Hi there,
So just a little thing to edify you with: the Devil has limitations. This is meant to encourage you; if you can resist the Devil, even more and more, you can be delivered of the suffering of this world. So what limitations does the Devil have? Primarily, he is impatient. God says in the Bible, "be still and know that I am God" - we can do this, but the Devil can almost never do this. Why not? The reason is that the Devil is quick to take advantage of God, but is more and more ensnared by sin, to which he becomes a slave. When it comes to Heaven, this means that he does not wait, to learn of the implications of the instructions we receive there - he simply rushes off, to wreak havoc.
Can we be ready for the Devil? The Bible teaches that "if the Master of the House had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not let his house be broken into" (from memory, the gospels), so we can't tell what quick thing the Devil is going to pursue, to our detriment. What we can tell, is that the more you race out of Heaven, the weaker your flesh becomes; your sense of righteousness comes to be obscured by all the guilt you feel, not having lived up to the standard of God. So the Devil is getting weaker, and if he is getting weaker, Heaven is gradually going to have an effect on him. You could even say "he is on the way to being domesticated". Is there power in this? Not really, it is the Word of God that has power - the power that stays the same power throughout humanity.
Should we struggle with the Devil then? Again the Bible says "don't uproot the tares, lest you uproot the wheat also" (from memory, the gospels), so it is that we should let the Devil go his way, until such time as we can do something about the devastation he has wrought. If we have to struggle with the Devil, there is a good chance we will win, but Wisdom avoids struggle where it can and the Devil is to be respected, just as Jesus said to "settle with our adversary on the way" (from memory, the gospels). He may not be as respected as the rest, but he is to be respected. So there is power in this, that our hearts not be weighed down with doubt, that the enemy will never be beaten - take heart! The Lord has overcome the Devil, and what was once for all time, now is in every time that is left!
So collect your thoughts, set out your memories, believe in your witness - all these things are good (they will edify you, help you and strengthen you). We have an advocate before the throne of God, in Jesus and it won't be long before we are with Him in Glory. The Devil will have no further strength and the world will close and our deeds before God will follow after us!
God bless!
So just a little thing to edify you with: the Devil has limitations. This is meant to encourage you; if you can resist the Devil, even more and more, you can be delivered of the suffering of this world. So what limitations does the Devil have? Primarily, he is impatient. God says in the Bible, "be still and know that I am God" - we can do this, but the Devil can almost never do this. Why not? The reason is that the Devil is quick to take advantage of God, but is more and more ensnared by sin, to which he becomes a slave. When it comes to Heaven, this means that he does not wait, to learn of the implications of the instructions we receive there - he simply rushes off, to wreak havoc.
Can we be ready for the Devil? The Bible teaches that "if the Master of the House had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not let his house be broken into" (from memory, the gospels), so we can't tell what quick thing the Devil is going to pursue, to our detriment. What we can tell, is that the more you race out of Heaven, the weaker your flesh becomes; your sense of righteousness comes to be obscured by all the guilt you feel, not having lived up to the standard of God. So the Devil is getting weaker, and if he is getting weaker, Heaven is gradually going to have an effect on him. You could even say "he is on the way to being domesticated". Is there power in this? Not really, it is the Word of God that has power - the power that stays the same power throughout humanity.
Should we struggle with the Devil then? Again the Bible says "don't uproot the tares, lest you uproot the wheat also" (from memory, the gospels), so it is that we should let the Devil go his way, until such time as we can do something about the devastation he has wrought. If we have to struggle with the Devil, there is a good chance we will win, but Wisdom avoids struggle where it can and the Devil is to be respected, just as Jesus said to "settle with our adversary on the way" (from memory, the gospels). He may not be as respected as the rest, but he is to be respected. So there is power in this, that our hearts not be weighed down with doubt, that the enemy will never be beaten - take heart! The Lord has overcome the Devil, and what was once for all time, now is in every time that is left!
So collect your thoughts, set out your memories, believe in your witness - all these things are good (they will edify you, help you and strengthen you). We have an advocate before the throne of God, in Jesus and it won't be long before we are with Him in Glory. The Devil will have no further strength and the world will close and our deeds before God will follow after us!
God bless!
