PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 26, 2018 9:43:38 GMT -5
These questions came up in a recent thread here, so I thought they deserved further attention. How much danger does the enemy present to Christians? How much bondage/oppression can he keep a Christian under? What are his methods of attack? Let's discuss.
Disclaimer: This thread is NOT a scare tactic to incur fear in those who read! Please don't let this devolve into scary stories with no doctrinal context. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. We have access to all the authority and victory we need in Christ. This thread is to edify readers so they might anticipate, avoid, and overcome attacks!
First, let's establish the nature of our enemy:
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8)
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
Naive Christians often get the idea that, since Satan cannot do anything good or righteous, he will not manifest any good qualities. That's not quite how it works. Deception is very common during enemy attacks. Evil spirits can put up a front through offering bribes, seeming to be very kind, performing so-called miracles, and mixing in a dash of truth/wisdom to sell their false teachings. When we accept every "good sign" as coming from God, we can quickly be deceived.
Deceptive enemy spirits infiltrate the church by acknowledging a few things about Jesus:
When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:28:29)
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” (Luke 4:9-11)
The enemy will quote Scripture and even admit the identity of Jesus. Satan knows perfectly well who Jesus is. So a naive Christian encounters some type of "angel" or "messenger" from the spirit world. The Christian figures that all he has to do is mention Jesus. The spirit half-heartedly admits to knowing who Jesus is. The Christian falls for it hook, line, and sinker.
What protection do we have? The gospel. Satan and his minions hate the gospel story. John gives us this insight:
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (1 John 4:2-3)
Any time you encounter a person or a "messenger" who seems to know a little about Jesus, start preaching the gospel. Jesus was incarnated through a virgin birth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose on the third day to defeat death. As soon as you start "going there" you will see very plainly whether that messenger believes the gospel. One thing Satan will not do is admit his defeat on the cross.
There is much more to cover, but I don't have time for all of it now. This should be enough to spark discussion. I'll return later (Lord willing) to add more.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 26, 2018 12:20:29 GMT -5
Before we move on to direct attacks, I want to spend a bit more time on deception.
The enemy's primary method to deceive Christians goes something like this...
"Yes I know who Jesus is, and in fact I know more about him than you do. There is so much more to the story. The disciples didn't put the whole truth in the Bible because they thought the common man couldn't handle it. But when I look at you, I see that you have a real passion for the truth. You can handle it. That's why I was brought to you. I will reveal to you how Jesus really fits in with the big picture."
This technique got Joseph Smith to write the book of Mormon.
The New Testament spends a lot of time warning us about this trick:
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9)
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
The very instant that any preacher, teacher, messenger, or "angel" tries to change any part of the gospel, reject them. Even if they say Jesus was the Son of God, but He didn't "exactly" die on the cross, or He didn't liberate anyone from death, or He didn't physically resurrect Himself, or didn't do this or that. No part of the gospel can be changed.
Remember that in the end times we are dealing with an antichrist. A false christ. Not someone who says there is no christ. The enemy wants nothing more than to trap people in worship of a false counterfeit messiah. There are none more lost than those who think they're found.
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Post by 2fw8212a on May 26, 2018 12:44:21 GMT -5
Exactly, like some people say that by obeying the whole gospel and consequently being sanctified through it, is just "working to be saved", or "keeping your salvation", or "trust in yourself".
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1
Reject everything that goes contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ... Enter by the narrow gate.
"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous." - 1 John 3:7
Jesus said watch: Then, you WATCH!
Jesus said repent: Then, you REPENT!
Jesus said be baptized: Then, you be BAPTIZED!
Jesus said be free indeed: Then, you be FREE INDEED!
Jesus said love one another: Then, you LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
Jesus said forgive: Then, you FORGIVE!
and all His name, giving thanks to God the Father, through Him.
God bless you in Jesus' name!
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 26, 2018 15:09:38 GMT -5
Taking a step away from deception, we move on to temptation. The enemy may offer temptation to any Christian at any time. He even tried to tempt Jesus. If Jesus had to reject Satan's bribery, we should expect to face it even in our Christian walk. In fact, the closer we move to Jesus, the more keen Satan becomes to undermine us.
