Why Weakness Wins
by Dr. Dennis Corle
“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things;... Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean,... and I am profaned among them. Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression,... And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 22:23-31).
You could take this text and run it in today’s newspaper. Israel was a land that did not have the blessing of God, but had indignation and wrath because of uncleanness. Ezekiel goes down a list of people who contributed to the problem. False prophets. There are false prophets in our day. They say that the Lord has spoken when He has not spoken. We live in a time with more new religions and denominations than any other generation. There is more religion than ever before --- and less Christianity. The prophets were profaning the precious things of God. God said His Word is precious. The blood of Christ is precious. All the things that are precious and holy are the things that are under attack today by this conspiracy of the prophets.
There were also, in Ezekiel’s day, fallen priests. Every child of God, according to Revelation chapter one, is a king and a priest. When you and I have fallen in our responsibility of intercession, and we’ve fallen in our purity, and we’ve failed to make sacrifice, then we have a fallen priesthood in our generation as well.
The princes or rulers of the land sat at the head of the government. Foolish princes were ravening the people, shedding blood, and destroying souls. For what? Popularity and increase of wealth. That sounds like today’s politicians. Whatever is popular; we’ll do anything to get a vote. Foolish princes don’t take righteousness or justice into account.
The Bible says the people of the land had used oppression. They were a faithless people without morality. We live in an amoral, humanistic society that says there is no real standard of right and wrong. “If it feels good, do it. If I think it’s right, it’s okay. The end justifies the means.” That attitude has crept into the church.
It was a sad state that the nation of Israel was in. It’s a sad state that America is in today. God said, “I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land.” He was looking for someone who would be an intercessor for the land to stand before God, praying for the people. He was looking for a representative who would pay the price and be holy, separated, clean, and right with God, who could come before Him boldly. “But I found none.” This is one of the saddest statements in the Bible. God could not find one man in Israel to stand in the gap. What does God find when he seeks for a man to stand in the gap for our nation in this generation?
Because God could not find anybody who would make up the hedge and stand in the gap, He said, “Therefore I have poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.” Every generation must have some intercessors that pay the price to hold back the judgment of God. If there is not somebody who is pleading the cause and standing in the gap then we’re in desperate trouble. It’s hard to find someone who is willing. Will God have to say the same thing of America --- “I found none”?
God Is Stronger Than The Devil
Every now and then somebody comes to me and says, “If God is stronger than the devil, then why does the devil seem to be having his way in society?” You have to watch that “if”. That’s exactly what the devil did to Eve. He put a question mark on God. He said, “Hath God said...?” When the devil came to Jesus in Matthew four he said, “If thou be the Son of God...” As though there were any question.
The Bible teaches that God is stronger than the devil. There’s no question about it. One of God’s names is El Elyon, the Most High. That means “the strongest Strong One, the highest High One, the mightiest Mighty One.” When Lucifer rebelled he wanted to be like the Most High --- to be equal with God. That proves that he wasn’t, because he wanted to be. He wouldn’t have had an aspiration for something he already possessed. He was weaker, being a created being. When he rebelled he was cast down from heaven.
God is omnipotent. That means that God has no limitations on His power. The devil is powerful, but he is not all-powerful. That’s illustrated for us when you look at Moses and his dealings with Pharaoh. God told Moses to cast his rod down and it became a snake. Pharaoh’s magicians did likewise and their rods also became serpents. But Moses’ serpent swallowed their serpents up. The first several miracles that Moses and Aaron performed, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate. But when they got to the plague of the dust becoming lice, the magicians came to Pharaoh and said, “We can’t do this one. This is the finger of God.” They had come to the end of the devil’s limited power.
The devil doesn’t mind using his power to do good. If he can get a following and keep people from the truth by promoting religion that will keep people away from salvation, he will. He’s a counterfeiter. If I wanted to pass counterfeit bills, I wouldn’t print them on red paper. The devil has been around for several thousand years. He knows what it takes to manipulate people. He wants to get you as close as possible to the real thing and still come up empty. A lot of folks just like Judas look good, smell good, dress good, and everybody respects them. They go to church all their lives and hold positions, then die and go to hell because they were never born again. I preached a sermon called “The Man Who Kissed the Door to Heaven and Went to Hell.” Jesus is the Door. Judas put the kiss of betrayal on Him, then he died and went to hell. He was so close, but he never repented and received Christ. How tragic for a person to go to hell from a church pew.
