Revelation 9:11, "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
Judges 17:6, "In those days there was no king in Israel; All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes."
The past few months have proven to be a very trying time in the lives of many all over the world. There have been many tragedies, catastrophes and disasters all over the news and the one prevailing theme is the decay of the humanity. I don't know any other way to put it, but to be blunt. I have noticed behind every evil headline, behind every evil act, behind every evil bill that has been passed or will come to pass, behind every dark agenda.....the devil's in the details. My brothers and sisters, the destroyer is roaming around on his limited time and he is convincing many that he is not real and that his followers aren't dangerous. Do not be fooled! No, do not fall victim! His agenda is all around us, penetrating everything you can think of, and he is not letting up. Nor will he as he is the god of this world, the ruler of the earth and all that follow him into the pits of hell will never have a chance to turn back! Evil is a liar. It's time to rise and pray against the darkness in a way that you haven't prayed before! You see, the destroyer is Satan and he is actively seeking to throw off the shackles of constraint that has been holding back his anarchy as Psalm 2:2-3 tells us. With the power of the Holy Spirit, it's the Church of Jesus Christ that has clearly invaded this prevailing darkness and keeps pushing back the work of the destroyer. Binding him and his evil from overcoming the world. Now, the days are numbered and are getting short. As more and more are falling away or seeking words that tickle their ears, the strength we once had before is begin to weaken. Too many Christians, or those "professing" to be, are not boldly calling sin, sin. They are not calling for repentance nor are they standing against the wickedness, but instead, rather than becoming an outcast, they remain quiet, join the next "movement" that passes by, and refuse to speak the truth. They become the tag-a-longs who deep down inside become confused by the rhetoric of the moment and the "convincing" double-speak known all too well to be the enemy himself, that they don't do battle.
John 10:10 tells us, "The thief does not come
except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it more abundantly." This lays out his
plan for every individual life. The three violent acts of evil were carried out
by human beings, but make no mistake! They were clearly under the influence of
demonic spirits. Yes, it was real then and it is real NOW. Each of the men
willingly opened themselves up to the works of evil. They were complicit in the
acts, welcoming the works into their lives and they were not puppets. However,
you see, the destroyer was directing the chaos. It is the destroyer who is directing
the chaos NOW, in the world we are living in this very moment. Everywhere we look;
there is some kind of chaos going on. Confusion. Disillusionment. Division. Discouragement. Hatred. Agenda Movements. Those things
are not of the Lord! Every single act of evil is first justified in the minds and thought life of an individual and then in the heart
of an individual who eventually will carry it out. They have an
"inner" language they speak that may sound something like the
following: "I make the rules!" "Nobody can tell me what to
do." "I deserve it (whatever it is they desire)" "I'm doing
the right thing in my eyes, the religious fanatics are all wrong and are
dangerous!" That "inner" language is rebellion, selfishness,
egotistical, sinful, self-centered, evil, and repulsive. It is the language of
the devil. Plain and simple.
As it was in Judges 17:6, "In those days there was no king in Israel; All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." at that time, so it is in our time! Look around! Isn't everyone pretty much doing whatever they want and whatever they feel is right in their own eyes? Aren't they defying the Creator God? Aren't they rebelling against all the rightness of things all around? Aren't they justifying every action through their "feelings?" Aren't they rebelling against leaders and God to the extent of a passive insanity? Aren't they all seeking the "mantra of Aleister Crowley" which is "do what thou wilst shall be the whole of the law?” Aleister Crowley was a famous occultist who infiltrated the entertainment industry and the elite powerful men and women of the world on all fronts and his teachings are highly dangerous and full of satanic influence. Although he has since died, his horrifying legacy is kept alive by those who have adhered to his teachings. You see his influence in art, fashion, in music, in symbols, in movies and television. It's now more prevalent because the devil isn't hiding it as much as before. Too many people are copying the fads without having a clue as to what they are wearing or doing. So the answer to the above questions is a resounding YES!! Do not be fooled by any of it! Wickedness is truly abound and acts/thoughts/words that are violently abhorrent and an abomination to the Creator God, are creeping into every slice of life around us.
