Beware: Satan Can Use You! (Not Just on Halloween)

Beware: Satan Can Use You! (Not Just on Halloween)     Kelly Durant 10-29-17
Mark 8: 27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?²⁸And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.²⁹And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.³⁰And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.³¹And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.³²And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. ³³But 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.
2. Today we are aware that Halloween is coming in the next few days. And why does there exist a controversy over this tradition? Why are some of us as Christians so un-attracted to this tradition which has roots from paganism? Why do many Christians choose not celebrate this but many do a fall festival instead? Could it not be because of how Satan seems to get glorified on this day through fearful characters? Could it not also be because some people actually do horrific evil on this day? These are things we should question. We are free to follow or unfollow traditions according to what is of God or not. When in doubt, don’t!  
There is no need for me to discuss in detail the practices and murderous works of the devil, satan done on different holidays and in particular Halloween. Everyone knows of these and how they are manifested in each culture! But quite often we associate satan with this alone, as the inspirer of pagan customs and evil, manipulating and manifesting himself to control by fear. But he is much more, he is a real fallen angel that has many demon followers helping him in his destruction of God’s humanity and creation. Anything associated to him must be abolished.
Halloween is an easy target to identify with its obvious dark themes. It is overtly playing around with the appearance of evil, even though most every child trick or treating is not engaged in satan worship, they are just having dress up fun, but the evil characters impersonated are undesirable. The problem is some people actually do worship satan on Halloween day! You and I reject it because of those who do real evil, due to its pagan roots, and also because it is not pretty but rather ugly, not exalting the beauty and the worship to God.
3. Compare it to this scripture from Phil 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. So pretty things… not zombies, vampires, witches, satan, and ugly characters!
Now back to Mark 8. Have we ever examined how satan showed up here? First the conversation starts off good. Peter is showing that he is the most spiritual, the best student, the wisest one to answer. He answered in verse 29, “Thou art the Christ”. He was top of the group, he must have been proud of his confirmation of Jesus that he spoke well of.
But then what happens? Jesus starts teaching of his death; He is teaching something supernatural, a prophecy about his rejection, trial, death and resurrection after 3 days. And what does Peter do? He thought he knew best all the answers, right?
Peter has the nerve to rebuke Jesus! Peter just declared that He was the Christ, but now He is telling Christ that he is wrong to say what He is saying?! What nerve!
4. So what was Jesus reaction? He said to Peter, vs.33 Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
He rebukes Satan in Peter! That is a very strong rebuke! Let’s look at this in a more all-encompassing way. How and when does satan show up? Is it just on a holiday? No! Never think that satan only works in certain places on certain days: he shows up at our most proud moments or at our weakest moments!
I find that there are many times that Jesus described satan in the gospels. Jesus warned of the works of the devil. Look up John 10:10  ^“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Satan wants to steal souls, your soul!
Here are 3 examples of times Jesus addresses satan personally attacking him: 1. When he is tempted in the dessert and He rebukes satan’s temptations, 2. When he addresses him in Peter who is accusing him, that he would not be killed and come back alive 3. When he addressed him in Judas who was possessed, betraying and scheming his betrayal in the last supper.
5. The works of the devil in people are obvious to discerning Christians. Satan entices your spiritually unprotected person to get possessed, obsessed, and divided with peers by inspiring hate, anger, fear, jealousy, rage, and violence, even getting others to kill. The goal is for his influence to inflict maximum damage on God’s people and work, in the local community, and the world. Only constant prayer and the Holy Spirit can protect us from his attacks! We must rebuke him when we are attacked and not express any of the above mentioned attributes.
Satan is always destroying life, relationships, and corrupting souls with pride, greed, lust, and power for his illicit abuse. He is a thief and a liar and his deeds get exposed time and time again. How many of you know people who have had their lives full of broken-ness and destruction because they allowed satan to get in? The problem is satan not only gets people to do evil, he gets them to be self-destructive, and then in their confusion they end up damaging everyone who is near them as well.
It is ironical that many people have hurt others in their past very deeply and yet they complain of the hurt others have done to them! Satan reproduces blatant hypocrites! Only Jesus can reveal to others their sins so that people can see that they will reap what we sew!
6. But what about satan’s deeds amongst God’s people? Could it be that there are personalities amongst us as Peter that most of the time are spiritual and even leaders, but sometimes they, out of their anger or pride, damage the good that someone of God is doing? I have seen it happen frequently!
A paradox in life and is that many people in ignorance presume that they are the center of the universe! Most people never see the big picture of what God is trying to do in their lives, of what God’s long-term plan is with them and the whole group near them. This was the case of Peter and Judas! They were accusers going against Jesus and God’s plan, shortsighted by their own plans and ideas! Beware: Satan uses people who are self-centered!
Peter was so proud that he was following the “Son of God” and so lifted up that he was bolder and smarter than the others, but at the same time he was so unaware of his own personal defects! Do we see others near us blind to their own personal defects? Ask God to reveal to you what may be wrong about your ideas, expectations, and understanding of God’s work!
