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Does Satan get permission from God? 2of4

5/25/2024

Hi all,

I've changed this to a 4 part series rather than 3 parts. As a result we'll cover an area of the NT this week and get into Job next week. This lays a foundation for that.

We've established that Satan is on the earth tempting, testing, trying people.
He comes to steal, kill and destroy Jesus said. The Father is not tempted/tested/tried with evil, nor does He tempt/test/try with evil. He does however, put limits on what Satan can do, and make a way of escape for us. (John 10: 10, James 1: 13, I Corinthians 10: 13)

With this understanding that God is not tempted by evil it means He therefore doesn't grant him permission. He instead limits what Satan can do, it means Satan could do much more than he is allowed. Jesus said he comes "only to steal, kill, and destroy."

How often have we realized Satan could have killed us, but didn't? How many times have we thought if not for God we would be dead, in prison, or living some lost and sin filled life? Yes, Satan COULD have done and could even today do much more to us, but our Father has placed limits on Satan throughout our lives. He has always limited tests/trials/temptations at the level but not over the point we were able to handle them. AND always makes a way of escape.

Even in Matthew 24: 22 Jesus speaks of Him returning to cut those days short, for if allowed to continue, no one would survive. So even at the end He is limiting what Satan can do to mankind.

Satan doesn't ask permission
To suggest Satan comes to our Father to gain permission to tempt or try us, turns the Father into a perverted hypocrite. He can't say He loves us and nothing can separate us from Him and give us Christ in us on the one hand, and then coordinate with our mortal enemy to bring death and destruction into our lives on the other. No! He does not bless with the right and curse with the left!

The Father pours grace into our spirits, into our lives, protecting us from threats unknown to us. We never know this side of heaven about the drunk driver headed our way that was pulled over by a policeman just before he would have swerved into us. We never learn about the wet floor in the work bathroom that was dried by the janitor just before we wanted to use it and would have slipped and injured ourselves. How many thousands of times have we been spared, known only by our Father?

Jesus, Satan, and Peter's sifting
Jesus said in Luke 22: 31-34: 'Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith not fail. And when you are converted, that you would strengthen your brethren.' Then Peter said, 'Lord, I'm ready to go with you to prison and to death.' And He said: "I tell you Peter, before the rooster crows you will have denied me three times.'

The word 'desire' means 'to fully hand over' (Peter). God isn't tempted to hand over Peter, nor by any desire for evil that Satan has. God limited Satan's involvement in Peter's life.

(There is a way however for people to turn themselves over to Satan at his will: Paul wrote in II Timothy 2: 25-26 people caught up in strife and opinions held to the point of strife. He said 'they are taken captive by Satan as his will...' What a horrible thing to do to oneself! Being in strife opens a person up to being taken captive by Satan at his will. Wow....run from strife!)

Look back on any challenge in life that brought you to the point of a major decision: A confrontation at work, a moral crisis where you found yourself doing something you swore you would never do. Something involving fear of man and the choice to admit a wrong doing, or to lie under pressure. Peter folded. But he recovered, never losing his faith in the Lord, but he denied knowing Him.

Peter was flawed from the start
We see an unpredictable and unstable character, with any number of areas Satan might steal, kill, and/or destroy him. Jesus' response to knowing Satan's plans was to pray for Peter that his faith not fail, and prayer for his future, that he would afterwards, strengthen the brethren. Jesus did not see Peter's denials as a failure of his faith, but rather a character issue within Peter.

Jesus can't override his free will to make him not deny Him. What Jesus could do is pray for Peter, that through the sifting he might learn and grow from the experience.

In Acts 27:10 Paul is a prisoner of Rome on a ship,
He tells them he perceived if they sailed they would lose the ship, the cargo, and their lives. That was a revelation of Satan's plan from the Father - very often the Father reveals Satan's plan and we out of ignorance, rebuke the Holy Spirit thinking because it is a negative it can't be from God.

But Paul perceived God was showing him they would lose the ship, cargo, and their lives if they continued. After much fasting and prayer on the storm-tossed seas, an angel stood by Paul and said that God had spared all the people, (276 of them) though they would still lose the cargo and ship. Paul also was instructed they would run aground on an island and they must stay with the ship until it starts to break up for all 276 to be spared. (There are always conditions to grace). (v21-31)

In this case, Satan tried to kill Paul, but God put limits: He gave all 276 their lives, AND gave instructions how to survive. Even better, once rescued, God healed a leader on the island and many got saved. How's that for limiting Satan's original plan to kill Paul!

