Spiritual warfare: Identifying the evil one

[Cristo Rei]

As Christians we can identify God. I sense the Holy Spirit, i can see God through his manifestations like the night sky, nature or a new born baby.

But i notice that many Christians (maybe most) cannot identify Satan, his will or his manifestations. Some Christians, like my parents, choose to ignore Satan in the hope that he won't interfere. I think some don't really think that Satan exists. While others think they don't have to worry about him.

Well... Not even Jesus was immune from the temptations of the devil. So to be claiming your free from evil temptation is to claim that u are better than Christ, higher than Christ. Its a claim that blows my mind.

Spiritual warfare is real. Paul talks about it, he knows... There is a Spiritual war in our minds for control of the flesh. There is a Spiritual war in the world, in society. And there is also a Spiritual war in the heavens.

Our Spiritual war is in our minds, for our flesh. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in our consciousness and so does Satan. But many can't identify the evil one and choose to ignore him it seems.

There are some people who can't identify the evil one in society either. All they see is God. Again they ignore Satan and assume that God is the only one at play. Wrong. Satan is the prince of this world, he is always working...

Many people imagine Satan as that red guy with the horns in the fire and expect him to appear something like that... That's not how he shows up. His innocuous, he can appear as an angel of light, he always appears innocent and pure.

In my mind im always on watch, looking for the evil one sneaking up... When he sees that ive spotted him he retreats out of sight to reload. I see him everywhere in society as well... And thats what i want. I want to be able to see God and see the evil one...

Can u identify the evil one?
If not then there is a very good chance you are being deceived by Satan.

 

[Pearl]

Jesus was tempted but didn't give in to the temptation.

 

[Cristo Rei]

Jesus was tempted but didn't give in to the temptation.

And i never said he did

 

[Enoch111]

Can u identify the evil one?

Satan's primary weapons are (1) deception, (2) temptation, and (3) intimidation. Deception is in the realm of truth, temptations are in the realm of the flesh, and intimidation is in the realm of finances, health, physical safety and well-being.

1. As a Deceiver Satan comes as an ANGEL OF LIGHT either personally or through his minions (false apostles, false prophets, false teachers, and false brethren). When you see false doctrines being posted in Christian forums, you should know who is behind everything that is false.

2. As a Tempter Satan comes through men and women who would tempt the believer to engage in sin and evil. Satan presented to Christ the three lusts to which humans are subject, and he continues to do so.

3. As an Intimidator, Satan comes as a ROARING LION seeking whom he may devour. Everything that causes fear and panic is from Satan, including this Wuhan Virus Pandemic Hoax.

But we are commanded to put on the whole Armor of God and stand against the wiles of the Devil. Which also means exposing the works of darkness to God's truth. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which means that every Christian must know solid Gospel truth and Bible truth.

 

[Pearl]

And i never said he did

Did I say you did?

 

[2 Chr. 34:19]

As Christians we can identify God. I sense the Holy Spirit, i can see God through his manifestations like the night sky, nature or a new born baby.

But i notice that many Christians (maybe most) cannot identify Satan, his will or his manifestations. Some Christians, like my parents, choose to ignore Satan in the hope that he won't interfere. I think some don't really think that Satan exists. While others think they don't have to worry about him.

Well... Not even Jesus was immune from the temptations of the devil. So to be claiming your free from evil temptation is to claim that u are better than Christ, higher than Christ. Its a claim that blows my mind.

Spiritual warfare is real. Paul talks about it, he knows... There is a Spiritual war in our minds for control of the flesh. There is a Spiritual war in the world, in society. And there is also a Spiritual war in the heavens.

Our Spiritual war is in our minds, for our flesh. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in our consciousness and so does Satan. But many can't identify the evil one and choose to ignore him it seems.

There are some people who can't identify the evil one in society either. All they see is God. Again they ignore Satan and assume that God is the only one at play. Wrong. Satan is the prince of this world, he is always working...

Many people imagine Satan as that red guy with the horns in the fire and expect him to appear something like that... That's not how he shows up. His innocuous, he can appear as an angel of light, he always appears innocent and pure.

In my mind im always on watch, looking for the evil one sneaking up... When he sees that ive spotted him he retreats out of sight to reload. I see him everywhere in society as well... And thats what i want. I want to be able to see God and see the evil one...

