HOW TO GUARD AGAINST DEMONIC AND SATANIC INFLUENCE

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi
        Mark 8:33" But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he  rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of  men."
         In a parallel scripture in (Matthew 16:17) Peter had earlier been eulogized for his acknowledgment  of  the divinity of Jesus Christ and that revelation remains the bases for the existence of the church.  Ironically, a few chapters later, Peter began to rebuke Jesus after He had revealed God's plan for our redemption ; of a necessity Jesus had to be sacrificed as an  atonement  for  sins . Peter who was under Satan's influence at that moment. His carnal reasoning exposed him to the devil's antics and he soon became Satan's mouthpiece.
           Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, none of the disciples was born again. Salvation requires believing in the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom.10 :9) and since that had not taken place, they were vulnerable to Satan's manipulation: an example is the case of Judas, John 13:26 says "Jesus  answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped  it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave  it to Judas  Iscariot, the son of Simon.  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him,  That thou doest, do  quickly."This underscores how swift Satan can take over a person if given the slightest opportunity.
           It shows how subtle the enemy is, he speaks to us through the least expected sources : usually through an acquaintances ,someone who seemingly cares. This is why we need the spirit of discernment at all times to know who's voice it is that's speaking.
      From these two cases it is possible for a renowned preacher to be led by Satan( Matthew 7:22-23). Prior to the bodily death and resurrection of Christ,  Peter was practicing religion and motivated by a personal agenda.Religion is man's definition of who God is and it places the burden of salvation upon man while the born again experience is man becoming one with God through Christ's redemptive work on the cross and highlights  salvation as a gift from God obtained by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
       One can be religious,  a  worker of miracles and professing to know the way of salvation with a large following and yet led by Satan ( Acts16:16-18) . While the true teacher emphasizes  a life of righteousness, peace and joy that comes from having a personal relationship with the Holy Ghost , the false teacher defines righteousness in the lines of  how much money and material wealth  a person has(1Tim 6:10,Acts 16:19a )with activities centered on divination -foretelling the past and future events (Acts 16:16-18.)this approach to the gospel  thrives on deceit and increases corruption in a society (Matthew 7:16-17) We are not ignorant of Satan’s strategies (2Cor.2:11) A healthy church is one where followers  are encouraged to develop the fruits and gifts  of the Holy Ghost through a personal relationship with Christ and an uncompromising approach to biblical doctrine(Gal.5:22-23,1Cor12:1-11).
               In dealing with the devil we must realize that he is a creation of God ( Prov.16:4,Isaiah 45:7,Jn1:3,Ezek.28:14,15) and he is under God’s control ( Job.1:6-7,2:1-7) and can only go as God permits (Jer.27:5,Lk 4:5,6) .Satan is in charge of evil spirits (Matthew 12:24,Rev.12:3,4,7-9) .
      The born again christian is more powerful than the devil (1Jn4:4,Luke10:17) he trembles whenever we mention the name of Jesus Christ ( James.2:19,phil2:9-11) He was stripped of his power over humanity through the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb2:14,Col 2:15).
     The born again christian has been given power to cast out devils (Mark 16:17,1Jn 2:14b) .We are engaged in a spiritual warfare with Satan whether we like it or not  (2Cor.10:3-5, Eph 6:12-13) it is a battle that takes place in the mind. Satan seeks control over the minds of men and we are to stop him through the power of the gospel. We are expected to be on the alert for his antics by being committed to prayer and fasting as often as possible  (Mark 9:13-17)and avoid being religious (Acts 19:13-17) .Praying with other Christians is an advantage ,we should therefore not avoid fellowships (Matthew 18:19-20,Heb.10:25) and encourage those who have been liberated from demonic forces to get filled with the Holy Ghost and the Word of God in other to avoid falling into a worse situation than the first (Luke 11:24-26) .
      As soldiers of Christ we are to put on our spiritual amour and weaponry in order to defeat the devil (Ephesians 6:11,13), they include :the shield of faith (Eph.6:16, Psalm 91:4) the breastplate of righteousness ,faith and love (Eph.6:14,1Thes 5:8) the sword of the Spirit (6:17,Heb 4:12) The helmet of salvation (Eph.6:17,1Thess5:8) our salvation must not be in doubt for us to appropriate these very valuable spiritual assets. God has given us power over the forces of darkness (luke10:19) and He isn't trying to deliver us from Satan, we are already delivered and no more under the  influence of the devil's kingdom ( col.1:12-13) therefore we should not accept teachings that make Satan and demons appear more powerful than the church, we are blessed with all blessings (Eph1:3) and dwell in God's kingdom far from the remote control of evil spirits (Col.3:3, Gal.3:27) As you read this now, receive grace to break free from the fear of evil spirits in Jesus name.
Prayer/ counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911 Email :Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com

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