The Wiles of the Devil

We're doing recently in the news. I saw a story which actually caught my attention. There was a lady coming on Fox News reporting that she had gone to jail because the children had been playing on the street outside with little scooter. When she went, they had a story. They had a lady. She had gone outside. She was sitting and supervising the children. I guess it was a little street around in the neighborhood. The children were just playing up and down with this little scooter. These ones that you push with one scooter. Just a little simple scooter type thing. They were playing there. They finished playing. They came inside. She was at home, getting dinner, whatever it is. The next thing, somebody knocks at the door is the police officer. They came to jail because the children were playing in the street with this scooter.

Now, when you hear the story a little bit further, you realize there was a little bit of a conflict between her and another lady neighbor. This neighbor did not like certain things that she did. Whatever it is, this neighbor created an accusation to the police that the children would be playing the street unruly and endangering their lives. She was an incompetent parent and therefore they took her to jail. Brethren, it's easy how misconceptions and misinformation can be twisted so that one ends up with a false accusation and one gets into trouble.

So easy. But, brethren, we do have an enemy. Turn with me to Revelation 12 verse 10.

Because as we are approaching the feast and particularly the Talmud, we need to meditate about some of these things. I do appreciate the sermonette and looking at some of the encouraging principles about the feast and the motivations there. It's very encouraging and I appreciate that. It's very timely. But today I want to concentrate on an enemy that we do have. And that enemy is Satan. And look at Revelation 12 verse 10, which says, And then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation and strength in the kingdom of God and the power of his Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren. And I thought about this lady, a neighbor, accusing the other neighbor, and I thought, Well, the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night. Do you know, brethren, Satan today is able to go up to God's throne and accuse you and I. Sometimes, because we are frail and weak, he's got just a cause because we just have not done things the right way. But sometimes there's a little bit of misinformation, a little bit of a twist on the story that gives it a little bit of a bad look. And in a sense, he's been cast on earth. And the point here is that he's the accuser of the brethren. And in the end, we also know there is a deceiver. If you read just one verse before that, in verse 9, The great dragon was cast out to Serpents of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. Deception is basically lies, false stories, misinformation. And he deceives all. And Christ also said, not turning the age on 844, but he says, he's the father of lies. He's, from the beginning, he's an accuser, the father, completely accusing and creating false accusations. Now brethren, we need to be aware of Satan's devices. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 2, verse 11. Holy hour admonishes the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 2, verse 11. It admonishes the Corinthians to be aware of Satan's devices.

The story, just put it into context. In 1 Corinthians, there had been a serious problem in the church in Corinthians, that a man was going out with his father's wife, I think it was. And therefore, Paul said, this is very serious stuff. Put that man out of the church! You're not allowed to be in the church. He's the enemy.

And he said to look it into Satan. And then, what happened is that he repented. And then Paul, the Isaac, the current, is assigned to them. He's repented. We need to forgive and let him back in church. That's what he's saying. And in verse 10, we need to forgive. We can't have an unforgiving spirit. And then he said, lest Satan, in verse 11, in that context, should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Now, Satan has many tricks up his sleeves. Maybe the vices. He has many devices. But he does hate you and I. He hates God's people. He really hates us with a passion. Why? Why does he hate us? Because he hates God's plan of salvation. And why does he hate God's plan of salvation to mankind?

Because he's going to be replaced by some of us. And we will have positions far greater than he hates. And when he heard about that, he said to God, we can kind of reason. I mean, I'm far better. I'm wise. I'm bright. I'm intelligent. I'm beautiful. And you're connecting this piece of junk out of dust called human beings, and you're going to make them greater than me. They don't deserve it. I deserve it. And therefore, he hates mankind for that. And he hates God's plan for it. And because of that, you can see how he stirred even Adam and Eve right about the two trees.

God said, don't eat this, otherwise you die. You'll die. And Satan went to him, no, no, you won't die. The first lie is the father of lies. But he mixed a little bit of truth with it to make it appealing. He said, well, because then you're going to be like God. And, brethren, we are going to be the sons and daughters of God. We're going to be like God. So he mixed truth with a little bit of lies to try and make it appealing.

