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What do you believe about the Devil?

As I have said before there are those that don’t believe that the devil or demons exist. On the other hand, there are those who are terrified of the idea of a real Devil and see demonic activity everywhere. I want to assure you and encourage you that as a believer in Jesus Christ the Devil can’t have any control over you other than the control you give him.

It’s all a matter of who you give control to, Jesus or the Devil! The scripture is clear who you choose to obey is the one who is master over you. Listen to Romans 6:16

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness”?

Romans 6:16

I’ve heard people say, “the Devil made me do it”! I hate to sound harsh, but the truth of the matter is that you chose to listen to the Devil. The Devil is not a physical being, contrary to what you’ve seen on TV or the movies. He is a spiritual being and his only weapon is the Lie! Since the devil is a consummate liar, he will try to influence your thinking and try to tempt you into disobeying or disregarding God. The Devil will “play mind games” with your head and convince you that his plan is better than the plan God has for you. The devil will try to appeal to your ego by making you think that God is holding out on you and that he, the Devil, has something better. He will try to appeal to your ego and natural desires; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as 1 John 2:16 says.

Let’s look at the very first sin in the bible, which is found in Genesis 3. God created Adam and Eve and gave them the Garden of Eden, a paradise, to take care of and live in. They were clearly instructed by God that they could eat of all the plants and trees except for one tree called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That was the one commandment that God gave them and to violate or disobey God’s command was a sin. The same is true today, to violate or disobey God’s command is sin and moves us out of God’s protection.

I’m going to read Genesis 3:1-6,

“1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, (those words have created more pain and chaos than you can imagine)‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die (the lie). 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (creating doubt about God’s motive).”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise (the temptation – the pride of life), she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate”. 

As you can see the very first sin in the bible is a testimony to the Devil’s lie that God is holding back something from you. Eve was not forced into sin. She was deceived, as was Adam when he ate the fruit as well. They both chose to sin because they chose to doubt God and believe the Devil. 

Let me share with you an old American Indian tale about choosing sides it’s called:  The Tale Of Two Wolves 

“A Cherokee elder was teaching his young grandson about life.

A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. 

One wolf is evil- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

The other wolf is good- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. 

This same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too. The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, which wolf will win? The elder simply replied, the one you feed. 

The Two Natures

As a Christian, the two wolves are the two natures, the old and new man. In Christ, you have been made new, but the old man still hangs on. The devil will try to appeal to your “old man”. Here are some things to keep in mind.

The Fact, we are New Creations! 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.

The Process, Renewal of the mind Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.

The Practice, Out with the old and in with the new

Ephesians 4:24 and that you put on the new man whichwas created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

In closing…

What I am about to say in closing may not apply to you because you have already found that following Jesus and His teachings have made positive changes in your life. But, for those who are still questioning and have doubts about going “all in” for Jesus let me say this. 

Every day we make choices. No one is exempt from making choices. The question is, are we making the right choices. It would be wonderful to know the outcome of our choices before we make them. If that were the case, we would never experience disappointment or the repercussions of making the wrong decision. Obviously, that isn’t possible.

The truth is we never make decisions that are totally objective, we are always influenced by our experiences and … by the voices we allow into our lives. Friends, family, and the spiritual voices of God and the Devil. So, the real issue is who will you trust? God has already demonstrated His trustworthiness… He sent Jesus so that you might be forgiven of all of your sins, placed His Holy Spirit in you to guide you, and provided you with His word the Bible. What more proof do you need of God’s love for you?

Perhaps you have trusted in your own self, your friends, your family, and even the Devil himself in an attempt to find happiness. You’ve done it your way. Now ask yourself the hard question, are you where you want to be at this point in your life? 

How about a change, put your trust in Jesus! His love for you will never go away! He wants you to live a blessed life, but you have to do it His way. Learn to hear His voice then trust and obey. 

