The devil wants to destroy the chosen people of God by

[afaithfulone4u]

making them LAWLESS in behavior, thereby falling for temptation to sin, thereby once again living in darkness and misery also exalting more and more laws by government upon them to keep them Captive, bound once again to the flesh instead of free by the Spirit's teachings.


Gal 5:16-6:1
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
KJV

1 Peter 2:9-16
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
KJV

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

making them LAWLESS in behavior, thereby falling for temptation to sin, thereby once again living in darkness and misery also exalting more and more laws by government upon them to keep them Captive, bound once again to the flesh instead of free by the Spirit's teachings.

Does it make you feel religious and good about yourself by bashing all the other Christians ? Is that your motive and your heart ? Do you ever examine yourself .... or do you just examine everyone else ? What is the proper christian model ?

 

[williemac]

The devil does not have to tempt a believer to cause him to sin. We are tempted when we are draw away by our own lusts and desires (James 1:14) . The devil's strategy is to lie and accuse. He will lie about the nature of God, our nature in Christ, and our security in Him. He will accuse us. He is the accuser of the bretheren, not God.

He will cause division between us through his lies and his accusations.

The law is that which is our enemy, being the ministry of death and condemnation (2Cor.3:7&9). Satan uses his lies to reinstate it in our understanding so that he can use it against us. The law arouses our sinful passions (Rom.7:5). No one is completely without sin, for we have this treasure (the new man) in earthen vessels (2Cor.4:7). Therefore the devil will want to use this against us by deceiving us to cause us to try and justify ourselves before God. He wants us to commit the same transgression he did in the beginning; to sit on the throne as God. Justification is God's role, not ours. Righteousness is His, not ours. Our role is to remain humble in His sight and continue to receive life freely, and to simply bear the fruit of the life in us. Perfection is not required in this role.

The devil wants us to believe that sin is our #1 enemy. But sin was defeated at Calvary on our behalf.

Know your enemy!!

 

[afaithfulone4u]

The devil does not have to tempt a believer to cause him to sin. We are tempted when we are draw away by our own lusts and desires (James 1:14) . The devil's strategy is to lie and accuse. He will lie about the nature of God, our nature in Christ, and our security in Him. He will accuse us. He is the accuser of the bretheren, not God.

He will cause division between us through his lies and his accusations.

The law is that which is our enemy, being the ministry of death and condemnation (2Cor.3:7&9). Satan uses his lies to reinstate it in our understanding so that he can use it against us. The law arouses our sinful passions (Rom.7:5). No one is completely without sin, for we have this treasure (the new man) in earthen vessels (2Cor.4:7). Therefore the devil will want to use this against us by deceiving us to cause us to try and justify ourselves before God. He wants us to commit the same transgression he did in the beginning; to sit on the throne as God. Justification is God's role, not ours. Righteousness is His, not ours. Our role is to remain humble in His sight and continue to receive life freely, and to simply bear the fruit of the life in us. Perfection is not required in this role.

The devil wants us to believe that sin is our #1 enemy. But sin was defeated at Calvary on our behalf.

Know your enemy!!

I beg your pardone but YES the devil is the Tempter of man and the Spirit is the one who brings us into our wilderness walk once we confess we want to follow Christ and BE CLEANSED. How do you think that God works in you? You have to be tested and tried for faithfulness to His Word/Christ Jesus?

Please read the scriptures I show so that you can not say these are just my words.

GOD'S WORD SAYS:
Matt 4:1-3
4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
KJVWe are told to count the cost.

Do you seriously think that we come to God just as we are a sinner that is destroying ourselves, our families and the world around us, and we are to just remain the same so that we can ruin the new earth to come?? We are not under the 613 laws, we are under the law of love which are the 10 original foundational laws that have been condensed to 2, which if done correctly cover all 10.
GOD'S WORD SAYS:
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
KJV

Did you take note of the ORIGINAL 10 LAWS that are written in THE STONE who is Christ? See Paul says they are STILL VALID. Do you consider him your enemy?

A Christian does not do as the heathen does and turn a lost sinner over to the ungodly authorities who just give physical and emotional punishment which changes no one or teaches them TRUTH.
A Christian speaks TRUTH to the lost to hopefully teach them a better way so that they DON'T end up in the hands of the ungodly authorities.


