Everybody Ought To
Know
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Revelation a Prime
Tool
There are limits on
human knowledge. It is easy to roam
amid foolish speculation. We must
avoid that. However, the probings of
an illuminated imagination are never
a hindrance. Something else is,
though – skepticism.
This is the biggest hurdle for a
serious discussion of Satan.
Inasmuch as the devil
and his legions move about unseen,
the blackout today isn’t hard to
understand. People are reluctant to
take the unseen world seriously. It
isn’t natural to do so, of
course – its supernatural.
That’s a bad word, too. It is
not sophisticated to probe a sphere
where scientific methods and
deductions produce nothing.
Revelation is not always regarded as
a respectable tool.
Yet, inspiration is
clearly a Scriptural tool:
“Through the
Spirit, however, God has revealed it
to us; for the Spirit fathoms
everything, even the deep things of
God. And we have received, not the
spirit of the world but the Spirit
that comes from God, in order that we
may know the things which God has
freely given us” (1
Corinthians 2:10, 12)
Revelation by the Holy
Spirit is one of our prime tools. Do
we not learn as HE illumines our
personal experiences by the Word of
God? No Christian should be afraid of
trusting the Spirit of God as a
teacher, for He is also our guarantee
from error. (1 John 4:1, 1 John 2:27)
If I write by the
Spirit of God, then you may test what
you read by the same Spirit. If,
through the weakness of the flesh, I
err, you can determine which things
carry His witness to your heart. We
live in a time when false spirits are
surging and it is incumbent upon
God’s people to exercise
discernment. You should try by
God’s Word and His Spirit what
you read here. If my words help you
too live closer to the Lord Jesus and
exalt Him, then you can accept them.
However, do not be
afraid to trust the leadership of the
Spirit of God in these things. For
people who believe only in what they
can see, even faith in God is not
respectable. Think what their
reaction would be to the idea of a
personal devil! We cannot let
ourselves be influenced by them.
God’s Word is clear in this
matter. If we take it seriously, we
will put the scoffers behind us.
The Weight Of The
Word
To treasure the Word
of God and remain indifferent to the
massive revelation of the devil is
not wise. A wealth of Bible material
unveils Satan, demons and
supernaturalism. The number of
passages that could be expounded is
tremendous. They combine to give a
very comprehensive picture of our
enemy.
Not only is the PERSON
of Satan set forth clearly, but also
his WORKING is as fully manifested as
that of the Holy Spirit. If
Christians find what God has to say
about His Spirit no test of reason,
they should find it no more difficult
to believe what is said about Satan.
It takes the same faith to discern
him as it does the Spirit of God. The
ministry of one is no harder to
imagine than the other. With that,
note Paul’s assertion that a
state of war exists:
“For our
struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against rulers, against
powers, against the world forces of
this darkness, against the spiritual
forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places” (Ephesians
6:12).
Look at that! Who can
miss the contest! It doesn’t
take a dean of expositors to see the
majestic lineup of evil princes here.
Is not a host of unseen powers
arrayed against God’s people?
How can this be taken lightly? The
Christian who fails to consider the
implications of such a thing is a
fool. To ignore that the HEAD of the
evil army is his personal
enemy is blindness. The worst kind.
For it is not accidental blindness,
but deliberate.
Does anyone have to
tell you this is spiritual war? The
fact of “heavenly places”
removes any thought of physical
encounters with these people. The
battlefield is in the spirit, beyond
the pale of the flesh. However, that
doesn’t make it vague or unreal.
God’s Word beams much light on
activities in the spirit, as any
serious Bible student knows.
For example, a
knowledge of the workings of the Holy
Spirit also tells a great deal about
Satan. Since he is a counterfeiter,
we can be certain he is copying, (if
not using precisely) the same
techniques as the Spirit of God. May
not the degree to which a reader
understands the workings of the Holy
Spirit, be the degree to which he can
comprehend the methods of the unholy
spirit? Why not?
·
Both people are spirit beings
·
Both operate in the spirit
·
Both deal directly with man
·
Both want the same thing from man
As we move along in
our probe, the weight of Scripture
will show this to be clearly so.
Forget Demonology
This is not a study on
demonology. It has to do with Satan
and deals with him as our unique
enemy. I want you to forget about
demons for the time. Does not
Satan have legions of fallen angels
to do his bidding? Yes. Hosts of evil
spirits (demons, if you prefer) to
carry out his orders. However, I am
satisfied their role is minor and
that their work is IN ADDITION TO
HIS.
I am satisfied that
demons no more do the work of Satan,
than the angels of God do the work of
the Holy Spirit. Satan’s
subordinates hold and maintain his
conquests, but he is the conqueror.
He is the attacker. As the Holy
Spirit is the One Who brings the
conviction of sin, certifies the Word
of God and makes Christ real to
individuals, so also does the unholy
spirit personally lead, tempt and
inspire men to do evil. Demons should
no more be mentioned in this regard
than angels can be said to establish
the indwelling presence of Christ.
The work of God’s
angels is defined: “Are they
not all ministering spirits, sent out
to render service for the sake of
those who will inherit
salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).
It is the
Holy Spirit, Himself, Who
forms Christ in us and Who
“bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God”
(Romans 8:16) This is no tiny
distinction. The difference between
the work of the Holy Spirit and
God’s angels is like night and
day. Therefore, it is with Satan and
the angels serving him.
