Can Satan Control Your Thoughts?

We can go wrong in two directions when we talk about Satan. Either we don’t take him existence and malign intention seriously enough, or we give him to much credit. Satan can not implant thoughts into your mind.

The Bible teaches us that Satan is a created being and that he tempts through suggestion and arguments. For instance in Matthew 4, what we see there is that Satan’s a scripture twister. Satan isn’t original. He doesn’t write script.

He’s never written a book. He doesn’t know how to paint anything. He doesn’t know how to create anything, he can’t create anything, he distorts the Word of God, he runs around with spray paint painting over Mona-Lisa. The only way we can discern Satan’s voice is to know God’s voice better.

It’s often said by people who counteract the counterfeiting industry that the best way of being able to tell a counterfeit bill is to know the real thing really well. Jesus says “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” To really know His voice, to know what His Word has said, to know the scriptures well enough, to know what He’s truly saying, is because Satan is a pretty good theologian. Satan knows the Bible too. And Satan twists scripture.

We have to know what Scripture says in order to be able to discern when he’s twisting it, but we also twist scripture ourselves. I don’t think it’s very easy to distinguish. I can’t in my own life distinguish between Satan and my flesh. In either case, I think that Satan is taking advantage of the weakness of my sinful nature. But, ultimately it’s my sinful nature that gives him fodder and makes me susceptible to his false teaching.

Temptation begins with the need to fulfill our own desires that take us away from God. For example: if you have a desire to binge watch Netflix on the weekends, that will take you away from God, you know you should go to church but satan will say God will forgive you, if you miss church. If you fall for this to many times. You will stop praying and praising God at all.

The Word of God is our offensive weapon. The defensive weapon is the righteousness of Christ.

When Satan comes to you and tempts you into thinking that you really don’t have a relationship with God, because you don’t pray or praise Him anymore you begin struggling with the same sin over and over again, that’s when Satan focuses on criticisms.

He’ll even quote scripture out of context. Do you say then, “let me have a conversation with you, Satan about my Christian experiences? It’s a lot better than you think it is. No, you put on Christ. Don’t go reach for your righteousness in a conversation with Satan. Repent. Put on Your Armor Of God. And start obeying God.

Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world by this you know the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus, is not from God.

What You Need To Know About Temptation

Is it possible to be tempted and not realize it? Is it possible to sin without being aware? What does it mean to be tempted?

We experience temptation when a though comes to our mind and you are aware that to act according to that impulse would be wrong. You come to a moment of decision; will you choose to sin here, or will you choose to overcome sin? Everyone is tempted when they are drawn away by their own desires and enticed. (James 1:14) A temptation is always conscious. We are aware that to give in to this thought would be to sin; to do what we know to be wrong. And it’s important to remember that you can’t be tempted without the thought first coming into your mind. That is the temptation, not sin we have committed.

How To Respond To Temptation

It has to do with your attitude: What do you want more? Eternal life with Jesus, or the passing pleasure of Sin? That always has to be in your mind. Go to God humbly and pray, “God give me strength to stand here and to not give in. I am weak, but you are strong! Give me grace to overcome.” You can not overcome anything without power fromHim; without the power of the Holy Spirit. You need His grace to be victorious. And then of course He gives you that power. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2: Chronicles 16:9) You can’t stop a temptation from coming in to your thoughts, but you can disagree with it and stop it from coming in to and affecting your Spirit.

Even when a temptation lasts for a long time. When there is something I you that fights for life, and wants the opposite of God’s will. That is your flesh trying to assert itself. It can feel like the temptation is going on and on and on, but it is important to understand that as long as you are consciously saying, “No! I will not do this thang I am tempted to . I will not get angry, I will not be envious, I will not allow impure thoughts” then you are not sinning. No matter how long the temptation lasts.

Living In Victory!

Then you are living in victory! It’s Avery conscious fight. But then sin will die,and when it’s dead, it is dead. If another temptation comes up, it’s something new you’re fighting against. You have to understand that. It’s not that old thing coming back from the dead, it’s a new enemy, it’s a new battle, and once again, you are able to resist it until it is dead.

