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Information
and Advice for Christian Teenagers
CHAPTER
4
THE DEVIL IS A LIAR
"[The
devil] was a murderer from the beginning,
and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John
8:44, NASB). "The devil has sinned from the beginning..." (1st John 3:8,
NKJV). "Be sober and self-controlled; be
vigilant and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith..." (1st Peter 5:8,9).
Who
is the devil? Should we be frightened of him? Should we
just ignore him? What is the occult?
Many don
t like to think about it, but The New Testament teaches
us that the devil is a doomed but crafty enemy. He knows
he has totally lost the war, but if we are not watchful
he can still win a battle. Mature Christians who know and
believe their Bibles will wisely avoid extremes. They will
watch out for his evil tricks but stop short of automatically
involving him in every negative situation.
Many
religious people within the Christian tradition deny the
existence of the devil. But the devil is everyone's enemy.
It is dangerous to believe your enemy doesn't exist. Accept
what the Bible teaches. We know that the devil is a liar.
We know that he lives just to hate and destroy. He will
stop at nothing to trip up Christians and keep unbelievers
from seeing the truth. He may make the most of personality
clashes and petty disagreements to split genuine churches
apart. Eventually, confused and disillusioned members may
go elsewhere while unbelievers look on in disgust.
He
is a clever schemer. He hates the truth and loves dead
religion. The devil can cover his destructive work with
goodness and hide his hateful intentions behind convincing
talk. He calls evil good and good evil. He enjoys adding
a little truth to the lie. The devil is all for perversion,
fighting, war, murder, lying, selfishness, drunkenness,
cheating, brutality, cruelty, torture and hatred. He encourages
and engineers self-abuse, hopelessness, loneliness, depression
and suicide among teenagers.
There
is nothing spooky about the devil. Don
t be fooled. The devil is intelligent and full of evil.
Spooky stories are usually the silly inventions of unhelpful
films and books. Don't feel creepy about anything. Your
imagination could run away with you and make you afraid
for no reason. Mature Christians know their enemy. They
don't shiver in fear or lose sleep because of creepy
stories and reported paranormal experiences. If Christ
has set you free, you can identify the source of these
petty distractions. The devil is a real evil power, but
he is not more powerful than God.
Christians
who are serious about their relationship with God are not
afraid of the devil in fact most balanced Christians
rarely concern themselves with him to any great extent.
If a Christian is "steadfast in the faith", he or she will
be able to resist him because of the
power and authority of Jesus Christ. The
Lord destroys the devil's evil work. Through the
timely prayerful warfare of Christians He tears apart the
enemy's army. So please understand that you don't have
to worry about the devil.
Concentrate
on growing strong in Christ.
Think about Him. Do all you can to fill your mind with
the Word of God. The devil and evil, lying spirits
are defeated by Truth. Pray and thank God for the power
He gives you over evil. If you live close to God according
to His Word, you can be confident that He will deliver
you from the devil and his cunning traps.
If
you are a Christian there is no need to be afraid of the
occult. There is nothing special or frightening about supernatural
trickery. It's all an empty show. Christians are not impressed.
Don't be sucked in by occult wonders, magic, visions and
so-called ghosts. The occult is just one of the devil's
many distractions that keep people away from the truth.
"Satan
is a destroyer; he builds nothing. His army is held together
only by hatred and his purpose is waste, decay, disintegration.
We are in a different world from that of magic, manipulation,
incantations, formulae, mumbo-jumbo, incense, amulets and
the rituals which fascinate satanists" (Howard Peskett
in his Foreword to Roaring Lion by Robert
and Martha Peterson).
THE
DEVIL IN THE WORLD
What
does the Bible teach about the world system around you?
Christ "gave
Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this
present evil age" (Galatians 1:4, NKJV). We need
this deliverance because "the whole world lies in the power
of the evil one" (1st John 5:19, NASB) and the devil
is actually working in those who are disobedient
(Ephesians 2:2).
Those
who openly oppose the truth need to "come to their senses
and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held
captive by him to do his will" (2nd Timothy 2:26, NASB).
The god of this world works on the minds of those who do
not believe to stop them seeing the truth (2nd Corinthians
4:4).
Disobedient,
captive, blind. A sorry description of those who are all
around us such people are the devil's victims. Consider
this: to what extent are we influenced by their opinions,
practices and philosophies (the way they think and their
use of knowledge)?
