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Spiritual Warfare - Temptations, Trials, & Tests

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Battle - Spiritual Warfare

 

 

Spiritual Warfare - Temptations, Trials, Tests - SO4J-TV & Videos - SO4J.com

 

Spiritual Warfare, Temptations, Trials, Tests - helps Believers to understand Spiritual Warfare (Battle), and how to Overcome these Temptations, Trials, & Tests through Jesus Christ. We are to Cling to Jesus & God's Word when going through the difficult Temptations & Trials of this Life.




Battle— Spiritual Warfare

 

 

 

 

By Amazing Bible

 

 

ON THIS PAGE:

  1. ONCE YOU ARE SAVED, THERE IS A BATTLE TO BE FOUGHT: IT IS CALLED SPIRITUAL WARFARE
  2. SPIRITUAL WARFARE: THE BATTLE (CONSIDER FASTING)
  3. THE CONFLICT OR TEMPTATIONS COME FROM
  4. HERE IS THE CONFLICT BETWEEN TRUTH AND ERROR
  5. TEMPTATIONS
  6. TEMPTATIONS COME FROM SATAN
  7. TEMPTATIONS COME FROM SATAN WORKING THROUGH PEOPLE
  8. TEMPTATIONS COME FROM THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH
  9. TEMPTATIONS: WE PRAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE TEMPTED
  10. TEMPTATIONS: WE LEAD OURSELVES INTO TEMPTATION—THE PRETTY GIRL
  11. TEMPTATIONS OR TESTS CAN COME FROM GOD
  12. WE TEMPT GOD
  13. THE EARTH IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLEFIELD
  14. TEMPTATIONS IN OUR MIND
  15. TEMPTATIONS IN SOLITARY PLACES
  16. THE CARNAL OR WORLDLY LIFESTYLE
  17. BEWARE OF STUBBORNNESS AND SELF-CONFIDENCE
  18. BEWARE OF HAVING TO FIGHT THE DEVIL ON TWO FRONTS
  19. "I DON'T SEE IT THAT WAY"
  20. SPIRITUAL WARFARE: WE FIGHT
  21. THE WAR OR BATTLE RAGES IN OUR MIND
  22. A SUMMARY OF WHAT WE SHOULD DO
  23. THE WAR IS
  24. FOR OUR WEAPONS ARE
  25. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
  26. THE RESULT SHOULD BE
  27. THE WAR OR BATTLE RAGES IN OUR FLESH
  28. THE WAR OR BATTLE RAGES IN OUR FEELINGS, OUR EMOTIONS
  29. THERE WAS WAR IN HEAVEN
  30. WHAT IS SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS?
  31. THE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION OF THE BATTLE
  32. WHAT IS TRUTH?


1 - Once You Are Saved, There is a Battle to be Fought - It is Called Spiritual Warfare

Yet despite Satan’s vast arsenal of devices and deceptions, a few, by the grace of God, come to Jesus when "He" calls. They come by faith and surrender all to Jesus. They follow Him. They have overcome the many devices and deceptions of the devil by the mercy of God through faith.

Now they face a new battle. Satan can be expected to attack the new Christian in ways that do not even come to his mind.

This fiery trial or battle that a person goes through is called "spiritual warfare."

2 - Spiritual Warfare - The Battle

We are in a spiritual battle, a spiritual war, a spiritual fight, a spiritual wrestling match, a spiritual struggle.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a soldier. You are in a war. That war is against Satan. It is against the forces of darkness.

This battle never ends until we die. If we are on Satan’s side, the Lord may deal with us to get us to repent. If we are on the Lord’s side, Satan tries to cause us to fall, as:

Do not underestimate Satan and his powers to deceive.

Do not underestimate Satan and his powers of deception. His ability to put obstacles in your path is great. He deceives some that are going to hell into believing there is no hope. He also deceives others that are going to hell into believing they are really going to heaven. Those that are saved, Satan often tries to deceive them into thinking they are not.

An army that is going to war that teaches nothing but victory, health, and success will lose the war. An army that is prepared for the battle will win. The army needs to know about the enemy; they need to know who the enemy is. The army needs to know how the enemy will attack and what weapons he will attack with. The army needs to know when the enemy will attack and from where, and to be ready at all times. The army needs to know, if they get wounded, what they must do to get healed. The army needs to know, if they get captured, what they must do to get free. The army must know what weapons they have available and how to use them. This comes from first being trained, then practice, and finally engaging the enemy, and on to victory.

