Thursday, May 19, 2016

STEAL- KILL - DESTROY (2)

The Work of the Enemy



John 10:10

 “The thief cometh 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.” 

DON’T BE FOOLED –Satan is powerful.  BUT….


GOD is the ALMIGHTY, and we know that greater is He who is in us, and NOTHING that the devil and his demons throw at us will have victory over us.  

BUT…. how are we to become overcomers and victorious in spiritual warfare? Read, read, read, and read the Word of God, and become knowledgeable of the weapons of warfare.

Overcoming Satan

  • The apostle John says that believers can overcome Satan when "the word of God abides in you."  When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He cited scripture to him (Matthew 4:1-10). Then there is the advice of Paul, who tells us that the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, is our only offensive weapon against Satan.  
  •  In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that there were those who heard the Word of God, but failed to take it in, and so were led astray by the devil (the seed that fell by the side of the road). So Christians, resist the devil by knowing and memorizing scripture so that we cannot be deceived by the lies of Satan. The Bible gives believers the following instructions about resisting the devil:
  •  Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
  •  Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)
  • Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.    (1 Peter 5:8-9)

 Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:18-20)

S
ince most people (including Christians) are apt to disbelieve in his existence. As a "non-existent" force in people's lives, Satan is free to influence them without being discovered as the cause of many of their problems. Remember, the Bible says that Satan is a beautiful and powerful fallen angel, who would like to do nothing more than take away the joy of Christians through deception, and lead people into rebellion against God. Though Satan is destined for the Lake of Fire, biblical prophecy indicates that he will deceive entire nations and kingdoms before he is relegated to eternal damnation, along with the other fallen angels he led into rebellion against God.   

BUT…. we must recognize a few things as we prepare for spiritual battle. Let’s take a look at the following.

Satan's continued rebellion


Satan continues in his rebellion today since he hates God and His plans. He wants people to worship him and follow his evil ways. He opposes Jesus Christ—God who took on the form of a man to redeem humanity from their sin, and restore their relationship with Him. A comparison between Jesus and Satan is given in the table below.

Characteristic                                  Jesus                                                    

Purpose                                    Lead people to salvation                   
Methods                                  Tell people the truth                          
Motivation                              Love                                                   

Followers experience  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Following leads to freedom from sin.


Characteristic                                    Satan                         
Purpose                                   Lead people into rebellion
Methods                                  Tell people lies
Motivation                              Hate

Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, and orgies. Following leads to enslavement to sin.  HOWEVER…

We can we are to remember that it was pride caused Satan to fall, ("your heart was lifted up because of your beauty"), since he wanted to receive the worship due to God alone. At that point there was rebellion in heaven, when Satan convinced one third of the angels to rebel against God.  Ohhhhh, but there was Michael, an archangel of God, who fought with God's angels against Satan and his angels, with Satan losing the battle and being cast from heaven down to earth. It isn't certain when Satan rebelled against God, but a passage from the book of Job (Job 38:4-7) suggests it occurred between the creation of the earth and the creation of Adam and Eve. In describing the creation of the earth to Job and his friends, God said that "all the sons of God shouted for joy."

Seemingly, "all the sons of God" would have included Satan as well, suggesting he hadn't rebelled at the point the earth was created.  Originally, this created being, he was named Lucifer, and got the name Satan after he was thrown out of heaven….to be cont’d





Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts




























No comments:

Post a Comment