Important Takeaways:
- Luke 22:31-32 reads, “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail…’”
- Notice the focus of Satan’s petition to the Lord. He doesn’t ask for forgiveness—it is not within his heart, nor for direction—he receives it from no one. Satan asked for Peter. Why? He mistakenly believed that the sifting of trials and temptations could separate believers from God.
- As the personification of what it means to be alienated from God, Satan desires the same for every Christ-follower. When Satan requests one of God’s own, he intends to ruin and ravage our whole being. But not us only, He means to wreak havoc upon the lives of all those to whom we maintain a witness of God’s manifold grace.
- The Bible warns us that the devil is like a lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Have you seen camera footage of how a lion pursues a deer or gazelle? He begins his assault upwind, hiding his scent. Then he slowly creeps forward, inch by inch, crouching close to the earth, ready to explode upon the weary and unsuspecting.
- Likewise, Satan is always on the prowl—stalking, looking, waiting. He steps back and watches you and me. Satan watches our language and attitudes. He observes which temptations provoke a response. Before he acts, he studies our home life, business dealings, and free time, looking for areas where his presence will go undetected.
- A warning to wisely be on guard? Yes. Scary? Not if we remember that in every trial and temptation Jesus is praying for us, and He who promised is faithful.
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Important Takeaways:
- The victory that Christ has won is now ours.
- There is a backstory to the Bible. Behind the scenes of Scripture, a cosmic battle is being waged between God and Satan…
- …Isaiah gives us a glimpse of what happened before time as we know it began. Lucifer, the beautiful angel of light, became the angel and prince of darkness and was removed from the heavenly hosts, along with one-third of the angelic beings, who joined him in this rebellion. This is when the war of the ages was launched (Isaiah 14:12-14).
- …The devil “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and his name means slanderer or accuser. Stu Weber says, “Know it or not, like it or not, you and I are in a war, and we need to begin living as if we were in a battle for our lives, because in fact we are.”
- The New Testament is filled with scriptures that warn us of this war, not to scare us but to prepare us to fight spiritual battles. The most well known of these passages is Ephesians 6:10-12: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
- We Christians are commanded to be soldiers in God’s army, strong and courageous and victorious in spiritual battle. Our strength for the battle is not our own, but God’s mighty power at work in us.
- We’ve been given spiritual weapons for spiritual warfare and are equipped to win. We’re to put on the whole armor of God and take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
- Hebrews 4:12, which says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
- Satan’s tactics
- The word Satan means “adversary” or “oppressor.” Satan hates and attacks everything and everyone God loves. He is deceptive and dangerous, and he means to destroy you, your family, your faith, and your friends. He inflicts pain and suffering and unleashes hate and hell upon the world. He uses doubt, disappointment, and deceit, and he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
- As Christians, we must take this ruthless enemy and our spiritual warfare seriously.
- Never forget that the Bible is both trustworthy and authoritative. As you wield the sword of the Spirit (the Bible) in spiritual warfare, you can be sure that “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed” (Isaiah 54:17). You have the mighty power of God’s word at your disposal. For the weapons of our warfare are not human (2 Corinthians 10:4); the word of God in connection with the Spirit of God is your superpower.
- When you share your faith in Jesus, when you share the gospel of Christ, you’re in a spiritual battle and are defeating the enemy. Revelation 12:11 says, “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Our testimony is the word of God and the power of his blood to save us, which is the message of the Bible.
- The battlefield for warfare is prayer, so take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17-18). There’s an inseparable connection between prayer and God’s word, which we can see in Acts 6:4 as the leaders of the early church gave themselves to the word of God and to prayer. Jesus promised, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).
- When you know the Bible, you’ll be certain of the outcome of this war that has been raging for so long. God has promised us victory and has already given it to us.
- When you know the victory is complete, you can begin living with a new perspective…
- No wonder the apostle Paul, though facing execution, was able to say he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which was far better: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
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Important Takeaways:
- A Louisiana man in the Bucktown area of New Orleans is in hot water with his neighbors due to his extremely bloody Halloween decorations.
- The decorations appear to show a beheaded Jesus, whose head is in the hands of Satan, looming over the yard while nuns and a priest stand nearby.
- One neighbor called it “appalling,” while another resident said, “In a word, it’s blasphemy,”
- According to Miorana, the display caused people to threaten his girlfriend about losing her job, so the pair eventually broke up.
- Despite the controversy, Miorana refuses to take down the decorations, per the ABC report.
