That Foul Spirit

 


George W. Bush is by no means a supporter of Trump, but to be fair, unlike some misleading headlines have suggested and which have caused many within the MAGA movement to assume, [1] he did not call the MAGA movement or Trump supporters terrorists and he did not mention any particular group specifically either on the right or the left when referencing domestic terrorists in his speech and though Bush’s detractors are entitled to their suspicions, he is right about one thing:
 
We have enemies both from without and within and they are both of that same foul spirit responsible for directing the destruction of the World Trade Towers, an attack on the Pentagon, and a failed attack on an unknown target that resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people who were simply going about their lives.
 
And it is that same foul spirit by way of widespread electoral fraud installed a wicked regime against the will of the people which has weakened our economy, assaulted the liberties that we have held dear, harbored hostile forces from within, and has left us vulnerable to enemies from without, and has compromised our national sovereignty, obstructed justice, has condemned the innocent, while making excuses for the wicked.
 
It is that same foul spirit that by way of a virus no more or less dangerous than the flu that waged psychological warfare upon the entire world, nearly bringing entire societies to a grinding halt, bringing many to financial ruin through job losses and livelihoods, imprisoning multitudes in their homes, and isolating them from friends and family, and bringing hopelessness and despair to many.
 
It is that same foul spirit that would have us all take into ourselves a potentially hazardous substance as a prerequisite to living our lives as we had once done before.
It is that same foul spirit that seeks to suppress everything that dissents from and challenges its deceitful false narratives.
It is that same foul spirit that would deprive law-abiding citizens the ability and right to defend themselves from those who would to them and those they hold dear from harm.
It is that same foul spirit that uses our tax dollars for anything other than what is in the best interest of the public and for things that are evil.
It is that same foul spirit that has made a mockery and a perversion out of those good and honorable institutions.
It is that same foul spirit that has murdered countless innocents in abortion clinics.
It is that same foul spirit that has led to the murder of innocent people, theft of, and destruction of property, and to the setting of various cities on fire in the name so-called social justice.
It is that same foul spirit that calls a violent riot a peaceful protest and a peaceful protest an insurrection.
It is that same foul spirit that condemns the righteous and honorable actions of the just while making excuses for the deeds and actions of the wicked.
It is that same foul spirit that sows needless discord amongst those who might otherwise stand in unity and embrace each other as brethren.
It is that same foul spirit that says “you will own nothing and you will be happy.”
It is that same foul spirit that demands unquestioning trust in corruptible institutions and faulty narratives and accuses those who refuse to do so of committing an act of terrorism.
It is that same foul spirit that would counsel a leadership to leave stranded in hostile territory its own citizens and their allies.
It is that same foul spirit that would force upon people a potentially dangerous remedy in the name of treating a sickness while denying the afflicted those remedies that do treat and cure the virus without destroying the recipients thereof in the process.
It is that same foul spirit that would drive a nation into trillions of dollars in debt with the intent to collapse its economy.
It is that same foul spirit that would rob the wages of the laborer and distribute them to those who have not earned those wages and to things that the laborer who was robbed may not have assented to.
It is that same foul spirit that causes people to exalt themselves against one another on the basis of age, gender, skin color, ethnicity, nationality, social, and economic status.
It is that same foul spirit that has shed the blood of millions in the name of creating a perfected race of men and in the name of creating collectivized utopias that instead became dystopias that offer nothing but miseries for those living under the rule thereof and serve only the interests those ruling classes.
It is that same foul spirit who claims that we are no more or less significant than an insect or bacteria.
It is that same foul spirit that would have us erroneously believe that the universe created itself by way of unthinking and unplanning random processes over a period of time.
It is that same foul spirit that would have us believe that all life descended from single-celled organisms.
It is that same foul spirit that has persecuted men for living in accordance to the dictates of their own respective faith and conscience.
It is that same foul spirit that has waged and continues to wage war against the Lord God who created the heavens and the earth, doing everything he can in his power to suppress anything that may lead men to the truth and knowledge of their Maker.
It is that same foul spirit that would have the knowledge of God eliminated from the public square and from every aspect of life.
It is that same foul spirit that would hide from our eyes evidence of God’s existence.
It is that same foul spirit that works relentlessly to discredit and keep discredited the revelation that comes from God in the minds and hearts of the souls he holds captive.
It is for that reason that this foul spirit forbids prayer to God in our public schools, forbids the teaching the scriptures in the classrooms thereof, and punishes teachers and students who might dare dissent and challenge the indoctrinating lies that have poisoned the minds and hearts of many.
It is that same foul spirit that calls what God has called evil to be good and that which God has called good to be evil, and makes unclean what God has declared to be clean and demands affirmation of those things that God has declared will not enter into nor inherit His Kingdom.
It is that same foul spirit who demands that we worship anything but the one true God alone.
It is that same foul spirit who demands that we place full unquestioning trust in fallible men and corruptible institutions rather than in the incorruptible God.
It is that same foul spirit that anything is possible with man and that we do not need God to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves.
It is that same foul spirit who provides what appears to be freedom and liberty but which only leads to chaos, disorder, and oppression.
It is that same foul spirit who tries to deceive us into thinking that we can become gods when in reality, we are only mortal flesh created by God.
It is that same foul spirit that binds men in chains, both seen and unseen, who might otherwise be free.
It is that same foul spirit that causes criminals and evil men to walk free while subjecting the innocent, the law-abiding, the God-fearing, and they who seek to do that which is right and good to be held captive.
It is that same foul spirit that divides and tears apart entire households that need not be torn asunder.
It is that same foul spirit that puts an end to marriages and relationships that did not have to end.
It is that same foul spirit that causes men to die before their time and some to die even as children, and takes away a beloved spouse far too soon.
It is that same foul spirit that mocks, ridicules, misrepresents, and vilifies those things that are good, pure, noble, honorable, and innocent.
And it is that same foul spirit who has sought to draw as many souls into darkness, oppression, despair, misery, and everlasting destruction as he can.
 
