The root of all your problems (part 1)

"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen."  Romans 1:25 NIV

"I know he doesn't care about me; he just thinks I'm needy," thought Tammy about her husband as she drove home from work.  She clenched the steering wheel, forcefully inhaling and exhaling.  "He said he'd call me at my lunch break.  How hard is that?  I know what he's doing.  He's probably too busy with his new book to even care about our agreement.  I know what he's thinking: 'Why can't she get through one day without us talking in the middle of the day?'  Well I don't need him that much.  I'll let him know just  that as soon as I see him!'

Tammy notices how fast she's going and slows down.  She's only five minutes away from her house.  The thought of Ben's car in the driveway, sitting there all day, confirms his thoughtlessness in her mind.  But after five minutes, she pulls into her driveway, and Ben's car isn't there.  "Where on earth is he?"

Before Tammy unlocks her door she sees an envelope taped by the knob.  It's his handwriting:  "To my beautiful wife Tammy, my best friend."  She opens the envelope before going in:

"Tammy, I've been thinking about you all day.  I actually tried to call you five minutes before your lunch break to make sure I could reach you.  Our electricity went out, and I our WI-fi connection was lost, so I couldn't call you on our cell phone or send you a message.  Tammy, I want you to know something:  if you're needy, so am I.  I don't just want to talk to you at lunch, I need to.  I need to hear your voice in the middle of the day.  Our connection is my life on earth.  I love you baby, and I'll see you soon, if you get this before I get home.  (I went to see about our WI-fi.)  Ben."

She noticed Ben's name blurred by her tears, and realized this:

The root of all of her problems was a lie.  (Click here for part 2)

How the devil gets you (and how to stop him)

Be self-controlled, be watchful.  Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  The Apostle Peter

 

The devil wants to possess you.  He wants to devour you.  He wants to swallow you whole.  The way he does this is by thinking for you, feeling for you, or choosing for you.  In a word:  control.  This is why Peter says be self-controlled.  The devil wants to completely control you.  This is how he gains control over you.

 

This "thought" flashes into your mind: "I hate him!"  You feel intense hatred for your boss.  This is what you think and feel, but you can't trace origin the thought or emotion.  Though your boss sometimes annoys you, the feeling of hatred came on so suddenly and intensely that you can't recall how you came to feel it.  At this moment you have a choice:

 

Accept the thought as your own.
Reject the thought and think for yourself.

 

This is how Satan gets you: 

• He thinks in the first person, as if you are the one actually you thinking his thoughts.
• He imposes his emotion on you, as if it's actually you feeling the emotions of Satan.

The solution is self-controlled awareness, as Peter says.  Determine your own thoughts and focus and be aware of what you are actually thinking and feeling. 


Any thought that you didn't deliberately choose to think about is...not ...yours. 


I'll say it again:


If you didn't actively choose the thought in your mind, and the thought is imposing itself on your mind to the extent that you can't seem to get it out of your mind, that unchosen uncontrolled thought is from the devil or a demon. 


God never imposes His thoughts or feelings on you.  Ever.  If you have a thought in your mind that you blatantly don't want, but can't seem to stop thinking about it, that thought...is from...a demon.


As it is written,
"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."

 

 

Satan: The Christian's First Mission (Part 2)

The Spirit filled Jesus.
He then led Jesus into the wilderness.
The Spirit led Jesus to encounter, resist, and defeat Satan.
As Christians, we must imitate Christ.

BE SPIRIT LED
When the Spirit permeated Jesus' life, the very first thing He led Jesus to do was to encounter Satan.  How did Jesus know the Spirit was leading Him to the enemy, and how can we?  Look at what happened with Jesus at His baptism:

1.  The Father Himself affirmed Jesus as His beloved Son.
2.  The Spirit descended upon Jesus in a tangible way.
3.  John the Baptist not only saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, but identified Jesus by the Spirit.

The same must be true of me and you. 



 



When God affirms you as His child, and when the Spirit is filling you in a way that is tangible, undeniable, irresistible, and irrefutable, the next person, key word person, you will encounter is Satan.  He is always in opposition to God and His children.  From the garden of Eden until now, you can know that where God speaks, so will Satan in contradiction:

• God said to Adam (and Eve), "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.  The day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die."
• Satan said to Eve (and Adam who was with her), "You will not surely die, for God knows the day you eat of the tree of knowledge you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

• God said to Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, with Him I am well pleased."
• Satan said to Jesus, "IF you are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread.   IF you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple."