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Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Important Takeaways:
- Franklin Graham: ‘Never Before In America Have We Seen Such Open Contempt For The Word Of God’
- Make no mistake, the cancel culture from woke businesses, schools and corporations is coming hard after Christians who are faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in matters involving mankind’s sin, God’s holiness, and Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). As Jesus advised His disciples on His last night with them: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).
- I warned the thousands at the NRB convention that a storm is coming, and we’d better be ready because it appears as if all the demons in hell have been turned loose. Never before in America have we seen such open contempt for the Word of God.
- And when I say demons, I mean just that.
- We know that Satan and his rebellious, unholy allies were cast down out of Heaven at one point. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And 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.” (Revelation 12:7-9).
- Behind the disdain and hatred for Christ and His followers is the evil one, plus his minions who for a season have been allowed by God to work evil on Earth. Remember that the devil is a deceiver, a murderer, a destroyer by his own sinister, wicked nature.
- One of the big lies in our culture today is that persons are free to change their gender, biological identity or their sexual preferences. That is a demonic lie. The Bible says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). This is the authoritative, unchanging truth of the Word of God.
- Another demonic lie in our culture today is that a baby in the womb is simply a mass of tissue—without value, soul or meaning—that can be aborted. The Bible says, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14). The Apostle Paul said that he had been set apart for the Gospel “from my mother’s womb” (Galatians 1:15).
- Perhaps the greatest demonic lie in our culture is that we are all basically good, with no responsibility toward anyone except ourselves. The Bible says that “there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God … there is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-12). The Bible says, “each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
- The good news is that Satan has already been decisively defeated on the cross by the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:15). He works his woe, but he knows that his time on Earth as the deceiver and destroyer will soon be over (Revelation 12:12), and he and his rebellious demons will be forever cast into the burning lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
- Until that time, we stand on the all-powerful, never-changing truth of God’s Word, and we refuse to buy into any of the enemy’s wicked tactics. In Christ Jesus, we are always more than conquerors, whatever the culture may futilely say.
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Romans 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Important Takeaways:
- The Los Angeles Dodgers honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of queer and trans “nuns,” at a home game Friday night. The SPI is famous for its sexualization of Christian imagery, including using a cross as a stripper pole and parodying the Holy Eucharist by drinking from a chalice filled with yogurt as a stand-in for human semen.
- The group, whose motto is “Go and sin some more,” explained in a statement that they mock Catholicism in order to “expose the forces of bigotry, complacency, and guilt that chain the human spirit.” This gospel of self-indulgence is the exact opposite of the one real nuns follow in their lives of chastity, service and self-denial
- In May, news broke that Target had partnered with queer designer Erik Carnell, whose website included pins and shirts featuring a goat-headed deity with the slogan “Satan Respects Pronouns,”
- In February, singer Sam Smith, who identifies as nonbinary, dressed as Satan to perform his song “Unholy” at the Grammy Awards. Just under a year earlier, gay rapper Lil Nas X starred in a music video in which he gave Satan a lap dance…
- So what’s the connection between LGBT Pride and Satanism?
- God desires you to deny yourself for the sake of unity with a greater, divinely perfect Good; that is, God Himself. Satan wants you to follow your bliss and wouldn’t presume to lecture you about what is and isn’t good for you. Live your own truth and see where it takes you.
- Satan’s spiritual progeny have mostly dispensed with belief in God, or even in a literal Satan. “If I believed in Satan, I’d have to believe in the Bible — and I consider myself an atheist,” Carnell told the Washington Post. They have retained, however, the idea that all appeals to moral absolutes are thinly veiled lies designed to repress and dominate.
- In place of the 10 Commandments, the Satanic Temple offers seven “fundamental tenets.” The third enshrines bodily autonomy — hence the Temple’s treatment of abortion as a sacrament — and the fourth states that to “willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.” The only real sin is to inhibit someone else’s self-expression.
- For the Satanist, the question, “What is sex for?”, is nonsense. It’s not “for” anything. The evolutionary purpose of sexual pleasure may be to incentivize reproduction, but there’s no “ought” attached to that “is.” It’s your body. Do whatever feels good as long as your partner(s) consent. The same thing holds true when it comes to gender. Don’t like your body? You own it. Remake it however you please.
- There was once a gay rights movement which sought nothing more than to convince society to recognize [their] dignity… that movement no longer exists. The lewdness and nudity on display everywhere from “family friendly” festivals to the White House lawn are not pleas for the recognition of human dignity; they’re power moves.
- This glorification of individual autonomy and self-determination — especially when they transgress traditional boundaries — is a religious claim. And it’s exactly what Satan offers, whether you believe in him or not.