But that is the point that he mixed it because he's beginning, because he's hurting him. Then we're going to be the children of God. That hurts him. That's why he's upset. So, brethren, my question is, are we ignorant of Satan's devices? Now, he's got many, he's got many devices. But today I want to cover just four, four of his devices so that you and I can be better prepared to overcome with the help of God's Holy Spirit. So, when Satan learned of God's plan for mankind, as a nation, he hated God because he wanted that position.

He wanted to be in God's family at the top of God's family. He felt he deserved that position. And therefore, because of that, because of that, he utterly rebelled against God. He just hated, he had a better attitude, he had a spirit of rebellion, an angry and hostile spirit against God. And that is an attitude he tries to instigate upon us. An attitude of rebellion, an attitude of hostility. Now, how does it do that? How does it do that? Turn with me to Ephesians 2, verse 2.

Ephesians 2, verse 2. You know, you all have a radio. You would say you all have a TV. Probably you all have a TV, but you all have a radio, at least. And the way you do this, you've got a little dial, if you have one of those old radios, not a radio, you just press a button. But at all the radios, I remember one day I actually made my own radio with a little stone. Little stone, and little wires and diodes and transistors are made of little...

it's fascinating, if you have that sort of mind, you know? It was kind of, you know, relatively kind of talented, a little bit of desire with that. So, and it was exciting, and you had this little thing, and you touched the stone, and as you walked out of the stone, you could pick up different stations. It was fascinating. But you tune this radio to what? To the air.

Right. There's radio waves in the air, and this radio can pick it up and tune it up, and just tune it. And picks up music, or a political power play, or whatever. It picks up things, you know? It picks up things. Likewise, let's read now, in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 26. He's talking about that Christ, we were made alive, and you, He made alive, who were there in trespasses and sins, in which you once wilt according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.

The Spirit now works in the sense of disobedience. Satan is the prince of the power of the air. In other words, he has power over these, quote-unquote, radio waves of vibes, of feelings, of emotions. And you know, sometimes you wake up and you have this vibe, you know, that kind of is, you feel, you choose to, you just feel in a bad mood. Now, that's not, does not have to do with being human possessed, but nothing to do with that, because human possessed is when he takes over you and you get control completely to him.

That's just those radio waves coming in and trying to brought post into your mind, that you've got to tune that out and turn to a different frequency. You know, you've got to tune that and turn to a different frequency, because you're listening to a political speech that you don't want to listen to and you've turned it off. That's what it is. You see, so, have you ever, you've probably never been in a country with the radio and TVs for 12th party government?

Now, it's very interesting, because whatever station you turn to, you hear the same thing. I mean, you turn to one station, you turn to another station, you turn to another station, it's all the same story. It's kind of getting that way in this country now, on the same. It's not controlled by the government, but it's kind of getting that way. When you turn to one frequency, you still hear all the same stories, like the same foods. But you know what?

These radio waves around us are spirit waves. Let's put it this way. They all belong to the same government, Satan's government. And he's broadcasting, and he tuned to one frequency, tuned to another frequency, and he's right there all the time. That's why it says we are a voice crying out in all this, because in this world, it's a wovenness. It's all Satan's broadcasts, everywhere.

It's all, you know, continuously being broadcast by this power of the egg, the prince of the power of the egg. That's how he does. That's how he does it. And then, what he does? He creates this spirit of rebellion. And you are easily attuned, or in-tuned, to that. You could easily tune to that. For instance, turn with me to Galatians 5, verse 14 and 15. It's just one page back, probably in the Bible.

Galatians 5, 14 and 15. It says, For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, you shall laugh your neighbor as yourself. You shall desire the best for your neighbor, just as life you desire the best for yourself. And in fact, that is the answer to the spirit of rebellion. But, let's go on. It says, verse 15. But if you but and befou one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another. If you have the spirit of rebellion, this enemy or foul attitude of bipartisanship, and one against another, and pushing one against another, etc., beware.

Because you could devour each other. Beware of that. And that is what Satan tries through his vice, broadcast to us, that spirit of rebellion, because he has that spirit of rebellion. Look at the works of the flesh, a few verses down, in verse 19. He says, Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fordication, and cleanliness, rudeness, idolatry, sorcery. I don't want to focus on those at this moment, because I want to focus on the next group of ones, which says it's hatred.

