Well, yes, I am sure we all are, in some ways. If that offends or frustrates you, or if you don’t believe it’s possible, I’m afraid you are already drowning in ways that keep you from full fellowship with the Lord.

I’ve just finished reading War on the Saints for the second time though, and already I can tell I am going to have to go at it again later. It is just so full of the ways the devil tries to deceive people that it is hard to get a complete grasp on it all. That being said, it is definitely a rich resource to use to gain a better understanding of how God’s enemy works to confuse and to entrap believers. This book was written in 1916, and once again, I am amazed at how there really is nothing new under the sun. We really ARE like sheep gone astray, baa baa baa.

The biggest push the devil has is to convince you to “let go”, whether it is of your mind, your emotions, your body. In essence, once he convinces you that you can achieve great spirituality by letting your mind go blank or whatnot, you’ve left the door open with the welcome mat out for him and his pals. God just doesn’t ask you to give up your own facilities or self-control; He asks you to work WITH Him, with your brains and emotions awake and ready. Think of all the “letting go” things sheeple do: long silent meditations geared to “emptying the mind” or gazing into crystals for example. It creepily sounds close to the Christianese verbiage of “die to yourself”, of which in the KJV Bible NEVER appears in any verse whatsoever. Hmmm....

So what leads people to embark on such endeavors? It is a matter of wanting spiritual “experiences” for the most part, for seeking (and then receiving) physical senses (such as moving air, a warm glow in the body, or visions) that “prove” and affirm the presence of God. There is a need to FEEL drawn or to FEEL right about such-n-such, instead of simple, meek trust in the Word of God and on Christ’s finished work on the cross. Such things keep the believer spiritually self-centered, and even leads to a fear of somehow angering God by disobedience to His “control”.

“’Cooperation’ verses ‘control’ is the true distinction between the true working of God in and with men and the working of evil supernatural powers.”

I know I have fallen into this trap before, when things go awry, because my initial response is something akin to “God, I did this-this-and-that that you asked me to do (yea, even demanded of me?) and I got nothin’ but grief in return!” I was doing things FOR God, instead of working WITH God. There is a big difference.

Other forms of deception may include:

* “waiting” on the Spirit via hours of meditative prayer (leading to seance conditions)
* praying to God around you, or within you, or using pictures to do so
* answers to prayers that do or are expected to come in fantastic ways
* suffering that hardens or is fruitless
* “leading” that is out of accord with God’s Word
* compulsory confession of sin

What to do?

1. Stand daily on Romans 6:11 as the attitude to sin.
Romans 6:11   Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2. Resist the enemy (James 4:7) daily on the ground of the blood of Christ (Rev 12:11).
James 4:7   Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Revelation 12:11   And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb...

3. Live daily for others; live outward, and not inward.

I will tell you a quick true story. Some summers ago I was experiencing a back pain that would zing me every time I hitched my hip. This was quite frustrating for my husband; he is a chiropractor and his wife should definitely NOT be having back pain. We tried everything to no avail (including long doctor visits and ultrasounds to check my kidneys and whatnot), and I just learned to live with it. One day I was taking a walk, and was reminded of something I had read in this book. Well, I tell you what, I was very angry and demanded that “in the name of Jesus Christ I refuse to have this back pain!” That very instant the pain went away and has never returned. I remember feeling very guilty and faithless as I kept “testing” my back, but God granted me mercy and delivered me. True story. This was not a “trick” to get rid of whatever is aggravating me, but was a real life example of how an evil spirit can hinder and poke around in a believer’s life, and how a believer can overcome through the blood of Jesus Christ.

In a nutshell:

“Without exception, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is marked by (1) a Christlike spirit of love, (2) soberness of spirit vision, (3) keenness of vision, (4) deep humility of heart and meekness of spirit, with lion-courage against sin and Satan, and (5) clearness of the mental faculties with a ‘sound mind’ (2 Tim 1:7).

Speaking generally, proof that manifestations are ‘sense-manifestations’ from deceiving spirits may be found in the attitude being wrong, e.g., (1) a condemning and judging spirit; (2) the spirit-vision is dulled; one cannot see marks of God at work in other ways; (3) an absence of true Spirit-power in (a) conviction of sin, (b) deliverance of souls, or (c) salvation of souls; or (4) the spirit is ‘sweet’ in a weak sense, with mind dulled, and unable to work with clearness”.

This is not an easy book to read. But it is worth the time and the freedom it will afford you. I’d love to find an original, unabridged version; I bet it’s even better than the copy I have. Don't you want to recognize the devil's work and to tell him to shove off already?

Ephesians 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

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