Almost every book on
the subject emphasizes the afflicting
presence of demons. Satan is no fool.
He’ll leak out information on
demons so as to distract writers and
investigators. Since demons do cause
physical disorders, they earn a lot
of attention. People get excited when
their bodies are hurt. Demon studies
are popular because they hint
a promise of healing. And you know
the extent to which people will go
for healing. Right now, I know a man
who drives hundreds of miles to
Mexico for cancer treatments because
the drug used there is outlawed in
this country.
Satan has used
demonology as a smokescreen to divert
attention from himself. If writers
can be shifted to his underlings,
he continues to enjoy the blackout he
needs. And readers are easily
engrossed where the physical body is
concerned. Until more light is given
me, I insist their role is minor by
comparison. He is the source
of our affliction. Christian
psychology is turning up more on
demon activity every day, while the
prince of demons is being ignored.
In my opinion,
demonology is best left as a separate
study while we turn the spotlight
on Satan. He is our enemy and demons
can do nothing apart from him. If we
learn how to deal with him, we have
little to fear from demons. So, put
them out of your mind as you read
this study. Think only in terms of
our one vicious enemy – Satan.
Think of him as your personal
adversary whose working is akin to
that of the Holy Spirit. If you find
yourself wondering about demons, then
think of them as being to Satan what
the angels of God are to the Holy
Spirit.
Satan’s kingdom
is large. It takes an enormous chain
of command to operate it. The
hierarchy of beings cited by Paul is
needed to maintain it. However, there
is only one devil. He was
Jesus singular enemy. He is
your enemy right now.
Your Personal Devil
That’s how I want
you to think of Satan. I want you to
put him in the same category as the
Lord Jesus – as far as importance
is concerned. Does that shock you?
Here’s why I say that. Just as
you dealt with the Person of Jesus
for salvation, so must you deal with
the person of Satan for
victory. If we ignore Jesus, there is
no salvation. If we ignore Satan,
there can be no full victory. See it
like this:
·
Salvation requires a Personal
Savior!
·
Victory requires a Personal enemy!
However, let me be
clear. All victory is through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, victory
itself means a fight and a fight
requires an enemy. Therefore, every
victory you have enjoyed in the
Christian life has meant some kind of
defeat for Satan. No, you were not
conscious of the devil. Nonetheless,
your victory handed him a defeat.
There can be no forward step in faith
without some kind of blow against
Satan. If all of your dealings with
Satan have been unknowing and
unwitting, think what your progress
in Christ could be if you began to
deal with the enemy knowingly.
Think what might happen in your life
if you became serious in dealing with
Satan for victory as you deal with
Jesus for salvation!
I am asking you to
concentrate on two people. The Holy
Spirit and the unholy spirit. See
both of them as:
1.
Present with you
2.
Giving you personal attention
3.
Possessed of fantastic powers in
the spirit world
4.
Ready to exercise whatever
dominion you will permit
Yes, you have a free
will. You are responsible for which
spirit exercises the most influence
over your thoughts and actions.
That’s what makes this a subtle
business. If the unholy spirit can
get you to do his will, you do so of
your own free choice. Subsequently
you are judged for it, because your
choice is deliberate.
After you finish this
study, you can test these truths to
see whether they hinder or help your
life in Christ. For the time being,
put them with other truths you will
pick up and reserve judgment until
you can make the proper tests. The
“proof of the pudding is in the
eating,” and the test of these
things is what they do for you in
your life.
This particular study
began stating that most Christians
are funny, because they ignore one of
the most vital doctrines of the Book
they cherish. If this manual does
what it is supposed to, you will
still be a funny Christian. Not
because you ignore the Word you
treasure, but because you live in a
day when it is funny to believe in a personal
devil.
Happening To You?
If you’re honest
with yourself, you’ll agree you
are nowhere hear what you ought to be
in Christ. Don’t you want to be
a better Christian than you are right
now? Sure. Without realizing it, your
personal adversary, the devil, is
directing your life. His subtle
wisdom, his ingenious devices, makes
it easy for him to manipulate you. An
outsider maneuvers you in such a way
you neither suspect it nor notice it.
Everything you do and say appears to
be your own ideas, but it isn’t.
If you think no one is
that clever, you’re mistaken.
Satan is. He can get you to waste one
day after another. He can cause you
to forget Jesus hours upon end. He
can make you misbehave and think
you’re not so bad. He can plant
evil thoughts in your mind and
you’ll think you’re clean
in God’s sight. He can cause you
to be idle and think your making
progress in Christ. That’s why I
say no Christian is a match for him.
The average Christian doesn’t
dream that Satan is leading his life.
He doesn’t suspect the power
that is exercised over him. He may
laugh at poor Eve, but he is no
better off!
Most Christians can
look back a year to see little or no
change. They are still the same
persons. Their personalities are no
sweeter, the dedication of their
talents is stabilized, their
pocketbooks are just as tight and
their occupation with the world is as
solidly fixed. There’s no
increase in surrender, devotion or
service. They go year after year
without much change.
Do Christians want
this? No. Yet, it happens. Why? If
you haven’t begun to suspect a
mighty adversary is dedicated to keep
you from living Christ, you will when
you see how he works. That’s
next.
