Destroying The Devil's Plans

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8  But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

Colossians 2:13-15 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.  15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Isaiah 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and when he finished his work he took a look at everything that existed and he said that it was good. I have created a few things that I decided right away that I didn't do a good job, unlike us, God was very happy with everything that he made. It was all created for him and it all worked together perfectly. (Genesis 1:31, Psalm 104:31, 1 Timothy 4:4)

I don't completely understand what it means when the Bible tells us that he made the spiritual world with unseen powers and kingdoms but I know he made them and he said that everything that he made was good so that must include everything.

Can you believe that when God said that everything he created was good that it included Satan? Ezekiel 28:12-15 tells us that he was a very beautiful part of creation and it seems that he may have been the highest rank of all of the angels. Satan wanted more, the beauty and power that he had was not enough, he decided that he wanted to be God. We don't know how long Satan was in good standing with God; all we know is that he rebelled sometime between Genesis chapter one and chapter three.

Colossians 1:16  For through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see; such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.

God didn't tolerate Satan's rebellion and it made him very angry, it seems that Satan made a plan to get back at God, he decided to go after the part of creation that was the most dear to God. The man and woman that God enjoyed being with each day in the garden. Satan went after Adam and Eve and tempted them to make the same choice that he made. (Genesis 3:1-5).

It is no wonder that Satan went after mankind, the part of creation that was made just below the angels, the part of creation that was crowned with glory and honor, the part of creation that God allowed to rule the other parts of his creation. Satan wanted to be a ruler and it probably upset him that God put mankind in charge of his creation. (Psalm 8:5-6, Ephesians 2:10)

Colossians 2:13-15 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Satan must have thought that he could make man detestable and undesirable to God. He may have thought that we would be destroyed and that God would give us the same punishment that he received. How could a holy God overlook these rebellious people since he didn't overlook Satan and the angels that followed him?

God's Love In Action

Romans 8:37-39 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus came to earth to destroy the devil's plans, his idea to get us to rebel so that God would have to destroy us backfired, Satan didn't realize how much God loves us and how far he would go to keep from destroying us. God's love and mercy extended unearned favor to us so that the devils plan could be defeated.

The vast majority of people have a negative view of Satan but they don't realize that they are doomed to share his fate unless they turn to Christ. Our rebellion is just as big as his rebellion is and we deserve the same fate.
Oh, if men could but see the slime of the serpent upon their pleasurable sins; the venom of asps upon their dainty lusts and the smoke of Hell upon their proud and boastful thoughts, surely they would loathe that which they now delight in!

-Spurgeon

We don't mind saying that we have sinned but don't accuse us of working for the devil. It sounds a lot more unpleasant but it is the honest truth. (John 8:44, Ephesians 2:2) We need to see sin for what it really is. We should find it detestable to rebel against God.

Thank you Lord for destroying the devils plans, he wanted you to destroy us but you had something else in mind, your love for us is truly amazing!

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The Devil's Many Faces

Satan is the master of disguise.

John 8:44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.

He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

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Ever since the Garden of Eden the devil has been presenting himself in a favorable light. He has a great amount of skill in concealing his true identity and he spends a lot of his time trying to trick us.

When the serpent started talking to Eve he didn't say anything outrageous he just twisted the truth a little bit. It is probably safe to assume that he knew the truth but he didn't want Adam and Eve to believe in the truth.

The devil seemed to be very wise and he seemed to have an accurate assessment of the relationship between God and the first man and woman. Satan sounded like he knew what he was talking about when he questioned God's motivation for the limits that he gave to Adam.

Sometimes Satan gives us inaccurate information based on what he believes to be true. Satan thought he could outwit God, he thought that he knew Job better than God did, the problem is that Satan had deceived himself, he was so sure that he knew how Job would react. His conversation with God about Job was based on what he thought he knew about Job. Satan was so sure that God was wrong but Job proved that Satan was wrong.

Satan’s character is deceitful and devious, he hates the truth, he always sugar coats the reality of sin. He hides the consequences of sin like an advertisement for a beer commercial that shows you how cool and fun their product is without showing you where it will take you. He presents a false truth or he gives us inaccurate information that is based on his own false beliefs. Satan has several techniques and disguises that he likes to use to cover up his true character.

Check out some of the disguises that Satan uses:

The Serpent

Genesis 3:1-5  The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"  2  "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied.  3  "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"  4  "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman.  5  "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."

Adam and Eve have never met a talking animal in the Garden of Eden but on that day when the snake came up and began a conversation with Eve they were not the least bit concerned. It didn't seem to raise any warning flags and make them question the snake and his motives instead they accept the snakes teaching and question God's motives.

The serpents strategy was to question truth and question God's goodness to us. He appealed to our pride and our desire to get everything we can out of life. Satan told them that the limits that God gave them could be rejected and then they could decide for themselves what is right and wrong.

An Angel of Light

2 Corinthians 11:14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Satan wasn't created as an evil being, the Bible tells us that God only made good things. He must have started his existence as an angel of light, a pure and holy angel, but he chose to do his will instead of God's. So when Satan hides his true character from us it is easy for him to look just like a good angel.