What is God saying to you right now?  Whatever it is, expect Satan to respond in contradiction.  More than this, expect the Spirit TO LEAD YOU TO SATAN to resist and defeat him.  Having resisted and defeated the devil, you can begin your mission, just as Christ began His mission.

You will be as sure of the Spirit driving you as Jesus was sure of the Spirit driving Him.  And how will you know the difference between the Spirit influencing you and the devil influencing you?  Easy.  The Spirit will lead you TO RESIST THE DEVIL.  In other words, the very distinction you fear is the very way you will know the distinction between God and Satan.  God always leads you to resist Satan, and Satan always leads you to resist God.  Again, easy!  As it is written,

"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."

If you agree, please pray with me:

"God I submit to Your Spirit and resist the devil and every demonic spirit.  Please fill me and lead by your Spirit to resist the devil.  In Jesus' name, amen."

May God bless you always by the Spirit filling you and leading you as the Spirit led Jesus Christ.

Satan: The Christian's First Mission

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil."  Luke, a companion of the Apostle Paul.

According to the Apostle John, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.  His people were under Satan's oppression, not the oppression of the Romans.  In the same way, our war isn't against democrats, republicans, men, or women.  We resist Satan.  It is the Christian's first mission because it was Christ's first mission.  Before he preached the kingdom of God, taught kingdom principles, healed those who were sick, or cast out any demons, He resisted and defeated Satan.  This was the first thing the Spirit filled Him, led Him, and empowered Him to do. 

For about 30 years, Jesus lived as the son of a carpenter, with Mary His mother, and his sisters and brothers.  When the time came, He, along with others in Israel who believed the time had come, was  baptized by John the baptizer.  God the Father spoke to Jesus from heaven, and the Spirit of God descended from heaven in the likeness of a dove.  The Spirit came upon Jesus, preparing Him for Satan in two ways, the same two ways He prepares us for Satan.

 



BE SPIRIT FILLED

The Spirit permeated Jesus' life from that moment on, permeating Jesus' life with Spirit presence and power.  Jesus was born of the Spirit like we are born of the Spirit.  He was born of the Spirit by His mother Mary's faith, and we are born of the Spirit by our faith.  But being Spirit born and Spirit filled are not the same.  The Spirit indwells all who believe in Christ, but only permeates the lives of those who want Him to.  This comes from simply asking and yielding, as Jesus said:

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

If you believe in Jesus, you are a child of God.  Therefore, ask God to fill you with His Spirit, and He will, right now, as you read.  You can do it now.  Pray these words out loud:

"My father in heaven, as one of your children through faith in Jesus Christ, I ask that you fill me with the Holy Spirit.  Thank you for filling me with your Spirit.  Amen."

That's it!  You are now filled with the Spirit.  How do you know?  Well, how do you know that you are a child of God?  By faith in Jesus, by believing what the scriptures say through Paul the apostle,

"You are children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."  Galatians 3:26, NLT.

If you have faith in Christ Jesus, you are a child of God. 

You know you are filled with the Spirit in the same way:  by believing what Jesus said.  Do you believe Jesus ever lied?  Of course not. Jesus said that our Heavenly Father gives the Spirit to His children who ask Him.  If you are His child, which you are if you have faith in Jesus, and you have asked Him to fill you with the Spirit, which you just did by praying with me, then you are right now, at this moment, filled with the Spirit, permeated by His presence and power.  But some of you still may want more proof, something tangible or experiential.  Here it is:

Use your spiritual power for the purpose for which God gave it, to do what God has given you to do today.

Power is for a purpose, it is the energy and ability to act.  So whatever your job or duty is today, you now have new spiritual power to do your job or duty for God's glory.  That is how you will know and experience being filled with the Spirit. 

Yet I dare say, the first thing you very may well have to do is defeat Satan....(to be continued in part 2)

(Image from bryandavenport.me)

You are the Devil's Enemy

The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.  1 John 3:8


Everything you do should build God's work and destroy the devil's work simultaneously.  To submit to God is to resist the devil, and cause him to flee from you, not you to flee from him.  You are his enemy, undoing whatever he does.  You join the Son of God in His reason for appearing:  To destroy the devil's work.  Sin is the work of Satan.  When you appear, you do so to destroy sin.


A man is the image and glory of God.  Sin is to fall short of God's glory. So real men, Christ like men, destroy the work of the devil.  The devil's work is to dishonor God's image.  Real men bring honor to God's image.


A woman is the glory of God's glory.  She destroys the devil's work by reflecting the glory of God in man, her husband, her brother, her father.