The limited power of Satan and the omnipotent power of God is also illustrated in the life of Job. When the devil wanted to harm Job he had to come to God and get permission. God had a hedge about Job and the devil couldn’t touch him. By the way, I don’t think that is true of every child of God. Job had God’s protection because he was right with God and was in the center of God’s will. People who are willfully disobedient and outside the will of God are outside of His protection, too, and they’re free game for the devil.
God is also omnipresent. God is everywhere personally all the time. He’s in China right now and He’s right here. But the devil is not omni-present. He can only be in one place at a time in person. Most things the devil gets credit for he didn’t do.
God is omniscient. He has perfect knowledge. God knows everything there is to know; the beginning from the end. The devil only knows what you tell him, that’s why you ought to keep your mouth shut. Some of you are always rattling off about your weaknesses and failures, and you’re just giving the devil extra ammunition.
Although the devil can only be in one place at a time, a third of the stars of heaven fell with him. I believe that one third of the angelic beings fell with him and are his emissaries. Maybe he has a demon assigned to all of us who follows us around, checks us out, and reports back all the intelligence we leak out. But the Bible is clear that God is stronger than the devil.
Good Is Stronger Than Evil
You say, “If good is stronger than evil, then why does evil prevail?” Good is stronger than evil. The Bible says, “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” What does the law of survival tell you? If you pit two forces or two people against one another, the strongest is the one who will win. Evil is generated from the devil, and good is generated from God. If I can overcome evil with good, then good must be the stronger of the two.
Light is Stronger than Darkness.
Light is stronger than darkness. “How do you know, Preacher?” I know because when I turn the light on, darkness is driven out. In Genesis 1:16 we read, “God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.” They had power, control, and authority over the day and the night. They could rule because light is more powerful than darkness. The devil is the prince of darkness. He thrives on darkness and wickedness. The Bible says, “Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”
When Judas brought the Pharisees and the scribes to the garden, Jesus said, “This is your hour.” What was He talking about? Nighttime. Darkness. He said, “I sat with you daily in the temple. Why didn’t you get me then?” Their strength was not in the day, but in the darkness of night. Light is stronger than darkness. Solomon said, “Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.” You say, “If light is stronger than darkness then why does darkness seem to be ruling in the minds and lives of people?” I’ll show you in a minute.
Faith is Stronger than Doubt
Faith is stronger than doubt and unbelief. When I got born again I put my faith in Jesus Christ and my doubt and unbelief were vanquished. Faith and doubt are diametrically opposed. They can’t dwell together. Where there is doubt, there is not faith. Where there is faith, there is not doubt. When faith enters, doubt must leave. Faith lays hold of tangible things that are invisible. You say, “If faith is stronger than doubt and unbelief, how is it that so much of the world is living in unbelief, without faith, and without God?” Good question.
Truth is Stronger than Falsehood.
Truth is stronger than falsehood. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Pharisees put people into bondage just like the cults in our generation. False doctrine and false religions put people in bondage to a church or a certain action. The charismatics put people in bondage. “I’m in bondage to this tongues experience. If I don’t have it, I have no assurance.”
I was in an area of Pennsylvania where there are many Amish people. A man in the church who had been converted from the Amish said, “Brother Corle, all of my life I was in bondage. I was trying to earn salvation. But this preacher came by and showed me the Gospel and the truth set me free.” You say, “But Preacher, you still haven’t answered the question. If truth is stronger and more powerful than falsehood, why do the cults flourish, while some of our Independent Baptist churches seem to be floundering?” I’ll get to that.
Love is Stronger than Hate.
Love is stronger than hate. The Bible says in I Corinthians 13:7, “Charity endureth all things.” Verse eight, “Charity never faileth.” Verse 13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Love is the greatest force in the universe. God is love.
When somebody hates you, you say, “I’ll fight fire with fire!” Everybody knows all fire trucks are equipped with a flame-thrower on the back, right? No, you don’t fight fire with fire. You fight fire with water. And you don’t fight hate with hate. You fight hate with love.
I was in a revival meeting and a family in the church didn’t like me. (Of course, I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t like me!) This family boycotted the meeting. They did all they could to pull other people out. We had a good meeting with about 70 people saved in spite of that. This young woman made the statement, “When he comes to town, that’s my excuse to take vacation and visit some other church. I’ll go hear him preach over my dead body.” Dangerous statement.
A few weeks after the revival meeting closed, I got word this lady was having serious complications with her pregnancy and was dangerously ill. I wrote them a letter. “I’m sorry to hear about your illness. We’re praying for you and asking other people to be praying for you. Enclosed is a check for $100. I hope this will help you pay some of those bills.” About two weeks later I found out that she was home from the hospital and improving, and the baby was going to live. I wrote another check for $25, put it in an envelope and sent it to her husband. I said, “Brother, I know you’ve both been going through a hard time. I want you to use this to take your wife on a date.”