Can u identify the evil one?
If not then there is a very good chance you are being deceived by Satan.

As he is the father of lies, I suspect every liar is satan’s child/puppet. Even if they are ‘believers’

 

[farouk]

Jesus was tempted but didn't give in to the temptation.

The Lord Jesus indeed said: 'The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me...' (John 14.30).

 

[Jay Ross]

A question then: -

If you wanted to look on Satan at this present time where would be one of the best places to go to now to see him?

Remember in a little while he will not be there and you will have to enter in through a locked door if you want to see him then.

It is worth reflecting on this question as it does bring clarity to our understanding of him and what is happening at this present time.

 

[Cristo Rei]

Satan's primary weapons are (1) deception, (2) temptation, and (3) intimidation. Deception is in the realm of truth, temptations are in the realm of the flesh, and intimidation is in the realm of finances, health, physical safety and well-being.

1. As a Deceiver Satan comes as an ANGEL OF LIGHT either personally or through his minions (false apostles, false prophets, false teachers, and false brethren). When you see false doctrines being posted in Christian forums, you should know who is behind everything that is false.

2. As a Tempter Satan comes through men and women who would tempt the believer to engage in sin and evil. Satan presented to Christ the three lusts to which humans are subject, and he continues to do so.

3. As an Intimidator, Satan comes as a ROARING LION seeking whom he may devour. Everything that causes fear and panic is from Satan, including this Wuhan Virus Pandemic Hoax.

But we are commanded to put on the whole Armor of God and stand against the wiles of the Devil. Which also means exposing the works of darkness to God's truth. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which means that every Christian must know solid Gospel truth and Bible truth.

Thats a nice, neat explanation. Its not a popular topic but its essential for me. When I walked away from God. The path took me to a very dark place, behind enemy lines, i kept stumbling and was being hunted constantly. That's when i accepted that Satan is real and started looking for God. Thankfully shone the light and showed me the way...

He is definitely using intimidation world wide now. Our state premier is one of his minions. Bring fear through oppression and obsession.
The obsessed are afraid of the flu. The oppressed are afraid of their futures, the vaccine, globalism, etc.

Division is one of his main objectives as well. He achieves it using either one of those 3 methods.
I feel a lot safer when i know where he is.

 

[Cristo Rei]

As he is the father of lies, I suspect every liar is satan’s child/puppet. Even if they are ‘believers’

Ye, if you're talking about constant liar then yes...
But if u just loose a battle and fall causing you to lie, u get up and reload cos the war goes on.
There will be many Spiritual battles against the evil one, big and small.
And we will loose some along the way, but as long as u don't give up u will win the war in the end

 

[Episkopos]

The devil is both underestimated and overestimated. He is underestimated from a POV of thinking that things which are held to be absolutely true are not actually manipulations from the devil.

And then there are the self-appointed watchdogs and witch-hunters that look for any kind of variation of doctrine from their own as being from the pit. Fully self-centered in their worldview. To such a manichaean extremist viewpoint everything is either in agreement with their own understanding or it is pure evil. They overestimate their own discernment and also the power of the devil in the lives of ordinary immature believers...or even other MORE mature believers than themselves whom they lack the discernment to understand. So they demonize them in order to attack what seems to threaten them. It's kill or be killed to these.

But in reality most believers go through many permutations of doctrine as they grow in experience and understanding.

So not all error is heresy or evil. Sometimes it's just error. Usually it is self-love and self-preservation at work along with gullibility to self-serving doctrines that may even have been true at one point...but are now excuses to not grow.

Of course when you add in stubborn pride and presumption to the error it can do a lot of damage...which helps the devil's cause. How many people are teachable, gentle and compassionate these days? Not many in our time. But this is based on the fallen nature of men...and what a false grace can do to increase the sin in people who are unbroken and uncrucified. It's the sign of the times as prophesied in the bible.

Watch out for the watchdogs. They attack others to hide their own egotistical bent. There are sociopaths posing as believers with all their supposed knowledge...but fully lacking in love.

True seekers are looking for an honest connection and a deeper relationship. Drive-by posters are there for their own ego.

 

[Hidden In Him]

As Christians we can identify God. I sense the Holy Spirit, i can see God through his manifestations like the night sky, nature or a new born baby.

