Keep it seperated

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

I put up on my facebook earlier that I have a hard time with this. I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have a problem with this when it's people I'm close to. People I'm around often. People I care about. It's hard to separate the person from the forces using the person.

That scripture says that we fight against ruler/authorities/powers of this dark world. And against the spiritual forces of evil. NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD! For me, we fight on a spiritual level. I fully believe that Satan walks around the earth like a lion seeking who he can devour. He has amazing authority to use us and manipulate us to do his will. If we are not fully submitting to God, as it says in James 4, then the devil can slide his way into our lives and do some damage.

We also have to be aware that this can happen to others. The downfall being that they are so clouded in their minds, they think that they are not wrong. They are not submitted to God in any way and being used by Satan and his minions. You may be thinking, how do we deal with this type of situation? How do we combat this evil attack upon ourselves and other people? How do I know if someone, or myself, is under the manipulation of the evil one?  Simple, let's look at some scripture.

 Let's start with how do I know if someone or myself is under the manipulation of the evil one. Like I mentioned earlier. We have to look at James 4:7. SUBMIT yourself to God. Resist the devil. And he will flee. This is hard on a normal level. Submitting yourself to God means we have to do what he says. Not just in the world but through his word as well. Seek wise counsel. Pray about it. Be obedient to correction. Repent of any wrongdoing. Make sure you have corrected any wrong with God. I think the biggest part of that is seeking wise counsel. A lot of times you can't do things on your own and need help. If you in the situation where you think someone else is being manipulated by the devil, you pray for that person. You speak God's word over them. Satan doesn't want the person to prosper in the things God has for them so he trips them up. These situations are hard, and you might have to seek some counsel on this too. Satan isn't someone you want to take on on your own. 

How do you combat evil? Scripture. When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan he kept speaking the promises of God to him. Now, don't get me wrong, Satan knows the word better than most 'Christians.' We tend to forget what he did prior to his fall from Heaven. We have to be in our word. We have to be reading and studying. Hearing the promises of God makes Satan mad. SIDE NOTE! There is life and death in the power of the tongue. Saying things OUT LOUD have great power. Even the slightest thing can make or break a situation. 

What does any of this have to do with my title? We have to remember that Satan is USING the person to do his dirty work. It isn't the person themselves. It could be a personality trait that they have had all their life that they think is just 'a part of who they are.' There is so much more that I want to say. Spiritual Warfare is my passion. Talking about it. Battling. But, for the sake of your sanity and time, I'll leave this at this point.