You see, it's one of Satan's tricks, or Satan's devices. It's this spirit of rebellion, this spirit of hatred, to people that you don't like somebody, or whatever you like to dislike about some person, or something, a spirit of hatred.

And then it goes on to connotations. What is connotation? Connotation is variance. It's like fighting for your point of position, or your idea, and you have this variance, and you stand up for it, and it's like you stubbornly stand on it, even though you can see these things wrong on it. You stubbornly stand on it, because you have this variance attitude. And what does that produce? The vision. Produces the vision. And then it goes on. Geneses. You know, Satan was jealous of the plan that God has for mankind, and that stirred up everything.

So that jealousy built up this whole hatred, and rebellion, and hostility, and anger. This attitude of just anger, of rebellion, of fighting things. So there it is, jealousies. Some Bibles put it emulations instead of jealousies. It's basically, again, an attitude that is the visible.

Then it says, outbursts of wrath. And that self-explanatory, it's just when that anger goes out to a point that you can't take it anymore, you're just like that bubble. It just blows, and it just comes out. So outbursts of wrath. Selfish ambitions.

What was Satan's ambition? It was selfish, and therefore it triggered all those things. These selfish ambitions, they triggered this rebellion, hatred, etc. That's triumph, in other words. Selfish competition. Selfish competition. You know, some competition provided. I mean, we see, we play sports, etc. And you could say that's a kind of competition, but in the church, the children, when they have sport, it's not a competitive. They're playing, and yes, you play to win, but when the other one goes down, they help one another, and there's that spirit of helping the other. And that's beautiful. You're going to see the young singles playing volleyball in the church. You see that spirit of one helping another.

And that's what we see at the youth camps, the so-called zone, and when people are there helping one another all the time. That's, sure it is, but it's not this selfish ambition, which is selfish competition. That's what's wrong when it becomes selfish, but mean at all costs. That is wrong. And then it goes on dissensions. The dissensions, that's like seditions, like insurrections, that is stirring up trouble, disagreements to stir up trouble. That's all part of this vibe of Satan that affects us.

And then envy and murders. And you can see this whole thing just bells on. Envy and murders are in heresies, which is factions, heresies, factions, based on missing from action. That's true.

So you can see a number of the works of the flesh are actually related to this attitude that Satan brought to us, and that we have to be very careful, because he's very effective with misinformation.

To lie, to accuse, to be critical, to criticize, to divide, to slander. He is a slanderer. Satan is a slanderer. That's his profession. That's his job. That's his business. That's his trade.

He walks around the earth to and fro, looking and creating opportunities to speak bad of this and speak bad of that. That's his business.

You ever seen people that the business is that you turn on the radio, you used to speak bad of the other person? I'm sure you've seen. You've seen recently the news you have. Once it's bad of the other, it has to speak bad of the other. And that's the wrong spirit. That is the spirit of Satan. That's his trade. That's his business. Look at Ezekiel 29. Ezekiel 28.

Ezekiel 29 is got a section here, which speaks about Satan. And Ezekiel 29 verse 15.

Ezekiel 29 verse 15.

It says, because you've said...

Ezekiel 29. It helps. In fact, I'll tell you the right book. It really helps a lot. Ezekiel 29 verse 15.

You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created. When this angel of supreme beauty was created by God, he was perfect. God created him perfect.

Ezekiel 29. You were perfect in your ways the way the day you were created. Until the iniquity was found in you. What iniquity? Iniquity that you became jealous and you were upset about whatever it is.

And then for this brought that iniquity in me. And then it says in verse 16.

By the abundance of your trading, the wording can mean of your slandering of your slander. His trading, his business, was to speak bad of one another.

And you became filled with violence within any of you. And look at it in verse 18.

So you can see Satan is one that speaks bad of people. He is the accuser. He's speaking bad. That's his business.

And he says, do we see that in the world? We see it in the world. And in operating, we can easily be affected by the world.

As Jude 19 says, you know, turn to Jude 19. That's the book just before Revelation.

Jude 19, short book, so verse 19 of chapter 19, whichever way you want to put it. Jude 19 says, these are essential persons who cause divisions, not having the spirit.

When you are involved in those sort of activities causing the visions, it says, you are fleshy person causing the visions and you don't have God's Holy Spirit. That's it.

So, brethren, how do we find that back? How do we find that attitude back?

