Here, There, and Everywhere

"He isn't."

THE DEVIL IS playin' his hand wide open, hopin' we won't notice and will keep talking trash. Just hang with me here. He was an angel, all beautiful and holy, made by God who is love. Think hard. God is love so God loves all that He's created. As in a-l-l, ALL. He called all of it "very good," remember? So, He loves His angels and mourns those who rebelled. Speaking of, the devil concocted sin in his heart, outta nowhere, and God, who wasn't surprised (He's never taken by surprise), threw Him out.

Here's where the church splits the highway into many lanes, but this is from the Spirit and it's all in the Word. But when God threw him out, whether that was 6 feet down or interplanetary (I'm not speculating), He (God) already had a plan of salvation, and it involved man.

Man would be how God would put things back in order. God would make man in His own image so that He could become man and die like man, only be God and so never actually be dead. I mean, He died physically, on the cross, but not spiritually. Ever. Him bein’ Christ. So … God had the plan and all 15 pajillion ancestors of the Messiah in His thinkin', and He also knew exactly at all times where the devil had gone to.

Insert Psalm 139 which says the Spirit would be with you even in hell (if you went there) and that darkness is bright as light to Him.

Now, what the devil was is described in Ezekiel 12:28-15, and what he became is mentioned there and also in Isaiah 14:16. Because no way in hockeysticks is God letting this miscreant look purty and have power like he'd had and yet be so full of sin and pride. Pause and reflect. Stupid fathead (the devil) thought he could take over the throne. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? But back to what I was sayin'. The devil hit the ground minus power, authority, beauty, etcetera and being empty of eternal life now became hateful and consumed with death.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12)

“And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:18)

It's NOT that he developed power to do evil. Nope. He lost all of God’s everlasting life. And the Word says in John 3:18 that those who don't have God’s life are automatically condemned. We've made too much of the devil. We've given him society and the entire weather system, all of the world's finances, and of course, every sickness, virus, disease, and injury. All deformities, all genetic problems. We've given him the destruction of the earth one day and the end of the world. But John's revelation says God already has the end written. There will be no more sorrow and death will flee away.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and the End. Think about that. The devil doesn't get to destroy the earth. We're told God will recreate it (Romans 8:21; Revelation 21:5). No one knows all the revelation of John's revelation. No one. Its main purpose is to show us Jesus and to promise a happy ending. Because factoid, if the devil truly was in control, we'd all be dead. He isn't. He isn't omnipresent. God is.

You're nodding agreement but how many times did you say, "The devil made me do it"? This is repeated in the church body all the time. Yes, there are demonic powers. Yes, they cause sickness and disease. This is shown clearly in the gospels and also God’s desire and ability to heal. Acts 10:38. 1 Peter 2:24. But though devils (unclean spirits) speak in men's ears all the time, most often what we say is the devil is death which entered this world through sin.

It's our wrong thinking. Just like a man will not know how to drive until he's taught the fundamentals of driving, when we learn our thought pattern is wrong, we must correct it. We must pull down strongholds in our thinking (2 Corinthians 10:4), King James talk for areas of reasoning where we are hung up on untruth. The Word is truth. It contains all we need to think like God. To react well and not in anger and hate, just like the devil. To not show pride in self-achievement like the devil and say we can do life without God. Because no we can't.

And that includes casting out the devil from those whom demons are actually bothering. Knowing Jesus gave us the authority of His name and being able to quote the Scriptures is not enough. Being loud and loud won't work either. It isn't us speaking Jesus' name or us quoting Jesus' word. It's Jesus speaking His name and Jesus speaking His Word. And that only comes through relationship. We cannot be a stranger to His voice and expect to sound like Him. We can't be absent of the Spirit's direction and "go it alone." We must be CLOSE TO HIM and FULL OF HIM, and in that position, we will KNOW HIM and have His presence backing us up. There won't be any doubt because Jesus is there with us and we know it.

We are confident but we are also humble. Pride is the set up for a fall. Humility is strength which relies on God 100%. And that's where our focus must be day-in and day-out. Not on the devil and magnifying his doings out of proportion, but on God who knew what Satan would do to superimpose his image on all of mankind and so He sent Jesus. Who stared that worthless being in the eye and said, “Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Luke 4:8).”

Hint: Jesus is Lord.

“in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11, BSB)

“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

Image by 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com