Life by the Word

Chapter 2

The Deceiver

              One of the most important messages that I want to convey in this book is that there is a God; Lord Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead on the third day.  There is a Holy Spirit that ministers and comforts us today.  And there is a Devil.  Satan is portrayed many ways to us.  For instance, many see him as a character-figure dressed up in a red jumpsuit with a pitchfork in his hand sitting at the gates of hell.

            Let me share something with you here.  Peter describes the Devil as a roaring lion looking who he can destroy and devour, I Peter 5:8.  Jesus describes him as the father of all lies and that there is no truth in him, John 8:44.  Also, the Lord says that Satan comes only to steal, destroy and murder, John 10:10.  The key word is only.  Now that you have identified what the true purpose of the enemy is, you can then act accordingly.  For example, every time there is a lie, a theft, a murder, you should realize who is behind this.  This is Satan's job as my brother Victor says.  His whole purpose is outlined for you and me to acknowledge and identify.

            I've learned that the same Devil who tried to overtake the throne of God in Heaven is still prowling the earth today.  To have the audacity to try and overtake the throne of God; to convince one-third of the angels to join him in this futile attempt is kind of amazing when you come to think of it.  If he had the nerve and pride to go after the creator's own throne, do you think you and I are any threat to him or immune to his attacks? 

I've learned something about the adversary during my first seven years as a Born-again Christian.  The only time he lets up on his attacks or withdraws from them is when his mission backfires and we become closer to God instead of turning away and beginning to backslide.  To prove my point here, let's go to the cross at Calvary over 2000 years ago, John 19:34.  Jesus Christ is dying on the cross as he gives up his last breath.  His beaten and blood-drenched body was crucified.  From the naked eye, Christ was dead from a physical standpoint.  But what do we read next, but a soldier throwing a spear into his side.  My question here is why?  The body is dead and Satan infiltrates this centurion to add insult to injury.  I believe that Satan was trying to make a point here.  What the Lord showed me is that Satan is never satisfied.  He loves to rub it in your face when he thinks he's won.  Did you ever have someone in your life who has beaten you down and still keeps coming?  They just won't let it go until you?re dead or in further trouble than you are today.  That's the enemy's character.  Relentless in pursuit, audacity beyond belief, that is Satan.  He's just plain nasty.  Why?  I believe he is on death row and his destiny has already been announced.  Revelations 20:10 states that the Devil and his demons will be tormented day and night in the lake of fire which was prepared for them.

            Satan knows where he is going and he is not a happy camper.  He'll try and deceive anyone he can by getting them to believe the lie that the word of God isn't true.  We live in a society that looks at and takes things at face value.  What do I mean here?  Whatever we see, whatever we can touch; that is what most of the time is reality to us.  There is a spiritual realm, the place of the unseen for people like us.  Ephesians 6:12 states "That our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly realm."  Here the Bible clearly states that our battles are not against people.  It is against the spirits that are manipulating these people to torment our lives.

            You may say to me, "Come on, Al, what are you talking about here?"  There are some pretty nasty people out there and you are saying blame Satan and his demons for these actions?  I'm saying, sure, some people are nasty, but if we don't see the cause behind their actions, we'll never look at them through the eyes and heart of Jesus.

            Did you ever notice how Christ was so kind and merciful to those who were caught in terrible acts?  Throughout the scriptures, Jesus shows great love and mercy to the lost that were living in darkness.  Whether they were caught in acts of adultery, theft, or just plain murdering him up on the cross as he says, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."  Jesus saw who was truly behind their actions and delivered his great mercy instead of wrath and judgment.

            I want you to think about this for a second.  Christ is getting murdered here.  Call it a crucifixion, but the fact is, he's getting killed.  He doesn't ask the Father in Heaven for vengeance, he asks for forgiveness.  Why?  How?  I believe Jesus saw them as deceived, not knowing what they were doing.  As if they were blind, manipulated individuals who were sought out by Satan to destroy him.  Christ knew and could see who was behind their actions.  That's why he could act with forgiveness and not vengeance.  He needed to die so that our eyes would one day be opened to the truth.  If Jesus would ask the Father for vengeance, he would be promoting victory for the enemy, not the kingdom because God wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

            We must realize that anyone who is unsaved and doesn't have the Holy Spirit living inside of them is living in darkness.  They could not see the truth if it smacked them right across the face.  Before I came to Christ and was saved, I used to take the Lord's name in vain, curse, lie, and steal.  All of these things, these characters in the Bible suffered from.  I was a part of these and they were a part of my life.  But when I asked Jesus into my life, my eyes were opened to the truth and the Holy Spirit began to convict me that I needed to make a change of heart.  You have heard it said before that a leopard doesn't change his spots.  I believe this is true.  You will keep repeating your mistakes over and over.  No matter how many New Year's resolutions you make; it doesn't matter.  You will go back to your old ways.  It's not until Jesus comes into your life that you will be awakened to the truth.  You won't justify your actions any longer, but will repent because the Holy Spirit will convict you and guide you into trying to please God.  Please remember something here.  As I mentioned before, Satan's destination in Revelations 20:10 is to be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night.  The lake of fire has been prepared for them, not for you and me.  It was set up for God's judgment for these fallen angels (Demons) and the accuser, Satan. 

