Spiritual warfare: Identifying the evil one

[Cristo Rei]

Im not convinced that what Paul struggles with in Romans 7 is the thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12...

The thorn in the flesh was given by God in order to keep him conceited. Unfortunately i don't have any wise suggestions.
It just sounds like Paul is describing something else i think

 

[Heart2Soul]

Paul called it a "thorn in the flesh", when that idiom was used in the OT, God was warning the Israelites that if they didn't remove all the other people, they would be "thorns in their sides".

I think Paul's thorn was the Judiazers who followed him from town to town.

Much love!

That's who I was referring to I think.
Barnabus and Silas?

 

[kcnalp]

Revelation 12:9 (NKJV)
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;

 

[marks]

That's who I was referring to I think.
Barnabus and Silas?

Barnabas and Silas were ministry partners. They parted ways after John Mark didn't want to go on, so Paul went with Silas, and Barnabas took Mark (from memory, be nice!)

Much love!

 

[farouk]

That's who I was referring to I think.
Barnabus and Silas?

@Heart2Soul One followed the other, right?

 

[Heart2Soul]

That's who I was referring to I think.
Barnabus and Silas?

Well Paul called the thorn a messenger of Satan to buffet him....maybe it was a demonic spirit.

 

[farouk]

Well Paul called the thorn a messenger of Satan to buffet him....maybe it was a demonic spirit.

Both Barnabus and Silas were believers, so even if either of them were included in the sense thorn in the flesh they wouldn't have been demons directly, because they were believers in the Lord Jesus.

 

[marks]

Well Paul called the thorn a messenger of Satan to buffet him....maybe it was a demonic spirit.

Hi Heart2Soul,

In a more vernacular translation, a messenger of Satan sent to beat on him. And that's what they did. And I wouldn't be surprised if there was some demonic egging them on.

Much love!

 

[farouk]

Christ is in us! Lol....Greater is He who is IN me than he who is in the world.

@Heart2Soul A wonderful promise, indeed; similar to the one in John 16.33: "I the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world." (John 16.33).

 

[farouk]

Always good to get back to the Word; to exhort with the Word; and keep 'looking unto Jesus' (Hebrews 12.2).

 

[Jay Ross]

Church

Which one would you go to first? There is a place which I can guarantee is presently the best place where you would see Satan over the next few years. The Book of Revelations confirms this fact.

 

[Nancy]

Not sure if any here have heard of "LOL Dolls"? Here is a short video showing yet another sneaky way satan works through our kids. I say he's grooming them for pedophilia! Sickening. The short video comes right up at top of the page.

'Sexual' LOL dolls cause controversy after mum soaks them in ice water

 

[MattMooradian]

Can u identify the evil one?

Speaking for myself, Satan is easiest to identify within myself. When Satan brings a woman into my presence who is clad in a sexy manner and I feel a desire to look at her. That is an internal battle that I wage every day, sometimes winning, sometimes losing (but, winning more and more lately). Satan also attacks me when I see or hear about injustice; this often causes me to judge others and arouses angry thoughts within me. Then, I remember, "Judge not" & Jesus' reminder that anger is like murder. These days, I am sometimes highly irritated by LGBTQs & Democrats who support rioting; then, I remind myself, "Judge not". I also notice Satan's influence when I express pride, even pride about things that are real and accurate about myself; then, I remember, I cannot even walk one step without God having blessed me with the ability to walk. Satan effects me when I fear not having enough money in the future and when I am tempted to save money for my future; then, I remember, God supplies "even the birds of the air."
When Satan influences society I am also tempted to anger, but then I remember, "Resist not evil".

 

[MattMooradian]

Everyone here seems to be speaking very abstractly, so very distant from a personal life that we can share with each other. There are few personal references. Am I the only person who responds to a post like: "Identifying the evil one" in a personal manner? How do you, in your life, experience temptations from the evil one? How do you combat the evil one in your personal life? It's all so abstract and unreal. Quoting scripture to support your ideas is fine, but quoting scripture for everything seems like avoidance of something.

 

[Jay Ross]

Everyone here seems to be speaking very abstractly, so very distant from a personal life that we can share with each other. There are few personal references. Am I the only person who responds to a post like: "Identifying the evil one" in a personal manner? How do you, in your life, experience temptations from the evil one? How do you combat the evil one in your personal life? It's all so abstract and unreal. Quoting scripture to support your ideas is fine, but quoting scripture for everything seems like avoidance of something.

When we read of King David's sins, he committed the same sin three times during his lifetime, each began when he turned away from God and did his own thing. The last record of King David turning away from God, the scripture tells us that Satan caused him to turn away.

Anger is one of the manifestations of Satan being able to turn us away from God. A community manifest of people turning away from God and His statutes can be seen in the Road Rage incidents that are very common today.

Often our pride does not allow us to admit that we, as Christians, have turned away from God, but the manifestations of the sin of turning away from God leads to things like anger, lust etc. etc. sins that are obvious and easily identified even by others when they observe our daily walk, supposedly in Christ.