Most people recognize obvious temptation, such as an attractive person flirting with them, a friend pressuring them to try drugs, or a shiny product at the store they wish they could afford. When we first begin as baby Christians, step one is to resist the obvious. If you can't overcome these temptations, you won't make it past first base.
But then the plot thickens. When the enemy seems to have backed off on temptation, does this mean the "temptation season" of our Christian walk is over? Not by a long shot. Satan refines his techniques to make temptation more subtle.
Even good intentions can be corrupted into temptation.
We can be tempted to rely on man-made formulas for holiness:
Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:21-23)
We can be drawn into sin by an unhealthy avarice for spiritual knowledge:
Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind (Colossians 2:18)
We can use a legitimate virtue to resist a work of God:
But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:4)
Make no mistake -- the enemy will prey on good intentions every which way he can. In fact it works out better for him, since these "sins of virtue" can be justified in our minds. The enemy knows every area of your life where you might be easily confused. He will push every button he can push to make you step out of God's will.
What is our safeguard? Peter gives us this:
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)
Virtue is useless when it isn't governed by discernment. Spiritual gifts are useless when they're not governed by proven character. You must have checks and balances in your walk so that no single virtue, pursuit, desire, or gift dominates your thinking.
Today I encourage you to spend some time in prayer on this. Think about any part of your personality, or any part of your spiritual growth, where you may have an unhealthy, uncontrolled avarice. Bring all things under subjection to Christ. This will do much to protect you from temptation.
More later.....
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Post by 2fw8212a on May 26, 2018 15:29:43 GMT -5
A common thing are thoughts that try to take your focus out of God.
And consequently you do not produce fruit as you ought.
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly." - Luke 21:34
"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." - Luke 12:31
Another common temptation you may face are those triggered by pride... When someone disagrees with your point of view and beliefs.
If you are still weak in this area, he will take advantage of your lack of self-control, so you: BREAK EVERYTHING!
"And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" - Mark 13:37
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16
Keep walking in love, and you will be fine!
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." - John 15:5
God bless you all in Jesus' name!
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2018 15:31:13 GMT -5
Good words sister.....the devil prowls around seeking who he may devour and he is a subtle foe, that's for sure. The preaching of the gospel is a powerful weapon, amen. Yes, we need a healthy balance in general....though there may be difference emphases based on one's gifts/calling, but all together the Body of Christ should balance itself out. I find that praying David's prayer about asking the Lord to search me and know me etc, is a good one that the Lord answers. We really do need Him to show us what things need dealing with and repenting of in our lives, beyond the obvious outward kinds of sins...it's usually hard to see ourselves clearly unless He shows us. I sometimes joke that if I have a problem, I'm the last to know...even though it may be apparent to everyone else in the room, lol.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 26, 2018 17:03:34 GMT -5
Another common temptation you may face are those triggered by pride... When someone disagrees with your point of view and beliefs. Pride is probably the most pervasive temptation around. Christians can certainly be induced to be proud of their doctrine. They can be proud of their spiritual gifts, proud of their generosity, even proud of their humility. Christians in extreme poverty often console themselves with pride. They think extreme poverty makes them more pious or more spiritual than others. They start to judge anyone who has a little more than they do. "The rich" becomes a catch-all term for anyone who has nice things. Christians who have gone through many trials may become proud that they've endured more than others. Social rejects may be proud of being better than their peers. Parents can be proud of raising good children, and unmarried adults can be proud of saving themselves for the kingdom. People with a past can be proud of "knowing how the real world works," while people who grew up in church can be proud of their abstinence. In short, pride can exploit just about anything. We must be on guard at all times.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2018 19:41:28 GMT -5
Amen. It's amazing the things we can find to take pride in isn't it, like we're darned if we do and darned if we don't. Thankfully the Lord works in the life of the believer to help us overcome things such as pride and grow in humility.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 26, 2018 21:04:58 GMT -5
There is one more part of temptation we should discuss before we move on from it.
Anger, disappointment, and offense are some of the most destructive temptations we face. They will drag us into sin faster than you say jack rabbit. We don't typically think of offense as a temptation, but it is.
When someone offends you, they are, quite simply, tempting you to feel malice. It's no different than a person who puts a donut in your face to tempt you to eat. Yes, the donut is real. No, they shouldn't have shoved it in your face. But that's no excuse for eating it.