The devil is a liar, the father of lies, speaking lies effortlessly. When we speak the truth only, we honor God who is truth, and dishonor the devil, who is the liar.


God hates divorce, therefore the devil loves separating couples.  Husbands and wives who are faithful are destroying the works of the devil.


God considers children a reward, which means Satan considers them a punishment, and seeks their death.  Bearing children destroys the works of the devil, who is a murderer, the first murderer.  Loving children dishonors Satan and glorifies Jesus, who loved little children.


The list goes on, and you have a part in the list, individually and specifically.  There is a specific work of God you alone can build, and a specific work of Satan you were saved to destroy. What is it?


It's who you are right now and whatever you are doing right now. Remember, Jesus appeared to do this.  He wasn't passive, but came to break down whatever Satan does.


Don't be afraid, if you are.  Jesus in you is greater than Satan outside of you.  Jesus Himself, by His Spirit, protects you from the evil one.  In Jesus name, undo whatever Satan is doing around you.  This is what you were born again to do.

Christians, Satan, and Demons

Do Christians have authority over Satan and demons? 
Authority to cast them out or "bind them?"
Authority over them AT ALL?

To answer these questions, we must answer two questions:

1. Who has and is the source of all authority?
2. Does he share this authority with anybody?

The scriptures answer both of these questions, as it is written:

1. Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth."  Matthew 28:18 NLT
2. Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.   Romans 13:1

The Lord Jesus has, and is the source of, ALL AUTHORITY.
The Lord shares His authority, establishing those who are in authority on earth.

Now does this authority apply to Christians over Satan and demons?

Take two more truths into consideration, and let the scriptures answer this question:

• The throne of God
• The right hand of God

In scripture, the throne of God and the right hand of God are expressions of God's sovereign authority.  Jesus is seated (on a throne) at the right hand of God! 

But who is seated with the Lord Jesus, at the right and of God? 

And what realms are under the authority of The Lord, and those seated with Him?

 

It is written:

 

• That power is the same as the mighty strength  he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,  far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,  which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.  Ephesians 1:19-23 (Emphasis mine)
• And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:6-7

Christians are one with Christ, and seated with Christ at the right hand of God!

 

The throne of God and right hand of God are expressions of the Lord's authority.

 

The Lord has ALL AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth, and over every name and power category!

 

Because Christians are one with Christ, they are one with Him in His authority.

 

In other words, Christ shares His authority with the body, and this authority is over our enemy, the "principalities, dominions, powers, and rulers" mentioned in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, in relation to Christ and to Christians!



What does all of this mean in application?

1. We have the authority to pray in the name of the Lord Jesus against the works of the devil.
2. We have the authority to cast out demons in the Lord Jesus' name when demons oppress or possess people.
3. We have the authority to render Satan and demons silent, inactive, and absent (to "bind" them) in the same way Jesus and the apostles did.  To undo what the devil does, in the name of Jesus, and the power of His Spirit in us.

We have all of this in our union with Christ, being seated with Him at the right hand of God, having "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms."

Some fear presumption against Satan and demons. They don't believe we do actually have authority over the enemy, and that the best we can do is ignore him, in hopes that he will ignore us.

But the word of God makes it very clear that we are at war, and our enemy is actively seeking to tempt us, oppose us, and devour us.  We are to actively resist Satan in submission to God.  We are also to actively expose and destroy his works, as it is written,

"Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them."  Ephesians 5:11

By the name of Jesus and His Spirit in us, we do as Jesus did:
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."  1 John 3:8b

If you are in sin, then it is presumption to assume authority over the enemy.  But if your sins are forgiven and forgotten through Jesus' salvation, you can successfully resist Satan, and undo what the devil does.  After all, we are the children of light, light in this dark world.  Light, by definition, undoes darkness.  So it is with us, in the name of Jesus. 

When GOD and SATAN Have Plans FOR YOU (Part 2)

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  Luke 22:31-32

Jesus prayed FOR Peter. 
Satan prayed AGAINST Peter.
Both had plans for him.

Satan wanted Peter's faith to fail.
Jesus wanted his faith to not fail.

These are the plans of Jesus and Satan for me.
AND YOU.

When you feel like you would die for Jesus, and that your faith is invincible:
Beware.
Satan has plans for you.
Be encouraged.
Jesus also has plans for you.

The Lord knows how weak we are. 
He knows the limits of our trust in him.

We don't.

We think too highly of our faith.
Like Peter, we don't see our downfall coming.

Jesus does.
He has plans.
He prays that our faith may not fail.