All facets of warfare must be taught and practiced, lest the enemy gain an advantage and win the war. We need to know who the enemy is and all there is to know about him, his tactics, and his capabilities. We also need to know our own weapons and capabilities. We need to know the consequences of surrender to the enemy. We need to know when to use our weapons and when not to. We need to be ever vigilant, for our enemy the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour or conquer.

A person that is never taught about the battle he is in will probably lose. A person that is taught nothing but victory, success, health, and prosperity will go forth with great zeal but little knowledge. He will be unprepared for the onslaught of the enemy. You may go forth with the most advanced and powerful weapons, but these are of little value, if the enemy successfully sneaks up behind you and takes you by surprise. This is exactly what the enemy is planning to do.

Jesus had the victory, but do you? Will you hold firm to the end, or will you fall into Satan’s cunning deceit working in your mind? Will you be defeated and never realize it till the judgment? Beware, lest it happen so slowly that you never recognize you are backsliding.

Beware. Satan will try to keep you from reading your Bible, as it is your spiritual warfare instruction manual. It covers everything you need to know. Read it, study it, hear it, meditate on it, and obey it.

There is strife between people in the churches today. There are battles between the preachers and elders. There are arguments in Bible studies and in church business and planning meetings. What is going on?

The battle inside you rages. Once you are saved, there shall be a battle fought inside you. It is a battle between the forces of darkness (Satan’s realm) and the forces of light (Jesus is light). It shall be a battle of victory to those who overcome all things through faith. It will be a battle of defeat to those who do not obey God’s Word.

This battle will rage in your mind, in your feelings or emotions, and in your flesh. If you are unsaved, things may happen to you for the purpose of bringing you to repentance. If you are about to be saved, you may feel like you are being torn apart. You may feel like a rope is pulling on one arm to go in a certain direction, and another rope is pulling on the other arm in the opposite direction; you are in the middle being torn apart. Jesus wants you to repent and follow Him. Satan wants you to refuse. It is a battle for your soul.

If you submit to Satan, you will probably grow harder toward God. Sin hardens a person against God and against His Word. Yet the war will go on. If you submit to God, then Satan will keep trying to pull you back into sin. The battle will rage inside you. Because of events stemming from this battle, many turn to drugs and alcohol, instead of to God. For those who submit to God, He gives them His Spirit and power to overcome evil.

Till the day you die (or are raptured), this battle can be expected to continue for your soul. The conflict inside you, at times, may seem almost unbearable, but do not give up or despair.

There may be four people. One may say no to the claims of Christ. The other three say, yes. Of those three that say yes, one may fall as a result of persecutions, embarrassment, false doctrines, or wrong thinking. Another may begin to crumble as the cares, pleasures, lusts, and deceitfulness of riches hinder him. Only one may grow and bear good fruit—fruit that will remain. Yet it is written,

Of those that forsake the right way, some will turn on their fellow servants and verbally abuse them and worse. Their countenance will change. Their joy in the Lord disappears. They may become angry, determined, and rebellious. You can see it on their faces, but Satan may have convinced them in their minds that they have not fallen or that they cannot fall. They will usually justify their bad attitude by pointing fingers at others.

A woman may say, "My life is torn apart. What is happening to me? I’m frustrated. My family is falling apart. My children are out of control. My husband’s job is in jeopardy. It seems everything is going wrong." What is happening is, we are in a spiritual war.

We need to look at God’s Word and see what spiritual warfare is, in order to understand what is happening to us. The Bible shows that spiritual warfare is between God and Satan. This began when Satan said in,

The deceptive powers of Satan are so great, that one-third of the angels of heaven followed him. This spiritual conflict between God and Satan goes on today. You are involved. You cannot get away from it. There is no place you can go to get out of this battle. You cannot withdraw. If you withdraw from God, you go into Satan’s territory. There is no neutral ground. You are either in the battle on God’s side, or you are in the battle on Satan’s side. Satan is so expert in deceiving people that they do not even realize they are in a battle at all. Why? It is because most people know very little of what the Bible says, or they do not believe what the Bible says. This includes priests, rabbi and preachers. As it is written, HE THAT IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME - Matt 12:30.