Look at those times: Where did the enemy gain access into your life? Through friends? Through unwise decisions you had made? By other unwise decisions? How did he try to kill, steal, or destroy you - now look for the limitations God put on Satan. What do you see, what could have been?

What was the way of escape? Was it to repent? Was it to take counter measures? Was it to change habits or break off relationships?

Look at your life and you will see the same pattern outlined in I Corinthians 10: 13: An attack, a limitation placed on the attack, a way of escape. Look for the grace.

Next week, how Job opened the door to death, but God intervened several times to limit Satan. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Does Satan get permission from God? 1of4

5/18/2024

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Hi all,

I have received many emails asking if Satan goes to God to get permission to bring trials and tribulations into our lives. People ask about Job 1 where Satan and God had a discussion about the man Job. They also question Jesus's statement of Luke 22:31-32 that Satan desired to sift Peter like wheat.

Does Satan get permission from God to trouble us? (having direct access to do so?)
This series is about that conversation between the devil and God, if it exists in our day, so we may understand the strategies of the devil.

Rule of Bible interpretation: We interpret the Old Testament through the eyes of the New
Two main verses interest us in this discussion: James 1:13 and I Corinthians 10:13 in order.

"Let no man say when he is tempted, tested or tried that God is doing it to him. For God is not tempted by evil and neither does he tempt, test or try any man (with evil)." (The same Greek word is translated tempt, try, test.)

"There is no temptation, test, or trial that happens to you but what is common to everyone. But God (Father) is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted, tested, or tried beyond what you are able to handle. But will when the temptation, test, or trial comes, make a way of escape so you will be able to bear it."

These two passages are anchors to our understanding.
First about James 1:13. It is a character trait of God for all eternity. God is not tested/tempted/tried by evil.

God tests, but not with evil, for He is not tempted with evil. Why is this? Because He doesn't have a physical body. Temptation requires a physical earth-body to be tempted. Jesus became human and was tempted, but the Father has never experienced what it is to be tired, hungry, to have to use the bathroom, sexual temptations, food temptations, situations requiring Him to choose between right and wrong - He is love, joy peace, and such - He has never been tempted.

So we look at the OT like Job 1 telling us of a conversation between Satan and God, understanding that whatever Satan says to try to stir God up against Job, has absolutely zero effect. He wasn't tempted in the least to bring evil to Job.

Now I Corinthians 10:13. It states God's role is that of protector and limiter to Satan's plans. This states the God who is never tempted with evil, will when a test, trial or temptation enters our lives, He limits what Satan can do AND will make a way of escape for us! (It is the same word 'temptation' here that is used in James 1:13, so we know the authors are talking about the same things)

Summary: God does not test us with evil, and He will step in to limit any test, trial, or temptation to that which we can handle, AND make a way of escape for us.

When Barb and her best friend, Margaret, were 5 years old (summer 1963), their mothers would give them money and they would walk through their neighborhood to a store. It was a bit more than half a mile (1km). (Margaret is still a good friend)

Just on the other side of an intersection with stoplight was the store. In 1963 it had a soda fountain, booths for eating ice cream and sandwiches, and was run by 1 man, the owner. They would buy a sandwich, bag of chips, soft drink and money left over for a piece of candy. Today many would think that was foolish of their mother's to allow such regular walks for their daughters.

When Barb and I were married with young boys of our own, she was horrified to remember her mother had given her such freedom at 5 years old! She asked her how she could do that!

Her mom replied that first, it was training because they were going to have to walk to school for the first time in their lives starting that fall. Second, she told her she was never alone, for her mom had friends all along their route, each calling her as the girls passed by.

Suddenly Barb remembered the man running the store would most often be on the phone when they got to the stop light on the opposite side of the intersection. He would hang up and step outside the store to greet the girls and help them cross the busy street. The whole time she realized, her mother was watching, and had people assigned to guide them along their path, but unknown to the children.

This is similar to our training. The Father doesn't leave us, but has angels in His realm and people in our realm He uses to bring us along the way. He doesn't test us with evil. He does test us with decisions before us. Jesus asked The Rich Young Ruler to follow Him - decision. A man wanted to follow Jesus but first wanted to say goodbye to his family - decision. Martha got in strife with her sister Mary because she served while Mary sat - decision. That's how we grow.

But He never tests us with evil, but only guides us along the way, ready to step in to put limits or stop whatever the evil one has in mind, AND makes a way of escape.

Now about that conversation between Satan and God in Job 1 - for next week!
Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Deconstruction 3/3, Answers

5/11/2024

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Hi all,

How do we pray for a person deconstructing their faith? How do we talk to them?

