The Zeus Trojan?

    Have you heard of the Zeus Trojan internet virus? The story this week about the international internet based identity theft ring is the makings of a pretty good movie. The FBI, in cooperation with Scotland Yard in Britain and Europe’s Interpol, made multiple arrests this week breaking up an international organization of at least sixty cyberthieves, who have already emptied the bank accounts of thousands of unsuspecting victims.
    Using the Zeus Trojan virus (name that comes from Homer’s account of the Trojan Horse), they infected bank computers and received enough account information to empty a person’s bank account at multiple ATM locations. Pretty interesting how they did it….unless it’s your bank account!
    Like all predators, they attempted to hit as many computers as they could, looking for the weakest parties to victimize. For them, it was a numbers game. If they could infect a certain number of computers, they knew a percentage of them would divulge the information they needed.
    That’s not a bad word for these guys: predators. There are a lot of them in this world. The apostle Peter referred to the devil as a predator: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
    He is and he does! Sadly, I too often think of the Queen song, “Another One Bites the Dust,” as I see those around me whom I had thought were strong, fall prey to Satan’s attack. He is on the prowl looking for the most vulnerable (who are often those that try to act the strongest) to bring down. He is not your friend. He does not have your best interest in mind. He wants your life. He wants your soul!
    So Peter tells us to, “Be sober.” The word means, “in control of self, or self-disciplined.” He seems to indicate that spiritual disciplines and self-control are necessary in order utilize God’s help in resisting the devil (why James said, “Draw near to God….resist the devil and he will run from you.”).
    Peter goes on to say, “Be watchful….” which means to “stay alert.” Peter is telling us to never relax, when it comes to Satan’s attack. Never feel as though you have arrived. Never forget that you have an enemy who hates you and wants nothing more than to destroy you! And he’ll be trying to do it with lies and attractive lures.
    If you learned of a friend who kept his money in the same bank as you, but was cleaned out by these internet  bandits, you’d probably pay close attention to what’s happening in our own account, or you’d draw your money out and put it somewhere else.
    I’ve had it happen to those close to me. I’ve seen far too many look away and drift away long enough to be attacked and devoured. Don’t let it happen to you! Stand firm in your faith, grow closer to God, and run from Satan’s temptation.
    When you get a taste for sin, you get taken, hook, line and sinker! (James 1:14-15).

Will You Join Me?

    There are a lot of reasons I am excited about the Greg Laurie Chicago Harvest at the Allstate Arena this weekend. I am looking forward to the music. Some of the finest Christian musicians will be displaying their gifts in worship and we will be privileged to join them in singing.
    I’m looking forward to the excitement of having that many people together with a common goal of reaching the lost and worshiping our God.
    I am certainly excited about the way Pastor Greg will be boldly proclaiming the Gospel to probably thousands who do not yet know Jesus Christ in a personal way. As a pastor and preacher, I love to hear those who are specially gifted, particularly in evangelism. I can’t wait to see and participate in counseling and praying with those who respond to the invitation to receive Christ.
    But beyond all those wonderful things, I am so looking forward to this event because it is a gathering of over 200 evangelical churches in Chicagoland, unified for the sake of the Gospel! Over the past 17 months I have had the pleasure of meeting dozens of like-minded pastors in gearing up for this event. And those who have been in Chicago for decades have told me that they do not ever remember a time when the Christian community had been so unified behind a common goal. This is the Body of Christ in action for the world to see! And I have no doubt that we will joyously reap the fruit of the God's working though His unified people.
    I’m praying for 2,000 conversations this weekend. Will you join me in praying for the same? Better yet, will you join me in being active and graciously aggressive in making invitations with those you work with and live among? We have the privilege this weekend of joint participation with the Holy Spirit in reaping a great Chicago harvest!

Little Things

    The first attempt to dig the Panama Canal across the Isthmus of Panama was made by a French company.  Thousands of men and tons of machinery tackled the remote mountains and thick jungles. After millions of dollars had been spent, however, the project was abandoned, not because of the mountains but because of the mosquitoes. Yellow fever from mosquitoes killed thousands. It was not until American doctors found ways of protecting people against mosquitoes that the project was resumed, this time by Americans. When the mosquitoes were taken care of the mountains soon succumbed. There is a huge difference between the size of mountains and the size of mosquitoes, yet it was the mosquitoes, not the mountains, that kept the canal project from succeeding. Many more men perished from the bite of little mosquitoes than from the many dangers lurking in the mountains.
    While so many of us are on guard against the “big things,” many ignore the areas that are most destructive to their lives or testimonies. Most of you are not struggling with adultery, grand theft, or murderous crimes. But how many of us are daily doing battle with spiritual mosquitoes – gossiping, griping, temper tantrums, snap judgments, or impure thoughts. It is only when we begin to enjoy victory in these little areas that we will know what it is to make meaningful spiritual progress.
    Perhaps this is why Jesus spent so much time addressing the “little things” of the heart. His followers: Peter, John, Paul and James seemed to get the message as well and they passed it on. So much of the New Testament addresses the battle we need to wage over the little enemies, which quietly and quickly burrow under our skin. Those little attitudes of pessimism or ingratitude can quickly destroy an outlook. And once the festering begins, these invaders spread to others. Let’s be on guard!
    Jesus said, “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.”  (Luke 16:10)
    So what little enemy have you been battling with lately? Victory is available if you are willing to depend on God’s strength and live obediently to His Word.