Several months later I had a Wednesday night open, and this pastor invited me to come. He hid me all day and sneaked me in to the platform just as church started that night. There were some folks that he wanted to be there and he knew if they found out I was preaching they’d skip church. I came walking out onto the platform and some of their mouths dropped open. They looked like they were about to be shot. I preached, gave an invitation and we had a good response. After the service, the first people to the platform to shake my hand were that young couple. They said, “Brother Corle, we love you and appreciate your ministry. We really enjoyed the message.”
Someone said, “The best way to get rid of your enemies is to turn them into friends.” You don’t need to hate those that hate you. Love is stronger than hate. Love is doing what is best on behalf of others, regardless of what it costs you.
The Answer
You say, “You still haven’t answered these questions. If God is stronger than the devil, then why does the devil seem to be having his way?” I’m going to give you an answer to every one of those questions right now. The answer is that God uses human instrumentation. God said in Ezekiel 22, “I sought for a man...” “I wanted to use a man to stand in the gap, to make up the hedge. I wanted to use a man to intercede and to proclaim My Word. I wanted to use a man to make the difference.”
“...but I found none.” “Nobody is saying, ‘Here am I; send me. I’m available.’” We’re too wrapped up in our own will, pursuing our own thing to give our time to be used of God. God hasn’t changed at all. God has chosen to use human instrumentation. The devil is the god of this world. Because of Calvary he is a defeated foe. God has all the strength and power needed to defeat Satan, but if we refuse to be used of God he does his destructive work unhindered.
“If good is stronger than evil, then why does evil seem to triumph?” Edmund Burke said, “All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” There’s plenty of that going on. People doing nothing. “Preacher, I don’t do this or that sin. I don’t do anything real bad.” What do you do? You don’t do anything real good, either. You’re not making a positive difference. Good is stronger than evil, but good needs a human body to practice it in this world. Good needs somebody to do good and be what Jesus was when He was here.
Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today.
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in His way.
He has no tongue but our tongue to tell them how He died.
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.
We are the only Bible the careless world will read.
We are the sinners’ gospel, we are the scoffers’ creed.
We are the Lord’s last message, given in deed and word.
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?
What if our hands are busy with other work than His?
What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him, and hasten His return?
I am His hands and feet. So are you. All the good that will be done in this world today will be done by believers and local churches. When we’re not available, goodness is not being carried out because nobody is willing to be used to do good. Good is stronger than evil, but there must be someone to practice it.
“If light is stronger than darkness, then why are men crashing their lives on the rocks of sin?” Light is stronger than darkness, but light must have a light-bearer. Light has no feet of its own. Somebody has to carry the light to a lost and dying world. The Bible says Jesus is the Light of the world. You and I are lights in this world. I don’t have any light of my own, just as the moon doesn’t have any light of its own. The moon reflects the light of the sun, and believers reflect the light of Christ. Every now and then the earth passes between the moon and the sun, and the moon becomes dark. We call that an eclipse. Many saved people are in a state of spiritual eclipse. They’ve allowed the world to come between them and the Lord and they don’t reflect His light.
D. L. Moody told a story about a ship that had crashed coming into harbor. He said, “It was a dark and foggy night and the lower lights placed along the banks to help guide the ships had gone out. Even though the big lighthouse was shining brightly, the ship crashed on the rocks and hundreds perished because the lower lights were not burning.” After hearing this message, Sankey wrote the song, “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning.” That’s you and me. We’re to let our light shine, and have a radiant testimony. We’re to carry the message of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Light is stronger than darkness, but light will only drive back darkness where it is taken. There must be a light-bearer.
“If faith is stronger than doubt and unbelief, then why does unbelief prevail?” Faith is stronger than unbelief. When I exercised faith in Christ and trusted Him to save me, unbelief was banished. But faith must have somebody to exercise it, to practice it, to put it to use. Faith is laying hold of invisible things. A wrench will turn a bolt off, but not by itself. You may have the right size wrench, but don’t expect to lay it down on the vehicle and come back later to find it is fixed. Somebody has to turn the wrench, and somebody has to exercise faith.
Remember the devils in the boy that the disciples were unable to cast out? After Jesus cast them out, the disciples said, “Lord, why couldn’t we do it?” He said, “Because of your unbelief.” Faith was stronger, but there wasn’t anybody exercising it.
“If truth is stronger than falsehood, then why do the cults flourish, while some Bible preaching churches flounder?” Truth must have a mouth-piece. God is the author of all truth. The devil is the originator of all falsehood, the father of lies. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” The truth of God’s word has the power to set people free from the bondage of sin, but someone must publish the truth.