As an angel of light Satan deceives us with a false views of spiritual things, he gets us to believe in religion, he promotes his lies by getting as close to the truth as he can without actually being true. He knows how to look good, it is essential, if he chose to show his true character to us then we would reject him right away and he would be defeated. This should make us realize that everything that looks good isn't necessarily good.

A Roaring Lion

1 Peter 5:7-9  Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.  8  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  9  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

As a roaring lion, Satan bear down on us to destroy us by violent opposition, persecution, and death. He is not a passive enemy rather he is violently opposed to every effort that we make to do good, he resists all of our efforts to obey God.

Accusation is a favorite ploy of Satan against God's people, Satan’s accusations are not beneficial, he wants to mimic the work of the Holy Spirit but the difference is the Holy Spirit wants to convict us of sin in order to move us to repentance and forgiveness but Satan's accusations are meant for harm and to tear us down.

Ephesians 2:2  You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

If you are a child of God and you are living to please him then you are living life in the middle of a battle ground. You need to be familiar with your enemy and, you need to know what he looks like and what his strategy is.

Satan is the commander in chief, he is the prince of this world, he has demons and godless people that are willing to follow his commands. Thankfully his power and reign are only temporary and someday we will live in paradise without his evil influence.

Thank you Lord for giving us victory in our battle with Satan.

The Kingdom Of Darkness Takes Control

The battle is on, which kingdom do you belong too?

Luke 22:47-53 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of his twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss.

48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 53 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

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Jesus has been praying to God in the Garden of Gethsemane while his disciples fell asleep, he asked God for a plan B, if there is any other way then lets put it into action. Jesus returned to where he left his disciples and while he is talking to them about their inability to stay awake and pray, they are interrupted.

An armed guard comes to get Jesus in the middle of the night, they wouldn't dare take him away while he was teaching in the synagogue, the Pharisees couldn't take a chance on the crowds reaction.

The kingdom of darkness is given authority to take Jesus and do what it wants with him, the devil and all of his demons are ready to put an end to Jesus, Jesus acknowledged what was happening in today's scripture:

"But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

The kingdom of darkness was allowed to take the Prince of Peace and brutally torture and kill him for our benefit. Jesus disciples thought about defending Jesus and Peter even grabbed a sword and struck one of the guards but once they realized that Jesus wasn't going to rise up against the guards and establish his kingdom they hit the road.

We Have Been Rescued

Colossians 1:12-14 Always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

The kingdom of darkness is still wreaking havoc on the earth, it is a mighty kingdom but God's children do not have to worry about it's power, the Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus has rescued us and freed us from the power of sin.

Thank you Lord for the great rescue, thanks for making me your child and for allowing me to live in your Kingdom. I want to let my light shine for you.

Be Wise As Serpents And Harmless As Doves

Watch out for the wolves!

Matthew 10:16  "Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.

Ephesians 5:15  So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.

Colossians 4:5  Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.

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The world is not a safe place for your soul, you better watch out for the intense warfare out there for those that want less than the best for your eternal destiny. The world is full of the devil's people that are ready to persuade you to join them on one of the many attractive paths that are leading to destruction.

Jesus gives us two qualities that we need to have, be wise and be harmless.

I have killed a snake or two and I have learned that the snake is very evasive and can get away from his enemy pretty quick. When the wolves are coming I need o avoid them and their tactics to try and persuade me to leave the narrow road.

I have never seen an unpleasant, rude dove, they don't usually inflict very much pain. Living as harmless as a dove requires that I avoid provoking somebody's anger against me, it means that I have to be gentle and kind.

I need to keep my guard up against the devil's tricks and be careful that I live my life full of grace and gentleness to those around me that need to hear the gospel so that I won't turn them away from the truth that they need.

Thank you Lord for your word and for the truth that is there to keep us from harm.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

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I Know Who Is In Control

Everybody likes to be in control, but are we ever really?

Mark 5:1-20   So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs and met him. He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, but he had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him. Then he cried out with a loud voice, "Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore you by God - do not torment me!" For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!" Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "My name is Legion, for we are many." He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region. There on the hillside, a great herd of pigs was feeding. And the demonic spirits begged him, "Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them." Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind - the one who had the "Legion" - and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it, and they also told about the pigs. Then they asked Jesus to leave their region. As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if he could go with him. But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, "Go to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you." So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.

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Who is in control?

The victim wasn't in control, this poor fellow was a wreck, injuring himself, running around and screaming, he probably didn't even get to sleep.
 
The shepherds were not in control, they probably felt uneasy everyday while they were out there with the pigs, wondering what this guy was going to do next and if they were going to get hurt.
 
Satan wasn't in control, how do you think he felt when he saw his demons bow down at Jesus feet and they called him the Son of God.
 
The disciples were not in control, they were probably still sitting in the boat, they may have been jumping overboard and trying to swim away. This is one crazy scene, of all the things that happened while the disciples were following Jesus, this is probably one of the events that they talked about the most.