If you are a fruitful, born-again Christian, whose light is shining, you are under attack because you represent Jesus Christ.

If you are carnal (or worldly), lukewarm, and like a wave in your walk with Jesus, you are on very dangerous ground. When people remain depressed a great deal, whether they are a Christian or not, this shows that their fellowship with God is broken.

Satan attacks you, trying to get at God. But remember,

To be on God’s side is to be on the winning side.

When the battle moves on the inside of you, then you need to purge yourself. You need to move the battle back to the outside, so you can have victory on the inside. Dwell in God’s Word. Obey God’s Word. Keep your mind and focus upon Jesus.

Consider fasting for 7, 10, 14, 21, or 40 days as God guides you. Also consider fasting two half days or one full day a week. When fasting for several days, get alone into seclusion. Study God’s Word and pray. Absolutely no television or radio. It is a time to draw closer to God. Those big fiery darts or uptight knots in your stomach should leave toward the end of a seven day fast. Eat no food at all. Drink lots of water only, preferably bottled water. Consider doing this at least once a year. If you have any special medical problems, consult a doctor (preferably born-again) before fasting. Consult your born-again pastor before fasting as he should be able to give you good advice, because he surely would have done much fasting himself. In doing a very long fast such as 21 or 40 days, it might be helpful to consult someone that has done this himself so he can give you good advice.

When coming off a fast of 3 or more days, do not eat a big meal but possibly a little soup and bread. Then eat again about two or three hours later another light meal. After this you should be able to resume normal eating. Expect Satan to try and stop you from fasting for 7 or more days as it helps break his power over you. Expect to have dreams of eating food. A 7 day fast is something you might consider doing once a year. Before attempting a 10 day fast, do 7 days. If you would be one of the few that senses God calling you to do a 40 day fast, be sure to do a 10 day first. Then a year later you might consider a 40 day.

Only a small percentage of born-again Christians have ever done a 40 day fast.

Again, we state, in all cases of fasting 3 or more days, consult your born-again pastor as he should be able to give you good advice on what to expect from his own experiences.

The devil is a military strategist. He has his schemes to wage spiritual war. He has been at this for a very long time. He has a plan for the overthrow of God, for the overthrow of Jesus Christ, and for the overthrow of every believer in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do not underestimate the enemy, "Satan." Do not think he is haphazard in his plan and his effort. He has a plan, and he is out to make it work. But God has told us through the Scriptures,

God has given us this knowledge in the Scriptures so we can fight a good warfare and come out victorious.

3 - The Conflict or Temptations Come From

The Bible describes this battle as a conflict between truth and error. It began with Adam and Eve. Satan deceived Eve with, "HATH GOD SAID?" Eve responded. Then Satan told her that God was not telling her the truth, or God did not mean what He said. You shall not surely die.

4 - Here is the Conflict Between Truth and Error

It is between the clear Word of God and anything that conflicts with it.

It is between the clear Word of God and the wrong thinking you have.
It is between the clear Word of God and your emotions.
It is between the clear Word of God and your flesh.
It is between the clear Word of God and your circumstances.
It is between the clear Word of God and your personal needs and desires.
It is between the clear Word of God and lusts, cares of this life, pleasures of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches.

It is between the clear Word of God and things your family, boss, fellow workers, friends, and other people say to you or ask you to do.

It is between the clear Word of God and the traditions of men.
It is between doing "God’s will" and between doing "your will."
It is between God’s will for you and your own will.

It is between the clear Word of God and the voices or thoughts you hear in your mind, which contradict God’s clear Word. These voices—which you may think are your own—are really from Satan.

This conflict is between the true God and the god of this world. You are in the middle of this spiritual battle. People need to understand that our time on this earth is a time of testing. You are being tested to see if you will obey God or not. You are being tested to see if your faith is genuine. Yet Satan will do what he can to persuade you that it is not a test of obedience. He may even try to persuade you that God’s Word does not even apply to your situation. Satan puts lying thoughts in your mind. Your understanding of God’s Word will manifest itself by what you do.

You will hear God’s truth. You will hear Satan’s lies. You are the battle ground. You need the Holy Spirit, for He will lead you into all truth. That truth will "always" be in harmony with God’s Word.