Truth must have a mouthpiece. Somebody has to proclaim it. Somebody has to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Somebody has to tell the people they work with. Somebody has to go down the street and knock on doors. Truth will transform lives and set people free. But somebody has to be the mouthpiece.
“If love is stronger than hate, why does hate seem to triumph?” Love is stronger than hate, but love needs a lover through which to work. Most of us would rather just hate in return. Somebody has to put themselves at God’s disposal and say, “Oh, God, use me. Love sinners through me. Love the poor and needy through me. Change the heart of the wicked and love them through me.”
Talk is cheap. You hear a lot of people talk about how much they love. But love is an action, not an emotion. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son...” God’s love prompted Him to do what was best for the ones He loved, no matter what the cost. What you have is pity or sympathy, not love. Sympathy feels sorry for somebody, but love helps lift the load and bear it for them. Sympathy feels bad for people going to hell, but love pulls them out of the fire, taking the Gospel to sinners so that they can believe and be saved.
You say, “Preacher, is there nothing that can be done for America? Is this society sinking hopelessly into a quagmire of sin? Is there no cure?” Yes, something can be done. But there must be someone willing to do it. If somebody will make themselves available and dependable, God will do a work through them.
I believe we’re living in the last days before the coming of the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 24:36-37 the Bible says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.” Noah stood up for 120 years preaching an urgent message. “Wake up! Enter into the ark! God is going to judge the world if we don’t repent. There’s going to be a flood.” They went about their eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, all their daily activity, with the attitude of indifference, unconcern, and apathy. The sin of our generation is the sin of apathy and unconcern.
Remember the little saying about Everybody, Somebody, and Nobody? Everybody thought Somebody would do it, so Nobody did. I recall reading about the murder of Kitty Genovice. She was stabbed repeatedly for about 30 minutes on a public sidewalk, and finally died. For 30 minutes she screamed for help. There were 38 people who saw her being stabbed. Not one of them picked up a telephone and called the police. Later the police asked several of those neighbors, “Why didn’t you call the police?” Without exception, their answer was, “I thought surely somebody else had already called.” The police should have received 38 calls, not one. Thirty-eight people and every one of them was waiting for someone else to call the police, while she was stabbed to death before their eyes.
That certainly demonstrates our attitude about soulwinning. Everybody is sitting around waiting for somebody else to go do it. If this country is ever turned around, it will be changed one sinner at a time. We complain about things more than we’re willing to be used of God to change them. We pray, “Oh, God, turn the tide of evil, but use somebody else. Oh, God, save sinners, but use somebody else. Clean up our society, but use somebody else.”
Yet God has chosen to use us. God’s part I cannot do. My part He will not do. You can sit by and complain all you like, but as long as you’re indifferent about being an ambassador for God, about practicing good, about bearing the light of His gospel, about carrying the truth and being a mouth-piece, about exercising faith, about allowing God to love sinners through you, you can complain all you want to and it will not change a thing.
God said, “I sought for a man. I found none. Therefore judgment is determined.” Most of us are like Nero who fiddled while Rome burned. That is a demonstration of insanity. Most of us are fiddling while our country goes to hell, while our morals go down the drain, while wickedness captures and destroys. Most of us are hypnotized with sin, the world, and the flesh. If you’re stronger than me and I can get you distracted and get your mind on something else, I may be able to whip you. Weakness wins for one reason. The devil wins, and evil triumphs, and hate prevails, and darkness reigns, because God is looking for people to be used to turn the tide, and to use the strength of God to defeat the weakness of Satan. But He can’t find anybody who’s willing to be used.
The evil forces at work in our nation are weaker than those that God wants us to exercise and see prevail. Weakness wins because you’re unavailable, unsurrendered and uninvolved. What we need are some people like David who will say, “Is there not a cause?” We need some people like Paul who will say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” We need some people like Isaiah who will say, “Here am I; send me.” We need some people like Ornan who will say, “I give it all.”
Or are we more like Hezekiah, who said, “As long as there is peace in my generation, it doesn’t matter what my kids have. Good is the word of the Lord. Judgment is going to come after I die.” God pity that kind of selfish, stinking attitude.
Nothing disturbs me more than the apathy and the indifference of our day. Our apathy and indifference allows weakness to win. Our lack of involvement, our lack of surrender, our lack of consecration allows weakness to win. Don’t let it be said of America, “I sought for a man... but I found none. Therefore judgment is determined...” It is our responsibility, and our great opportunity to stand in the gap before God for the land. Let’s say with Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord; send me.”