7. Don’t forget Peter denied Jesus 3 times and God let that happen in order to smash his pride into nothing! In order to embarrass him as the least bold in front of all so that he would radically change and finally become useful enough to do God’s will and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Peter’s pride was offended that Jesus announced that he would die and be raised up again! No! How could that be the future for the Son of God? Peter did not want to be following a “loser”, he could not let Jesus be that! His pride and joy could not become a symbol of rejection, humiliation, and death! (But Peter was not a good listener because Jesus said that He will be raised up! That was a supernatural miracle transcending everything!)
Peter was accusing Jesus of being wrong! Peter is only focusing on the negative. Peter did not see the bigger picture of God’s work, and that is just like so many Christians in the church! How many of you know people who only focus on the negative? They always comment the most negative things for everything because they never believe there is something good at work?
8. So how can satan use even the best of people? When people do not have things their way, when they can’t be the center of the attention, or when someone says or does something that they don’t like! Instead of praying, instead of holding their words until they find out more of what is happening, instead of asking God, what are you doing and changing in my life even though I do not understand, these people explode like Peter! Better it would be to wait and see that to get a rebuke.
I lost count of the number of times I have seen people in their own carnal reactions without the holy Spirit just explode and speak all kinds of evil against other brothers and sisters, against the leaders, against the Captains, against their Corps or the Salvation Army, all done in their ignorance, anger, destructiveness and their unawareness that they are being used by satan!
That is the accusing satan that can get into any one of us, “the accuser of the saints” that should be rebuked by someone, corrected by some leader in the church! Jude 1:9
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee!
9. It is confusing when we see such a strong leader as Peter be so carnal at times! But it happens in the church! I believe a person who has had Jesus for years, a person who walks in real (not pretended) holiness having the Holy Spirit as their guide, usually is protected from satan’s attacks, but we all must all watch and pray at all times! We all must take responsibility with authority and power to rebuke anyone who is out of the spirit with their words or actions.
Satan uses any situation to make us explode in anger, to divide us, to make us think we are justified to criticize and condemn someone else over some word or action that they did, but the reality is when we rebuke a righteous person who has God on their side, we are opening ourselves up to get a rebuke, as in the case of Peter! With God’s truth we should never let proud divisive people have the last word! Jesus example was to rebuke and correct!
I understand legitimate complaints and there are mistakes made by people, misunderstandings sometimes, and these can be fixed over a friendly meeting and a conversation, but people who allow their selves to speak condemnation and accusations as Peter, need to ask their selves, is satan using me? When you feel anger and hate, ask yourself why, you may be the wrong one! Have you seen satan use someone you know in the past? Toying around with satan isn’t just a Halloween concern, it covers many aspects of our daily life of temptations, by lust and pride!
10. Satan has used most all of us in times past to some degree due to our ignorance and immaturity. But what does God need to do in your and my life, what humiliation does he need to allow to wake us up?  How hot does God need to allow the fire of the trials in your life to be in order to purge out all of the impurities and carnal behaviors that may be hidden but are coming to light?
Don’t forget that if you do not accept a rebuke and humble yourself and repent, you will end up like Judas! Peter repented in tears, but Judas wanted to show he was in charge! He was not going to get humiliated by Jesus! Jesus was not doing what he wanted for him nor for the Zealots, so he got him murdered! Sadly, Judas name is synonymous for betrayal and selling out your friend with a kiss. What shame and torment his soul must suffer!
So many so called Christians often betray their own brothers and sisters, betray their own pastors or Captains, and the church they attend because they, like Judas, never accepted that God wanted them to be humbled and radically changed!
11. Instead, they wanted to change the mission of God’s people, God’s plan of what the church should do! This was Peter and Judas problem! They always criticized and wanted to change the message of the leader and pastor. This was Peter and Judas problem! They always want to show off that they knew more than everyone else, that they were more spiritual! Satan used Peter and Judas because they had a pride problem! I pray often, Lord, make me humble, humble me in your sight!
The instruments of satan always think they are always right and others are always wrong! They believe their spirituality is superior and more dedicated than anyone else. They always say divisive things! I am telling you, we don’t need to think that satan is only around for Halloween, he is around everyday! We must rebuke him in Jesus name!   
The question is, has satan been in your thoughts, words, and actions? Many are so quick to proclaim their own goodness, that they reject Halloween, that they never sin as others, that they go to church, but how are they on the scale of pride? 
12. Has satan used you or anyone you know lately, to bring about accusations, dissentions, and betrayals amongst the saints of God? Satan knows he is an ugly creature who brings death, but too few really recognize him for his deception and subliminal works, for his behind-the-scenes works of accusing and destroying the good that God is doing!
All of satan’s works that I mentioned here is what really concerns me more than the parents who are not motivated by evil dressing up their kids to ‘trick or treat’. In the past years what my wife and I would do was dress up our kids as Bible characters and have a church party to replace their desire to be out in the world as those in the world. As covered today, the greater evil of an evil is not just an appearance of evil but rather the actual doing of evil!  
Prayer: We resist you satan, the tempter, the thief, the destroyer, the liar, the hater and murderer, and the accuser of the saints! Lord Jesus help us to rebuke and expose satan’s words and his works when we see them amongst ourselves or in the world. And help us to pray for and reason with, or even rebuke, a brother or sister when they are having a weak moment!  Let’s focus on the good and pure and lovely and downplay the ugly, evil, and cynical holidays that take our focus off of loving you, our beautiful Lord! Let’s focus on walking as Jesus walked always seeking to humbly please Him with our words and actions!