Measure every message you hear by the Word of God.
Measure every thought you have by the Word of God.
Measure every thing you say and do by the Word of God.
It is the Word of God that will judge you at the judgment.

Your excuses of why you did not obey God will not hold up then.

5 - Temptations

6 - Temptations Come From Satan

Satan is called the tempter. It is written,

Satan will tempt you or trick you to disobey God. Jesus was—

Satan wants to cause you to fall.

Often his Temptations come like they did on Eve. It is very subtle. It is a very small Temptation. It involves just a little disobedience. The disobedience or Temptation may prompt you to do something that is so insignificant, you do not even consider it as a Temptation or a test. Once you disobey or listen to a little thing, then a little bigger Temptation should follow later. Satan tempts you in very subtle ways, because he knows if you recognize the Temptation as it really is that you should resist it and not give in. Giving in to a little Temptation can result in a little blindness. Then it can grow and grow until total darkness sets in. Beware of Satan’s devices. You cannot say you did not know.

7 - Temptations Come From Satan Working Through People

Satan will tempt you through people such as your wife or husband, your children, your parents, your relatives, your boss, your fellow workers, your children or your teachers in schools or colleges, your friends, and other people. The bottom line of these Temptations is to try to cause you to disobey God in some way (even in something very minute) that will ultimately lead to more disobedience later. And through your example of disobedience, someone else may be tempted and fall. Be an example of Christ in "every" way.

8 - Temptations Come From the Lusts of the Flesh

These are the natural lusts of the flesh, but often prompted by Satan. Again, these Temptations may be small even insignificant in the beginning, but as you give in to sin, it can increase more and more.

9 - Temptations: We Pray that we Should not be Tempted

10 - Temptations: We Lead Ourselves into Temptations;
The Pretty Girl and the Chocolate Eclair

Consider the following. A person is married. A pretty girl or a good-looking guy lives on a road that is on the way the person travels to work. They have a choice to take another way or take the way that leads them into Temptation.

Are you a "chocolate eclair" Christian? A chocolate eclair is a delicious cream-filled type of donut (or pastry) with chocolate frosting, but it is very fattening. Now a person who is overweight knows they should not eat chocolate eclairs. They may pray to God, "God, lead me not into Temptation." Then one day they pass a bakery shop that sells these chocolate eclairs. They walk in only to look. Then they decide to buy some, but they promise themselves they will not eat them. They take a box of them home and put it in the refrigerator, but they are determined they will not eat them. Every time they walk by the refrigerator, they think of those delicious chocolate eclairs. Every time they open the door to the refrigerator, they can see these delicious chocolate eclairs just waiting to be eaten and enjoyed. As a couple days pass, the thought comes into their mind, "You better eat them soon, or they will go bad." Finally, the Temptation becomes too much. The person runs to the refrigerator, opens the door and eats just one. But then it was so delicious, they eat another and another.

Are you a "chocolate eclair" Christian, who prays to God, "Lead me not into Temptation," but then you lead yourself into Temptation by being disobedient to God’s Word in some way?

Do you go places you should not go and, as a result, lead yourself into Temptation? When you arrive, Satan is waiting for you.

Do you associate with people that you should not associate with and, as a result, lead yourself into Temptation? When you do, Satan is waiting for you.

Do you do things you should not do and, as a result, lead yourself into Temptation? When you do, Satan is waiting for you.

Do you disobey this command, yet ask God not to lead you into Temptation? Are you a stubborn and rebellious person when it comes to obeying God’s Word?

11 - Temptations or Tests can Come From God

It is written, GOD DID TEMPT (or test) ABRAHAM - Gen 22:1. As a result of the Temptation, Abraham and his seed became a blessing to all nations of the earth, because he obeyed the voice of the Lord - Gen 22:18. When God tries us, He does not give us all the answers. He simply says, "This is the way, walk ye in it." He says, "Climb that mountain. Make that sacrifice." You may be in pain and agony for what you are going through. Your soul may be troubled, but you obey God. The testings of God are to prove your faith genuine, enabling you to come out of it stronger than before. Stay with God and in His will, no matter how you hurt on the inside, no matter what the pain.

