Tuesday, September 27, 2011

How Satan influences, involves, inhabits, engages, assigns, and dispatches people!


There are levels in how Satan use people. He influences, involves, inhabits, engages, assigns, and dispatches people for evil purposes. These process is real. And they are very subtle.
It is important to know that Lucifer rebelled in heaven and was cast out of heaven into earth. 
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9). Lucifer (Satan) was evicted from heaven with all his followers. These are fallen angels. They are also called demons. 
"And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day."(Jude 1:6).
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;" (2 Peter 2:4).
It was a small proportion of God's angels who rebelled and constitute the demonic population. So, it is not all the angels of God that rebelled. If those who rebelled with Lucifer are few , how come they are all over the earth? How did Lucifer populate earth with very many demons? How come his few population of demons are increasing in the earth? What is going on? I will give you the answer here. If we examine this mathematically, the devil cannot cover the expanse of earth with few number of fallen angels. As a result, he has to do something quick in order to ensure that he covers almost all the lands of mankind. Since, he is not God. He (Satan) is NOT omnipresent (he is not everywhere at the same time), so he had to devise anything, whatsoever to represent him in most places on earth! Since, he could not create human being or make anything as God would do, he (Satan) had to devise tactics to inhabit human beings, animals, or plants. Please note that Satan and his demons can inhabit any living creature! How did i know that? because he entered into Judas. "As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him,"(John 13:27).
We also read how the legions of demons posesed a man who Jesus healed. The demons did not want to leave that region because that was where they live. They begged Jesus to allow them stay in thesame region by sending them into the Swine.  "The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water." (Matthew 8:31-32). I have often asked God why He listened to demons' prayers? Why would Jesus allow the demons remain in that region? It is because there is a place for everyone. "And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day."(Jude 1:6). There is a particular place, location where every created being must be. Have you found your own place? God designed it that way. Anything that is out of place cease to exist! The reason why some people struggle in life may be because they are out of place! The first reason why these heavenly beings became fallen angels;(who became demons), was because they did not keep their place in heaven, which was assigned to them by God! Jesus understood that principle of place! These fallen angels must remain in their place now that they have been cast down into the earth. That was why he granted them permission to remain in that region, even if it will cost an entire herd of swine! Now if Jesus would listen to demons' requests (prayer of some fallen angels); what makes you think that he would not answer your own prayers? Are you praying to Jesus or you have stopped praying because of some reasons? 
Immediately Jesus gave the demons permission to go into the swine, the swine perished into the sea. Needless to say that the legions of demons that left the human body into the Swine, went straight from the swine into the sea creatures! Since, spirits do not die. And we know that the demons must inhabit something with life. We know that at the death and destruction of the herd of swine, the immediate living body to the swine must be possessed! And these happened to be the sea creatures. So, those demons went into sea fishes, sea crabs, sea shrimps, etc.  That is why we pray over our foods before we eat! We also pray to thank God for the provision of the food. We also pray over our food because Jesus did so."When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them." (Luke 24:30). 
For begging Jesus not to send them out of that region, we know that each demon has an assigned location. And each demon must have geographical address in the region where they are assigned. Just as we have established that the devil himself has an address. (I have written extensively about these earlier). 

Since, we know that Satan cannot create but perverts what God has already created. Then we can conclude that in order to grow a large followership, Satan needs to send his demons into more people.
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left." (Luke 11:24). When these demons are in operation in human lives, all they need to do is change the mindset of the possessed person. A possessed person then becomes a convert, who in turn convert another human being into satanic fold. As such, evil communications can corrupt good people. "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33). As a result, a corrupted manner is a corrupt person! And a corrupt person is a valuable tool in the hand of the devil. This is a chain reaction. This is the process through which Satan gathers his followers!
In order to grow his followership in numbers, he will need to recruit more people on daily basis. For more people to join his camp, Satan needs to lure them. He baits them with fringe benefits, immediate satisfactions, etc. He will entice them with riches of this world, with comforts, with gold, money, treasures, with "success". How did i know? Because Satan tried it with Jesus and failed. "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8).

So, where is the followers of Satan coming from? From this same earth! For Satan's army to increase, he would need to recruit more people from earth. These are the people Satan tries to recruit: the indifferent, the atheist, and those who sits on the fence in their beliefs, those who do not know their identity in Christ, those who walk, stand, and sit in the counsels of the ungodly, those without any conviction, those who do not believe that God exists, those who disprove the supernatural, those who doubts the Bible as the word of God, etc. Satan will use vain imaginations, science, and philosophies of men to draw men and women into his camp.
"See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men's ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah)." (Colossians 2:8). Satan knows that people could be gullible, he would use the successful and famous people of the world to draw away the naive and the unskilled in the word of eternal life.
That is why we were told to work out our salvation with trembling. 
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling"(Philippians 2:12). Why because it is not enough to claim that you have been saved. It is not enough to have confessed Jesus as your Lord and personal savior. Once, you are saved, you are to continue to grow in Grace through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18).

