Angels and Demons: How to Resist the Devil

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Go to harvest.org. Church again. Now is the accuser of the brethren. First he's the tempter.

Now he'll become the condemner. Have you ever been the target of a scam? Many of us have, some without even realizing it.

None of the scammers admit they're trying to rip you off. They play upon your fear or your kindness. They find a weakness or a vulnerability. Satan is like that, although he's been practicing a lot longer. And today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie warns us about his tactics and strategies.

We're each in his cross hairs. But as believers, we're under the protection of the cross. The title of this message is Angels and Demons. So this is what kind of perplexes us is where in the heck did demons come from? Why do we even have to have demons?

Well, they're out there for sure. And to simplify it, a demon is a fallen angel. God did not create demons as we know them today. He created angels, but he gave to these angelic creatures a free will and an ability to choose. And as hard as it is to believe, one third of the angels followed a high ranking angel known as Lucifer, the son of the morning, in a rebellion.

Lucifer is also known as Satan and the devil. So Genesis 3, very familiar passage. I'll read verses one to seven. I'm reading from the New Living Translation.

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, the woman replied. It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden we're not allowed to eat. God said, Don't eat it or touch it, and if you do, you will die. You won't die, the serpent replied to the woman.

God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God knowing both good and evil. The woman was convinced. She saw the tree was beautiful, and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate, and she gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

We'll stop there. So it's worth noting that in this particular passage the devil is compared to a serpent or a snake. So sometimes he's compared to a lion, sometimes he's compared to a snake. And this is a fascinating thing because, well, snakes are very interesting creatures in that they're hard to figure out. You know, when I was a boy, for some inexplicable reason, I collected snakes, and I don't know why I liked them so much, but I had quite an exhaustive collection, and I was bitten by many snakes, I might add as well. My grandkids like to ask me, Papa, tell us all the animals that have bit you, and I've been bitten by so many animals because I had every kind of creature you can imagine.

I said, Well, I've been bitten by mice, I've been bitten by rats, I've been bitten by guinea pigs, I've even been bitten by a rabbit, I've been bitten by a turtle. So I went over all the animals that have bit me, but snakes, I was bitten by them a lot. And I had this one snake that almost could sense my fear, and anybody else would reach in, and this little python would not strike, and whenever I put my hand in there, it'd strike. And every time it bit me, the snake drove me crazy because he just knew, Here comes Greg, I'm going to bite him.

And so we had this very contentious relationship, me and that crazy snake. But, you know, snakes are that way. You can't read a snake. You can read a dog. It's so easy to know where you stand with a dog. You know when a dog's happy, you know when a dog's sad, you know when a dog, pretty much wherever he's at, you can read it on his face. Cats are far more mysterious.

They just sort of look at you with those mystical eyes and walk off. But snakes are even harder to read than cats or dogs because a snake is a reptile, and their brain is very small. They're not intelligent creatures. And people say, Well, you can tame snakes. Sort of you can, but they may bite you in the face, and they may be fine with you for a while.

It all depends. But you always want to be aware of the threat of a snake. And another thing about a snake is they can get in and out of the tightest little spots. And that's so much like the devil.

You don't know what the devil's going to do next, and he'll kind of worm his way in or snake his way into a given situation. But the thing with the snake also is the venom. I never had any venomous snakes, but, you know, there are different kinds of snakes that have different strengths of venom. There was a guy I knew of when I was a young boy who used to have a lot of snakes, and he had tiger snakes, which are among the most venomous snakes in existence. And he had been bitten by a tiger snake and survived it because he had taken the venom and used it to build up his immunity. So this is like the guy who survived the tiger snake bite. So he was kind of a legend in the snake world, right, which I happened to be in.

I can't explain it, but I was in it. It's like this herpetologist is what we call ourselves. We were into reptiles, very weird people, okay.

But anyway, I was into it. And so he survived the bite of a tiger snake. But then one day we heard the tragic news that he died from a cobra bite, and he kept cobras as pets, cobras. And I think he thought because I survived the bite of a tiger snake, a cobra isn't that big of a threat, and one of his cobras that literally would slither around his house did him.

