By January 12, 2006 1 Comments Read More →

Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 05

 Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 05
Trinity Graduate Level Courses In Theology And Apologetics

A Review of Mind Manipulation Since Creation

“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. (2) They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. (3) They all ate the same spiritual food (4) and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (5) Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. (6)

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. (7) Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.’ (8) We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did–and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. (9) We should not test the Lord, as some of them did–and were killed by snakes. (10) And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killed by the destroying angel. (11) These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (12) So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (13) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1st Corinthians 10:1-13, NIV).

This review is a study to expose the many tricks and traps of mind manipulation presented by the enemy of humankind, recorded as warnings of folly and error for generations to come. The key scripture in the above passage comes from verse 6 “Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” The word heart is interchangeable with mind; “…setting our hearts [minds] on evil things as they did.”

God gives us total instructions in the Bible toward how to live a victorious life over the adversary: “All Scripture is God-breath (inspiration) and is useful (profitable) for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2nd Timothy 3:16, NIV). Often coined “you will not know where you are going, until you know where you have been;” that is to say, knowing your history teaches the past, in order to prepare for a bigger, better and brighter future. If no one has told you that you were already a conqueror through Christ Jesus, would you live a victorious life or a defeated one? Hosea 4:6 declare that God’s people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge. “A Review of

Mind Manipulation Since Creation” will reveal the source of human weakness and the many roles Satan play in the game of mind manipulation.

Satan Who?

“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!” (Isaiah 14:12)

First let us explore who Satan is and where did he come from. It is extremely important to know everything about your enemy to determine what are his weaknesses and strengths. Satan was a beautiful and intelligent creature who became full of pride: “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor…” (Ezekiel 28:17, NIV).

The Apostle Paul called him conceited in 1st Timothy 3:6 and urged leaders not to become this way otherwise they too would face the same fate as the devil. Satan was the first of God’s creations to sin. He puffed himself up so full of pride that he actually thought that he could be greater than God; “For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;” (Isaiah 14:13, NKJV). Imagine any of God’s creations turning on Him as to say he is greater or mightier than the Omnipotent Creator. This was clearly no contest “…So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings” (Ezekiel 28:17b, NIV). God hurled Satan out of heaven onto the earth and vow that he would be destroyed because of his sin. The moment Satan sinned he became a loser, a defeated foe.

Although Satan was expelled from life in Heaven he still has access to It according to the first two chapters of Job. We see that this rebellious creature is still accountable to God, for verses 1:6 and 2:1 state that Satan presented himself before the Lord along with the angels (sons of God). Satan, which means adversary in Hebrew is limited by God and his powers are by no means, in no way equal to God’s. It may be Satan’s duty to oppose the works of God and attempt to hinder God’s plans, but Satan still has to answer to the Almighty.

Believe it or not, Satan’s powers are so limited, (remember, he is finite) that he can only be in one place at a time. But being an intelligent and crafty creature, he persuaded a third of the angelic host to consort with him: these wicked cohorts known as demons (unclean, evil, seducing and/or familiar spirits) pick up the slack. Satan and his demons are real, and there are scriptures that support the fact that Satan is a real person.

Jesus Christ was sent according to 1st John 3:8b “to destroy the works of the devil;” Satan tested Jesus forty days in Matthew 4:1-11; Jesus saw him fall from Heaven in Luke 10:18; and Peter refers to him “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” in 1st Peter 5:8 (NKJV). Satan will also be bound by chains and cast into prison (bottomless pit) for a thousand years, Revelation 20:1-3. In addition to Satan’s many personifications, he has many names or titles: Lucifer, Devil, Beelzebub, Belial, Adversary, Enemy, Accuser of the Brethren, Dragon, Serpent, God of this World, Prince of this World, Prince of the Air and Wicked One.

Mind Manipulation was created in the heart of Satan. He believed in his heart that he could and would exceed God. Because Satan deceived himself, he is known to be the great deceiver of all humankind. Satan loves to be worshiped and want all glory for himself. He causes sickness, diseases; physical and mental disorders; disasters, calamity,

casualties and fatalities. He hates all that is good and is an enemy to God and His children (Christians), indeed, he rages war against the saints who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, Revelation 12:17. But remember this, one of Satan’s weaknesses is that he can do nothing without the permission of God. Satan does not know the thoughts of God’s people (unless he has planted them), nor is he privilege to know our future, unless it is revealed. It is only through God allowing the devil to do what he does, for God has given him free reign over the earth, but not authority over all.

God can stop every trick and trap the enemy sets, but there is an ultimate-divine purpose for temptation and tragedy to hit Believers, the reason will be explained later on in this chapter. Also another weakness of Satan is the resistance of Christians “…submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” (James 4:7, NKJV). It is imperative for Christians to say no to evil thoughts, temptations and deeds. Resisting temptation is not easy at first, but the more you say NO to the devil, he will eventually flee. No one likes rejection, not even persistent Satan, for God’s Word is true: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1st John 4:4, NKJV).

Let us examine Satan’s strengths. Satan is the ruler of principalities, evil powers, the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). He is also the ruler over this world, flesh, sinners, and backsliders. It appears that he has pretty much monopolized all that is material, physical, partly mental and possibly spiritual. This could be quite intimidating to the natural eye. When Christians see the

works of the devil daily through sickness, disease, pain, suffering and death, this generates fear in their hearts. No one wants to get sick, loose his or her earthly goods or mourn a death. Job said “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I dreaded has happened to me” (Job 3:25, NKJV). Fear originates from Satan and then is penetrated into the hearts (minds) of people. The very thing you dread the most, if you dwell on it long enough it will manifest. The subconscious mind is a very power part of the human mind. That is why Satan strategically plant fear, negative and wicked thoughts (seeds) into the minds of Christians. The subconscious area of the mind is Satan’s concentration area. Once he has entered into that vulnerable place, without resistance he can control your thought life; which gives him greater strength.

Another way Satan gains strength is through a Christian’s tongue. The Apostle James devotes an entire chapter to the power of the tongue and how untamable it can be; he proclaims, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8, NIV). In Proverbs 18:21, the tongue is noted to be so powerful that death and life are governed by it. Often times when things go wrong, Christians are quick to give the devil the credit. Not realizing or admitting that s/he may have caused the problem. Giving Satan credit for everything that goes wrong is actually giving him glory and magnifying his power. Also, speaking negative words is a killer. Negative words are negative seeds that are capable of being planted in the hearts/minds of others or in the spiritual realm. Demons love negative talk; it is their duty to fulfill them. Negative words are designed to destroy relationships, confidence, hopes and dreams. Negative talk like

gossip and lies are sinful, “A gossip betrays a confidence” (Proverbs 11:13, NIV) and “The Lord detests lying lips” (Proverbs 12:22, NIV), participating in any of these will support the works of the devil and give him more strength.

Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 05
Trinity Graduate Level Courses In Theology And Apologetics

Article Bank | Net Income | About IndiaIndian Coins | Physics Made Simple | India

About the Author:

1 Comment on "Resisting Mind Manipulation, Lesson 05"

Trackback | Comments RSS Feed

  1. lucia Harry says:

    this lesson is very important, it is a help to recognize evil aroun you . may God help us

Post a Reply to lucia Harry

Trinity School (this website) offers totally tuition-free programs. You pay only a small one-time registration fees!! Please go to the horizontal menu-bar at top and use it it to check our programs, application procedure, etc.