GIVING PLACE TO THE ENEMY
GIVING PLACE TO THE ENEMY
Jesus said, "...for the prince of this world comes, and has nothing in me." John 14:30
INTRODUCTION
THE TEMPTATIONS FROM WITHIN
THE DECEPTIVE ARROGANCE OF RELIGION'S SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
THE TEMPTATIONS FROM WITHOUT
THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE "LEFT" AND THE "RIGHT"
SEDUCED INTO FALSE RIGHTEOUS CAUSES
A DESTABILIZED CIRCUMSTANCE OR SOCIETY FEAR, PANIC, BETRAYAL
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
The intended point of this article is, how aware are we that we are facing the forces of darkness in our day-to-day lives, and are we prevailing?
Often, we refer to or mention the verses in Ephesians 6 regarding our battle against the spiritual forces of darkness, but let us bring it a little closer to home. Jesus was fully aware of what and who he was up against. Not only because He keenly understood that He was facing the cross, but He also had full knowledge of Satan's forces behind His opponents. He pointed this out when He said to the chief priests and the captains of the temple and the elders who came to arrest Him, "...this is your hour, and the power of darkness." Luke 22:53 They convinced themselves that they were serving God, but were unaware that they were actually working for the devil and his kingdom. Consequently, Jesus death on the cross, which was our salvation, was also a victory and a statement against the kingdom of darkness, "And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you your trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having spoiled the principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly (public spectacle NIV) triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:13-15 This is amazing! Not only as a man, but for mankind, Jesus Christ defeated the devil and his kingdom. Therefore, in Christ, we too are victorious against the devil and the kingdom of darkness. How awesome is that! What we must carefully scrutinize is: does the devil have anything in me, and when we engage in the affairs of this life, is it the Lord whom we are actually serving?
Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly bombarded by the same evil forces through temptations, both from within and from without. Now, so as not to sound overwhelmed, God has graced us with the complete support and help in Christ Jesus through the Bible, His Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, and even His angelic forces. As Elisha said to his servant, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 2 Kings 6: 16. So we know that, as for the devil and the powers of darkness, they cannot touch us if we abide in Christ. (I am not referring to the suffering of persecution here), "...because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4 What we must be aware of is that we can unwittingly give place by agreement.
THE TEMPTATIONS FROM WITHIN
What is the greatest concern? These temptations try our hearts; therefore, what we must be concerned with is the condition of our hearts, thoughts, and motives before our Heavenly Father. "We are tempted when we are drawn away from our own lusts and enticed "James 1:14. This concern must never end! Ranting against the devil is folly. Can we say as Jesus said, "The prince of this world comes, and has nothing in me."? Are we not tempted with pride, lusts (including covetousness/greed and idolatry), bitterness, and so on? Therefore, it is advisable, before we face a temptation, to constantly humble ourselves and "...fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13, lest we fall into foolishness and presumption and make ourselves an easy target for the adversary. Never underestimate your adversary. Satan is an expert on deception and seduction. Furthermore, outside of Christ, in ourselves, we are weak and can be easily deceived ("He that trusts in his own heart is a fool." Proverbs 28:26). Does Satan have anything in you? Does he have a hold anywhere in our life, something that we either secretly or unwittingly have held on to or have agreed with? Is there a habit or passion, a bitterness and unforgiveness that we are unable to control, or that is not fully surrendered to Christ? You can be sure "...your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23); therefore, we pray, "...lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." Matthew 6:13. Dearly beloved, we may feel confident that it won't get the better of us, but we must understand that our adversary is able to present it with such impact and wicked reason that we can cave to it if we don't repent and flee for refuge in Christ. The devil uses thoughts like, "It's not so...," or "Just...," or "Only...," or "They did this to me so..." or "I have that right to," or "I deserve..." And you thought that those thoughts or voices were just yours, or the voice of others? He makes his lies sound so reasonable and appealing. The good news is that through all these trials we have a wonderful promise, "There has not temptation taken you but such as us common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer(allow) you to be tempted above that you are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 As one preacher said regarding being under the trial of temptation, the Lord has provided the escape. All we need to do is find the door. Remember, Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41. "Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7. Thankfully, the BLOOD OF JESUS washes us as clean from all sin (1 John 1:7). Let us continually take what we may call these "Little issues" seriously and "...give no place for the devil, neither let the sun go down on our wrath." Ephesians 4:26 And trust our Lord Jesus to keep us and rescue us from our folly.
"Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord had promised to them that love him." James 1:12. AND IF WE SLIP, JESUS HAS ALSO PROVIDED US WITH THIS PROMISE "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 How wonderful is that!!!