To just look at the law changes no one and God knew that we can not do it on our own... But we are to submit to the Word so that God can write His laws upon our hearts so that we will learn how to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer only. God NEVER changes, His law is still required for mankind to live in a world of love and peace.

True all have fallen short, however that is why we have been given a better covenant to help us OVERCOME the lusts of the flesh so that we don't NEED to be told how to do right for the Spirit teaches us.
James 1:19-24
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
KJV

We are not to be lawless as the rest of the world who do what ever makes them feel good but destoys, we are supposed to have the wisdom of God's Word dwelling in us, so that we do not need the authorities to put laws over us as they did in the old covenant because the Hebrew children who had just come out of Egypt as we are to have come out, did not know how to do right and the law destroyed them, because it is not just looking at the Word that makes you change, you must put the Word in your heart so that you will LIVE, BY THE WORD.
Luke 14:26-30
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
KJV

Rightly divide the Word, for there are two sides, one for those with only natural eyes that only carnal man can understand, and one for the spiritual eyes that give the true wisdom of God for good understanding.

REALLY KNOW WHO YOUR ENEMY IS!!

Does it make you feel religious and good about yourself by bashing all the other Christians ? Is that your motive and your heart ? Do you ever examine yourself .... or do you just examine everyone else ? What is the proper christian model ?

Brother Arnie!
Religious?? Bashing? Can I ask you,Why do you hate the Word of God that I showed you calling it such and angry at me for bringing the Truth to you?
I very much try to pratice what the Word says around others and when alone, yet never do I claim to be perfected, just as Paul was not perfected when he wrote most of the NT, but he. like me, did not let persecution stop him from speaking the Truth to the brethren for edifcation of the temple of God which IS the proper Christian model~

Be at Rest in the Lord and love the Word of Truth, for it is the Love of God.

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

Maybe the difference between you and me is that i look with favor and gratitude toward the saved of the world .... even the imperfect Christians ..... whereas you seem to dislike nearly everything Christians do .

It is true that most north American Christians are fat and lazy ..... but we are not a bunch of dumb fools either. I find that a majority of Americans see clearly what is happening around them and will have the right response when the time comes for the rubber to meet the road.

But yes .... until then .... many of us have it pretty good ..... but it has been earned by christian values and labor over a lot of years.

 

[williemac]

I beg your pardone but YES the devil is the Tempter of man and the Spirit is the one who brings us into our wilderness walk once we confess we want to follow Christ and BE CLEANSED. How do you think that God works in you? You have to be tested and tried for faithfulness to His Word/Christ Jesus?

Please read the scriptures I show so that you can not say these are just my words.

GOD'S WORD SAYS:
Matt 4:1-3
4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Excuse me, but are you not willing to read the passage I quoted from James? I have shared before on another topic that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil because this is the only way He could have been tempted. He was without sin, we are not. He is the Lord, come as God in the flesh. Do you suppose we are in His category? On the other hand, there is no passage that specifically says Christians are tempted by the devil to sin. James said otherwise, in fact. So just who is it that is not considering shared verses of scripture?

Do you seriously think that we come to God just as we are a sinner that is destroying ourselves, our families and the world around us, and we are to just remain the same so that we can ruin the new earth to come?? We are not under the 613 laws, we are under the law of love which are the 10 original foundational laws that have been condensed to 2, which if done correctly cover all 10.
GOD'S WORD SAYS:
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
KJV

Where did you ever get the idea that I have even hinted that we are to stay the same? There was no such suggestion in my post. Have you ever looked at other replies I have made on subjects such as these? I will be the first one to agree that we are a new creation and have His righteousness in us as a result, and indeed are called to bear fruit of this new man.

I was not adressing that particular thing in my reply, because what I am sharing here is simply in response to what was said about the devil's strategy concerning Christians. He is a liar and an accuser. But our temptations happen because we are in the world and in fleshly bodies. The devil has no need to work at getting us to sin. He is more devious than that. He will use our weakness against us by planting ideas in our heads that have to do with what motivates us.
For example, should we sin? No. Should we walk in the Spirit? Yes. This is not rocket surgery!! B) But the question is why? What will be our main motive? The devil wants to mess with our assurance and our security, so that we will be doing the right things for the wrong reasons.I can assure you, because the Lord assures it, that the devil cannot snatch us out of our Lord's hands. But he can interfere with our joy, peace, power, in this life, and our rewards handed out on the judgment seat.