Well, we read one example at the beginning where, just now, when we said, in Galatians 5, I turn to verse 14 and 15, but then it says, well, let's go back to it anyway.

Galatians 5.

Galatians 5.

I was reading there verse 14 and 15.

But let's start reading in verse 13.

13, for you, brethren, have been called to liberty. We have been called to liberty.

Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. Don't use liberty as an opportunity to sin, to go wrong, but use liberty through love to serve one another.

How do we fight this attitude of Satan, of rebellion, of hostility against other people, by serving other people?

When we go out and serve other people, we cannot genuinely serve and do things for other people.

And then, still, the rebellion is against them. They too are just opposites.

And so, if we go out and, instead of having this attitude, you go out and serve them from the heart, sincerely, and it goes on and says, for the Lord is fulfilling one word, even this, you shall love your mother as yourself, because this service is an act of love.

An act of love is not an act of hatred, is not an act of anger, of rebellion, but love, and you serve them. And that is how we fight. And that's how we fight a divisible spirit. That's how we overcome.

Look at another example in James chapter 5, verse 7 through 11.

Since therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord, see how the Father waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early ten-letter reign.

You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is a pain.

So, whether we have difficulties, we have people telling against us, or things like that, we have to be patient. And then in verse 9, which is a key verse here that I wanted to mention in this section, do not grumble against one another. Do not grumble.

Do not moan and groan. Avoid that! Avoid that!

Because that's the spirit of Satan being shown to that spirit that brings that in.

And so, if you have been ill-treated by some reason, maybe you have. And yes, maybe you have.

Don't give that as an opportunity to vent your feelings and to grumble and turn against the other person, because now you're falling right into the hands of Satan and falling into that problem. So, be careful of that. Paul, in Romans, tells us very clearly how to address that in Romans 12.

So, let's look at that briefly in Romans 12.

As another example of how to overcome this, how to fight this radio-frequency, quote-unquote, of Satan, of rebellion, of angry spirit, of an hostile, of even bitterness, like it says elsewhere. Be careful of the root of bitterness.

You don't want to have the root of bitterness. You've got to take that out. You've got to look deeply inside us and get that out. So, Romans 12, Romans 12, verse 17 says, Replay no one evil for evil. So, when you're badly treated, when you feel that person is treating you wrong, I've been treated unfairly. It says, Replay no one evil for evil.

Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves. So, in the dance of being mad against me, don't avenge. Don't turn it against them.

Don't avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. It was given to God, handed to God, to God, apply the right justice, the right correction at the right time. Leave it to God's wrath.

And he will sort it out in the right time. Leave it in God's hands. Trust God.

Since Rangers is mine, our advice is the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is angry, feed him.

Not rebalagancy. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. Not be angry against him.

And in so doing, you will hit calls of fire on his head. Do not be able to come evil for evil with good. Is that easy? No. It's not easy. No one will know what you say is easy. Life, Christian life, is challenging.

It's climbing up a hill. It's not an easy road. Christ said, it's not an easy road. It's a white road out there where you feed.

But, you know, it's a narrow road. And yes, it's got its challenges. But we have to do that to be implementing, in our minds, in our hearts, in our way of being, God's Spirit, putting it to practice, living it the way God wants us to do it.

So Satan, he hated God for his claim. And he rebelled. But another aptitude that he has, and that it affects us, besides this one, or the second one that I want to highlight today, is that he's proud and unwilling to forgive.

And you say, how can I live with pride and unwillingness to forgive? I'll show it to you in a moment.

Let's look at his attitude of pride in Isaiah 14, which is another book, chapter, that talks about Satan, Isaiah 14, the same thing of pride is also shown in Ezekiel 28, but I want to specifically look at Isaiah 14, verse 13 through 15.

Isaiah 14, Isaiah 14.

So it says here of Satan, For you have saved in your heart. Satan said in his heart of hearts, his motivation, he says, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne about the stars of God, about all the other angels, it means. I will also sit on the Mount of the congregation on the on the farthest sides of the Lord with our throne is I will ascend above all that about the heights of the clouds.

I will be like the Most High.

It's amazing how many eyes and mind it is in it. It's all about self and in self.

