Evil doesn't go away by closing your eyes to it.

I don’t believe we actually take into account how many times we have been attacked by the devil in our every day lives.   I think people are afraid to talk about the devil and his ways, and I don’t understand that.   I would think that the more educated we are on his ways, the better prepared we would be to fight them.   

I don’t think in speaking about something that actually exists that I am giving it life or glorifying him.  I think that in learning about satan I am preparing myself, putting on armor in a way, to fight off his evil attacks.  I think the people who walk through this life and never acknowledge that there is an evil presence in our everyday lives are asking to be attacked.  I think they are choosing ignorance over being empowered.   

If God/Jesus didn’t want us to be aware of the evil that roams around this earth, to and fro, then there would never be any acknowledgment that it exists.  If we weren’t to be on guard and prepared for it then there would be no use to discuss it.   

It is the exact opposite.  God wanted us to be prepared of the evil that lurks in the world and how to recognize his lies.  We fall trap to the lies and deceits of the devil every day.   Every single day we walk into the traps of satan one way or another.  I think this is happening because we are not educated enough on him and his ways.  

I think that we have it in our head that satan and hell are fictional places that truly don’t exist, and that is just not the case.  There is an opposite for everything that exists in this world.  The opposite of light is darkness, the opposite of fear is faith, the opposite of hate is love, so there has to be an opposite for God, which would be satan and an opposite for Heaven, which would be hell.  

I think when we choose to live our lives as if hell, satan and his demons do not exist we are painting a giant bullseye on us to be attacked.   I think in a way, this actually gives satan power over believers.   We need to be aware of the motives of satan.  We need to be wide eyed to how he works around us and be prepared for the attacks, because they are going to come, and be ready to fight back!  

We really need to take control back of our lives and stop opening the door to darkness.  We need to be aware and acknowledge the presence of evil instead of opening the door, setting out refreshments and asking it to stay for a while.   We need to start calling what it is by its name instead of turning a blind eye to it.   

I understand the phrase whatever you give energy too, that is the thing that expands in your life, but what if that philosophy isn’t always correct?  What if there is something we need to be aware of so that we are prepared to come into battle, when we are forced too.

Why is it so easy for people, believers and non-believers, to call God out for the bad things that happen in this world, but yet, we don’t call out satan, for the bad things that happen in this world?

Why is it that almost every time someone finds out that I am a Christian, the first thing they ask me is, why does God let babies get cancer, and die?  Well, how am I supposed to know that?  How am I supposed to answer that question?  What I’d like to say is why is it that you allow the devil to cloud your thinking so much, that you aren't able to expand your mind into believing that there is more than you can see.

Do you understand what I am saying?  If we are in a war with another country, we educate ourselves on their tactics, on their arsenal and their plans, so why do we not do the same against the devil?  

In John 13: 2 we are getting the back story on Jesus and Passover.   Jesus is in full understanding that he is going to the Cross, and he is trying to get the disciples ready for that time.  In verse 2 it reads, So (it was) during supper, Satan having already put the thought of betraying Jesus in the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son.  

If it wasn’t important for us to know how the devil works, do you think that the Bible would have a verse in John 13 dedicated to it.    We are seeing here that not only is Jesus going to be deceived, which will bring forth the process of the Cross, but how Jesus is going to be deceived.  We are seeing the conception of the lie.     

What do we know about Judas?  We know that he stole money, or skimmed money, off of the donations to the disciples and Jesus.    We know that Judas, out of greed, sealed Jesus’s fate with a kiss, the kiss of deception.   These are the two things we know of Judas, well at least the two things that stand out the mos,t to me about Judas.  Here is what else we know.  Judas was a vigilant follower of Jesus.   He followed him around night and day, among the other disciples.  I would think this means that Jesus recognized something special in Judas. 

I believe that though Judas is not a person I would want to be compared too, he is probably just like all of us.  He was open for attack, and used by satan.   I believe that Judas loved Jesus, and I think we see that love and utter remorse for his actions, when he hung himself, after Jesus was arrested.  Judas knew that he was wrong for his actions, which is why he threw the money back at the men, and proceeded to kill himself.   

Judas was being used by satan, and I don’t think he even knew it.  This one verse says a lot, I think.  It’s telling us that a man who loved Jesus, spent day and night with him for three years, was still able to be deceived by satan.  How much more equipped should we be then?    

This is actually a man who lived, worked, prayed, ate and slept, almost every waking moment of his life for three years, with Jesus and yet he still betrayed him.   He was still open for satan to work through him.  He still was able to have his mind corrupted by satan, enough for him to betray Jesus.

The point I am trying to make here is, if a man, who is in the same space as Jesus was for three years, is still open to being deceived by the devil, how much more prepared should we be.   We should truly educate, not glorify, not praise, or worship, but educate ourselves, on the working and characteristics of satan.  You will be empowering yourself against an attack, that is surely coming.

We are children of the most high God and we have the power and authority that Jesus has, and if Jesus was able to conquer the advances of satan, then we certainly are capable of conquering the advances of satan as well. 

Jesus used the weapon of the Word of God, and we are very fortunate to have the ability to arm ourselves with the same words that Jesus used against satan, that brought him to victory.   Choose to be educated and not ignorant.  Choose to see clearly through the eyes of faith; instead of skewed through the eyes of fear!