CHRISTIAN BEWARE OUR ADVERSARY, THE DEVIL.

CHRISTIAN BEWARE OUR ADVERSARY, THE DEVIL.
Some Christians think the devil is just a fancy notion that has no reality, and some others are so scared of the devil that they see him everywhere! But the devil is very real in the New Testament, and all those who take their Christian lives seriously are bound to come across him as a deceiver, accuser, tempter, and an enemy who is out to attack us (Re.12:9,10;Mt.4:1;1Pe.5:8). He works directly or through his demons to inject ideas into our mind. He does this so well thatoften we imagine that they are our own thoughts. If we look back and examine our thoughts, we realise that we would not have thought of such thoughts on our own. In fact we disagree with or hate such thoughts. But they do come in, apparently out of the blue, and try to mislead us.The devil knows that his time is very short, and that soon he will be thrown into the lake of fire (Re.20:10). So he is out to do the maximum damage he can to God's people. Can't we recognise his presence through the increasing rate of violence, sexual attacks, suicides, etc., these days? Even little things seem to trigger unreasonably violent responses from people. People hit out verbally or physically at the slightest provocation, and murders and suicides take place very easily. What is happening seems to be that when we get under pressure due to difficult circumstances, satan places suggestions into our mind to take strong action. If we don't have clear boundaries in our mind about what we will not do, we can get fooled into following his ideas. We don't have to live in fear of the devil because Jesus has already conquered him on the cross and stripped off his power over us (Co. 2:15). Jesus has also given us authority over all the power of the enemy (Lk.10:19). We now have the authority in Jesus' name to stand against all the hosts of satan, not because of anything in ourselves but under the authority of Jesus that has been delegated to us. If we are under submission to Jesus and we resist Satan, he has to flee (Jas. 4:7). We may remember the picture from 'Pilgrim's Progress' that shows us that the devil may try to frighten us with his roars, but he is chained, and he cannot reach us unless we go too near! We are no match for the devil when it comes to strategy because his intelligence and experience are far superior. Our strength is in Christ when we abide in Him. The Bible talks about avoidingunforgiving attitudes or anger which can give a foothold for the devil (2Co.2:10,11;Ep.4:26,27). We can also take it that the same warning will also hold if we consciously hold on to any other sin (Ps.66:18). Our constant aim must be to live with a clear conscience towards God and man (Ac.24:16). If our heart is right, we will have confidence before God (1Jn.3:21). On a practical note, let us see that when the devil comes to our thoughts there will usually be a ‘push’ behind it, trying to force us into action. It is never good to be hasty in words or action.
Our Adversary, The Devil "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). This grave warning concerning the devil was given not only to young Christians, easily subject to temptations, but also to "The elders which are among you" (v.1). It often seems, in fact, that Satan's greatest victories are won when he can cause the fall of a Christian leader, thereby not only destroying that leader's influence for Christ, but also giving "great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme" (II Samuel 12:14). The devil is a roaring lion, but he doesn't come as such. If he does, the intended victim would flee. He is, above all, the one "which deceiveth the whole world" (Revelation 12:9), "transformed into an angel of light" (II Corinthians 11:14). As he did with Mother Eve, the "subtle" one will insidiously appeal to our pride, or our aesthetic sense, or our appetite, or our desire for material things. Peter could speak from bitter experience. Satan had desired to "sift you as wheat," Jesus had told him, but he foolishly boasted that he would stand true (Luke 22:31-34). No wonder Peter could warn with such urgency: "Be sober, be vigilant." Note particularly that, in the context, he is especially warning against greed (I Peter 5:2) and pride (vv.5-6). We must not allow Satan to "get an advantage of us," Paul says, "for we are not ignorant of his devices" (II Corinthians 2:11). Though Satan is deceptive and powerful, we need never fall to his temptings if we simply--along with staying sober and vigilant--"submit ourselves therefore to God." "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

Children of God I wish you happy Xmass and new year in advance. Belief this 2010 is my year what about you, you can claim it is your year too. But you have to be perfect before God Almighty. Thank you, and remain bless in Jesus name.