Footnote Boy

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that rejects fear in any form. The devil uses fear to keep people down, but our allegiance should be to God and his perfect love, which casts out fear. The book of Job is not a contest between God and the devil, but rather about a man being bullied until the teacher shows up. The devil is a bully who can only have power over us if we give it to him. He is not Jesus' or God's opposite number. The devil will ultimately be kicked out of creation and thrown into a place without goodness. We have authority in Jesus to stand against the devil, but our focus should be on our relationship with the Lord. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of his word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to his perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Job 41.33-34 World English Bible On earth there is not his equal that is made without fear. He sees everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride. Lexham English Bible, merged with the footnotes, a literal translation. There is not on the ground its likeness, the creature without fear. It observes all the lofty. It is king over all the sons of pride. This entire chapter is the final comments of Yahweh toward Job. It is the end of the message. In some ways, it is the summation of the entire book, the point of it. It is the description of a creature or an animal. Now, there have been a lot of people who have tried to tag it to a specific animal, but the specifics here aren't that important because God is using poetic language. Maybe it's a literal but a colorful description. Maybe it's symbolic. Maybe it's something else. It isn't central to the lesson. This book of the Bible, Job, isn't a contest between God and the devil. It isn't a wager. This isn't a dare. This isn't some kind of a thing where stuff is happening on equal footing. That is never the deal with God and the devil. The devil isn't Jesus' opposite number. The devil isn't God's opposite number. The devil isn't our opposite number. He's under all of that. He's a nothing. He isn't even above the angels. He is below all of it. The only reason, the single reason he can do anything and stand against anyone is that we gave him our authority and continue to give him our authority. If he didn't have that, he would be nothing and already toast. He cannot stand if we stop propping him up. This book is about a man letting himself be bullied until the teacher shows up. Seriously. And that's what this is all about. The devil is a bully. Imagine a schoolyard. The bully shows up and bullies the other kids. They let him. They give him position over them. The teacher sees it and walks out. By the time the teacher arrives, the bully has other kids also bullying kids. They have quite a team. Well, the teacher kicks the bully out of school. The teacher also kicks out the other kids who were bullying. The only ones left are the kids who did not bully. And the teacher takes the kids inside and shuts the door. That's the story of the world. That's humanity's journey right there. We aren't meant for hell. We were never meant for hell. The devil is meant for hell. Anyone who follows him is meant for hell. Well, not really hell, but the lake of fire, like the final one. Hell is the stopping point. It's where everyone goes until the bus leaves for your final destination. Well, anyone who follows him is going to the same place. If you worship him, you're choosing him. You're getting on his bus. If you choose him, he has power over you. If he has power over you, he will use it. Small ways. Big ways. Whatever ways further his agenda with the most people. He'll give you success. He'll give you food and treats that taste great. He'll give you sickness and suffering. Whatever works. Whatever he can use. Whatever you give him permission to with your words and your actions. It's the same kind of back and forth we're called to with God, but it's a pale imitation. There's no mercy here. There's no grace here. There's no love here. This is literally a commodity exchange. But we buy into him. We think of him as powerful and terrible. But he's only a legend in his own mind. Read chapter 41 of Job and think of the devil as you do it. Not for ability, but personality type. I'm sure you've heard of those personality type tests. Answer a bunch of questions and they tell you your basic personality and how you should be functioning. This is kind of like that, but it's a spiritual one. This is the type of personality of the enemy. He sees himself as mighty, powerful, fearless, unable to be touched, and king over all he sees. But God is so far above all that. What does Jesus say to them in Luke 10, 18? He said to them, I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. This verse tells us that Jesus stayed in his place. Jesus stayed in heaven, glorious with the Father. Satan fell. The enemy was the one kicked out. Not much of a king, huh? He isn't even untouchable. Revelation 20, 10 tells us, They will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. He's marked for being kicked out of creation. Creation being everything outside God of himself. That's heaven, hell, and the material universe. The enemy and all that are with him are being tossed into a new place. Not hell, a new place. One where they pay for their treason with the only possible fruit of treason against Yahweh Most High. Absence from the goodness of Yahweh. It is a place where there is no goodness. At all. Nothing good that God gives. Well, 2 Timothy 1, 7 tells us, God gave us love, power, and self-control. So this place has no love, no power, and no self-control. