Bible Study Resisting the Devil
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Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
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Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
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The greatest single step I have taken is to internalize the Word of God known, in scripture, as hiding the Word of God in my heart.
And that would be the same as taking the Sword of the Spirit and wielding it as and when required.
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Here some ramblings of mine hope you find something you can use. It can get quiet complicated.
Our thoughts on what you call the devil and we call ha satan are in some respects quite different. We dont see ha satan as an independent enitity battling God over the souls of men or for the throne in heaven. Just the opposite the supernatural ha satan only does the will of God, he may make suggestions, like he did with Job but God sets the limits and ha satan always abide by them. When you think about it, ha satan is in essence a righteous being because he always without question or hesitation obeys the will of his Creator.
Anyway, it is thought that man has in his heart two impulses one capable of doing exceedingly good and the other exceedingly evil. ha satan does not put evil in our heart that makes us do evil things we cannot blame anyone but ourselves. We already have the capability, ha satan is sometimes sent to just stir the pot (so to speak). Its your heart you are the one who controls it and determines whether you allow your evil impulse to over take you. As it written If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And to you shall be his desire, and yet you may rule over it.
Ive gone off the reservation more than I care to say, but I got back up dusted off turned around and got back on the path. Which if you ask me is probably the most important part. When we fall and we will, do we wallow in our sin like a pig in mud? Or do we get back up, turn around and get on the path, which is the mark of the righteous. (don't let go to your head
)
On the otherhand the evil impulse isnt necessarily a bad thing either, since God creates only what is good. It is evil only in so far as it is liable to be misused. We see this aspect very clearly in the interpretation of the words "very good" in the verse, "And God saw everthing that he had made and, behold, it was very good" - Bereshit 1:31. But you might ask, "is the evil impulse very good"? Of course it is, were it not for selfishness man would not build a house, marry, have children or conduct business to make money.
Our thoughts on what you call the devil and we call ha satan are in some respects quite different. We dont see ha satan as an independent enitity battling God over the souls of men or for the throne in heaven. Just the opposite the supernatural ha satan only does the will of God, he may make suggestions, like he did with Job but God sets the limits and ha satan always abide by them. When you think about it, ha satan is in essence a righteous being because he always without question or hesitation obeys the will of his Creator.
Anyway, it is thought that man has in his heart two impulses one capable of doing exceedingly good and the other exceedingly evil. ha satan does not put evil in our heart that makes us do evil things we cannot blame anyone but ourselves. We already have the capability, ha satan is sometimes sent to just stir the pot (so to speak). Its your heart you are the one who controls it and determines whether you allow your evil impulse to over take you. As it written If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And to you shall be his desire, and yet you may rule over it.
Ive gone off the reservation more than I care to say, but I got back up dusted off turned around and got back on the path. Which if you ask me is probably the most important part. When we fall and we will, do we wallow in our sin like a pig in mud? Or do we get back up, turn around and get on the path, which is the mark of the righteous. (don't let go to your head
)On the otherhand the evil impulse isnt necessarily a bad thing either, since God creates only what is good. It is evil only in so far as it is liable to be misused. We see this aspect very clearly in the interpretation of the words "very good" in the verse, "And God saw everthing that he had made and, behold, it was very good" - Bereshit 1:31. But you might ask, "is the evil impulse very good"? Of course it is, were it not for selfishness man would not build a house, marry, have children or conduct business to make money.
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smaller
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A great first step is understanding that we are sinners, we can't and don't escape that fact and that sin is of the devil. Gal. 5:17, 1 John 1:8, 1 John 3:8.
At least we stop lying and being pawns of the devil in and by that lying, saying these things are not scripturally true when they are.
By the word of our testimony and the word of God that Satan has to flee in the name of Jesus.
Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Notice how Christ quotes scripture in rebutting Satan in Matthew 4.He doesn't argue or even debate with Satan .He merely defends Himself with "It is written..."(v4) and again "It is also written...(v7)and of course (v10) as shown already above(for his Glory).I think if Christ was a traffic official back then Satan wouldn't have stood a chance no matter what tricks Satan tried to pull to weazel out of paying tickets.Christ just throws the Bible at Satan and so should we.That means studying the Bible which becomes a weapon or sword as Malachi so nicely points out .Paul also refers us to Scripture as our defense against "the devil's schemes"(Eph 6:11) and simply blowing him out of the water with "the sword of the Spirit. which is the word of God."(Eph.6:17 N.I.V.)
Jim Parker
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I just tell him to leave me alone and since my authority is higher than his, he obeys.
When you resist temptation, you are resisting the Devil.
The "devil", works in Christians through their lust and through their ignorance regarding their lack of understanding of the power of the Word of God and the Name of Jesus, as well as their general ignorance regarding their eternal status in the Kingdom of God.
99.99% of Christians have no idea what "Son of God" means, as it relates to their standing and status within God's family.
99.99% of Christians, have no idea what it literally means when God says you are a "Joint Heir" with Jesus Christ himself.
99.99% of Christians have no idea what being "in Christ", actually means.
99.99% of Christians have no idea that Jesus himself IS eternal life, and instead they think eternal life means "endless existence".
So, many "Christian ignorance" issues like this allow the Devil to have his way with 99.99% of Christianity .
The "devil", works in Christians through their lust and through their ignorance regarding their lack of understanding of the power of the Word of God and the Name of Jesus, as well as their general ignorance regarding their eternal status in the Kingdom of God.
99.99% of Christians have no idea what "Son of God" means, as it relates to their standing and status within God's family.
99.99% of Christians, have no idea what it literally means when God says you are a "Joint Heir" with Jesus Christ himself.
99.99% of Christians have no idea what being "in Christ", actually means.
99.99% of Christians have no idea that Jesus himself IS eternal life, and instead they think eternal life means "endless existence".
So, many "Christian ignorance" issues like this allow the Devil to have his way with 99.99% of Christianity .
smaller
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The Bible is actually a very strange, even bizarre detailed accounting of an entire world of invisible wicked entities (Satan and his messengers, an entire LEGION of them in a single man for example) that have spiritually blinded and captured the minds and hearts of all mankind.
And all of this has been done under Gods Auspices no less.
If you think about that for a moment it really does put any sci-fi novel ever written to utter shame. Do believers really contemplate the gravity of these facts?
Part of demonically imposed blindness is to minimize them and their quest is to hide their reality of control of the flesh from us. Again, it's just quite a bizarre account in these regards.
Very few christians actually believe this side of the ledgers of scripture. They give quite a lot of fervent adamant lip service to how they are personally immune, but that's about the extent of it. But you see that is part of the demonic agenda. To deny that entire world and it's occupants. Once you see/hear this it's quite funny because you really are hearing devils denying their factual influences, to your face no less. Even out of the mouths of the people who supposedly believe in and adhere to the precepts of the scriptures.
And then that world starts being revealed to you, as to the extents of their control and sway.
If it wasn't so sad it would be comical.
And all of this has been done under Gods Auspices no less.
If you think about that for a moment it really does put any sci-fi novel ever written to utter shame. Do believers really contemplate the gravity of these facts?
Part of demonically imposed blindness is to minimize them and their quest is to hide their reality of control of the flesh from us. Again, it's just quite a bizarre account in these regards.
Very few christians actually believe this side of the ledgers of scripture. They give quite a lot of fervent adamant lip service to how they are personally immune, but that's about the extent of it. But you see that is part of the demonic agenda. To deny that entire world and it's occupants. Once you see/hear this it's quite funny because you really are hearing devils denying their factual influences, to your face no less. Even out of the mouths of the people who supposedly believe in and adhere to the precepts of the scriptures.
And then that world starts being revealed to you, as to the extents of their control and sway.
If it wasn't so sad it would be comical.
smaller
Member
IF there is one simple lesson that can prove the point of scripture, it's that devils can never tell the truth.
IF sin is of the devil (1 John 3:8 says it is so) and all people are sinners (all undoubtedly ARE), the connection is quite undeniable to everyone. Now, we know from Jesus that the devil is a liar and there is no truth in him, John 8:44 (or the innumerable amounts of his own, i.e. other devils that are planted as "seeds," his family, essentially.) Devils CAN NOT SPEAK the truth.