Jesus wasn't surprised when the crazy demon filled man came running to him and he isn't caught off guard about any of the circumstances of our lives either.
 
Life is full of surprises for us but you are never shocked by what happens to us or what we do to ourselves. Help me to remember that you are in control no matter what is going on.

Satan’s Panic Attack

Be careful, the battle is still going

Mark 1:23-28 Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, 24 "Why are You interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One sent from God!"

25 Jesus cut him short. "Be quiet! Come out of the man," He ordered. 26 At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. 27 Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. "What sort of new teaching is this?" they asked excitedly. "It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey His orders!" 28 The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.

Mark 1:32-39 That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. 33 The whole town gathered at the door to watch. 34 So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and He cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who He was, He did not allow them to speak. 35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. 36 Later Simon and the others went out to find Him. 37 When they found Him, they said, "Everyone is looking for You." 38 But Jesus replied, "We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came." 39 So He traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.

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It looks to me like Satan is running scared. There were so many demon-possessed people around, even in the synagogue, it looks like Satan is desperate and he is prepared for a show down. Satan's purpose was to distract, he wanted to distract those that needed to know the Messiah and keep them from hearing the gospel message and he wanted to distract Jesus from his mission.

Jesus didn't allow the distraction to work, Satan's plan was about to backfire and Jesus would use the opportunity to prove his power over Satan and the entire demonic army, Satan was desperate to thwart God's plan. There is spiritual warfare going on all around us, the devil will use people in our church to distract the preacher and distract the listener as well.

What better proof could you possibly get than the testimony of Satan's army, they knew without a doubt that Jesus is the Promised Messiah and on many occasions they let it be known.

I need to keep in mind that Satan has lost the war but he doesn't know that he lost already. He is trying to distract the church from being effective as possible, we need to remember that we are fighting in spiritual combat.

Help us Lord to persevere and keep on telling the good news despite the distractions that Satan throws in our way. Help the church to realize that we are fighting a spiritual battle that isn't about the physical fighting that we can see.

Watch Out!

The devil is on the prowl.

1 Peter 5:8-11  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

All power to him forever! Amen.

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Nobody looks forward to being thrown to the lions, it's not a fun place to vacation, the family is never going to ask to go there but we need to realize that we are already there. There is a lion out there and he is hungry and he likes to prey on Christ followers. That is why we are supposed to stay alert and have our spiritual armor on (Ephesians 6:11).

If you are going to do battle the first thing that you have to do is to know your enemy so that you won't be out there shadow boxing, Jesus told us about him:

John 8:44  For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Don't even begin to trust the father of lies, there isn't anything that you can hold on to that is for real, God is the only source of absolute truth that we can live by

When Satan is attacking, don't think that you are suffering alone in a personal attack that is focused on you, the whole body of Christ is suffering attacks from him at all times.

If he isn't working on you right now, watch out! The Bible says that when the Devil finished working on Jesus for a while, he didn't stay gone:

Luke 4:13  When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

I will need to keep my spiritual armor on at all times so that i will be ready for a sneak attack.

Thank you Lord for providing a warning and exposing our enemy for what he really is.

Satan In A Pinch

Scripture

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Acts 13 – 14

Observation

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The Holy Spirit selected Paul and Barnabas for a task and the church in Antioch sent them out after fasting and prayer. Good thing that they had the Holy Spirit power and authority backing them up because Satan has been desperate and be is pulling out all the stops.

The Satanic interference begins right away. Satan had lost the battle when Jesus left the tomb but he was still going to fight against the gospel message being spread, his only hope was that Christ death wouldn’t benefit too many people, he had to stop the good news from spreading very far.

The governor of Paphos, Cyprus was a seeker and he sent for Barnabus and Paul because he wanted to hear the word of God, despite interference from Satan through a sorcerer the man became a believer.

In modern day Turkey at Pisidion Antioch, Paul preached in church and told the gospel message and the crowds were coming from all over town. But then here comes the interference the jealousy and abuse and then our first missionaries get run out of town.

In Iconium they were sent packing again, because of threats of violence, but only after making some more converts.

In Lystra the Devil tries to attack the apostles pride. The crowd fell down to worship them as gods and wanted to offer sacrifices to them, what a disaster if the apostles had allowed this. When that didn’t cause Paul and Barnabas to stumble then the crowd later turned on them, provoked by the bad crowd from the Iconium and Paul was stoned and left outside the city, they all were thinking he was dead.

I have been on many a mission trip and I can say that I have never been stoned or run out of town but Satan was still at work to hold people in bondage. I have seen Satan use government, demon possession, customs and traditions, whatever he can think up he will try.

I wrote previously in my blog about the Holy Spirit in Acts 1. Check out all the things he does for us, what a blessing for Paul and Barnabas that they had the strength that the Holy Spirit provides when we are working against Satan and his kingdom. We must never attempt to do God’s work without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Application

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I will rely on the Holy Spirit always.

Prayer

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Lord I pray that we never go out on duty for you without our power source.