And therefore it shows you a certain attitude of prides. And he says, yet, verse 15, you shall be brought down to show it was to right to the bottom, to the lowest depths of the pit. You will be brought right down to the bottom. So pride is something that God hates. God hates pride. Satan became his head, became full of himself. He just became to be put his shoulders to the this way. It just became to pride. And therefore he became rebellious and the other things came by. And he tries and install upon us the same attitude of pride. And God resists the pride.

Turn with me please to James 4, where it clearly says, God resists the pride.

James 4, verses 6 and 7.

It says, but he keeps more grace before he says, God resists the pride, but gives grace to the humble. God resists an attitude of pride. Therefore, submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Readly, if you are humble, that's a promise. God says, Satan will run away from you.

That is, put it another way, a weapon to push Satan away. The ability, a weapon to push Satan away. He does not like that, because he's not like that. He's not humble. He does not like that. Now I said earlier that pride and unwillingness to forgive and are connected to.

Let me show you why I connected it to, because let's look at the attitude of Christ, Jesus Christ. This is one of my favorite scriptures, and you will hear me quoting the scripture paratha, which is Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2 verse 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. In other words, have the same mind, the same attitude that Christ has. What is the attitude of Christ? Let's look, let's analyze what is his attitude.

Who being in the form of God, in other words, before Christ came to earth, he was the word. And the word was God and was not God, as you read in John 1 verse 1. And the word became flesh. So before he came to earth as flesh, it says, who being in the form of God.

He was in the form of God. And he says, they're not considered robbery to be equal to God. It was not an insult to say he was equal to God, because that's it. He was not stealing any type of individual. Verse 7.

You make yourself a notification, taking the form of the bone-serve and cutting the likeness of man. So he was in the form of God and he became in the form of man. And verse 8. And being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself. He humbled himself.

So he was a being that completely humbled himself with his own free permission. He was not proud. He was humble. He humbled himself, it says, yet, and became obedient to the point of death. Now, why did he humble himself to the point of death? Why did he do that?

Just to die? No. He says, even to the death of the cross. Why? Because by him dying for us, by him humbling himself and dying for you and I, he is now paid the price of our sins before he is able to forgive us.

So that humility goes hand in hand with the willingness to forgive. Because if he was proud, he would have never humbled himself and therefore he would never be able to forgive. And therefore, a pride is a willingness in the life, a sense of willingness to forgive. But humility leads to that willingness to forgive.

We were reading in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 a moment earlier. So let's go back to that. 2 Corinthians chapter 2, because we were talking about, don't be ignorant of Satan's devices.

2 Corinthians chapter 2. And let's take heart in verse 6.

2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 6. As I mentioned earlier on, this man was committing a sin, he was put out of the church, then he repented.

And then he says here in verse 6, 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 6, this punishment, which was inflicted by the majority, is sufficient for such a man. That punishment is enough, is repented, that's enough. So that on the contrary, you outrode, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him. Now that he's repented, you must forgive him, and comfort him, and bring him, and allow him to the church. Lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Now that he has repented, allow him back to the church. Otherwise, he'd be so sorry that you could lose on salvation. Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. You really are then concerned to him. For to this end, I also wrote that I might put you to the test whether you're obedient in all things. Now, whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ. I've forgiven that person already, for your sakes. Lest Satan should take advantage of us for not giving him his Christ.

You see, Satan does not want you to forgive. Because if you prowl, and he says, I am better than that person, and how could that person ever do that? No, no, no, no, I can't forgive him. But if you humble him, he says, hey, I'm walking the earth by the grace of God. Because if it wasn't for the grace of God, I would be in the slums. And indeed, I would be in the slums if it wasn't for the grace of God. And therefore, we need to have a spirit of forgiveness upon repentance, of course. Obviously, we need to forgive all the time. It's not for us to determine whether the person has prevented or not. But we need to forgive. It's God's responsibility to determine the hearts and determine whether people have prevented or not. We need to forgive. We have to forgive. But if we are re-aching the sins of other people time and time and time again, why? Well, because we can't forgive. Because we think we're better than them. And that's why we're re-aching because we're proud. So that's why I lead to two. Every time we forgive and humble ourselves, we put another block to prevent Satan from attacking us. Every time we have to forgive, every time we humble ourselves, we block Satan in his hand of attacking us. So let's forgive. God hates an unforgiving spirit. Look at Matthew 18, verse 21 to 35. Matthew 18.