Either God, and Satan, see your faithfulness, like they saw the faithfulness of Job.
Or they foresee your faith about to fail, like they foresaw the failure of Peter's faith.

Either way, God is for you, and though Satan is against you, God has plans for you.
Jesus is praying for you.

When GOD and SATAN Have Plans FOR YOU (Part 1)

(Satan said to the LORD about Job,) "But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”  Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.  Job 1:11-12

Why were God and Satan focused on Job?

Satan had roamed the earth, to and fro.  God brought Job to Satan's attention.  Job was the focus of their conversation.  What did God see?  What did Satan see?

God saw a man who feared Him and shunned evil more than any other man in the world.  Satan saw a man who only did so for what he got.  God and Satan focused on Job's true motivation.

Every now and then, they focus on the same with me, AND YOU.

What is your true motivation?
How does it get the attention of God and Satan?

• When you fear God to the extent that you are distinct in your surroundings, God notices.  So does the devil.
• When you shun evil to the extent that you stand out like a candle in the dark, God notices.  So does the devil.

When God and Satan have plans for you, it is because you are faithful.

Stay faithful.

Or it may because your faith is about to fail...(Read Part 2 click HERE)

How We RESIST SATAN (PART 2)

Our enemies are spiritual. demons. satan. Thoughts and insinuations and implications and assumptions whose origins are satan and demons. You feel it. Thoughts that put you in a bad mood for no real reason. Like a grudge before the day begins. It’s in the air. War. Meaningless internal and external atmospheric conflict. Someone picks a fight with you at work. Why? You were minding your own business. It feels like you’re being targeted. Sought out for an argument. Like a verbal fight is inevitable. The devil. Resist. Focus. Truth will dispel the cloud over your head. You’ll feel it evaporate. The evaporation is satan fleeing. God promises this if you resist.

How We RESIST SATAN (PART 1)

God commands strength. He is our source. God commands us to use His strength to immovably stand against satan. He supplies us with His own armor—offensive and defensive weapons and protection. Truth overcomes lies. The righteousness of our faith in Christ defeats satan’s accusations. The good news of our peace with God destroys all emotions of opposition. Our invincibility is our faith: we listen only to God; we ignore satan’s deceptions and temptations. Our hope in Christ’s return is victory over hopelessness and distraction. We speak only the truth, according to the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How to BE SPIRITUALLY POWERFUL AND INVINCIBLE (PART 2)

God commands us to take His armor, His complete armor. We are to do this because the devil schemes against us. But we can be invincibly immovable and moving against our enemy. By God’s Truth, we can resist and defeat the father of lies. By Christ’s Righteousness which comes from our faith in Christ, we can resist the slanderer-tempter-accuser. By the Spirit of Peace we defeat the devil’s disorder and confusion. By the hope of Christ’s salvation, we defeat the hopelessness of Satan. Now we come to the essential thing that makes us powerful and invincible!

The Differences Between GOD AND SATAN (PART 3)

Satan affects a room in such a way as to hypnotize. You feel your mind overwhelmed with pleasure or displeasure, to the point where your focus seems impossible, and the pleasure or displeasure seem irresistible. Key word: Irresistible. God never rapes our spirits with His wonder or power. God Himself can be rejected by us. True, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This will not be an option. Hell and heaven won’t be options in the end. But today they are chosen. Today you determine your final end. Satan seeks to intoxicate you until you are addicted to yourself. God seeks to reveal Himself to you so that you may be like Him. With Satan, whether he comes through pleasure or displeasure, something in you will alert you to his danger. Something will always be “off.” With God, whether you feel pleasure or you suffer, you will feel a deep incomprehensible peace that liberates your mind and emotions to love God, men, and women. God is love. Satan is the murderer and hater. If you want God, you will have him. He gives you this choice. Satan does not

The Differences Between GOD AND SATAN (PART 2)

Here are the differences between God and Satan: God made Himself known as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He said He would be known by this name forever. Jesus came in the flesh, died for our sins, and rose for our regeneration. Jesus is Lord. Any one who says otherwise should be rejected. The Spirit of truth is truth, guiding us into all truth; God’s word is truth; God’s Son is the truth. The Spirit acknowledges Jesus is Lord, and Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Those who follow the Spirit glorify Christ and love as He loves. Satan wants our wills and minds passive. God’s Spirit wants active minds and wills. Satan operates from the outside in, God from the inside out. Satan confuses and condemns unknown or nonspecific sin, creating hopelessness. God clarifies and convicts specific sins, giving the hope of forgiveness. God is light. Satan is the prince of darkness.

