A quick devotional thought from Matthew 12:22-32
Matthew 12:22–32
22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellowdoth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast themout? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Perhaps you have seen the meme going around the internet that says, "don't believe everything that you read on the internet" - Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln didn't come up with that one.
The wise person that did come up with that statement was mostly right, but you are on the internet now and you can believe what you read on the Bald Believer.
Here is another statement in today's reading for which the sixteenth president doesn't deserve credit.
"A house divided Against itself shall not stand"
I was watching a gameshow and the question posed to the contestants was, "who first said, "a house divided against itself shall not stand".
The contestant on that game show answered Abraham Lincoln, but he got the answer wrong! Abraham Lincoln didn't come up with that!
Did you know Lincoln wasn't even president at the time? As the Republican nominee for US Senate, Honest Abe applied this principle from our Lord as the threat of civil war loomed over the country. It was one of his most memorable speeches, but he didn't come up with that!
Here is the context of the Lord Jesus' statement.
A poor man was so bound by the Devil that he could not see or speak.
The Devil loves to rob people of their ability to see things accurately and to rob them of their voice. Jesus gave this man his sight, enabled his ability to speak and the Pharisees were mad about it.
You just can’t please some people, can you?
They accused Jesus of casting out this demon and blessing this man by the power of Satan. Jesus pointed out their obvious inconsistency and how Satan would not cast out Satan. Why would the Devil rob himself of his own victory? If the demons were going to fight themselves, they would not win. Jesus said,
“A house divided against itself shall not stand”
Is that principle not true in every aspect of life?
A home in constant turmoil where there should be teamwork is doomed for disaster. If only husbands and wives would commit entirely to working together as God has commanded, homes could be happy and blessed.
Abraham Lincoln applied this principle to our country.
Surely, we must find some common ground if we are to prosper as a nation. I am saddened to see that we can't even agree on the basic love for country anymore. Our nation needs prayer.
Could we not apply it to our churches or the kingdom of Jesus on earth?
If we continue to fight each other the enemy wins. We must be focused on the good news that Jesus can deliver hurting men and women. He can cause them to see things how they truly are and give them a voice of praise.
There is much more to say about this passage. Right now, the Bald Believer has got to get ready for church.
Have a blessed Sunday Ya’ll!
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