Many
will laugh at us for believing what the Bible teaches (what's
new?), but the devil really does have godless multitudes
in his grip. Through them he runs a world that continually
turns its back on the things of God. It's a system that
persistently chases after our minds and affections. We
need to be spiritually minded. We need to think differently
to the world around us. We all make sure our bodies are
as clean and healthy as possible, yet sometimes we make
no effort to deal with the worldly dirt in our minds.
The
power of the world can weaken a Christian's relationship
with God. It clearly influences the minds and behaviour
of many teenagers. The world rejects the will of God. When
Christians carelessly accept the ways of the world and
allow them into their lives they are returning to the devil's "domain
of darkness" they were once rescued from (see Colossians
1:13). We will find nothing satisfying or valuable there.
Don't let the world distract you and keep you from growing
strong in Christ. This world will pass away.
The
Bible (our instruction manual) warns us not to love or
cherish the world or the things in the world. If we consider
the world precious and desirable we will end up loving
it Instead of God. Everything in the world's system is
based on the following:
1) The
passionate desire of the godless, sensual nature;
2) The
passionate desire of the mind, hungry for all that can
be seen;
3) The
pride of life which has confidence In the ways of man
and self and considers them all-important and sufficient.
Everything
that Is part of the world's system comes from the world
itself and not from God. The world and its passionate desires
are passing away, but those who faithfully serve and follow
God will remain with Him forever. Too many Christians have
too much In common with the world. We need to breakout.
We are less likely to be distracted by the world If we regularly read the Bible.
Worldly Christians rarely respond to the challenging truths
found in their dusty Bibles. Believing and obeying God's
Word will draw us away from the sham glory of the world.
Jesus said: "They are not of the world, just as I am not
of the world. Sanctify them [make them holy, separate them
from the world, set them apart] by your truth. Your word
is truth" (John 17:16,17, NKJV). The Bible exposes
the world for what it is and Christian teenagers need to
take time to take its message to heart.
Here
is a short Bible study. We will call it "The World and
the Flesh". "Flesh" roughly means sinful nature.
Within you there are two natures fighting each other: one
is spiritual, dedicated to serving God, the other is carnal
(governed by your human nature), dedicated to putting you
first and following the ways of the world. The verses below
will encourage you to put God first in everything you think
and do. Then you will see the world for what it is.
1) John
15:18,19; 17:14-17
2) Romans
8:5-10; 12:1
3) 2nd
Corinthians 6:14-7:1
4) Galatians
5:16-25; 6:7, 8
5) Ephesians
2:1-10
6) Colossians
2:8; 3:1-10
7) 2nd
Timothy 2:22
8) Titus
2:11-14
9) James
1:27; 4:4-10
10) 1st
Peter 1:13-16; 2:11,12; 4:3-5
11) 2nd
Peter 1:2-4; 2:20-22; 3:17,18
12) 1st
John 2:15-17 <o:p></o:p>
Every
Christian has power and authority over the devil and his
world. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world our
faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1st John 5:4, NKJV). "He
who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (4:4,
NKJV). "[Christ] gave Himself for our sins, that He might
deliver us from this present evil age, according to the
will of our God and Father" Galatians 1:4 NKJV).
"Today
the world comes and searches us out & The world has
advanced to the very door of the Church and is seeking
to draw God s people into its grasp ... Ultimately
when we touch the things of the world, the only question
we need ask ourselves is: 'How is this thing affecting
my relationship with the Father?'" Watchman Nee).
RESISTING
THE DEVIL
Lack
of Christian discipline allows the devil an advantage.
In Ephesians 6 we are told to "Put on the full armour of
God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes
of the devil" (v. II, NASB; read entire chapter
sometime soon). The devil will gain an advantage if we
don't take the time to follow God's commands.
James
encourages us to "submit to God. Resist the devil and he
will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near
to you" (4:7, 8, NKJV). Notice that successfully
resisting the devil is sandwiched between submitting to
God and drawing near to Him. Sadly, some zealous teenagers
want God's power before they have learned to submit to
His will.
In
their book Roaring Lion Robert and Martha
Peterson ask a very important question: "How does Satan
gain a foothold in a believer's life? God does not leave
us in the dark. Some of Satan's stepping stones are ungoverned
anger (Ep. 4:26, 27); unforgiving spirit and bitterness
(2nd Cor. 2:10,11); lack of sexual self-control (1st Cor.7:4,
5); pride (1st Tim. 3:6); listening to and obeying Satan's
lies (2nd Cor. 11:3; Acts 5:3); rebellion (Rom. 13:1, 2;
Titus 3:1); occult practices, such as astrology, horoscope,
witchcraft, seances, ouija board and other occult games
(Gal. 4:8-10; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Revelation 21:8); idolatry
or idolatrous paraphernalia (Ex. 20:3-5)..."