You could take this text and run it in today’s newspaper. Israel was a land that did not have the blessing of God, but had indignation and wrath because of uncleanness. Ezekiel goes down a list of people who contributed to the problem. False prophets. There are false prophets in our day. They say that the Lord has spoken when He has not spoken. We live in a time with more new religions and denominations than any other generation. There is more religion than ever before --- and less Christianity. The prophets were profaning the precious things of God. God said His Word is precious. The blood of Christ is precious. All the things that are precious and holy are the things that are under attack today by this conspiracy of the prophets.
There were also, in Ezekiel’s day, fallen priests. Every child of God, according to Revelation chapter one, is a king and a priest. When you and I have fallen in our responsibility of intercession, and we’ve fallen in our purity, and we’ve failed to make sacrifice, then we have a fallen priesthood in our generation as well.
The princes or rulers of the land sat at the head of the government. Foolish princes were ravening the people, shedding blood, and destroying souls. For what? Popularity and increase of wealth. That sounds like today’s politicians. Whatever is popular; we’ll do anything to get a vote. Foolish princes don’t take righteousness or justice into account.
The Bible says the people of the land had used oppression. They were a faithless people without morality. We live in an amoral, humanistic society that says there is no real standard of right and wrong. “If it feels good, do it. If I think it’s right, it’s okay. The end justifies the means.” That attitude has crept into the church.
It was a sad state that the nation of Israel was in. It’s a sad state that America is in today. God said, “I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land.” He was looking for someone who would be an intercessor for the land to stand before God, praying for the people. He was looking for a representative who would pay the price and be holy, separated, clean, and right with God, who could come before Him boldly. “But I found none.” This is one of the saddest statements in the Bible. God could not find one man in Israel to stand in the gap. What does God find when he seeks for a man to stand in the gap for our nation in this generation?
Because God could not find anybody who would make up the hedge and stand in the gap, He said, “Therefore I have poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.” Every generation must have some intercessors that pay the price to hold back the judgment of God. If there is not somebody who is pleading the cause and standing in the gap then we’re in desperate trouble. It’s hard to find someone who is willing. Will God have to say the same thing of America --- “I found none”?
God Is Stronger Than The Devil
Every now and then somebody comes to me and says, “If God is stronger than the devil, then why does the devil seem to be having his way in society?” You have to watch that “if”. That’s exactly what the devil did to Eve. He put a question mark on God. He said, “Hath God said...?” When the devil came to Jesus in Matthew four he said, “If thou be the Son of God...” As though there were any question.
The Bible teaches that God is stronger than the devil. There’s no question about it. One of God’s names is El Elyon, the Most High. That means “the strongest Strong One, the highest High One, the mightiest Mighty One.” When Lucifer rebelled he wanted to be like the Most High --- to be equal with God. That proves that he wasn’t, because he wanted to be. He wouldn’t have had an aspiration for something he already possessed. He was weaker, being a created being. When he rebelled he was cast down from heaven.
God is omnipotent. That means that God has no limitations on His power. The devil is powerful, but he is not all-powerful. That’s illustrated for us when you look at Moses and his dealings with Pharaoh. God told Moses to cast his rod down and it became a snake. Pharaoh’s magicians did likewise and their rods also became serpents. But Moses’ serpent swallowed their serpents up. The first several miracles that Moses and Aaron performed, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate. But when they got to the plague of the dust becoming lice, the magicians came to Pharaoh and said, “We can’t do this one. This is the finger of God.” They had come to the end of the devil’s limited power.
The devil doesn’t mind using his power to do good. If he can get a following and keep people from the truth by promoting religion that will keep people away from salvation, he will. He’s a counterfeiter. If I wanted to pass counterfeit bills, I wouldn’t print them on red paper. The devil has been around for several thousand years. He knows what it takes to manipulate people. He wants to get you as close as possible to the real thing and still come up empty. A lot of folks just like Judas look good, smell good, dress good, and everybody respects them. They go to church all their lives and hold positions, then die and go to hell because they were never born again. I preached a sermon called “The Man Who Kissed the Door to Heaven and Went to Hell.” Jesus is the Door. Judas put the kiss of betrayal on Him, then he died and went to hell. He was so close, but he never repented and received Christ. How tragic for a person to go to hell from a church pew.
The limited power of Satan and the omnipotent power of God is also illustrated in the life of Job. When the devil wanted to harm Job he had to come to God and get permission. God had a hedge about Job and the devil couldn’t touch him. By the way, I don’t think that is true of every child of God. Job had God’s protection because he was right with God and was in the center of God’s will. People who are willfully disobedient and outside the will of God are outside of His protection, too, and they’re free game for the devil.
