Know The Enemy, He IS Real

Now you are on a journey to know God. You must also know the Enemy.

One of the biggest accomplishment that the Devil ever accomplished was convincing the world that he doesn't exist. This is a very true statement. Hollywood would have you believe that the Devil, if he were real, would be a red wrinkled face, horned head, tail waging, pitchfork wielding, demon straight from hell.

Why? The reason he wants people to think that he is nothing but a made up nightmare is simple. If there is no Devil. Then there is no sin. If there is no hell. Then there is no reason for a God. If there is no consequences for your actions, then there is no reason for a Saviour. No hell, then no heaven. No Devil then no God. No sin. Just do as you will.

As we have discussed in the past, he needs 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 twenty dollar bills in your pocket. I take one, and 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 really angry 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. By me.

Satan is the same way. He doesn't care about you if you already belong to him. He cares about you once you leave. He will do whatever he can, to make sure that you do not take anymore from him. So that's when you really have to be careful.

To attempt to keep more people from leaving to begin with, he tries to convince many that he doesn't even exist. That is also why the false premise of who and what he is. He is NOT a demon straight from hell. Truth is, if he was to appear in a church today, as he truly is, many would most likely fall at his feet thinking he was Jesus himself. In Isaiah 14, it tells us a wealth of information that you may not know.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The first thing you need to realize is that he is called Son of the Morning. He was the fairest of all the Angels. He is beautiful. He is majestic. He would appear to many as Christ himself. Not some red wrinkled face, horned head, tail waging, pitchfork wielding, demon straight from hell. But a vision of beauty. He hasn't changed. he is who he is.

Second, "I will ascend into Heaven." Which means what? If you were to say, I will go into that house, that means you are not there. Right? He said in his heart, I will go into Heaven and I will put my throne above God's. He wanted to become God. He was cast down. He failed. A third of the Angels followed him. They failed as well. THIS is the whole reason there even is a hell. For him and his followers. It was never intended for us.

Now we see how Satan works. Does he send you nightmares? Does he get in your face and threaten you? Does he yell and scream? Growl? Nope. He suggests. He whispers. We see this after God created Mankind. He was jealous of us. He was the first Angel. He and his followers were God's FIRST creation. They were the ones. Now, because of their disobedience, God started over. That is the gap between Genesis one and two. So in Genesis 3, we see him in action for the first time.

1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of 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 hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Now again, did Satan make her do it? Nope. Did he make Adam take it and eat of it with her? Nope. He simply told her a half truth. He lied. But he was calm about it. He fed into what he knows she desired. To be like God. He knew that Adam was the same. And to get Adam to sin, he used Eve.

You see, the devil will not force you to do anything. He will make whatever you desire seem obtainable. He will make something seem right. He will whisper in your ear. He will feed your desire. He will not however, tempt you with something that has nothing to do with you. I do not do drugs. I do not drink daily. I have been known to have an adult beverage from time to time. Do not misunderstand. I'm not against drinking adult beverages. Neither is God by the way. Jesus drank wine. As a matter of fact, the first miracle Jesus did was turn water into wine at a wedding. The Bible even tells us in 1st Timothy 5:23

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

So I'm not anti drinking. I am anti drunk. So please understand what I'm saying here. I do not drink daily, nor do I ever use drugs. So the devil is not going to show up at my door with a six pack and a bag of Pot and say "Hey, lets party." Do you do drugs? Are you an alcoholic? If so, he MAY show up at your door with them. But he will not waste his time at mine.

Are you addicted to Porn? If so, you may be walking in the mall. All of a sudden, you may see a girl wearing a see through top with no bra. Or just a girl walking through the mall wearing next to nothing in general. Now that imagine is in your head. You go home, turn on the Computer, and there you go.

This is how he works. He does not tempt you with things that will not tempt you. He knows you. He knows what buttons to push. He knows how to whisper in your ear, and what to say. He does not FORCE you to do anything. It is still ultimately YOU, who decide to do it or not. To give in or not. To sin or not.

Can he do whatever he wants to you? Nope. Why? Because he is NOT God. He needs God's permission. Think about that. Look at Job. in Job 2

1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

Think about this for a second. There are set days when "The Sons of God," remember this is before Jesus came giving us the opportunity to become Sons and Daughters of God ourselves, had to present themselves before God. In other words, give an account to God, about what they have been doing. Here comes Satan himself. Walking in to present himself before God.

2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Again, he is not in Hell. He is not in Heaven. He is in the World. He is ON the Earth. He is not locked up yet. Do not buy into Religious teachings or Hollywood that want to tell you any different.

3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

Now God knows he was messing with Job. God understands that Satan HATES anyone that loves God. Does He say to Satan, "Stop messing with him. He believes in Me and he is Mine?" Nope. He lets Satan answer the question. Satan says this.

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Satan said, "Put forth YOUR hand now, and touch his bone and flesh. You see, Satan told God to do it. Why? Because Satan can do NOTHING without God's permission. God said, "Behold, he is in your hand." The only thing God told Satan he could not do, was take his life. He did not give Satan authority over Job. He said Look, he is already in your hand.

