Who’s Causing Your Trouble?

The devil is the mastermind behind every evil act that takes place on planet earth. The Bible abounds with evidence that he is the villain. Whether it is sickness, disappointment, robbery, or whatever, the motivating force behind each problem is the same. It is the devil.

Many times we tend to blame other people or the circumstances of life for our trouble. However, the Word of God tells us our battle is not against flesh and blood.

... we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:12

Don't misunderstand. You don't have to be afraid of what Satan might do. When Jesus rose from the grave, He stripped the devil and his demons of their power and made an open display of their defeat.

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:15

The purpose of this book is to teach you to identify the true source of your trouble. Once you know who is causing the problem, you can put a stop to it.

God Made a Good Universe

Things do not tend toward evil because God planned it that way. He created everything to be good.

... God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good....

Genesis 1:31

The evil that abounds on planet earth is an unnatural intruder. It came into existence when Satan interfered with God's perfect creation, tempting Adam and Eve to disobey God.

Even Satan was perfect when God created him.

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth....

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Ezekiel 28:14-15

Through misuse of his free will, the devil brought sin and evil into the world.

Satan Motivated Adam and Eve to Sin

Who set the trap for the fall of man? The Book of Genesis gives us the answer to this question. Notice that Adam began by blaming Eve.

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Genesis 3:12

It was Eve who put the blame where it belonged. She named the serpent (Satan) as the evil force behind the fall.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?

And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Genesis 3:13

As soon as Eve placed the blame on the guilty party, God was immediately able to bring judgment upon Satan and deliverance to Adam and Eve.

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:14-15

God can bring quick deliverance and victory when we recognize and accuse the true enemy. Because Eve refused to wrestle with flesh and blood and went directly to the spiritual root of the problem, God was able to bring speedy judgment and restoration.

Satan Motivated Job’s Problems

Job is a good example of someone with big trouble. He suffered one of the greatest robberies that ever took place. A quick look at the inventory of goods stolen from Job tells the story.

... seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household....

Job 1:3

The evil reports poured in from across Job's vast empire. He lost all his oxen, donkeys, sheep, and camels. All his children died. Only four of his many servants escaped with their lives. No doubt Satan spared them just so they could bring Job the bad news. He suffered all these tremendous losses in only one day. However, I want you to notice who received the blame for this reign of terror.

Job 1:15 blames the Sabeans for taking the oxen and donkeys and killing some of the servants.

Verse 16 lays the blame on God for burning up the sheep and more of the servants. (I hope you grasp the significance of this accusation, for even today many people still like to blame God for the loss of their goods. Insurance policies commonly make allowances for liability in the event of so-called "acts of God." They interpret every destructive or harmful incident of nature as something that God caused.)

Verse 17 goes on to accuse the Chaldeans of taking the camels and slaying still more servants. Verses 18 and 19 blame the wind for the deaths of the children. However, verses 6-12 show us clearly who was actually responsible for Job's loss.

... the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand....

Job 1:12

Scripture tells us God gave Satan the authority to test Job. Once you understand this fact, it becomes clear that the real troublemaker in Job's life was the devil. He took control of everything Job had, and he motivated all the robberies and murders. The Sabeans and Chaldeans may have done some evil deeds, but it was Satan who masterminded Job's losses. Scripture is clear that God did not cause the destruction that came Job's way.

A Spiritual Problem

As you read the following passage of Scripture, allow your mind to focus on this principle. When you understand the importance of identifying the source of each problem and learn to use your God-given authority, the real enemy in your life will have to cease his destructive activities.

And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

Luke 13:10-17

In these verses we see a woman who was bowed over, unable to straighten up. The ruler of the synagogue made a false judgment, believing her problem was purely a physical situation that Jesus shouldn't deal with on the Sabbath. The ruler blamed her health, but Jesus saw beyond the physical realm, discerning what was really happening. It was not paralysis or some other irregularity in her body that caused the woman's affliction. Once again, Satan was at the root of the problem.

Notice that when Jesus named the real culprit, two wonderful things happened. Joy came to the multitudes, and shame and disgrace came to the adversary.

The religious leaders saw the woman as having a physical problem. Jesus looked at the root cause of the woman's infirmity. He recognized a spiritual problem and deemed it appropriate to handle on the Sabbath. He saw how the devil had interfered with her life. By identifying and naming the real troublemaker, Jesus was able to bring the woman an immediate healing. It was Satan who had bound her for eighteen years. However, on the day Jesus identified the devil as the true villain, God set the woman free.

Identifying the real culprit is nothing strange. In the natural realm, the courts of our land do the same thing. When someone is shot, the police don't file charges against the firearm that delivered the bullet. The gun is actually nothing more than the instrument someone used in the commission of the crime. The guilty party is the one who had control of the gun and caused it to fire.

Jesus Identified His True Enemy

Jesus always saw below the surface, so He was never taken off guard. He wasn't even surprised when Judas betrayed him.

Judas was a disciple from the very beginning. He personally witnessed most of our Lord's miracles. Scripture implies that he even performed miracles himself.

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples [Judas included], he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Matthew 10:1

Even with this intimate relationship with our Lord, Judas allowed the devil to get control of his mind and turn him against Jesus. However, Jesus was aware of the root cause of this subversive behavior. He knew Satan motivated Judas' unfaithfulness.

... Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

John 6:70

Jesus also recognized Satan's work in another disciple. Prior to the crucifixion, Simon Peter made an attempt to stop Jesus from going to Jerusalem.

