Saturday
Author: James Shum, Pastor, Chinese Presbyterian Church of Oakland
3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:3-6, NIV)
Who can know the mind of God? This passage calls us to explore how a human being can be influenced by the power of Satan. The passage tells us that “Satan” entered into Judas Iscariot. We certainly will ask, “Did God give permission to Satan that Satan may control Judas’ mind and actions?” This happened to Job because God let Satan put him on trial. As a result Job had to confront his wife, his friends, Satan and even God.
Today God may give permission for Satan to enter our hearts so that we may be on trial too. If this happens to you, will your attitude and life change? On the other hand, God protects us from falling into Satan’s hands. The Holy Spirit will guide us all the way. He provides with a conscience and free will for us to make decisions to follow God or to follow Satan.
Please do not forget that Satan always makes good use of God’s words from the scriptures and many worldly attractions to lead us astray. Those thirty pieces of silver were strong enough to attract Judas to betray his master. In the same token there are many things that surround us that are mighty enough to lead us astray from the destination that our Master had planned for us. If we honor God as our Lord, King, and Savior our commitment to follow Jesus needs to be strengthened and enforced from time to time. Lent is the season for us to nurture our soul. This is the time for us to pray, to meditate, and to worship the Almighty — this is the mind of God. Are you able to understand that?
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The ISAAC 2009 Lenten Devotional, edited by Rev. Dr. Johnson Chiu. This devotional was written by Asian American English ministry leaders and pastors in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. To purchase, click here: Road of Suffering, Road to Glory: A Lenten Adventure with the Savior
