If you have followed my last two posts you know that Satan, or the Devil, is known by a number of names in Scripture. All of these names point to his evil character. The chief characteristics we find in this creature are his hostility, cunning, power, and evil intent toward God and His people. Show More
What do you believe about the Devil?
As I have said before there are those that don’t believe that the devil or demons exist. On the other hand, there are those who are terrified of the idea of a real Devil and see demonic activity everywhere. I want to assure you and encourage you that as a believer in Jesus Christ the Devil can’t have any control over you other than the control you give him.
It’s all a matter of who you give control to, Jesus or the Devil! The scripture is clear who you choose to obey is the one who is master over you. Listen to Romans 6:16
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness”?
Romans 6:16
I’ve heard people say, “the Devil made me do it”! I hate to sound harsh, but the truth of the matter is that you chose to listen to the Devil. The Devil is not a physical being, contrary to what you’ve seen on TV or the movies. He is a spiritual being and his only weapon is the Lie! Since the devil is a consummate liar, he will try to influence your thinking and try to tempt you into disobeying or disregarding God. The Devil will “play mind games” with your head and convince you that his plan is better than the plan God has for you. The devil will try to appeal to your ego by making you think that God is holding out on you and that he, the Devil, has something better. He will try to appeal to your ego and natural desires; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as 1 John 2:16 says.
Let’s look at the very first sin in the bible, which is found in Genesis 3. God created Adam and Eve and gave them the Garden of Eden, a paradise, to take care of and live in. They were clearly instructed by God that they could eat of all the plants and trees except for one tree called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That was the one commandment that God gave them and to violate or disobey God’s command was a sin. The same is true today, to violate or disobey God’s command is sin and moves us out of God’s protection.
I’m going to read Genesis 3:1-6,
“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, (those words have created more pain and chaos than you can imagine)‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die (the lie). 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (creating doubt about God’s motive).”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise (the temptation – the pride of life), she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate”.
As you can see the very first sin in the bible is a testimony to the Devil’s lie that God is holding back something from you. Eve was not forced into sin. She was deceived, as was Adam when he ate the fruit as well. They both chose to sin because they chose to doubt God and believe the Devil.
Let me share with you an old American Indian tale about choosing sides it’s called: The Tale Of Two Wolves
“A Cherokee elder was teaching his young grandson about life.
A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One wolf is evil- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
The other wolf is good- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too. The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, which wolf will win? The elder simply replied, the one you feed.
The Two Natures
As a Christian, the two wolves are the two natures, the old and new man. In Christ, you have been made new, but the old man still hangs on. The devil will try to appeal to your “old man”. Here are some things to keep in mind.
The Fact, we are New Creations! 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.
The Process, Renewal of the mind Romans 12:1-2
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.
The Practice, Out with the old and in with the new
Ephesians 4:24 and that you put on the new man whichwas created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
In closing…
What I am about to say in closing may not apply to you because you have already found that following Jesus and His teachings have made positive changes in your life. But, for those who are still questioning and have doubts about going “all in” for Jesus let me say this.
Every day we make choices. No one is exempt from making choices. The question is, are we making the right choices. It would be wonderful to know the outcome of our choices before we make them. If that were the case, we would never experience disappointment or the repercussions of making the wrong decision. Obviously, that isn’t possible.
The truth is we never make decisions that are totally objective, we are always influenced by our experiences and … by the voices we allow into our lives. Friends, family, and the spiritual voices of God and the Devil. So, the real issue is who will you trust? God has already demonstrated His trustworthiness… He sent Jesus so that you might be forgiven of all of your sins, placed His Holy Spirit in you to guide you, and provided you with His word the Bible. What more proof do you need of God’s love for you?
Perhaps you have trusted in your own self, your friends, your family, and even the Devil himself in an attempt to find happiness. You’ve done it your way. Now ask yourself the hard question, are you where you want to be at this point in your life?
How about a change, put your trust in Jesus! His love for you will never go away! He wants you to live a blessed life, but you have to do it His way. Learn to hear His voice then trust and obey.