While
drawing a distinction between possession and oppression they
say, "Oppression is a positive outward attack on the human
body and mind by evil spirits to annoy and injure" (see
Job 2:7; Luke 13:11-16; 2nd Cor. 12:7).
These "evil
spirits" are demons. In their book The Occult Josh
McDowell and Don Stewart highlight the work and character
of demons: they are numerous and organised; they have supernatural
powers; they roam the earth; they cause sickness; .hey
can possess people and animals; they can cause mental disorders;
they know Jesus Christ is God and tremble before Him; they
teach lies; they oppose God's people and try to destroy
His Kingdom.
Only
Christians can have total victory over Satan and his demons
but "What is needed is a humble and faith-full dependence
)n the Holy Spirit's guidance... We must never speak or
act as if a slugging match is going on between good and
evil on equal terms, and it is touch and go who will win.
Sometimes it may appear so, but as Christians we believe
that our Lord's death on Calvary was the decisive battle,
sealing Satan's fate" (Howard Peskett).
"For
this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that He might
destroy the works of the devil" (1st John 3:8, NKJV).
THE
OCCULT
"The
word occult comes from the Latin word occultus and
it carries the idea of things hidden, secret and mysterious" McDowell/Stewart, The Occult).
People
in general, and many teenagers in particular, are continually
drawn to dark mysteries and odd ritualism. They are fascinated
by a weird and silly world of spells, candles, incense,
robes, rituals, swords and daggers, altars and sacrifices.
These odd diversions are popularised in shocking horror
films and on many CD covers. Many immature and impressionable
teenagers are captivated by occult themes and art. Those
among them who are artistic often produce negative, gloomy
work. All of this affects the mind.
The
following are all considered part of the occult: automatic
writing, charms, clairvoyance, curses, divination, the
druids, evocation, fire-walking, Halloween, horoscopes,
levitation, lifting games, magic, necromancy, ouija board,
sabbat, satanism, voodoo, witchcraft.
The ouija
board is popular among the youth and although some
glibly dismiss it as a fraud or a mere "psychic game" it
can often disturb dabbling teenagers. Roger Ellis recalls
an experience with friends who had dabbled with the ouija
board: "...one of them had the bright idea of playing
with ... a ouija board. It started with jokes and laughs,
but suddenly the atmosphere changed as the glass moved
and questions were answered. Some of the answers were
frightening. They were all afraid. One of the guys had
developed an uncontrollable urge to commit suicide. They
were not Christians, but knew that we were and wanted
us to help" (The Occult and You).
Under
no circumstances should you get involved in any occult
practices. If friends or teachers at school are into the
occult, tell your parents immediately and they will contact
the school. The Bible is clear about the occult: "There
shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or
daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises witchcraft,
or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist,
or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things
are detestable to the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12, NKJV).Let
the Bible be your guide.
WITCHCRAFT
"Modern
day witches don't fit into the cartoon stereotypes of the
classic fairy tale. They don't have to be ugly or female" (Bob
and Gretchen Passantino, The Devil Dares Your Kids). "Witches,
real ones, don't believe in Satan, or practice black magic,
or sacrifice furry little animals or any of that stuff" (James
Johnson, a witch).
So
what do witches believe? Witches say they see witchcraft
as a "nature religion". They believe they need to get back
to nature and become involved in the natural scheme of
the earth. They are concerned for the planet because they
see it as their mother. They desire to reach "a higher
mind" through meditation.
Witches
call forth spirits to hear what they say. They claim they
can contact "spirit beings" who are able to advise them.
These beings supposedly include god-forms forces in the
universe or people who "have lived on the earth".
When
contacting these "spirits" during a trance-like state witches
admit they run the frightening risk of being possessed.
(Information from Pagan Invasion video, Jeremiah
Films.)
Witches
engage in sexual rituals as part of their religion (wicca). It
is not unknown for children to be present during these
rituals. There are instances of child abuse.
Witches
believe in magic spells. Pat Pulling in The Devil's Web refers
to the book The Modern Witch's Spellbook which "includes
a section titled 'Hate Magic' which gives specific instructions
for the casting of spells 'To Cause a Lot of Agony' and
'To Maim and Kill'." It is grossly irresponsible to encourage
people to wish harm on others.