As it was in Judges 17:6, "In those days there was no king in Israel; All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." at that time, so it is in our time! Look around! Isn't everyone pretty much doing whatever they want and whatever they feel is right in their own eyes? Aren't they defying the Creator God? Aren't they rebelling against all the rightness of things all around? Aren't they justifying every action through their "feelings?" Aren't they rebelling against leaders and God to the extent of a passive insanity? Aren't they all seeking the "mantra of Aleister Crowley" which is "do what thou wilst shall be the whole of the law?” Aleister Crowley was a famous occultist who infiltrated the entertainment industry and the elite powerful men and women of the world on all fronts and his teachings are highly dangerous and full of satanic influence. Although he has since died, his horrifying legacy is kept alive by those who have adhered to his teachings. You see his influence in art, fashion, in music, in symbols, in movies and television. It's now more prevalent because the devil isn't hiding it as much as before. Too many people are copying the fads without having a clue as to what they are wearing or doing. So the answer to the above questions is a resounding YES!! Do not be fooled by any of it! Wickedness is truly abound and acts/thoughts/words that are violently abhorrent and an abomination to the Creator God, are creeping into every slice of life around us.
There are spiritual forces at work here, no question about it. In every single thing that swirls around us in today's world, from news headlines, to entertainment, to our daily life struggles, we may be aware more than ever before of this one thing: we're in a constant battle. We face an enemy every single day that we are alive here on earth and breathing air. We may not see it all the time and we might even forget he's there. We most likely will lose our focus when things seem too tough to deal with or handle or we might get distracted on all those things that really doesn't matter. Be assured, there is one who lurks around us today. He’s real. He’s alive. He’s deceptive and crafty. His primary goal is to strike you down, along with as many others as he can drag down with you. He has many followers and the numbers are growing. He also has his demons to send out to harass and torment and in some cases, possess. He waits, searches, and watches for the best time to attack – your weakest and most vulnerable moments. This is why it is of the utmost importance to always be on guard and to keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus Christ!
Satan is the very real enemy of every believer in Jesus Christ, of every born again Christian who has been adopted into the Kingdom of our Loving God! He’s not just some weakling guy in a recognizable, albeit make-believe, red suit, pitchfork in hand. Don’t be fooled; he’s far more deceptive
than that. He's far more dangerous than that! He wants nothing more than to silence every Christian and
render us completely ineffective in the Kingdom and will go to great lengths to accomplish his deeds. He seeks to gain ground today in as many
lives as he can, and in every corner of our world, for he knows his time is
limited....very limited. You see, the devil is a vandal who roams all over the world vandalizing creation and God's ultimate creation is His people. A vandal in essence doesn't care about anyone else's property or what they had to do to obtain that property or the amount of upkeep that went into it. A vandal is out for himself. A vandal is selfish. The proverbial vandal deliberately destroys or damages other's property or personal possessions.
Behind every single headline of darkness, of evil, of violence, wars and aggressiveness you can be sure the devil is in the details, sitting nicely behind each incident, laughing and pointing while temporarily fluffing up his chest. In the last few months, there has been some disturbing headlines or incidences but instead of linking to the actual stories, I'm going to briefly pack in just the topics of the heinous crimes or events or what's being promoted on tv/entertainment. Cannibalism, child trafficking, human trafficking, school shootings, churches being desecrated and burnt down, gender confusion, gender reassignment, pushing the transgender lifestyle on children in schools, masculating of females and emasculating of males, late term and live birth abortions, gender dysphoria being switched from a disorder to a right, demonic obsessions, spiritual darkness, increase in demonic/Satanic movies/tv series, resurgence of diseases, increase in the dark arts, magic and new age rituals, increased "sightings and reporting" of aliens/UFO's, AI insurgence becoming more real than robotic, bestiality, familiar spirits/ghosts and the list goes on. There are more and more people beginning to accept these horrific scenarios and forming opinions based on what the media blips tell them. People are calling good evil and evil good.....Isaiah 5:20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
You see, we live in a world made by an invisible Being, our Creator God, and this world is saturated with invisible things. They're all over, everywhere, all "around us," in a sense, but they aren't immediately obvious to many since the visible realm is so much more imposing and intimidating to those who don't understand it nor who seeks to understand it. I believe, from my encounters with Christians, many don't understand spiritual battle. Some Christians, no all, only think of spiritual battle in terms of power encounters with the devil or demons, where a certain sort of prayer is, and becomes, the principal weapon employed to defeat, or neutralize, the powers of darkness. However, to be clear, Jesus never actually taught this approach. He never told us to pray to devils but instead, He taught us to ask the Father to "deliver us from the evil one" Matthew 6:13, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." In 2 Kings 6:15-17, the prophet Elisha’s attendant saw something in the visible realm that overwhelmed him, the Syrian army that was encircling their city with horses and chariots. "Alas, my master!" he said. "What shall we do?" But Elisha wasn't shaken because he saw a deeper reality in the unseen realm. Let's look at the verses in context together, 2 Kings 6:15-17, "And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16) And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17) And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."