            You have a choice here.  You can follow the Devil to this eternal destruction and burn forever and be tormented day and night.  Or you can have your name written in the Lamb's book of life and give your life to Jesus right now as you read this.  Pray this prayer if you haven't already.  "Dear Father in Heaven, I am a sinner and I am tired of running my own life.  I come to you today asking for forgiveness and I'm inviting the Holy Spirit to come and live inside of me.  I ask you, Lord Jesus, to become the Lord of my life from this moment on.  I accept the precious blood of Jesus Christ as redemption for my sin.  I believe Jesus was crucified, died, and resurrected on the third day and now sits at the right hand of the Father.  I thank you for saving me and giving me eternal life.  In Jesus name, I pray.  Amen."  You should follow up by joining a church, getting water baptized, and purchasing yourself a NIV bible.

The fact of the matter is, you are either born again, or you are not.  John 3:3 says that you must be born again to see the kingdom of God.  Either Jesus is telling and warning you of the truth or he's not.  Let me tell you, this is a decision you do not want to be wrong about.  Do not let Satan deceive you and tell you it isn't important.  He wants you and your family to burn with him.  I'm here to share with you to give your life to Christ as soon as possible.  You'll never have to worry about where you're going after you leave this world.  The angels will rejoice and Satan will lose another person that will not be going with him when all is said and done.

            If you ever want to get an idea about what Hell is going to be like, look up the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16:23.  Here you read of the agony of what it's going to be like there. I don't care who you are, but the person suffering there is in torment and warns others of the agony of where he is.  We need to heed his advice and have a humble heart.  I'm not this man's relative, nor do I claim to know him.  But he is a reminder of where you are going if you don't have the Holy Spirit living inside of you.  If you are not saved, this is what you are not saved from if people ask you.  The torment of Hell!!

            My friends, I'm not trying to scare you.  Please forgive me if I have.  If you are saved, you have nothing to worry about.  But what about people who are not?  Have you witnessed to them lately?  Have you shared your faith with them and what the power of Christ has done for you and your life?

            I believe that Satan sometimes infiltrates our lives with the disease of busyness.  It is a great way to get us on our agenda instead of God's agenda: wife, husband, children, work, etc.  I mean all the different roles we play can sometimes make it hard for us to think about kingdom work.  Kingdom work takes time and it takes energy.  Writing this book is exhausting and time consuming, but by writing it I'm laying my treasures up for the kingdom of God.  It's far out to think that someone in South Dakota may read these words and this book might help them, and I'll never know unless they write me.  But that's okay.  I won't find out until I get to Heaven who I've touched and that doesn't bother me at all, because my motive is pure.  I'm not writing this for the fame or glory.  I'm writing it because God instructed me to and I'm going to be obedient to the Holy Spirit's direction.  God knows Revelations and the end times, and he sure knows who is going to read these pages.  More importantly, he knows who needs to read them.  It's funny that whatever I'm going through or struggling with in life, the Lord will send me help.  It could be in the form of a book, a person, a radio message, or a television evangelist.  I've found that God will equip you with what you need to combat the enemy?s attacks.

            The Lord showed me this the other day.  He told me that there is no one on his level.  Satan is a fallen angel.  The key words here are fallen and angel.  Although he had access to the throne, he abused his privilege.  Satan got too big for his britches and thought he was someone special.  Our Father in Heaven is omnipotent and omnipresent.  The Alpha and the Omega.  No one, and I mean no one, should ever forget that.  He is in control.

            I hope this chapter informs you and reminds you who the real enemy is.  Once you see him through Jesus' eyes, you can deal with him promptly and decisively.  Remember always to fight him with the written word.  Fight him by praying the word of God back to God and standing on it with faith that it will be done.  Remember Jesus always; let the glorified Lord take care of the enemies of your life.  Surrender to him the battle and watch Jesus move your adversaries out of the way.  I've found the sooner I've realized that the battle is the Lord's and not mine, victory seems to come my way much easier and quicker.

Give God all the glory when he stands up for you and always remember that Jesus is Lord and he is our mighty defender against an already defeated foe named Satan.  I John 3:8 says, "Jesus came to defeat the wiles of the devil."  Never forget that scripture and promise.