Something Satanic

Are you able to be taught?

Are people able to tell you things?

Can you recieve instruction and act according to it?

Are you able to take correction?

Can you admit you were/are wrong?

Are you able to assess your motives for doing something honestly and fairly?

Are you able to learn in any circumstance from any one at any time?

You know what separates the children of God from the children of Satan?

The realization you are a sinner destined for Hell and that you cannot get to Heaven on your own. In my experience, the hardest thing for unsaved people to accept is that they are sinners: they cannot work their way to heaven, and nothing good they have ever done is worth anything in God's eyes.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our

righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade

as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken

us away.

Isaiah 64:6

A wise man said this- God can't save you if you're trying to save yourself.

Jesus is God (John 1) He was there from the beginning, even so:

Though he were a Son, yet learned he

obedience by the things which he suffered;

and being made perfect, he became the

author of eternal salvation unto all them

that obey him;

Hebrews 5:&9

He was perfect yet He still had some things to learn, and those things He learned made Him perfect and brought about our salvation. 

On the other hand:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O

Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou

cut down to the ground, which didst

weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will

ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne

above the stars of God: I will sit also upon

the mount of the congregation, in the sides

of the north:

I will ascend above the heights of the

clouds; I will be like the most High.

Isaiah 14:12-14

Instead of humbling himself, Satan exalted himself.

Fast forward through our time, past the tribulation, armageddon, the millennium kingdom, and the judgment seat-

And the devil that deceived them was
cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,
where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night for
ever and ever.
Revelation 20:10

You can't misread that, the devil, Satan, will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
This is the end of self exaltation and the inability to see wrong in yourself.

This account of Satan's judgment has been around for two thousand years give or take. Satan knows this. He knows, better than we do, what his end will be.

So the question is: why does he continue?

Thou art the anointed cherub that 

covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast

upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast

walked up and down in the midst of the

stones of fire.

Thou was perfect in thy ways from the

day that thou was created, till iniquity was

found in thee.

--skip to verse 17--

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy

beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by

reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to

the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that

they may behold thee.

Ezekiel 28:14-15,17

He continues because he thinks he can rewrite the Book. Satan was upon the mountain of God, the anointed cherub that covereth- he knows God, he knows God's power, he knows his destiny in the lake of fire and still he rebels and resists God.

That is frightful wickedness. That is satanic.

So

A high opinion of yourself

One upping people

Always thinking you're right in every situation

An inflated sense of your abilities

Inability to grant others the right to their own opinions

Inability to listen, learn, or obey

Inability to see truth where it contradicts you

Irrepressible disappointment when no one acknowledges the work you did on something

Trying to be in control of every situation

Thinking your way is the best way
High mindedness 

Allowing your assumptions of people to dictate the way you treat them

Lack of personal/spiritual growth

The above list are just a few of the fruits borne by people who, like Satan, will not be told the truth- by themselves or others.

Saved people can be just as guilty of this as unsaved people.

As a saved person, these things will not land you in the lake of fire but they will prevent Spiritual growth by keeping you from walking with God.
Not only that but your testimony will be ruined.

One of the best proofs of humility is being able to learn from others, situations, and being able to 'parent' yourself.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God

resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the

humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the

devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your

hearts, ye double minded.

Be afflicted and mourn and weep; let your

laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to

heaviness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he

shall lift you up.

James 4:6-10

If you don't humble yourself, God will do it for you and that is the very last thing anyone wants.

I hope this helps in some way!

Salvation and Submission- My Personal Testimony

My posts have been fewer and further in between nowadays. I wish it wasn't the case but it's been busy around my home. Maybe not so much busy as much as my husband has been working a lot so I've had more to do around home.
It's been almost a year since my husband started the job he currently has. We've been going and going for a whole year and now we're tired and really need a vacation.
I find myself listless and disinterested. Everything I love to do I don't have the energy and mind power to do it. It may also be the heat, but I really think I'm just tired and would really like a break.

I am a Junior Church teacher. It's like nursery time only more structured. I have children 2-4 years old and the 4 year olds will be moving into the main service when they are five.
Every Sunday, before the evening service, my pastor meets with all the teachers in the church. He's asked us to share our personal testimony, specifically when we submitted to serving the Lord, in the upcoming meetings. The purpose of this, is so that we can see the Lord's work in each other's lives and so that the children we are teaching can learn, grow, and realize that God is real to their teachers.

I've been thinking about it and I thought I'd share it on here:

I was saved as a very young child. I was probably 5 or 6 years old. I don't remember my age but I have clear and certain memories of the night of my salvation.
The months prior to my salvation I remember being scared of the night. I was scared to sleep. I knew that there was a possibility that I could wake up dead. I was terrified of that.
It was a constant battle in my mind every night.
One evening my parent's had a bible study in our house. A man came and in the course of the bible study he either promoted a false doctrine or said something blasphemous.
My father does not tolerate that.
Well, an argument ensued and I remember my father demanding the man leave our house.
The situation left myself and my sister rather shaken. When dad tucked us into bed that night we asked him about the man and his errors. Our dad explained the things the man had said and told us the error of his beliefs, he then started talking about salvation.
I knew I wasn't saved and that terrified me.
I accepted the Lord as my Saviour that night.
The months of being terrified of death ended that night for good.
Praise the Lord!
So I went on, preserved by God, just living my life- going to church, doing family devotions.
For the most part I was a luke-warm Christian with strong beliefs but no action.
I knew I needed to read my bible and pray but I didn't. I knew how to live right but I just did what I wanted.
My family flitted from church to church and, for a while, we were very spiritually dead.
I grew up very independent, very proud, and very headstrong. I did whatever I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted.
My family eventually got involved with a man named Scott Line.
He preached like we had not heard before. It was actual bible preaching. We had never been fed like that in our lives. He preached hard on sin, he preached passages we'd never really heard preached on before, he preached about the God that is a consuming fire.
We had not heard stuff like that before.
Our spirit revived.
One Sunday he preached heavily against pride.
I felt the Lord's hand heavy on me that day. I remember a burning sensation in my chest. I knew I was full of pride. It was not necessarily the pride that causes you to think that you're better than everyone. It was the pride that caused me to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to. It was the pride that caused me to think I was in control of my life and that I could decide things for myself.
After the sermon I went outside and sat on the grass.
I thought about my pride. If I wanted something, I got it, if I wanted to do something I did it. I wanted what I wanted. I was self possessed.
I gave that up to God that Sunday. I apologized for my pride and I let it go.

That was when I submitted to serving the Lord. When I stopped serving myself.
I have no been perfect at it. There have been long periods since then where I've just stopped reading my bible and praying. God is faithful, though, He keeps working on me. I don't want to leave God's side. I'm never happier than when I am close to God and doing right. I don't understand how I can easily forget it sometimes and leave off serving Him.
Slowly God has stripped me of my pride. A lot of it left as I got into the Word and it worked in my life, correcting my opinion of myself, and putting me in my place. Other things, things I grew up doing, thinking, and so on had to be purged slowly, repeatedly sometimes, and systematically.
I realize now that God didn't just throw the whole book at me at once. He had to purge one thing before the next thing could go. There are things I can let go now that I couldn't even a year ago. I wasn't ready, I didn't know better, and God knew that.
If I could only express the gentleness of God.

I hope this is in some way a blessing to you.
God bless!