10. Ruler Of This World– Satan is the ruler of this world in the sense that the world is still characterized by sin. Jesus said. “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me” (John 14:30). This title suggests that he is the major influence over our world. Scripture teaches that the whole world is in his power. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

11. God Of This Age– He is the god of this present age. “in whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

12. Angel Of Light– He appears as an angel of light. “And no marvel; for even Satan fashions himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). This means that Satan can come disguised as an Angel.

13. Belial– The idea behind Belial is “vileness.” This title may be applied to the Devil only by implication. “What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:15).

14. Ruler Of The Kingdom Of The Air- He is the authority over this present, evil world-system. “in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2).

15. Adversary- This being stands in opposition to everything holy. The word “Satan” means adversary. “Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

16. Roaring Lion- He is likened to a lion who goes about seeking its prey.  “Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

17. The Angel Of The Abyss – There is some question as to whether this is a description of Satan, or merely another powerful evil angel. They have as king over them the angel of the pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, he is called Apollyon (Revelation 9:11). The idea behind these terms is “destroyer.” Satan has been filled with hatred against God from the beginning and has attempted to destroy every good thing that God has done. 

18. Dragon or Old Serpent- Satan is called the dragon. The term dragon is associated with those who oppose God.  “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him” (Revelation 12:9).

19. Deceiver Of The Whole World- This fallen angel deceives the unbelieving world. “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him” (Revelation 12:9). Deception is what this being is all about – he is the master deceiver. 

20. Accuser Of God’s People- God’s people are constantly accused by this evil personage. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10).

Satan, or the Devil, is known by a number of names in Scripture. All of these names point to his evil character. The chief characteristics we find in this creature are his hostility, cunning, power, and evil intent toward God and His people. Despite this shrewd enemy remember this, “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” 1 John 4:4.

Recall that I also said that we can be influenced by the spirit of other people, or the human spirit. Last but not least we can be influenced by the spirit of the Devil.

One of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12is the discerning of spirits. “8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills”. 

As a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, we have the ability to discern the spiritual realm! We also have the ability to distinguish which voice we are hearing, Jesus, the Devil, or the spirit of other human beings.

We’ve said in previous posts that our human spirit communicates with the spirit of other human beings. This is what we are talking about when we are in a relationship with others. This communication with other people is what makes us human. 

That relationship may be casual, deep, familial, or romantic. It is an aspect of a human relationship that will cause you to be attracted, non-committal, or repelled by another person. It is not so much what that person looks like, does, or says, but it is a sense that you pick up. That is your spirit picks up the “vibes”, if you will, of another person’s spirit.

For instance, in a relationship between a man and a woman, there is at first the physical attraction of “looks”. As the relationship goes deeper, there is the attraction of common interest, eventually, there is the connection of the soul, which is the connection of spirit to spirit!

There are some people who are able to overwhelm your spirit with an irresistible influence. We often referred to this as a magnetic personality, hypnotic personality, or dynamic personality. In any case they seem larger than life! 

I have met people like that. They walk into the room and all attention turns to them. They are mesmerizing in their speech and influence. They can be either a positive force or a negative force. That is because they can be motivated by good or motivated by evil. Sometimes it can be difficult to discern what kind of influence they are until you are under their influence or control. That is why it is so important to exercise your ability to discern spirits. 

For example, I happen to be a very trusting soul, that is I tend to believe what people say. I will have to admit that I may not be the most discerning person. My wife, Dee, on the other hand, has a very keen sense of spiritual discernment. The world would call it “woman’s intuition” I call it spiritual discernment. She has proven to be accurate more times than I would like to admit. As a result, I have come to trust her discernment! That is why it is so important to have Godly people in your life, to help you see things as they are and not as you want them to be. This is especially true if you are a new believer.

I am not going to get into Demonic influence today, that is for the next post, but realize that the Devil can influence you through the influence of the souls of others. Make no mistake about it, there are people motivated by evil and the most obvious evidence of that wrong motivation is when others try to manipulate and control you.