Elisha didn't fear because he saw something his servant didn't see, couldn't see: the enemies of God that were surrounding the city were they themselves surrounded by a massive, yet invisible, force arrayed behind the scenes for Elisha’s protection!! The prophet was able to see the unseen because he believed, he understood the spiritual battle was more than what his eyes could see, and he knew God was in their midst fighting the battle with them. Elisha needed help. He asked God to show his servant with clear eyes what Elisha knew and saw. As with Elisha, we too, sometimes need help. In our case, though, there are passages peppered throughout the New Testament that point us in the right direction, giving us clues along the way to help us detect details of a world that Elijah had access to. There is an invisible army arrayed against us, too, and sometimes, if we are alert and aware, we can track its maneuvers. But we can also track the protective armies in greater number that God has place around us while we're in the battle! I believe the following verses are integral to our well being as Christians in the battlefield, Ephesians 6:11-13, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Paul tells us that we are at war. He acknowledges the very real reality of our opposition in the visible world, being our flesh and blood, but he instructs us that the more fundamental, dangerous conflict is at a much deeper level in the invisible realm, that being the heavenly places. As a Christian, you should already know this. But for the non-believers and new Christians please pay attention! If you are a non believer and have come to this post, know that it was not by coincidence! God is knocking at your heart's door waiting for you to open it up for Him to enter! Paul also tips us off that the enemy operates according to specific strategies that likes to call "schemes", his battle plans if you will, that inform the devil’s tactical maneuvers. The devil may be cunning and slither like the snake that he is, but he is in no way more powerful than the One that case him out of Heaven! We need to be clothed with the proper armor to allow us to "stand firm" against his schemes, resisting the devil’s subterfuge. I wrote an article about the whole armor of God that's called, "The Soldier and the Whole Armor of God" and can be found here and if you haven't read it, I'd like to invite you to do so!
Nevertheless, we don’t have to let him win the battle in our lives.
As I was preparing for this post, which I had started and stopped more than I can say, I realized the enemy was at work in my life as well! Every time I started this, I got "distracted." I got pulled away. I got focused on what was happening in my job. It was like the enemy was doing everything he could to take me away from writing this post! Like starting a puzzle.....you begin with excitement, moving pieces into place then suddenly, the phone rings. Well, there goes the puzzle. It's just easier at that moment to stop and talk on the phone than to ignore the phone call and continue working on the puzzle. I knew I was being distracted. It was either my job, discouragements, health, household needs that I couldn't afford to fix, car issues, etc. It frustrated me. Then I got a slap of reality and got angry at the enemy and myself! I began spiritual warfare and praising all the while! You see, the most dangerous devil is the devil we can't see. The one that sneaks up, out of nowhere, begins to attack your every move, planting thoughts and doubts and making your life spin out of control. The one that only has the amount of power in our lives that we allow. I was wallowing in my disappointments, discouragements, and fighting to keep my head above water. All of the sudden, it sunk in, it gave me back my fighting spirit and here I am! I understand how distraction works and why the enemy wants to come and steal our joy! I understood why he didn't want me to write this post and I fought through it praying for the Lord to intervene....God wins again!!!
So in this evil world, as it was in the days of Noah, we need to combat evil in our lives by reclaiming our footing! You see, he is counting on, and expecting, us to fall and get distracted. He wants nothing more than to plant doubts with his lies. We will face evil every day and we will battle in the field daily. Evil will ultimately and forcefully push at our faith, kindling flames for revenge, disturbing our inner peace and upsetting our inner joy, and the injustice of it all fuels our anger. God knows all about our feelings and emotions, make no mistake. They are not to be trusted, but nonetheless, He knows them well. He knows the pain we suffer, the injustice we sometimes are up against, and knows the brutality and victimization that is sadly brought on by the evil all around us. He gives us careful, methodical instructions on how to deal with evil acts and the people who perpetrate them. It's hard, in the flesh that we live in, to look at evil and those that perpetrate it, in any good light, but it's, in fact, what our Creator asks us to do. In Romans 12:17-21, "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20) Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Pretty clear to me!