This foul spirit, like all of God’s creations, did not start out foul.  He was called a covering cherub who served at the throne of God until the day he was lifted up in pride by his beauty and wisdom and in his pride, he sought to make himself equal to the God who made him and tried to take for himself a status, rights, and privileges reserved for God alone and it was at that moment that he ceased to be a faithful servant of the most High God into the foul spirit we know today as Satan or the devil, and also known as Lucifer. (Is. 14:11-21, Ezek. 28:12-19)
And after his fall from Heaven, that foul spirit slithered his way in the form of a serpent into a world that God created to be one of perfect peace, harmony, and unity between Himself, man, and nature.
Before the arrival of this foul spirit, there was no death, no pain, no suffering, nor misery, grief, sorrow, or hardship, nor adversity of any sort because the taint, corruption, poison, and curse of sin had not yet come into the world.
 
But man was given a choice between life and death and that choice was set before him in the form of two trees: The tree of life of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; (Gen. 2:9) the tree of life which would have enabled man to live forever, (Gen. 3:22) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that was forbidden to man, being warned that in the day that he ate of that forbidden fruit, he would die as a consequence. (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3)
 
But by way of his craftiness, that evil foul spirit seduced the first woman called Eve to partake of that forbidden fruit who then led her husband Adam, the first man, to also partake of that fruit as well, for they were both led to believe that God was keeping them from their highest potential (Gen. 3:4) only to find that the partaking of that fruit did not make them divine as the Devil told them that it would, but instead subjected them to death just as God warned them that it would (Gen. 3:19) for it was in that day, that sin entered into man and not only did it enter into Adam and his wife Eve, but it was then passed down to all of mankind because it is from that first couple that all of mankind descends and having descended from that first couple into whom sin entered, all of mankind is inherently sinful and therefore is subject to death (Rom. 5:12) which is why it is written that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) but sin is more than just ill and carelessly spoken words or evil acts.  It is the poisoned and corrupted condition of human nature which causes us to sin, not just in our outward performance, but also in our thoughts, motive, and in the attitude of our hearts and it is the reason why we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and why our own goodness is not enough to save us from that terrible and everlasting judgment to which all sin must be subject to and that includes they who remain in their sins, for no one who remains in their sin can be permitted to dwell in a world or Kingdom in which there is no sin because the effects of sin are not confined to just mankind but its taint has also extended to all of creation itself which is why it is written that the creation itself groans and travails in pain alongside us, (Rom. 8:19-22) thus making sin the reason why everything is subject to death, decay, misery, grief, sorrows, and hardship of every degree and it is for this reason why God cannot allow any who remain in their sins to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven or have part in that new and better world to come lest the taint of their sin defile Heaven and that new world just as it has defiled this present creation and brought about this present world as we know it with all of its evil and darkness which is increasing rapidly until it reaches a certain measure at which point it must face judgment and how dreadful and terrifying that judgment will be when it comes.
 