He wasn't aware of it, and he didn't get treatment quickly enough, and he died from it. So I think that's how we can be sometimes. We have our guard up. Be careful here.

But then I lower my guard over there, and all of a sudden I'm vulnerable. Take the bite. This is a whole message on snakes.

You didn't know this was coming. I'm going to do a brain dump of everything I know about snakes tonight. No, I'm not really, but I'm almost done with snakes. Did you know that the venom of a baby rattler is more toxic than that of an adult rattler? So you know, you might see a full grown rattler and say, can you back away from it? Don't get near that thing.

Stay away from it. Then you see a little baby rattler, and you go, look at that. It's so cute. And you pick him up. What did you do, baby rattler? And he's in your hand, you know.

Or did he do little things? Oh, baby rattler just bit me. It's so cute.

Feeling faint. Yeah, don't mess around. And I bring this up because, you know, we have our guard up against the big sins, but we lower our guard with what we perceive as little sins or areas that we're strung in, and we end up getting defeated in that very area. Is this making sense to you? So the devil comes like a serpent.

And what does he do? Well, with Eve, he questions God's love effectively. You know what? If God really loved you, he would let you eat of any tree you want to eat of in the garden.

So the fact that he isn't letting you eat of it must be an indication he doesn't really love you at all. And by the way, if you eat of this fruit, you will become like a god. Eve, you'll be a goddess.

And you will know the things that only God knows. And she just went for it. That's all she needed to hear.

It appealed to her pride. So the devil is clever. He won't come and just say, you know, the Bible's not the word of God. He'll just say, did you really understand the Bible correctly? Did God really say what you thought God said?

Maybe you just misunderstood. And so he'll come to us and say, you know, it's really not that bad for you to do that. Other people do that. Other people who say there are Christians do that.

Why can't you do that? And he'll say, well, because, you know, I just think that's wrong. Oh, come on. Go ahead. Don't be so uptight. Don't be so rigid.

You're being legalistic. Go ahead and just do that thing that everybody else has done. Okay, well, I'll do it one time and I'll just have a little bit.

Yeah, the famous last words. And then here's what happens. Then he gets you.

Then you do that thing and you're sort of hooked. You're pulled in. And then what does the devil do? Right after he deceived you and told you, go ahead and do it, he then condemns you. Because the Bible describes Satan as the accuser of the brothers and sisters. And he accuses us before God day and night. So here's how the devil works.

He whispers in your ear, go ahead and do it. Everybody else is doing it. It's not that bad. Do it just once.

You'll be fine. Or no one will ever know. And then the moment you do it, he comes back to you and says, you're the biggest hypocrite that ever walked the face of the earth. How can you call yourself a Christian? Don't even think of reading the Bible again.

Don't even think of showing your ugly face in church again. Now he's the accuser of the brethren. First he's the tempter, pulling you in, getting you to take his free sample. Now he'll become the condemner and the accuser of the brethren. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here, personally inviting you to join us for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a Bible study. It's a worship service. It's church in your home. Maybe you're not able to get out to your church right now. If so, join us for Harvest at Home. People are listening in from around the world. And listen to this. We have seen thousands of people make a commitment to follow Christ. So join us this weekend for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Pastor Greg's message today is titled Angels and Demons.

It's part of his enlightening series called The Afterlife and the Eternal. Let's continue. You know when you go into Krispy Kreme donuts? I haven't been there for a while. But the last time I was there, I of course overate as I always do.

That's why I stay away. But I walk in and what do they do? Would you like a free Krispy Kreme donut? Why do they do that? Because they love us? No, because they know the moment you eat that hot, freshly made donut glistening with sugar, you will eat more.

It's worth it to them so you take that bite and they're cut. Have you ever noticed they're a little smaller than regular donuts? How many of you have had Krispy Kreme donuts?

