How Satan works
The way that satan operates is as twisted and distorted as everything else we have heard about when dealing with opinions on spiritual principals. This is why we are cautioned over and over again to search out the truth, through the reading and study of scripture, and to prove all things. In doing this we come to see the truth and know how to conduct ourselves and use Gods Power to combat evil and walk in righteousness. Satan doesn't make us do anything or give others the power over Gods servants. There is no running battle that God may one day be overthrown in heaven and satan take over. And satan is not on his own free will doing whatever he wants to do, he too is a servant that must obey God. In this lesson we are going to let the bible show us exactly how satan works and how we can use Gods Power, and Gods Power alone, to stay safe and protected from the power of Satan.
First let's see who satan is and how he came to be.: Ezekiel 28:11-17
11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. The Lord is talking about Satan. He is a cherub or angel and he was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, or something to really behold or look upon, and he had all these great blessings from God. 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. He was perfect until he sinned before his God. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. So he was cast out of heaven and a death sentence was imposed upon him. 17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. His heart was lifted up or he was filled with false pride and self-centeredness and he was cast down to the ground.
Revelation 12:7-9
7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven and banished to the earth.:
Revelation 12:12
12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. So the heavens rejoice because Satan is no longer there causing havoc among the angels. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. But woe to us on the earth because Satan knows that he has this death sentence imposed on him and he is filled with hate and is now here on earth with us.: 1 Peter 5:8
8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Be serious or earnest, Be on guard or alert, because satan is always looking to see who he can take with him to his damnation.
Now Satan is constantly looking to see how he may tempt us and get us to stray from serving God. But Satan is also a servant of God and must do what the Lord tells him to.: Job 1:6-12 6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. So Satan also has to report to the Lord when he is called and he tells the Lord that he is walking up and down the earth. He is looking how he can take people away from serving God. 8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? So the Lord asks him if he has ever considered Job. 9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. Now Satan knows that if we are serving God we are safe and protected from him. 11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. So Satan tells God that if He pulls the hedge down or takes away His protection that he will be able to get Job to stop serving Him. 12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. So the Lord allows Satan to do certain things to tempt Job. You can read this on your own. Now the reason this was done is another lesson. The point here is that the Lord commands Satan to do or not do things and Satan is still obedient to the Lord. But look at what Job's reaction is to having to endure these trials and temptations.:
Job 1:20-22 20Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. This is the way we need to respond when we are being put through our certain trials and low spots that are sure to come. Job 2:1-7 1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Again Satan tells the Lord that he is walking up and down the earth. He is looking how he can take people away from serving Him. 3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. Through all that Job goes through and all the hardships he has to endure he never waivers from his faith and continues to serve God. 4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. So again Satan comes before the Lord and is told what he can and can not do, and he must be obedient.
Just as with Job, we must all strive to serve God regardless of the personal consequences.: James 1:12-17
12Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. We are always fighting against temptation but we must endure this temptation and continue to serve God to the best of our ability. 13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. God does not tempt us. When we are tempted it is our own lusts or the things we used to do, some of which we had fun doing. But when we came to see that they are not pleasing to God, we stopped doing them. 16Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Nothing evil comes from God. Evil comes from our own attempts to live on self-reliance. All good gifts come from God.:
Satan has the ability to tempt us of our own lusts but he is still a servant of God and is only allowed to go as far as the Lord will let him. Although Satan and his angels are used by God in a different way than those that willingly serve Him, he and his angels must be obedient to God.: Mark 1:21-27 21And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. The devils knew who Jesus was and they must be obedient to Him.: Mark 1:34 34And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. Again they knew Jesus and were obedient.: Matthew 8:28-32 28And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? The devils know who Jesus is and they know that He is the one that is going to punish them. 30And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. The devils ask Jesus if they may go into the herd of swine and they go into them only when Jesus allows them to. They must be obedient to God. So the first thing that we have established is that Satan and his angels must be obedient to God.
Now that we have established that Satan and his angels can only go as far as God will let them and that they tempt us with our own lusts. Let's look at how they operate. How they are constantly walking about us seeking to turn us away from serving God.: Deuteronomy 18:9-12
9When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. The Lord told Israel not to learn the way of the nations that are not serving Him. 10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Back then nations were sacrificing there children to false gods, something that spiritually is still being done today by the observance of pagan holidays that man calls holy days. Or to use fortune tellers, palm readers, sorcerer or magicians. 11Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. Tried to seek guidance from spirits or to cast spells. Practicing magic or try to talk to the dead. 12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. This was why the Lord was having Israel kill all these nations when they were going to come into the land that the Lord had promised, yet another lesson. The point is that the Lord told us not to learn and practice these things. Now remember there is one law for both Israel and all people that are going to strive to serve God.: Leviticus 24:22
22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God. One law for all people. Leviticus 20:6
6And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. So these are some of the things the Lord told us not to go after, the very things that Satan is behind, or we will be cut off from among the people and not have the chance for eternal life.
