Tuesday, February 19, 2013

KNOW WHO YOU ARE

We are living in the most astounding and yet challenging times in all of human history, and so this calls for us to take extraordinary measures to prepare and prepare well for what lies ahead. Just as in any battle being waged in any arena, in order to be victorious, we must first know our enemy. We can read the scriptures, pray and attend services, live a good and moral life, serve others and minister as we are lead, but if we ignore this one basic fact, that we must surely know our enemy, our destruction will be inevitable. Yes we know that satan is our adversary, that he is our enemy. We also know that he encompasses all that Yeshua is not. We get that. But have we really gotten to know who he is, where he came from, his names and his strategies? Do we really understand enough to discern the different areas of our lives where he has gotten strongholds? Because if we haven't bothered to learn enough about him, he will be successful at who he is in his dealings with us, and we will go on oblivious to our ultimate destruction. The Holy Spirit has put this on my heart recently, as I continue to watch more and more people slip into a comfortably numb understanding of what is really going on around us. So many are acting as if they can continue to operate the way they always have been, feeling 'safe' and 'untouchable' by satan. This is his biggest lie however. These times in which we live demand a different approach than what has previously been affective in the past. We do not have the luxury of time anymore, to sit back and expect the outcome of our choices and decisions to protect us from what has overtaken the world as we know it. We are in the most serious battle of all time, and we are called and expected to be prepared to fight this enemy with the weapons of warfare given to us from our Creator. So let's take a look at who satan was meant to be.

Ezekiel 28:12-19

King James Version (KJV)
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

He was created perfect, until pride set in.

16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

He was the anointed 'set apart', cherub that covereth 'to defend, hedge in, join together, set, shut up' (Strongs.) But he began to look at his own beauty and turn his attention on himself.  His name, "Lucifer" means the shining one, as he was created to reflect God's glory. He presumes to assume authority however, in several ways.

Daniel 11:37

37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.


2 Thessalonians 2:4

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Isaiah 14:12-14

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Now let's look at his names as found in scripture, and how their meanings directly relate to his methods, strategies, and strongholds in our lives. 

NAMES FOR THE ENEMY

Abaddon- "a destroyer", Hebrew                                                                           Rev. 9:11
Apollyon- "a destroyer", Hebrew, a rendering of the Heb word Abaddon, "the angel of the bottomless pit"
Accuser of the brethren                                                                                          Rev.12:10
Adversary- an opponent, the arch enemy,  Greek                                                   1 Pet 5:8
Angel of the bottomless pit-                                                                                    Rev. 9:11
Antichrist- opponent of the Messiah,  Greek                                                           1 John 4:3
Beelzebul-  a dung god, Greek                                                                               Matt 12:24
                                                                                                                             Mark 3:22
                                                                                                                              Luke 11:15
Belial- "worthlessness", "recklessness" , "lawlessness",   Heb                                   2Cor 6:15                       Devil- slanderer                                                                                                      Matt 4:1
                                                                                                                              Luke 4:2,6
                                                                                                                              Rev 20:2
Enemy-                                                                                                                  Matt 13:39
Evil spirit-                                                                                                              1 Sam 16:14
Father of all liars-                                                                                                   John 8:44
God of this world-                                                                                                 2Cor 4:4
Great red dragon-                                                                                                  Rev.12:3
Lucifer-"light bearer or shining one"                                                                        Isaiah 14:12
Man of sin-                                                                                                            2 Thes 2:3
Murderer-                                                                                                             John 8:44
Old serpent-                                                                                                          Rev 12:9
                                                                                                                             Rev 20:2
Power of darkness-                                                                                               Col 1:13
Prince of this world-                                                                                              John 12:31
                                                                                                                             John 14:30 
                                                                                                                             John 16:11
Prince of the power of the air-                                                                                Eph 2:2
Ruler of darkness-                                                                                                 Eph 6:12
Satan- "adversary" , Heb, "accuser", Grk                                                               1 Chron 21:1
                                                                                                                             Job 1:6
                                                                                                                             John 13:27
                                                                                                                             Acts 5:3
                                                                                                                             Acts 26:18
                                                                                                                             Rom 16:20
Serpent-                                                                                                                Gen 3:4,14
                                                                                                                             2Cor 11:3
Son of perdition- "destruction, ruin, waste, loss"                                                     John 17:12
Tempter-                                                                                                               Matt 4:3
                                                                                                                             1 Thes 3:5
Thief-                                                                                                                    John 10:10
Wicked one-                                                                                                         Matt 13:19, 38


So looking at his names in scripture, we get a much clearer picture of who he is, and how his names describe all the ways he infiltrates our lives. He will use the element of suprise, attack us in our strengths, as well as our weaknesses. He uses anger and aggression, accusation and guilt. He will intimidate and confuse, create doubt and/or fear. He distracts and discourages, causes division, unforgiveness, and bitterness. He will cause us to have confidence in ourselves, as he does, rather than give God all the glory He deserves. There are a myriad of ways he uses to derail us. The important thing right now, is that we take a good, hard look at when and where he is getting into our own lives on a daily basis. I've written about it before, it's just that it is so imperative, more than ever before, that we pay close attention to our relationship with Yeshua,and how much of a foothold we have actually given satan to toy with us and our families. Do not think you are resilient, spend some time in prayer, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you personally how, when, and where the enemy is most affective in your life, and how you can make the necessary, and immediate changes to throw him back out. I write about this because our time is very, very short. We must be equipped saints. Do not hesitate. For those of you who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, tomorrow is not the day to decide to seek Him. The hour is NOW. Do not be found as one who did not choose in time, because you have no idea how long eternity without Yeshua is going to be.              

On a more personal note, I wish to extend a sincere thank you to all who have been praying for my family and I these last few weeks as we have been very ill with the flu. God is so good, and we are all recovered. Praise be to our Healer! Amen!