Satan, You Can't Ride This Ass Anymore

Satan, you can’t ride this ass anymore!!! May 2, 2003

Minister Willie O Richard, Jr. Pastor, Little Rock B C

Scripture: Numbers 22:21-31 also see 22:10-19

Have you ever felt that Satan was own your back to the point that you had been ridden into the ground?

Have you ever felt that the circumstances of your life had just about used you up?

Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel and saying, “that’s it, I’m not answering the bell for this round?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’ve know how I’ve felt on a few occasions. You know how it feels to be so low that you have to look up to see the snakes belly.

I’m here to tell you this afternoon what God has put on my heart, and that is “Satan, you can’t ride this ass anymore”.

As we look at this story about Balaam, we see a man who, on the surface appears to be a God fearing man. Listen to this, read verses 10 -13.

This man, although a prophet of God was well known for his curses as well as blessings. On the surface one would think that this was a God fearing man. A man that had a relationship with God. A man that knew God and reverenced God. A man after God’s own heart. Those of you who think that way would all be wrong. Yes, Balaam had a respect for God. But he did not reverence God. He knew that Jehovah was a powerful God, but he also believed that there were also other Powerful gods.

Lets look at verses 15-18

As we can see Balaam had a respect for God, but he also had a price. He could be bought, and regardless to what God had to say about the matter, his greed far outweighed any fear that he had for God. And as we look into the life of this man we see the deception that is exposed when we present an outward facade of spirituality over a corrupt inner life. Balaam, like too many people, was a man who was ready to obey the commands of God, as long as there was something in it for him. There are too many of our brothers and sisters out there deceiving themselves and the world into thinking that their prosperity is somehow a blessing from God. Those of us that know the word of God knows that He rains on the just and the unjust, isn’t that right? This simply means that just because you have achieved a degree of prosperity and appear to be doing well, does not mean that you are being blessed by God. I refuse to believe that God blesses a man or woman who promotes promiscuity and lewdness, and yet, that is what most of our popular music artists do. I refuse to believe that exploitation and lasciviousness is approved by God, but that is the life style that many of our most popular people live, not only live but promote and endorse. God is not pleased with the way we are living, nor is He pleased with the fact that many of us will not stand up and acknowledge this fact.

It gets on my nerves to hear one of our young, gifted and black entertainers talk about how God has blessed them. Although they are right, they don’t know what they’re right about. They believe that the blessings of God are perpetrated in the fine homes that they live in, all the gold and diamonds they have. The hundred thousand dollar cars that they drive around in. They just don’t know that the only blessing from God they’re getting is the fact that they woke up this morning. That they still had good health, that their families were still OK. If having lots of things were all that reflected the goodness and blessings of God, everyone in here would be rich. The lot would be filled with Mercedes and Cadillacs and Rolls and Lexus’. But, we have to understand, that things are meaningful to us, not to God. True God fearing men and women know that there is so much more to the blessings of God then what we can see.

We have to understand His word in order to put all of these things into spiritual perspective. The word of God says to “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. Well what is the truth, Brother Preacher?

I’m glad that you asked!

The truth that the word God reveals to us in this passage of scripture is this. We have been exposed to His word for much of our lives an although we may not be able to spout off chapter and verse as some can, God has revealed to us, through His word what He will and will not accept. Too many of us make questionable decisions because we want to somehow work around the word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5 says this, “Pray without ceasing, Quench not the Spirit, Abstain from all appearance of evil”. When we find ourselves in a questionable situation, you know what, we should pause and realize that if we have a question, then maybe we should not continue.