... [Jesus] began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

... And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

Mark 8:31-32

To the casual observer, this event would be nothing more than an attempt by a devoted disciple to keep the master from being killed by His enemies. However, Jesus always saw the root cause of the matter, making it possible for Him to judge properly.

And He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man [needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself knew what was in human nature.

[He could read men’s hearts.]

John 2:25, Amplified

Jesus immediately recognized that Simon Peter was not the one speaking to Him. Instead, he was an unwitting tool being used by the real enemy, Satan.

... when he [Jesus] had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan....

Mark 8:33

Jesus understood that the devil was directing Peter's words. As always, Satan was at the root of the problem between man and God, and our Lord was quick to identify him as the troublemaker.

Peter Named the Source

Failure doesn't have to be final. Please remember that if Satan has somehow deceived you in the past, it doesn't mean you are permanently disqualified from serving God. Even after Peter denied the Lord three times, Jesus did not cast him aside. The Lord restored him and gave Peter the ability to recognize the work of the enemy in others. The biblical account of Ananias and Sapphira proves it.

The Bible tells us they had seen Barnabas gain recognition for giving the Church all the proceeds from the sale of a piece of property.

And ... Barnabas...

Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 4:36-37

Ananias and Sapphira wanted to gain that same type of approval. They decided to sell a piece of land and donate the money to the Church. However, Satan convinced them to lie about the price of their land.

Simon Peter immediately recognized the true culprit behind their deception and named him. It was Satan.

... Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie . . . ?

Acts 5:3

Ananias and Sapphira died as a result of their deception.

Paul Recognized the Enemy

The Apostle Paul was always aware of his real enemy. He openly stated that Satan, not men, caused problems in his ministry. The devil sent a satanic messenger to hinder him.

... there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me....

2 Corinthians 12:7

This messenger used a number of people to confront and hinder Paul. They were false brothers, evil magistrates as well as various inquisitors. However, no matter what forms of disguise the enemy chose, Paul discerned them and identified them as instruments of Satan. When Paul retaliated, he always went beyond the surface and laid the ax to the root of the problem. For instance, notice who Paul blamed for his failure to visit the saints at Thessalonica.

. . . we would have come unto you ... once and again; but Satan hindered us.

1 Thessalonians 2:18

When Paul suspected trouble among the

Thessalonian saints, he didn't waste time by wrestling with flesh and blood. Even though he wasn't able to visit them personally, Paul immediately sent Timothy to find out where the devil had attacked them.

... lest by some means the tempter [Satan] ... tempted you....

1 Thessalonians 3:5

Paul understood that Satan's interference was also the root cause of trouble with some of the widows in the Church. He did not hesitate to name the devil as the perpetrator.

... [let the young widows] give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

For some are already turned aside after Satan.

1 Timothy 5:14-15

To sum it up, the Bible clearly lays the blame for the entire sin problem at Satan's feet.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning....

1 John 3:8

You Must Recognize Your Enemy

If you are going to be an overcomer, you must realize that Satan is the source of every problem. Be bold and accuse the devil for his part. Say it out loud. "Satan, you are at the bottom of my trouble!"

The sooner you learn to accuse him and take authority over him, the sooner the doors of total victory will open to you. Then the devil will have to restore the things he has destroyed or stolen from you and your loved ones.

Salvation Is the Beginning

Before you can receive restoration or any other benefit from the Kingdom of God, you must accept Jesus as your personal Savior. So if you are not saved, get saved today! As soon as you stop serving the god of this world (Satan), and start serving the God of the Word, restoration will begin.

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

But God, who is rich in mercy...

... hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Ephesians 2:2,4-6

As a born-again believer, you are seated in heavenly places with Jesus where you can see everything more clearly. Now you must begin to recognize the real source of your ongoing problems. You must stop blaming men and circumstances for your insufficiency and failures.

For we [you] wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:12

You must start doing what the Bible tells you. Accuse Satan, for he is the real troublemaker. God wants to protect you and help you overcome everything the devil is trying to do to you. God is patiently waiting for you to recognize the real thief, take authority over him, and make him pay.

Did you know that God's Word says when you find the real thief, he must pay you back?

. . . if the thief be found, let him pay....

Exodus 22:7

But if he [the thief] be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

Proverbs 6:31 A Bold Confession

Start saying this out loud:

"Devil, I put you on notice. No longer will I blame my God, my circumstances, or the people around me for the trouble in my life. I now have advanced biblical knowledge that will knock you out and put me on top.

"Oh, yes. There is one more thing, Mr. Devil. I put you on notice that today is the last day you will steal from me. Mark my words; your days of ripping me off are over. The Bible states that you are under my feet, and you must give back everything you have ever stolen from me. Not only that, but you will also have to pay me interest, seven hundred percent to be accurate. The Word of God says ’... if he [the real thief] be found, he shall restore sevenfold...’ (Proverbs 6:31).

"Get ready, Devil. From this day on, I will be accusing you as the real troublemaker and taking total authority over you in the powerful Name of Jesus Christ!”

There Is Power in Agreement

I want you to take one more bold step by allowing me to join with you in the prayer of agreement for your total victory over the devil. The Bible tells us when we come into agreement about a specific matter, we receive supernatural power.

. . . if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 18:19

The Bible also tells us our words of prayer will be powerful.

... The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available....

James 5:16, Amplified

Fill in the form at the end of this book today, and immediately mail it to me for agreement in prayer.

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