 Now, how does Satan influence good people despite their good intentions? It is through philosophies and the ideologies of men! It is by influencing naive people through their heroes, idols, and legends! Satan will use the influential people to influence the majority of men and women! This is the way through which Satan spread his own evil"gospel" . He would come on air, and pervert well intentioned people via pervert radio shows, pervert reality shows, pervert television programs, pervert movies, pervert music, etc; It is for promoting his evil purpose. This is why we must be watchful. All that the devil needs to do to change you is position his agent around you. With time, if you are not watchful, if your are not on fire for God, if you are not letting your light shine for the world to see, if you let your salt go tasteless, you will be hidden. "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."(Matthew 5:16). Do not be a hidden city! You are meant to set on the hill. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."(Matthew 5:14). You must be shinning for all the world to see! If you are not shinning; then the agent of the devil who has been assigned to your region will come after you. These demons will work through people to influence you. And they will recruit you to be used for the devil This is how the devil pulls down great men and women with potentials. Some of them were those who followed God at one point or the other in their life journeys. Before they knew it, they were making excuses for evil. If you are not shinning, you will be negotiating with the devil. You will be tolerating evil. You will be comfortable around evil. And what you once hated with your whole being will be tolerated with passion. Those things you used to cry out against, you will begin to become indifferent about them. You will be speechless about evil! 
This is how you know when the devil is already dominating any life. Its through a subtle process. He would not take you suddenly. It is gradually. You will begin to forsake the gathering of the saints. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."(Hebrews 10:25). If you began feeling comfortable around those who does not love God; then that is a signal. At first, you may even convince yourself that you are on a mission to change the mind of ungodly people. That is why you are hanging out with them. But before you know it; instead of you converting them, they are the ones who will convert you. And the end shall be worst than the beginning for such person. This is why Satan does not need to appear to you physically or be where you are in person. All he needs to do in order to convert you is bring wrong people into your life. The wrong people carry wrong ideologies around with them. And they use their ideologies to influence you. That is why scripture warned us to cast down vain imaginations that tends to lift itself above the knowledge of Christ! 
"For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Amplified Bible).
It is because those thoughts and imaginations are the things that gradually form strongholds that Satan inhabits in people. The Greek word for stronghold is okuroma. It is translated as "fortress." The word "fortress" is from the word "fort". A fort is designed as fortifications for defense in warfare. They are today's military bases. They are designed and constructed by the military to prevent someone (usually their opponents) from entering and taking something away.  A stronghold or fortress keeps the enemy from coming inside the fort. This place is usually guarded by soldiers. There are sentries who stays awake day in and out to watch over the fort. They walk on the fence, around the fence, to keep the enemy off. The fence is usually tall.  Very high walls are designed to surround the fort. There are vigilant sentries  who are quick in communication on those walls. From their vantage point over the high walls, they can see afar off.  As the fortress keeps people inside, it also keeps people outside. Certain people must be kept out. And those are the enemy soldiers. As such a fort could be a captivity, as well as a safety zone. Depending on whose side an individual falls into. A stronghold designed to shut people inside is a captivity. It will be the target in time of war.
When people are shut in a fort; it often shut out their deliverers from reaching them. Lest the prisoners escape captivity and find freedom outside the fort or stronghold.
The analogy here is that the devil shut people inside his territory through thoughts and imaginations. And the word of Truth is the only thing that can deliver them . That is why Jesus said, you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free. It shows how thoughts and imagination can serve as captive fortress, where those who have bought into that school of thought will not be able to escape!  "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."(John 8:32).
 The word argument in Greek is Logismos, meaning logic or understanding. Argument can be a rope with which people are tied. A chain with which they are bound and thrown into captivity. This can be a point of engagement at first. In the process of time, it becomes a recruitment with which the enemy ensnare and entraps! Satan's delegated agents will use arguments to prove falsity, falsehood through arguments. They would use countless books to prove their arguments. That is why we were warned: 
"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless."(Titus 3:9). We are to continuously pull down strongholds. Every false reasoning that does not acknowledge Christ as the Son of God must be shunned! All arguments that does not glorify the Son of God must be shut down!
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."(2 Corinthians 10:5).

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