Know Your Enemy Redux

[Meg]

Among Christians there are some people who believe in the devil and demons and some people who don’t. This is for the people who do believe in those things. Before anyone goes getting upset, just because they’re real doesn’t mean they’re impressive. They’re not. They only have one bag of tricks, and once you’ve seen the whole spectrum of what they do and how they do it, really its not that impressive, since its nothing but illusion. The problems come when the illusion becomes convincing. This is why I maintain that satan isn’t powerful, he’s not, he’s influential. The difference is in how much damage he CAN’T do, as opposed to how much damage he can do. He can only get as far as people let him, and we can only let him as far as we believe him.

People give satan a lot of credit for mysterious “power” over things like illness, job loss, even the weather. But the thing is, if satan was all that, Satanists, the serious kind, would be running the world. Trust me, if they could they would, they’re that kind of people. Practitioners of the occult, the serious kind, were every bit as offended by Sept. 11 as anybody else. And believe me, if the voodoo practitioners in Louisiana could have stopped hurricane Katrina from decimating the coastline, they would have. Would they ever have, they have houses down there so do their families and friends. If they had access to anything like THAT kind of power, Katrina would have fizzled in the Gulf. For that matter, they couldn’t stop the BP oil leak either. Witch doctors like seafood too you know… So satan just couldn’t possibly be all that, now can he?

So what is he then? A cheap punk with a big mouth. It is a well known fact among Christians that satan messes with our thought life. I think some Christians get this idea that satan only messes with Christian’s thoughts, but of course that’s not true. Look at the kind of oddball ideas unbelievers come up with… So the big difference between how Christians are affected and how unbelievers are affected is we at least try to fight back. But the going gets rough when we are under the impression that we’re fighting ourselves! That’s because the name satan actually means “accuser” and that name is actually keenly descriptive. The devil accuses everybody, including God Himself, and he accuses us from the inside. He also accuses other people against each other, which is why truth is so vital to Christians. In order to sort out the false accusation from what’s really going on, we absolutely MUST have an unshakable definition of truth, and that is why Scripture is so important. Scripture has GOT to be more true than what seems so real, because satan is such a determined liar.

Now its also really important to understand that one way the devil operates is to blow the deception way out of proportion. In other words, whatever lie he’s pushing, he magnifies, he makes the lie seem waaay bigger and more important than it actually is. Two really good current examples are homosexuality and islam. People afflicted by homosexual attraction are so thoroughly blinded by the lie that they become convinced that this is a genetic variation over which they have no choice. They really believe they were born that way and they can’t not be that. That is simply not true. Then there’s islam. No matter how many times the muslims tell the truth about themselves, that they are murderers and liars, and these are facts admitted openly by muslim imams themselves, many people have come to believe there is something very legitimate about islam. Why they fall for that is frankly a real mystery to me.

So satan gets into our heads and into the heads of people around us and starts this process of false accusation. He’s not above using a grain of truth to back his game, which has a very effective way of making the deception convincing. This is why Scripture says such things as be sober minded and alert, to capture every thought and to believe God no matter what. Its not easily done in the face of convincing deception. I think that’s why it was so important for Jesus Christ to send the indwelling Holy Spirit, and why He paid such a high price to gain the right to do so.

I hope this helps strengthen and encourage those who are struggling. The struggle is very real, don’t I know it, but the indwelling Holy Spirit and the importance of the Word Of God are the sources of the real power in this life. So be of strong heart and bold faith people, if we can only find the courage and perseverance to stand firm, if we can remain in prayer and in the Word, we will all make it past this sometimes very difficult lifetime and dwell in Eternity free from all this forever, In Christ…

[the stranger]

Great article, Meg. Infact, Satan almost always uses the truth to decieve us. The problem is that Satan never tells us the whole truth, only the truth that corrisponds to his temptation to us. He showes us the worm, but does not show us the hook.

Thanks for the great post, Meg.

[Carl]

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Jude 1:9 (KJV)

[Hannah]

Meg you are correct in that Satan doesn't have the power that God has and his followers are without any power at all because the god (ie devil) they pray to cannot empower them.

