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Are we, like Eve,
deceived by the enemy today? Most definitely! There are many that would argue the point, but let me prove mine. In the previous blasts we have been discussing how
knowledge was the big issue in the very beginning of man's existence and, like it or not, it is the same issue that must be solved today.
Eve made a very foolish choice by choosing the ideas of Satan over Christ's,
feeding on the enemy's thoughts, especially touching on the subject of wisdom. The Creator Himself told her "don't eat, don't touch the knowledge of
the Tree of Good and Evil or you will surely die", but Satan told her she would not die, so who did she believe? Satan! Hard to imagine her disobedience as we read Genesis, is it not, and yet we too make the same mistake today and are just as deceived by
the same enemy.
We talked in
the last blast about the subtleness of Satan. How he cleverly asked Eve a question, knowing well the
spiritual law, "be it as you believe", the
law of faith that would cause mankind's demise if he could only get her to
break God's law and answer him. Had she ignored him, walked away, not giving him a thought, man's history would be so much different today. Mankind's thinking would still be in line with God, their language,
nature and abilities like the Lord's. Man's human spirit,
in touch with the Spirit of God, would be fed pure truth from the mind of
the Tree of Life, the mind of Christ, there would be
no lack or need. Money was not a part of perfection, just total abundance of provision. A whole different world, one built on perfect knowledge and God's perfect law, would have evolved had Eve simply
turned a deaf ear to him. But no, she lawlessly spoke and connected, made
contact with the adversary. She
swallowed his bait, hook, line and sinker as the saying goes.
We
deceive and are deceived daily. Perhaps we work for someone and feel under-payed, so we do not mind a bit taking something of value from them. It's just plain stealing, but we are deceived into thinking we deserve it. Or perhaps someone makes a mistake and doesn't charge us enough for a purchase we make. We cleverly keep quiet. After all it's their mistake not ours. Can you recognize
these are Satan's thoughts and traits, not God's, yet many people that consider themselves Christians
choose Satan's warped way of thinking. Suppose someone leaves a valuable item where it could be ruined, an expensive tool, whatever. You reason, might as well take it home, it's going to be ruined anyway. Again, these thoughts did not come from the Tree of Life, they
came from the Tree of Good and Evil, and we've just been deceived and maneuvered into being a thief!
Lawless ones are led to believe it's their idea to smoke, drink excessively, do drugs, overeat, all things that destroy their bodies which the Word of God tells us is
the temple of God. Scripture also says God will destroy those that destroy His temple, hmm ..
We destroy just about all we touch.
The earth itself for instance, testing bombs that are designed to destroy nations, polluting water by dumping waste. We have destroyed the very air we breathe through faulty inventions, to mention just a few. Here is where we are most destructive, we
destroy our minds, studying intellectual philosophies derived from man's intellect when all these brilliant ones are descendants of Eve. So
whose thoughts are we really feeding to our minds? How really good are their judgments and opinions? On and on the deception goes. Satan even bottles his knowledge in
great learning institutions, charging us
big money for it! Of course he also bottles water and oxygen, and we gladly pay for them also. See how much we learned in school!
Let us take a look at the
world's religions. We went to the world's churches, sat quietly in our pews or chairs, payed our tithes, listened carefully to what was many times a message based on very
misleading false doctrine, then innocently walked out feeling good about ourselves. Many of us were taught
once saved, always saved, and it doesn't make any difference how bad the world gets, we are
flying out of here. Right? What are we to do then with the scripture in I Corinthians 6:9-10?
I Corinthians 6:9-10
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (So there are those that do not make it.)
If we are ones that contribute
time, effort, and money to these institutions, there is a real danger of people not warning us that we are sinning, failing God, in danger of
sinking with the world's systems. As a matter of fact, read the newspapers, many of our
church leaders themselves walk in these very things! The Word tells us we
reproduce what we are. I don't want to be one of the above and I'm sure you don't either. We therefore must
look at the fruit of those in authority over us so as to not be deceived and understand the systems we see around us today are not really the systems of man,
they are Satan's through man. Again, see them as they really are, governments, banking, education, religion and culture, all built and run through the descendants of Eve, bound to the adversary and operating according to his knowledge and plans.
Look at Revelation 18:4.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
Revelation 14:9-10
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand (do not put your mind to it or your efforts, be no part),
10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Daniel 7:16-18
16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:
17 'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth (the governments of the world).
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'
Jesus told those at Nazareth: Luke 4:18
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Look at part of the list! Addiction is a spirit, uncleanness is a spirit, lying is a spirit, death is a spirit, jealousy is a spirit, foul language is a spirit, depression, oppression on and on,
evil spirits that have humanity bound. Learn to recognize them, or
the fruit of them operating in us. We are either taught these adverse actions are a learned behavior or that it runs in our family genetically. No, we are again
being deceived! It's more than learned behavior or genetics.
Evil spirits possess our families, generation after generation. They depart at the death of one and enter the remaining living family members unless we are
aware of the supernatural and take proper measures to prevent it through knowledgeable prayer. See, we are right back to knowledge again. Of course Satan is not going to teach us how to get rid of his buddies, in fact he will try to deceive us into thinking God's people cannot
be possessed, or even influenced by him, but according to scripture this is not the case.
Acts 5:3
3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
Matthew 16:23
23 But He (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
John 13:26-27
26 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it." And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."