{"id":1260,"date":"2007-10-24T16:28:55","date_gmt":"2007-10-24T08:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/?p=1260"},"modified":"2007-10-24T16:28:55","modified_gmt":"2007-10-24T08:28:55","slug":"take-heed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/take-heed\/","title":{"rendered":"Take heed"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Take heed to yourselves,” because the tempter will make his first and sharpest onset upon you. If you will be the leaders against him, he will spare you no further than God restraineth him. He beareth you the greatest malice that are engaged to do him the greatest mischief. As he hateth Christ more than any of us, because he is the General of field, and the ‘Captain of our salvation,’ and doth more than all the world besides against the kingdom of darkness; so doth he note the leaders under him more than the common soldiers, on the like account, in the proportion. <\/span><\/p>\n

He knows what a rout he may make among the rest, if the leaders fall before their eyes. He hath long tried that way of fighting,’neither with small nor great,’ comparatively, but these; and of ‘smiting the shepherds, that he may scatter the flock.’ And so great has been his success this way, that he will follow it on as far as he is able. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take heed, therefore, brethren, for the enemy hath a special eye upon you. You shall have his most subtle insinuations, and incessant solicitations, and violent assaults. As wise and learned as you are, take heed to yourselves lest he overwit you. <\/span><\/p>\n

The devil is a greater scholar than you, and nimbles disputant; he can ‘transform himself into an angel of light’ to deceive. He will get within you and trip up your heels before you are aware; he will play the juggler with you undiscerned; and cheat you of your faith or innocency, and you shall not know that you have lost it; nay, he will make you believe it is multiplied or increased when it is lost. <\/span><\/p>\n

You shall see neither hook nor line, much less the subtle angler himself, while he is offering you his bait. And his baits shall be so fitted to your temper and disposition, that he will be sure to find advantages within you, and make your own principles and inclinations to betray you; and whenever he ruineth you, he will make you the instrument of your own ruin. <\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, what a conquest will he think he hath got, if he can make a minister lazy and unfaithful; if he can tempt a minister into covetousness or scandal! <\/span><\/p>\n

He will glory against the church, and say, ‘These are your holy preachers: you see what their preciseness is, and whither it will bring them.’ He will glory against Jesus Christ Himself, and say, ‘These are thy champions! I can make thy chiefest servants to abuse thee; I can make the stewards of they house unfaithful.’ <\/span><\/p>\n

If he did so insult against God upon a false surmise, and tell Him he could make Job to curse Him to His face (Job1:2), what would he do if he should indeed prevail aginst us? And at last he will insult as much over you that ever he could draw you to be false to your great trust, and to blemish your holy profession, and to do him so much service that was your enemy. <\/span><\/p>\n

O do not so far gratify Satan; do not make him so much sport: suffer him not to use you as the Philistines did Samson-first to deprive you of your strength, and then to put out your eyes, and so to make you the matter of his triumph and derision.”<\/span><\/p>\n

~by Richard Baxter~<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Take heed to yourselves,” because the tempter will make his first and sharpest onset upon you. If you will be the leaders against him, he will spare you no further than God restraineth him. He beareth you the greatest malice … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[149],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-devil"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1835,"url":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/into-2021-check-your-heart\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":0},"title":"Into 2021 (Check Your Heart)","author":"clay","date":"November 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The last few days has been weird. Things that are simple and things that are planned, got hindered or altered. Things that I didn't plan, carried out and accomplished. It made me question, what God is saying? This morning my reading from book Deuteronomy continues, and this portion I re-read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Deuteronomy"","block_context":{"text":"Deuteronomy","link":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/category\/bible\/deuteronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1077,"url":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/challenging-project\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":1},"title":"“challenging” project","author":"clay","date":"August 21, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"For the past few days i'm quite troubled with assignment of tis new project. Was thinking wats on earth wrong that i'm the one to do this thing? Wasn't anyone better, more capable, more skillful to do it? 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They look to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Anxious"","block_context":{"text":"Anxious","link":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/category\/emotion\/anxious\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1740,"url":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/perfect-security\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":3},"title":"Perfect Security","author":"clay","date":"June 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"... from Jesus Christ\u00a0the faithful witness,\u00a0the firstborn of the dead, and\u00a0the ruler of kings on earth. To\u00a0him who loves us and\u00a0has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us\u00a0a kingdom,\u00a0priests to\u00a0his God and Father, to him be\u00a0glory and\u00a0dominion forever and ever. Amen.\"\u00a0~ Revelation 1:5-6 (ESV) I don't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Assured"","block_context":{"text":"Assured","link":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/category\/emotion\/assured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1173,"url":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/channel-of-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":4},"title":"Channel of Grace","author":"clay","date":"March 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\"And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul,\u00a0gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.\" ~ 1 Sam 22:2 There are many interesting things inside this passage of 1\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "1 Samuel"","block_context":{"text":"1 Samuel","link":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/category\/bible\/1-samuel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1798,"url":"https:\/\/potterdreams.com\/clay\/learning-from-the-greatest-king-ever-lived-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":5},"title":"Learning from the Greatest King ever lived (1)","author":"clay","date":"October 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,\u00a0... there was no more breath in her.1 Kings 10:4-5 The phrase caught my eyes the other day. Never heard or seen it before. But that expression is very profound. 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