But i notice that many Christians (maybe most) cannot identify Satan, his will or his manifestations. Some Christians, like my parents, choose to ignore Satan in the hope that he won't interfere. I think some don't really think that Satan exists. While others think they don't have to worry about him.

Well... Not even Jesus was immune from the temptations of the devil. So to be claiming your free from evil temptation is to claim that u are better than Christ, higher than Christ. Its a claim that blows my mind.

Spiritual warfare is real. Paul talks about it, he knows... There is a Spiritual war in our minds for control of the flesh. There is a Spiritual war in the world, in society. And there is also a Spiritual war in the heavens.

Our Spiritual war is in our minds, for our flesh. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in our consciousness and so does Satan. But many can't identify the evil one and choose to ignore him it seems.

There are some people who can't identify the evil one in society either. All they see is God. Again they ignore Satan and assume that God is the only one at play. Wrong. Satan is the prince of this world, he is always working...

Many people imagine Satan as that red guy with the horns in the fire and expect him to appear something like that... That's not how he shows up. His innocuous, he can appear as an angel of light, he always appears innocent and pure.

In my mind im always on watch, looking for the evil one sneaking up... When he sees that ive spotted him he retreats out of sight to reload. I see him everywhere in society as well... And thats what i want. I want to be able to see God and see the evil one...

Can u identify the evil one?
If not then there is a very good chance you are being deceived by Satan.

My biggest concern is seeing him in Christians. We cannot stop him from being present within the world, but for him to be present and speaking and acting through believers is an unnatural thing, as even the New Testament writers taught (James 3:8-18). So it's places like here where I watch for him the most. I don't go out of my way looking for him - usually I'm looking for the Lord instead - but unfortunately many believers are oblivious to the fact that the enemy could be and is using them instead, the entire time they think they are "serving God." So it doesn't take long before you see someone pop up who is speaking the poisonous words of a snake (James 3:7-8), just like the old serpent himself. And whereas we don't have the power to silence them in the world, when we know what we are doing, we can at least eventually silence them here.

 

[Episkopos]

Before one goes off half-cocked into spiritual warfare one must understand oneself and one's own predilection towards self- righteousness and hypocrisy. Yes...that's right. We are born with a moral code that makes us think we are like gods in the world eating from the tree of knowledge. And most believers never grow out of this most basic trait in humanity.

One can easily spot a moral religious person...which is in stark contrast to one who is spiritually awakened.

We are not born with a clean slate. We are all self-interested with a human nature that judges things from our own egos. Until that changes we will remain unknown to ourselves.

How I wish that modern believers were actually discipled in order to expose and forsake that condition. I find that once a believer has been indoctrinated for a certain amount of time...all truth, bible references, logic, reason and examples in the world will not affect the grip on error. It will have become ingrained into the ego so that the error is defended as if it is life itself. Well, the life of the carnal religious man in any regard. So for many it would seem too late to reach them with the truth. The truth now sounds like foolishness to these. (maybe even as coming from the pit)

So then VERY few are qualified to fight on any kind of spiritual level. People will exaggerate their own qualifications. And the enemy is delighted with this trait in human nature. The devil can take a greater hold on a person who is uncrucified yet over-eager for spiritual acumen by encouraging that deceived one into thinking they are doing some good. Deeper and deeper into error they will go.

 

[Cristo Rei]

We cannot stop him from being present within the world

Correct. I do still want to be able to identify his manifestations out in the world so I don't fall into them

My biggest concern is seeing him in Christians.

Tell me about it, and that verse u quoted, how the venomous tongue can't be tamed, so true...
A year ago i had no idea Christianity was like this full of divisions. I had no idea Satan had infiltrated the church like that

@Episkopos described this thing perfectly above... This attitude that "i have the one true gospel and the rest are going to burn in the lake of fire"...
Quick to judge and so certain of themselves... "This is the only path"... Its why i don't like to discuss theology much
And if i let slip im Catholic then there is usually one or two people that are convinced that i worship Satan.

 

[Taken]

Well... Not even Jesus was immune from the temptations of the devil. So to be claiming your free from evil temptation is to claim that u are better than Christ, higher than Christ. Its a claim that blows my mind.

Careful here.
Tempt, Tempting, Temptation, Tempted, Tempt-er and funky words.

