When I started this blog series on wrong thinking I did it on the fly, writing about the first things that popped into my head without any thought of which wrong thinking is more important than others. So far I’ve used my wrong thinking blogs to illustrate what right thinking is. Right thinking is knowing there is a God in heaven. If you’re an atheist God says you’re a fool and he’s right. Right thinking is knowing there is only one God and Jehovah is his name. It’s just common sense that only one God exists and if you look at the evidence it all points to the Lord Jehovah as God. Right thinking is knowing there are not a lot of different gods in the world and there aren’t many paths to heaven as the humanist world would have you believe. This is just one of the doctrines of Satan and it doesn’t ring true. Right thinking is knowing the only way to heaven is through faith by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Right thinking is knowing the Bible is God’s word and that God cannot lie. Right thinking is knowing that God is not only a loving God but also a just God and everyone won’t be going to heaven because of that. Only believers who have accepted God’s saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be allowed into heaven. Their sins have been forgiven by a merciful God because of their faith in Jesus. Right thinking is knowing believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
John 16:33 – (Jesus) – These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Revelation 21:7 – He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Ephesians 6:11 – Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
If everyone goes to heaven what’s the point of our lives? If everyone gets a free pass to heaven why even bother with obeying God and living fruitful lives? Why doesn’t God just start us out in heaven and be done with it? Right thinking is knowing the Holy Bible is the inerrant word of God and not just a book. More than 500 fulfilled Bible prophesies can’t be wrong. It shows the Bible is God’s word without any doubt because only God can tell the future. Right thinking is knowing the universe is only 6,000 years old and not billions of years old as the humanist world would have us believe. The former is proven by God’s word while the later is just an unproven doctrine of Satan to hide the truth of God from man. Right thinking is knowing God made Adam and Eve 6,000 years ago, as fully grown adults, when he placed them in the Garden of Eden. This is the only logical explanation that also fits the evidence. And finally, right thinking is knowing man didn’t evolve from one cell organisms over a long period of time. The theory of evolution is just another unproven doctrine of Satan to hide the fact that God created man.
Ezekiel 28:12-13 – You (Satan) were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.
Ezekiel 28:14-16 – You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.
Matthew 4:10 – (Jesus) – Away with you Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.
Looking back, I probably should have addressed this next area of wrong thinking at the very beginning because it’s important. It’s wrong thinking to think the devil isn’t real; that he’s just a metaphor for the human condition. If God is real then so is the devil, and so is hell. Nonbelievers don’t believe in either God or Satan. However, about 60% of Christians who embrace God deny there’s a devil because they don’t want to believe a benevolent and loving God would send someone to hell forever. They choose to stick their heads in the sand. I have a hard time understanding their reasoning because if you believe in God how can you not also believe in the Bible being the inerrant word of God? If you believe the Bible is without error how can you then not believe in the devil when he is mentioned throughout the Bible? Satan is mentioned in seven Old Testament books (Genesis, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and 1 Chronicles). Satan is mentioned in 19 New Testament books and referred to by every New Testament writer. Satan is mentioned by name 23 times in the New Testament, 15 times by Jesus Christ himself and eight times by other saints. How can someone accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and then call him a liar to his face by denying the existence of Satan? The existence of Satan is declared in the Bible so believe it. Grow a backbone! Don’t ever accept the lies of the humanist world!
Isaiah 14:12-14 – How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weaken the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest side of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.
Isaiah 14:15-17 – Yet you (Satan) shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?
Ephesians 6:16 – Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Every culture in the world has a universal fear of an invisible evil power and well they should because the devil is real and he means us harm. Most of the world now doubts the evil one is real. Satan works best when his existence is doubted which is why our humanist world puts forth this narrative. Satan controls the world so this is his message for the masses. When Satan is acknowledged he is portrayed as harmless so the evil one has all the bases covered in order to fool mankind, even many believers. Believers who fall for this false narrative are those who are saved but who are still on spiritual milk because they don’t pray regularly to God and they don’t know what the Bible says because they haven’t read it. Believers who don’t abide in God’s word are easily corrupted by the world into doubting God and believing what the world says. Believers who call God a liar are sinning against God, plain and simple. They will suffer loss when they have to stand before the bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ on the last day. The salvation of believers is secure but all believers who sin against God will suffer loss on the last day because of that sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
2 Corinthians 5:11 – Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
You have my testimony that Satan is indeed a real person and not some figment of our imagination. As a believer I’ve discerned the thoughts of God and Satan inside my head. Not all the time but sometimes. Satan has 22 different names in the Bible. Does that sound to you like someone who doesn’t exist? We all know the Bible story about Lucifer being the most powerful angel in heaven who led a rebellion against God taking with him with one third of the angels in heaven. Lucifer was renamed Satan by God and he and his fallen angels (demons) were defeated and kicked out of heaven and thrown to earth. Satan still has access to the throne of God where he is man’s constant accuser. The word devil means “slanderer.” Jesus Christ sits at God’s right hand to defend us against Satan’s accusations. Jesus is our Mediator. The word Satan means “adversary” ; ours not God’s. God has no equal in power. Satan has a photographic memory. The devil is intelligent, he has a will, he has emotions, and he has great organizational skills, otherwise he would not have been able to convince a third of the angels in heaven to follow him. I’m always amazed Satan was able to do that. Don’t underestimate the son of perdition. Stay close to God. Satan is the second most powerful being in the universe. Stay far away from Satan because he wants to steal your soul.