This is why the devil and his minions don't appear to us as a hideous, vile, creature. That would be too easy for any of us, both Christians and non Christians alike, to turn from the temptation. Anyone can resist an unseen evil that boldly overstates itself, that just steps right in front of you, fully decked out in hell's costume, straight from his own costume department. Stop for a moment and think of a sin that you now truly regret and wished never would have happened. Would you have ever chosen to submit to that sin if you'd been tempted to do so by one of the hideous creatures the devil had appearing before you? Absolutely not! There is a reason the fallen angels and demons seldom take that approach because they need to masquerade around as good, light, fun, wealth, happiness, and all kinds of other adjectives that lure in the masses. Let's make this simple and real. You fell into sin because of the dividedness of your heart and because the very strength of your intellect was darkened at that moment. You first considered the course of action you'd take and saw, to some extent, what you SHOULD do. But then, a counter-argument of an opposing story, sneaked into your mind. If you are really looking for the devil in this Gospel scene, you will find him in the little word "if." Although this is a small word, it packs a powerful mind punch! Let's look as some scriptures where the devil inserted that one word while he unsuccessfully was tempting Jesus.
Luke 4:3, "And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
Luke 4:7, "Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."
Luke 4:9, "Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here."
The power of diabolic evil lies in darkness, subtlety and confusion. The Greek word "diábolos" means "one who scatters." In the verses above, even the tempter, to great effect, quotes Scripture. He just simply inserts that little insidious word, "if." He even attacks believers and non-believers who are searching, to stay away from church, gathering with the body of Christ. How? By peppering lies that "organized" religion is of man and that they aren't commanded to go to church. They even go as far as saying they don't need to be in church to believe in God. Just a plethora of lies he will use on unsuspecting souls to either keep them away from Jesus or from finding Him! You have to remove the devil’s greatest advantage: the darkness of confusion. I think kindness, forgiveness, love, caring and compassion would surely be the recipe to remove his advantage to confuse and reverse it onto him. Wouldn't that confuse him to see God's children follow Romans 12:17-21?
Ephesians 4:27, the apostle Paul writes, "Neither give place to the devil." The word "place" is the Greek word "topos". It's actually referring to a specific, marked-off, geographical location or spot. It has a connotation of a territory, province, region, zone, or geographical positioning. It's from this word that we get the word for a topographical map. So, since the word "topos" literally depicts a geographical location, this lets us all know that the devil is desperately after every region and zone of our lives, from our money, to our health, marriage, relationships, employment, business, and ministry. He doesn't stop at just a region and zone in our lives, he is after every region and zone in the WORLD. Since he is so territorial and jealous of the Creator, he wants it all and will try to do what he can to obtain it all. However, in order to jump start his plot to conquer all those areas of our lives, he must first find an entry point. An entry point is where he can begin his campaign of unleashing his devilish and evil destruction in our lives. Here are some examples of doors we open as a point of entry and "unknowing" invitation, although this is not all-inclusive, it is a starting point.
1) Refuse to let go of old hurts and wounds.
2) Drugs, alcohol or other addictive behaviors
3) Sexual promiscuity (unevenly yoked creating soul ties)
4) Dabbling in the occult practices, including Ouija boards, yoga, meditation etc.
5) Seeking mediums, spiritists, or other fortune tellers
6) Possessing occult themed books, movies, objects or participating in watching movies with those themes
7) Refusing to acknowledge what we did was wrong or sinful
8) Holding grudges and refusing to forgive
9) Being Vengeful and vindictive
If there are areas in which you have doors open or have opened them unsuspectingly, you must close them! In the name of Jesus! Resist the devil and he will flee!!!! There is little reason to fear the devils as they are depicted in Hollywood or the arts. Hollywood, as many know, are full of Satanists, worshipers of the darkness and it shows in the productions, print, fashion and music! They have mocked Christians and Jesus Christ since the inception of entertainment. Another of the devils tools of distraction....the devils in the details there as well. Hollywood has depicted the devil as a "man-created" image of something that isn't biblical. In many ways, they have also made him "laughable" and seemingly unreal due to the "physical depiction" of him. However, you do need to fear the one who wanders your soul, darkening your mind with evil thoughts, imagined wrongs and confusion in your thoughts. The devil is real, the devil is powerful, and this is because the devil is a fallen angel. Reject a darkening world of "ifs" and turn to your savior, Jesus Christ. His Spirit of truth prevails and has already won! His Truth is the only truth being attacked in this world today and that's because no other "gods" have the truth. The truth only exists in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us on the Cross!