Okay, not everybody. If you haven't had them, you should go try them. Now I'm like the devil all of a sudden. Just one time, try them.

Just have a little one. Yeah, that's how it works. So I try that first one, I'll have another, I'll have another, I'll have another. And it's so awesome when I'm eating them. And then it just becomes all this greasy dough in my stomach. And I'm thinking, why did I just do that?

Then I go into a food coma. You know how it works. That's how sin works.

I'm sorry to use Krispy Kreme in that way, but it fits. You take the bait and then you're hooked and then he condemns you. So you say, so what do you do?

Well, you just remember that that's his tactic. And no matter what sin you've committed, God can forgive you if you'll admit that sin and repent of it. And say, Lord, I'm sorry for that sin.

And don't forget something else. And we've been talking about this as we're studying the book of Romans together. As a Christian, you've been justified before God. It's not based on anything you've done. It's solely based on what he did when he sent Christ to die on the cross in our place.

And remember, justified means just as if it never had happened. So I stand righteous before God. So I say, Lord, forgive me of my sin.

I stand right before God now with this child. And to the devil I just say, go to hell. Because that's where he's going.

And trust me, he would like to drag as many people there with him as he possibly could. So it's very important for us to know how the enemy works. I think it was Victor Hugo who said, he was the author of Les Miserables, who said, quote, You must penetrate the brain of your enemy. A good general will penetrate the brain of his enemy. The idea is, know your opponent.

Know what your opponent may do. And be ready for him when he comes. And these are the tactics of the enemy that he uses over and over again. But here's the good news. Two thousand years ago on the cross, Jesus defeated Satan.

He defeated him. Now look, the devil can still tempt you. The devil can still hassle you. The devil can still kind of buffet you or strike at you.

Even the apostle Paul talked about how he was buffeted by the enemy. But the devil can never overcome you. The devil can never overpower you. And the devil can never possess you because you are under new management because you've put your faith in Christ.

And Satan knows that. The Bible says that God puts his ID tag on us. And that ID tag says property of Jesus Christ.

And that ID tag is the work of the Holy Spirit and the life of the Christian. I was traveling recently and my bag came off of the conveyor belt and I'm wheeling it out. And some lady comes chasing after me. You have my bag.

I'm thinking, this lady's crazy. This is my bag. She goes, you have my bag.

I said, ma'am, I'm sorry. This is my bag. She says, open it up.

I open it up. It was her bag. We had identical bags. And I'm so glad I didn't keep her bag because I did not want to dress in women's clothing for that trip.

And she had my bag and I mistook it. And the reason was I didn't check the ID tag, you see. So God has put his ID tag on you and you're under his protection. So you don't have to be afraid of what the enemy is going to do. You just need to be aware of it. And you need to keep your guard up.

But here's the bottom line and I'll close with this. God wants you to come into a relationship with him. And the devil wants to do everything he can to keep you away from a relationship with God. The Bible says that God of this world, that Satan, has blinded the eyes of those that don't believe.

That their eyes should be opened and they should see the glorious light of the gospel. So Satan doesn't want you to believe. And the Bible also says he's taken people captive to do his will. So he tries to keep us from coming to Christ. But then when we do come to Christ, he'll do everything he can to get us to fall away or to compromise. So he can neutralize us. And so we need to be aware of these things.

So let me speak to two people as I close. Number one, you may be a person who has joined us who is not sure if your sin is forgiven. In fact, the devil has just been having a Haiti in your life. Maybe he has you trapped in addiction, drugs, alcohol, pornography. Maybe he has you trapped in some relationship. He has you trapped in something else. And you just feel like I can never get out of this place. You can't.

You can't. But you must ask God for his help and for his forgiveness. And Jesus can pull you out of that pit that you're in and change you literally in moments. So if you've never believed in Jesus, I'm going to give you an opportunity to believe in him tonight. And have all of your sin forgiven and get a fresh start in life. And most importantly, know that when you die, you will go to heaven. But there are some of you who have accepted Christ into your life, but realistically and honestly, you've been kind of trapped by the enemy. He's kind of got you wound up in some compromised situation. And you're not a happy person right now. Because you're trying to live in two worlds. In fact, you're even sitting here right now thinking about what you're going to do in that other world you live in the moment you get out of this church service.