There is a period of peace coming soon when Satan and his cohorts will not be able to exercise any influence over the people of the earth, but Satan is already preparing his good and faithful servants to continue his influence over the people of the earth while he is imprisoned for 1,000 years before he returns for the little while period before the final time of judgement.

At this present time the church/Christians is/are being choked with the cares of the world and what is happening around us which is taking our eyes off Christ/God and His redemption for mankind and our part that we as Christians should be presently playing in God's redemption process today.

We are in a spiritual warfare situation at present and even when Satan is removed from influencing the people of the world, his minions, i.e. his good and faithful servants, will still exert his influences over the people of the earth such that they will not have the time to consider during the future 1,000 year period God's offer for salvation brought by His Kingdom of Priests, a Holy Nation and His possessions among the nations.

Are Christians influenced by spiritual demons at present? The answer is yes. How does it manifest itself among these Christians. Anger and coveting other peoples possessions etc. rather then looking to Christ/God for our salvation and welfare.

Do I fail? Often. Can I do better? Yes. How can I overcome being influenced by Satan and his minions? By renewing my mind and the putting on of the refurbished Godly personhood that He intended me to be from the beginning of time.

Yes this post is being abstract, in what has been presented, but what my shortcoming are, are very different to your shortcomings except for our turning away from God, which is an abstract concept to writ about as it is not obviously observable by others. Our manifested sins are as a result of turning away from God, but the primary sin of actually turning away from God first is not.

All we can pray is, "Lord help me to be in total relationship with you. Please pick me up when I fail and show me what must happen for me to get out of the miry clay that I find myself in and establish my feet on the rock, the foundational truth or my relationship with you, and establish my steps with a new song in my heart which brings praise to your holy name."

Shalom

 

[Cristo Rei]

Everyone here seems to be speaking very abstractly, so very distant from a personal life that we can share with each other. There are few personal references. Am I the only person who responds to a post like: "Identifying the evil one" in a personal manner? How do you, in your life, experience temptations from the evil one? How do you combat the evil one in your personal life? It's all so abstract and unreal. Quoting scripture to support your ideas is fine, but quoting scripture for everything seems like avoidance of something.

Maybe some people are afraid of being judged or receiving hostile replies... I know I am sometimes...
For example by most toughest and memorable battles happened when im i was in prison but i nearly always get something like "it serves you right" when i hadn't even said why i was there. And Satan, knowing me all to well, comes and pours fuel onto the fire to try and provoke me into acting or speaking from anger. Or someone will come and say something like "well u haven't been saved yet"... LoL... and i really can't be bothered

 

[Cristo Rei]

Here is a thought... Satan provokes us through our thoughts and feelings.
There are quite a few sins like anger, pride, envy, hate, lust, selfishness and the like... But what i find is that i can't seem to control my very first reaction to something, its sub-conscious. Sometimes that feeling is justified, if your house got burgled your going to be angry, righteous indignation. You may be justified to act from anger. U arrive home to see someone fleeing and chase him down to wrestle him to the ground and detain him


So for a while i thought ok, the feeling isn't a sin but acting from it is. But that's not necessarily true either.
These feelings can come and go but the danger is when they stay. Hold onto that anger and it starts rotting away your soul with resentment and bitterness. And that is applied to all those feelings. Holding onto them becomes an obsession and that is spiritually unhealthy to say the least.

And what is lust? Is attraction a lust. Is the admiration of beauty considered lust.
It can't be cos us guys are wired to be attracted to women, how else would the human race be able to multiply...
What if i see an attractive woman and notice she has a nice smile or eyes or figure or lips or legs or any other feature that attracts me...
I have no idea where the line is for lust. Google says its "strong sexual desire" still vague
What if i imagine her naked, its sub-conscious, almost, sometimes, is that lust???
Now if i was to think about this woman every day and hold onto that lust then it would be spiritually damaging.
But i don't know where the border is with lust

 

[Enoch111]

Everyone here seems to be speaking very abstractly, so very distant from a personal life that we can share with each other.

The Internet is accessible to the whole world. So we all need to be circumspect.

• Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent.
• Literally, looking about on all sides; hence, examining carefully all the circumstances that may affect, a determination; watchful on all sides; cautious; wary.
• To look on all sides of; examine carefully; scrutinize.

 

[Berserk]

At Harvard Divinity School a doctoral student (now a UNC professor) told me about a minister he knew who ministered the gift of healing with "the word of knowledge." One night, he was abruptly awakened by a vision of a beautiful serpent hovering over him. The serpent asked if he could come into the minister. When the minister refused, he felt a surprisingly powerful urge to let the serpent in. Fortunately, with great difficulty, he was able to resist. Shortly thereafter, when he prayed for the sick, he found that he had lost his "word of knowledge" (clairvoyance)! Though he loved and served the Lord, that so-called spiritual gift that seemed so edifying was apparently from a demonic source!

 

[kcnalp]

As far as demonic oppression goes, demons caused sickness in the NT. Are Christians ill today?