Thus so far it would appear that Satan scored several victories when he led Adam and Eve into eating that forbidden fruit which caused sin to enter into them from them into all of mankind, causing all of us to be subject to death which is why he has been called the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning. (Jn. 8:44)
 
He also succeeded by way of the curse that came upon all of creation because of sin in subjugating the universe to a slow and agonizing death and diminished the dominion mandate given to man (Gen. 1:26-28) when he led Adam and Eve into the transgression, thus giving him justification to claim lordship over the kingdoms and nations of the world (Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) which is why he is called the prince of this world. (Jn. 12:31, 16:11)
And not only has he caused man to be subject to death, subjected creation itself to a slow and agonizing death through the curse of sin, and diminished man’s authority over the earth, he had also succeeded in causing man to become estranged from his Maker by way of the sin of Adam which was then inherited by all of us and when he succeeded in estranging man from the direct presence of the Maker, as far as he was concerned, he thought himself to have power over the souls of men.  Afterall, if the goodness of even the best of us is tainted by sin that is ever present in us, then that would mean that our own goodness which falls short of God’s standard of moral perfection is not enough to bring us into the Kingdom of God because God in His holiness cannot allow sin to dwell where His throne is.  Why would He want Heaven to be defiled by sin the way this material universe has been?  Why ever would God want Heaven to be plagued by the same miseries and evils that plague our present world?  And how can He ever let it continue on forever?  His goodness and holiness cannot allow evil and sin to continue on forever.  It all must be judged and subject to punishment because if He doesn’t, then He himself could no longer be called good nor holy.
 
And because what God requires of us is so high and higher than what any of us in our fallible conditions could ever hope to achieve, try as we might, it would appear that Satan has placed man in an impossible, hopeless, and dreadful situation.  Impossible because man, in his sinful condition cannot be perfectly good and even though he may appear flawless in character outwardly, he still sins inwardly and both the outward performance of man and his inward state will all be taken into account on the day that he stands before His Maker to give an account not just for every word spoken and action done, but also for his motives and every thought of his.
 
If we would all take time to examine ourselves before our Maker and before the moral standards that He has set forth in His Word given to us by way of the inspired scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16) and not just the words we speak or the things that we do, but also the nature of our thoughts, motives, and attitude of the heart, it can be the most humbling experience that we will ever have, but also at the same time, the most terrifying experience that we might ever endure with the knowledge that all sin, no matter how seemingly slight, will have no place in Heaven before God but must be subject to everlasting punishment and that includes anyone who remains in their sins.
 
The impossibility of being able to live a sinless life by our own efforts then places us in a seemingly hopeless situation because if we cannot, by living a morally sound life, as we all should do for the betterment of ourselves and society, then what hope is there in escaping eternal damnation apart from the mercy and grace of God?  Being the Creator of the universe, God is also the source of all truth and the definer of what is right and wrong, good and evil, which makes Him the supreme moral lawgiver to which all other powers, be they of Heaven or of this earth, must be subject for it is for the purpose of providing a moral compass, containing evil, and for the establishment of a peaceful, prosperous, and orderly society that He has given us His laws and precepts, but yet it is by His law that we are judged and by it do we all stand condemned and therefore cannot depend upon it for salvation but instead can only rely on the mercy and grace of God for redemption and a work of redemption that is performed on our behalf and not of ourselves and if God is a God of goodness, then He is just as much of a God of love as He is of justice and is as merciful and forgiving as He is holy.  His love and mercy cannot be separated from His justice and though the day come when the evil of this present world will reach that measure at which point divine judgment must be carried out, God, in His love for man and for all people, is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9) and therefore He delays that day of judgment from generation to generation until it can be delayed no longer for He would rather forgive men of their sins rather than punish them and it is His love for us that He has shown us grace in mercy by purchasing redemption on our behalf in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord to take away our sins for in being sinless, (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) He was made that perfect sacrifice needed to take upon Himself the demanded penalty for all sin which He did by His death and shed blood upon the cross and it was in Him that both the demanded penalty for sin was met and redemption on our behalf was made and it is in His resurrection from the dead by which our faith and trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation is justified and it is in Christ Jesus the Son that we are reconciled to God the Father.
 
Through his subtlety and craftiness in the garden where man fell by way of his first transgression in eating that forbidden fruit which caused sin to enter into Him and to be passed down to all of mankind, causing us all to be born into a morally corrupt state and spiritual darkness, Satan thought that he had succeeded in keeping us estranged from God the Father and having us subjected to eternal damnation and separation from our Creator, but it is in Christ Jesus that sins are taken away and reconciliation to the Father is made.
 