Now the Bible does warn us that the devil has got some sort of ability to destroy those who are not walking with God and we do have to do our own battle.

Here are the teachings that I am referring to:-

1PE 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

The Devil is not sompletely harmless he does have some ability to inflict some sort of harm for those who are not being self-controlled (a fruit of the spirit) and we need to make an active effor to resist him.

EPH 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

JAS 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

There are many Christians who happily live worldly lives not submitting ALL their daily thoughts and actions to the Lord and His Word. These people will find it hard to resist the Devil in their own strength. So the devil can harm in the areas of our lives which we are not placing under the Lordship of God. A stray sheep is easy prey for the wolves.

Note if we who are God's children can expose ourselves to the Devil's traps, how easy is it for those who are not God's to avoid being destroyed by the Devil. I would say only by the grace of God do many get chance after chance to escape the Devils wicked shcemes and plans but eventually I believe God gives us over to the devil if we do not time and again turn to Him in repentance.

2TI 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

The devil does have the power to mess with our minds and he can influence men and women to do his will, even carry on a lifestyle that would lead to their own death. How many have died addicted to drugs. I have long believed the devil seduces people into drug tacking and some never escape because they do not turn to God.

AC 10:34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-- 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

REV 2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The devil is allowed by God to inflict physical harm and even death. Yes we who endure will have salvation because the devil cannot steal what Jesus died to give us. However to say the devil only has lies and deciet is not true. The devil has been given power over some of the Saints to take their very lives.

EPH 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle 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 realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

We are told we are in a spiritual battle and here are the instructions given to us to put on our battle gear and to be ready. Not all of us will be inflicted with bodily harm from Satan. Certainly all will be tempted or attacked spiritually.

In the Tribulation time the Saints are warned and encouraged in these words below:-

REV 12:11 They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.

In the tribulation time many will be martyred, actually beheaded. The devil will be allowed by God to kill the saints in large numbers. They will need to stand and not be afraid.

I am not saying the Devil is powerful but he is more than just a Liar and Deciever. For those of us who Submit our lives totally to God and resist the Devil, there is nothing the Devil can do to us. Those who are disobedient and stray from the Word or are not children of God are open to the devils evil schemes and destruction.

In some cases and during the Tribulation especially Saints will even be killed by the devil, only as God allows but there will be some who will be harmed despite their obedience to the Lord.

I am not saying God is not Soveriegn. God is fully Sovereign but He does allow Satan to inflict some circumstances in our lives. We can only get through them by clinging to the Lord.

Please do not read into this post that I am saying we are to fear the devil. That is not what I am saying but that the devil is an enemy we need to take seriously enough to do what we can to avoid allowing the devil any foothold or in road into our lives. Unfortunately for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ they were not spared death. Many of the Apostles died horrible deaths at the hands of the Romans, many early Believers were thrown to the lions and even today some Christians are dying for their faith or jsut being perseuctued. We know Satan has those he is able to manipulate to do his work here on earth. What we need to be is prepared not assume that we cannot be harmed.

[Meg]

OK, Hannah, first of all, there is a very serious difference in how satan operated before the Cross and how he operates now. The scenes described in Exodus, the Egyptian court "magicians" turning staffs into snakes and turning the Nile to blood were very real, very literal events, of that much I am certain. I am also certain that the most dedicated practitioner of the occult today couldn't do anything like that no matter how hard they try, and will not be able to do anything close until after the Rapture. So if we understand how satan does and does not operate, we'll all feel a lot safer, and in a press, be genuinely effective.

OK, satan does ruin people's health, but he is still limited to his lying to get there. He, for example, makes it all too easy for corporate management to think its OK to poison some people with known toxins if that can convince themselves that they are benefiting more people than they're killing, and making lots of money while they're at it. At the point anyone rejects God and His truth for any reason in any manner, it becomes possible to justify absolutely anything, and that is how satan harms so many people while having so little actual power.

Make sense?