The Differences Between GOD AND SATAN (PART 1)

No one who encounters God mistakes Satan for God. The Spirit of God is never taken for a demon. There are false prophets, false teachers, and false miracle workers. But God is God. He is who He is. There is no one and nothing like Him. Those who encounter Him never think anything else. Many false prophets and false christs come and go. But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God said through the prophet Malachi, “I, the LORD, do not change.” Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth.” John said the Spirit is truth. False gods never compared to the only true God. May we never dishonor the Father, the Son, or the Spirit by assuming they are so flimsy as to be easily mistaken for Satan.

How to TEST SPIRITS Without FEAR (PART 2)

God’s children fear God. We know that deception is possible, but not necessarily probable. We are watchful for Satan’s deceptions, but without fear of our communion with God by His Spirit. It is our birthright to understand and know God through faith in Christ Jesus, as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Submit to God. Resist the Devil. Depend on God’s power. Test those who say they have a message from God to you, and test yourself before you give messages from God to others. But refuse to live in fear of being deceived. Refuse to believe the Spirit of God is less real than you are.

How to Test SPIRITS Without FEAR (Part 1)

Perfect love casts out fear. God is love. The Spirit is God. Therefore, the Spirit casts out fear. Testing the spirits in scripture refers to our own spirit and the spirits of false teachers and prophets. We test our character and the character of others, whether we are in total submission to the Spirit of Christ. We test our power and the power of others, whether we are dependent on the gifts God alone gives. But God's Spirit is Certainty. Perfectly Trustworthy. Imitations of Satan and demons bear no comparison to the true and living God.

Our Enemy (Part 2)

Jesus deliberately destroyed the works of the devil.

He was born for this reason.

The Spirit led Jesus to the devil for battle.   

The devil didn’t come to Jesus.  Jesus came to the devil.

Peter said Jesus “went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.”

Satan is called “the evil one.”  Jesus doing good, by definition, undermines Satan.

Satan is the oppressor of the sick and diseased.  Jesus sets the oppressed free, destroying the works of the enemy, destroying the works of slavery.

Jesus called Satan, “the father of lies.”  The Lord told Pilate he was born to bear witness to the truth.  As The Witness of Truth, he undermines the father of lies. 

Everything Jesus was and everything he did exposed, shamed, and crippled evil.   

His birth alone, his entry into this world, was light eradicating darkness forever.

Do we see Jesus like this?

Do we understand his enmity against the enemy?

Over and over again he cast out demons, and they screamed in terror because of his presence alone.

Do we believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever?

Then as long as there is a Satan, and as long as there are demons, Jesus lives to destroy their works.

Our Enemy

anamcharabooks.com 

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.  1 John 3:8b NASB

The Devil is our enemy, and we are the devil's enemy! 

It's personal.

We personally hate each other!

He deliberately opposes us when we seek God's will. 
We deliberately oppose Satan in doing God's will!

In other words, if you are deliberately trying to do something good, the devil is actively, personally, and purposely trying to stop you.

• If you are a husband trying to be faithful to your wife, the devil is actively trying to get you to be unfaithful to her.
• If you are a mother actively trying to teach your children the ways of God, the devil is actively trying negate your godly teaching and example.

Satan is our enemy because he is God's enemy.

But we are also Satan's enemy because he is God's enemy.

Do you see the subtle difference in those two sentences?

Not only is Satan actively opposing us,

but we should be actively opposing him, just as Jesus actively opposed him.

Whatever the devil is doing, we are undoing!

It's like in a movie I saw about Hitler and the Nazis.

I remember a scene where a fighter plane was doing patrols.  The pilot spotted a train carrying supplies for Hitler's armies.  So what did the pilot do?  Destroy the trains!

In fact, the pilots consistently took every opportunity to hinder their enemy.
If they found a Nazi factory, they destroyed it. 

Knowingly. 
Willingly. 
Deliberately.

What about you and me?

Do we deliberately seek out the works of the devil to destroy them, in the name of Jesus, and by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit?

We would if we perceived ourselves in real warfare with a real enemy that hates us, AND THAT WE HATE BACK!

Of course we don't fight him as if we can take him alone.
But what army does that?
What real soldier, apart from stupid Rambo movies, acts alone, without a plan, without back up?

Today, right now, we should be actively destroying the works of the devil in the name of Jesus.

Our lives should be such that our very existence hinders Satan!

From this point on, let's seek ways to hinder our enemy!
To undo whatever he does!
To destroy the works of the devil!