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Christians, Beware
of the Occult Invasion
10. The
Armor of God
We live in a day of unparalleled occult intensity. The occult has pervaded society around us and invaded the ecclesiastical realm. Because the “forbidden practices” of the occult have become so common, we can easily become desensitized to their dangers. Satan and his evil angels are deceiving and manipulating people’s minds by every possible angle.
The devil is a many-sided and versatile demagogue. To the psychologist he says, “I will give you new knowledge and understanding.” To the occultist he will say, “I will give you the keys to the last secrets of creation.” He confronts the religionist and the moralist with a mask of integrity and promises them the very help of heaven. And finally to the rationalist and the liberalist he sways, “I am not there. I do not even exist.”
The devil is a skillful strategist. He is the master of every tactic of the battlefield. He befogs the front. He hides behind a camouflage of empty religious talk. He operates through the use of the latest scientific method. He successfully fires and launches his arguments on the social and humane plane. And his sole aim is to deceive, to entice, and to ensnare his victims.
(The Devil’s Alphabet)
(225-235)
What should be our attitude
toward Satan and the Evil Angels?
The scriptures inform us that Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and the “Price of the Power of the Air” (Ephesians 2:2). “We are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
1) Be aware Satan exists.
Satan would have people believe he is only symbolic figure of evil. A little man with a red suit and pitchfork. Or an “angel of light.” Jesus believed Satan and the fallen angels do exist. And so should we.
Luke 10:18
— And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
2) Be aware of Satan’s motives.
Satan wants to be “like the Most High.” He wants to steal our allegiance to God. Satan desires our destruction.
Matt. 4:8-9
— 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; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Luke 22:31
— And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
I Peter 5:8 (NASB) — Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
3) Be aware of Satan’s methods.
One of Satan’s methods is deception. From the time he deceived Eve in Eden to today, Satan has been a liar. His deception comes in a variety of forms. One deception is counterfeiting. Whatever God has done, Satan has attempted to counterfeit it. His deception has people worshiping and serving him without even being aware of what they are doing. He wants people to believe he is good and God is bad.
2 Cor. 11:14-15 — And no wonder for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness: whose end shall be according to their deeds.
4) Be aware of Satan’s limitations.
He tries to fool people into thinking he is greater than he actually is. He would have us think he is like God. But this is NOT true. God is infinite. Satan is finite or limited. God can be present everywhere at once. Satan cannot. God is all-knowing, able to read our thoughts. Satan cannot. God is all-powerful. Satan is not.
What can I do to be safe
from the influences of these demons?
1.
Matthew 4:10 — Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve.
Follow the example of Jesus when Satan tempted him in the wilderness. Take a positive stand. Make a vow and renew your commitment daily.
“Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. May Thy rule come into my heart more and more, and Thy will be done in my mortal body. Relying on the assistance of Thy promised grace to help in every time of need, through Jesus Christ our Lord, I register this Vow. I vow to Thee that I will be on the alert to resist everything akin to Spiritism and Occultism, and, remembering that there are but the two masters, I shall resist these snares in all reasonable ways as being of the adversary.”
2. James 4:7,8
— Submit yourselves therefore unto God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh unto you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts ye double minded.
We must first humble ourselves before our Creator. Reverence God, acknowledging our own lonely and hopeless sinful condition. Sincerely seek forgiveness and acceptance with Him through the way He has arranged, through faith in the sacrifice of His Love, through the death of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer. (John 3:16) We will want to abandon our sinful habits to be cleansed from selfish and degrading conduct, and further, to consecrate or dedicate our lives to serve Him and His cause at the expense of our own earthly goals, ambitions, desires and preferences. In other words, to become an actual disciple of Jesus. (Luke 14:25-33)
3. 1 Peter 5:8,9 — Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour, whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
We need to be aware of what is going on around us in the world, to realize the source of many of our trials and temptations. We need to have a studied faith supported by Scripture, and to develop sanctified common sense which will enable us to control our emotions, our thoughts and feelings, so that we can best determine how our heavenly Father would have us act, and not be deceived or enticed into sinful patterns of thought, conversation, or activity. The truth shall free us from false doctrines that tend to dull our spiritual senses. An accurate understanding of God’s entire plan for all mankind and angels is essential to our being well-grounded in the faith.
4. Matthew 26:41 — Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation (or yield not when in trial), the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.
Prayer is reverentially communicating with God. It is an expression of our faith that He is, and that He cares for us. It is our faith in Him. And watching relates to our accompanying activities of faith. We watch our various daily environments, habits, conversations, relationships, in fact, every aspect of our lives to be alert to conduct ourselves properly.
5. 2 Corinthians 10:4,5, NIV — The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Yes, our warfare is spiritual, yet the real battle ground is in our minds. We have to remove old entrenched habits of reasoning or reacting that continually fail to give us the victory we are longing for over sin. By increasing the habit of thinking holy, pure, goodly thoughts, we gain divine power to discipline and direct our thinking patterns. In order to bring every thought into obedience
to Christ, we must think about Jesus, to know what he would approve. We have to consider what we are allowing ourselves to think about. We do well to realize the consequence of a selfish current of thought.
Finally, “Put on the full armor of God that you may
be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”
(Ephesians 6:11, NAS)
Arm yourself, your children, family and friends. The Apostle Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 6:11-18:
:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
:14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
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