1. Micah loses everything he valued. 8-15-10 If God had been the center of his affections, this could not have happened to him. Deuteronomy 6 4-6 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart , and with all thy soul , and with all thy might . And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

2. Judges 18 1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. They had been designated a territory, But had not taken it . They were pushed and crowded by the Philistines and by the Amorites. They decided to seek a new land .

4. 2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

5. 3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice (recognized the accent) of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place ? and what hast thou here? They knew he wasn't from around there.

6. 4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. "I am his priest." He knew he wasn't a true priest ; He didn't serve God ; he served Micah.

7. 5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. 6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein ye go. As all false men will, he told them what they wanted to hear. True men of God will preach the Truth , Even if they die for it.

8. 2 Timothy 4 2-4 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the Truth and turn aside to myths. NIV

9. If one church doesn't please them, they just go to another.

10. 7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish , and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless , after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure ; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in anything; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. They returned home.

11. 8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? 9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. The folks at Laish lived carelessly , they felt secure , and therefore were not on guard against invasion. They had no allies nearby to help them.

12. Let us not be " easy pickings " for the devil. First of all, we see that the people of Laish were living carelessly because they felt secure. 1 Corinthians 16 13-14 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity. Watch ye = stay awake and be vigilant. Be on guard against the wiles of the devil.

13. The devil is a worthy adversary ; we know not when he will come against us, And we know not what form he may take. He will approach each of us according to our weakness . Watch ye = stay awake and be vigilant. Be on guard all the time and in every place.

14. Terri Gibbs sang this song: Somebody's knockin' Should I let him in; Lord it's the devil Would you look at him I've heard about him But I never dreamed, He'd have blue eyes and blue jeans Well somebody's talkin' He's whispering to me; Your place or my place Well, which will it be. I'm gittin' weaker And he's comin' on strong, But I don't wanna go wrong The devil won't offer me cake if I like ice cream . He is cunning and wily .

15. 1 Corinthians 16 13-14 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith , quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity. Faith is to believe with the whole heart and with strong conviction the Truth of God. Such faith always produces obedience. To stand fast in the faith is to live whole-heartedly and joyfully in the Light of the Word of God. Never back up, desert, or give up. Charge !

16. "Quit you like men." "Be men of courage." As men and women of God, we must have the courage of our convictions . Conviction of the Truth ! Devils build strongholds in human intellect. 2 Corinthians 10:5

17. "Be strong." 1 Corinthians 15 58 There-fore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast , unmove-able , always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Not seeing how little we can get by with ; Seeing how much we can do, And how well we can do it.

18. As long as Christians are of two minds , the devil will constantly drag us down into discouragement , doubt , and defeat . We must serve God with singleness of heart . Acts 2:46 1 Corinthians 16 13-14 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity (agape) . 1 Corinthians 13:8