“I cannot believe I thought such an awful thing!” Why do we wrestle with dark thoughts? What compels us to speak bad about others? Is it something in us, or someone attacking us that makes us wish harm on others? How about when some stranger is bursting with laughter and we snicker “how ridiculous!” What possessed me to ever play with the Ouija board, Tarot cards, or visit a psychic, or listen to gossip?  Grisly dreams come and go, why?   Examining the genesis of the origin of our darkest thoughts is to examine what we may need to cast out! The Holy Bible tells us that Satan is the prince of the air in this world.  The word satan means adversary, accuser, or opponent.

Who accuses me in my thoughts? We are called to capture every thought and hold it against the Word of God. If the thought is not in alignment with what God says about His own, then use your weapon and slay the deceiver, the liar, the one who accuses you of not being good enough to be a child of God! The Old Testament Scriptures refer to satan as the ever present but inferior adversary, accuser, or our dark opponent. (Scriptures listed in comments) “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Whoa the attitudes of my heart, you mean my secret envy, grudges, and my selfish motivations are known? “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”  Ephesians 6 Reminds us that our enemy is out to destroy us as he sends demons to torment us. The war against our faith in Jesus is ongoing.  Eph 6 instructs us to put on the FULL armor of God to protect us from the schemes of satan.
Spiritual warfare is real. It is not the government, or a person that hurts us or is out to get us.  Satan enlists people like Hitler and others to do his work.  Satan is out to destroy us, our families, the Church, and our neighborhoods with an army of trained devout followers who cast spells to take us down. “ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” 1 Peter 5:8 NKJ  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph 6 — God is NOT one god among many; He is the One and Only (Is 40:25) The word holy means “unique, set apart, unlike others.” Holiness is not what God does…but it is Who He is. The Lord swears by His holiness (Amos 4:2) All of God’s attributes flow out of His holiness. Because of His holiness, out of His love for us He corrects, rebukes and disciplines us. There are two responses to those who have witnessed His holiness. A)  they thirst for more. B) they know with certainty that He is God and they are not. C) they humble themselves before the world and represent God in the world with modesty for He alone is holy. Once we receive the Holy Spirit, He changes our desires, He convicts our thoughts, He changes our appearance so that we are ‘set apart’ for His will and works. DECLARE OUT LOUD: Greater is He that lives in me than he who lives in the world. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I am the head and not the tail.  Before I was formed in my mother’s womb, God already had a plan for me.  I am not a mistake.  I am His and He is mine.  I have the mind of Christ. (Scripture references in the comments.) I confess in the name of Jesus that I am a child of God.  I declare and decree that I am born again by the Holy Spirit.  I am a citizen in God’s kingdom through Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross. Right now the devil is using false prophets, pastors, evangelists, politicians, radio and television stations to do his work.  In the days of Jesus satan was using Rabbi’s. It is the doctrine of the Pharisees of old, an evil doctrine they brought back from their Babylonian captivity.  It does not follow the truth of the Bible, neither of the Old Testament nor of the New. Its central tenets are found in a book called the Talmud (the real Satanic Verses), a book full of worldly traditions, lies, and superstitions.  The Babylonian Talmud is based on the mystical religious practices of the Babylonians which were assimilated by the Judahite Rabbis during their Babylonian captivity around 600 B.C.,”  The Rabbis then used these occult traditions in place of the word of God. And that is why Jesus was constantly rebuking the Pharisees: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 – “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Mark 7:8 – “For you have taken away the key to knowledge.” Luke 11:52 – “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” Matthew 23:33 – “in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” Eph 2:2  — “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 The airwaves broadcast the devil’s negative, divisive, deceiving, lying voice.  In the END, Jesus obliterates the devil’s voice “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Rev 16:17 Listen to what the Spirit is saying “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51-10-11 Matthew 27:59-61), and she had a job to do. She would prepare his body properly for burial with spices. The stories of Resurrection Sunday are endearing –especially the encounter between Mary Magdalene and the Messiah. What a story. A lady once filled with seven demons, most likely schizophrenic, was the chosen one to go to the disciples and proclaim the risen Christ. Does that give any of us hope that we can serve God in a mighty way? — If the joy of salvation needs to be restored, then that must mean we can our lose salvation! “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.”  Search my heart Lord…. of all actions,  my secret thoughts – reveal to me what I deny.  Prick my spirit with what I may confess.   Your mercy and grace are a necessity for me to be able to bring You, my Lord Jesus all the glory!   Fear God because His Word will not return void!  ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’…..Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31  – Because the devil is real and the fire of hell scorches souls unrelenting forever…. “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in My presence, but now much more in My absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” Phil 2:12 — What we DO or what we choose NOT TO DO is how we prove our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord.  We must run the risk of trusting Jesus.  God judges us by the content of our hearts and by our willingness to trust and obey, to act in faith.  “so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace…” Isaiah 55:11 – “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32 Pray and invite the Holy Spirit to give you understanding and a bold spirit that will not shrink back when facing the opposition or rejection of man. Be alert, be vigilant, be relentless against all the powers of darkness.  Holy Spirit guide me with Thy victorious hand against all the trickery and temptations of Satan. Deliver me Lord from the evil one.   Help me put away all false beliefs, all idols, I want to serve You and only You. Increase my faith Lord that I may love You with all my heart, mind and soul and keep You first always. Speak Lord for your servant hears. Help me to be a mighty person of prayer against the darkness, and for other people. Help me to DISCERN all things according to Thy Word. Help me to love the unlovable and to always respond in kindness. AMEN “From that time Jesus began to preach His message: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!”  Matthew 4:17   God’s Word warns His people NOT to DO certain things because He loves us. “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.” Acts 8:22 “Repent, then, of this evil plan of yours, and pray to the Lord that He will forgive you for thinking such a thing as this.” Luke 15:10  Is the devil active in 2018? Google ‘largest public satanic meeting in history’ We cannot hope to WIN the WAR for our souls if we do NOT pray against the evil in our homes, church, or in our country.  “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that He will forgive your sins.” Luke 17:3 “So watch what you do! “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Timothy 2:24-25 “As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth.” Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Luke 5:31-32 “Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” 2 Corin 7:9 “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed.”A Prayer For Repentance:  Asking for forgiveness should be something you want to do. Begin a conversation with God about your desire to cleanse yourself of evil and you will feel better for it.  We do not need to confess our sins to a man behind a curtain! Our eternal High Priest is Jesus Christ, always available and ready to forgive us! This summary of the Book of Hebrews explains makes sense of the blood sacrifice as Jesus fulfilled the old covenant in the Old Testament. Dear Lord, thank you for your mercy as I confess my apathy towards prayer. Soften my hard heart and forgive me for…..my lack of faith and trust in You to change me into what You designed me to be. Thank you for not abandoning me for my pride filled ways. Convict me of sin and help me confess my ways immediately.  Thank you for the love You have poured out for me and all of your children. Help me live out of that love today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  Be effective in the power God gave you.  In the end, will we be shocked by who is in heaven and who is not.  We were once saved, forgiven of our sins against God and baptized, died to our old nature and reborn, made new.  Then we told a little lie,  cheated on our taxes, spoke ill of someone, gossiped. Do we need to cast out some demons? Do we need deliverance, forgiveness and grace? Internal Conflicts