Bible Studies
It is the devil’s objective to use the one(s) that he has deceived (Eve) to bring down the one (Adam), who had been the primary target all along.
Be it by way of Plan A or Plan B, once the devil gets what he wants out of any given situation, he walks away with a smirk on his face, leaving those he deceived behind to suffer the consequences.
Sometimes it is a win-win scenario for the devil. Not only is the devil victorious in the immediate situation, those involved might even blame God, driving a wedge between them and God in what had been intimate fellowship with Him.
In the case of Adam, he was not deceived. Therefore, what he did was an act of willful disobedience.
Choosing to favor one’s relationship with people over one’s relationship with God, places oneself on a very slippery and costly slope.
It may have been the first time, but certainly would not be the last time, that a man would say, “Yes, dear…,” and live to regret it!
It was not the intention of the woman (Eve) to do Adam harm. After being deceived, she concluded that the eating of the forbidden fruit would improve things for she and Adam (1).
As the old saying goes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
The devil will use the good (but erroneous) intentions of “sincere” people, that he has deceived, to steer others away from what God has planned.
Sincere people can be sincerely wrong.
Upon learning the truth, one may not feel like getting into a conflict with people with whom they have personal relationships, bringing him or her to a Luke 14: 26 fork in the road.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate (love less) his own father, mother, wife (husband), children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14: 26 NASB2020 parentheses mine).”
An advancing disciple will learn soon enough, that as he or she ascends the pyramid of spiritual maturity, and executes the individual plan that God has in mind, the width of his or her human support group will decrease, and his or her spiritual adversaries will multiply.
Some of these adversaries will be Matt. 7: 15 wolves in sheep’s clothing, and may even be members of one’s own household (2).
. . .
It is important to be able to discern the differences among divine testing, divine discipline, and satanic attacks.
In divine testing, the believer has done nothing wrong. An honest 2Cor. 13: 5 self-examination will reveal if this is the case.
These tests are NOT for God to learn if we are progressing down the road to spiritual maturity. God already knows if we are or are not. Divine testing is for US to see where we are along the road to spiritual maturity, indicated by the way we handle things that previously would greatly upset us.
Divine discipline is God’s response to sin that we have or are committing, that we have not acknowledged, confessed (3) and/or forsaken (4).
Divine discipline is not to punish, but to get us back on track. When it is divine discipline that is in view, the pressure of the accompanying adversity will remain, and may even increase, until the sin(s) that triggered it are addressed.
Satanic attacks can come at any time, and in a variety of forms, but always with the same objective (our destruction) in mind.
The devil is a master in the art of spiritual combat. He has had 7,000+ years of experience. He knows what buttons to press, and when to press them, for maximum effect.
Here in the Church Age, His primary objective is to deny God the glory by impeding the proclamation of the unadulterated Gospel Message.
He does so by attacking those who promote the unadulterated Gospel Message while aiding and prospering those who promote false means of securing salvation.
Once saved, the devil can do NOTHING to cause a born again believer to lose his or her salvation (5), but he can do much to influence the destruction of the quality of a born-again believer’s post salvation spiritual life, here on Earth.
He does so by deception, steering the born again believer, and especially those who become advancing disciples, away from identifying and executing God’s plan for their lives.
One’s post salvation spiritual life, here on Earth, begins the moment one is born again, and comes to its end when he or she departs this world.
In God’s eyes, to Whom we are going to give an account, the quality of one’s post salvation spiritual life is measured by the amount of accurate doctrine that he or she has accumulated (6) and consistently applies (7), as well as his or her amount of participation (8) in the Great Commission (9).
The devil raises doubts about the security of the salvation that a born-again believer has already received. He down-plays the significance of embracing Biblical discipleship, as this is what edifies the born-again believer, and prepares him or her to participate in the Great Commission.
No matter where an advancing disciple finds himself, he or she is THERE to be an ambassador for the Kingdom of God.
In closing, when under a Plan A satanic attack, it will be abundantly evident that you are the intended target.
When under a Plan B satanic attack, the identity of the primary target may not be so evident.
Be aware of his back door approach, and keep the door locked, denying him the ability to get to you, through the words or actions of other people.
End of Part 3 of 3
(1) Gen. 3: 6 (2) Matt. 10: 36 (3) 1John 1: 9 (4) John 8: 11 (5) Rom. 8: 1 (6) 2Pet. 3: 18 (7) James 1: 22 (8) Mark 4: 19, 20 (9) Matt. 28: 19 20
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