The devil thought to draw men into a false sense of security by either convincing him that he could earn his way into heaven by way of living as morally upright of a life as possible and through the observance of certain traditions by keeping him blind to his inwardly corrupted condition, or by just simply keeping him blind to his sin altogether and when any were to see just how futile their efforts to redeem themselves from their sins or what they perceived to be sins were and that their own goodness fell short, how delighted he was to see them filled with such uncertainty and even despair, hoping that somehow that the grace and mercy of God might compensate for where they were falling short, but Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves and in purchasing and securing our redemption by His death and resurrection, He made the forgiveness of sins certain for any who place their trust in Him alone for salvation and with the forgiveness of sins comes the inward transformation of the soul that causes the repentant sinner to no longer walk in those things by which he was condemned but in those things good and pleasing to God Almighty, seeking to walk in nothing more but in His truth alone, and to give Him praise and honor in all thinks, not to earn his way into Heaven, for by receiving Christ as His Savior and Lord, he has already become an inheritor of the Kingdom of God, but out of love for Christ and out of appreciation and gratitude for the forgiveness of sins that he has received, never again taking pleasure in sin, but only in righteousness, no longer aligning themselves with or participating in the works of darkness but only with those things that are of God and participating only in those things that advance the Kingdom of God and bring glory to His name, no longer pursuing after worldly pleasures or gain, but setting their sights upon the honors and rewards that await in Heaven, no longer concerning themselves with the favor of men, but only in pursuing those honors that come from God, and no longer fearing the displeasure of men who will be made to give an account before God Almighty, but fearing above all else the God before whom all will be judged in accordance to every deed done, word spoken, thoughts and motives harbored.
 
And just as our souls are made free in Christ Jesus of Satan’s grasp, so we will also be made free of bodily death when our forms are turned from that which is corruptible and subject to death to that which is incorruptible, (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and free of death and finally, creation itself will be liberated from the curse brought upon it when it is made anew after Satan and those who have followed him face their final defeat and judgment when they are cast away into a place called the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10) and it is in that new and better world that the people of God are promised that only goodness, light, life, peace, joy, and happiness will dwell and where God will make His dwelling among men, for the present evils that we currently experience in this life will all be done away with and be no more. (Rev. 21-22)
 
It is in Christ that we are set free from spiritual darkness, a fearful and terrifying judgment that is to come upon all sin and evil, and liberated from hopelessness and despair.
It is in Christ that we are transformed into vessels of everlasting honor and glory.
It is in Christ that we look forward to the day when death will be no more and when we are given a form in which sin has no presence.
It is in Christ that we are destined to be made citizens of that new and better world to come.
And it is Christ Jesus who has declared Satan, who is that prince of this present world, to be cast out (Jn. 12:31) and it is Jesus who has pronounced Satan’s final defeat and sentence but that foul spirit who is responsible for the defilement of this creation and for bringing into it all the evil, suffering, misery, grief, hardship, calamities, violence, sorrows, adversities, and darkness that we experience now is not going quietly.  His grip upon the earth is tighter than any nation, kingdom, empire, or ruler could ever hope or dream to have and it seems that as the carrying out of his final sentence draws near, the tighter his grip becomes.
 
The adversary of our souls works tirelessly to keep blinded from and hardened against the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ as many as he can.  He seeks to suppress anything that might open the eyes of the lost to the truth of the Gospel and which might cause them to soften and open their hearts to Christ Almighty and the good and honorable things that he cannot destroy from without, he tries to infiltrate, corrupt, pervert, and destroy from within.
 
He tries to lure the people of God into sin in order to discredit their testimony of what God has done in their lives, cause needless divisions within the congregations who would otherwise remain united in Christ, shame as many as he can within the body of Christ from speaking out against the things of sin and darkness and from holding each other accountable for their conduct and way of life, bring into the ranks as many false doctrines and heresies as he can so as to lead as many as he can from the pure and sound doctrine of the faith and undermine confidence in the authority and sufficiency of the written Word of God for doctrine in order to eventually overthrow the faith in the hearts and minds of as many of the saints as he can in order to cause them to turn away from following Christ, and if all else fails, he will threaten the saints with and carry out against them various forms of persecution which range from mild forms such as mere mockery and ridicule to forms most severe which include civic punishment, harm to loved ones, varying degree of violence, and even death itself.
 
He tries to lure as many within the body of Christ as he can into a state of complacency in which they cease to maintain doctrinal purity and accountability among the ranks and are ill-prepared to contend for and give a defense for the faith when the truth of God’s word is challenged, to be lazy in the things of God by diverting them to worldly pleasures and interests, into a state of apathy by causing them to be discouraged and demoralized when the odds and circumstances are no longer in their favor, and to desire the favor men above that of God and to be more fearful of the displeasure of men rather than the displeasure of God who is able to cast both body and soul into Hell.
 
