Quote from Forum Archives on May 21, 2001, 9:51 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Do you have any idea how much deception goes on around us, and
even within us? I do not know the complete answer to that
question, but I do have an idea about it - there is a lot of
deception that occurs. I don't know about you, but I have been
deceived before, both by others, and on occasion, by my own
thoughts as well.

The message from Neil Anderson in his daily devotional addresses
this issue. He suggests that there is quite a bit of deception
going on, but he also suggests that we have an advocate, and we
have resources for dealing with deception. The primary agent of
deception is the evil one himself, and our advocate for dealing
with the evil one is Jesus Christ. He has personally conquered
the power that sin holds over us, and He has sent to us a
personal advocate, the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of God revealed.
He has also made His truth available to us in the Bible, and
given us the means to understand and apply what it says, because
His Spirit is alive and available to guide us in every choice we
make.

My personal prayer is that I will continually seek the wise
Counsel of the Holy Spirit, and also that the Holy Spirit would
guide and protect each of us. I urge each of you to also pray
for one another, and to earnestly seek the Counsel of the Holy
Spirit today. I believe that His desire is to have a deeply
personal relationship with each of us. May it be so. Thank You
for Your indesribable gift of love to us, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Brother Brian

From: neilanderson@lists.crosswalk.com
Subject: Neil Anderson Devotional for Monday, May 21, 2001
Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 04:07:03 -0400

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

May 21

OUR DEFENSE AGAINST SATAN

The devil... does not stand in the truth, because there is no
truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own
nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies (John 8:44).

Satan's power is in the lie. He has no power over you except
what you given him when you believe his lies. You break his
power when you expose the lie. Scripture says, "We know that we
are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil
one" (1 John 5:19).

How much deception is actually going on in Christians today I can
only speculate. In my ministry I encounter it in nearly every
counseling session. Many Christians I talk to struggle with
oppressive thoughts, but they are afraid to tell anyone for fear
that others will think they have a mental problem. Seldom do
they realize that these distractions reflect the battle which is
going on for their minds, even though Paul warned us: "The Spirit
explicitly says that in latter times some will fall away from the
faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of
demons" (1 Timothy 4:1).

Since Satan's primary weapon is the lie, your defense against him
is the truth. Dealing with Satan is not a power encounter; it's
a truth encounter. When you expose Satan's lie with God's truth,
his power is broken. That's why Jesus said: "You shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). That's
why He prayed: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the
world but that you protect them from the evil one... Sanctify
them by the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:15, 17 NIV).
That's why the first piece of armor Paul mentions for standing
against the schemes of the devil is the belt of truth (Ephesians
6:14). Satan's lie cannot withstand the truth any more than the
darkness of night can withstand the light of the rising sun.

Lord, I seek Your boldness today to defeat the enemy's lies in my
life and in the lives of those around me.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
< www.ficm.org >.

You can purchase "Daily in Christ" and other titles by Neil
Anderson at christianbook.com (Christian Book Distributors -
CBD). < shopping.crosswalk.com/bye/devo_na >

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< devotionals.crosswalk.com >.
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