That is not a good thing. I'm going to watch this on TV. I'm going to go to this club. I'm going to go. Yeah, really?

You're in a bad place. Because I don't think we should want to get out of this place quickly. I think we should want to be here and savor the moment with God's people.

I know you have to get home and get to work and things like that. But I'm talking about enjoy every moment that we have to worship and learn the word of God. It's a privilege. Don't live in two worlds. So if you're in that sort of no man's land of compromise, I'd really encourage you tonight to make a recommitment to Christ and really start walking with the Lord as you ought to. Don't let the enemy have a foothold in your life. The Bible says don't give place to the devil. Don't give him anything. Don't have tea with him. Don't hang out with him. Don't have a short conversation with him. Don't text him. Don't let him text you. Just stay away from him.

Keep as much distance as you can. The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. So we have to resist him. But before that it says submit to God. So first I submit to God, then I resist the devil. Because as I submit to God I have the power to resist the devil.

And he'll flee from me. So some of you may need to make that recommitment. I'll give you that opportunity right now as we all close in prayer. Let's pray. Now Father thank you for your word to us. We know there's a devil. We know there are demons. But more importantly we know there's you and we know there are angels. And we know you're more powerful than our adversary. So we would just say right now to the enemy and his forces we rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ. And we would say Lord that there are people here that need to come to you.

And I pray that you would take off the blinders. Help them to see what we've shared tonight is true. These are not fairy tales. These are not myths.

This is hard reality. The supernatural world. And I pray Lord for any person here that doesn't know you yet. I pray you would help them to come to you and believe in you and be forgiven of all of their sin. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer. And if you'd like to make a change today, before this edition of A New Beginning wraps up in a moment, Pastor Greg will help you do that.

So please stay with us. Now as you were listening today, if any interruptions happen and you missed part of the message, hear what you missed by going online to harvest.org. You can stream the message or download an MP3 for later. Or request a copy on CD by calling our 24-hour phone number 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Today's message title is simply Angels and Demons. Well Pastor Greg, I've just read your book, Billy Graham, The Man I Knew.

It's brand new. One of the stories you tell in there, I thought maybe you could recount it for our listeners. Describe the time you got a phone call late one night from Dennis Haggajanian doing his imitation of Billy Graham.

Right. Well, Dennis and I have been friends for years. Dennis is a musician, amazing guitar player, and a friend of Franklin Graham, and worked with the Billy Graham team for years as well. So I was back in North Carolina at a Billy Graham board meeting, and so we had dinner that night. And I said to Billy, Billy, if there's anything I can do for you, preparing sermons or whatever, let me know what you need, and I'll work on it. Billy said, okay, thank you. Then I went back to my room that night, and I got a call.

It's late, like 10 o'clock. So that was Dennis. He would always call and say, how did it go tonight? How was Billy doing? And so he called, and he did an amazing Billy Graham imitation. And so Dennis calls, and he says, hello, Greg, this is Billy Graham. And I was thinking about what you said to me tonight, and I know it's not Billy.

So I'm like actually watching TV, and I'm flipping the channels, you know, like you do. I'm flipping the channels, and he said, right, right. And I think, and whatever he was saying, I'm saying, uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah, whatever, Billy. You know, just, because I know it's Dennis. I'm waiting for him to say, Greg, it's Dennis.

And he goes on, and then Dennis says, and I was thinking about what you said tonight, and I'd like your help. And then I thought for a moment, wait, I didn't tell Dennis I said that to Billy. Then it done to me, this is Billy Graham, and I'm blowing him off, right. Oh, and I said, oh, excuse me, Billy, yes, how can I help you? And I realized that I was like ignoring Billy Graham, which is kind of a crazy thing, but that's exactly what I was doing. You know, another funny thing that happened, you know, Franklin is quite the prankster. So I had a photo of Billy that I had printed out, and I got him one of those cool like silver metallic pens, because I wanted him to sign it.