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Romans 1:28 “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For 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; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Important Takeaways:
- Sam Smith, Kim Petras Bring Satan, Cages and Whips to Grammys in Fiery ‘Unholy’ Performance
- Sam Smith just outdid their recent “Saturday Night Live” performance with “Unholy” collaborator Kim Petras in a horror movie-inspired performance of the smash hit. Smith started the song in red leather, surround a fleet of dancers that evoked Samara from “The Ring,” before cutting to Petras dancing in a cage, flanked by some dominatrices wearing satanic headgear. Smith also donned a satanic top hat, as huge flames heated up the stage.
- Smith and Petras won the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance earlier in the evening, and Petras gave an emotional speech.
- “Sam graciously wanted me to accept this award because I’m the first transgender woman to win this award,” she said, to cheers and many of the musicians in the crowd giving her a standing ovation. “I just want to thank all of the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open before me so I could be here tonight. Sophie, my friend who passed away two years ago, who told me this would happen and always believed in me. Thank you so much for you inspiration, Sophie. I adore you, and your inspiration will forever be in my music.”
- When asked about the fiery performance backstage, Petras said it was inspired by not feeling accepted by religion.
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Romans 1: 25 “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”
Important Takeaways:
- SatanCon announces 2023 plans for Boston
- “SatanCon,” which will be in Boston April 28-30.
- Boston, home of the original Tea Party, some of America’s most historic buildings, a world-renown symphony, and now, the “The Largest Satanic Gathering in History.”
- The report noted, “Those who purchase the ‘Demon Circle” $160 tickets will receive access to the ‘Satanic Marketplace,’ access to ‘on-site programming tracks,’ an official TST SatanCon 2023 t-shirt, TST SatanCon stickers, and a SatanCon 2023 button.”
- The sponsoring group “made headlines last year for seeking a court declaration to allow abortions for their Texas members, claiming that the laws violate their ‘religious freedom’ to perform ‘abortion rituals.’”
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Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Important Takeaways:
- The demons of WitchTok
- The world of online occultism is hardly esoteric. Whether it’s social justice witches hexing the patriarchy or bored teenagers “reality shifting” into other dimensions, millennials and Gen-Zs have popularized alternative spiritual practices on platforms like TikTok. Look up #WitchTok and you’ll find hundreds of thousands of tutorials — mostly by young women — teaching you how to cast spells or summon pagan deities, interspersed with healing crystal hauls and vlogs about their latest otherworldly encounters.
- Self-made teenage witches doing all kinds of bizarre things. Some were attempting to astral project into Hogwarts; others were “manifesting” the lyrics of rap songs. But I also found some claiming to have encountered malevolent entities.
- In one video, a young woman reports her “first interaction with Satan” who she claims to have engaged in dialogue with thanks to her “extensively practiced clairaudience.” She claims that the encounter began with her unexpectedly sensing “a very intense spooky energy” which, after performing some kind of divination method, she identified to be the devil. Satan — who apparently goes by the pronouns “they/them” — then told her that despite being from “Hell, a very intense place,” “we are not inherently bad.” The encounter culminates in the devil asking the woman if “they” can try some of her cookies, followed by about 350 thousand likes and six thousand comments (one reads, “tell Satan I would like to be his friend he seems nice”).
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Jude 1:18 …“In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”
Important Takeaways:
- FX’s animated comedy series ‘Little Demon’ features the voices of Aubrey Plaza as “Laura;” Danny DeVito as “Satan;” and Lucy DeVito as their daughter “Chrissy”
- 13 years after being impregnated by Satan, a reluctant mother, Laura, and her Antichrist daughter, Chrissy, attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware, but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including Satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul.
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In what is being called the “largest public satanic ceremony in history”, a 8 1/2 foot tall satanic monument has been displayed in Detroit, Michigan.
The statue of Baphomet was unveiled at a ticketed special event before midnight on July 25th. The crowd cheered at the unveiling chanting “hail satan.” The statue features two children, one boy and one girl, looking up adoringly at the satanic creature.
About 100 protesters showed up to challenge the placement of the statue saying it was disrespectful to religions.
“Baphomet contains binary elements symbolizing a reconciliation of opposites, emblematic of the willingness to embrace, and even celebrate differences,” Jex Blackmore, who organized the unveiling, told TIME. Blackmore admits his name is a pseudonym for “safety reasons.”
The statue was originally part of the Satanic Temple’s plan to place a satanic statue on the grounds of the Oklahoma State House grounds where a Ten Commandments monument was placed. The group now plans to take the statue to Arkansas after the governor approved a Ten Commandments monument for that state’s Capitol grounds.