It isn't a sin to be tempted in this. We may feel a flash of anger the moment something happens. However, as soon as we indulge that anger, we are slipping into sin. And, as a general rule, the more often we get angry over unimportant things, the more we allow this to become a lifestyle. This is one of the ways we can develop what the Bible calls a stronghold.
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression (Proverbs 19:11)
Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9)
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)
I really can't stress the urgency of this enough. Every moment we spend in anger or disappointment is a moment we can't spend in the peace of Christ. All the things we want -- spiritual maturity, victory, being closer to Jesus -- are brought to a screeching halt when we get stuck in malice. Joy cannot coexist with malice. Generosity, hospitality, all of these wonderful things, will not coexist with malice.
Scripture adjures us to grow to the point that anger no longer appears in us:
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31)
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth (Colossians 3:8)
If we want the peace of Christ to reign in our hearts, we are required to keep our thoughts on positive things:
Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. (Psalm 119:165)
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
We must make a decision that nothing is worth the cost of losing our peace. If we value the peace of Christ, we must choose to keep it our hearts at all times, no matter what. No offense is worth more than peace. No insult is worth more than peace. Nothing any human can do to you is worth more than the peace of Christ.
When you see offense as a temptation to malice, it will dramatically change how often you get angry.
Attacks don't begin until an enemy hits you with something you can't control/manage. As long as you're the one choosing to do/feel/think a certain thing, you're still in the arena of temptation. But, when a temptation gets us to stumble, we can open ourselves to attack. More on this later...
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 27, 2018 9:42:23 GMT -5
Now we move into the realm of attack. We started with deception and temptation because they cause the huge majority of attacks on Christians today. Sin is by far the biggest source of trouble for us, and sin-generated attacks do the most damage.
Let's establish one thing up front. Satan endeavors to attack you from any possible angle at any moment day or night. All he has is time, and all he wants to do is destroy the saints. The closer you are to Jesus, the more Satan hates you. The more God puts you to work in the kingdom, the more assets Satan will spend on getting rid of you. This is a major reason why so few Christians these days succeed in ministry.
I don't say this to frighten you. We have nothing to fear when we abide in Christ. You don't need to be afraid over this, but you need to be aware of the situation. Too many Christians realize they've been attacked only when the damage is done.
Everything we bring under submission to Christ is secure:
We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him (1 John 5:18)
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
How do we square this with the book of Job or with other places that suggest trials?
When God allows a trial, He's using it to strengthen and expand His presence in our lives. No essential part of us is in any real danger during trials.
And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” (Job 2:6)
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)
A trial is an attack that comes from the outside, only able to take away nonessential things, and only able to rattle the essentials. A trial cannot take away your belief in a promise. If you give up on the promise because of a trial, it means your belief was conditional. A trial cannot make you sin. If you sin because of some pressure or discomfort in your life, it means your obedience was conditional.
Only that which is completely, unconditionally brought under submission to Christ is safe. God wants us to bring all of ourselves under submission, so He will rattle the exposed parts until we see their true position. If a part of us is indeed under submission, then we have nothing to fear during trials or attacks of any kind.
As soon as we prove that our faith/obedience/etc is firm, Satan will stop spending resources to attack it. Only then will God be able to use that part of us as an asset in His kingdom. Remember, God never sends us out on losing missions. He never sets us up for failure. If there is any chance that our devotion can be compromised, He can't take the risk of putting us to work in a particular arena.
This cycle of trial and testing will continue for the rest of our lives. God goes ever deeper into our hearts, pruning, shaping, exposing, so that we may draw ever closer to Him. This is why we count it all joy when we face trials. If God is allowing something in your life to be rattled, it means He's drawing you into more trust and obedience. Take it as a compliment.
Christ will also allow persecution of the saints on a corporate level to display the corporate devotion of His bride. Again, nothing essential can be taken away in these cases, so there's nothing for us to fear as long as we are faithful.
However... not every bad thing that happens to us is part of God's plan. Our enemy is always prodding for access to those essentials. Certain things can grant him access. A destructive attack comes from within, breaks down fundamental things in our lives, and doesn't stop when we've had enough. The enemy endeavors day and night to get us to stumble and grant him access. He endeavors to get parents and other authority figures to work as doorways. The more access he has to our hearts, the more damage he can do.
