Satan’s entry into our lives is through the power of suggestion. When Jesus was attacked by Satan in the wilderness, He had to defend Himself against clever suggestions. The suggestions of demons come in three categories. You must be aware of these three categories of satanic attacks that come to all of us.
Type 1 Suggestion: The Suggestion to Yield to Fleshly Desires
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it BE MADE BREAD.
Luke 4:3
We are constantly urged by the voice of Satan to succumb to our flesh. Jesus was hungry after forty days of fasting. The devil urged Him to follow His flesh. The voice that urges you to sleep on, to break your fast and to do immoral things is the voice of Satan. Do not be deceived; this is the first and basic entry point of demons into your life.
Type 2 Suggestion: The Suggestion to Worship and Serve Something Other Than God
This is also a suggestion to choose the quick and easy route to your goal.
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luke 4:6-7
Countless Christians are urged to live for money and other earthly achievements. It is the voice of no other than Satan which urges you to spend your life, your time, your energy and your money on everything but God’s work.
Satan will not mind if you spend your money on politics, football, clothes etc. Some people think that what I am saying is too strong. But Satan hides in the darkness and uses Christians and righteous looking people to do his work.
Do you remember when Peter said to Jesus, “You will not die on this terrible cross; we will do everything to prevent you from having such an unpleasant experience?” That was the first and only time Jesus rebuked him publicly. Unfortunately, decent Peter had been used by Satan to suggest the need for self-preservation. Jesus showed us that men’s craving for self-preservation is of the devil.
From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and SAID UNTO PETER, GET THEE BEHIND ME, SATAN: thou art an offence unto me: FOR THOU SAVOUREST NOT THE THINGS THAT BE OF GOD, BUT THOSE THAT BE OF MEN.
Matthew 16:21-23
The things that men value are often things that are not of God. Please take note of this for your personal life. Perhaps men are urging you to do certain things but God is urging you to die for Him. We must have the character of Christ. We must take up our crosses and follow Jesus to Calvary. We must embrace the plan of God and not follow the deceptions of Satan.
Die Like a Lamb or Die Like a Pig?
Christ died with the calmness of a lamb. He embraced the will of God with peace. Most Christians die for the Lord like pigs––with a lot of squealing and reluctance. Have you ever seen a pig being slaughtered? We reluctantly embrace the will of God with a lot of squealing, screaming and resistance. Receive the lamb-like nature of our Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Type 3 Suggestion: The Suggestion to Misuse the Gifts and Blessings of God
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luke 4:9-10
Jesus had the power to use the gift of God to protect Himself. Was He going to misuse this power at the suggestion of demons? Certainly not! This common category of suggestion seeks to make you misuse whatever God has placed in your hand. God has given some of us spiritual gifts, callings, money, talents, education, contacts, power and influence.
Most people with these gifts from God misuse them. Satan cleverly suggests that we use our God-given blessings on anything other than the will of God. This is why many blessed Christians do not support the work of God whole-heartedly but they support their own lives! This also explains why many men of God deviate from the call and misuse the gift of God.
The power of suggestion seems weak and insignificant but this is the principal access route of demons. I remember reading a very powerful vision of a pastor’s wife who encountered exactly what I am talking about. She received a type one suggestion from the devil.
In this vision, Jesus appeared to Kenneth Hagin and talked to him extensively on the subject of demons and how they get hold of people. In the vision, Jesus told Kenneth Hagin that He was going to teach him concerning the devil, demons and demon possession. Jesus then opened the realm of the spirit to Kenneth Hagin and he saw a woman whom he recognized but did not know personally.
This lady was a pastor’s wife who was in the ministry with her husband. She had a great singing ability but she had left her husband and gone off on her way.
Jesus explained to Kenneth Hagin that this woman was a child of God until one day the devil came to her. As Jesus said this, Kenneth Hagin saw in the spirit, what looked like a little monkey come to sit on the shoulder of this pastor’s wife and whisper something in her ear.
Jesus told Kenneth Hagin that the demon told the pastor’s wife that she was a beautiful woman who had been robbed in life and that if she were in the world she would have fame, fortune and popularity. In the vision, the woman recognized the thought as coming from the devil and so she rebuked the demon and as she did so, Kenneth Hagin saw the little monkey jump off her shoulder and run off.
Jesus told Kenneth Hagin that by and by this demon came back to sit on the woman’s shoulder and whisper, the same thing to her. Every time, this pastor’s wife would recognize the voice of the devil and rebuke it and the demon would go away.
Jesus continued His narration to Kenneth Hagin and said that after a while, the demon came back to tempt the woman. As Jesus said this, Kenneth Hagin saw in the vision this little imp come again to sit on the shoulder of this pastor’s wife and whisper something to her.
Jesus told Kenneth Hagin that at this time, the pastor’s wife began to think Satan’s thoughts as well. She began to think that she was beautiful and that she had been cheated in life. Jesus continued to explain to Kenneth Hagin that when the pastor’s wife began to think like that, she became obsessed with the devil’s thoughts. As Jesus said this, Kenneth Hagin saw in the spirit that the pastor’s wife changed and became transparent as if her body was made of glass. Then he saw a black dot in her head about the size of a half-dollar coin.
Jesus explained to Kenneth Hagin that before, the devil oppressed this woman from outside but as she listened to the devil she became obsessed with the devil’s thoughts. Jesus told Kenneth Hagin how this pastor’s wife eventually left her husband and went off with another man. She went from one man to another until at a time she had been with five different men.
As the vision continued, Kenneth Hagin saw a minister of God, standing outside a hotel where this pastor’s wife was lodging with another man. He had gone there to reconcile the pastor’s wife back to her husband.
In the vision, Kenneth Hagin found himself appearing in the hallway by this minister when he knocked on the door of the hotel room where the pastor’s wife was lodging with her partner. He saw her in the vision, come to the door with almost no clothes on. She drove away the minister saying that she knew what he had come for and that she did not want to have anything to do with Jesus.
When she said that, Kenneth Hagin saw in the spirit that big black dot in her head, go from her head down inside of her, into her heart and down into her spirit. Jesus told Kenneth Hagin that at that point, the woman had become possessed with that devil.
What the devil had originally brought to this woman as a suggestion, embedded itself in her mind, and eventually possessed her heart and spirit. This illustrates how Satan used the power of suggestion until this woman was totally destroyed.
Right and Wrong Thinking
This is why the Bible teaches exactly what we must think about. The mind is the battlefield for your soul. When the wrong thoughts become established in your mind, you suffer from deceptions and delusions. Satan then uses these delusions to destroy you. It is important to constantly cast down imaginations that are contrary to the will of God.
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)
2 Corinthians 10:4
You must also control the pattern of thinking in your mind. Your thoughts must pass the Philippians 4:8 test before they are allowed to stay. Thoughts are like birds, they can fly over your head. But you can prevent them from building their nests over your head.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8
Furthermore, by these few pages, my son, be admonished because of making many books there is no end.
