I cannot count the number of times I have been accused of something that was not true, but the one accusing me was guilty of the very thing they accused me of.
The devil does this to cause frustration, if he can get us to become frustrated, then he can, if we are not strong, get us to sin because of our anger.
Ephesians 4:26
"26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,"
Those who live in a world of self exaltation want to cause others to become beneath them. If they can cause us to sin in word or deed through covert manipulation, it affords them the luxury of feeling superior.
1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…"
Learning the tactics of the devil neutralizes him. He has no power over someone who is powered by the Holy Spirit. The more we seek Christ in us, the more we trust His Word and obey it, the greater power we have over the devil and his tactics.
Remember that we are living in the end times, we will see more of the tactics of the devil being employed by those who have no defense against him, those used by him to aggravate his targets, that is the born again believer as his favored scapegoat.
1 John 5:19
"19 We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one."
Ephesians 6:11
"11 Put on the complete suit of armor+ from God so that you may be able to stand firm against the crafty acts* of the Devil;"
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.+ 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel of light.+ 15 It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness. But their end will be according to their works."
Luke 11:24-26
"24 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through waterless places in search of a resting-place, and after finding none, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I moved.’ 25 And on arriving, it finds the house swept clean and adorned. 26 Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and after getting inside, they dwell there. So the final circumstances of that man become worse than the first.”
1 Corinthians 10:20
"20 No; but I say that what the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers with the demons."1 Timothy 4:1
4 However, the inspired word* clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons,
1 Timothy 4:1
"4 However, the inspired word clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons,"
We will find the tactics of the devil EVERYWHERE, even in the buildings where many people purport to worship God. Many who darken the doors of church buildings today have never been born again. They are pretenders, perhaps even believing they are saved, but lacking the fruit of the Spirit, which is the evidence of salvation.
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."
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
It cannot be stressed enough that those who claim to be Christians need to go to God and ask Him if they have ever been born again. The time is short, Christ is coming soon and one day it will be too late for those who heard the truth and refused to make sure of their salvation.
Anyone who still believes they can lose their salvation, anyone who believes they have obtained salvation by works on any level, anyone who has words about God but lacks the fruit as mentioned in Galatians 5, need to go to ask God if they have ever been born again.
Anyone who would become angry at a challenge like this, might very well be lost. When we know our salvation is secure in Christ, we have no reason to be defensive. We can boldly and confidently state, with joy, that we are born again by faith in Christ through the shed blood of Christ.
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