RLJ-918

BEING A GRACEFUL CHRISTIAN
PART TWO

John S. Torell

March 28, 2004 

The Bible teaches us that God is love and in him there is no darkness at all. I John 1:4-5                                                                                         

God’s nature is described in Galatians 5:22-23

The Devil has no light in him, he is total darkness, evil, and depravity – John 8:44

The Devils nature is described in Galatians 5:19-21:

• Lascivious – excite lustful desires, lewdness
• Variance – disagreement, quarrel
• Emulation – competition, a desire to be equal or surpass
• Sedition – stirring up discontent, rebellion
• Reveling – boisterous, wild, rough, violent partying

When we read the Bible it becomes clear that long before man was created, there was a tremendous upheaval in the creation, when Lucifer rebelled against God and even went to war against God.  Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-18; Luke 10:17-18; Revelation 12:7-12

We can then assume that there was a trial after Lucifer was defeated and at this trial he was sentenced to the Lake of Fire together with his fallen angels. Matthew 25:41

Since the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 12, that the Devil was thrown down to this earth and removed from heaven, God’s capital, but in the book of Job we are told that Satan is able to present himself before God and accuse men before God. It is my understanding that there must be a Court House located somewhere outside the earth in the second heaven, where Satan can come and file his complaints.  In reading I Corinthians 15:22-28 it is then understood that it is not the Father that is the judge in this court house but the Son, Jesus Christ.

The next deduction that I have drawn is, that Lucifer was sentenced to an eternal torment in the Lake of Fire, but that his sentence was temporarily suspended, since he accused God of being unfair, and that God then set out to prove his righteousness by creating man and letting man choose between good and evil.  Once the righteousness of God has been established in the heavenly court, Satan shall begin to serve his sentence. Revelation 20:7-10

In the meantime God has set certain legal borders, and that Satan can only operate within this legal borders.  This is clearly taught in the book of Job, chapters one and two.  Jesus is mentioning this legal right of Satan, to test the believer in Christ – Luke 22:31-32 Understanding this will help you to rightly understand what Peter is saying - I Peter 5:8

Thus the Christian must understand that there will be times, when great tribulations will break forth without any cause, and part of Satan’s strategy is to tell the Christian that God is the cause of the attack, and therefore anger should be directed toward God by the believer in Christ.   This is brought out in the Book of Job: Job 1:11; 2:4-5; verse 9; 8:1-14

The Devil’s purpose is to break the Christian, and then have the Christian curse God and blame him for the destruction.   The Devil is hoping to break enough Christians in order to prove that God is not fair, and thus getting out of his sentence to the Lake of Fire.

Not many Christians have understood this concept, and when evil befalls them, they become bewildered, confused and they blame God for their woes. This is the effect that the Devil and his demons want to create, which will then give them a chance of place the seed of Satan’s nature in the Christian.   The first fruits of the Devil that will manifest in the wounded Christian will be BITTERNESS, ANGER, RESENTMENT AND HATE!

If this spiritual infection is not quickly cleared up, the Christian will develop a chronic spiritual sickness, a sinful condition that will separate the Christian from the Love of God and bring him into bondage and physical sickness. Romans 6:12-16

The cure for this spiritual disease is laid out by Jesus in Matthew 18:21-35

Are you a graceful believer in Christ or have you developed unforgiveness that is making you into a bitter, angry resentful man or woman?

If you have been damaged emotionally as a child by your parents or someone else in the family or by someone you loved and respected deeply, it will be used by demonic forces to keep you spiritually contaminated. The following symptoms are common to this kind of contamination:

Many Christians are living in denial, they are phony in their responses to others, by not telling the truth that they are hurt and hold old grudges, which has never been resolved. Jesus spoke about this condition, don’t come to the Father, until you are clear with your loved ones on this earth – Matthew 5:23-26

Remember this, you cannot pray with someone you are angry with! This is why Jesus stressed the following point with his disciples : LOVE ONE ANOTHER! John 15:7-17

If you want to be cleansed from any spiritual contamination, there is only one place to go, humble yourself before Father God and confess all your sins, bitterness, and all the junk that is in you and ask God to wash you clean with the blood of Jesus! Psalms 51:1-19

Do you have an ear to hear with? DO YOU REALLY HAVE AN EAR TO HEAR WITH?

The end

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