The Devil Is In The Details – No, Really!

Prior to the fall and possibly before the earth was actually perfected, God was forced to bring judgment upon an angelic creature who sought to raise himself up as equal with God. He is known by many names, all of which describe various aspects of his character, but for now we will simply refer to him as the “Serpent” or the "Devil".

With the onset of the Devil’s expulsion from heaven this conflicted creature was thrown to the earth where he eventually turned his attention towards messing with humanity; beginning with Adam and Eve.

Up to this point Adam and Eve carried within themselves a standard of righteousness and purity that came from their Creator. Whether they turned to the right or the left they knew that the glory of God was present and inspiring them to succeed. They had no earthly master and God certainly wasn’t interrupting their new found authority. Yet through intrigue, the Serpent offered mankind another way to live.

When Adam and Eve chose to submit to the Devil’s agenda they were entering into an agreement or a contract. This let the Devil gain dominion over the earth as well as humanity. From that day forward the Devil would redefine creation on his own terms and mediate within all the affairs of men.

Looking back at that contractual agreement we get a glimpse of what was imposed upon humanity.

Genesis 3:3-5 The Serpent said to the woman;

• “You surely will not die”…....................Mediation in death

• “For God knows”…...................Mediating the mind of God

• “That in the day you eat from it”….Mediation in God's will

• “Your eyes will be opened,”…........Mediation in revelation

• “And you will be like God,”….Mediation in being like God

• “Knowing good and evil.”..............Mediation in knowledge

1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

For mankind to be stuck in this ghastly place obviously caters to whatever the flesh desires. What we discover is our triune nature comprised of body, soul and spirit is obligated to conform to this beast system. Hence we get used to the world feeding us a sensory smorgasbord of want and desire; yet it retains a demonic spiritual element. Sounds like “demon’s in door knob theology”, doesn’t it? Well it is; however once we get saved, we are invited to lay down this previous fleshly and spiritual commitment.

As the story goes; Jesus passed through death, burial and resurrection to provide us a new existence in Christ. But what makes this change so real is our own participation in that same event. No, we didn’t die physically, but rather we supernaturally passed through Jesus’ death in order to know His life. This is why all the old conditioning that once defined us in Adam can now fall to the wayside.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Of course the battle we face is often due to us not knowing how Jesus has made us new. As far as we know we are still a slave to the flesh and bound to the same worldly limitations. But there is still an opportunity to regain ground in Christ. Paul the Apostle offers us the solution.

Colossians 3:5-6 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

Since Paul knows the true power of the Cross, desire gets put to death by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

For future reference, keep in mind that every misdeed is based on a poor choice to play around in the Devil’s domain; followed by a demonic level of ownership. For this reason it’s a good habit to declare freedom from both.

Application

Jesus based on what you did on the Cross and by the Holy Spirit;

• Test by the Cross where I am sinning and once again subject to (doing what?)

• Judge by the Cross the spiritual realm associated with these issues.

Jesus, You are the resurrection power that now saves me and makes me new.

Authority

What we are gaining by removing so much dross from our way of life is a greater view of personal authority in Christ.

Jesus said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18)