[Elijah's Mantle]

Good point
very good post



well the remedy for these type of problems is to
be in truth and truth is Jesus Christ
being in Christ is what enables us to walk to stand
It is as John said , All about Jesus believing in him


when the Holy Spirit breaks deception
he then can break sin
we are only able to have liberty from because of what Jesus did

[Meg]

Good point
very good post



well the remedy for these type of problems is to
be in truth and truth is Jesus Christ
being in Christ is what enables us to walk to stand
It is as John said , All about Jesus believing in him


when the Holy Spirit breaks deception
he then can break sin
we are only able to have liberty from because of what Jesus did

Exactly!

[the stranger]

I was going to ask you this on "evil created by God" thread, but this line seems more appropiate.

What powers do you think Satan has? Can he control the weather if given that permission by God? Can he cause death? Can he break up families, nations, and cause wars? Now I know that he can do nothing outside of God's authority, and that all of his powers are limited by God, but does not the bible give strong indications how powerful angels are, and even more so when they were in the group of angels that Satan was? After all, Satan is just a fallen angel.

Now concerning Satan working differently now versing the way he did in the OT and the way he will "after the rapture", can you show me scripture to support that notion?

God bless you sister, and here is your test!

[king'sbloomingrose]

I know this question was aimed at Meg, and I really shouldn't be answering it....please forgive me!

God only gives Satan permission to do certain things. For example: God gave Satan permission to test Job and Peter. In Job 1:6-12 we see this scene in Heaven.

6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

7And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Here God gives Satan express permission to harm Job. So what do we see Satan affect? He affects the natural world by sending a great wind from the desert. He affects nations by making the Chaldeans and Sabeans come upon Job's herds. God also permits Satan to send fire from Heaven upon the sheep. But notice that Satan can only do what God permits him to do. He doesn't have all power like God does.

Then after Job still doesn't curse God to His face like Satan thinks he will, Satan again desires to test Job. Job 2:1-7 says

1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

2And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Verse 7 actually says Satan smote Job with disease. But it was only allowed by the Lord. And the Lord made sure that His name was glorified thru His servant Job's life and did not let him curse God. Can Satan cause death? Absolutely! Thru his sending of all those plagues upon Job, what happened? People died. All of Job's children died, as well as most of his servants.

God is not the author of evil or confusion either for that matter. Satan is. God in His sovereign will allows evil to happen and can turn evil into good. Satan may have been a fallen angel but he's still the most powerful, beautiful angel that God created. He was created directly under God as one of the cherubs that gaurded God's presence. But he became proud and sinned against God and fell from his high position.

Satan desired to test Simon Peter in Luke 22:31.

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

32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

We see here that God also allowed Satan to test Peter's faith.

I have to go study now, but please forgive my intrusion into the thread.

[Meg]

Thank you Holly. I will respond to Stranger via PM, because actually Holly bailed me out on the Scripture angle, and what I do know didn't come from Christian sources, Scriptural or otherwise. I have said I knopw more than I ever really wanted to, and in fact I do...

[the stranger]

Dear Rose, it is fantastic to hear from you again. It is always a pleasure! You are always so informitive and I admire that.

You can address any question or response from or for me anytime. I just address them to the people that I am speaking to, but they are always open to all.

You did a good job laying your case out~ I completely agree with you on this. Satan and his angels are very powerful but only can do what God allows them to do. That is the answer which I was hoping to get!

Let me ask you (or anyone out there) . Do you agree with Meg (love ya Meg) on Satan working differently now than he did before Jesus died. I don't see that as the case, but it would be interesting to see some scripture for this take. As well as scripture for Satan working differently again "after the rapture".

If anyone else shares this view, I would love to hear from you. It is always fun to learn different views on things!

God bless and thanks for the scripture.

[Elijah's Mantle]

I agree
I learned some things I did not know
now I do
that was real good Rose

Exactly!

glad I got that one exact meg

[Hannah]

OK, Hannah, first of all, there is a very serious difference in how satan operated before the Cross and how he operates now. The scenes described in Exodus, the Egyptian court "magicians" turning staffs into snakes and turning the Nile to blood were very real, very literal events, of that much I am certain. I am also certain that the most dedicated practitioner of the occult today couldn't do anything like that no matter how hard they try, and will not be able to do anything close until after the Rapture. So if we understand how satan does and does not operate, we'll all feel a lot safer, and in a press, be genuinely effective.