It is one of those words that can get confusing...by how it is applied and to Whom and by whom.
A Tempt-ER- is one who initiates an Offer.
They Attemt to make the Offer so TEMPING, a person will:
BE TEMPTED to accept the Offer.
A person Thinking About the Offer...is being Tempted.
A person who Accepts the Offer has fallen into Temptation.

Jesus was Tempted by a Tempter- Satan.
But look at WHAT Jesus DID and DID NOT Do.
Matt 4
Jesus ignored the Offer.
Jesus Spoke the Word of God.
* Jesus did Not fall into Temptation ...
He Did not consider the Offer, ask for more details about the Offer, talk about the Offer, and finally told Satan, to get behind Him...
Asa Buzz off, NOT Interested.

No one is immune from another (a TEMPTER) making an Offer.

God makes us an Offer.
Jesus Offered His Body to us.

The KEY is regarding any Offer, is to know the Truth.

Our Spiritual war is in our minds, for our flesh. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in our consciousness and so does Satan. But many can't identify the evil one and choose to ignore him it seems.

Yes a Carnal Mind can easily be tricked.
The Carnal Mind controlling the Body's Desires IS Selfish.
( certainly that only applies to Trump in a Democrats world...) but Everyone wants what they Believe is the best, health, job, home, clothing, car, relationships, education, blah, blah, For Themselves.

And if some fly-by-night comes along to Offer a person something they Want...their Mind is interested...WHEN the Offer appears So Easy...they're already interested....and many are duped...in what we call a SCAM.

Can u identify the evil one?

"Something for Nothing"...Free, Free, Free; Free Trial Offers, Free Trip, Free Car, Free Housing, Free Food, blah, blah, blah...
Nothing is Free...

Jesus' Lesson is an Offer to fill your (born Again spirit) in your new heart with His Truth.
It is taught, thereafter, for a man to MAKE his own Carnal Mind "subservant" to his Heart.
IOW- Yield to your (new spirits) thoughts when Being Tempted by a TEMPTER ... that an Offer is Blatenly Corrupt, Crimminal, Too appealing to have no hidden hitch.

Something for nothing has Zero appeal to me.
Hypocrisy of someone badmouthing an other while standing on a soapbox preaching badmouthing is wrong gets Zero credibility.
You have to Know the Truth...before you can Reject a Tempter.
Sadly...many Do Not Know the Truth...
However...that lack of knowledge IS Satan's Advantage.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[Nancy]

Jesus was tempted but didn't give in to the temptation.

Amen for that!

 

[marks]

Can u identify the evil one?
If not then there is a very good chance you are being deceived by Satan.

For me it's more like I spend my attention on Jesus, and when spiritual darkness shows, it shows.

Much love!

 

[Heart2Soul]

Jesus was tempted but didn't give in to the temptation.

I shared this awhile back with some sisters here and would like to share it here as well....
I was reading in Matthew about Jesus being tempted of Satan and what caught my attention was when Satan would tempt Jesus...Jesus would reply "It is written..."
He didn't rebuke satan or bind him and cast him out....He spoke the Word! "It is written..."
At one point even Satan quoted the Word (out of context from Psalm 91...
“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
“They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
— Psalms 91:11-12 (KJV)...)

Matthew 4 (KJV)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
⁵ Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone....
Jesus replied...
“Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
— Matthew 4:7 (KJV)

So I learned by Jesus example a very important lesson...the Word is the power against Satan as well as the Holy Spirit in us!

 

[Cristo Rei]

Careful here.
Tempt, Tempting, Temptation, Tempted, Tempt-er and funky words.

It is one of those words that can get confusing...by how it is applied and to Whom and by whom.
A Tempt-ER- is one who initiates an Offer.
They Attemt to make the Offer so TEMPING, a person will:
BE TEMPTED to accept the Offer.
A person Thinking About the Offer...is being Tempted.
A person who Accepts the Offer has fallen into Temptation.

Jesus was Tempted by a Tempter- Satan.
But look at WHAT Jesus DID and DID NOT Do.
Matt 4
Jesus ignored the Offer.
Jesus Spoke the Word of God.
* Jesus did Not fall into Temptation ...
He Did not consider the Offer, ask for more details about the Offer, talk about the Offer, and finally told Satan, to get behind Him...
Asa Buzz off, NOT Interested.