One way is to place us back under the law. Here is what I mean. The law deals with regulating behavior. It uses the threat of punishment or the promise of reward as the motive. It brings about a deterrant for bad behavior (sin). Does this work? Well if it did, the jails would be empty.

This would be similar to trying to get a dog to stop barking by punishing it for barking, or giving it a treat. This may work well in some cases and not so well in others. But in either case, the offspring of that dog will bark.... Becuase it is in the dna. The law has the same weakness. It cannot change us. It was not given to do so. As Paul explained to the Galatians, it was added temporarily. But the truth is, the only real and lasting way to change us is to re create us. This is God's solution to changing our behavior. He has no intention of using the law to change our behavior. He has another plan. The law rather, has a negativie effect on our phsyche, as I shared from Rom.7.

But I think you may well understand these things. I hope so. I was merely suggesting that the devil has a strategy that effect our hearts and minds so that we fail to see the truth about who we are and how secure we are in Christ. This will render us weak. This will effect our boldness to come into God's presence or to stay there. Thus we will wander away, and then can be tempted by our own desires, as James said. There is no way in God's mind, that He consider to draw us into temptation by the devil through His Spirit. How does that accomplish any good thing? It was ok. in Jesus' case, because He was not going to fail, being without sin. In our case? fugetaboutit!!

 

[aspen]

our curse - worshiping ourselves through selfishness is our own worst enemy. Satan is a cautionary tale - try blaming him for your sin at the Judgment and you'll look just like one of his children.

 

[Axehead]

The Devil comes to steal, kill and destroy all humanity, not just Christians.

The devil does not have to tempt a believer to cause him to sin. We are tempted when we are draw away by our own lusts and desires (James 1:14) . The devil's strategy is to lie and accuse. He will lie about the nature of God, our nature in Christ, and our security in Him. He will accuse us. He is the accuser of the bretheren, not God.

He will cause division between us through his lies and his accusations.

The law is that which is our enemy, being the ministry of death and condemnation (2Cor.3:7&9). Satan uses his lies to reinstate it in our understanding so that he can use it against us. The law arouses our sinful passions (Rom.7:5). No one is completely without sin, for we have this treasure (the new man) in earthen vessels (2Cor.4:7). Therefore the devil will want to use this against us by deceiving us to cause us to try and justify ourselves before God. He wants us to commit the same transgression he did in the beginning; to sit on the throne as God. Justification is God's role, not ours. Righteousness is His, not ours. Our role is to remain humble in His sight and continue to receive life freely, and to simply bear the fruit of the life in us. Perfection is not required in this role.

The devil wants us to believe that sin is our #1 enemy. But sin was defeated at Calvary on our behalf.

Know your enemy!!

That is just one context in the Bible. Another context in the Bible which brings balance is that the Devil will tempt us as He tempted Jesus. He will promise empty promises to anyone willing to listen. Our number 1 enemy today is self, fleshly nature and that is what the Cross is for. Deny self, pick up our cross and follow Jesus.

 

[williemac]

The Devil comes to steal, kill and destroy all humanity, not just Christians.


That is just one context in the Bible. Another context in the Bible which brings balance is that the Devil will tempt us as He tempted Jesus. He will promise empty promises to anyone willing to listen. Our number 1 enemy today is self, fleshly nature and that is what the Cross is for. Deny self, pick up our cross and follow Jesus.

