Friday, May 14, 2010

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Satan

          Many people have been taught that Satan is red, has horns, a tail and carries a pitchfork.   Wrong!  The Satan of this world is good looking and appealing.  He dresses like you do, with jeans, Dockers and a Che Guevara tee shirt.  Sometimes he wears an Armani suit and Florsheims.  Suffice it to say that he will meet you where he thinks you are most vulnerable.  You, I am sure, have heard the phrase ‘silver tongued devil’.  Who do you think invented crooked politicians? 

          Apparently there are many people who don’t believe that Satin exists.  There are even many Christians that don’t either believe in Satan or simply don’t understand his place in this world.  It seems better for some folks to simply bury their head in the sand rather than admit that there are things they have no control over.  There is One who does have control; however, you have to know Him.  The who, and the why, will be explained. 

          According to the History book, Lucifer was not satisfied to be just one of the top angels[1].  There was an ensuing power struggle between Lucifer and God.  As you might have guessed, God won and Lucifer and those who chose his side were expelled from heaven.  Today’s demons are the angels that chose the wrong side.  Since Satan is now dealing with sour grapes and only has a limited time to have his place of authority on earth, he has to move quickly to do whatever he can to try to upset God’s plans.  Satan’s job, as he sees it, is to keep you from knowing the Lord’s plan of salvation through Jesus the Christ.  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”[2]   He is out to steal, kill and destroy.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”[3] You and your children’s souls are what he is after.  Be sober and vigilant because Satan goes around like a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour[4].  You must see that you can no longer live as the world does, in the vanity of their own minds.[5]  “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts”[6].  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”[7]  “We cannot live in sin here below and then expect to live in heaven above.”[8]

          “Satan's power is over all the nations of the earth. That could be very frightening when we realize he can influence men in such a way that they are not even aware that they are being influenced toward evil. His power is so extensive that he is over all the nations of the earth. Jesus calls him the ruler of this world (John 14:30). He affects people's attitudes by moving our reasoning processes toward satisfaction of the self. He gives disinformation and stirs up our spirit.
          Here is what is so perverse about this: It is not evil for one to take care of himself. What is evil is to make the satisfaction of the self more important than God or others. We are to serve God before all else (the great commandment), and the second is like it—we are on an equal par with others physically. Nowhere are we given the right or privilege by God to make ourselves greater than or more important than God or other human beings.”[9]

          There is a difference between Christianity and ‘in the name of Christ’.  I say this because of the influence that Satan has over the world and therefore over mankind.  I can’t find instructions for the inquisition anywhere in the Bible, although it was carried on in the name of Christ.  I have said for years that the trouble with Christianity is the Christians and that is because of the worldly or satanic influence the Devil has over mankind.   Some people say that the ’Church’ is filled with hypocrites, which is why they choose not to attend church.  Satan has captured a lot of souls with this lie.   There is no perfect church!  If there were a perfect church, it wouldn’t be when we arrived because you and I are not perfect.  The population of hypocrites is no larger in church than it is in the unchurched world.  We simply stand out more because we are not living what we profess.  Unfortunately we all have hypocrisy in our lives.  Churches are built by men and men are not perfect. “A denomination is nothing more than a monument to a dead saint.”[10] 

          The whole idea behind the Church is to be a place to gather, learn about the Christ, further your knowledge about Christianity, worship and fellowship with other Christians.  Judging others, discrimination, haughtiness, flaunting your personal power and or riches and gossip are all ways the devil infiltrates the Church.  Church is a place for being uplifted and sharing.  Good works are those things that are done because you have been inspired by God, not to earn salvation.  As you can imagine, Satan hates the church.  He would do anything to keep you out of it.  Where two or more are gathered in Christ’s name is church.  “Give no place to the devil.”[11]  The church should be a sanctuary from Satan so try not to bring him in with you. 

          The first amendment of the Constitution of the United States says that the government cannot interfere with the free exercise of our religion.  This is combined with the right of free speech.  Any idea why those who are influenced by Satan are fighting the first amendment? 

P.S.  Our President recently said that we are being exposed to far too much information.  If my rantings are giving you so much information that it clouds your ability to think, I apologize.  I personally believe that knowledge is power.


[1] Isaiah 14:13-14
[2] II Corinthians 4:3-4
[3] John 8:44
[4] 1 Peter 5:8
[5] Ephesians 4:17
[6] Ephesians 4:18
[7] 2 Timothy 3:16-17
[8] D. James Kennedy
[9] John W. Ritenbaugh
[10] Jean Mulholland
[11] Ephesians 4:18

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