God is also omnipresent. God is everywhere personally all the time. He’s in China right now and He’s right here. But the devil is not omni-present. He can only be in one place at a time in person. Most things the devil gets credit for he didn’t do.
God is omniscient. He has perfect knowledge. God knows everything there is to know; the beginning from the end. The devil only knows what you tell him, that’s why you ought to keep your mouth shut. Some of you are always rattling off about your weaknesses and failures, and you’re just giving the devil extra ammunition.
Although the devil can only be in one place at a time, a third of the stars of heaven fell with him. I believe that one third of the angelic beings fell with him and are his emissaries. Maybe he has a demon assigned to all of us who follows us around, checks us out, and reports back all the intelligence we leak out. But the Bible is clear that God is stronger than the devil.
Good Is Stronger Than Evil
You say, “If good is stronger than evil, then why does evil prevail?” Good is stronger than evil. The Bible says, “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” What does the law of survival tell you? If you pit two forces or two people against one another, the strongest is the one who will win. Evil is generated from the devil, and good is generated from God. If I can overcome evil with good, then good must be the stronger of the two.
Light is Stronger than Darkness.
Light is stronger than darkness. “How do you know, Preacher?” I know because when I turn the light on, darkness is driven out. In Genesis 1:16 we read, “God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.” They had power, control, and authority over the day and the night. They could rule because light is more powerful than darkness. The devil is the prince of darkness. He thrives on darkness and wickedness. The Bible says, “Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”
When Judas brought the Pharisees and the scribes to the garden, Jesus said, “This is your hour.” What was He talking about? Nighttime. Darkness. He said, “I sat with you daily in the temple. Why didn’t you get me then?” Their strength was not in the day, but in the darkness of night. Light is stronger than darkness. Solomon said, “Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.” You say, “If light is stronger than darkness then why does darkness seem to be ruling in the minds and lives of people?” I’ll show you in a minute.
Faith is Stronger than Doubt
Faith is stronger than doubt and unbelief. When I got born again I put my faith in Jesus Christ and my doubt and unbelief were vanquished. Faith and doubt are diametrically opposed. They can’t dwell together. Where there is doubt, there is not faith. Where there is faith, there is not doubt. When faith enters, doubt must leave. Faith lays hold of tangible things that are invisible. You say, “If faith is stronger than doubt and unbelief, how is it that so much of the world is living in unbelief, without faith, and without God?” Good question.
Truth is Stronger than Falsehood.
Truth is stronger than falsehood. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Pharisees put people into bondage just like the cults in our generation. False doctrine and false religions put people in bondage to a church or a certain action. The charismatics put people in bondage. “I’m in bondage to this tongues experience. If I don’t have it, I have no assurance.”
I was in an area of Pennsylvania where there are many Amish people. A man in the church who had been converted from the Amish said, “Brother Corle, all of my life I was in bondage. I was trying to earn salvation. But this preacher came by and showed me the Gospel and the truth set me free.” You say, “But Preacher, you still haven’t answered the question. If truth is stronger and more powerful than falsehood, why do the cults flourish, while some of our Independent Baptist churches seem to be floundering?” I’ll get to that.
Love is Stronger than Hate.
Love is stronger than hate. The Bible says in I Corinthians 13:7, “Charity endureth all things.” Verse eight, “Charity never faileth.” Verse 13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Love is the greatest force in the universe. God is love.
When somebody hates you, you say, “I’ll fight fire with fire!” Everybody knows all fire trucks are equipped with a flame-thrower on the back, right? No, you don’t fight fire with fire. You fight fire with water. And you don’t fight hate with hate. You fight hate with love.
I was in a revival meeting and a family in the church didn’t like me. (Of course, I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t like me!) This family boycotted the meeting. They did all they could to pull other people out. We had a good meeting with about 70 people saved in spite of that. This young woman made the statement, “When he comes to town, that’s my excuse to take vacation and visit some other church. I’ll go hear him preach over my dead body.” Dangerous statement.
A few weeks after the revival meeting closed, I got word this lady was having serious complications with her pregnancy and was dangerously ill. I wrote them a letter. “I’m sorry to hear about your illness. We’re praying for you and asking other people to be praying for you. Enclosed is a check for $100. I hope this will help you pay some of those bills.” About two weeks later I found out that she was home from the hospital and improving, and the baby was going to live. I wrote another check for $25, put it in an envelope and sent it to her husband. I said, “Brother, I know you’ve both been going through a hard time. I want you to use this to take your wife on a date.”
