"Satan Is Alive and Well" ...

Today, many people in the United States celebrate the day of "Halloween".  In America, it has become a season of making money through horror and terror, but also through pleasure, all in the name of entertainment.  Yet, so many people in this country, which was founded by God fearing people, have been blinded by the illusions of those things which present "Halloween" as a means of seasonal entertainment.   

In my short lifetime, I have received testimony of many things of the occult.  Some of the things I have received through documented literature and by listening to the recounting of accounts presented by people. Additionally, I have encountered my own share of the supernatural through naive experimentation as well as desiring to follow those things which oppose the occult.  Nonetheless, if it were not for the "Shadow of The Almighty", I would not be sharing these things with you today.

How can a Christian state that they are Christians if they allow themselves to abide outside Christ?  The answer is simple; they lie.  They profess to be Christians, but they cannot take a stand against those things that lay outside of Christ Jesus because they do not abide in Him.  Those that abide in Him, hold the ability to prune off those parts of themselves that are corrupt and dying.  To abide in Christ Jesus is to be alive and full of life completely dependent upon Him.  If a person does things in accordance to their own will and compromises the meaning of things with the intention of pleasing themselves and others, then that person is surely pruning themselves, but from Christ Jesus.  

When satan comes and sits by your side, you cannot do anything against him because you are a liar.  You cannot say I shall "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" because you have no source from which to draw strength that will overcome satan's strength.  You cannot say "I can do all things through Christ [Jesus] Who strengthens me." because you have chosen to do things your way and no longer have the privilege of drawing from His strength.  You cannot say I will "resist the devil and he will flee from you" because your life is but a "mere vapor" and outside of Christ Jesus, you have no access to the armor of God in order to "be able to stand against the wiles (i.e. tricks and deceptions) of [satan]."

What can you do to stop being a lair, just as your adversary, satan?  The answer is a challenge to the nature of your being.  Ask Christ Jesus to forgive you of your sin, but also to unleash His Spirit into the inner most parts of your hearts and bring-out those things which lie outside of Christ Jesus so that you can ask for forgiveness for those things as well.  Then ask His Spirit to fill-in that void which has been left clean, in accordance to the sacred scriptures.  Once the relationship has been restored with Christ Jesus, maintain a sound relationship with Him Who in turn keeps a sound relationship with God Almighty and The Holy Spirit.  Only then can you truly take a hold of the authority invested in you by Christ Jesus to take a stand of defense "against the schemes of satan".

In closing, satan has many schemes from which to present illusions.  Such illusions are powerful enough to entice a Christian to compromise their relationship with Christ Jesus.  However, God provides a way for restoration through Him.  He also allows for the empowerment of His people to "resist [satan] and he will flee from [them]."  Praise be to God in the Highest.  Praise be to God Almighty, Who through His Son, has made us whole and strong!