Tag Archives: satan

Start Believing in Satan Again

Christians are sinking too deeply into the scientific age in which we live. Accordingly, everything must be tangible and explainable scientifically. This leads to skepticism and a disdain of the spiritual and miraculous.

As a result, we lose focus of the war raging around us and Satan moves into the realm of myth, while God assumes the mantle of villain.

Strangely, in our age, people vilify God as powerless, until they need someone to blame and the Father suddenly becomes real again. There is nothing like tornadoes and floods to activate the faith of atheists.

Studies show that “Nearly six out of ten Christians [in a broadest sense] either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan ‘is not a living being but is a symbol of evil,’ the survey found.” /1

God’s people must resist this trend and start believing in Satan again. We must take him seriously and realize the danger of his venom. He stands against God’s people in every situation and he is tireless in his villainy.

His fingerprints have been on every evil thing since the beginning of time. God, however, is consummate goodness. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5, NKJV).

The contrast could not be any clearer.

Christians need to be looking for Satan’s fingerprints on every tainted surface. He will do anything to destroy us spiritually (1 Peter 5:8). His goal is to decimate your marriage and enslave your children.

The drug dens and porn shoots are under his careful supervision. He cheers on the abuser and whets the thirst of the drunkard. He empties a woman’s heart and leads her to the street corner to give away her last possession.

His breath is in the false teacher’s mouth as he spews lies and deceives the people. No arena is safe from his disease.

When will we call his hand? How much longer will we blame God for Satan’s handiwork? Can we imagine the level of evil in this deed?

Satan is somewhere plotting your downfall and aligning himself against your children to steal their bodies and souls. Do we care? If so, fight back with the Word (Matthew 4) and be sanctified (Romans 12:1-2).

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1/ http://tinyurl.com/c97d6e

–Richard Mansel @ www.forthright.net

Indian relocation – 1829

Slavery and the treatment of Native Americans are two of the most shameful events in American history. Likewise, the Trail of Tears is one of our nation’s lowest points.

Before the term Manifest Destiny entered the American lexicon, the concept was very real. White settlers filled the countryside. As a result, their land-hunger became voracious.

“Between 1816 and 1840, tribes located between the original states and the Mississippi River, including Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles, signed more than 40 treaties ceding their lands to the U.S.”/1

President Andrew Jackson established the policy of Indian relocation in 1829. The next year, gravity took hold and the future of the Cherokee Indians took a tragic turn when settlers discovered gold on Cherokee land. /2

Cherokee leaders tried to save their people by signing the New Echota treaty in 1835. The treaty ceded “all Cherokee territory east of the Mississippi to the U.S., in exchange for $5 million and new homelands in Indian Territory.”/3

Soon, the Cherokee nation was on their way to Oklahoma. Their journey, in their own tongue, became known as, “The trail where they cried.”/4

We can take their tragedy and make application to our Christian walk.

First, life is neither fair nor just. Spiritually, we find opposition at every step. Satan, the god of this world, attacks us daily in his quest to decimate God’s people (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 8:44; Job 1-2; Ephesians 6:12).

As a result, we will face persecution and hardship as Satan attempts to destroy our faith (2 Timothy 3:12). As Christians, we should see the broader view of man’s existence, we must be aware of these attacks, realizing why they occur and what they mean (John 17:14). Sin made the world unfair, not God.

Second, in a lesser way, we all have our own Trail of Tears. Sorrow is an undeniable part of the human experience. Sin came into the world and death followed (Genesis 3). We are born with our own tears and we die with the tears of others.

Wayne Jackson wrote, “Human beings are the only biological creatures on earth to shed tears in times of emotional distress.”/5 Grief and tears fill the pages of Scripture (Job). Death perpetually waits for our last end (Hebrews 9:27).

The Cherokee, and the other tribes involved, suffered a horrible wrong that still resonates. Let us not allow Satan the opportunity to do the same to us as Christians.

–Richard Mansel @ www.forthright.net
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1/ http://www.nps.gov/trte/historyculture/stories.htm
2/ Ibid.
3/ Ibid.
4/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears
5/ https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/614-the-trail-of-tears

WHAT TO DO WHEN BITTEN BY A VENOMOUS SNAKE

As one who could not be more creeped out by snakes, I was thrilled for my sons to tell me what was the deadliest snake in the world. The Inland Taipan, native to Australia, is the most venomous land snake on earth, and it has the most toxic venom known to exist. Yet, it is a shy snake, not known to be aggressive toward humans. Far more people die from cobras, rattlesnakes, and mambas (!) than reclusive, though deadly, snakes like the Taipan, the boomslang, and the tiger snake.

