WILES OF THE DEVIL – PART SEVEN
Tuesday – April 18, 2017
Patti and I welcome all to the Tuesday Bible Study from the Book of Ephesians concerning the wiles of the devil. The map is shown to remind us all to pray for our nation, decree a thing and it shall be manifest. I decree in the name of Jesus that where there was once darkness and deception designed to turn this nation into Hell there is now light and truth returning this nation to God. America is returning to and building a foundation even more firm than that of her founders. The Lord says: “The slime pits are being drained”.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Bold added by Dr. Wood)
We are talking about the wiles of the devil and how a major part of our ability to stand and continue our work to further the Kingdom of God is through the use of the whole armour of God. Yesterday we started looking at how a great house has vessels of gold and silver, wood and earth, as well as those of honor and dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20). We then went to a similar Scripture (1 Corinthians 3:9-17) with a focus on verses 11-17. Gold, silver and precious stones represents work we have done led of the Holy Spirit whereas wood, hay, and straw represents work we have done on our own. From 1 Corinthians let’s focus in on the following portion.
1 Corinthians 3:14-17 (ESV)
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
It is the devils business to get us into our own works and he will work night and day to make us think we are doing the will of God because after all it is all good stuff we are doing (our definition). This is a part of the wiles of the devil, part of his deceptive method. He is tickled pink when we are working day and night thinking we are doing the work of God and the reality is that God is not in it. It is all flesh. Everything will be burned up and there will be no reward. Can you imagine the horrible realization that will flood over us in the moment we stand before Jesus with that knowledge? We will be saved, we will be in Heaven, but nothing to show for it. Let each of us give particular attention to verse seventeen first above in the English Standard Version and then below in the Amplified.
1 Corinthians 3:17 (AMP)
17 If anyone does hurt to God’s temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want anything to do with any of this. Church, we must know the will of God for each of us individually and as a body and do it with all diligence. Each of us have a very wonderful and special place in the Kingdom of God, the body of Christ. All of us are talented and gifted in unique ways and can do things that no one else can do to further the Kingdom of God. When we are out of the will of God building wood, hay, and straw we are opening the door to our spiritual enemies and they come only to steal, kill, and destroy. The result is that we are tearing down the temple (our body) of God opening ourselves up to disease and financial disaster. God cannot co-exist in this corruption and therefore has no choice (absent repentance) but to allow the destruction of our bodies however our souls will be saved.
We can know the will of God for us and we can do it just as Jesus did the will of the Father. Anything that is not the will of the Father is sin, whether we define it as good or not, for it has taken us away from our mission. Let’s take a look at what Jesus says about our capacity to know and do the will of The Shepard.
John 10:2-4 (KJV)
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
The Shepherd is Jesus, the sheep are you and me, the Porter is the Father. The sheep hear the voice of the shepherd to say otherwise is to call Jesus a liar. Jesus calls you and me by name. He goes before us and shows us the way. And Jesus says that we follow Him because we know His voice. To say otherwise is to call Him a liar. This is a priority brother and sister. Sin requires repentance then submission to the Word of God. To hear the voice of God takes practice. Many of us will allow other people and circumstances to take us off the will of God, and thus the leadership of the voice of God.
I hope that this very frank discussion of Scripture opens some eyes and explains some of the destruction and chaos in the lives of believers. More wiles of the devil tomorrow.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
