behind when her coworkers went to a wedding. Then she felt impelled to visit a new believer in an area quite near the Lao-Vietnamese border. The Viet Cong were already advancing rapidly along the Annamite mountains toward her area, so she had been told to prepare for evacuation.

Alice knew of a man called Nai Aprang who had inherited a Gospel of Luke from his father, who although himself illiterate, had bought it from a Lao evangelist many years previously. Nai Aprang treasured this book but knew little about the Lord Jesus. Alice felt God prompting her to take a Laotian Bible to the Aprang family before the enemy invaded the area.

As she heard the guns pounding in the distance Alice developed “heart” symptoms which she tried unsuccessfully to alleviate with an injection. She realized it was the stress of the situation. She set off, however, on the 11-mile ride toward the Vietnamese border, praying for safe passage, only to have a tire puncture just out of town. She prayed that if the puncture repair held she should continue. Rather unusually it did, so she went on to reach the family at dusk, much to their surprise. They retired late that night after she passed on all the information required for them to get started reading the Old Testament in Lao.

The next morning she returned to Takong and resumed packing for evacuation. A fellow missionary came for her and they left on the regular bus for Savannakhet the next day. A few days later she heard of the death of a French Roman Catholic missionary who had been in the country since 1940, right through the Japanese occupation. He was not afraid to meet the Viet Cong. But later he did meet them at Takong (where Alice had lived). Soon his body was returned to the French authorities. Alice knew she had taken a big risk, but God had protected her on the mission of delivering the Word of God to Aprang. She felt God had put His mark on her so she could continue to serve Him in Laos and Cambodia for the next 45 years.

Years later some Bru Christians crossed the mountains from Vietnam to bring the Gospel into that eastern part of Laos. They reaped the seed that we had sown. Now there are hundreds of believers there in several villages. It is always important to obey God’s promptings. We can trust Him to take care of us in any situation.

Some years later two young men serving in Laos in a safe area were captured at KengKok and taken north to Hanoi by the Viet Cong. They endured many months in prison but were finally released and eventually returned to serve again in southeast Asia. God doesn’t promise to protect us from all suffering, but He does promise to always be with us and to make our lives worthwhile.

Listen to the Lord, and you may hear His call upon your life. Don’t be afraid to follow Him.

THE JOURNEY OF LIFE

Life is a journey to the destination we hope for and choose. I thought of this as we drove across Kansas and Colorado to Manti, Utah, to visit my sister Diane. We have always been close friends because we like to talk about our spiritual journey and our victories through Christ.

So look at these pictures and apply them to your own life, dear friends.



This is the view from the front of our lodge in the mountains where we stayed in Colorado.







We each choose our eternal destiny. If you haven’t chosen to be with Jesus, you can change your mind if you do it before you die. I was looking forward to being with my precious sister, just like I eagerly anticipate living in heaven someday with Jesus my Lord. So I chose to get out on the road and take a few risks. Sure enough, there was rain on the way home, but God brought us through safely.

I didn’t know what I would find on the other side of the mountains but by faith I knew that Diane and her husband Jay were waiting there to see us. It takes effort to cross mountains even in this modern day, but it is a worthwhile trip if you have a good destination in mind.




The road through Colorado

Some people travel on the upper level, with their thoughts fixed on eternal things. Others go through life on a lower road and don’t care to learn much through their trials. At other times we all go through rough rapids in life, like the Colorado river in this picture. God will bring us through safely if we are trusting in Him each moment and seeking His guidance.





After Denver we went through the tunnel that is 1.6 miles long over Loveland Pass in Colorado. It is dark in the tunnels of life, but believers in Christ have faith that they will soon come out into the light again.

We had a relaxing night in the Quality Inn near Golden, Colorado. Our room had comfortable chairs and even a small sofa, which helped our tired backs. Outside the window we could see the Continental Divide toward the west and way down below the trees was the road we had traveled from Denver in the east. Beautiful pine trees were all around us. It reminded me how God provides special blessings for His children along the path of life.





With my sister at last! In this life we are separated by at least two days of travel. But in heaven we will enjoy fellowship together for ever because we both love Jesus and do our best to live for Him. The odd reflections in the glass door remind me of the confusing journeys of life that we will forget about when we are safe with Jesus.





Diane ad Jay are productive in physical ways as well as spiritual . They had worked hard on their garden this spring (see it in the background). Too much bending had brought on a spell of back pain for Diane, but she was accepting it with a smile. She rested on the bed a lot while we were there, to relax her back muscles. We need to always rest our hearts in Jesus, no matter what pain we are going through. Jesus is our strength and He has things for us to do even when we are laid aside physically.



Lindell (on the left) enjoyed fellowship with Jay. It is sometimes hard to find spiritual fellowship in this life with people who have the same deep interests we have. But God provides friends along the way. We should seek Christian friends and be friendly even to strangers and try to win them to Jesus.



Lindell has recovered almost completely from the dark journey of last year of
severe pain from his injuries caused by being hit by a pickup truck while on his bicycle. God has given him back his smile and optimism about life.

On our trip we stopped to find my cousin Donna’s grave near Grand Junction, Colorado.



Her daughter Roxanne had put up a lovely headstone. We have wonderful memories of Donna and how she walked with the Lord and glorified Him. All our lives will end with death if Jesus doesn’t come for us first in the air. Donna is not there in the ground now. She is with Jesus who loved her and died to redeem her from sin. Someday we will see her again.

Do you know where you will spend eternity? Just knowing about Jesus will not be enough. You need to invite Him to be your own Lord and Savior and decide you will follow Him closely all your life. I am glad that I will see most of your dear friends in heaven someday. There we will have thousands of years to fellowship together and learn more about our loving God and Father.

Rosemary Watson