Outline
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We engage in spiritual warfare to conquer the satanic chaos and triumph in the divine economy—Eph. 1:10:
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The history of the universe is a history of God’s economy and Satan’s chaos—Gen. 1:1-2, 26; Rev. 20:10—21:4:
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Satan is the source of chaos, and God Himself is the divine economy.
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Both in the Bible and in our experience, the satanic chaos always goes along with the divine economy—2 Cor. 4:6; 1 Tim. 1:4.
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Instead of delivering us from chaos, God wants us to be one with Him to conquer the destructive satanic chaos in the old creation and to carry out the constructive divine economy for the new creation—Eph. 3:8-10; 2 Cor. 5:17.
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As we are suffering the chaos, we need to stand for and live out the divine economy—1 Tim. 1:4, 18; 2 Tim. 4:7.
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We need to engage in spiritual warfare for the divine building, the church as the Body of Christ; the building up of the church is a service of warfare—Matt. 16:18; Num. 4:3; 26:2; Neh. 4:14-23; 1 Tim. 1:18; 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7.
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 1:10 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him.1 Tim. 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold on the eternal life…
The Christian life involves both the divine economy and the satanic chaos…During our time with the Lord in the morning, we experience economy, but later in the day we may experience chaos.
This has been my experience during the nearly seventy years I have been a Christian. However, I am learning the secret, the strategy, of defeating chaos and of coming back to economy and order…I have not only God’s economy within me—I have God as my economy within me.
The history of the universe is a history of God’s economy and Satan’s chaos. Furthermore, the entire Bible…is a record of the divine economy and the satanic chaos. In our married life we also have the economy of God and the chaos of Satan. The reason for this situation is that in the universe there are two sources—God and Satan. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” pp. 199-200)
Today’s Reading
Today the earth is filled with chaos…However, we should not be discouraged. In addition to the satanic chaos, there is the divine economy. Whereas the satanic chaos will come to an end, the divine economy will reach a consummation. The end of the satanic chaos will be the lake of fire, and the consummation of the divine economy will be the New Jerusalem.We need to realize that, both in the Bible and in our experience, the satanic chaos always goes along with the divine economy…Where there is the divine economy, there is the satanic chaos. Where God is, Satan is also…We may say that God is in the “central lane” and that Satan is in the “side lane.”
We have to run the race and finish the course so that we can be counted among the overcomers…In 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul says, “I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” At that time Paul anticipated his reward in the coming kingdom. In order to be the overcomers, we must conquer all the destructive chaos and triumph in the unique constructive economy.
The overcomers are those who suffer the chaos, but they are not disappointed or discouraged. Instead, they are strengthened and enabled to stand for and live out the divine economy…If we are enabled by the Lord to conquer all the destructive chaos, we will triumphantly enter into the kingdom. We will be those who triumph in the unique constructive economy.
In one meeting I heard someone pray, “Lord, deliver us from the chaos.”…Some may say that this [prayer] is right because the Lord Jesus told us to ask the Father not to bring us into temptation but to deliver us from the evil one (Matt. 6:13). We may, however, have a wrong concept about what this kind of deliverance is. God does not want us to be delivered out of the satanic chaos. What God wants is embodied in the words overcome and conquer…God wants us to conquer the satanic chaos. The real deliverance to us from God is our conquering. In Ephesians 6 Paul tells us that we need to be empowered in the Lord to stand against the stratagems of the devil (vv. 10-11). Then he says, “Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (v. 13). We are not to be delivered out of the chaos, but we are to stand against it. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” pp. 201-202, 255-256, 271)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” chs. 1—5