Beware of your Enemy
Everyone on the face of this earth has a common enemy. He hates us all - whether lost or saved. He seeks to destroy all. His name is Satan.
It’s no surprise that those who deny the existence of God will deny the existence of Satan.
What is a surprise is how many so-called Christians and pastors reject belief in a literal Devil. This is especially true in what is called Liberal Christianity. Most liberals regard the existence of Satan as a myth, just as they believe Adam and Eve and most of the Bible are myths.
Ignorance of Satan is dangerous, because he is then able to move about freely in our lives with us being unaware of what is happening. Scripture warns us about being ignorant of Satan: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (II Corinthians 2:11)
Satan is very real. He is mentioned in 26 of the 66 books of the Bible, 7 of them being in the Old Testament and 19 of the 27 New Testament books. Jesus Himself mentions the Devil numerous times.
Satan is not just an “evil force”. He has the three basic characteristics of personality: mind, will, and emotion. He is the opposite of Christ. He is NOT Jesus’ brother, as the Mormons teach.
He is the author of pride. When we are prideful, we are most like Satan.
In Isaiah, Satan says, “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…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13-14. Contrast this with the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: “...Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42.
Satan is a great imitator of God. He is a counterfeiter. He has his own doctrines, which are contrary to God’s doctrines. Some or all of these doctrines are embraced by so-called Christian churches all over the world today.
The Word is not inspired
The Birth of Christ was not divine
The Morals of Christ are not absolute
The Miracles of Christ didn’t happen
The Way of Christ is not the only way
The Blood of Christ does not save
The Resurrection of Christ did not happen
The Return of Christ will not happen
Does your church teach any of the above doctrines?
Satan was the first to cast doubt on God’s Word. “Yea, hath God said…?” (Genesis 3:1). Does your church cast doubt on God's Word?
He was the first to deny God’s Word “…Ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4).Does your church deny God's Word?
Just as God has a plan for your life, Satan also has a plan for your life. He wants to destroy it. If you are lost, he wants you to stay that way so that you will share his fate in the pits of hell someday. If you are saved, he wants to make you an ineffective Christian. He wants to ruin your witness and your testimony.
How are we to combat Satan? Not by focusing on him, or trying to “cast him out” as some religious movements today teach. Scripture tells us exactly how to combat him. Turn from Satan and towards God.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you...” James 4:7-8
Be aware of your enemy.
Labels: Doctrine, Personal Observations/Stories, Scripture
thoughts from Ms.Green @ Friday, November 24, 2006
6 Comments:
I often read of "Christians" who scoff at us who believe Satan is real. But Jesus, Peter, Paul and others thought he is real, so I'll stick with them.
Neil,
I was raised Catholic as a little girl, and I remember a Franciscan Priest telling me that there wasn't really such a thing as a devil - Satan was just representative of the evil in the hearts of men.
I had another priest tell me one time that it wasn't essential that I believed Jesus was really the son of God and that he rose from the dead - as long as I came to Mass and was a good person.
Needless to say, these two were part of the reason I dropped out of the Catholic church and became an agnostic for so many years.
I thank God He doesn't give up on us when we seem to reject Him and walk away.
Whoa! How do people like those priests you mention get into positions to teach?
The RCC is such a big organization, and there are people from one end of the spectrum to the other. Most of the Catholics I know believe in works salvation and are pretty liberal in their theology. However, I also know of some Catholics (and priests) that I'm convinced are born-again Christians. I just happened to be around the more liberal ones when I was part of that church.
I spent a year and a half in a Catholic high school. I distinctly remember one priest telling the class that there was nothing miraculous about the parting of the Red Sea, that the Israelites actually crossed over a marshy patch, and Pharoahs army didn't drown, they simply got mired in the marsh.
I'm glad I didn't buy into that nonesense. But it's not just the RCC, false prophets are everywhere... TBN, INSP, your friendly neighborhood church...
If ever there was a time to earnestly contend for the faith, this is that time.
We are in the time of the Great Apostacy, or falling away. False doctrines, false teachers, false prophets and false christs! We indeed need to be scholars of the Bible and closely follow in Jesus' Footprints.
And satan is indeed "The Enemy", our Adversary and the Accusser of the Brethren, thanks be to G*D we have an Advocate who is our Big Brother, and the Judge is our Father and the chief Witness is our close Companion, the trial's rigged!
tmw
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