His devices may be many and his resources vast.  His subtleties and lies may be various and numerous beyond count.  He may be elusive and most crafty and he may be a very powerful enemy but he can be overcome provided that we rely upon the strength and power of Christ in whom lies victory, but if it seems that the devil’s victories are more than his defeats, it is because we give victory away that we otherwise could have had because we value the things of the world too much.  We value the approval of man too much.  We are too caught up in the cares and worries of this life.  We fear the prisons too much.  We fear civic punishment too much.  We fear the rejection of friends, family, spouses, and even children too much.  We fear the threat of violence too much.  We fear death too much.  And we do not have the faith in God to meet all of our needs, to sustain us in times of difficulty, and to deliver us from evil like we should.
The manifested evils that we see today are but symptoms of a source that is spiritual and moral in nature.  Many may attack the branches of a bad tree, but how many are willing to uproot that evil tree and replace it with a good tree?  We are trying to drain the swamp by bailing out the water from the surface, but how many are willing to dive beneath that surface in search of the places from which that swamp is flowing in.  How many are willing to search for and pull out the clogs that are holding that water in?  It is an arduous task and yet it must be done.
 
It is not enough to just address the symptoms of evil.  It needs to be attacked and addressed at its very source if we wish to see effective and lasting results for the better and when the source is addressed, expect the battle to be more intense than when the symptoms are merely attacked.  Expect things that you thought to be true and factual to be challenged.  And expect to be required of certain changes within your mind, heart, and soul and be prepared to undergo that necessary transformation because this is not a war that can be won by way of force alone.  It is not a war that is fought with swords, guns, or heavy artillery although sometimes it can translate into that.
It is a war that is waged with doctrines, creeds, philosophies, and ideologies and it is waged in practically every aspect of life.  It is the truth and doctrine of the one true living God against the various, elaborate, and crafty falsehoods and temptations of Satan and it is, again a war waged for minds, hearts, and souls.
 
Mankind has been at the center of an age-long ongoing spiritual war between God and Satan and it has been a war for souls but there is no neutral ground for man.  Every one of us must choose a side and the same choice set before us is the same as was set before Adam, the first man, and Eve, the first woman in the garden where they dwelt before eating the fruit that they were commanded to not eat from:
 
 
[c1] [c2] Truth or falsehood
Holiness or unholiness
Purity or corruption
Godliness or godlessness
Righteousness or unrighteousness
Selflessness or selfishness
The rule of law or lawlessness
Morality and immorality
Right or wrong
Light and darkness
Life and death
Good and evil
Liberty or oppression
Angels or demons
Salvation and damnation
Heaven or Hell
God or Satan
 
 
 
If you haven’t taken a side already reader, which side will you choose?  And if you already have taken a side but now feel that you might have taken the wrong side, it is not too late to switch sides and make sure you are on the winning team.  All it takes is just a simple prayer and if done with heart-felt sincerity, the course of your life will be forever changed and there need not be any concern about what your eternal fate will be:
 
 
 
"Lord Jesus I need you.
 
 
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
 
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
 
 
Amen."
 
 
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
 
 
 
End notes:
 
 
 
1. USA Features Media, “George W. Bush Blasted After Appearing to Suggest Similarities Between 1/6 Rioters and 9/11 Attackers,” USA Features News, September 12, 2021
https://usafeatures.news/2021/09/12/george-w-bush-blasted-09-12-21/
 
 
 
Scripture references:
 
 
 
1.  Isaiah 14:11-21
 
2.  Ezekiel 28:12-19
 
3.  Genesis 2:9
 
4.  Genesis 3:22
 
5.  Genesis 2:16-17
 
6.  Genesis 3:3
 
7.  Genesis 3:19
 
8.  Romans 5:12
 
9.  Romans 6:23
 
10.  Romans 3:23
 
11.  Romans 8:19-22
 
12.  John 8:44
 
13.  Genesis 1:26-28
 
14.  Matthew 4:8-9
 
15.  Luke 4:6-74
 
16.  John 12:31
 
17.  John 16:11
 
18.  2 Timothy 3:16
 
19.  2 Peter 3:9
 
20.  2 Corinthians 5:21
 
21.  Hebrews 4:15
 
22.  1 Corinthians 15:51-55
 
23.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
 
24.  Revelation 20:10
 
25.  Revelation 21-22