Are you fighting Satan… or resisting God?

When you receive a trial, when a demon troubles you, or when something just goes wrong… is it Satan doing it, or God? Can Satan hassle just anyone? For that matter, WHY do the demons even exist?

Psalms 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

Demons are one of God’s tools to punish erring people! He sends demons to people who NEED TO LEARN A LESSON. But they CAN’T touch you if you are righteous!

Job 1:8-12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

God had placed a HEDGE about Job so that Satan could not reach him! Satan had to get His express permission to touch Job, and even THEN he had very definite limits on his powers! God sends an evil spirit ONLY to teach someone a lesson. Their purpose is to show you that you are missing something – whether righteousness or faith, if a spirit is there, it is YOUR FAULT!

1 Kings 22:19-20 … I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead?…

Notice that God WANTED Ahab to die at Ramothgilead, And He was looking for a way to make this happen; and so someone suggested a way…

Verses 20-23 … And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

And so the lying prophets around Ahab were there by the commandment of God! Never forget WHO is in charge of the universe! Demons don’t run willy-nilly and mess with the people of God! GOD tells them where they can and cannot go!

This means that if YOU are suffering adversity, that GOD is the one sending it! Whether He uses an evil spirit or not, GOD SENT YOU TROUBLE! Which means that YOU NEED TO CHANGE!

1 Samuel 16:14-15 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit FROM GOD troubleth thee.

Where did this “evil spirit” come from? It plainly says an evil spirit FROM THE LORD troubled Saul. Satan may not have LIKED Saul before, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO until he was sent FROM THE LORD! Just like with Job, there was a HEDGE about Saul that HE COULDN’T PENETRATE!

While Satan is at war with God, he also knows who is in charge; as evidenced by the first chapter of Job. Christ said “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). God’s will IS DONE in heaven! And when God, or one of His followers is on earth, HE OUTRANKS THEM – they do what HE wants!

Luke 10:17-19 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Do not misunderstand; the enemy HAS POWER, and MORE power than your puny physical frame does…

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

But IF YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS – IF YOU ARE SERVING GOD – YOU OUTRANK HIM! And at YOUR WORD, he MUST flee!

James 4:7-8 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.

And so you see – if you have a problem in your life – or if you are troubled by a demon – it is because God has ALLOWED him access to you! Which means that YOUR HEDGE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and your SHIELD OF FAITH are weakening! Which means that YOU NEED TO CHANGE, to DRAW CLOSER TO GOD SO THAT HE CAN DRAW CLOSER TO YOU!

When something goes wrong, your VERY FIRST QUESTION SHOULD BE… WHAT HAVE *I* DONE??

Jeremiah 8:5-7 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

When you receive the JUDGMENT OF GOD, you’d BETTER say “WHAT have I DONE??”, otherwise the judgment will continue – and get worse! And yet today, when people have problems of any sort, they say “Oh, it’s just Satan persecuting me…” … well, maybe it IS Satan doing it… but who told Satan he could? Who ALLOWED Satan access to you, to hassle you, IF NOT GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF??

And WHO GAVE GOD A REASON, WHO gave him an EXCUSE to remove your hedge, to ALLOW Satan to punish you, IF NOT YOU! YES, YOU! You are the ONLY one responsible! So when it happens to you, ask yourself WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME? WHAT DID *I* DO TO CAUSE IT??

If you don’t want to have troubles from the Devil, you need a SHIELD! In order to HAVE this shield, you must BE RIGHTEOUS! You must have CLEANED yourself up and GIVEN GOD NO EXCUSE TO PUNISH YOU!

Ephesians 6:10-11, 16 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…. Above all, taking the shield of FAITH, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

This faith is not the half-mystical, esoteric, translucent, slippery, incomprehensible GARBAGE you’ve always been taught, but rather what it says in

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

You must believe that God IS, you must believe that God will reward those who are doing what He asked… and THAT YOU ARE DOING WHAT HE ASKED! If you don’t believe THAT, the first two points are meaningless! And if you calmly, sincerely KNOW, that there is NOTHING you are doing that might offend God, then you HAVE this SHIELD OF FAITH, and you NEED NOT FEAR THE DEVIL, for he CANNOT HARM YOU!