FRIENDSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH

Do you need an eye exam?  

Having gone to the eye doctor this week to have my eyes checked, some thoughts came to me about how we need to take time to check our spiritual vision as well as our physical sight.  Sometimes I put off the yearly eye exam because of time constraints, but delaying our personal spiritual exam could be really bad for us since the devil is constantly blinding the eyes of many people.

 How is the devil blinding eyes today? (Read II Corth. 4:3-6.)

     1.  The devil is blinding people to the goodness of God (read Psalm 33:5).

    A.     It seems that all we hear anymore is bad news from all over the world. 

    When is the last time that you read anything positive about the things of        
     God?  It seems that all we ever hear is constant talk about the wars,
     economy, violence, etc.   

    B.    We that are saved by the grace are a blessed people.  I recently saw a
    sign in front of a church that read "we are too blessed to be depressed."
    How true that is!!             

    How are we blessed?  We still live in a free country, we still have
     freedom of religion, but most of all we have a forgiving God (read Psalm
     86:5). 

2.  The devil is blinding people as to their spiritual condition (read Rom. 6:23).  

       A.  One of the devil's favorite tricks is to get people to compare themselves        
             with  other people.  I would certainly agree that there are some people that
             claim  one  thing and do another; but when we compare ourselves to Jesus
             Christ,  we all come up short.  

    B.    Outward appearances can be very deceiving (read I Sam 16:7).  

    C.    God states very plainly in His Word that we all will account to Him (read            
     Rom 14:12). 

    3.  The devil blinds people about the plan of salvation (read John 3:16).    

    A.     People today want a plan of salvation that has religion without            
     repentance.  

    B.    People want to go to Heaven without faith in Christ.

    C.    People want to develop their own way instead of following Christ’s way (read
    John 14:6).  

    D.    There is an old gospel hymn that says it very well: " I must needs go home by
     the way of the cross; there’s no other way but this." 

             A.  The devil doesn’t want people to think about that beautiful place
                   called Heaven (read John 14:1-6).  

             B.  One day we that know that we will be going to that city He is
                    preparing for us.  What a day that will be!  

I hope that you will not let the devil blind your eyes today.   

Once there was a blind man walking down the street carrying a lantern.  When asked by someone why a blind man would be carrying a lantern even though he couldn’t see, his reply was very interesting.  “I carry this lantern to keep someone else from stumbling over me."  That sure would be a great idea for all of God’s people.  

Let’s be aware of the devil's tricks.  He wants to blind all the eyes he can.   

I hope this message is a blessing and encouragement to each of you. If you do not know the Lord as your Savior, please click on How to Be Saved.        

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