Halloween is
a popular time for witches. "It is believed on this night
Satan and ...witches have their greatest power" (McDowell/Stewart, The Occult). Halloween
is also a time for fun and games with children dressing
up as witches (even in Sunday schools). Teachers in schools
often encourage children to express themselves with Halloween
in mind. They paint witches, cauldrons, scary faces and
broomsticks (broomsticks are said to represent phalli during
depraved sexual rituals). Parents and teachers whether
they are Christian or not, should consider the substantial
evidence against the occult before leading children and
teenagers in a light-hearted approach to Halloween and
witchcraft. They are not make-believe.
SATANISM
Satanism
is an open and selfish rebellion against everything good,
helpful, kind and moral. It claims God is a liar and Satan
is lord (a reversal of truth). Satanism is primarily concerned
with satisfying base lusts and drawing attention to the
person and (limited) power of Satan. "The main purpose
[of the church] was to gather a group of like-minded individuals
together for the use of their combined energies in calling
up the dark force in nature that is called Satan" (Anton
Szandor LaVey, founder of San Francisco's First Church of Satan).
"Organized
satanists," says Mark I Bubeck, "follow the teachings
and leadership of Anton LaVey... A high priest leads
these organized satanists and they follow the satanic
calendar religiously... "
Self-styled
satanists often [cause] severe problems for law enforcement
people. Serial murderers and habitual criminals use their
satanic beliefs to justify their bizarre violence. People
in this group often exhibit antisocial behaviour patterns,
drug addiction, prostitution and pornography addiction...
"Dabblers [are
found in] high schools... Youngsters often are drawn in
by heavy metal rock music, horror movies or occultic literature,
all with sensual, power-centred, satanic themes. Youth
interested in the occult focus on symbols of Satan, body
tattoos, pentagrams and inverted crosses. Satan-related
graffiti, bizarre dress styles and some animal mutilations
appear at this level. Criminal activity, suicidal and murderous
acts, sometimes transpire as a part of the culture. Seances,
levitation and ouija board experiments, and the use of
other occultic tools are practised by young people with
their peers" ( The Satanic Revival).
In
her book The Devil and Web. Pat Pulling investigates
the alarming rise of satanism and witchcraft in modern
society. Like many others she has uncovered distressing
evidence of grotesque animal tortures and mutilations,
perverted sexual acts and worst of all, the rare intentional
ritual sacrificing of humans, including babies, to Satan.
Pulling
has searched newspapers and wire services for evidence
of criminal satanic behaviour. Out of hundreds of
such articles and reports she included the following: a
Long Island youth, a self-proclaimed devil worshipper,
charged with opening a 19th century grave; a teenager charged
with slaying and mutilating another teenager in a ritual;
a strangler who is a devil worshipper; a group responsible
for animal mutilations during rituals involving pentagrams
and the number 666; five teenagers calling themselves
satanists who tortured another teenager and then killed
him because "they wanted to watch somebody die"; fifteen teenagers engaging
in satanic sexual rituals; twelve high school teenagers who
mutilated several cats; devil worshippers who left the
severed legs of their victim in an Indiana churchyard.
Satanism
leads to greed, ruthlessness, hate, gross selfishness,
sexual perversion and a loathing for anything that even
appears to be Christian. It is ultimately self-defeating.
LaVey expresses the twisted and destructive character of
satanism very clearly: "This is a very selfish religion.
We believe in greed. We believe in selfishness. We believe
in all the lustful thoughts that motivate man... Satan
represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
Satan represents a man as just another animal [a belief
of evolutionists] ... who ... has become the most vicious
animal of all. Satan represents all of the so-called sins,
as they lead to physical and mental gratification."
Another
modern leader in the world of satanism is Michael Aquino,
leader of the Temple of Set (Satan). He is obsessed by "sex
magic" and is openly anti-Christian: "The rotting corpse
of Christianity is stinking so bad it' s not going
to be too long before it just totally dissolves. My goal
in life is to start the wheels of the eventual destruction
of Christianity through education."
"But
the people who know their God will display strength and take action" (Daniel
11:32b, NASB).
"Take
counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the
word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us" (Isaiah
8:10, Authorised Version).
"Our
fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against
organisations and powers that are spiritual" (Ephesians
6:12, Phillips).
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