THE CRAFT OF DECEPTION
Genesis, Chapter 3, Verse 13 says: 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.
WITCHCRAFT (beguilement) is the art or “practice” of casting spells and invoking evil spirits to deceive, manipulate, control and/or curse people. The word “beguiled” comes from the Hebrew word which means to “seduce and deceive.” As stated earlier, Satan’s greatest weapon, the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, is his ability to deceive people.
Satan uses psychological warfare to manipulate and control mankind. His cleverness and cunningness are no-match for any human being on Earth who does not possess the mind of Christ. Even Adam and Eve, did not discern the Serpent’s craftiness and beguiling ways as he led them into sin.
Sin entered into God’s creation in the Garden of Eden when the Serpent beguiled Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit. Adam also partook of the forbidden fruit, thus the nature of the mother and father of all mankind was changed. The lust of the eye, the pride of life, and the lust of the flesh then became a part of human nature.
We can see how catastrophic the result of beguilement can be. Eventually mankind became alienated (spiritually alienated) from God. After Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, they experienced emotions they had never before experienced. Shame, confusion, fear, strife, spiritual adultery, sedition, and variance all entered into the lives of all mankind due to the beguilement of the Serpent “in the beginning.”
The practice or art of beguilement and deception was passed down to the offspring of man from generation to generation. We saw the spirit of beguilement operating in Adam and Cain after they had sinned. They tried to deceive God into thinking their sins were not their fault, but the fault of somebody else.
If we are going to win the battle for our souls, we must recognize how beguilement works in our everyday lives. Beguilement is one of the works of the flesh also known as “witchcraft.” It is the most destructive of all the works of the flesh, and must be abolished before all the other works of the flesh can be dealt with effectively.
In Heaven Lucifer deceived himself into believing he could enter into the “sides of the north,” topple the Kingdom of God, and sit upon the throne of the Most High. Self-deception lacks wisdom and is rooted and grounded in envy, which always produces strife. The self-deceiving heart lacks the fear of God. The Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the fruit of righteousness is peace. (Proverbs 9:10). Along with wisdom comes understanding, peace, and grace.
In order to defeat our enemy we must have knowledge, wisdom and understanding. If we are going to gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, we must seek the one who possesses all these attributes, Christ our Lord. Christ IS our wisdom s well as the source of all godly knowledge and understanding.
Although we war with the Forces of Darkness, we can still maintain peace within our hearts. Every morning when I wake up I know I am going to have to fight my enemy. I also know and am aware of the fact that the battle is one I CAN and will win through prayer and supplication. Our enemy never takes a day off--neither can we. Satan is thrilled when Christians neglect their prayer life because he knows their relationship with Christ will be adversely affected.
If I wake up one morning and decide I will take a rest from the battle, my enemy will continue to attack. Satan is not interested in fighting fair or conventionally. He never takes a day off--neither can I. I can, however, find rest and peace while I am doing battle by trusting in the only one who can help me through each day, Jesus, my Lord. The battle will be lost if I neglect prayer. Prayer is one of the most effective weapons in our arsenal. If I neglect to pray I am neglecting my influence in the heavenly realm, and my opponent, the Devil, is sure to notice and take advantage of the situation.
The Serpent is called “the MOST subtle beast of the field.” He is the most cunning, crafty, manipulating and shrewd menace on Earth. He is no longer “The Covering Cherub,” but an evil entity clothed with the darkness of depravity, filthiness, debauchery and sin. Satan now possesses a tail, which according to Revelation Chapter 12, Verse 4, he used to draw or entice a third of the stars (angels) to sin. The angels who sinned were also cast down from Heaven to Earth along with Satan.
The word “tail” in Verse 4 comes from the root of the Hebrew word “karar” which means to dance or whirl as the tail of an animal dances and whirls around. God cursed Satan in the Garden of Eden causing him to crawl upon the ground as a serpent (snake). A snake is merely a head with a tail. Satan wanted to be the “head” and not the” tail,” however he is nothing but a head and a tail. This is not to say that he cannot change his appearance. The Bible tells us he can change himself into what appears to be an angel of light.
Snakes and serpents represent devils and demons. A snake has no arms, legs or feet. Some snake’s power lies in the poison which it stores in its mouth. Other snakes kill by squeezing the life out its victims with its tail (tale).