OK, satan does ruin people's health, but he is still limited to his lying to get there. He, for example, makes it all too easy for corporate management to think its OK to poison some people with known toxins if that can convince themselves that they are benefiting more people than they're killing, and making lots of money while they're at it. At the point anyone rejects God and His truth for any reason in any manner, it becomes possible to justify absolutely anything, and that is how satan harms so many people while having so little actual power.

Make sense?

Meg

All my scripture was from the New Testament taught to us by the Apostles after the Death and Ressurrection of Christ not the Old Testament. You need to take another look at the New Testament.

Apostate Teachers and preachers often have a total disregard for the devil they even call him names and take pot shots at him as if the devil can do nothing to a Christian. The Bible warns us not to do that and Angels know better than to pick a fight with the devil.

JUDE 1:8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals--these are the very things that destroy them.

Saying the devil is unable to do anything to the believer is not what the Bible teaches us including in the New Testament. The devil may not roam around in the flesh but he has presence in this world and he influences those who are not submitted to the Lord and following his ways. The devil is able to through other humanbeings destroy Christains and not only Christians but Jews as well. Who do you think was truly behind the Holocaust. Hitler was only an agent for the devil.

The Bible says we are in involved in spiritual warfare. Not my teaching but from the Lord.

EPH 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle 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 realms.

Not all of us will face more than seduction and temptation from the devil, but that in itself is enough.

This verse says there are spirital powers and dark forces. Unfortunately there will be some who are overcome by them.

[Elijah's Mantle]

the truth that breaks deceptions is also
God's word the Bible which is our
basic instructions before leaving earth.


everything here is temporary and as we live we need to
often be reminded of that

also and I believe Jesus really desires we trust him on this one
when Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the tree
he bore the sellf human nature of the world

one certian part we must work on doing is geting rid of self
and when we do we then can exsperience the more of power Jesus
releases for a world that is fallen lost weary .

satan gets worried up against the word of authority of Jesus Christ

[the stranger]

All my scripture was from the New Testament

I didn't catch that one myself. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Elijah's Mantle]

Jesus anoints us with the Holy Spirit
to keep satan from getting us .

you know even on earth shephards have to put oil
on the least of the little ewe's so that flies don't
eat their brains up

our Good Shepherd is Jesus and we must trust he will
anoint us also

otherwise does any stand a chance ?

[Meg]

Meg

All my scripture was from the New Testament taught to us by the Apostles after the Death and Ressurrection of Christ not the Old Testament. You need to take another look at the New Testament.

Apostate Teachers and preachers often have a total disregard for the devil they even call him names and take pot shots at him as if the devil can do nothing to a Christian. The Bible warns us not to do that and Angels know better than to pick a fight with the devil.



Saying the devil is unable to do anything to the believer is not what the Bible teaches us including in the New Testament. The devil may not roam around in the flesh but he has presence in this world and he influences those who are not submitted to the Lord and following his ways. The devil is able to through other humanbeings destroy Christains and not only Christians but Jews as well. Who do you think was truly behind the Holocaust. Hitler was only an agent for the devil.

The Bible says we are in involved in spiritual warfare. Not my teaching but from the Lord.



Not all of us will face more than seduction and temptation from the devil, but that in itself is enough.

This verse says there are spirital powers and dark forces. Unfortunately there will be some who are overcome by them.

I'm sorry, Hannah, this is just a lapse in communication. There is a lot of fear out there that the devil has a lot of tangible power to get at Christians just about any way he pleases, and thats simply not true, OK. The primary ability satan has to attack Christians is to warp the thought life and distort what we understand about ourselves, about our faith and about each other. I'm not sure which part of the NT you're referring to, but it is critical that Christians understand that the Cross was a resounding victory for Jesus Christ, and that the afflictions suffered by people in the Gospels predated both the cross and the advent of the Holy Spirit, which were two very potent changes in the way everything on Earth and in Heaven operate.