How to pray
Jesus said in John 6:45: "Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to me."
Hearing from the Father happens inside, internally, in the wrestling of thoughts and ideas. IF a person will learn what He is saying, they will come to Jesus.

In Matthew 16:16-17 Peter exclaimed: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus told him: "You are blessed Simon, for man didn't reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven."

Peter heard and learned from the Father, and came to Jesus.

Paul's prayers for others were also 'internally focused'
In Ephesians 1:17-19 he prays:

"...cease not to give thanks for you, and that God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Father), that the eyes of your understanding would be opened to know the riches of His glory..."

Ephesians 3:14-20 provides more insight into his prayer in the first chapter:

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. I pray that He (Father) out of His glorious riches, will strengthen you with power by His Spirit in your inner man...so that you would be rooted and grounded in (unconditional) love, so you will know the full volume of the love of Christ which is beyond knowing in the mind...."

Combine those into a prayer for that loved person:

"Father, I lift up ____ to you in the name of Jesus. I ask you give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you, that you would open the eyes of their understanding to know your invitation in Jesus. That by your Spirit you will strengthen them in their inner man so they will become rooted and grounded in your love Father. That they will then be able to comprehend your great love for them beyond their ability to reason it out. Let them know that they know they are loved by you. Reveal these things to them deep inside them Father, and strengthen them to hear and believe, and come to Jesus with these revelations...." and words to that effect.

You can rebuke the devil over their lives all you want, but the human will is sovereign, and the whole kingdom flows from revelation from the Father. First, that Jesus is His son given for us, and then all else. It IS all about internal revelation from the Father. Pray for them accordingly. Don't tell the Father what you want Him to do, ask Him to do what He has already revealed about how He works in the inner man. Work WITH Him instead of telling Him what to do.

Talk to them, as they allow, as they wrestle.
Don't get in the Father's way by trying to reap a harvest before it is time. You may need many conversations with them over years as they wrestle. The Father is persistent. You may be on a roller coaster with them - up and all for God one moment, then down in a valley the next. You won't be able to see what the Father is doing in them internally, but when you see them wrestling with things deep inside, it is evidence it is the Father working.

Many see someone wrestling and think it is the devil after them. Certainly he can be an opponent in wrestling, but the match is between the Father and the person's will, and truth. Jesus is Truth.

They use the same words but use a different dictionary to define those words.
When people in popular culture mix up the differences between objective truth (Jesus) and subject truth (pop culture) communication becomes confused and unclear.

A very common example of using the same words but a different dictionary to define them, is the Jehovah Witnesses. They say they believe in Jesus, but they believe Jehovah created Jesus as the arch angel Michael. They believe when Jesus was born He was mere man, not God in the flesh. They believe Jesus wasn't literally raised from the dead, but only spiritually raised.

Same words, different dictionary. That's what is happening in popular culture. Therefore we need to define things for a struggling person. Bring them back not to religion, but the wisdom of how God defines things.

Deconstruction is not about rebuilding a correct understanding of God
So in their struggles, we have to rebuild that for them, brick by brick, over time, letting each brick of truth settle into and solidify with its mortar. The brick is the truth, the Holy Spirit and your wisdom are the mortar. It will take time for each 'brick' to connect with other bricks by the Holy Spirit mortar.

Deconstruction is not about getting your faith in God right, it's about making your views on everything match reality as seen in popular culture. So as we pray for the Father to give them revelation, to wrestle with them, to separate popular culture's thoughts from the objective truth of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father.

Deconstruction has no end goal, no destination to deconstruction.
When remodeling a building one does so with the intent to rebuild. Not so with those deconstructing their faith. They are just deconstructing.

The Father is internally, moving them from the authority of self to the authority of God. Satan used deconstruction in the Garden of Eden. "Has God said?" (Genesis 3:1)

Before the act of sin occurred, a lie was received. To say another way, an idea to deconstruct what God said came before the act. It was a lie, but the lie is designed to deconstruct what God said, and to bring confusion into the thoughts and emotions.

A loved one going through deconstruction is like a divorce. A divorce is a living death. It is a goodbye and hello again cycle that stirs up old memories and emotions. When we help someone reconstruct their ideas and faith in God, we need to focus on one brick of truth at a time, reaffirmed by our love for them, that we are for them, that we are here for them. In their wrestling with God and themselves, like any construction process, it doesn't look like the beautiful finished building - but give it time and faith in the Father's faithfulness.

New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Deconstruction 2/3, Shipwreck

5/4/2024

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Hi all,

I've been explaining the process of 'deconstruction of their faith' that many well known Christian musicians and ministers talk of doing. Of those we know, there are many more of our sons and daughters, grandchildren and friends who are also deconstructing their faith.