12 - We Tempt God

God forbid, then there are times when we tempt God. It is written,

13 - The Earth is a Spiritual Battlefield

The battle begins in your mind. BUT I SEE ANOTHER LAW IN MY MEMBERS, WARRING AGAINST THE LAW OF MY MIND - Rom 7:23. Rev 20:2-3 shows that deception comes from the devil. A battle rages in your thoughts. Your flesh, your feelings, and your thoughts may all say to turn aside from the right way, but you need to obey God. You need to learn to discipline your mind, to bring your thoughts in line with the Bible. CASTING DOWN IMAGINATIONS, AND EVERY HIGH THING THAT EXALTETH ITSELF AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, AND BRINGING INTO CAPTIVITY EVERY THOUGHT TO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST-2 Cor 10:5.

14 - Temptations in our Mind

Jesus struggled in His mind hours before He was crucified. Jesus prayed,

  • Matt 26:39 "O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

  • Luke 22:44 "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Here was the conflict. Satan wanted Him to say He would not obey God,

  • Luke 22:42 Jesus said "Not My will, but thine, be done."

Jesus went to the cross. You must go to the cross and crucify your desires, your will, and your flesh; you must begin living in God’s will.

Satan will lie to your mind (or put thoughts in your mind), that you must not do this or that, or you must do this or that. Satan may say, "You must leave that Bible-teaching church, or that Bible school, or that Bible study, or you must move away. You must not listen to the correction of that spiritual Christian who is coming to speak to you. He can never understand your problem. You must work on the Lord’s day, and forsake going to church. Your finances are so bad, you’ll never pay your bills unless you work." Satan will lie to a person in his mind, and say, "You must, you must, you must." Your emotions may rise as they also say, "You must, you must, you must." Satan will contradict God’s Word in your thoughts. You need to let God take charge of your mind. Bring your thoughts into harmony with the Gospel. Read and obey God’s Word.

15 - Temptations in Solitary Places

Another place Satan wages his battle is in solitary places. He gets you alone, apart from spiritual Christians. It is written,

He likes to tempt you in the darkness of the night. He may tell you that you’re a fool for doing those things God has led you to do. He sows doubt. He may tell you not to go to that church service or Bible study. Remember: Job was tempted at home; Paul was tempted in prison; and Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. In solitary places, Satan also wages his war.

Whenever you go somewhere that is not in God’s will, Satan can be expected to be waiting for you. Whenever you go to a place to fulfill God’s will, you may be joyful and excited, but don’t forget: Satan can be expected to confront you. He may try to stop you from going. He may try to stop you during your trip. He may confront you when you arrive and while you are there.

16 - The Carnal or Worldly Lifestyle

This lifestyle is very vulnerable to spiritual warfare. When a Christian is carnal, he still thinks of ways to satisfy the desires of the flesh. He may be either a newborn babe in Christ, a long-time Christian that has not grown much in Christ, or a backslidden Christian. He has ambitions that are not God’s will for him. It is when you are in this carnal state, that you may fall. You may come to "spiritual indifference." You may say, "I don’t care anymore." You may be at ease in Zion, as was spoken by Amos the prophet. You may have a spiritual attitude of, "Don’t count on me. I’m not getting involved. Let someone else do it." This indifference can cause you to fall. Beware of Satan’s cunning devices. He tries to wear a person down day by day, and they wither away (Mark 4:6). He may wear them down and then, at their weakest point, tempt them with something they are very susceptible to. Then they may fall.

17 - Beware of Stubbornness and Self-Confidence

A person must become totally unyielding to Satan, the Temptations of this world, and the flesh, but must remain totally yielded unto the Lord Jesus Christ. When you become stubborn to God’s will, you provoke God. Stubbornness makes you susceptible to Satan, and you may fall.

Beware of self-confidence. It is written,

Beware of an attitude of, "I can make it on my own. I am a self-made man." Your confidence needs to be placed in Christ. When fighting Satan, if your feet are not firmly planted on the "Rock," you may fall.

Beware of humanistic, self- confidence.

18 - Beware of Having to Fight the Devil on Two Fronts

One of the tactics in warfare is to divide the enemy, to cause him to divide up his forces in order to fight in two or three areas at the same time; thus, he becomes weaker in each area. Then the enemy will determine which of the areas is the weakest and concentrate all his power at that weakest point. We might say, divide and conquer. Many Christians are trying to fight Satan on the front lines, while they are struggling with guilt, fear, misgivings, unbelief, and not dealing with their own problems. As long as you do this, you may meet one defeat after another. You need inner peace.

