The Devil's Purpose Thwarted

The devil's purpose is always to ruin no matter how good his lies look.

The devil lied to Eve: Genesis 3:4-5

"The serpent said to the woman, You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

John 8:44 God said this to the religious leaders of His day.

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

1 Peter 5:8

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

2 Corinthians 11:14

"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."

The devil will always make a bad thing look good. He will use emotional gymnastics to remove the defenses of the person he is using.

How to be unaffected Spiritually by the tricks of the devil is in the following verses.

John 10:10

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Ephesians 6:10-18

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ."

The devil uses people to come against us, destroying our peace and our resolve to follow Christ, we do not have to let them. When we resist the devil we may have to say to a person, "get behind me satan." They may not understand but the demon who is using them will know and he will flee.

2 Corinthians 4:4

"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Just a thought, Jesus Christ had more trouble with the religious leaders of His day than anyone else, they were the ones with the power to turn the people who followed them. This is true today too, if the religious leaders maintain control over the people the people who are lazy will not think for themselves, pray on their own and worship on their own, they will depend on the leader to do everything for them.

There are many imposters in the church today, many pretenders, and many false teachers who dominate those who are weak-minded. These leaders are filling their pockets with money they took from those who have chosen to be deceived by them.

It takes courage to stand against the false teachers and the pretenders, but we need not worry about it, it's the courage of Christ we have and His peace and joy overwhelm us when we are being attacked. We need not be angry, discouraged, or intimidated by these servants of satan.

James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

James 1:2-4

"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."

Be at peace always knowing God has your back every minute of every day.

Blind Hearts Opened and then the Blind Eyes

In order for the blind eyes of the unbeliever to be opened their hearts must first be opened. Those who love their blindness cannot be reached with the truth.

Ephesians 6:12

"12 For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Spiritual blindness is demonic influence but it is also a choice. Our world is spiritually blind but loves it, deceiving themselves into thinking their blindness is wisdom.

Jamses 3:15-17James 3:15-17

15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits,impartial, free of hypocrisy."

Whenever you meet a "Christian" who fights to defend sin and refuses to listen to God's Word you have encountered a pretender.

Yes, Christians can be disobedient at times but they will never reject the word of God when it is used as evidence of the truth.

John 14:15-16 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—…"

Those who love Christ will live a lifestyle of desiring to please God. Those who are pretenders do not love Christ and will live a lifestyle without a desire to please God.

John 14:21

"Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him."

John 14:23

"Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

John 15:10

"If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love."

1 John 2:3

"By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments."

1 John 5:3

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,"

2 John 1:6

"And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love."

We do not keep the commandments of God to become saved or to stay saved, we keep them because He changed us into a new creation, we keep them because we have already been born-again.

The evidence that we are born again is in the fruit not the deeds.

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God Who lives in every born-again believer. We do not have to work to show this fruit, it comes naturally to us like breathing because the character of Christ living in us is this fruit.

We don't have to work up respect and kindness toward others, it comes naturally without thinking because Christ is working it in us. No effort of our own is present. Our nature has been changed by Christ, from a sinful nature to a righteous nature.

Colossians 2

"9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

This is Christ Who lives in born-again believers. We do not live a lifestyle of rebellion or angst toward the principles of God, we love to please Him Who lives in us.

Ephesians 3:17

"17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,"

The first attitude of the born-again believer is to please God and the first fruit of the Spirit of God is love. Everything we desire is based in this fruit.