Verse 21 to 35. This is the parable of the unforgiving spirit. And it says, Lord, I often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him up to seven times. And Jesus said to him, I will not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. And then he comes on and gives a parable about this man that was forgiven a big debt.

And then when he was forgiven a big debt, then he wasn't prepared to forgive another one, a smaller debt. And then he says, Whoops! Come here! And he says in verse 33, should you... I mean, well, let's start in verse 32. Then his master often called and said to him, Here we can serve him. I forgive you all that debt because you begged me. Verse 33. Should you also, should you not also have that compassion for your terrible servant, just as I have pity of you?

And his master was angry. It was God hates somebody who is unforgiving. His master, when God represented God, was angry. And the lover didn't even took to the torturous until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his blood and his trespasses. God hates an unforgiving spirit. And God resists somebody that is proud. And the two intercessors go hand in hand. Why? Because God is full of mercy. He's full of compassion. You just read a lot of Psalms time and time and time again. Psalm of the psalm of the psalm showing God's mercy and God's compassion.

So those are two of Satan's ways of attacking us. First, as I said, he's a spirit of rebellion, of anger, of bitterness, of hostility, creating division. Secondly is this pride and unwillingness to forgive.

And then thirdly, Satan, when he was corrected, he felt that it was justified to have his position. He felt he was being treated unfairly. He said, no, God, it's unfair. It's unfair that you're doing that to human beings. I'm being treated unfairly.

That was his self-justification, how being treated unfairly. And therefore, he developed a spirit of dissatisfaction, of being unsatisfied. An attitude of discouragement, dissatisfaction, in fact, that can lead to depression.

A negative attitude, like you can read again in Jude 13, of wandering stars that are just restless, unsatisfied. Satan and his demons are frustrated because they know the future. They know the future.

And they want you to be like them, to be established. They want you to be depressed as well.

You know, Satan uses vibes like, oh, poor me, nobody loves me. Oh, who am I? Poor me, nobody loves me.

The whole world is against me, everybody's against me. Oh, un-useless, un-peace and rubbish.

And I woke up in the morning today, I said, everything's gonna go wrong. It's gonna be a bad day, everything's gonna go wrong.

We have to be careful because these are the way of layers that is transmitting to us. Spirits of negativity, spirits of dissatisfaction, which if we allow to breathe, we become depressed, we become discouraged.

And God doesn't want us to be discouraged.

And sure, we know what, but, but, Christ died for us because we can be something. We are nobody, but with God's grace, we can be something, and he sees potential in you and I.

Yes, we're nobody, but there is a potential. Not that I'm dragged, but there is a potential, and because of that potential, God, Christ, died for you and I.

And therefore, there is a hope. So let's not be depressed. He's there for us. He's fighting for us. Let's not be depressed.

So let's not give Satan an opportunity by us being discouraged and depressed because of our trials. Because we will have trials. We will have afflictions. We will have difficulties. But that, don't let that bring you down. Don't let that bring you completely down.

Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3.

Verse 1. We'll start in verse 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 3.

1 Thessalonians chapter 3.

2 Therefore, when we could not long endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone.

And since Timothy, our brother in the ministry of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish and encourage him concerning your faith, all saw the need of sending somebody to the Thessalonians to encourage him.

Why? Verse 3. That no one should be shaken by his afflictions.

In other words, yes, you have trials. You have afflictions. And you could be discouraged with these difficulties.

People were turning against you because you were in coming into the church, because you were knowing the truth, because you were not doing what the other people are doing, and they turned against you. So, don't be discouraged. And he sent Timothy to encourage them.

And he had the opportunity of coming to church and hearing God's truth, and God's servants, and God's Word to encourage us.

Because Satan has the spirit of this country. But God is encouraging, is compassionate, is encouraging to us, and he wants to encourage.

And then he goes on. For in fact, I'm sorry, the rest of the verse 3. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. For in fact, we told you before, when we were with you, that we would suffer tribulation.

In other words, having trials, having difficulties, having afflictions is a fact. It's going to happen. We all know it's going to happen.

Just as it happened, and you know, for this reason, when I could no longer endure it by not knowing about you and not sending you, Timothy, to encourage, I sent to know your friend.