Cultures and Their Influences (In Lieu of October Heritages) Kelly Durant

Cultures and their Influences                                Kelly Durant 10-22-17

Romans 12:2 ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

2. Whether we notice it or not the culture, our environment, affects us profoundly and we imitate it and identify with it subconsciously, not even noticing how we are! For example, when I was around the Koreans a lot in Atlanta, I had a habit like them to say, “Good morning!” bowing my head!

Ask yourself, what is culture anyway? Is it a certain lifestyle? Certain foods and music? Certain races with certain geographical backgrounds?

Actually, culture is all of these things, but it is even more. Now consider, where does politics and religion come into play in influencing our way of thinking? Have you ever considered that parts of your way of thinking may be wrong according to the Bible due to your past influences of culture, politics, superstitions, traditions, and habits that were generationally passed down to you?  

3. Let’s take the cultural example of Paul of Tarsus who was an internationally experienced person. Did he claim his Jewish and Roman heritage? Those two dominated the regions back then and both had their sins and faults!

He could not deny who he was by race, education, and culture, but after coming to Jesus, after having light come in and expose the sin, he later stated that all of who he was, by pride of race, by education, by culture all amounted to something worthless (dung), remember?       

Philippians 3:8
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

4. He could not change who he was by race nor by birth position in the society yet he allowed Jesus to transform his way of thinking and being into something better than his heritage with the heritage of Jesus. And it is a universal timeless truth, like all scripture in the Bible, that we must transform ourselves by the renewing of our minds, so we are doing God’s will! Jesus basically said to just become like a little child again which implies getting back to simplicity and obedience!  

Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Paul is like all of us here, we cannot deny our genetics and past influences. Like Jesus said, that we cannot change anything about us, nor make one hair on our head a different color.  Matthew 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

5. But if we really seek the essence of Paul’s writings we discover he was quite harsh to judge and correct the mistakes of his own people, those of his own race, of his own cultural, and of his own patronage. How many of you are quick to point out the faults & sins of your own kind?

He was the one that knew the Jews and Romans best, and what was good in both and with Jesus he could distinguish, judge, and discern what was good or bad in the details of their beliefs and behaviors. These things we discover in the book of Hebrews and the book of Romans. And he even corrects quite strongly the Greeks in Corinthians, even though they were not of his culture. Why? Because God’s word is to be used to correct and to change us totally in our minds and attitudes!

2 Timothy 3:16  ¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

6. Everyone who comes to the Lord has to be willing to culturally become something they are not. (repeat) You and I must conscientiously adapt to the new Christian culture and lifestyle. It is the becoming of being a “new creature” who thinks and acts differently! It is the culture of the Kingdom of God which represents righteousness, and no nation on earth has any claim to that, all cultures and nations are corrupt but in different ways.