So I took it back when I was going to see him, and Billy very graciously signed it. And I rolled it up in one of those tubes, you know, and I had it in my hotel room. And as it turns out, the maid picked up the tube thinking it was trash and threw it in the dumpster.

I just about had a heart attack. I went and found the dumpster, clawed my way through it, found it, put it back in my room. So then Franklin says, come on up to Daddy's room. You know, so I go up there, and there's Billy and Franklin. And then Franklin says, Daddy, you know that picture you signed of yourself and gave to Greg?

And Billy says, yes. Franklin says, Greg threw it away. And I said, no, I didn't throw it away. The maid threw it away. No, Daddy, he threw it away. Billy's kind of smiling, and I thought to myself, they're in this together.

They're working together. Right now, I realized, so I just took the, and I said, look, I didn't throw it away. I went and found it, and I explained it, and we all had a laugh. But, you know, he was just a great guy to be around. And he took his message very seriously, but he never took himself too seriously. And it was always just a joy to be with him. And there were so many memorable conversations and moments that are with me forever. And I wanted to put him down in this book so other people could hear these stories, because this humanizes him.

Oh, yeah. And what I mean by that is, there's been many books written about Billy, and rightly so, but sometimes they're maybe a little more academically oriented, or they're giving you a complete history. I did not feel the need to write that book. It's been written. This is a personal book.

I'm talking about my interaction with him. What I saw, and I am an evangelist, and Billy was the master evangelist, so it's an evangelist writing about an evangelist. There's a lot of insights here for everyone, but I think this would be a really helpful book for anyone who loves to preach. If you're a pastor, if you're an evangelist, there's a lot of takeaway truths I learned from Billy, and I share in this book that will help you to be a better communicator of the gospel. Yeah, it's such a great resource. There's so much about Billy Graham very few of us know, only those who knew him best. And that's why the book is called Billy Graham, The Man I Knew.

It's a unique look into one of our generation's true heroes of the faith. The book is brand new, and we'll send you a copy to say thank you for your investment in these daily studies. We can only bring them your way as listeners invest to help cover the costs of broadcasting, so thanks for your partnership.

It couldn't come at a more strategic time. Write us today at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514, or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24-7 at 1-800-821-3300, or go online to harvest.org. And then, Pastor Greg, would you like to speak to those who'd like to make a change today in their relationship with God? I would. You know, I received so many letters, Dave, from people from every walk of life, from successful businessmen to those who are incarcerated, to mothers struggling as they're trying to raise their children, to young boys and girls writing and saying they've made a commitment or a recommitment to Jesus, and maybe you need to make that commitment to Him right now. Let me lead you in a word of prayer.

Yes, you can meet God right now, and I would just ask you to pray this prayer out loud after me, and this is where you are asking Christ to come into your life. Pray with me now, if you would. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I know that I've broken your commandments and I've fallen short of your standards, but I thank you that you have loved me and you have called me to yourself. So I turn from my sin right now, and I choose to believe in and follow you. Be my Savior, be my Lord, and be my God from this moment forward. Thank you for calling me and loving me and accepting me. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. Hey, let me just say, God bless you, you've made the right decision, and welcome to the family of God. And we'd like to send something your way to help you as you begin your new relationship with the Lord. It's an assortment of helpful resources we call our New Believers Growth Packet. Just ask for it if you prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Our address again is A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300.

We can take your call anytime, again at 1-800-821-3300. Or just go online to harvest.org and click on Know God. Well next time, the finale to Pastor Greg's important series, The Afterlife and the Eternal. Practical help for fighting the spiritual battles we face every day. Next time, here on A New Beginning. This is the day, the day when life begins. The preceding message from Greg Laurie was made possible by Harvest Partners. Helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for Pastor Greg's free daily email devotions at harvest.org.