Leviticus 20:27
27A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. Back in the day the Lord gave this commandment to us and they would stone those found to be practicing these things. These are things that Satan is behind and God told us not to do them or follow after false gods by serving them. By listening to them and being obedient to them.
The very first King that the nation of Israel had was a man that was the most righteous in all of Israel in Gods eyes, and yet he turned away from serving God by being disobedient to His word. 1 Samuel 28:3-15
3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. Now Saul had followed the commandments of God by getting rid of all those that tried to seek guidance from spirits or cast spells. 4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. 5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. 6And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Saul tried to seek guidance from the Lord but by now he had been disobedient too many times and the Lord had turned His back on Saul. 7Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. 8And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. 9And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? 10And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. 11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. 12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. 13And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. Saul goes to a women who has a familiar spirit and is disobedient to Gods commandments, the very laws that he was keeping. 14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. 15And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. So Saul sought after a women with a familiar spirit and was disobedient to to God and His word. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14
13So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; 14And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. So the Lord killed Saul for being disobedient and for seeking counsel from one that had a familiar spirit. The very things that the Lord told us not to do, and the very things that Satan is behind.
Another way that Jesus Himself told us that Satan would try to take us away from Him was by lying to us or deceiving us. Matthew 24:5
5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Jesus said that many would come in His name and declare that He is the Christ and would deceive many with false doctrine other than that which is in His word. Matthew 24:11
11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. A false prophet is anyone who teaches anything other than what is in Gods word. Many false prophets know they are deceiving others and they are doing it for their own selfish gain, usually material gain. Or they have been presented with the truth but have been teaching wrong for so long that their pride will not allow them to admit that they have been deceiving others. Either way these ministers are of Satan, teaching lies in Jesus name. 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The simplicity that is Christ! If it is not in His word it is not from God. If the bible does not clearly interpret itself, it is from Satan. Just as he lied to Eve in the garden. 4For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. Another Jesus is any Jesus other than the God of the Bible. False religions all have them and they can all be traced in history. They are religious customs or traditions that the bible does not support. The same goes for spirit or gospel. If Gods word does not command it to be done it is done in vain. Don't listen to these false prophets but be tolerant of them and stay away from their doctrine, standing fast in the true doctrine of God, His word. They are full of lies started by Satan.
A good example of this is Satan in the Garden of Eden.: Genesis 2:7-9 7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So God created man and put man in the garden.: Genesis 2:15-17 15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. The Lord commanded man to eat of all the trees in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The day man ate of that tree he would die for being disobedient to Gods word. Now there is much debate over what this tree really symbolizes. One thing that is clear is that this tree was knowledge of good and evil, and the way to gain this knowledge was by talking to Satan.: Genesis 3:1-7 1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Satan will bring us just enough truth to lure us in. He uses scripture and Gods commandments to do this. 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Then Satan deceives us by straight out lying to us. 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. If we are not always striving to grow spiritually by reading and searching for Gods will through His word, we will believe the lies that Satan tells us because they will be so convincing that we will think they are true. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. So the women ate or listened to Satan and then her husband did also. It was pleasant to the eyes and something to be desired. They both went after their own self-reliance and became disobedient to Gods word. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Now God can not lie so the day that Adam ate of the fruit or the day he listened to Satan, he died.: Genesis 5:5 5And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. Now Adam lived to be 938 years old but according to God: 2 Peter 3:8 8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Adam died in the day that he ate of the fruit or disobeyed God by listening to Satan's lies and doing them.
Look at what Jesus calls Satan: John 8:44
44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. He is a liar and the father of it. Not only is he a liar but so are all his followers.: 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. False apostles claiming to be servants of God but teaching lies! 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Satan also poses as a messenger of truth. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. That is why it is no great thing for these false preachers to say they are ministers of Gods truth even though they bring things that are not in Gods word. They will be judged according to their actions. But true ministers of God will not fill you with lies. They will bring you the true word of God in all things and if they make a mistake they will correct it quickly, letting Gods word be the over all authority.: 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. In all things being honest and truthful. Teaching the truth right out of Gods word. 3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. But there are those who choose to believe lies. They don't see the truth because Satan has filled them with his lies, and they believe them, and are not willing to turn from them.
Satan's ministers take the form of false doctrine or organized religions that incorporate traditions into their church rituals and customs. He uses them to spread lies and keep people from obeying the word of God.: Revelation 13:1-2
1And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. Now these verses are talking about nations and future prophesy, but that is for another lesson. The point is that it is satan, the dragon, that gave these nations their power!: Revelation 20:2
2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Revelation 17:1-5
1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. This wine that the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with is false doctrine! If we live on the earth we are an inhabitant, and all of us have drunk from this cup at one time or another. 3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: This cup is full of abominations and filthiness! False doctrine! Any way of saying we are serving God other than what is written in His word is spiritual fornication. 5And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. This mother of harlots is often referred to as the mother church. And all other organized religions have come out of her, or are offshoots of her. Even when they don't claim to have anything to do with her they still adhere to most of her doctrine. If it is not in Gods word you can usually trace back this false doctrine to this church, the church of Rome. But again we can't teach everything at once, and this is for another lesson.