Deconstruction is not the act of reformation, which is to re-form ideas and understanding about the Lord. It is the act of tearing down all they were taught and knew and replacing it with popular culture's ideas.

Deconstructing one's faith requires a crisis.
A crisis of faith starts the process. It could be a tragic event that doesn't fit what they thought was God. It could be unanswered prayers concerning someone they loved taken by illness or accident. It could be they see a moral failure in a leader they had put on a pedestal.

Maybe they see something they don't agree with or question, and they find no answers in their church. Maybe they grew up isolated from other world views and were suddenly thrust into the world in college or their first job that challenged their beliefs.

Sometimes it starts with a person who can't reconcile Old Testament stories of violence, slavery, or death penalties for seemingly minor things by today's standards. They make the mistake of measuring cultures 3000 or more years removed from the standards of today, rather than setting the Bible in cultural and historical context.

Christianity is not about fighting demons; it is about encounters with truth
Paul writes in II Corinthians 10:3-6 that our spiritual warfare is not power encounters with demons, but truth encounters. Here is the passage in the Greek:

"For the weapons of the warfare of us are not fleshly but divinely powerful to the demolition of strongholds, arguments overthrowing and every high thing lifting itself up against the knowledge of God and subduing and taking prisoner every thought into submission and compliance with Christ."

This makes it clear our battles are not primarily with demons, but our own thoughts and emotions. Our battle is one of encountering truth, objective truth, and bringing thoughts and emotions of subjective truth into obedience. Demons can intensify, entice, focus us on our emotions, but the primary battle is not wrestling with demons - but with our own thoughts and emotions.

We do this everyday in other areas as a matter of maturing in Christ.
Let's say we watched two people talk we love or respect, and we are offended by one person's way of speaking to the other. Not a sin, just something we think should have been handled differently. Or maybe that one person strongly holds an opinion you don't agree with.

An imagination and emotion rises up that makes us angry; we form an opinion they are wrong. We are disappointed in them. We now have an attitude towards that person. Our emotions are running away with us; thoughts are one with our emotions. To feel is to think, to think is to feel.

But then love rises up. A godly thought rises that it isn't our business how those two people interacted with each other. A godly thought rises into our minds from our spirit that says we need to mind our own business and lay our ideas and emotions and thoughts aside about it.

A godly thought comes that we reacted that way because our mom and dad acted that way to each other and it brings up all sorts of memories we need to take control over. Do we bring those emotions and thoughts captive to Christ, or entertain them and form a stronghold in our emotions towards that person? If we hold onto that stronghold, a demon can easily enter to entice us to more bitterness and wrong thinking.

We want to grow. We see the problem is with us not them. We 'forgive' though it isn't actually forgiving for no sin was involved. We let go and acknowledge to ourselves it isn't our business how 2 other people talk to each other. And the Lord's peace returns to our soul and thoughts towards our friend.

We have just successfully encountered the truth, brought thoughts and emotions captive, and grown a little bit in Jesus. Our battle was with truth, for Jesus is Truth.

Truth is our weapon by which we grow in Christ.
Jesus said He is the way, truth, and life, and way to the Father. In deconstruction ungodly thoughts and emotions are entertained and enlarged upon not brought captive to Christ. The belt of truth of Ephesians 6:11 holds the rest of the armor of God together.

Shipwreck of faith: I Timothy 1:19
1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some have left concerning faith and have made shipwreck...

Shipwreck: 'naugeo', literally, to break a ship. It is where we get nautical. Paul suffered a shipwreck documented in Acts 27. They ran aground and the ship broke apart, battered by the waves against the immovable shore. The word picture Paul uses is that of a person's faith running into the shore. Their faith breaks apart by waves and wind coming against it. What are the wind and waves making their ship of faith shipwrecked?

Ephesians 4:14-15:
"That we no more be like little children, tossed to and fro by every wind of cunning teaching and craftiness by people in their deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love we will grow in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, Christ.

People battling what popular culture says versus what they think they know of the Lord, need someone to walk them through deconstruction that they may go through a reformation.

In Philippians 1:9-10 Paul prayed they would have much knowledge and discernment. Acts 17:11 the Berean people are praised for examining scripture to see if Paul was telling the truth.

Jude v22 says to have mercy on those who doubt, and Jesus engaged those with hard questions.

Christianity isn't constructed by popular culture, it is a revelation from heaven. These people need someone who knows the Lord help them reconcile the issues they are wrestling with, that they might receive their own revelation from the Father concerning these things.

How to help someone struggling in their faith is next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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