How much attention should we pay to Satan?/Giving the devil his due and no more!

[SpiritLedEd]

As a new born-again believer, I fell into the trap of spending too much energy on Satan. I was afraid of him (which is wise up to a point), but I had a lot to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit that had begun to work in me.
It was almost as if I thought I had to rebuke Satan every time a doorknob wouldn't turn.But often what I was suffering was a consequence of a past mistake, not the result of demonic attack. In other words, I was not the victim, I was the cause of what was happening to me. I was rebuking the devil for stuff he wasn't directly involved in. And he was loving it because it was keeping my attention off of Jesus
.
A turning point for me in this regard came when I bought a copy of C. S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters." In the forward to that book, Lewis wrote that there are two things the demons really like: 1) People not believing in their existence and 2) People obsessing over their existence.
When I read that statement, I stopped obsessing over Satan. True, he is a powerful being and I must respect that power for my own protection. But, "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." (1 Jn 4:4).
SLE

 

[hadirfuss]

I used to have the same problem SLE thanks for sharing.

Then I discovered The Power of Thought and the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. (By thought man either blesses or curses himself. By it he brings into his life either success or failure, health or disease, happiness or unhappiness, poverty or prosperity. It is all in his mind and the character of his thought. Whatever there is in your life or mine, of disharmony, lack, sickness or unhappiness, is the result of our disharmonious thought). And so my focus changed to the Lord instead of otherwise ;for He is Truth. His Promises are True....

Come to Me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).
"I am with you always, even to the ends of the earth" (Matt. 28:19).
He said that His words will not pass away (Mark 13:31).
He said that He would raise you up on the last day (John 6:40).
He said that whatever you asked in His name would be give to you. (John 14:14).
He said He would disclose Himself to you (John 14:21).
He said that He would reveal the Father to you (Matt. 11:27)
And He said He would return in the clouds and that every eye will see Him (Mark 13:27). e.tc e.t.c

God Bless You
hadirfuss

 

[jiggyfly]

Very good thread SLE, I think alot of people share this problem. There are peole who need to be freed from demonic powers. Some believe that you can counsel a demon out of someone or cancel satan's plan against someone or bind satan. Much time and energies are wasted trying to minister to the demonic entities, and in turn move to where ever there is a manifestation of demonic activity. So who are they following?

The biggest hinderance in the believer's life that hinders following and growing in Christ is self. I wish we could cast out the flesh but we can't.The devil maybe the cause of many things but I find that even where he is the cause there is very little resistance to him. We are not a threat to satan's kingdom until we begin to overcome self. I have witnessed many people be delivered from demons but very few grow and overcome self.

 

[Coconut]

"We are not a threat to satan's kingdom until we begin to overcome self."

Amen! Nor is satan a real threat to those whose lives are buried in Christ.
I dont recall Job making mention of satan at all... but his words are a profound example of how little attention satan warrants, when our hearts are focused on God.
"Tho God slay me yet I will trust Him!" Talk about dying to self!

Luk 9:23 Then he said to all of them, "If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continually. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Phi 1:20 This is according to my eager expectation and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of. Instead, because of my boldness Christ will be exalted in my body, now as always, whether I live or die. For to me, to go on living is Christ, and to die is gain.

 

[Richie]

Dear SpiritLedEd,

As a new born-again believer, I fell into the trap of spending too much energy on Satan. I was afraid of him (which is wise up to a point), but I had a lot to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit that had begun to work in me.
It was almost as if I thought I had to rebuke Satan every time a doorknob wouldn't turn.But often what I was suffering was a consequence of a past mistake, not the result of demonic attack. In other words, I was not the victim, I was the cause of what was happening to me. I was rebuking the devil for stuff he wasn't directly involved in. And he was loving it because it was keeping my attention off of Jesus
.
A turning point for me in this regard came when I bought a copy of C. S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters." In the forward to that book, Lewis wrote that there are two things the demons really like: 1) People not believing in their existence and 2) People obsessing over their existence.
When I read that statement, I stopped obsessing over Satan. True, he is a powerful being and I must respect that power for my own protection. But, "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." (1 Jn 4:4).
SLE

Thanks for sharing this. Even I faced a similar problem few months after I got saved. But when I seen this verse it strengthened me:

James 2:19 Do you still think it’s enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

After sometime when I listened to pastor Don Moen's song, "The earth shakes" from the 'Mercy Seat' album, I became even more stronger, and I have never faced this problem since then.

Thank God. Glory to Jesus.

God bless you.