DISCOURAGEMENT: SATAN’S ADVANTAGE

     After reading the Bible from end to end, certain principles stand out as being pivotal in determining the outcome of one’s life. One of them is in the emotions and passions of our inherited sinful nature. Closely knit to our sense of justice we see the flood of men abusing life. This gives evidence of Satan’s corruption of GOD’S heaven-born gift to His children. The other two leading avenues of Satan’s assault in the life of every man are the heavenly attributes of mercy and love: each of which Satan has led men to slander.

     Our inherently selfish nature endowed to us, from “the first man Adam,” will not go away in this flesh wherein we now live. The so-called ‘holy flesh’ doctrine in some religious circles is a sham. Our fallen nature will be with us “until Shiloh come” (Gen.49:10). Only when Christ comes to raise the righteous dead throughout history and translate the faithful living will our deliverance from the condemnation, power and presence of sin be complete. It is Christ alone “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil.3:21). Only then will the deliverance from every kind of emotional discouragement be vanquished, and a peace that we have never known will come and remain in our hearts forever. And its joy will not be artificial or temporary like the temporary fix of the lusts of this world. No no! Its like the war veteran who comes home from battle and his family and friends tell him, “I can imagine what it must have been like.” But the soldier responds, “You have no idea what that experience is like. You had to be there to know it.” Only when all is said and done will the saints discover GOD’S original design for life where nothing dies, and everything we have been denied in this sin cursed Earth will meet its fulfillment.

     So, until then, all of us have to deal with our many afflictions in a fundamentally immoral world in accordance to our individual needs and dangers. But what every man, woman and child should be educated to receive is to have the wherewithal to be able to climb out of the many ruts that we are forced into by others, and those we’ve created ourselves. And the direction we choose to educate our minds and discipline our actions will determine the fortitude of our ability to stand with a good heart and conscience at the close of our lives. Its what we have in the end that counts!

     In this, we have two choices. We can go with the psychology of atheism that publicly denies the very heart of our dilemma: the reality of Satan and sin, and Jesus’ deliverance from him, or we can turn to the One Who has provided a Sacred Book outlining every promise, every encouragement, and every tool to overcome every threat whether physical or spiritual. The promise is clear enough: “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want [or lack] her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.” Isa.34:16. The Bible's wisest man, king Solomon (I Ki.3;12) summed it up as he did with every aspect of living in a sinful world: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Prov.4:7. It is through understanding that we can overcome, even as Jesus overcame (Rev.3:21). And our LORD’S Standard against ignorance was Scripture. How much more should it be ours.

     The Bible has many stories of men and women who endured great hardship, but who, in the end stood strong for the foundational principle that held them steadfast through every test: “to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Josh.22:5. This was the same maxim Jesus Christ lived by: “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” Jn.8:29. All that we are called to do and to be is well within GOD’S power and provision to secure our success.

     This is where our exercise of perseverance comes in to fend off Satan's "fiery darts" for he delights in leading souls to stumble in sin and then urge on their minds the guilt and regrets caused by their sins. His temptations of discouragement ever strive to take hold and lead the sinner to all manner of emotional depression and self-abuse that we see today. GOD warned the children of Israel on this point: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons.” Deut.4:9.

     As food and exercise strengthen the body, so exercising the ways of Christ will strengthen our character. But again, this is all within the framework of our frail natures, having to deal with injustice, temptation and many failures on our part. But when failure occurs in some sinful trait, GOD will walk us over that same ground again and again until victory is achieved over that sin. All can regain their lost ground in faith. From Jacob and Solomon to Manasseh and the Apostle Peter, the great victory over sin that we see in their lives is not beyond our reach.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil.4:13. And never forget: none of what we experience was Jesus Christ exempt from experiencing: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Heb.4:15; 2:18; I Cor.10:13.

     Lastly, there is the ministry of heaven’s angels who are assigned to every man, woman and child, to be at their side throughout their life and to help see them to victory through life’s many dangers. Everyone who has ever lived has had a guardian angel. Jesus affirmed this with His words when He spoke on behalf of little children: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Matt.18:10. "Their angels" is in the personal possessive tense.

     But here is where a great danger exists in the controversy between Christ and Satan. Satan has the legal claim on the dominion of this world (Job 1:7; Jn.14:30). This is why we see all of the wars, disease and disasters of nature. He even heals disease when it serves his purpose (Jn.5:4) and gives visions to Bible illiterate men and women and little Catholic girls (Jer.14:14), even after-death experiences (Ps.115:17; Eccl.9:5,10; Acts 2:34), and reincarnation experiences through hypnotists (Gen.3:19; Eccl.5:16). But his special attention is given to the faithful in the many church denominations of Jesus Christ, and specifically those who obey the same Holy Law that condemned Satan in the beginning as GOD declared to him, "thou hast sinned" (Eze.28:16): “And the dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman [the faithful church (Jer.6:2)], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed [the very small number among the congregations (I Pet.4:18)], which keep the commandments of God [Matt.19:17; Rev.22:14 (KJV)], and have the testimony of Jesus Christ [Matt.7:24,25].” Rev.12:17.

     This is where the rules of engagement between Christ and Satan must be understood. Their respective boundaries determine under whose jurisdiction we stand. A key component is to know that to offset Satan’s authority requires our prayer to give GOD the legal right to intervene. “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” Ja.4:2. But for those who keep their eyes “fastened on him” (Lu.4:20) and live for Him with “the communion of the Holy Ghost” (II Cor.13:14), when danger comes into the life our guardian angel looks up and waits for the command to deliver us from every threat as it is written, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” “angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Ps.91:11; Heb.1:14; Ps.103:20. Holy angels delight to draw near to those who walk in the footsteps of their Master.

     Ultimately, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow His Word. In doing this, success is guaranteed. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.” “And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Rev.12:10,11; 15:2; 14:15; 19:9.