“It’s Just another Trick of the Devil I tell you!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou  Coleman

Do not be deceived! The fact is you cannot have God and the world too! But Satan will tell you that you can. The Devil is a liar! You cannot have it both ways! {Matt. 6:24}. You will either embrace Jesus or you will embrace the world. Besides, if you are really living for Jesus then your commitment to Jesus will be offensive to the world. On the other hand, if you are committed to the world then your lifestyle is offensive to Jesus.  What am I saying?  If you are saved you need to get as far away from the world as you can! {Isa. 52:11}. I tell you if Israel had believed the Devil’s lies they would have never made it to the Promised Land. If you believe the Devil’s lies then you can forget victory, power and the glory of God in your life. Paul warns us: “Do not give the devil a foothold; don’t make it any easier for him!” This statement teaches us that we must give no ground to the devil. The smallest ground, the tiniest foothold, the briefest opportunity is to be zealously guarded against falling into his hand. We will struggle enough with the devil without willingly placing ourselves within his grasp. And make no mistake about – toeing the line of sin to see how close you can get gives ground to the devil and dramatically increases the chances that you will fall into sin. And if you have the feeling that “It can’t happen to me!” you are in danger of falling today! I tell you we are engaged in a fierce, life-defining battle with Satan. He is our “adversary and he has crafted elaborate “wiles” and “devices” to gain ground and win us to his side. Don’t give the devil even a foothold!

According to Jesus if we have ears it is important for us to hear what the Spirit of God is saying. Jesus told the Sardis to do five things to overcome. Slap yourself awake – “Be Watchful! Strengthen Yourself! Remember! Hold Fast! Repent!” {Revelation 3} Listen; if you are to survive you must get out today. Tomorrow may be too late. Wake up and do it now! Satan is determined to destroy your life. Jesus told Peter that Satan had made a request to have “all” the disciples to test the reality of their faith. Satan wanted to tear the heart of God by proving that there was no reality to the faith of the disciples. Satan believed that he could crush them, sift them and that nothing would be left but a lost heart. He had already done this with Judas, and he believed that he could do it to the rest. I tell you we battle a determined enemy. He wants nothing more than to cut the heart of God by sifting your life and mine. He wants to prove that we are phonies. He wants to show God and the world that there is nothing to our professions of faith. He wants to ruin your testimony. He wants to destroy your home. He wants to wreck your influence. He wants to take away everything of value in your life and leave you with nothing but a devastated shell of what you had {1 Pet. 5:8}.  I tell you, if he can get you to believe a false profession, he will. If he can get your eyes off Jesus, he will. If he can drive a wedge between you and the members of your family, he will. If he can drive a wedge between you and the members of your church, he will. He will do everything he can to cut the heart of God and ruin your life. He will use whatever tactic he deems necessary to get you to fall. Remember Satan came to steal, kill and destroy and he will never stop until you fall or you die! The sad thing about it though is that we are living in a day when radical sold out believers are hard to find.  I tell you if the devil gets his way in your life and you succumb to his attacks remember this: No one sins in a vacuum! Your sin doesn’t just affect you, it affects everyone around you! Adam’s fall touched us all – Rom 5:12! David’s sin with Bathsheba, 2 Sam 11 affected him, Bathsheba, their baby, Bathsheba’s husband, and the house of David for years to come!

My friend, God wants to lead you into a life that is Spirit-filled and blessed. The Devil wants to get you to trade the blessings of God for the rubbish of this world. He will offer you every compromise at his disposal to attempt to lead you astray. Don’t do it! Don’t let Satan sift you like Wheat! The Devil is a liar! The Bible tells a story of two brothers named Jacob and Esau. Esau was the oldest and as such, he was entitled to a double portion of his Father’s estate and he was entitled to take over as the head of the family when his father passed away. One day Esau had been out in the field and when he returned home, he was hungry. His brother Jacob was cooking soup. When Esau asked for a bowl of soup, Jacob said, “Let’s make a deal. You give me your birthright and I will give you a bowl of soup.” Only a fool would have made that deal, but Esau did just that and traded away that which was priceless for a bowl of soup. He despised his birthright and paid a terrible price. I’m afraid that many of us are guilty of doing the very same thing! We have heard the Devil say, “Let’s make a deal.” And, we have traded something precious for something worthless. We have left a big part of ourselves in the world. We have traded our testimony for empty promises and wasted years. Well that can be changed today. If you have made a deal with the Devil and if things are not what they ought to be in your heart and life, you need to get that straightened out today. If you will call on the name of Jesus, He will forgive you and cleanse you. He will restore your life. If you have listened to the lies of Satan and have never been to Jesus for salvation, call Him up and tell Him what you want. Do not fall for Satan’s’ tricks and traps. Call on the name of Jesus and He will let you trade in that which the Devil has given you for something more precious than gold. Now is the most opportune time. Keep what you have received and know that there must be a point of turning – a point where you grab the steering wheel and turn it around – a point where you throw the lever that reverses the engine. Repentance is that point. Make up your mind that you’ll go no further on your present course and throw the lever. Repentance is the act – the determination – to change. Wake up! Strengthen what remains! Repent while there is still time to overcome. If you do not, Jesus says, “If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.” I tell you Satan has desired to sift you like Wheat…. Do not let him do it! It’s Just another Trick of the Devil!

Author: Lou Coleman