Captive to the Devil

 

You can be taken captive by the devil. I'm not talking demon possession, though that is a reality most **enlightened** people do not want to admit to at all whatsoever. Jesus cast out demons, if you believe in Jesus you believe in demon possession as a reality. If you are some new superior Christ follower who chooses not to believe in the reality Jesus lived then by all means follow your false Christ, your devil in disguise. Others will say that demon possession went into obscurity along with Christ followers performing miracles. Well, let me mention this fact, there were very, very, very few miracles workers in the Old Testament but we know demon possession was alive and well. We know King Saul was troubled by demons.  We also know this…

Lev_20:27  A 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.

A familiar spirit is an evil spirit, and evil spirits using men and woman is commonly spoken of in the Old Testament. So, not that many miracle workers in the Old Testament but lots of familiars-evil spirits and those who had them were put to death.  In the New Testament, demons made men act crazy. Those men weren't using these evil spirits nefariously, they were trapped by them.  Though the New Testament mentions magicians, soothsayers, witches and the like- those that traffic in evil spirits, those that are not getting any of their supposed powers from God.

As for demon possession going into obscurity today in modern times- no, no it hasn't. Demon possession has grown more sophisticated, demons aren't stupid, they were once angels of God. There was a time that people thought every physical, mental, emotional great upset was evil. Medical science has corrected a lot of the things people once attributed to demon possession. What hasn't been corrected by anything is the evil in mankind, try as they might, it still exist in grand proportions worldwide. 

Yes, it was easy to get people to blame medical conditions on demons, so why not use that, Satan loves using anything he can, he's not all that particular, he has no signature move.  Right now and for some time he's switched up tactics, no longer concentrating on possessing humans in ways that cause them not to be useful to him and his evils. The subtle possessions, with labels mankind accepts, work to his ultimate end. 

Captivity to the devil is real, and there are a multitude of ways to be captured. It's not only the Exorcist girl, the Conjuring people, the Stigmata, the numerous movies depicting possession- you aren't captive only if you're given the extreme form of demon possession. You are captive when you are NOT in the truth, when you are not in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. If you believe a single lie the devil spews, holding tight to that lie and if you treat that lie as God's truth, and you're in a devil snare, captured.

The devil is REAL. You can be taken captive by him. We are point blank told this in the New Testament-

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves…

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.  2Ti 2:25,26

The devil sets snares!

The devil takes captives!

The devil does this at his will, taking whoever he wants!

People caught up in the devil's snares, people who are captive to the devil, whether by possession or willingness to embrace that evil and be used by it, they need to be RECOVERED from the devil. All but the very elect will be deceived by Satan, that is a whole lot of people under the devil's snare.  The reality of the devil is a reality of evil angels that fell with the devil something we refuse to comprehend in our day to day life. 

In meekness, in gentleness we are to instruct those captive by the devil.

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

We instruct and if GOD chooses He can give them repentance  TO THE acknowledging of the TRUTH.

No screaming, no using the rod on those caught in the devil's snares. In gentleness… dare I say… lovingly instructing those caught by the devil. Lovingly as one who loves their neighbors, let people know that Satan is alive and well and yeah, he is living right here on earth with us.

People will say that the devil is an excuse to blame our evils on. Yeah, well, that's true- but it's not an excuse. Satan is the author of evil, every single evil, all of them. We are, however, responsible for allowing Satan to influence us. We are responsible for hiding from the truth, preferring lies, preferring things that are pleasing to our ears rather than hard truths.

Do you want to be recovered from the snare of the devil? 

Seek truth desperately, only truth, settle for nothing less. If someone tells you something contrary to what you believe, go to your Bible's search it out, don't ignore it because it's not what you were taught, not what you're used to. Find out if it is a tradition of man and not from God, all these things you believe- it matters because one is truth and one is a lie. Satan's snares have entangled the masses and his deception makes them enjoy their captivity to him. His deceptions keeps them from ever realizing they are deceived. Please, I beg you, don't let yourself be deceived. Truth matters. Don't be captured by the devil.

God alone can save us, God's truth! Jesus is the truth!