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THE GREAT CONTRAST: LIFE OR DEATH
December 12, 2025The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8b
1. JESUS MAKES THE CONTRAST CLEAR. In John chapter 10, Jesus talked to His early disciples about the contrast between the the thief and Good Shepherd, bringing delineation between the (small g) god of this world and the (big G) God in heaven, the Father, who Jesus came to represent. The devil wants the contrast of black and white to become gray and keep us in a blurred zone. But Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
2. GOD SPEAKS – THE DEVIL DISTORTS. Jesus being “the way, the truth, and the life”(John 14:6) is critical because the deceiver has developed a skill at manipulation. He is a hater and a diminishing being, the father of lies (John 8:44), whereas our God is the Father of lights (James 1:17). He only tells the truth. A lot of the prophets of the Hebrew Ancient Israel period would routinely start their messages with “thus says the Lord.” Unlike the dumb idols that don’t speak, don’t see, and don’t touch, we have a God who is a talking God. He spoke to Moses face-to-face as a man speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11). Jesus said that we can know His voice and avoid following wrong voices that we don’t know (John 10).
3. DISCERNMENT: WISDOM FROM ABOVE VS. WISDOM FROM BELOW. The Bible says the devil appears as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Before he fell, he was the anointed cherub who led worship and was perfected in wisdom – but that wisdom became warped. James describes wisdom from below as earthly, sensual, and demonic, but the wisdom from above as pure, peaceable, and full of good fruit (James 3:15-17). We’ve got to have meaningful awareness of the devil’s devices so we don’t succumb to the trickery of his seduction. Not only does Jesus open physical blind eyes and deaf ears, He does that for our spirits, where we can actually discern and have wisdom. Today I pray that a spirit of wisdom and revelation will come on you – that you’ll discern, better than ever, the Master’s voice and differentiate it from every other impulse.
DEFINITION: di·min·ish, verb
To lessen; to impair; to degrade. To make smaller, by any means; opposed to increase.
God bless you,
Pastor Jeff Perry
SAY THIS OUT LOUD:
Jesus came to give me life and life abundantly (John 10:10). He destroys the works of the devil in my life (1 John 3:8). God speaks to me, and I hear His voice, as the voice of a friend (Exodus 33:11). He is the Father of lights, and every word He speaks is truth (James 1:17). I refuse the lies, confusion, and deception of the enemy (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14). I walk in wisdom from above – pure, peaceable, and full of good fruit (James 3:15-17). Today I receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18). I discern the Master’s voice, and I follow Him (John 10:4-5).
Copyright © 2025 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. “Diminish, V.” Webster’s Dictionary 1828, MasonSoft Technology Ltd., 2025, https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/diminish.