Isaiah 8:16
16Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. The testimony is the new testament and the law is the old testament, and these are bound among His deciples or those that strive to serve Him.
Isaiah 8:20
20To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. And if they are not teaching or searching Gods will using both the old and new testament it is because they do not have any understanding and are not walking in the ways of God.: Ephesians 2:19-20
19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; No more strangers or foreigners if we do what is required to come under the shed blood of Jesus. 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; And our foundation is both the new and old testament, Jesus Christ being the building block of our faith, adding nothing to or taking anything away, from His word.
Paul told the Galatians that he was amazed that they had been deceived so quickly after they had heard the gospel of Christ taught to them.: Galatians 1:6-9 6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. And that it wasn't really another gospel but a twisting of the truth. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. But if anyone taught anything other than what is in Gods word, Let him be cursed. 9As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Any other gospel! The changing of the Sabbath day, adding days that God told us not to observe and making them so called christian holidays, teaching of doctrines of prosperity and any other twisting of scripture.
The Lord warns us that in the times we are in now, some would go after false doctrine.: 1 Timothy 4:1-2
1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; God tells us that He must be served and worshiped a certain way and if we are willing to prove His word and serve Him He will provide for us. After awhile we can push God to the point where He knows we won't serve Him and He will let us believe the lies that we hold onto as our faith.: Titus 1:15-16
15Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. God opens the eyes of those that desire to know the truth, and change to serve Him regardless of the personal consequences. But to those who are not willing to serve Him, nothing is pure because they worship God in lies and false doctrine, and are not even chastised or made to feel guilty anymore. 16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. They say they know God but don't do anything that He has commanded us to do. And it all starts with the 10 commandments. Here is the dictionary definition for reprobate.:
Reprobate=Morally unprincipled; shameless. Rejected by God and without hope of salvation
2 Timothy 4:3-4
3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; We here this all the time, take what you want and leave the rest alone! You serve God your way and I'll serve Him my way. 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. The truth of the gospel of Christ unto fables such as christmas, easter, good friday and the Sabbath being sunday. All traditions of men without any biblical backing. Look them up and you will see they did not come from the word of God. You will see that Satan is behind them all. False Doctrine!
We are warned over and over again to beware of false prophets and to try the spirit.: 1 John 4:1
1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. And we are given examples of how to try the spirits to make sure we are not being deceived.: Acts 17:10-11
10And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Be ready to hear and and learn Gods word but don't just take the word of the preacher, prove everything that he is teaching you. And the only way to prove it is by using the word of God! Gods word will always interpret itself leaving no doubt to making the precept clear. If it is not in Gods word, you can find out where it came from by looking at history and who made it false doctrine. ALL FALSE DOCTRINE COMES FROM SATAN!
Now satan has no power over those that are servants of God and are keeping His commandments.: Luke 10:17-20
17And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Satan and his angels must obey those that are serving God. 18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. This Power is given to us by Jesus. 20Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. But don't take any credit for this Power, that is nothing more than false pride in self-reliance, and it is an abomination to God. It is God that gives us this Power and keeps us safe and protected.: Psalm 34:7
7The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Look at one of Gods prophets.: 2 Kings 6:8-17
8Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. The Lord had warned the king of Israel by using His prophet to tell him. 11Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? The king of Syria thought that it was someone in his own camp betraying him. 12And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. But one of his servants told him that it was the prophet Elisha that was warning the king of Israel so they set out to trap him and kill him to stop him from warning the king of Israel. 13And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. Now when Elisha's servant woke up he saw this great army surrounding the two of them and he was afraid. 15And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha calmed him and told Him that They were not alone in this battle. And Elisha asked God to let him see all the angles that were around them. 17And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Once we come into Gods grace, how do we stay in the care and protection of Gods Power and mercy?: Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We must be strong in the Lord to stay under the Power of His might. And there is only one way to battle satan. We can not stand up to satan without Gods Power as satan is an angel and spiritual being that possesses powers beyond our comprehension. In this lesson you see how satan only can do what God allows Him to, for he also is a servant. We also learned how he uses his servants to deceive us through lies and false doctrine. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Studying to understand Gods word, the truth, and serving Him or walking in righteousness. 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; striving always to walk according to Gods word. 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Belief in, and obedience to, Gods word so we may be shielded from satan by God. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:Keeping always in our hearts or minds the things that God would have us do according to His word. 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Praying always to be shown what God would have us do and always watching our conversation or lifestyle to ensure that we are, to the best of our ability, practicing His principles in all our affairs.
Now we see through scripture that satan and his angels are a very real thing. They too are servants of God and must obey God. They can not make us do anything and there is no human power that can prevent them from influencing us or keeping them from deceiving us. Our only hope is to come under Gods care and protection, and we do this by obeying His word and serving Him as He has had laid out in His word. This is yet another reason the pioneers of Alcoholics Anonymous desired to understand Gods will through His word. And without this we have no hope of combating satan or having any part of eternal life.
We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Pg 84
1 Thessalonians 5:21-23
21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.