That is a powerful Truth. What does that mean? Job, like us, was in the world. He was, as we are, flesh. Remember, God created the world, and gave all authority of it, to us. Adam gave our authority over the world to Satan, in the Garden of Eden. Since then, Satan has become lord over the Earth. So the Spirit of Man can become adopted into the Family of God, which means we live forever. However, while in the flesh, in the world, we are in Satan's hand. We are subject to the things in the world and of the flesh. That is why the fruit of the Flesh, or the works of the flesh, and mankind's heart, is evil.

So Satan goes out and tempts Job. He inflicts his body with sickness and disease, turns his family and friends against him, and does many other things to Job. But Job endures it all, never loosing faith, and is HIGHLY rewarded for doing such. 

Look at Peter. One of the Disciples Jesus loved the most. The Same Peter that was the only other man in recorded history to walk on water. Yes he did. When they were in the ship and Jesus came walking to them on the water, Peter walked on the water also, until he allowed doubt to creep in and then needed Jesus to save him. According to Matthew 14

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

This is the same Peter that Jesus said in Matthew 16: 18

 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

This is the same Peter who said to Jesus that he would die for him. He would go to hell with him. The same Peter who cut off the right ear of Malchus, the High Priest's servant, when they came to take Jesus in the Garden to crucify Him. Jesus said THIS to Peter in Luke 22:

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Imagine that. One of the most faithful people ever to walk the earth. One WITH Jesus always. One that Jesus told on him he would build his church. That same Peter, Jesus said, Satan wants you. Peter may have been thinking something like Jesus was going to say, I told him no. Don't worry Pete, I got ya back. But he didn't say that. What did he say? I pray that you are strong enough to with stand whatever it is he throws at you. He said, yup. Actually he most likely said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand."

You see, even Jesus himself, while with us, in the flesh, was tempted by Satan. In Matthew 4

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Notice the first temptation was that of what most people see as a necessity. Food. Jesus was fasting. You could say He was seeking first the Kingdom of God. Doing God's work. Remember, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added onto you?" So Jesus was hungry, and Satan, KNOWING he could, tempted Him to break his fast. To turn rocks into food and eat. But Jesus responded...

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Now as it is written in Romans 8, remember? Nothing can separate us from the Love of God. That nothing can in fact kill us? Not the Spirit. That nothing ever formed can do our Spirit any harm. Also know this. Satan KNOWS the Word. He was there when it was written. He can quote the Bible chapter and verse. He KNOWS God and has, and continues to, see Him face to face. Does that make him good? Just a side note to my 'holier than thou" friends out there. But Jesus said this...

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Now this one is important to understand. Again, Satan IS the lord of the earth. He told Jesus, I will give you all this, all you have to do is worship me. The promise of riches. A temptation even back then. But he would not be able to tempt Jesus with this, if he was not able to deliver. You see Satan can tempt Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world, because they belong to him.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Notice a couple of things here. First, 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 that already belong to him. he doesn't have to. Remember what Jesus said to the holier than thou crowd back in the day? Remember what he said to the "religious folks?" The Priests and Scribes. In John 8 he said this...

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Then in Acts 4, Peter told the High Priest and Rulers, the religious folks, this, talking about Jesus....

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Remember, hell was never intended for man. We get there by choice. By not accepting the gift that God gave the world through Jesus. In Matthew 25, Jesus said this...

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

All you have to do to join the Satan and his angels is not accept the gift. That's it. You can be as religious as you want to be. You can do whatever you chose to do. But if you do not have the key, you can't go through the door. Therefore, Satan has no need to tempt you with anything.

So what is the key? Asking God to forgive you for your Sins and accepting His gift. Accept Jesus's sacrifice for you. Allow His blood to be your blood. His death to be your death. His resurrection to be YOUR resurrection. He died so that you do not have to. He died so that you may live. All you have to do is accept it. Ask for it. Say this prayer in your own words.

"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 Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent 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!"

Now the other thing you need to realize here is this. It took Jesus THREE times to resist the devil before Satan left Him. Three times. Are you greater than Jesus? Becoming a Child of God, does not mean, you can now walk on water. That you will sit on your couch and a bucket of money will drop out of the sky and you will coast through life without another care in the world. No. It means Satan will now tempt you to attempt to keep you from leading anyone else away from him. But I've got good news for you. You are NOW a Child of God. Being a Child of God, you have the power and the authority to resist the devil and all his temptations. In James 4:

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

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

Now notice this also. "But he giveth more grace." in other words, his grace is not sufficient to over come your Sins. It is MORE than sufficient. It does not say you get only what you can handle. It says you get MORE grace than anything you need. MORE grace than is needed to cover your Sins. All you have to do is resist the devil and he will flee from you. In 1st Peter 5:

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

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Again, the Word does not declare that you, now as a Child of God will have a free ride. All will be peachy. That you will no longer be tempted of the devil. No, as a matter of fact, NOW is the time you will be. However, you have more than enough grace to overcome it. You have God on your side. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. When you successfully over come the temptations, you will be "perfect, stablish, strengthen, settled"

11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Until next time, God bless, and Jesus IS Lord!