You may be asked a tempting question. Before you can even answer, someone else hits you with another tempting question, and before you can answer, yet another person asks you a tempting question. Confusion sets in, and you may speak something wrong and trap yourself. Satan seeks to confuse, then divide and conquer. Be slow to speak. When Jesus was tempted with lying accusations, He sometimes answered nothing.

19 - "I Don't See It That Way"

"WARNING, WARNING, WARNING," if you have an apathetic attitude when you are being corrected by God’s Word (regarding something in your spiritual walk that is not right). Beware, if you say to yourself, "It’s not so bad," or "It will all work out all right, don’t worry." If you do this, you are on very dangerous ground. Someone might warn you not to go here or there, which is in harmony with God’s Word, but you believe it will be all right. You have an indifferent attitude. So you go, fully persuaded nothing will happen. Then an unexpected accident happens; your vehicle is smashed. You are hospitalized, or permanently injured, or some other thing happens that had not even entered your mind. The unexpected happened. You chose to ignore God’s warning. You did not have God’s protection; you gave a place to the devil to attack you, because you were in disobedience to God’s Word.

Little did Israel suspect, when they brought up an evil report, that it would cause them to have to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Later on, Israel would not follow God’s ways. They were warned, but they chose to take an attitude of, "It will be all right." They were wrong. Little did they suspect that their nation would be destroyed. Little did they suspect that they would be carried away captive. Little did the rich man suspect that he would be in hell, in Luke chapter 16. Little did Ananias and Sapphira suspect that they would be struck dead for lying, in Acts chapter 5. When a person chooses to disobey God, even in something small, he is giving a place to Satan to attack him. Neither does Satan put in the person's mind how he plans to attack him. Disobedience brings judgment, and

20 - Spiritual Warfare: We Fight

God’s Word tells us we are in a spiritual battle: a war, a fight, a wrestling match. This battle rages in our mind, in our flesh, and through our feelings.

21 - The War or Battle Rages in Our Mind

Note the words, "Members, Warring Against...Mind". A battle, a war, a conflict is going on in our thoughts. Satan puts lying thoughts in our mind. Our defense is to know, understand, and obey God’s Word. You need to be

In the past, prior to submitting to God, you were enemies against God; your behavior was evil. You fulfilled the desires of the flesh and mind. But now, you have become transformed and renewed in your thinking. Again, the Bible describes a battle going on in your thoughts. The outcome should be a transformation taking place in your thinking. That transformation is from worldly, carnal, doubtful thinking, to thinking that is in line with God’s Word, even as the "mind of Christ."

The war rages in your mind. It is a war between a worldly mind, as opposed to a spiritual, Christ-centered mind. It is a war between truth and error, between right and wrong, between the holy and the unholy, between the clean and the unclean. God commands the Christian,

Put off the old thinking and put on new thinking, which is after righteousness and true holiness. A person needs to be "in God’s Word." In America and much of the world, people’s minds are full of thoughts of the world, of the programs on radio and television, of certain movies, of what is in the newspapers, but not of Christ. And when the time of testing comes, they easily fall away. Their foundation (their thinking) is not built on or filled up with God’s Word. For it is written,

The battle, the struggle, the war, the fight goes on in our thinking. It is also written,

This is another illustration of the war that goes on in our mind. It is between truth and error. Our emotions and feelings are involved. Again, it needs to be said, Satan is a master at deceiving people.

Again, the Scriptures are showing us a battle and a war going on in our mind. It is a battle between the lies of Satan and the truth of God’s Word. These lies enter our mind directly from the spiritual realm and through others, including clergy. It is a battle that goes on in our mind, our flesh, and our emotions.

There is a war going on in our mind. We wrestle against Satan and his forces.

Once you surrender to Jesus, you are going to have to wrestle against Satan’s forces. It is a fiery trial, and fiery darts will come at you. It will be a great fight, as Satan lies to your mind. Big knots will come into your stomach. The lusts of the flesh seem to be on fire. The affairs and cares of this life want to swallow you up. The pleasures of this life will try to draw you away from God. Riches from Satan may enter the picture to draw you away from God. Riches are deceitful. You may become afraid, even ashamed. You may be persecuted, beaten, or thrown into jail for your faith in Jesus Christ. But hold fast till the end, your most precious faith.