With so many voices in our minds can you see how important it is to recognize the voice of God! It takes practice and faith to recognize God’s voice, but remember the promise that Jesus makes in John 10,” My sheep hear my voice and they follow me”. As you spend time in His Word, the Bible you will learn to hear His voice. It might be through the illumination of the scriptures, or by personal revelation, or by prophecy or that “still quiet voice” that says follow me. Remember you can always trust the Bible it is a compass that points to the truth. 

If what you hear, or sense is against what Jesus would do… beware. I personally like to use the Fruit of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22 and 23 as a guide, and it describes God’s spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Allow these character traits to guide your decisions and you won’t go wrong!

We can be spiritually influenced in one of three ways. 

1. The spirit of the Satan or the Devil and his demons. 
2. The spirit of other people (I don’t mean the spirit of the dead).
3. And of course, the spirit of God. 

I had hoped to cover those areas last time but ran out of time. So here we go…

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 “He who is in you that is greater” is, of course, the Holy Spirit of God, and He will enable you to overcome all the evil in the world that may come against you.

The Holy Spirit of God. 

The spirit of God or the Holy Spirit is always motivated by love. When I say love I don’t mean the emotional sentimental type of love but Agape love which is unconditional love. God is committed to seeing to your well-being because that is what unconditional love means. In a practical way, I like to define Love as living your life for someone else’s good. God is interested in your good!

The fruit of the Holy Spirit which is listed in Galatians 5:22-23, is what God is trying to build into us, but at the same time, it describes the character and nature of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and, self-control. When you are motivated by these attributes you can be sure that God is at work in you. 

Remember that we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We are being changed to become more and more like Jesus. Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”.

We are able to hear God.

We know that our human spirit has the ability to see, hear, and understand God’s spirit. 1 Corinthians 2 beginning in verse 9 states: “But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit”. Then verse 12, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God”.

Jesus Himself, tells us that He knows us and that we are able to hear His voice and follow him. John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”.

What does Jesus mean when He says they will hear my voice?

Let me use an analogy to describe the spiritual in concrete terms. In a sense, your spirit is like a radio. You are able to tune in to a variety of spiritual channels, so to speak- the spirit of God, the spirit of the Devil, and even the spirit of other people. Your spirit then conveys these voices to your mind as thoughts. 

How will I know God’s voice? 

Remember, now that you are born-again you are able to discern or understand the Holy Spirit of God, something you could not do before. The scriptures are clear that you now have spiritual ears to hear God (2 Cor 2:9-16). 

As an assurance that you are in fact hearing from God remember that what you hear can never contradict the Word of God, the Bible. Because God inspired the words in the Bible contradicting His own word would be a lie, and therefore can’t be from God, because God can’t lie (Titus 1:2, Numbers 23:19). So, when God speaks through His Holy Spirit to you it will be based on love- Agape love which is unconditional love. It will “ring” of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit found in Gal 5:22-23, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

God does not speak confusion, doubt, or harshness. James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 

Familiarity…

Over time you will be able to recognize God’s voice among all the other voices you may hear. Let me give you an example:

My wife’s name is Dee and over the years I have come to recognize her voice. When she calls me on the phone, I never ask, who is this? I instantly know her voice because of our relationship and years of communication. It is exactly the same discerning or recognizing God’s voice. As you build your relationship with Jesus and communicate with Him, you will be hearing His voice.

Follow me…

Recall John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”.

It goes without saying, that in the beginning if you don’t take a chance and actually obey what the Holy Spirit is saying, you will never come to the place of having confidence or trust that you are in fact hearing God. That is what it means to follow Him. 

Learning to become familiar with His voice is the key to making good decisions in your life and accelerating the transformation of your soul to live in love, peace and, joy. 

Expect to hear the Holy Spirit speak to you, if it sounds like something God would expect of you- then do it. Only doers are blessed by God.

In our next post, we will look at the influence of the human spirit on our decision-making process.