In many cultures certain sins are acceptable, while in others they are not. For example, a bribe to a government official to get a document paper stamped is, in many places, the accepted way of getting it done, especially if you need it now not tomorrow! They also use to say to me all the time, “Vuelva manana!” and I got tired of that pretty quick so I learned to bring a few extra dollars.  However, here, or in Europe, a bribe would be considered an insult and could even get you in serious trouble with the law!

But man’s laws are never God’s laws. Societies that have laws adapted from the Bible live with more peace and order than the ones that don’t, and to compare the laws here (or of your country) with those of the Bible would be a whole different study for another day. There are currently too many unbiblical laws!

7. But what happens when cultures go down the wrong path with their laws? The ignorant people follow but they are punished, but the wise ones, the Christian ones with the discernment of the Holy Spirit, stand up for God’s position despite the multitudes that accept the perversions, blasphemies, and cruel abuses.

I think Paul died in the hands of the Romans in part because he attacked the sins of the Roman culture head on! He made it clear from chapter 1 that all their idolatry and sexual perversion was evil and they would pay with their souls in hell and today people still hate Paul, and the Bible for exposing and condemning their horrible disrespect for God and perverse carnal indulgence.

Rome fell and lost everything, humiliated and ransacked by their neighboring barbarians, and so is the fate of all God defying, proud, carnal people and cultures that disobey God.

8. Cultures can get out of control! Here today, most of you identify with the American culture we live in, where your home is and probably you will be even more American influenced by the time you pass on. For example, when the government and corporations spend money like there is no tomorrow, with no responsibility or accountability, it sends a message to the people that this is acceptable!

But what happens when this is translated into each family and personal situation. Most Americans owe about $15,000 on their credit cards, along with owing dozens of thousands more for their house and cars!

It is the same scenario as the prodigal son. One son was faithful and had riches and blessings year after year with his father at home, while the other one decided to spend it all in the big city. We do not have a time scale for him, but the money was gone within a year, or within a few years and absolute, humiliating poverty took over. Sound familiar to our economy today noticing how the sins of unlimited partying, gambling, trade in sex and drugs, has affected our communities?

9. Cultures & places change. Miami was a vacationing city for decades with Desi Arnez and Cuban music but Miami in the 80’s & 90’s seemed to take a turn to becoming rich with all the drug dealers throwing money around. People thought it was all well & good, but today it has all gone sour. Currently some people are having to leave Miami like a ghost town since much of the gold is gone from the mine. The party of the past decades is over and the unemployment is purging everyone!

Change in the laws and economy, as in Roman times are permitting the laws of this land to become more and more accepting of promiscuous and lascivious perversions which we observe are contributing to the bankruptcy of the nation, spiritually and economically, and what can we do about it?

Romans 12:2 ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

10. We must not conform to our culture and their generationally passed down faults, which are of this world, we must make an effort to change our way of thinking, and consequently our way of doing everything with God’s word! And here it also states, “to prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. We cannot undo a nations past, but we are the future.

Seeing the corruption is difficult but at the same time you and I must recognize that there is a lot of good and acceptable things in our cultures. There is happy music to dance by, good food, folkloric poetry and literature and many things are not sinful but God given for us to enjoy. But we must discern with minds, as having minds like those in the Kingdom of God, what is wrong and what we should accept and what we should reject.

11. Let God judge and purge you today! Do you have a habit from your culture to say everything with double meanings? Do you see TV programs of your culture with violence and sex presented as entertainment and then have an appetite for them? Do you accept the carnal degenerated values of this or any other culture? I am ashamed that currently there is so much hate and putting others down, and the divisive speech and lies from many is not of Jesus.

Take this to heart, you should be becoming more a part of a new culture, and that is the culture of the Kingdom of God! This implies leaving behind the old one you were raised with! God’s culture is loving, accepting of others, and tolerant of differences of tastes in music, food, or dress. The trivial preferences don’t matter, it is the heart that matters! Jesus is our culture!

Is your heart pure, full of holiness and love, full of only good things to say about others, full of rejection for the sinful things that cultures accept that provoke suffering? Is everything about you reflecting the culture of Jesus? If not you are failing Him! Pray to live in and show Jesus culture of love and salvation!