22 - A Summary of What We Should Do

Yet despite all we will go through, the seemingly endless struggle in our minds, we are to "Be Fully Persuaded" in our mind (Rom 14:5).

We are not to walk as "Other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." (Eph 4:17)

We are not to be of a "Doubtful mind" (Luke 12:29).

23 - The War Is

24 - For Our Weapons Are

25 - What Should We Do?

26 - The Result Should Be

27 - The War or Battle Rages in Our Flesh

Adultery is running rampant. Homosexuality continues to increase. Illicit sex is out of control. Drunkenness, drugs, and wicked things to please the flesh seem to be what many desire. They are ignorant that Satan is behind these. He prompts us to sin. Our flesh also lusts after material things. Many people will lie, cheat, steal, and worse in order to get worldly possessions and money.

The Scripture asks us,

We are in a war. Will we obey God? Will we become a servant of righteousness or a servant of sin?

There is a war going on between the lusts of your flesh and your soul. There may be a war going on between your flesh and mind. There is a war going on between the flesh and the Spirit. You may determine in your mind not to yield to your fleshly lusts. The fleshly lusts then war against those thoughts. The inner conflict continues. It is a spiritual war. It is a battle between doing God’s will and doing Satan’s will.

God gives us a Warning of Judgment:

So What Should We Do?

For we should no longer live the rest of our time:

The Spirit of God will never lead a person contrary to the Word of God. Many say they are being led of the Spirit, but they do not obey God’s Word. They are deceived. To be led of the Spirit of God is to be led by the Word of God. To be led by the Word of God is to "follow Jesus."

28 - The War or Battle Rages in Our Feelings, Our Emotions

Thoughts trigger our emotions. Often, we may get big knots in our stomach or mid-section. It can feel like a big, flaming arrow inside or a fiery dart. You may get ready to witness to someone about Jesus, and your emotions get tense. Whenever you are about to do what God wants you to do, you may get fiery darts inside you. Your emotions can get stirred. You have a thought to give a person a tract. Your emotions become stirred. Satan uses fiery arrows to try to stop a person from obeying God. The person that is ignorant of spiritual warfare does not understand these things, so when they "feel" through a fiery dart that something is wrong, they go by their emotions rather than God’s Word. Nevertheless, the shield of faith can quench these fiery arrows.

Beware when these knots, these feelings, these thoughts are not in harmony with the Scriptures. It is God’s Word that will tell you if your thoughts and feelings are from God or Satan. A person needs to study God’s Word, so he can discern what is right and wrong. Examine everything by God’s Word.

Beware when these knots, these feelings, these thoughts are not in harmony with the Scriptures. It is God’s Word that will tell you if your thoughts and feelings are from God or Satan. A person needs to study God’s Word, so he can discern what is right and wrong. Examine everything by God’s Word.

Paul witnessed to Felix. "Felix Trembled" (Acts 24:25). His emotions rose up. He was uptight.

Stephen testified of God. And those that heard him "Cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their Ears" (Acts 7:57). Their emotions rose up. They had fiery darts. They were uptight.

The unprofitable servant of God said, "I Was Afraid" - Matt 25:25. He had fiery darts. He was uptight.

Jesus said, "Let us go into Judea again. His Disciples...said...Master, The Jews...Sought to stone thee Thee; and goest thou thither again?" The disciples' emotions rose up. They had fiery darts. They were uptight. Thomas said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." ( John 11:7,8,16). His emotions rose up. He had fiery darts. He was uptight.

   The fiery darts hindered Felix, those that heard Stephen, and the unprofitable servant.
   The disciples also had fiery darts and were afraid, but they did not turn back.
   Thomas also, it appears, had fiery darts and was afraid, but he did not turn back.

 Obey God’s Word, not your emotions. For often your emotions will run contrary to God’s Word. Wrong thinking can prompt your emotions to be in disagreement with the Word of God.

29 - There Was War in Heaven

Remember, as followers of Jesus, we are called soldiers. We are in a war here on the earth.

There is also war in heaven. During the Tribulation, it is written,

The Scriptures have shown us a war going on between God and Satan. It is a war between light and darkness. It is a war between spirituality and carnality. It is a war between truth and error. This war takes place in the heavens and inside you.

