We live in a time of
bizarre happenings internationally and at home, in the government and the media
and the entertainment world and really everywhere. It is a time of great confusion and great
deception.
But there is also great
help for all this in the Word. First
consider where all this confusion and deception is coming from:
·
“…God is not the
author of confusion…” (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV).
·
Referring to the devil,
Jesus said “…He was a murderer from the beginning, not
holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his
native language, for he is a liar and
the father of liars.” (John 8:44 NIV)
·
“…the god of this world [the devil] has blinded
the minds of the unbelievers…” (1 Corinthians 4:4 NRSV)
“…satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2
Corinthians 11:14 NIV)
Pretty clear and obvious is
it not? The devil is the author of
confusion. He is the sower of deception
and lies. There is no truth in him. And of course he hides his actions. By the way, please note above that he was a
murderer from the beginning. He is not
just a liar and the spreader of lies. He
is a murderer too. He wants all of you
dead – believers so that you do not have the opportunity to work to spread the
gospel, and unbelievers so they will not have the opportunity to receive the
gospel. Again,
- “The thief [the devil] comes only to steal
and kill and destroy;…” (John 10:10 NIV)
Some churches falsely spread
the view that the devil and his demons are easily dealt with, that demons are
just little things that you kick out the door.
The devil has obviously been very active in deception in those churches. We give no respect to the devil and we
realize that in Jesus certainly we have the victory, we overcome the
world. But the fact remains that the
devil is a horrible opponent far worse than any Hollywood horror movie
villain. Only in Jesus do we have any
protection from him and any chance of a victory and survival when he
attacks. Unbelievers have no protection
against the devil (unless you are praying for them).
How do we stay calm and at
peace in all this? How do we know truth
from falsehood? How do we go forward as
God would have us?
Consider these mighty
weapons we have in the WORD:
· “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding;” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). God knows a lot more than you do. And his word is truth.
·
DO NOT FEAR! “ So do
not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God…” (Isaiah
41:10 NIV)
·
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James
1:5 NIV)
·
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.” (James 4:7 NIV). I have seen
this work in very dangerous situations time and time again. Speak it out loud!! Personalize it. I submit myself to God, I resist the devil,
and he will flee! And he does flee!
·
“…do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God…” (1 John 4:1 NIV). An evil spirit is a liar just as its leader
the devil. Test any evil situation or
confusing word or action against God’s Word which is always true. Read what John says about testing a spirit in
John 4.
·
And in Jesus’ name cast out any
attacking demons, any evil spirits.
Jesus said we can do that in his name (Mark 16:17)! So do it!
“… take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ.” (Corinthians 10:5).
The Word is a real weapon, a powerful
weapon. It is the great weapon you have
against the evil world. It is the Sword
of the Spirit in the armor Paul described in Ephesians 6. Exercise it all in Jesus’ name.
God’s words are true. His commands are to be obeyed. Now it is up to you to step out and act in
and on the Word. God’s words. Step out in faith. That is how it all works.
You must stand firm in your faith, or you
will not stand at all. (Yes, that is
scripture too! See Isaiah 7:9).
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus!
(February
2017)
Copyright © 2017 by John
Newlin
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Thank you for sharing your revelation on this subject. I have recently
ReplyDeletebeen burdened seeing how people's lives are affected by the effects of a spirit of deception. My heart feels a mixture of hurt for the deceived and anger at the enemy. Our weapons are mighty and I need to hold tight to that strong truth!