You can never take a moment to think, “Well should I do it or shouldn’t I? How fare can I go? Is it really so wrong?” etc. Thoughts like that prove that you are not serious about overcoming, and sooner or later you will give in to the sin. It’s allowing Satan to get in your ear. Without delay you must say “Get behind me Satan!” And then he has to disappear.” “For it is written” And then you throw Gods Word at him, just as Jesus showed us. Satan has no power against the Word of God. (Matthew 4:4-10)

You can live in this victory every day, in every situation, and live a completely pure life.

What If I Only Realize Something Was Din After I’ve Done It?

You will always know when you are being tempted. You can not be tempted without knowing you are being tempted. However, some of your deeds, words, and thoughts may be against God’s will. You can sin without being aware of it at the time; that’s what the Apostle Paul calls “deeds of the body.”But then you can’t say that you have been tempted, because you weren’t aware that sin was going to come out. Then there is no condemnation for that; you don’t need to feel guilty or discouraged for those actions. (Romans 7:25; Romans 8:1) However, that doesn’t mean we don’t do anything about it.

In Romans 7:15-25 it is written about the two “I.” One “1” is my flesh and the other “I” is my spirit, or my decision to serve God.

The Qualities Of Honest Individuals

The truth can sting, but it’s bitter medicine that could save your life.

Honestly is a valuable trait in a world full of false promises. Today we’re exploring five qualities of honest individuals.

They’re Not Concerned About Popularity Contests.

Honest people don’t obsess over what peers think of them. They simply are who they are, and other people can take it or leave it.

They Stand Up For Their Beliefs.

Honest people don’t go looking for fights, but they also aren’t afraid to speak their mind. Honest people will state their opinions even when their beliefs are against the majority. While this may irk individuals concerned with bureaucracy, most people will respect honesty and be impressed with those willing to stand out against the hive mind.

They Are Thick Skinned.

Honest requires thick skin. Not all people love hearing the truth, and when you dish out a fresh dose of reality some might be inclined to toss it back in your face (plus a little venom).

Honest people may fall victim to the insecure defensiveness of others, requiring them to be thick skinned.

They Have Close Friendships.

People who are honest often have rich, meaningful friendships. Others know that their honest friend won’t complain about the behind their back, and will instead face any issues head on. This level of trust allows for deeper, healthier relationships.

They Are Trusted By Peers.

Peers will seek the aid of honest people, knowing they can count on them for true, objective advice. Many others will lie and tell you the story you want to hear. They do this to avoid any injured feelings, but there are many times with the difficult truth is what people really need to hear. Others trust honest people to tell them how it really is, without sugar coating the truth.

What’s The Difference Between Karma and Reaping What You Sow?

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked for whatever one sows, that will he also reap,” Galatians 6:7.

For many people, the word ‘karma’ is used interchangeably with this biblical concept of reaping what you sow. And that’s understandable, given how these two principles sound like the same exact thing. However, they are two different concepts.

If we aren’t careful, we can easily mistake karma and reaping what we sow as being one in the same. We souls be mindful of the difference, or we run the danger of erring in our understanding of what Christ did on the cross, what the Holy is currently working out in us, and the truth about eternity.

Here are some differences between karma and reaping what you sow:

The Meaning Of Karma

The word karma was in my vocabulary before I ever understood the biblical principle of sowing and reaping. Before I ever knew Jesus as my personal savior, I knew what karma was. When I came to the knowledge of Christ and His Word, I knew something didn’t Lin up between what karma taught and what the Bible tells us.

The definition of karma is the belief that good and bad experiences in this life are the sum result of deeds done in both current, previous, lives. Karma is supposed to help us make sense of why we may be going through certain situations it also give us rationalization for the cycles of birth and death.

On the surface level perspective, karma bridges the gap between good action and good results as well as bad actions and bad results in this life in their previous lives. What a person sows now, they reap in a future life. And karma can accumulate, giving you a chance to balance out positive or negative consequences.

Sowing and reaping in a faithful life relates to the eternal implications that faith has on the Kingdom of God.

In the Hebrew language ‘sow’ means to conceive, to bear, or to yield, “To reap means to harvest.” Sowing and reaping can both be applied to a persons life on earth as we,k as in eternity. However m it’s different from karma in the faith in Christ is a major component.

