About God – Spiritual Warfare

Fundamental principles and supporting scriptures

See and read the scriptures to build awareness and knowledge in your mind.
Listen to lectures, study them and discuss the principles with others to build understanding in you mind.
Reflect, meditate, and pray to discern truth in your mind, and build belief in your heart.
Chose to act in faith both by confessing truths with your mouth, and taking action with your body in alignment with your beliefs.

Helpful Video: How to Write the Word on Your Heart

“My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22)

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Who is the Devil

His name is Satan, but he has many aliases (Lucifer, Beelzebub, Prince of Demons, Lord of the Flies, etc)
He was a high ranking guardian angel cherub in heaven (Ezekiel 28:14)
He was corrupted by pride and was cast to earth with all the angels who supported him (Ezekiel 28:11-19)
He believed he deserved to be worshiped and position above God (Isaiah 14:12-14)
He now commands his fallen angels in direct opposition to God (Revelation 12:9)
He is behind every evil scheme on this planet; Idolatry (worshiping ANYTHING other than God), Cults, False Religions, etc.
He is the head of a very structured army with legions of evil spirits – Powers, Principalities,
Adam’s initial Sin in the garden of Eden gave Satan command over the earth
He lost his command when Jesus completed his atonement by dying on the cross.
Satan has been defeated and he knows it is only a mater of time until Jesus returns and cast him into hell.
Jesus name has authority over Satan and all of his evil spirits. They will yield to it.

What does he do?

He is a liar, the father of lies. There is no truth in him. (John 8:44)
He is a deceiver. He brings confusion and leads people astray (Revelation 12:9). He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. (Matthew 7:15)
He is a thief. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He robs us of joy, peace, security and purpose. He tries to destroy our families, lives, and all that we hold dear. (John 10:10)
He is an accuser. His voice condemns and accuses bringing shame and fear. (Revelation 12:10)
He is our adversary. He prowls around like a roaring lion seeking who he can devour. His attacks are ruthless. He searches for the weakest, most vulnerable victims to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
He disguises himself as an angel of light, he is deceptively cunning and can make himself and his agenda appear beautiful and alluring. He attempts to make sin look good and evil enticing. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
He is the tempter. He will lure you away from Truth, away from God. He knows your weaknesses, don’t be fooled. He lures, he tempts, with sex, money, power, greed, and lust. (Matthew 4:3)
He is Beelzebub. The prince of demons, Lord of the Flies. Like flies are attracted to decay and death, he lords over what brings death. (Matthew 12:23-24)
He is crafty. He is cunning and evil. Don’t fall for his schemes. (Genesis 3:1-5, Ephesians 6:11-12)
He hinders. He creates stumbling blocks for us. He will do anything to prevent the Name of Jesus Christ from being proclaimed and Truth from being shared. (1 Thessalonians 2:18, Matthew 16:23)

How does he affect us?

The works of the devil affect us morally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

Morally, the devil entices people to sin, making evil seem appealing so that people chose evil over obedience to God (James 1:14).
Physically, the devil can inflict disease and suffering, and he seeks to use physical trials to cause people to curse God (Job 2:4–5; Luke 13:11).
Intellectually, the devil seduces people into error, teaching false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1). He casts doubt and keeps unbelievers blinded to spiritual truth (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). He arranges distractions and promotes confusion that cause people to act hastily, irrationally, and foolishly.
Spiritually, he takes every opportunity to snatch away the Word of God sown in a person’s heart (Matthew 13:19).

He uses the same approach each time

Devil : He attacks our mind, repeatedly, until he penetrates it – Loud, Aggressive, Urgent Voices in our heads
Wiles: He will follow a path of attack
Strongholds: False beliefs that prevent good action (you are not good enough), or justify evil action (Trump is evil, do ANYTHING to be rid of him)
Oppression: A power that suppresses us , holds us down
Deception: Confusion, Distracted, Belief falsity as truth, Disbelieve truth

How does he work against God and His Kingdom?

As a murderer, Satan works against God, who is Life.
As a liar, Satan works against God, who is Truth.
In the lives of unbelievers, he keeps them from coming to a saving faith in Christ so they experience the second death (Revelation 20:14 –15).
In the lives of believers, he tempts them to sin to blunt their effectiveness for Christ (Luke 22:31–32).
1. Cause them to defeat their primary purpose of bringing glory to God and furthering His purposes and plans.
2. Cause our love for Christ to cool (Revelation 2:4) or cause us to stop loving each other (John 13:34–35), loose our testimony.
3. If Satan can entice us into addictions such as entertainment, sex, or porn, then he entraps us in bondage to sin so that we cannot commune with God.

Helpful Resources:

How the Devil Works – Rick Renner