We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, so we don’t have to let the devil run all over us, intimidating us, and throwing up our past in our faces. Although that's hard to do, it is possible. The Bible boldly declares in 1 John 4:4, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." The apostle Paul told us, "Neither give place to the devil." The Greek makes it clear that we must CHOOSE not to give the devil any territory. If we choose NOT to give the enemy any territory then it's also a choice that we allow the devil to infiltrate part of a territory. Choose wisely! So you see, we have a choice: Life is a choice, our relationship with Jesus is a choice. We all have a choice: We can choose to "give the enemy place" in our minds, thoughts and emotions, or we can choose to walk in the Spirit. If we choose the lower road, we will end up doing and saying things we later regret, as many of us have experienced. Those regretful things are usually what opens the door for the devil to wreak havoc in our relationships. By choosing to walk with Jesus Christ, becoming more godly in our walk, we are choosing to keep our territory for God! We're choosing not to give the devil any of it.
The devil is in the details of so much in this life and I struggled with distraction in writing this post because as many who know me, know I'm bold in professing the Truth and believe in the rightness of things. I also know the enemy can't stand that part about me but that's how God created. He gave me a voice, a bold stance, to use and to speak up for those who can't and for those who need to hear truth. Whether they like it or not or receive it or not. I battled for several weeks trying to get this published. But the devil didn't win! I know, with everything evil that is going on in the world, behind closed doors and in our faces, the devil is in the details of it all. Our God, our gracious, merciful, loving God, was in the DETAILS FIRST!!! He IS in the details NOW! He won! Not the enemy! It might be a darkened world, with unbearable pain and sufferings, and it may be filled with the iniquities of Satan, but God has already overcome! He created us to be the light in this world and where there's light, the darkness cannot penetrate! Light ALWAYS wins! Darkness is only the ABSENCE of light so as soon as light shows up....the darkness runs!! The brighter the light, the further it flees!
Behind every single headline of darkness, of evil, of violence, wars and aggressiveness you can be sure the devil is in the details, sitting nicely behind each incident, laughing and pointing while temporarily fluffing up his chest. In the last few months, there has been some disturbing headlines or incidences but instead of linking to the actual stories, I'm going to briefly pack in just the topics of the heinous crimes or events or what's being promoted on tv/entertainment. Cannibalism, child trafficking, human trafficking, school shootings, churches being desecrated and burnt down, gender confusion, gender reassignment, pushing the transgender lifestyle on children in schools, masculating of females and emasculating of males, late term and live birth abortions, gender dysphoria being switched from a disorder to a right, demonic obsessions, spiritual darkness, increase in demonic/Satanic movies/tv series, resurgence of diseases, increase in the dark arts, magic and new age rituals, increased "sightings and reporting" of aliens/UFO's, AI insurgence becoming more real than robotic, bestiality, familiar spirits/ghosts and the list goes on. There are more and more people beginning to accept these horrific scenarios and forming opinions based on what the media blips tell them. People are calling good evil and evil good.....Isaiah 5:20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
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| Angel Armies |
Elisha didn't fear because he saw something his servant didn't see, couldn't see: the enemies of God that were surrounding the city were they themselves surrounded by a massive, yet invisible, force arrayed behind the scenes for Elisha’s protection!! The prophet was able to see the unseen because he believed, he understood the spiritual battle was more than what his eyes could see, and he knew God was in their midst fighting the battle with them. Elisha needed help. He asked God to show his servant with clear eyes what Elisha knew and saw. As with Elisha, we too, sometimes need help. In our case, though, there are passages peppered throughout the New Testament that point us in the right direction, giving us clues along the way to help us detect details of a world that Elijah had access to. There is an invisible army arrayed against us, too, and sometimes, if we are alert and aware, we can track its maneuvers. But we can also track the protective armies in greater number that God has place around us while we're in the battle! I believe the following verses are integral to our well being as Christians in the battlefield, Ephesians 6:11-13, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Paul tells us that we are at war. He acknowledges the very real reality of our opposition in the visible world, being our flesh and blood, but he instructs us that the more fundamental, dangerous conflict is at a much deeper level in the invisible realm, that being the heavenly places. As a Christian, you should already know this. But for the non-believers and new Christians please pay attention! If you are a non believer and have come to this post, know that it was not by coincidence! God is knocking at your heart's door waiting for you to open it up for Him to enter! Paul also tips us off that the enemy operates according to specific strategies that likes to call "schemes", his battle plans if you will, that inform the devil’s tactical maneuvers. The devil may be cunning and slither like the snake that he is, but he is in no way more powerful than the One that case him out of Heaven! We need to be clothed with the proper armor to allow us to "stand firm" against his schemes, resisting the devil’s subterfuge. I wrote an article about the whole armor of God that's called, "The Soldier and the Whole Armor of God" and can be found here and if you haven't read it, I'd like to invite you to do so!