Isn’t it interesting how similar in verbiage and basic understanding these two concepts seem to be. Without the knowledge of Christ and the discernment of the Holy Spirit, it can easily be mistaken one for the other. However, both of these principles have very different effects on our beliefs and ways of thinking.

The Source Of Karma

One primary and biblical concept of sowing and reaping in their source. Knowing where certain practices and concepts originate help give us discernment in recognizing what is Godly and and what is ungodly. We can sift through the gray areas and look at the historical truths of these to principals to get a clearer picture of what we here should be doing, saying, and believing.

Karma originates from the Hindu tradition. The mention of karma appeared in a text called Rigveda, which is known as the oldest Hindu text.

As time passed, different cultures and traditions have taken the concept of karma and have added different details to it, so the law of karma ranges depending on geographical areas.

The Source Of Reaping And Sowing

The prior sowing and reaping is a biblical concept found throughout the Word of God.

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever ones sows, the Will he also will reap. For the one who sows in his own flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit Will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, firing due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6-7-9.

We are too stand on the Word of God as the highest authority, and God wants us to live in accordance with what is written in the Bible. The word of God is our sword. It is sharp enough to decide truth from non-truth, but on,y when we don’t dilute it.

When we mix the biblical concept of sowing and reaping with karmic beliefs, we run the risk of diluting God’s Word. And we become more lenient and accepting of the things of this world. Whether we mean to do so or not, we can actually find ourselves comprising the Word of God in our lives. This is why it’s important to test all things against scripture. Karma, from the basis of it’s foundation, is something that speaks against what the word teaches us.

The Discipline Of Prayer

The discipline of prayer is the intimate pursuit and practice of the personal communication we have available between God and Us.

It is spoken and unspoken confession of Christian faith by engaging and proclaiming our complete dependence on Christ as Lord over our lives. Prayer is not just a selfish wish list to get God to cater to our needs and whims; rather, it’s true purpose and the reason is also a perseverance, and maturity.

Prayer is meant to line us up in Christ and to confirm us to Him, so it builds us up in Him. It’s makes us willing and able to express praise, worship, seek forgiveness from God, become more sensitive, confess sins, make petitions for one another, and help others to be shaped too.

How To Think Outside The Box?

Unless you have been living in a cave away from civilization for decades, you have no doubt heard the phrase “think outside the box.”

It could have been a teacher saying it to you in a classroom or your boss instructing you to do so in a meeting.

You may have heard it from your parents as they encouraged you to find a solution to one of life’s many problems.

This phrase can either drive you close to madness or unleash creativity during innovation you never realized existed within you.

In an age where artificial intelligence and technology seem to be taking over more of our daily lives, experiences have shown that humans still have an innate ability to put our creative talents to work.

We can do so in ways that modern machines cannot and may not be able to do for generations to come.

If you’re striving to learn how to think outside the box in your personal and perhaps even your professional life, I’ve got some suggestions you may want to consider.

To understand what thinking outside the box means, it ultimately comes down to your ability todo away with the current way to think and seek out fresh perspectives.

For example, as you age, you naturally become a creature of habit, both with your behavior and your thinking.

As a result, you become more and more comfortable with familiar routines, making it more difficult and inconvenient to put aside your long-held beliefs about various topics.

Rather the face the risk of failure or rejection we tend to cling to our beliefs much like Linus did with his security blanket.

Ultimately limiting ourselves and keeping ourselves from reaching our full potential.

The end result is never giving our minds the opportunity to try and think of new ways to do things.

We trap ourselves and our thinking and have a hard time thinking differently.

When you are thinking differently that you have done throughout your life, you will quickly find it is far more difficult than you expected.

As to why this happens, I think there are many factors at work.

Having a willingness to think differently means taking a chance on being different from family, friends, and co-workers.

For many of us, this is a fate worse than death, since we risk alienating those who are closest to us.

Instead we find it much easier and emotionally soothing to be a follower, rather than a leader.

Along with this, some find that thinking outside the box is a concept that people simply find too foreign to understand.

Much like they would study a foreign language, doing so diligently will ultimately result in being able to unleash new and innovative ways of thinking.

According to some experts you only need to look at children to see how well this concept can work.