Several months later I had a Wednesday night open, and this pastor invited me to come. He hid me all day and sneaked me in to the platform just as church started that night. There were some folks that he wanted to be there and he knew if they found out I was preaching they’d skip church. I came walking out onto the platform and some of their mouths dropped open. They looked like they were about to be shot. I preached, gave an invitation and we had a good response. After the service, the first people to the platform to shake my hand were that young couple. They said, “Brother Corle, we love you and appreciate your ministry. We really enjoyed the message.”
Someone said, “The best way to get rid of your enemies is to turn them into friends.” You don’t need to hate those that hate you. Love is stronger than hate. Love is doing what is best on behalf of others, regardless of what it costs you.
The Answer
You say, “You still haven’t answered these questions. If God is stronger than the devil, then why does the devil seem to be having his way?” I’m going to give you an answer to every one of those questions right now. The answer is that God uses human instrumentation. God said in Ezekiel 22, “I sought for a man...” “I wanted to use a man to stand in the gap, to make up the hedge. I wanted to use a man to intercede and to proclaim My Word. I wanted to use a man to make the difference.”
“...but I found none.” “Nobody is saying, ‘Here am I; send me. I’m available.’” We’re too wrapped up in our own will, pursuing our own thing to give our time to be used of God. God hasn’t changed at all. God has chosen to use human instrumentation. The devil is the god of this world. Because of Calvary he is a defeated foe. God has all the strength and power needed to defeat Satan, but if we refuse to be used of God he does his destructive work unhindered.
“If good is stronger than evil, then why does evil seem to triumph?” Edmund Burke said, “All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” There’s plenty of that going on. People doing nothing. “Preacher, I don’t do this or that sin. I don’t do anything real bad.” What do you do? You don’t do anything real good, either. You’re not making a positive difference. Good is stronger than evil, but good needs a human body to practice it in this world. Good needs somebody to do good and be what Jesus was when He was here.
Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today.
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in His way.
He has no tongue but our tongue to tell them how He died.
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.
We are the only Bible the careless world will read.
We are the sinners’ gospel, we are the scoffers’ creed.
We are the Lord’s last message, given in deed and word.
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?
What if our hands are busy with other work than His?
What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him, and hasten His return?
I am His hands and feet. So are you. All the good that will be done in this world today will be done by believers and local churches. When we’re not available, goodness is not being carried out because nobody is willing to be used to do good. Good is stronger than evil, but there must be someone to practice it.
“If light is stronger than darkness, then why are men crashing their lives on the rocks of sin?” Light is stronger than darkness, but light must have a light-bearer. Light has no feet of its own. Somebody has to carry the light to a lost and dying world. The Bible says Jesus is the Light of the world. You and I are lights in this world. I don’t have any light of my own, just as the moon doesn’t have any light of its own. The moon reflects the light of the sun, and believers reflect the light of Christ. Every now and then the earth passes between the moon and the sun, and the moon becomes dark. We call that an eclipse. Many saved people are in a state of spiritual eclipse. They’ve allowed the world to come between them and the Lord and they don’t reflect His light.
D. L. Moody told a story about a ship that had crashed coming into harbor. He said, “It was a dark and foggy night and the lower lights placed along the banks to help guide the ships had gone out. Even though the big lighthouse was shining brightly, the ship crashed on the rocks and hundreds perished because the lower lights were not burning.” After hearing this message, Sankey wrote the song, “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning.” That’s you and me. We’re to let our light shine, and have a radiant testimony. We’re to carry the message of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Light is stronger than darkness, but light will only drive back darkness where it is taken. There must be a light-bearer.
“If faith is stronger than doubt and unbelief, then why does unbelief prevail?” Faith is stronger than unbelief. When I exercised faith in Christ and trusted Him to save me, unbelief was banished. But faith must have somebody to exercise it, to practice it, to put it to use. Faith is laying hold of invisible things. A wrench will turn a bolt off, but not by itself. You may have the right size wrench, but don’t expect to lay it down on the vehicle and come back later to find it is fixed. Somebody has to turn the wrench, and somebody has to exercise faith.
Remember the devils in the boy that the disciples were unable to cast out? After Jesus cast them out, the disciples said, “Lord, why couldn’t we do it?” He said, “Because of your unbelief.” Faith was stronger, but there wasn’t anybody exercising it.
“If truth is stronger than falsehood, then why do the cults flourish, while some Bible preaching churches flounder?” Truth must have a mouth-piece. God is the author of all truth. The devil is the originator of all falsehood, the father of lies. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” The truth of God’s word has the power to set people free from the bondage of sin, but someone must publish the truth.