The theif comes to kill, steal and destroy. That is the proper quote. As well, the passage does not give details. Nothing in the context talks of the devil tempting people to sin. If this happens, we must look elsewhere to prove it. And as I commented before, the temptations upon Jesus were in an isolated context. The devil challenged Him and would have defeated Him if Jesus would have sinned. It was a necessary event from a legal perspective. You wish to put us in the same category as God in the flesh? I think it is more than a stretch to assume that just because the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, that this also applies to the believer. What license does the bible give for that assumption? This is not a proper way to intepret scripture.
But why do you refuse to acknowledge Jame's words that we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires (1:14)?
It seems to me that the flesh has enough chance on a daily basis to tempt us all on its own, without the help of the devil. We are admonished to walk in the spirit so that we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. This is our choosing. If we abide in Christ we will bear fruit. We are told to set our minds (our attention) on things above. This is our choosing. No temptation will have power to move us if we have our attention on spiritual things.

But to address the op again, the suggestion is that we will be destroyed if we give in to sin. How does this fit with 1 John 2:1? The fact is that much of the world goes about sinning and are living their lives with whatever satisfaction they can derive. However, we know that sin does not satisfy. We know the truth about sin. We know that the pleasures of sin are temporary and passing. So therefore a Christian walking in sin is also dealing with his misery and his conviction that he is not fooling himself or God. And then there is the promise that Jesus will chasten His own.

What am I saying here? That sin has lost its power over the believer in more than 1 way. In the first place, it cannot kill or destroy us. The old man ( our flesh) is postionally dead in Christ, crucified with Him. By proxy, we have already died for our sin. The fact is, the wages of sin are not going away. Our flesh will not survive. It will not follow us into the next life. If we do sin in this life, it is not accounted to us as a whole but rather only to that part of us that is condemned and will perish. Thus as 1John2:1 confirms, we have an advocate with the Father.
Does this validate sin? Hardly. But how is is that so many are so worried about a defeated enemy? This is merely a distraction in my opinion, from the real battle that is being waged.

It's not about me. I am in good hands....forever!! The main spiritual reason that I am still on this planet is that God wants to use me to reach out to others, whether brothers in Christ, or those who are lost. Sin can and does pontentially hinder this plan in the believer, but as for our well being, it cannot go so far as destroy us. Those who think it can have been duped by the enemy already. He would have us go about flogging a dead horse, worried about personal well being, and never getting to the full potential of our purpose. God has taken care of us so that we can be used of Him to take care of others. Christianity has not been designed to be merely an excercise of self survival. But from where I sit, it sounds like it surely is trying to be just that.

 

[Axehead]

James' words are just part of the puzzle.

Let the Scriptures illustrate:

2Co 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

What devices are Paul talking about? Satan's work is to draw us away from Christ. This is the spiritual warfare that we are now in. We war with powers and principalities in high places. Some of the devices are temptations, snares, deception, lies, offers of power and riches. Then our heart covets and our flesh will lust and we will be drawn away by these lusts. Do you not believe in 2 Cor 2:11 or 1 Tim 4:1, below?

1Tim_4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

This is enough for now. It appears that you do not believe that we have an Adversary who is at war with us along with his powers, principalities, deceiving and seducing spirits.

Our struggle is not just with the flesh.

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against THE WILES OF THE DEVIL.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Axehead

 

[mjrhealth]

Surrounding them with fools, and thugs, beating them to a pulp when ever they try to get close to God, causing them to "fear" there by drawing them away from God, causing them to stumble in there faith, yes even those who are " really " called. If you think being called a fool by an atheist is persecution, you have never being under the enemies thumb.

In all His Love

 

[williemac]

Brother axehead, I absolutely agree that we have an adversary who seeks to take us away from our purpose. I merely wished to address the op, which suggested that sin is the devil's main goal for us, and specifically that sin has the power to destroy us. My reminder was that the devil cannot snatch us out of our Master's hand. And neither can sin. Destroy is a strong word.

 

[Axehead]

Yeah, I am not really addressing the OP, but just responding to your post.

I think that the verse presupposes that we cannot be snatched out of the Master's hand IF we are abiding in Him. There are many conditional IFs in the NT.

And, plenty of scriptures that show we are our worst enemy when we abide in the flesh, sin and the Devil.

People like to think they can do whatever they want and never be "snatched out of the Master's hand" when they have already taken themselves out of the Master's hand.

Security is not promised to the rebellious in heart. On the contrary, the NT is replete with many warnings. I know a lot of people say that the warnings have to do with losing prizes/rewards but there is a lot more at stake than the goodies.