So the test is this: If you can actually say that your sin is of the devil and that a messenger of Satan has sway over your own flesh, you as a believer have A LEG UP on that messenger of Satan because the messenger of Satan can NOT make that claim, because it is THE TRUTH. Do you see the irony involved here? IF believers can not make this truthful claim, then in effect they are and remain a pawn who can not speak the truth that scripture reveals because the messenger of Satan in their flesh WON'T ALLOW THAT TRUTH to be spoken.
But I guarantee any believer, that if they try this exercise, every fiber of their being will kick and scream NOT to be able to say it. And this again only serves to prove the reality of the facts of scripture.
Welcome to resisting the devil. I doubt it's going to happen for the majority of believers.
Once a believer DOES recognize that the devil does have sway over the flesh, OUR FLESH, the battle with sin becomes vastly more interesting because we are literally standing in the battle ground with our enemies and do not even realize it or the extents of their imposed blindness.
And for the most part we will not be getting rid of this problem no matter how much "casting out" is tried. Some devils are meant to be revealed and cast out. But that will never rid the flesh of all of them. See Paul's personal dilemma on this in 2 Cor. 12:7 and more importantly what he LEARNED from that reality.
IF sin is of the devil (1 John 3:8 says it is so) and all people are sinners (all undoubtedly ARE), the connection is quite undeniable to everyone. Now, we know from Jesus that the devil is a liar and there is no truth in him, John 8:44 (or the innumerable amounts of his own, i.e. other devils that are planted as "seeds," his family, essentially.) Devils CAN NOT SPEAK the truth.
So the test is this: If you can actually say that your sin is of the devil and that a messenger of Satan has sway over your own flesh, you as a believer have A LEG UP on that messenger of Satan because the messenger of Satan can NOT make that claim, because it is THE TRUTH. Do you see the irony involved here? IF believers can not make this truthful claim, then in effect they are and remain a pawn who can not speak the truth that scripture reveals because the messenger of Satan in their flesh WON'T ALLOW THAT TRUTH to be spoken.
But I guarantee any believer, that if they try this exercise, every fiber of their being will kick and scream NOT to be able to say it. And this again only serves to prove the reality of the facts of scripture.
Welcome to resisting the devil. I doubt it's going to happen for the majority of believers.
Once a believer DOES recognize that the devil does have sway over the flesh, OUR FLESH, the battle with sin becomes vastly more interesting because we are literally standing in the battle ground with our enemies and do not even realize it or the extents of their imposed blindness.
And for the most part we will not be getting rid of this problem no matter how much "casting out" is tried. Some devils are meant to be revealed and cast out. But that will never rid the flesh of all of them. See Paul's personal dilemma on this in 2 Cor. 12:7 and more importantly what he LEARNED from that reality.
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You just made my chest ache, STOP THAT! It is the absolute truth but everywhere, every classroom and every pulpit I was lucky enough to teach it in/from, has resulted in the majority of the people present wanting me gone! People do not like the truth and when I stop laughing and can think, comprehensively again, I might just rebuke you, you rascal
smaller
Member
I knew you had a bit of the devil in you from the start my friend. But the GOOD NEWS is God does save us from our enemies. So if you don't hold it against me I won't hold it against you.
Let's both keep our eyes peeled for the real culprits.
Walk in the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23
Like when the devil tempts you into sinning, one of the attributes from the fruit of the Spirit should control you.
Example: Someone in the car in front of you is intentionally going slow. Which attribute(s) should you call on? Maybe all of them?
People have gotten into road rage incidents that lead to all sorts of outcomes, even death. If you resist the devil, that situation will not turn into something major.
Like when the devil tempts you into sinning, one of the attributes from the fruit of the Spirit should control you.
Example: Someone in the car in front of you is intentionally going slow. Which attribute(s) should you call on? Maybe all of them?
People have gotten into road rage incidents that lead to all sorts of outcomes, even death. If you resist the devil, that situation will not turn into something major.