[If you have been struggling with something that the Bible calls sin and cannot seem to shake it, like drugs, sexual immorality, or suicide, again, the devil will tell you it is hopeless, or that you are hopeless, or that there is nothing really wrong with it, so just give in. Anything or anyone who promotes such things is the voice of your enemy, the devil!!! Flee into the arms of Jesus! DO NOT AGREE WITH IT AT ANY LEVEL!!! Get help from a pastor or another trusted Christian source. Cry out to Jesus with ALL YOUR HEART! If there is any agreement at any level in your heart or mind, it will continually plague you, and the devil will still have a hold on you. If you are addicted, Jesus can set you free (Luke 4:18), but you must break whatever agreement you still have with it, and keep at it until you mean it with all your heart.]
THE DECEPTIVE ARROGANCE OF RELIGION'S SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exaults himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted." Luke 18:10-14
If the devil cannot trick us into godlessness and unbelief, especially if we incline toward faith or religious affections, then he will try to push us into the deceptive arrogance of religious performance. We can easily tend to look down on, or even despise, those whom we consider ungodly or less righteous than ourselves. We thus drive away those whom we should be winning and helping in Christ. Are we then doing anything differently than the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day? "Therefore, thus says the Lord God unto them, 'Behold, I even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because you have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad. Therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle." Ezekiel 34:20-22 Dear friends, how is this any less harmful and less evil than any other evil and diabolical practices? Oh, how we must fear God and constantly humble ourselves. May we never forget that we have NO righteousness outside of Christ, no matter how devoted we may think we are.
THE TEMPTATIONS FROM WITHOUT
Not all temptations appear dark. Sometimes they seem natural, proper, justifiable, but if they draw you away from the will of God, you are under attack, and more importantly, your heart is being tried.
"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, that to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." Hebrews 11:24-25. You can be sure that this was no small issue with Moses. This was his whole life he was leaving behind, he earned it, and doubtless enjoyed it. He realized, however, that the value of what he was leaving could not be compared with the righteousness of the cause for which he was to lay down his life. It was the evil forces of darkness that prompted Pharaoh and the Egyptians to oppress the Israelites. That was reflected in the gods they worshiped, and that is who the Lord, through Moses, contended with (Exodus 12:12). Moses's integrity preserved him from caving to the temptation to remain on the side of Egypt.
Let's look at the temptations Jesus faced after fasting for His initiation into His public ministry. Turning stones to bread when you are literally starving, putting God to the test to prove how special you are (doubtless it was more complicated than that), or inheriting all the glory without having to suffer the death of the cross when you are physically, and doubtless after forty days of fasting, everywhichway drained, how much those temptations must have sounded appealing? But oh, He wonderfully and faithfully resisted!!! How well do you think any of us super Christians would have done under such attacks? By the way, just in case someone might think that these were the only temptations which He suffered and endured, He, like us, was tempted from His youth to His death in all points as we are. The difference was that He never yielded, not even once, Hebrews 4:15. Glory to His Holy Name!!!
THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE "LEFT" AND THE "RIGHT"
In a world of growing conflict, especially between what we call in the West, the Right vs the Left, either or both sides are in danger of being used by the devil, especially when we get extreme in our views. Some indications that we are succumbing to Satanic influences are when we are developing hate towards people. Jesus said that we are to "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. and persecute you." Matthew 5:44 If we no longer have a genuine love and concern for our opponents (imagined or otherwise), we know we are being deceived and are playing into the devil's hands, and he is having a heyday!
SEDUCED INTO FALSE RIGHTEOUS CAUSES
"...insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:24
Even as followers of Jesus, we can be tricked into campaigning for causes that are unbiblical, ungodly, or even anti-Christ, and like the religious leaders who were opposing Jesus, yet actually thinking that we are doing God a service (John 16:2). You may feel insulted by such a statement, but we are all aware of what others have done and are doing, and we call them deceived. Are we that sure of ourselves? Not all the Germans during Hitler's days were unbelievers. He was a brilliant speaker, and to the suffering populace after World War 1, he seemed to be a superhero and miracle worker by rebuilding the broken economy. He gave them hope, dignity, and purpose. Would we have responded any differently if we hadn't known the whole picture? Behind every human activity, there is a spiritual force, and remember, we too are spiritual beings. This can get complicated, but we will stick with Jesus' admonition, "...you shall know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:16 Don't forget, just because they may be helping people and meeting pressing needs does not mean that they are safe to support. From what foundation are they building, and to which end are they heading?