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. This place is bad, and only those who choose to follow the devil are going there. Let's say that again. Only those who choose are going there. Hmm, let's see, what else is there? Mighty, ironclad, and raised up, huh? The devil is so far below God that his whole deal gets a single line from part of a verse. That's right, half of verse 9. Half. And it's a total dismissal. Revelation 20, 7-9. And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison. And he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth. Gog and Magog. To gather them together to the war, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up over the width of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God and devoured them. Boom. Done. No flowery description, no epic battle. The devil spent so much effort on getting everyone together, getting them to march, getting them to surround the godly, and then it's over. If it was a film, it would be a jarring ending. I once read a fiction book, I think it was a mid-grade book, and there was a big bad guy, Mr. Tough, held up as this evil sorcerer. A being of a lot of power. He went from powerful to dead in less than three sentences, two-thirds of the way through the book. Most of which were a description of him melting. It was extremely anticlimactic because his defeat was supposed to be the big point of the book. But in the Bible, the devil is not the point of the book. The devil is a footnote. He's hardly mentioned in the Old Testament because there was nothing they could do about it. They had no authority. They'd given it to him. The Old Testament was about us being covered by the Lord, even though we don't deserve it. It was pointing to the actual redemption that was coming from the Lord in Jesus. It was about how again and again they walked away from the Lord, and it was the cause of their problem. Not the devil. Them. I mean, sure, they were tempted. But the Lord was there, offering them so much more, but they didn't listen. Now once the New Covenant was in place, it was a different ballgame. We could be more cognizant of the enemy because we had Jesus to abide in, Jesus to walk in, Jesus in us to do the works, Jesus in us to stand against him. Until we get our full redeemed selves, spirit, soul, and body, we won't be in our intended place in the scheme of things. We were made to be only a little lower than Yahweh God Almighty himself. That's Psalms 8.5 and Hebrews 2.7. We gave that away, and we'll only have it back when we are, one, saved and in Jesus, that's the now part, and two, we have our renewed bodies in heaven. And that's the in the future once everything is wrapped up part. Philippians 3.31, 2 Corinthians 5.1 and Revelation 21.1-4. See, in Jesus we have authority, but that authority isn't the point of our walk with him. It isn't our focus. Remember, the enemy is a footnote, not a major plot point. Luke 10.17-20 says, The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. He said to them, I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy nothing will in any way hurt you. Nevertheless, don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. We have authority in Jesus to stand against the devil and anything he brings against us. That is our right. That is our inheritance by declaration of Yahweh. But it is an as-it-comes-up kind of thing. Kind of like how we have wipers to clear the windshield when we're driving. It isn't the point of driving. It isn't the major point of driving at all, but it certainly does help in certain conditions. We don't need to focus on the enemy or what we think he's doing. We don't need to listen to the narrative of demons, evil spirits, and the devil being all bad and powerful and scary. We should instead be focused on the Lord and our relationship with the Lord. James 4.7-10 says, Be subject, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. When God is number one, the devil has to take off. He's already defeated. He can be king of the sons of pride. We're called to be humble, as Jesus was humble. Ephesians 4.1-3 We're called to be obedient to the Lord God Almighty. Matthew 11.29-30 If we stand in the Lord, armed with the armor of God. Ephesians 6.10-18 Then there is nothing the devil can do to us. He has to flee before us because he cannot stand against the might of the Lord. He never could. No matter how fearless, arrogant, physical, loud, or posturing the enemy and the forces of the enemy get, we have the victory because Jesus has the victory and hands it to us. Jesus says in John 16.33 I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble, but cheer up. I have overcome the world. Believe him. Stand against fear. Don't let him convince you he's something he's not. Believe the truth. Believe Jesus. Our affirmation of God's love is Ephesians 4.20-24 There is a certain amount of flattery when a child wants to be like us, when they dress like us, when they copy us. And it's a gesture of love to let that child imitate you. Sometimes it's annoying, but overall it's sweet. It's something we tell each other too. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. God loves us so much he demonstrates it. Not by imitating us, but enabling us to be like him. It's like making a child a costume. Giving them all the tools they need so that they can feel just like you. So they can imagine they are you. So that the illusion is complete. And for all intents and purposes, they are a new you. Yahweh God gave us his son so that in him we can be like him. We can inhabit the righteousness and holiness of the truth of the Lord God. Renewed in our minds and renewed into the likeness of God. Not as a costume, but being created anew. Dead to death and alive to life. Able to walk in the glory, mercy, grace, joy, peace and love of the Lord. To be more than we can be. That is love. Thank him today for what he lets you go and equips you to do. Be just like him. Not imitators, but clones. Perfect replicas. It is the ultimate gift. The greatest gesture of love that I could ever conceive of. Thank him for it today. As we close, remember that you have earth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love. And no end to the things about you that he loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you. Just because you're you. 1 John 4, 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us. That God has sent his only born son into the world. That we might live through him. And this is love. Not that we love God, but that he loved us. And sent his son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin. And it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because he first loved us. He just loves us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.