[mattfivefour]

Without intending to shut this discussion off (if anyone has more to add, please do so), I would like to suggest that the essentials of this topic have been covered in two answers:

1) Satan can ONLY do to a Christian what God permits. And I would add that God only permits that which will accomplish His purpose in our lives.

2) Satan almost always uses the truth to decieve us. The problem is that Satan never tells us the whole truth, only the truth that corresponds to his temptation to us. He shows us the worm, but does not show us the hook.

Good discussion, folks!

[Meg]

Without intending to shut this discussion off (if anyone has more to add, please do so), I would like to suggest that the essentials of this topic have been covered in two answers:

1) Satan can ONLY do to a Christian what God permits. And I would add that God only permits that which will accomplish His purpose in our lives.

2) Satan almost always uses the truth to decieve us. The problem is that Satan never tells us the whole truth, only the truth that corresponds to his temptation to us. He shows us the worm, but does not show us the hook.

Good discussion, folks!

That is very reassuring Matt. Thanks for checking this thread. It means a lot to me to get these things right.

[Meg]

Meg you are correct in that Satan doesn't have the power that God has and his followers are without any power at all because the god (ie devil) they pray to cannot empower them.

Now the Bible does warn us that the devil has got some sort of ability to destroy those who are not walking with God and we do have to do our own battle.

Here are the teachings that I am referring to:-



The Devil is not sompletely harmless he does have some ability to inflict some sort of harm for those who are not being self-controlled (a fruit of the spirit) and we need to make an active effor to resist him.





There are many Christians who happily live worldly lives not submitting ALL their daily thoughts and actions to the Lord and His Word. These people will find it hard to resist the Devil in their own strength. So the devil can harm in the areas of our lives which we are not placing under the Lordship of God. A stray sheep is easy prey for the wolves.

Note if we who are God's children can expose ourselves to the Devil's traps, how easy is it for those who are not God's to avoid being destroyed by the Devil. I would say only by the grace of God do many get chance after chance to escape the Devils wicked shcemes and plans but eventually I believe God gives us over to the devil if we do not time and again turn to Him in repentance.



The devil does have the power to mess with our minds and he can influence men and women to do his will, even carry on a lifestyle that would lead to their own death. How many have died addicted to drugs. I have long believed the devil seduces people into drug tacking and some never escape because they do not turn to God.






The devil is allowed by God to inflict physical harm and even death. Yes we who endure will have salvation because the devil cannot steal what Jesus died to give us. However to say the devil only has lies and deciet is not true. The devil has been given power over some of the Saints to take their very lives.



We are told we are in a spiritual battle and here are the instructions given to us to put on our battle gear and to be ready. Not all of us will be inflicted with bodily harm from Satan. Certainly all will be tempted or attacked spiritually.

In the Tribulation time the Saints are warned and encouraged in these words below:-



In the tribulation time many will be martyred, actually beheaded. The devil will be allowed by God to kill the saints in large numbers. They will need to stand and not be afraid.

I am not saying the Devil is powerful but he is more than just a Liar and Deciever. For those of us who Submit our lives totally to God and resist the Devil, there is nothing the Devil can do to us. Those who are disobedient and stray from the Word or are not children of God are open to the devils evil schemes and destruction.

In some cases and during the Tribulation especially Saints will even be killed by the devil, only as God allows but there will be some who will be harmed despite their obedience to the Lord.

I am not saying God is not Soveriegn. God is fully Sovereign but He does allow Satan to inflict some circumstances in our lives. We can only get through them by clinging to the Lord.

Please do not read into this post that I am saying we are to fear the devil. That is not what I am saying but that the devil is an enemy we need to take seriously enough to do what we can to avoid allowing the devil any foothold or in road into our lives. Unfortunately for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ they were not spared death. Many of the Apostles died horrible deaths at the hands of the Romans, many early Believers were thrown to the lions and even today some Christians are dying for their faith or jsut being perseuctued. We know Satan has those he is able to manipulate to do his work here on earth. What we need to be is prepared not assume that we cannot be harmed.

Hannah, I owe you an apology. This is a great post, and very solid. I actually did misunderstand or misinterpret what I tried to read the first time. I have been very busy this week, and again I apologize for the misunderstanding.