I sent Timothy to find out how he's doing, to encourage you, and to him, come back and give me a report about you.

Lest by some means the tempter had tempted you. Lest by some means Satan had got hold of you by discouragement, by depression, by an unsatisfied spirit.

Rather, Satan wants to destroy you, to discourage you to virtue. Turn with me, please, to Psalm 34.

Because it's one of these strong weapons, very strong in the society, very strong.

Psalm 34, verse 15 to 19.

It says, The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their cry.

See, we've got trouble, we've got affliction, we've got a trial. You can cry to God, and you can pray.

Approach God with his own throne, and his ears are open to your cry.

The face of the Lord, verse 16, is against those who do evil.

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Verse 17, The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and the littlest amount of all the troubles. He will deliver you out. It might not be your time, it's his time. He knows better, the right time. But he will deliver you at his time. He will deliver you.

Verse 18, The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and save such as him, a contrite spirit. In other words, those are really humble. And therefore, God is near us, and wants to encourage us. Not discourages, he wants to encourage us. He wants to hear us. He wants to bless us. He wants to give us everything of the best in his own time. So don't let Satan attack you with pride, or with hostility, or with depression or discouragement. Or, fourthly, by trying you to do the sin of Bailak. Do you remember the sin of Bailak? He talks about, you know, they had the sin of Bailak. What was it, the sin of Bailak? You know, Bailak wanted to take over the people, and wanted to control them. And the people could not be cursed. And then he came out with the technique of saying, Aha! I know a way of to curse them. Get them to go with these unfaithful people of the other types, of the other people. And intermarry with unfaithful. And what happened?

That was a strategy to get them to compromise with sin. Simply, a strategy to get them to compromise with sin. Satan will come up with different strategies for you and I to compromise with sin. Because even if it's just a tiny bit, it's great. Because tomorrow is another tiny bit, and so on. And by the time you look back, you're completely inaccessible. So, Satan wants to discourage you. I mean, you're really in Genesis 3, where he talks about Adam and Eve. And how did Satan tell you, he said, look at this fruit. You know, it's good for food, it's pleasant to the eyes, and it's desirable to make one wise.

Have you ever considered, though, those three things are exactly the three things in 1 John 2, 16, that says, lust of the flesh, good for food, food for the flesh, right? Good for food, the lust of the flesh, the desire of the flesh. Second, pleasant to the eyes, that's the lust of the eyes that John talks about. And, currently, desirable to make one wise. In other words, the pride of life, the desire to make one wise could be proud to be important to be the real one. It's the same rulebook. He's been around for a long time. He's got the same tricks up his sleeves. So, he pulls you with the different pulls of the world. Whatever they are, he pulls you. And so, he's got the same tricks up his sleeve. And he fights any of the few ways, you know. But, in the end, they're all the same old story. But, to put it in one simple sentence is to compromise with... That's to compromise with... Look at Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4, Paul writes out the Ephesians of the view, very valuable, instructive points about this. Ephesians chapter 4.

And we'll start reading in verse 22. Ephesians 4 verse 22.

And he says, put off concerning the former conduct. In other words, get that... that clothing, that dressing that you have of the old man, of sin, get that off, get those clothes off, that former conduct, get them off, which corrupt according to deceitful losses. Those are the losses. Loss of the flesh, loss of the eyes, the pride of life. Those are the losses, deceitful losses. Then he says, but be renewed in your mind. You know, it's like, I've got water in here.

And if I want to replace this word with something else, I'm going to take the word out, but I put something else in there. Otherwise, the word doesn't. So maybe I take it out, and I pull it out with air, but I put something else in there. Whatever it is, take it out. You basically put something else in to take something else out. And therefore, in our mind, if we have wrong thoughts, the old man, we're going to renew our mind with new thoughts, with new thoughts.

And then he comes on and he's playing a bit more, and he's going to fall. And then you put on the new man, which is created according to God, into righteousness and holiness. And now he goes into some specifics about to take one thing out and put another thing in.

For instance, number one. And then he goes on, in verse 25. Putting away line. Now, how do you stop line? By keeping your mark shut. They're just lying. They're just lying with the mouth closed. How do you stop line? Because you speak the truth. Even if it hurts you. As I mentioned to you in the sermon, you speak the truth.