Nevertheless, we don’t have to let him win the battle in our lives.
 |
| Distractions from the Enemy |
So in this evil world, as it was in the days of Noah, we need to combat evil in our lives by reclaiming our footing! You see, he is counting on, and expecting, us to fall and get distracted. He wants nothing more than to plant doubts with his lies. We will face evil every day and we will battle in the field daily. Evil will ultimately and forcefully push at our faith, kindling flames for revenge, disturbing our inner peace and upsetting our inner joy, and the injustice of it all fuels our anger. God knows all about our feelings and emotions, make no mistake. They are not to be trusted, but nonetheless, He knows them well. He knows the pain we suffer, the injustice we sometimes are up against, and knows the brutality and victimization that is sadly brought on by the evil all around us. He gives us careful, methodical instructions on how to deal with evil acts and the people who perpetrate them. It's hard, in the flesh that we live in, to look at evil and those that perpetrate it, in any good light, but it's, in fact, what our Creator asks us to do. In Romans 12:17-21, "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20) Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Pretty clear to me!
This is why the devil and his minions don't appear to us as a hideous, vile, creature. That would be too easy for any of us, both Christians and non Christians alike, to turn from the temptation. Anyone can resist an unseen evil that boldly overstates itself, that just steps right in front of you, fully decked out in hell's costume, straight from his own costume department. Stop for a moment and think of a sin that you now truly regret and wished never would have happened. Would you have ever chosen to submit to that sin if you'd been tempted to do so by one of the hideous creatures the devil had appearing before you? Absolutely not! There is a reason the fallen angels and demons seldom take that approach because they need to masquerade around as good, light, fun, wealth, happiness, and all kinds of other adjectives that lure in the masses. Let's make this simple and real. You fell into sin because of the dividedness of your heart and because the very strength of your intellect was darkened at that moment. You first considered the course of action you'd take and saw, to some extent, what you SHOULD do. But then, a counter-argument of an opposing story, sneaked into your mind. If you are really looking for the devil in this Gospel scene, you will find him in the little word "if." Although this is a small word, it packs a powerful mind punch! Let's look as some scriptures where the devil inserted that one word while he unsuccessfully was tempting Jesus.
Luke 4:3, "And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
Luke 4:7, "Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."
Luke 4:9, "Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here."
The power of diabolic evil lies in darkness, subtlety and confusion. The Greek word "diábolos" means "one who scatters." In the verses above, even the tempter, to great effect, quotes Scripture. He just simply inserts that little insidious word, "if." He even attacks believers and non-believers who are searching, to stay away from church, gathering with the body of Christ. How? By peppering lies that "organized" religion is of man and that they aren't commanded to go to church. They even go as far as saying they don't need to be in church to believe in God. Just a plethora of lies he will use on unsuspecting souls to either keep them away from Jesus or from finding Him! You have to remove the devil’s greatest advantage: the darkness of confusion. I think kindness, forgiveness, love, caring and compassion would surely be the recipe to remove his advantage to confuse and reverse it onto him. Wouldn't that confuse him to see God's children follow Romans 12:17-21?
