Everything man does or says begins in the mind, known Biblically as the heart. This includes the formation of his spiritual foundation. Man lives–thinks, acts and speaks–according to his spiritual foundation which is based either on God’s engrafted Word or Satan’s implanted feelings. Every aspect of man’s life is governed by this foundation–his core set of principles. Proverbs 23:7 brings this Truth out so plainly that even a child can understand it: “For as a man THINKS in his heart, so he IS.” All words, thoughts and deeds, whether righteous or evil, begin in the mind/heart. This spiritual law is brought out again in James 1:14,15 where the Lord tells us that sin (lust) originates in the mind. Man then tempts himself when he gives in to that lust (desire) and becomes self-enticed. If not checked and dispelled from the mind (overcome–Rev. 3:21), his lust conceives and produces words, thoughts or deeds of sin. Sin, we are told in Romans 6:23, produces death. For this reason God tells salvation seekers that they must sanctify Him in their hearts/minds (1 Pet. 3:15). God will not share space with anyone else. Where God is, Satan cannot enter; God will not enter where Satan abides. If we fill our minds with Him (His Word, which is Jesus Christ in written form–Jn. 1:1-4,14/Rev. 19:13), there will be no room for the devil (his thoughts, lusts, etc.) If we study and meditate on God’s Word Satan will have no opportunity to slip his words (thoughts) into our minds.

The reason church people, by their own admission, cannot keep sin out of their minds and lives is that they reject most of God’s Word–the foundation of true faith. This leaves “sinners saved by grace” open to the infusion of Satan’s thoughts/words which, if not cast out and replaced with God’s thoughts/words, evolve into “feelings.” These feelings eventually replace God’s Word and come to be accepted as God’s voice–His “truths.” As a result, church people come to accept Satan’s fuzzy feelings as God’s expression of His will. By reinforcing these feelings through his false prophets, the devil convinces his parishioners that, not only do their feelings reflect God’s Truth, but that God’s Biblical Truth is a lie. This phenomenon began with the Lord’s first church in the Garden of Eden and has been in effect within “the church” ever since. For proof of this truth, compare what you read on this website and hear on my YouTube site with what you hear in church. The difference between the messages is the difference between light and darkness, truth and error, the Kingdom of God and the Lake of Fire.

Acts 5:3,4 provides a perfect example of how Satan injects his “truth” into the hearts of church people. Here we find two members of the church, having sold some land, lying about the money involved in the transaction. Hear what God, through the Apostle Peter, says to them: “… why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit …. why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.”

Unless we understand how Satan works through the mind/heart we cannot win our ongoing war with him. The Lord makes it clear that in order to receive the crown of life upon the return of Jesus Christ His people must continue to defeat Satan until the end (Mat. 10:22). Eternal salvation is WON on the battlefield of this life. Satan has deceived billions of people into believing that the war ended when they were “saved” and “born again” after completing a prescribed ritual. Many Scriptures prove this bit of theology to be a deadly lie. See Hope and Salvation.

To the Institutional Church, focusing one’s life totally on God is dull and boring. Such things as t.v., sports, the acquiring of stuff, using that stuff, politics, the internet, social acceptance, etc. is much more pleasurable than studying and obeying God’s Word, which most profess to be impossible. The problem is found in each group’s source of pleasure. Satan’s parishioners find pleasure in the pursuit of worldly delights found on various sized screens, in books, magazines, music, sporting events, recreational and social pursuits, etc.  Contrariwise, God’s saints find pleasure in learning and obeying His Word. This can be proved by an individual’s use of time. Human beings spend their free time doing what gives them pleasure/delight. The more pleasure one derives from an activity, the more of his free time one allots to that activity. Psalms 40:8 and Romans 7:22 show us that saints’ pleasure comes from DELIGHTING THEMSELVES IN HIS WORD/LAW. With extremely rare exception, religious people routinely spend hours each day in worldly pursuits, but will grant God only a few minutes of their time. He commands us to “redeem the time” He allots us. He wills that we use our free time to learn about Him (Col. 4:5). L.J.