The study of Satan

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Operations of Satan via the heart.
"Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died...“Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not having learned of what had happened. And Peter said to her, Tell me; did you sell the land for so much? Yes, she said, for so much. Then Peter said to her, How could you two have agreed and conspired together to try to deceive the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out [also]. And instantly she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men entering found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband”( Acts 5: 3-5, and 7-10).


Matthew 12:43-45 reads: "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.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

There are countless stories in the Bible where Satan influenced people. He filled the hearts of good people, bad people, ordinary people and great people. It is good that the scripture did not leave us in doubts as concerning the operations of Satan and how it is possible for human being to be used by Satan in carrying out evil deeds. We have numerous examples in both the old and new testaments of where Satan influenced people's decisions and actions. Some examples are: the account of Ananias and Sapphira when they lied concerning the price of a plot of land sold (Acts 5: 1-11) , when Satan moved King David to take a Census of Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1), when Satan filled the hearts of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus (Matthew 27:3), when an evil Spirit from the Lord torment King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14), when a seducing and lying spirit from the Lord went out through the mouths of the 400 puppet Prophets of king Ahab in the days of Micaiah son of Imlah (1 Kings 22:1- 38), and so on.

How can i know a person whose heart has been filled by Satan?
It is through a gift of the Spirit called discernment that we can know. We can also know through the actions of the person. Every word has a spirit behind them. So when people speak. We must learn to listen to their hearts more than we swallow their cherry words.
Taking a cue from the story of Ananias and Sapphira, these are some of the attributes of the person who Satan has filled their hearts:
They tell lies, (See Acts 5:3 Amplified)
They deceive, (See Acts 5:3 Amplified)
They conspire, (See Acts 5:9 Amplified)
They violate their promise, (See Acts 5:3 Amplified)
They withdraw from covenant secretly,(See Acts 5:3  Amplified)
They betray in their relationships. (See Matthew 26: 14-16, Acts 5:3 Amplified)

It is important to understand that there are spirits behind every word. People can say lovely words with evil intentions. And it is possible to hear people speak in strict tones out of tough love. "An open rebuke is better than secret love."
Upon hearing the words of Peter, Ananias fell down and died. Why will such words kill a man? And then, his wife also died for hearing similar words? Truly there must be power in words! Much more, the secret to the death of Ananias and Sapphira is hidden behind their hearts. In conversation, both the heart from which word was spoken and the heart that received that word, go through invisible transactions. A weak and deceptive heart will likely rupture in the presence of "stronger" heart. That is why we experience conviction.
The words of Peter cut through, searing Ananias' heart asunder. Needless to add, those words caused laceration of Sapphira's heart. The openings created by the word caused a penetration of light that revealed the deception of the couple. "The entrance of thy word, giveth Light and understanding to the simple." But in this case, the Satan who has filled these couple's hearts was exposed. There was no time for repentance. It was a plot. And the deception was unexpectedly uncovered. Immediately that happened, the devil in these hearts fled. He had to run because he has been exposed! But it is sad to say that the devil ran out of Ananias' heart and from Sapphira's heart with the substance of their hearts. The spirit of deception fled with the content of their hearts. This was substance that cannot be bought with money. This was the content the writer of Proverbs called "wellspring of life".
Remember that according to John 10:10, Satan is a thief. "The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy." As the thief fled the pricked hearts of Ananias and Sapphira, he fled with their hearts' arteries. Now, with stolen arteries, their hearts cannot function. Hence, death! Although, I am not a heart surgeon, but I know that Ananias and Sapphira died for allowing Satan fill their hearts. The state of the heart is so crucial in everything of life. That is why the scripture said: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23). It is because the heart is so vulnerable that we were warned to guard it. Light can fill it and darkness can fill it as well. It takes either light or darkness of the heart to initiate action per time. And the heart can be judged by the fruits that proceed out of it. That is why Matthew 7:18 says: "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit". When darkness fills any heart, the fruits that come from such life will be evil.