In the next comment I'll describe these attacks.
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Post by frienduff on May 27, 2018 10:10:26 GMT -5
Sister Candace leap up and praise the Lord . And we all need to know also that Light does not coexist with darkness and that IN HIM, their is no darkness. Christ does not coexist with false religions . Thus we must not join in unity with other religions for any reason . Christ does not serve the tables of other religions . And He alone is the only name whereby any can be saved . I just remind us this , due to I have noticed them trying yet another approach to get folks unequally yoked. We know for years many have done this in the name of a false love , only now its being presented to the last side standing , the evangeliclas who were to hit mission fields with the True gospel are now being sold the all inclusive gospel and they are done so under the guise of religious tolerance . We must not be baited into the trap. As you said sister, persecutions only do the church good if we take them patiently , and making unity with false religions to try and buy protection is a sham. God has long said to not be unequally yoked with others , and JOHN himself said if any man bring any other gospel , don't even bid them God speed. Sadly we will see many sell out under this guise for religious protection and join with muslims and buddists for the religious tolerance . Just another deceptive sham this all is . So let us be on guard .
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 27, 2018 13:36:33 GMT -5
I should pause here and mention that we greatly need discernment in this area. While we have a few general guidelines to help us see a trial vs an attack, the dividing line can often be fuzzy, and the fog of war can cloud our vision.
If you depend on the enemy to tell you trial vs attack, you will only get deceived. Every demonic assault on you will be portrayed as God’s will, and every God-ordained test of your patience will be portrayed as something you should resist. The enemy will attack you and then lie about his attack. He will see a work of God in your life and lie about that too. He will send false teachers to give you false “words” on what to do next. He will use all kinds of smoke and mirors to get your focus off of what is really going on.
If you don’t have discernment, you will get steamrolled. This is why Jesus said His sheep hear His voice, and no other voice will they follow. The enemy will put false voices in your path every chance he gets. They won’t just come with bad doctrine. They will come with bad advice, bad counsel, bad prophecies, and bad solutions. Remember Psalm 1. Be careful who speaks into your life.
If you lose your cool during a trial, that trial might quickly turn into an attack. If you resist God’s work in a trial, you may end up losing the reward at the end of it. Remember, your enemy will exploit every angle and avenue he can possibly think of, and he is not above getting you to question God’s work. He is also not above disguising his own work as something from the hand of God.
You must, must, must develop discernment, and this only comes by spending a lot of time hearing the voice of Jesus. We hear His voice by reading the words He gave us in His book, observing His character in that book, and by getting to know Him personally through prayer and worship. The more you are familiar with the words and character of Jesus, the more you will be able to discern what He is trying to do in your life.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2018 14:14:15 GMT -5
As I understand it, God is for us not against us, and we believe in His goodness. For those who love Him...He is working everything together for our good. He leads us through both trials and temptations....and these are crucibles for our good that expose the dross in our heart.....because it is in coming face to face with any area of our own weakness, inability, iniquity, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger etc, which become apparent as we walk through these trials/temptations, that we are presented with an OPPORTUNITY to overcome that particular dross that is coming to the surface, and be healed and forgiven. IF we only acknowledge it to ourselves and to the Lord, rather than trying to tamp it down with flesh or religiosity. All He asks is that when we come to see and confront our shortcoming or breach in our wall, that we ACKNOWLEDGE it and cry out to Him for help and forgiveness. That is when He brings His grace into our situation and healing comes. Not because we are deserving of it...on the contrary, in acknowledging our sin we see that we don't deserve it, but because it has been bought and paid for by our Advocate and Intercessor, Jesus Christ, thanks and praise be to our loving heavenly Father....He is our only Saviour that we can cry out to, and because we do believe in His goodness.
Psa 27:13-14
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
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Post by frienduff on May 27, 2018 14:31:18 GMT -5
And on that note sister watchful, leap up and kick back the chair you sitting on and PRAISE the LORD sister . Praise the LORD .
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 27, 2018 14:34:18 GMT -5
Well, technically God never introduces temptations. He does not use temptation to sin for any of His purposes. He leaves us to fight temptation, but He doesn't initiate them.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (James 1:13-14)
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