Even if it hurts you. So that's how you stop line. You speak the truth. You go into opposite direction. You speak the truth. Then look at another one. Verse 26. Verse 26. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your right, nor give place to the devil.

Well, because he's the spirit of anger. Right? But what he says, be angry and do not sin. Well, it means have godly anger. What is godly anger? Godly anger means you hang with the sin, not with the sin. And you don't let that harbor the day of the day of the day of the day, because he becomes like a root of bitterness. So you just get wrong. Okay, the person's done the wrong, but I'm not an active person. I like the person. I care for the person. But I pray about it.

I'm handing what he's done. But he let it go. Don't let it go overnight. Otherwise, it sits in you because of root of bitterness. And then Satan gets a place in you, because that's what he wants. Don't give him any exonits. Let him who stole steal no longer. Now, how do you know that a thief is not a thief anymore, because he's not stealing today? Well, maybe today's on vacation. So a thief on vacation is not stealing today.

How do you know he stopped stealing? You've got to do the opposite. You know, like I mentioned, take the water out and put something else into it. And he gives the example of what to do the opposite. But rather, letting labor. Let him work. Working with his hands, what is good, then he may have something to give. To him, that has a need. So he's doing the opposite. Instead of taking, he's giving.

He's the opposite. He's replacing him. Maybe he can put a positive. But you see, it shows exactly how you go against this compromise you've set. You do the opposite. You go in the opposite direction. Verse 29. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mind. Here was that gossip, that bad words, bad language, gossip, etc. Misinformation. How do you stop it? How do you stop that misinformation, that tearing down of people, that derogatory comments, that viciously cutting comments? How do you stop it? Then he says, the example is, but what is good for necessary education? In other words, you speak to edify, to bold. You look for the good.

Not lying, but look for the good and bold and edify. And that way, you're not corrupting, not speaking bad. And then verse 3. Sorry, let me finish with verse 29. But what is good for edification? That it may impart grace to the others. And do not believe the Holy Spirit of God. How do you believe the Holy Spirit? I mean, you just have to look at examples in Old Testament. It's all in Old Testament. You can read those examples.

For instance, in Isaiah 63, when it says, God did this for you, God did that for you, God did the other for you, He took you out of this land, did this for you, and He stole a rebel. And then He grieved God. It says that He grieved God. And then you can see also the story in Acts 7, explaining the same thing. And it says, you did, you rebelled, you rebelled that green God after He'd done all the good things for you. That's how you green the Holy Spirit. God is doing good things for us.

And then with the bell against it, that's Satan's attitude. That grieves the Holy Spirit. So do not believe the Holy Spirit. So do the things that are pleasing to God, rather than the things that are against God. And then it comes on. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, all evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.

Let all these negative things be put away. How do you replace them? Replace them, the as inversely to the positives. Be kind with another, ten-hearted, forgiving one another, because God entrusts for getting you. So replace those negatives with positives. So it gives you very specific examples. So, granted, what are we fighting? What are we fighting? Turn with me to Ephesians 6, which is probably the next page of where you are. Ephesians 6, 11, and 12. It says, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the walls of the devil.

So if you want to give a title to this sermon, I'll call it, The Walls of the Devil. Tricks of Satan. The Walls of the Devil. We're not ignorant of his devices. I've just given him four. Four. But note, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. We're not wrestling against those people that are making us upset. We're not wrestling about those people that are doing things against us. Like that woman, she's actually not wrestling against the neighbor that I showed you in the introduction. These two neighbors are then mixing. She's wrestling against the spirit that exists, which is of sight, in which the other person was shooing into and fell to that spirit and listened to that frequency.

So I said, we don't have wrestle against flesh and blood, but against personalities, against powers, against rulers of the doctors of the saints, against spiritual hopes of weakness in heavenly places. Our fight is not against people-greating. Our fight is a spiritual fight against Satan, a fight against his attitudes of rebellion, of anger, of hostility, a fight against an attitude of pride and arrogance and an unwillingness to forgive, a fight against depression and discouragement and lack of satisfaction.

There was a spirit of that sort, an attitude and also a spirit which wants you to compromise with sin. Breathe with God's only spirit. Let us beware. Beware that you and I are not caught and away, and overcome the violence of Satan.