During the Tribulation, it is written, "And it was given unto him (the beast or Antichrist) to make war with the Saints" (Rev 13:7). And THESE (the beast, who is called Antichrist, and the ten kings of the Tribulation period)

30 - What is Spiritual Blindness?

One definition of "spiritual blindness" is this: not being able to examine yourself correctly by God’s Word.

31 - The Summary and Conclusion of the Battle

There is a battle, a war - Rom 7:23; a struggle, a wrestling match - Eph 6:12; a fiery trial - 1 Pet 4:12; a fight - 1 Tim 6:12; being fought inside you. It is between Satan’s deceptions and God’s truth (the Bible). It is a battle of victory to those who read and obey the Bible, and of defeat to those who do not. This battle rages in your mind - Rom 7:23, your flesh - 1 Pet 2:11, and your feelings-Eph 6:16.

At times, you may feel like two ropes are pulling you apart. You get uptight (darts in your stomach)-Eph 6:16. Jesus wants you to follow Him. Satan wants you to refuse. It is a war between obeying God and doing your own desires. Your soul is at stake. You are either in the battle on the Lord’s side or on Satan’s side. It is a conflict between truth and error, between the true God and the god of this world (Satan). It is between the Word of God, and half truths, error, and wrong thinking. It is between sound doctrine and doctrines that suit your own desires - ref 2 Tim 4:3. Satan puts wrong thoughts in your mind like he did to Peter and to Eve. If you wish to draw closer to God, he will try to stop you. He will try to keep you from reading your Bible, going to church, fellowshipping only with other believers, Bible studies, praying and fasting, serving God, and obeying the Gospel. Some of Satan’s weapons include: worry, cares of this world, pleasures, lusts of your flesh, depression, hardships, fear, and riches. These choke God’s Word. Satan uses people and clergy to persecute, embarrass, and deceive others. Pride, sex outside of marriage, loving this world, watching wickedness on TV, rock music, stubbornness, smoking, drugs, alcohol, astrology, pornography, and attending spiritually dead churches (which mix the Bible with deceit) need to be forsaken. If your job causes you to disobey God, cut it off. People provoke God to anger through the work of their hands (their job) - Deut 31:29.

Which voice do you follow, God’s voice or Satan’s voice?

There is a war going on for your soul. There is a war going on for the souls of many. As it is written,

2 Pet 3:9 " God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

It is a spiritual battle. You need to be prepared. You need to read the Bible, meditate in the Word, study the Word, and rightly divide the Word. You need to put away the things of this world and learn how to fight Satan, lest you fall. It is written,

Satan is looking for someone to devour. Satan is an expert at his job. He is well prepared. He has thousands of years of practice in causing people to fall. He knows how to do his job and does it well. He has a vast arsenal of worldly weapons, a huge following, and much practice. He wants to devour you, sift you as wheat, cause you to be an unprofitable servant, cause you to fall, and cause you to come over to his side. He seeks to cause you to return to sin, to become stubborn and rebellious toward God, and follow his will. He seeks to cause you to forsake God.

God’s advice to us is,

As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been chosen to be a soldier in a war against Satan and his forces. It is a bitter conflict. Satan will do all he can to discredit you, to hinder you, to buffet you, to persecute you, to deceive you, to tempt you, to snare you, to beguile you, to oppress you, to provoke you, to bring sickness on you, to embarrass you, to make you ashamed, and to make you afraid. Satan will try to entangle you with lusts, pleasures, and the cares of this world. He may use the deceitfulness of riches against you. Satan can give you false dreams. He can try to cause you to develop pride, to become stubborn, to become rebellious, and to despise correction. Satan can be expected to send all types of his forces against you to try to stop you.

And, ultimately, God wants you to be able to say, I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH - 2 Tim 4:7.

Let us press on in the battle, so we may hear the words of Jesus, saying,

32 - What is Truth?

   It is not the Bible plus someone’s writings.
   It is not the Bible plus another gospel.
   It is not the Bible plus the traditions of a church or people.
   It is not the Bible plus the traditions of a denomination.
   It is not the Bible plus someone’s interpretation.
   It is not the Bible plus what man says.
   It is not the Bible plus dreams, visions, or prophecies.
   It is not parts of the Bible, but the entire Bible of sixty-six books.

The Bible stands alone. The Bible is the Authority by which all things are to be Judged. This is "truth."

 

 


 

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