Ephesians 4:27, the apostle Paul writes, "Neither give place to the devil." The word "place" is the Greek word "topos". It's actually referring to a specific, marked-off, geographical location or spot. It has a connotation of a territory, province, region, zone, or geographical positioning. It's from this word that we get the word for a topographical map. So, since the word "topos" literally depicts a geographical location, this lets us all know that the devil is desperately after every region and zone of our lives, from our money, to our health, marriage, relationships, employment, business, and ministry. He doesn't stop at just a region and zone in our lives, he is after every region and zone in the WORLD. Since he is so territorial and jealous of the Creator, he wants it all and will try to do what he can to obtain it all. However, in order to jump start his plot to conquer all those areas of our lives, he must first find an entry point. An entry point is where he can begin his campaign of unleashing his devilish and evil destruction in our lives. Here are some examples of doors we open as a point of entry and "unknowing" invitation, although this is not all-inclusive, it is a starting point.
1) Refuse to let go of old hurts and wounds.
2) Drugs, alcohol or other addictive behaviors
3) Sexual promiscuity (unevenly yoked creating soul ties)
4) Dabbling in the occult practices, including Ouija boards, yoga, meditation etc.
5) Seeking mediums, spiritists, or other fortune tellers
6) Possessing occult themed books, movies, objects or participating in watching movies with those themes
7) Refusing to acknowledge what we did was wrong or sinful
8) Holding grudges and refusing to forgive
9) Being Vengeful and vindictive
If there are areas in which you have doors open or have opened them unsuspectingly, you must close them! In the name of Jesus! Resist the devil and he will flee!!!! There is little reason to fear the devils as they are depicted in Hollywood or the arts. Hollywood, as many know, are full of Satanists, worshipers of the darkness and it shows in the productions, print, fashion and music! They have mocked Christians and Jesus Christ since the inception of entertainment. Another of the devils tools of distraction....the devils in the details there as well. Hollywood has depicted the devil as a "man-created" image of something that isn't biblical. In many ways, they have also made him "laughable" and seemingly unreal due to the "physical depiction" of him. However, you do need to fear the one who wanders your soul, darkening your mind with evil thoughts, imagined wrongs and confusion in your thoughts. The devil is real, the devil is powerful, and this is because the devil is a fallen angel. Reject a darkening world of "ifs" and turn to your savior, Jesus Christ. His Spirit of truth prevails and has already won! His Truth is the only truth being attacked in this world today and that's because no other "gods" have the truth. The truth only exists in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for us on the Cross!
We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, so we don’t have to let the devil run all over us, intimidating us, and throwing up our past in our faces. Although that's hard to do, it is possible. The Bible boldly declares in 1 John 4:4, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." The apostle Paul told us, "Neither give place to the devil." The Greek makes it clear that we must CHOOSE not to give the devil any territory. If we choose NOT to give the enemy any territory then it's also a choice that we allow the devil to infiltrate part of a territory. Choose wisely! So you see, we have a choice: Life is a choice, our relationship with Jesus is a choice. We all have a choice: We can choose to "give the enemy place" in our minds, thoughts and emotions, or we can choose to walk in the Spirit. If we choose the lower road, we will end up doing and saying things we later regret, as many of us have experienced. Those regretful things are usually what opens the door for the devil to wreak havoc in our relationships. By choosing to walk with Jesus Christ, becoming more godly in our walk, we are choosing to keep our territory for God! We're choosing not to give the devil any of it.
The devil is in the details of so much in this life and I struggled with distraction in writing this post because as many who know me, know I'm bold in professing the Truth and believe in the rightness of things. I also know the enemy can't stand that part about me but that's how God created. He gave me a voice, a bold stance, to use and to speak up for those who can't and for those who need to hear truth. Whether they like it or not or receive it or not. I battled for several weeks trying to get this published. But the devil didn't win! I know, with everything evil that is going on in the world, behind closed doors and in our faces, the devil is in the details of it all. Our God, our gracious, merciful, loving God, was in the DETAILS FIRST!!! He IS in the details NOW! He won! Not the enemy! It might be a darkened world, with unbearable pain and sufferings, and it may be filled with the iniquities of Satan, but God has already overcome! He created us to be the light in this world and where there's light, the darkness cannot penetrate! Light ALWAYS wins! Darkness is only the ABSENCE of light so as soon as light shows up....the darkness runs!! The brighter the light, the further it flees!
GOD WAS IN THE DETAILS FIRST AND IS WHERE THE CHRISTIAN NEEDS TO FOCUS. SATAN ALWAYS MIMICS GOD BECAUSE THAT'S WHO HE WANTED TO BE WHICH CAUSED HIM TO BE CAST OUT FROM HEAVEN.
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