Warfare
Warfare. I have been taught that Christians are in warfare with "spirits of darkness" The scripture they use to proclaim this is:
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand
I was taught that when people do bad things to us and persecute us it really isn't them but the "wiles of the devil". in other words the spirits are "speaking in their ear" type of thing.
Why does it always seem that my biggest temptation always find it's way to be before me.
Ok you all know my past so lets get personal. No matter where I go drugs always seem to be put before me. I don't dress or act like a druggy so why does it seem to be offered wherever I go. I have other temptations but that seems to be the major ones. It also seems to explain how come one person can get hurt by the same thing by totally different people. In other words my biggest temptation is always put before me. You biggest temptation always find it's way before you. That kind of thing. Or when we get hurt it isn't the people as much as the influence from the devil. I am not doing a good job at explaining this.
I agree that the excuse "the devil made me do it" isn't any excuse at all. OK let me try again in the only way i know how:
Say I had a gambling problem. I meet "B" at school. I get to be friends with "B" and without B knowing about my problem, He invites me to play poker Friday night. This isn't B's fault and it wouldn't be mine (tho if i went that would be my responsibility) but the temptation is there.
John 10:10 - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly
I was taught that the devil and his cohorts(?) are responsible for death, illness, and so called natural disasters. But we must understand that sometimes it is simply nature and personalities that cause things to happen.
My son decided one day that he wanted to talk to his daddy while using the bathroom. He then dropped my cell into the toilet. The next day, my computer monitor fried. The day after that my motherboard fried. So, in three days I lost my cell phone, my monitor, and my motherboard.
Now, I admit that my first thoughts were that "the devil was out to get me" because of the work I was doing, both here and in my personal life. Is that giving him too much credit? Probably so.
The thing is that every time that I work my hardest to follow God, things happen to me. This is when my life has a habit of falling apart. Every time!
But can the devil be blamed because my 5 yr. old dropped my cell into the toilet? No, not really.
As far as the computer goes, even though I had my motherboard replaced, there wasn't any reason for it to fry in the first place. It was only 2 years old!! But reality is that stuff happens. I bought a cheap computer and I got what I paid for. A computer brand that has a habit of frying as soon as the warranty is up. Can I blame the devil because of a bad choice I made? No.
I think that there is a danger in looking for the "devil" in everything that goes wrong in our lives.
I have always said that if we keep looking under rocks in order to find something, we will see it whether or not it is really there.
This is what is so dangerous in expecting to see the "devil did it" in everything bad that happens. We will see it even if it really isn't there. Sometimes, it is as simple as us making bad decisions, that causes these things to happen. We need to look and listen to what God has to say and not our heads. If we are under attack from the devil, then we will know from our spirits, not our heads
posted by Star @ 2:18 PM
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
