He Is Real, Know the enemy

 Yes, he is real. 

Why does God allow the devil to exist? How much power and authority does the devil have? Where is the devil right now?

Last time, we discussed the existence of the devil. He is real, and so is hell. He is referred to as the god of this world and the lord of the air. There is a war taking place, and you are on one side or the other. It doesn’t matter whether you choose to accept this as a fact; it is reality. This is the truth. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, LORD God, we come before you today with thanksgiving and praise. We thank you for life itself, for life everlasting, and all things in between. As we enter into your Word today, we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and the ability to receive and understand your truth and your revelations. As we learn about the enemy, we pray for wisdom and the ability to resist him so that, as your Word declares, “He will flee from us.” We ask this in your precious name, Yeshua. Amen and amen!

Why does God allow evil people, including the devil, to exist? Turn to Matthew 13. Start at verse 24.

“He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'

So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."

They asked him why there are evil people in the world. Why does God not just destroy them? Well, let’s let Jesus explain it Himself. Jump down to verse 36

“Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.”

Are some born evil? Yes. We all are. We are born into sin. We are born into the flesh. We belong to the flesh and the devil himself. However, when you hear the Truth and you allow God to set you free through Christ’s sacrifice, then you become good seed. Hopefully, you are producing good fruit. You are still surrounded by tares. Or evil people.

“The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

God is patient. God is kind. He does not send any humans to hell. We go there by choice, and we reject God and His Salvation through our own free will. This is why He is patient.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

As He told us in the parable of the tares, “'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.”

Where is the devil right now?

"And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where have you come?’ Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.'" Job 2:2

Remember this from last time.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8

He is neither in hell nor in heaven. He exists in the world, on the earth. Without a doubt, he is your enemy if you are a child of God. How much power does he have, and how does he operate? One of his biggest tools and most powerful is temptation.

Temptation is an invitation. It is not a forced action. The devil, Satan, invited Adam to partake of the forbidden fruit. He made it desirable. He made it seem harmless. He made it seem as if there was a great reward for giving in and doing it. He could not make Adam do it. Think about this. Adam had "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Which means he had domination over that Serpent that started talking to him.

Since that time, when Adam yielded his power and authority, in essence, knelt before Satan, Satan has become the lord of this world. The Word declares that the Devil is "prince of the power of the air" Ephesians 2:2. He is the "ruler of this world" John 12:31. Simply put, Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes, and views of the people who reject Christ and those who choose not to believe.

The sad truth is, this is the majority of people walking the earth today. Satan also influences the world’s philosophies, the education system, the thoughts, ideas, speculations, and, of course, even the religions of the world, which are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions. Make no mistake about it, Satan is mighty, and if you reject the Truth or allow him to, he will destroy your life.

As we get deeper into this series, we will examine five of the most common lies he whispers in our ears.

That The Bible Isn’t Real, Do Not Believe It
The Physical World Is More Important than the Spiritual World
That Happiness Is Unattainable, without him
That You Aren’t Significant, you cannot teach or lead others
That Church isn’t Important, man-made traditions, and you do not need it.

Who is it that Satan tempts? Is it those who do not know God? Nope. It is the faithful. He doesn't waste his time tempting those who already belong to him. He doesn't have to. As we have discussed in the past, he needs to do nothing to coerce you into doing anything. You are already his. All you have to do is not accept the Christ that is Jesus. That's it. Live as you will. Do as you will. There is no need to change a thing.

It's like you, having two one-hundred-dollar bills in your pocket. I take one, put it in my pocket, and walk away. Which bill are you thinking about? The one in your pocket? Or the one in mine? Chances are, you are outraged that I took one of your bills. You want it back. You want me to stop taking your bills. You are thinking of ways for me to stop taking your bills. The last thing you are thinking about is the one in your pocket. Why? You already have that one. No. You are concerned with the one that got away from you.

Satan is the same way. He doesn't care about you if you already belong to him through the absence of Christ. He cares about you once you leave. He will do whatever he can to make sure that you do not take any more from him. That's when you truly have to be careful. Do not think for a second; “The Prosperity Gospel,” “Name it and claim it,” or “Greater are you than in all the world” are true or biblical. They are not. They are lies straight from the evil one himself.

“Prosperity Gospel?” “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Luke 16:13

“Name it and claim it?” “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

“Greater are you than in all the world?” No. “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Notice, in all these things, it is all about you. The truth is, it is never all about you. If you have all this power and wealth, you are relying on yourself and not God. The devil doesn’t mind. Just be you. Believe the lies and live your life. The devil may even give you fortune and fame, as long as you never use Jesus’ name.

Next time, we will get into the five most common lies the devil likes to tell us. “The Bible is not important. Do not believe it.”

However, without Christ, none of this matters anyway. Amen? Are you a child of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. Let us pray.

Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Yeshua's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent of my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

"That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, You shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10

The email, if you wish to contact me, is truthbygod1@gmail.com

May the comfort of the Holy Ghost and the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!