I'm Rich!

    My youngest son, Brock, is studying American History. It’s the one subject I can help him with, and I enjoy it. I love history! He is currently learning about the incidents that led to the Revolutionary War, and while helping him study, I became fascinated with how much of an influence Patrick Henry was on the thinking of the early colonial patriots. It’s hard to imagine the revolution without him.
    Long before the revolution, Henry was a prominent figure in the colonies, serving as governor of Virginia (before and after independence). He was certainly known for his persuasive eloquence, but had become highly respected because of his success in business and reputation for integrity. Before the Declaration of Independence, he was very wealthy. But he laid it all on the line for the American cause and risked losing everything he owned. He sacrificed most of it for his country and while he did not die in poverty, because so much of his personal wealth was given to “The Cause,” he left only a fraction of what he once had to his descendants. But he left something far more valuable: a legacy of character and faith. In his will, he penned these words:
    “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is faith in Jesus Christ. If they had that and I had not given them a single shilling, they would have been rich; and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor indeed.”
    How true that is! Think about it. Patrick Henry has now been dead for 210 years. He only lived 63 years. If he had been fabulously wealthy in his lifetime but only in his lifetime, he would have enjoyed it for perhaps, 30-40 years, and then lost it all in death. But in Christ, he received untold riches that he has been enjoying ever since and will continue to delight in for eternity!
    The Apostle Paul, a one time wealthy man, used to love talking about the riches we have in knowing Christ, and the inheritance waiting for us in heaven. In Ephesians he spoke of, “The riches of his grace,” “The riches of his mercy,” and said, “The riches of Christ are unsearchable.” In Romans 10:12 he rejoiced because he and other believers are…. “abounding in riches.”
    Do you believe that? Do you? Do you believe that the riches of Christ are abounding, unsearchable, and already there, ready for our claiming upon arrival in heaven? If so, what are we so uptight about the piddly little materialistic stuff here in this very temporary life? So much more is awaiting us!
    “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Jesus (Matthew 6:20)

Identity Theft

    Bill was buying a car. It was used car and he had the money to buy it outright, but the dealership was offering an unbelievable rate, so he elected to finance the car and invest the cash. He now says it was the worst decision he ever made.
    The finance assistant gave him the forms he was to fill out, and unbeknownst to the dealership, she gave him an extra form. Without thinking it through clearly enough, he put all of his information on that sheet: Social security number, driver’s license, bank account information, even a credit card number. Six months later, and long after the fun of having a newer used car had worn off, his bank account had been emptied, fraudulent charges appeared on his credit card, and several notices came in the mail of loans that had been taken out in his name.
    After several months of investigation, and several thousand dollars of costs going to a private investigator, the information leak was tracked to a girl who had worked for a short time at the dealership where he bought his last car. Yup, the assistant, who also pilfered several hundred thousand dollars from many other unsuspecting victims. As I understand the story, the money was never recovered and the dealership eventually filed for bankruptcy due to the number of lawsuits brought against it. The girl was part of a ring that either fled the country or somehow melded into the population, never to be found (at least up until now).
    Identity theft: It’s very real. Many of us have had our credit card number lifted at some point. My card was suspended when I supposedly bought a membership to a health club in Mozambique. Some of you have stories, however, of ruined credit and serious fraud. It’s a very real problem.
    You wouldn’t think it was in Jesus’ day, would you? After all, they didn’t even have credit cards! But Jesus said to His friend, Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! …. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
    What? Jesus called the same man that He, Himself had named, Peter (meaning “Rock”) and referred to him as being a cornerstone of the church; He called him, “Satan” in Mark 8? Wow! Now that’s identity theft!
    It is a horrible thing when we allow Satan to take our Christian identity and use to blaspheme our God! But every time a Christian man uses God’s name in vain at work, and every time a Christian woman compromises Biblical morality, when Christian couples turn their backs on their marriages or on their kids, they turn their identity over to Satan, and do his bidding.
    This is also why Jesus warned Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). And Peter understood this full well, which is why he later wrote, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
    There is a real God. And if you have repented of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, you are His child. You belong to Him.
    But there is also a real devil. And like Peter, he would love to steal your identity and make it look to everyone else that you belong to him. Be watchful! Don’t let him do it!
    Let this world see who you really are and live like the child of God that He has called you to be! “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” – Philippians 1:27