Truth must have a mouthpiece. Somebody has to proclaim it. Somebody has to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Somebody has to tell the people they work with. Somebody has to go down the street and knock on doors. Truth will transform lives and set people free. But somebody has to be the mouthpiece.
“If love is stronger than hate, why does hate seem to triumph?” Love is stronger than hate, but love needs a lover through which to work. Most of us would rather just hate in return. Somebody has to put themselves at God’s disposal and say, “Oh, God, use me. Love sinners through me. Love the poor and needy through me. Change the heart of the wicked and love them through me.”
Talk is cheap. You hear a lot of people talk about how much they love. But love is an action, not an emotion. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son...” God’s love prompted Him to do what was best for the ones He loved, no matter what the cost. What you have is pity or sympathy, not love. Sympathy feels sorry for somebody, but love helps lift the load and bear it for them. Sympathy feels bad for people going to hell, but love pulls them out of the fire, taking the Gospel to sinners so that they can believe and be saved.
You say, “Preacher, is there nothing that can be done for America? Is this society sinking hopelessly into a quagmire of sin? Is there no cure?” Yes, something can be done. But there must be someone willing to do it. If somebody will make themselves available and dependable, God will do a work through them.
I believe we’re living in the last days before the coming of the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 24:36-37 the Bible says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.” Noah stood up for 120 years preaching an urgent message. “Wake up! Enter into the ark! God is going to judge the world if we don’t repent. There’s going to be a flood.” They went about their eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, all their daily activity, with the attitude of indifference, unconcern, and apathy. The sin of our generation is the sin of apathy and unconcern.
Remember the little saying about Everybody, Somebody, and Nobody? Everybody thought Somebody would do it, so Nobody did. I recall reading about the murder of Kitty Genovice. She was stabbed repeatedly for about 30 minutes on a public sidewalk, and finally died. For 30 minutes she screamed for help. There were 38 people who saw her being stabbed. Not one of them picked up a telephone and called the police. Later the police asked several of those neighbors, “Why didn’t you call the police?” Without exception, their answer was, “I thought surely somebody else had already called.” The police should have received 38 calls, not one. Thirty-eight people and every one of them was waiting for someone else to call the police, while she was stabbed to death before their eyes.
That certainly demonstrates our attitude about soulwinning. Everybody is sitting around waiting for somebody else to go do it. If this country is ever turned around, it will be changed one sinner at a time. We complain about things more than we’re willing to be used of God to change them. We pray, “Oh, God, turn the tide of evil, but use somebody else. Oh, God, save sinners, but use somebody else. Clean up our society, but use somebody else.”
Yet God has chosen to use us. God’s part I cannot do. My part He will not do. You can sit by and complain all you like, but as long as you’re indifferent about being an ambassador for God, about practicing good, about bearing the light of His gospel, about carrying the truth and being a mouth-piece, about exercising faith, about allowing God to love sinners through you, you can complain all you want to and it will not change a thing.
God said, “I sought for a man. I found none. Therefore judgment is determined.” Most of us are like Nero who fiddled while Rome burned. That is a demonstration of insanity. Most of us are fiddling while our country goes to hell, while our morals go down the drain, while wickedness captures and destroys. Most of us are hypnotized with sin, the world, and the flesh. If you’re stronger than me and I can get you distracted and get your mind on something else, I may be able to whip you. Weakness wins for one reason. The devil wins, and evil triumphs, and hate prevails, and darkness reigns, because God is looking for people to be used to turn the tide, and to use the strength of God to defeat the weakness of Satan. But He can’t find anybody who’s willing to be used.
The evil forces at work in our nation are weaker than those that God wants us to exercise and see prevail. Weakness wins because you’re unavailable, unsurrendered and uninvolved. What we need are some people like David who will say, “Is there not a cause?” We need some people like Paul who will say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” We need some people like Isaiah who will say, “Here am I; send me.” We need some people like Ornan who will say, “I give it all.”
Or are we more like Hezekiah, who said, “As long as there is peace in my generation, it doesn’t matter what my kids have. Good is the word of the Lord. Judgment is going to come after I die.” God pity that kind of selfish, stinking attitude.
Nothing disturbs me more than the apathy and the indifference of our day. Our apathy and indifference allows weakness to win. Our lack of involvement, our lack of surrender, our lack of consecration allows weakness to win. Don’t let it be said of America, “I sought for a man... but I found none. Therefore judgment is determined...” It is our responsibility, and our great opportunity to stand in the gap before God for the land. Let’s say with Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord; send me.”