A very strange thought just occured to me. I haven't mentioned, Satan, the devil, lucifer, etc... on my own for a long time now. I don't even think about him. At all.
Just because of some of the reading I have done today about one person who would not touch, listen to, watch or be around anything secular becuase it was a way for Satan to enter your life. Another that mentioned that a particular thing allowed the Devil to gain a victory. Etc. etc. etc.
Then it hit me, some have made Satan their masters much more than God.
What you say? Yes, our actions in this regard are more often geared towards avoiding satan than they are of living for God. If we are doing something, or not soing something for fear of satan, then satan is dictating our actions, and he is then our master.
What say you?
13 comments:
Amen, Dude. I totally agree. Why give satan any power at all? I think walking in the freedom God gives is way more anti-satan than all the prayers and intercession and fasting all that we are supposed to do against satan. When we stop worrying about what satan's doing and look to what God is doing in us, we no longer live in fear.
Does that make any sense?
Absolute sense to me. I think we give satan power by thinking about him all of the time. Whether in fear of him or whatever. By never thinking of him, and focusing only on God, we take all of his power over us away.
I agree - I've thought this for a while. I was brought up in a "Be careful or Satan will get you" mentality. It's an awful way to live! Jesus didn't walk around in fear - in fact he came to set us free from it. I don't get why people insist on living that way.
For a rather funny and extreme (but sort of scary because she actually believes it) take on giving Satan waaaay too much credit you can go visit demonbuster.com.
Oh, forgot to say, make sure you turn down your speakers before you head off to that site. Unless you like the "Oh the Blood of Jesus" midi blaring out. Ick.
Nate ~ Well said my friend. I do not go around all day worrying about Satan getting a hold of me through anything. I kinda think that Jesus likes AC/DC anyway!
But I thought Jesus liked Metallica.
Well yeah, them too!
I agree - Satan, being a true being or a fable to describe how gruesome evil can be, is not to be feared.
I think we should be more afraid of our own rotten attitudes and ill-will towards each other. That's where destruction begins.
Michelle
It's almost like living like Lot's wife, looking back at where she came from and ending up a pillar of salt, of no use to anyone.
While I do not belittle his (evil one) ability to deceive and trick, I agree with you Nate, as I behold His (Jesus') face I am changed into His likeness from glory to glory...
He (Jesus) brought us out of the land of darkness into His glorious light.
AND...God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a SOUND MIND....
And...He (Jeus again) prayed that we not be taken out of the world but that while we did what we were called to do IN THE WORLD that we would be kept safe from the evil one.
If we believe that then we need to do as you said, focus on God and be about our Father's business...
BUT, as I go about I must recognize the hold the enemy has on others. I must recognize their inability to be free and that is where the prayer and fasting come in, for them, the ones we are called to snatch from the fire...
does that make sense?
I agree Nate...however, I will put in a small qualification.
When I was a teen, totally into Sci-Fi and Fantasy..God came to me and asked me to give them up.
I struggle with it, but eventually did it.
The thing is, I thought that would be forever.
It wasn't.
God gave them back to me a few years later...
When I asked Him why, He said that there were hooks in me from them, that I hadn't understood about...and they would hurt me.
So, it wasn't about the books or not having freedom, but about getting those hooks out and setting me free.
Now, mostly I think people are told by christian culture to stop doing things 'of the devil' and are convinced by people to give them up.
I think that mostly, that's just garbage.
But for the few, like me, who had hooks in us from some of the secular stuff...maybe God is just asking us to give it up to Him...and let Him do the necessary surgury.
Then, healing and freedom!
Well, that's my 2 cents anyways...
Heather thanks for the site, I might check it out. sounds a little bizarre.
Mike and Erin, I think God likes Metallica and AC/DC. I know I do. Been to both in concert, come to think of it.
Michelle and Faintnot, I agree that God does equip us to go into the world and be safe. Satan had to ask permission of God to mess with Job. It is when we take our eyes off of God that we are seceptable to other things.
And yes Che', When other things are our masters, then God will ask us to give them up because they are before Him in our priorities. But if we imbib in moderation, (where have I heard that before) and keep God first, we can continue to enjoy those things. But I do not think it was the sci-fi thing that was the issue. Any one thing can become an obsession to occlusion of God. Such as sports, money, material things, which each on their own are not bad. But if they become our god, then it is bad. I believe that is what God meant by "have no other God's before me."
I get your point, Nate.
I agree.
Anything can be our focus away from God....which, for me, includes religious excercises.
Maybe that's why God leads us away from religious stuff....
three words. great. fucking. book.
astounding, amazing, i can't say enough how much i enjoyed reading SYDWTGTCA. very good to hear from some voices a little farther down this path. as well as have a book that is relevant to my life! there just aren't a whole lot of them out there.
che, have you ever read orson scott card's ender series? 4 of my all time favorite books. science fiction at its finest. you also mentioned tracy hickman. what works of his have you read? just curious. i've read all of his drangonlance books as well as the darksword series. i enjoy reading fantasy. i love the world view.
nate, i couldn't agree more. i definitely think that when you let thoughts of satan influence your decisions, you ultimately end up beholdin to him.
this made me wonder...
do you think it goes both ways?
since satan is busy masquerading as god trying to get people to follow him, that god is busy masquerading as satan to get people to follow him? not that he isn't himself all the time, but that it also might be another one of his methods of drawing all people to himself? putting on the fake "satan" character(think: horns, pitchfork, skulls, 666, black shirts, scowls, extreme makeup, fake blood... you know the drill)in order to draw people who are drawn to that type of imagery?
because when i hear groups like ac/dc, metallica, linkin park, or nine inch nails, it would sure seem that way. i mean holy fuck. have you heard more beautiful, heart gripping, joy giving, life affirming music anywhere?!
for example, here are some words from trent reznor that i failed to notice until last week. the song is called underneath it all.
all I do
I can still feel you
numb all through
I can still feel you
hear your call
underneath it all
kill my brain
yet you still remain
crucified
after all I've died
after all I've tried
you are still inside
all I do
I can still feel you
you remain
I am stained
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