Works of the Devil Destroyed
I John 3:8 says,
So, my dear children, don't let anyone divert you from the truth. It's the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil's ways. (The Message)Really, what are the devil's ways? What are his works? Can his works and his ways actually be careening through the life of a person who is committed to "the paths of the Lord?" Well, anyone who has been around church life for any length of time knows the answer to that question. How about the devil's ways mixed with ministry, with evangelism, with pastoral care? Can and does it exist? Yes! And the reason it exists is because the works of the devil are basically this......the self life. As long as the self life in us pushes against the plans and purposes of God, the works of the devil are at work. That is why I must decrease and He must increase.
So, the Son of God came to destroy the self life.....does that sound right? It sounds harsh, but bottom line, that is it. Only,.... He needs our cooperation to do it. We must be willing to die daily. The Apostle Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ, never-the-less I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me....."
We can clean up our act and live very moral, upstanding, yet selfish, self-centered lives.....even in full time ministry. Just ask any missionary in any foreign country (it doesn't matter how remote or poverty stricken it is) how well missionaries relate to one another in the field. Their squabbles are about as petty as those in the church back home.
The self-life can take on qualities that appear amiable, philanthropic, and optimistic, but they don't produce life-giving fruit. Remember when Jesus rebuked Peter? Peter thought he was doing Jesus a favor by scolding Jesus for the harsh thing that He had just predicted would happen.
But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works." Mark 8:33 (The Message)Peter wasn't involved in any terrible crime here. He wasn't involved in some sensual illicit activity of some kind. He wasn't lying, cheating or stealing from someone. He just was not discerning how God works. There was a veil over his eyes that kept him from viewing into the kingdom of God. The veil was the kingdom of self, rooted in the works of the devil. Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil and He will destroy that veil in our lives, if we let Him.
posted by GaryQ @ Tuesday, August 22, 2006
3 Comments
3 Comments:
Alice - great questions and comments here.....I am not going to try to answer them without some thought and study. I can't say I have "revelation" on these things but have felt some clarity and resolve in some areas....I'll get back to you on this soon. Blessings!
Gary
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Hi Alice,
The following is an attempt to address some questions/comments you had.
At the end of World War 11, Japan surrendered as a nation. Papers were signed. The documents were recorded. It was official. The war was over. But not really. Not in the hearts of some Japanese soldiers who were still dispersed throughout the Pacific. There was still pockets of violence and fighting. It took awhile for the legal action of surrender to filter through the fighting force and society of Japan.
So it is with the works of the devil. He is a defeated foe, but he does not quite get it yet. The great thing about it though, he has no power over us, unless we give it to him (through our self-life - the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life)
The devil is a real spiritual being (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. Ephesians 6:12) and he should not be underestimated as to his ability to decieve and tempt us.
The great thing about it though, he has no power over us, unless we give it to him (through our self-life - the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life) That is why it is so important to die to self. Death to self means that the devils only weapon to reach us has evaporated!!
Have you heard of the book The Final Quest by Rick Joyner? It is one of the best analogies of the Christian journey that I have ever read. I would put it right up there with Hinds Feet on High Places and Pilgrims Progress The story is about a man (I think it is Joyner himself, in a vision/dream) traveling up a mountain. He is constantly being harassed by demons. He also observes many other Christians along the way. Some are real casualties of the demons. Others are making some progress.
At one point of the journey, the path becomes precarious. He is in a vulnerable place and could easily be knocked off a precipice. But the demons cannot locate him. It seems as though he has become invisible.
The traveler finally gets to a place where he can ask the Lord what was going on back at the precipice. The Lord says, “It was the armour you had on” “It made you invisible”. Pressing the Lord further about the armour, he finds out that the armour was “humility”. When we have on true humility, we become invisible to the enemy. The enemy has no way to attack us.
Sometimes we should be praying, “Lord help this person get through the storm” instead of “Lord remove the storm”.
I do believe that satan/the devil is real and is a formidable enemy. I also believe that the enemy use many different ways to get at us. If he cannot get at us directly, he will use others to get at us. He will use the “soul life” or “self life” of others to pounce at the kingdom life in us. That is why we must be vigilant, and be sober, because the devil is “like a roaring lion going about seeking who he may devour” Peter had allowed himself to be an instrument of Satan, not that he was “possessed” but that he was influenced. Actually demon possession in the Bible means “demonized”, not “possessed”. Have you ever been overcome be the influence of another person....messermized by their actions or words? That is the deceptive influence the demonic realm can have on Christians.
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