No one is immune from another (a TEMPTER) making an Offer.

God makes us an Offer.
Jesus Offered His Body to us.

The KEY is regarding any Offer, is to know the Truth.



Yes a Carnal Mind can easily be tricked.
The Carnal Mind controlling the Body's Desires IS Selfish.
( certainly that only applies to Trump in a Democrats world...) but Everyone wants what they Believe is the best, health, job, home, clothing, car, relationships, education, blah, blah, For Themselves.

And if some fly-by-night comes along to Offer a person something they Want...their Mind is interested...WHEN the Offer appears So Easy...they're already interested....and many are duped...in what we call a SCAM.



"Something for Nothing"...Free, Free, Free; Free Trial Offers, Free Trip, Free Car, Free Housing, Free Food, blah, blah, blah...
Nothing is Free...

Jesus' Lesson is an Offer to fill your (born Again spirit) in your new heart with His Truth.
It is taught, thereafter, for a man to MAKE his own Carnal Mind "subservant" to his Heart.
IOW- Yield to your (new spirits) thoughts when Being Tempted by a TEMPTER ... that an Offer is Blatenly Corrupt, Crimminal, Too appealing to have no hidden hitch.

Something for nothing has Zero appeal to me.
Hypocrisy of someone badmouthing an other while standing on a soapbox preaching badmouthing is wrong gets Zero credibility.
You have to Know the Truth...before you can Reject a Tempter.
Sadly...many Do Not Know the Truth...
However...that lack of knowledge IS Satan's Advantage.

Glory to God,
Taken

Ok I see my error there... Past, present and future.
Temptation is future, possibly present.
Tempted is past
Tempting is present
Ok cheers. Note taken

 

[Nancy]

As Christians we can identify God. I sense the Holy Spirit, i can see God through his manifestations like the night sky, nature or a new born baby.

But i notice that many Christians (maybe most) cannot identify Satan, his will or his manifestations. Some Christians, like my parents, choose to ignore Satan in the hope that he won't interfere. I think some don't really think that Satan exists. While others think they don't have to worry about him.

Well... Not even Jesus was immune from the temptations of the devil. So to be claiming your free from evil temptation is to claim that u are better than Christ, higher than Christ. Its a claim that blows my mind.

Spiritual warfare is real. Paul talks about it, he knows... There is a Spiritual war in our minds for control of the flesh. There is a Spiritual war in the world, in society. And there is also a Spiritual war in the heavens.

Our Spiritual war is in our minds, for our flesh. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in our consciousness and so does Satan. But many can't identify the evil one and choose to ignore him it seems.

There are some people who can't identify the evil one in society either. All they see is God. Again they ignore Satan and assume that God is the only one at play. Wrong. Satan is the prince of this world, he is always working...

Many people imagine Satan as that red guy with the horns in the fire and expect him to appear something like that... That's not how he shows up. His innocuous, he can appear as an angel of light, he always appears innocent and pure.

In my mind im always on watch, looking for the evil one sneaking up... When he sees that ive spotted him he retreats out of sight to reload. I see him everywhere in society as well... And thats what i want. I want to be able to see God and see the evil one...

Can u identify the evil one?
If not then there is a very good chance you are being deceived by Satan.

Oh that evil one is very subtle. Very experienced in the ways of humans. He watch's every move we make, every word we speak...he knows our relationships, fears, doubts, weaknesses...and more. And this is simply from observation as, he can not know our inner thoughts but, he can sure use what he does see and hear to push our personal buttons.
Satan has his talons in every single thing and is always attempting to skew what God made good into evil. If you want to read an excellent book about how satan works in such subtle ways, read C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters.
Just watch "FAMILY" Feud... since I don't watch TV, and my niece is now living with me, I will catch a few things and she was watching Family Feud. I was shocked at some of the questions being asked; very risque! All that came to mind was, they really need to take the "Family" part out of the game title. SMH. We should know his wiles and ways well. Always being on guard, every minute. Because "if even the very elect can be deceived..." - we need to do double duty and make our awareness sharp as a tack! Always on our guards.
Satan is not to be trifled with...God rebuke you Satan, it is written that he MUST flee at the name of Jesus Christ and I for one, am very grateful to use His authority to cast satan far from my mind...never ends, really!
Good and very important post.