Sped Up, Spun Around, and Staggering

Introduction

Satan wants to destroy us.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

The Bible tells us that we are not ignorant of his devices.

2 Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

Dizzy bat spin

Sped Up

What Satan says: Speed up, or you’ll get left behind.

Proverbs 19:2 “Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.”

Proverbs 21:5 “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; But of every one that is hasty only to want.”

Proverbs 29:20 “Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.”

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.”

Proverbs 25:8 “Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.”

1 Timothy 5:22 “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.”

Isaiah 59:7 “Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood: Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths.”

Speeding Up Causes You to Miss God’s Presence

What God says:

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Job 37:14 “Hearken unto this, O Job: Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.”

Speeding Up Causes You to Miss God’s Power

Exodus 14:13–14 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

2 Chronicles 20:17 “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.”

Lamentations 3:26 “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.” James 1:19 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”

Speeding Up Causes You to Miss God’s Peace

Philippians 4:6–7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Isaiah 30:15 “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: And ye would not.”

Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

Spun Around

If we don’t have our eyes right on Jesus, it is very easy to be spun around in this world. The devil will do everything possible to get our eyes off of Jesus.

Spun around by doctrine

Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

1 Timothy 6:20–21 “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.”

2 Peter 2:1–3 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

Spun around by doubt

James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.”

John the Baptist doubt - Matthew 11:2-15

Spun around by distresses

Jesus in boat in Mark 4:37–39 “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Spun around by distractions

Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Proverbs 4:25–27 “Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil.”

Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Proverbs 17:24 “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.”

2 Timothy 2:4 “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

Peter on water (Matthew 14:25-33)

Staggering

Satan wants you unstable.

James 1:6–8 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Psalm 107:27 “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end.”

Isaiah 57:20 “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

God wants to stabilize and settle you.

1 Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Colossians 1:23 “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”

Ephesians 3:17 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,”

Psalm 112:7 “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.”

Jeremiah 17:7–8 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”

2 Thessalonians 2:17 “Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”