Satan Will Talk To You
When I published my last testimony, one thing it did do was make the devil mad. So mad, as a matter of fact, he came and visited me and talked to me himself trying to convince me he was God. Before I go on about that, I want to share with you that when I write these testimonies, I read what I have written over several times to be sure everything that I have shared is what the Spirit of God wants written, and to be sure it is as accurate as possible. I have a fairly honest heart and do not care one thing about writing things to impress people or to deceive them. The only One I care about pleasing is Jesus - the One that was raised from the dead. I also have enough fear of God of knowing that what we write and share we will be held accountable before God for it. This is no small thing preaching the gospel all over the world via the internet - but I have come to see that nothing is when God does it - it is just God!
Anyway, continuing on ... before we left last week (Feb.11th) to go to South Bend, that Thursday I published my previous testimony ('Owe No Man Anything, But ...') And by the way, we had a really good trip from start to finish. When we arrived there, it was 70 degrees - I was expecting a 'blizzard'! Not really ... but we have not even had a winter here in Plano, so I was looking forward to some cold weather. You know, the next day it dropped into the 20's and snowed!!! It was absolutely beautiful! I know the Lord did that for me and it was a real blessing. On Friday afternoon after we had eaten lunch, we went walking in it and really had a good time. But what was even more of a blessing was the thing Doyle talked about at every meeting - and that was the book of Acts. There was an excitement - and I know love is not easily excited - so maybe I should say a real encouragement, about the fulness of the blessing of the gospel about to manifest just like it did in Acts. This is what God has been preparing our hearts for - and I am past ready! Doyle was reading in Joel 2 at church on Sunday, and it says in that chapter in two different verses that God's people shall never be ashamed. Years back God ministered to me Psalm 25:3 and Isaiah 49:23 that those that wait (or expect) on the Lord shall not be ashamed. I do like that!!
But continuing on ... After we got back from the crusade, that Saturday afternoon I was on my bed praying - strong, hard praying - and had been for about an hour, maybe close to an hour and a half, when this voice spoke to me and told me something I had written in my last testimony was not right at all. I mean it hit me like a ton of bricks. But I kept on praying until we left to go eat dinner, and I said, "Okay, Jesus, if this is you telling me this, I will go and take it off the internet, because if there is one thing I don't want to do is be deceitful or deceive anyone on the things I share." I have had the devil talk to me many times (go read Luke 4 where he talked to Jesus), and normally I know it is the devil. But there has been a time or two, and this was one of them, when I was not quite sure. Your spirit always knows who is speaking, but if there is something in your soul you are overcoming, that 'dirty rat' (and that is putting it mildly!) will almost have you convinced he is God. It really is a compliment, though, when the devil does this. It says in II Corinthians 11, that he appears as an angel of light. And that is exactly what he was trying to do to me on Saturday. But anyway, Saturday night after church I was talking to Doyle and shared with him what had been spoken to me, and he said, "That was not God that spoke that - it was the devil." My spirit knew that to be true, but my soul was struggling. When he said that, my soul became totally settled. Also Doyle and I have talked in times past about what a blessing it has been for God to get JR and I out of debt, but like I said earlier, that testimony did make the devil mad. He hates anyone that will believe this gospel and see the benefits of believing it. What had happened is described in I Peter 5:8-9. And it says, he (Satan) will come as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and to resist him steadfast in the faith. Praise God! So when you are praying, be assured that not every voice that speaks to you is God. Try the spirits whether they are of God or not.
Several years back, the devil spoke something to me about me and another person, and he spoke it right out of the Word of God. He will try to deceive you even using God's Word. My spirit knew this was not God, though, but there was so much pressure on me about my relationship with this person, that I humbled myself and said, "If this is you Jesus, then you will have to bring it to pass, but frankly, I do not believe this is you." And one of the reasons I had a struggle believing it was God when it was spoken to me was because God was 'loosing' my soul from every person I knew. It took me several years before I could even overcome to say that it was the devil, and not God, that had spoken that to me. One strong spirit! The relationship God has for believers is described in Acts 4:32 - and that is one heart and one soul. And that is a heart and soul that have been purified by faith and walking in the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus. What the devil and religion want to do is to bind you in the flesh. But thank God that we will all walk as He intended for us to and will have the relationship He ordained for us, as believers, from the foundation of the world. I thank God for His mercy and grace, and that if we will continue in prayer, believing, we will always overcome. Some of these things take a lot longer to overcome than others, which I wish were not so, but thank God we do overcome. And a person who believes the gospel will trust in and rely on that power until they do overcome. Because God always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus, and we will always get the victory, if we faint not!
There is something that came up in my heart, and I am going to trust that it is God that wants me to say this. But if there is any person that I have said anything to that was not the right spirit, I ask you to forgive me now. I make no apologies for anything I have said or done by the Spirit, but anything I have spoken or done in the flesh to anyone, I ask you and God to forgive me. I do not know of anything at present, but I know this came up, and I believe it is just right to say this. I have learned to humble myself every chance I get, and not always has it been easy for me to do in this walk. The Lord has led me down some real strange paths, and there were times my soul would get offended at God and man. But in Acts 24:16, Paul said he exercised himself to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and men. And now I am no different than Paul in that regard - I exercise myself not to be, and exercise is a decision and it will take some effort - it will take a will to do it! Periodically, I will ask the Lord to forgive me for anything in my heart that is not right towards any person or any situation. Sometimes I know if things are there, other times I do not, I just know when it is in my spirit to do it. But when we humble ourselves, and humility is submitting to the will of God, God will exalt us. And I want God's exaltation. In Proverbs 15:33 and Proverbs 18:12 it says respectively, "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility," and "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility." I will take God's honour any day - I just do not need any of that other.
You know, when Jesus died, was buried and rose again, He took all of our unforgiveness on Him, and forgave us of every thing we have ever done, or ever will do, that is not pleasing to Him. Talk about a trade - our unforgiveness for His forgiveness. Have you ever met a man like that? Well, we have that Spirit in us if we are joined to the Lord. When you get a revelation of the things that that Man did for us on the cross, it is absolutely incredible. And then to know that we are to walk even as He walked - impossible to the mind, because the mind cannot receive the things of God, but to our spirit - nothing but a joy and a delight! I do thank God for His mercy and grace and longsuffering on our lives, and also for His abundance of goodness and truth.
Well, praise God, and I will be back later. Until then, believe this gospel!!
