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satan

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Posted by: angelofthelord

Satan is NOT subtle when he sends people and circumstances to try and
destroy you. Flip Wilson was a comedian in the '70s who made famous the
line, "the devil made me do it." Flip Wilson incorporated into his comedy
routine the common excuse many make when they sin, blaming their actions on
the devil. In reality, while the devil may tempt you, YOU are the one who
makes the choice to sin or to not sin. The devil can't make you sin, he can
only entice you to sin. You are the one who ultimately has to make the
choice to follow God, or follow satan.

Let me give you a word of encouragement this morning. Satan is never subtle
when he sends people or when he sends circumstances into your life. This is
a very important point for you to understand. Satan is NEVER subtle when he
sends people or when he sends circumstances designed to destroy you. Never
forget that Jesus clearly exposed the goal of satan in John chapter 10 when
He told us that satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Please never lose
sight that satan is out to destroy YOU!

The fact remains however, that when satan sends a person or people, when he
sends circumstances to destroy you, there is that moment in time where there
is NO DOUBT this is NOT coming from God but from the enemy of our souls.
People give satan way too much credit. Yes he can be clever, yes he can be
subtle, but think with me for a minute. Look back on your own life and
experiences. Whether you were saved or not, when satan sent a person or
circumstance into your life it was like the jackpot on a slot machine,
lights flashing, whistles and bells going off. Even if it was only for one
of those "frozen moments in time," you KNEW that person or that circumstance
was NOT from God.

This is so important, I want to make sure you don't miss what I am saying to
you. We all have that "still small voice" that speaks to us. When you are
saved, in that daily intimate relationship with Christ, you hear that voice
loud and clear. But even for those who are not saved, not walking with the
Lord, actually living their lives in rebellion to God and His Word, that
voice still exists. Though it may be faint, though that person may not
understand who it is, God speaks to all of us. When satan sends a person
and circumstance into your life, God will tell you this is NOT from Him.
The key becomes, do we listen to that "still small voice" or do we simply
ignore it.

Now we are at that place I speak of so often when during the course of the
day we have many opportunities to follow God or follow satan. Whether you
like to hear it or not, when you are not following God, YOU ARE FOLLOWING
SATAN. When you choose sin, YOU CHOOSE SATAN. It is the free will God has
given to us to obey Him or to not obey Him. We get those opportunities many
times throughout the course of every day. It is our opportunity to prove
that we really do love the Lord as we claim to, since Jesus said, "if you
love me you will obey me."

I love you and care about you so much. I will be praying for you today.
Praying that you will not succumb to the temptations satan will send into
your life. If you look back on your life, look back on those people, those
circumstances that clearly were not from God but from the enemy, you will
remember that "frozen moment in time" when that "still small voice" was
speaking to you, trying to warn you. In that moment, you KNEW, you KNEW,
you KNEW, that this person, this circumstance was NOT from God and you
should RUN. Like I shared with you one day last week, we must run FROM sin,
not run TO sin.

Know that God loves you very much and has given us wonderful defense
mechanisms to protect us from the evil one. God has given us a built-in
alarm system like you have on your home. When someone tries to break in,
the alarm sounds, lights come on, the police are called, it is obvious
someone is trying to break in. Likewise, when satan sends a person, sends a
circumstance into our lives, the alarm sounds within us as God's way of
trying to protect us from falling into sin and destroying our life. God
clearly warns us that that person, that circumstance is NOT from Him. It
now becomes our choice to listen to God's warning or to ignore it.

Again, I will be praying for you today as God reveals to you those people
and circumstances sent by satan. I will be praying that you will call upon
His strength to not fall into satan's trap. Don't forget, the devil can't
make you do anyhting. He can try and tempt you, try and trap you, but in
the end, it is YOUR CHOICE. Satan is not subtle when he sends people and
circumstances to destroy you, the key is for you to listen to God's warnings
when they come and flee from temptation.