I am again going to point to the terrible story in the book of Judges, where the entire tribe of Benjamin rallied behind some of the men of the city of Gibeah who had brutally raped the wife of a Levite, after attempting to rape him, Judges 19-20. Now it clearly states that the men who were actually responsible for the act were "...certain sons of Belial (sons of the devil)." Judges 19:22. Nevertheless, the entire tribe of Benjamin, for some reason, sympathized with them and rallied to their rescue, feeling/believing that they were being unjustly accused and treated by the other eleven tribes. Their sin was not only the brutal rape of the woman, but the intended rape of the priest. They too were, as the Scriptures say, committing the same sin as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, wherein God was not even able to find ten just men, women, and youth. ("Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 7) Dear friends, people today are rallying behind the same cause and other similar causes, believing they are showing true love to the people, yet not recognizing that before God, they are trapped in their sin. The true love of God is wanting to and working to see people set free from their sins, even as we were from ours. The devil loves to recruit, especially Christians, who will zealously campaign for his causes. It is a terrible thing to wake up and find you have been used by the devil to help destroy others.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES
Hurt and bitter Christians can become easy targets for deception. What I am referring to here are things in our lives that have wounded us, embittered us, or that we have stumbled over and have failed to resolve in our walk with Jesus. The devil comes along and has all the good-sounding antidotes conveniently waiting for you as a solution to all your issues and hurts. Without realizing it, you can be lured into not only his prison, but also his service. That is how some people fall into cults. He will even use the Scriptures falsely. The devil, through charming people, will try to seduce you to bring his twisted freedom and justice to others with whom you can sympathize. His goal is to lure you away from whole-hearted devotion to Jesus and the Gospel and thereby help support his (the devil's) plan to destroy the lives of others. He keeps you bound in your hurt by superficially covering the real personal issue and distracting you with the supposed justice for others. Because of your own wounds, you will campaign with retaliatory anger to unwittingly satisfy your own suffered injustice as well as theirs. If you have been hurt, especially in church or by Christians, that is serious and valid, and should and must be dealt with and confronted; however, if you cannot achieve a resolution, please, by the grace of God, forgive unconditionally as He commands us, abide in the love of Christ, and stay faithful to Him and His Word. "He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 Jesus came that we may have life, and have it more abundantly. "The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10 The goal is to surrender to Jesus with all your heart. He must become your life. Do not leave yourself as a target or a prisoner of the lies of Satan, and especially do not engage in his causes.
THE AFFECTIONS OF BELIEFS AND VALUES
When our ideals and beliefs run contrary to the teaching of the Bible. Another stronghold that the devil can have in our lives is the hardcore affections and beliefs that we hold on to. We may have inherited them from our upbringing, or resolutions we made after seeing or going through an experience. For a long time, the Lord may have overlooked it in your life because He understands, or, for the time being, it is dormant and not a critical influence. But when the time comes, and it is tried by the Word of God, you might then hit a wall in the growth and development of your faith. Here, the integrity of your heart is put to the test. Are you willing to let go of what you hold so dear and accept the Word of God at face value, or will you draw the line to your service to Christ? The devil has conveniently set up a bundle of reasons, alternatives, and compromises to keep you from letting go of that treasure, belief, or value ingrained in you. What will it be, the cross, or the world? We can never give up something for the love of Christ, that we will not receive back from Him that which is unimaginably better. He loves us so much! Such an attachment can take you off course and veer you from a consecration to the Lord Jesus Christ and into another gospel, one that allows you to keep your idol.
A DESTABILIZED CIRCUMSTANCE OR SOCIETY
FEAR, PANIC, BETRAYAL
Have you ever experienced a fear to the point that you would abandon someone you love to save yourself? Or have you ever felt your position or benefits threatened to the point that you would betray someone for personal gain? We may shock ourselves, but the Lord knows.
In a society or worldwide situation where safety is under threat, especially if we are under the hand of an oppressive regime, or some other form of threat to our health and safety, we can fall into fear and the panic of self-preservation. We thus render ourselves prey to the devil's devices and can become tools of his agenda. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for My Name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." Matthew 24:9-10 This situation is not only something that is still coming, but is something that people, especially Christians, have experienced many times throughout history. We may think that we would never betray anyone we love, even as the disciples of Jesus thought that they wouldn't, but let me assure you that it is only by the grace of God that any of us will stand true in a given situation. Oh, how we need to constantly humble ourselves, to walk in the fear of the Lord, to abide in the Love of Christ, and trust Him only for our safety and salvation!
CONCLUSION - We do not fear the devil; we only fear God, and let us be leery of the interests and affections we have, the activities we engage in, and who and what we gravitate to. May the Lord keep each one of you victorious through every trial and temptation. He is more than able! Remember, you are not just facing people and ordinary struggles, but a very evil enemy.
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