2 Corinthians 4:4 – Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Ephesians 4:26-27 – Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
1 John 4:4 – You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater that he who is in the world.
We’re in luck because God is more powerful that Satan, much more powerful. God is omnipotent and Satan is not. It’s like an ant versus an elephant. God is the creator and Satan is the created. Satan hates that because he wants to be God so badly. His pride was his downfall. God is omnipresent and Satan isn’t. God is everywhere at the same time so God sees everything and knows everything that’s going on. Satan can only be in one place at a time. God is omniscient so he even knows our thoughts and emotions. Satan can’t read our minds but he can hear and act on what we say so guard your lips. When we say Satan oppresses us mentally what we really mean is it’s probably one of the millions of demons who are obeying the devil and advancing Satan’s agenda by attacking the mind of man. The demons from the spiritual world are always watching us and listening to what we say, looking for an opening to cause us to harm ourselves and others when under duress.
1 John 3:8 – He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Romans 7:18 – For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present in me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
Hebrews 10:31 – It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
We’re constantly being observed from the spirit world. Not all day or even every day. But we never know when we’re being observed from the spirit world so we need to be careful in everything we do. God, of course, is always watching us to protect us as well as judge what we do. God can tell the future because he’s the author of history. Satan can’t tell the future which is why no prophecies have been fulfilled by any of the fake religions and false gods he’s sponsored throughout history. Satan has read the Bible so he knows his fate. He just doesn’t believe it will happen as written. If you’re a nonbeliever reading this blog you’re in Satan’s hip pocket whether you know it or not. Your fate is sealed. You’re going to hell when you die unless you do something about it; like finding God and accepting his saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ before it’s too late. It’s wrong thinking to think Satan isn’t a real person. Satan is an invisible spirit being who hates our guts. It’s wrong thinking to think Satan isn’t hunting us like a hungry lion stalking its prey. It’s wrong thinking to think Satan isn’t the ruler of hell as well as a murderer and a psychopathic killer. Satan is the king of death and the death of many billions of people is on his hands. The only way to correct your wrong thinking about the devil is by studying the word of God so you’ll know what you’re up against and what you must do to protect yourself from Satan’s attacks.
Isaiah 5:20-21 – Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Luke 10:18 – (Jesus) – I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Hebrews 2:14 – Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself (Jesus) likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had power of death, that is, the devil.
Nonbelievers have no chance against the power of Satan. Satan has put blinders over the eyes of nonbelievers so they can’t see the truth of God. Nonbelievers are putty in Satan’s hands because they don’t have God’s protection because they aren’t children of God. Believers, on the other hand, have no such excuse and they should know better than to fall for Satan’s lies. Believers know God is a loving God. Some believers just have a hard time understanding that God is also a just God. God is not some gentle old grandfather figure who is here just for our pleasure; dispensing goodies like a slot machine; giving out all good and no bad. Our Lord is a God of fire and wrath who will judge the nations and man on the last day. God is love but he’s also a God of wrath and man gets to choose which God they want to receive. The devil is not benign. If given the chance Satan and his demons would destroy every man, woman and child on the planet within thirty days. I thank the Lord that he won’t allow it. I’m horrified that our humanist world still doesn’t get it. They have started coming out with television shows and movies that portray Satan as harmless; as someone who is misunderstood and someone we shouldn’t be afraid of. That is just wrong thinking! Satan is the god of this world so I can’t say I’m totally surprised by this turn of events. The Bible says when we start calling good evil and evil good we know we’re in the end times. I think we’re there. We’re following God’s timeline perfectly. What do you think?
James 4:7 – Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Ephesians 2:1-2 – And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.
It’s wrong thinking to think Satan will be victorious over God and man. Jesus Christ has already defeated the devil by his death on the cross followed by his resurrection three days later. Victory is already ours so we need to claim it and profess it every day. Satan can’t touch a believer without God’s permission. It’s wrong thinking to think Satan doesn’t put evil thoughts into our minds. We have our own thoughts as well as the occasional thoughts from God and Satan. We have to guard our minds against Satan. We have to know our own thoughts first and then we have to discern whether additional thoughts are from God or Satan. This takes spiritual discernment but basically any good thoughts are from God and any bad thoughts are from the evil one. Immediately discard any evil thoughts that come your way because you know the source. It bears repeating; Satan means to destroy us! Be on your guard at all times! One of the spiritual truths of heaven is that a good tree can produce only good fruit and a bad tree can only produce bad fruit. That pertains to God, Satan and man. Believers are to produce good fruit for the kingdom of heaven by their witness for Christ in order to save lost souls. God commands believers to work in his harvest field. The daily mantra of every believer should be to save, “one more for Jesus.”
1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
John 8:44 – (Jesus) – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Ephesians 6:17 – And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
It’s not a question of if Satan will attack our minds, but when and how often. As believers we first have to believe Satan is real. That’s half the battle. As believers we must know Satan’s attack is coming and then we have to be ready when Satan does attack. The armor of God is contained in the Bible and it’s the only weapon we need to stand firm against the devil and defeat him. God is our bodyguard and Satan stands no chance of defeating God. Stay in fellowship with God and be safe. I like to watch videos of the interaction of wild animals in Africa. Often it’s a pride of lions or a pack of wild dogs attempting to catch a baby for dinner. In most instances the baby will cling close to its mother for protection and the attackers don’t want to face the power of the mother so they circle trying to separate mother and baby. If the baby strays too far away from the mother they’re snatched away. If they stay close to mom they usually stay safe. In this analogy man is the baby, God is the mother, and Satan is the predator trying to snatch us away. Now you know what you have to do to stay safe from the evil one. Study God’s word, pray often, and obey the commandments of God in order to stay close to God for safety. This is my testimony.
John 10:28 – (Jesus) – And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
1 John 5:19 – We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
Galatians 6:7 – Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Revelation 20:1-3 – Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Revelation 20:10 – The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.