Mike O’Shea, author of Venemous Snakes of the World, was interviewed by Princeton University Press, and in the course of the conversation he mentioned many of the fables and myths about treating poisonous snake bites that actually do more harm than good. He listed tourniquets, razor-cuts, venom extractors, and herbal, magical, or traditional treatments, and all of us have heard of some or all of these suggested “cures,” as wrong ways to treat such a bite. Then he said what was most effective: keep the bite area and the victim still, keep the victim awake and as reassured as possible, keep pressure on neurotoxic bites, keep the airways clear, and perform CPR as needed. Obviously, in all cases, the biggest, best thing to do is get the victim medical help and get a description of the offender if unable to kill and bring it with you and the victim to the hospital.

The Bible calls the devil “the serpent of old” (Rev. 12:9; 20:2). It also draws some correlation between the serpent and the devil in 2 Corinthians 11:3, 13-14 (deceiving and craftiness). Most feel certain that the devil was involved in the Eden events in which a serpent beguiled Eve. Likening the work and effects of the devil to that of a deadly snake is not a stretch.

If a species of snake enjoyed in physical terms the success the devil enjoys in spiritual terms, every health and emergency services agency in every nation around the world would rise up today and make its eradication their top priority. They would not rest until this creature was fought and defeated. To say they would be diligent would be to grossly understate the matter.

Yet, the devil is inserting his toxic poison into the hearts of willing victims every second of time. If only the worst he could do was kill the body. He is ruining souls (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25-26), which impacts eternity.

We should avoid places where he is likely to be (1 The. 5:22). We should take precautions (1 Pet. 5:8). We should know his habits and methods (2 Cor. 2:11). We should fight him (1 Pet. 5:9; Js. 4:8; Eph. 6:11).

If we are “bitten” by him, we need to seek help, being reassured that Christ has the power to heal us if we properly treat the “wound.” As scary as the devil can seem, God is more powerful. We have the help of others at our disposal, but more importantly we have God’s help and His cure is 100% successful if applied.

–Neal Pollard

Satan does not quit!

Satan is a dogged pursuer with tireless energy. He comes at us when we are weak or strong. His opportunism knows no bounds and his viciousness, no limits.

Satan is a spiritual being so he does not require sleep or rest. He has tools available to him that we do not have. Human wisdom, wealth or wiles cannot defeat Satan. His powers of deception are too strong (John 8:44).

We must be constantly prepared if we will survive his onslaught. God is our only hope (Revelation 20:11-15). Without the proper weaponry and defenses, Satan will ravage us like a defenseless child (1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:14-18).

Joseph was a handsome and virile young man far away from home (Genesis 39:1-6). Although he was a slave, Potiphar had put everything except his family under his authority. As he went about his work, a temptation arose.

Potiphar’s wife began to desire Joseph and pursued him. Joseph refused to succumb (Genesis 39:7-9). So she became relentless in her pleadings to wear down his defenses (Genesis 39:10).

While he stayed strong morally, he may have also been battling his own human passions as a young single man.

Satan attacks where we are vulnerable. Jesus went without food for forty days and Satan appeared offering him bread (Matthew 4:1-3). Spiritually, Jesus refused his offer. However, his body passionately craved the bread.

When we leave a door open, Satan runs in. He saw something in Joseph that gave him hope that this temptation would destroy him.

In the realm of morality, lust has destroyed countless spiritual lives. We must be resolute, so we can withstand the attacks (Ephesians 6:10-12).

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13, NKJV).

Satan’s arrows will continue to fly so we must remain close to God and armed for battle at all times (James 4:7-8). We can never grow smug or overconfident or we will soon find defeat.

Temptation is like water torture, the drops are relentless and maddening. However, we all have weaknesses that we struggle with. This energy contributes to Satan’s power.

We must be fiercely honest if we will close all the doors we have open for Satan. God’s Word will help us every day so we can stand fast in our faith (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Richard Mansel @ www.forthright.net

Only One Conversation You Can Hold with the Devil

The Accuser Has Been Thrown Down