According to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, the half-man, half-beast (or missing link) had a tail. Darwin’s TALE of the tail has brought many men down into the “snake pit” and caused the deaths of literally hundreds of millions of people on Earth. Communism, Fascism and many other isms and schisms are rooted and grounded in the dance of the Serpent’s tail. This Beast who was cast down from Heaven to Earth dances around the world with his tail enticing many with ungodly doctrines, theories, religions, cults, and philosophies. Many demons also have tails. I will talk more about this subject later. Most of the demons which I have seen have tails.
Satan’s desire for men to believe in the Evolution Theory is an attempt to make them believe they have a “beastly heritage.” In reality, since Satan is the Beast, he claims there is a missing link between man and beast. Satan is the link between man and the nature of the beast. Men without Christ are “children of darkness” and will possess the character and nature of the beast. (Jude 10).
There IS a missing link between man and his true ancestral heritage which began in the Garden of Eden. That link is known as Truth. The true genesis of man’s existence has nothing to do with theory, but fact. Man was created in the image of God by God. Mankind was created to become a part of God’s family. The truth is man sinned and alienated himself from God. Fortunately, God sent the Truth, Jesus, who IS the missing link between men and women who do not know God.
We all have the capacity to be deceived if we do not possess and use godly wisdom. God created man to be a “free moral agent” with the capacity to make his own decisions. To be or not to be, to say or not to say, to believe or not to believe are choices we have all been given. It is each person’s responsibility to choose to do the right thing. The excuse “the Devil made me do it” will not work on Judgment Day when all mankind stands before God to be judged for the right and wrong choices they have made.
Because Adam and Eve were deceived in the Garden of Eden, mankind now possesses the capacity to deceive and be deceived. Unfortunately, the Serpent is still deceiving multitudes with his “tails (tales) of deception.” Jesus said in Matthew, Chapter 23, Verse 4: TAKE HEED THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU. FOR MANY SHALL COME IN MY NAME, SAYING, I AM CHRIST, AND SHALL DECEIVE MANY. Christians can and will be deceived if they are not diligent in prayer and diligently seeking to be established in “truth and righteousness.”
I think many Christians believe Jesus is not talking to them in the above scripture because they do not think Christians can be deceived. I have been in ministry over thirty years and have seen many Christians deceived by Satan. To say “Christians cannot be deceived” is a deceptive and untrue statement which comes from the “tail (tale) of the Serpent.” The scripture tells us we must always be sober and vigilant because the Devil as a “roaring lion” walks about seeking whom he may devour. Wherever and whenever the voice of the roaring lion is heard, we know that danger lurks nearby.
There are many ways in which our adversary can deceive us. The Bible says “the heart is deceitful above everything else and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9). Many are easily deceived because their hearts (spirit) are prone to be deceptive. If the heart of man did not possess the nature of the beast, whose greatest weapon is deception, mankind would not be so easily inclined to be deceived.
Men are deceived because their hearts have not been transformed by Christ, thus the works of the flesh (see Galatians, Chapter 5) are predominant in their lives. The “works of the flesh,” also referred to as the “beastly nature of man,” are sexual immorality, impurity of mind, sensuality, witchcraft, strife, hatred, jealousy, schisms, idolatry, rivalry, drunkenness, orgies, envy, bad temper, lasciviousness, to name a few. Someone said years ago, “we have met the enemy and it is us.”
Knowing who your enemy is and how he operates is one of the first rules of warfare. If we fail to recognize ourselves (the flesh) as our own worst enemy, we will continue to fall to the deceptive manipulative practices of Satan through our own ungodly desires, motives and attitudes. If we trust in our own inhibitions and worldly wisdom, we will deceive ourselves, and failure will be just around the corner--even at the door.
If people did not possess the capacity to be deceived, Satan would not be able to deceive them. However, God has given us the privilege and opportunity to worship and pray in order to gain the power we need to win the battle and overcome our enemy. Wisdom and faith in the finished works of Christ will help us to overcome all the works and deceitful practices of the enemy. God has given us the “power of discernment” so we can recognize the evil schemes of the devil, as well as a “shield of faith” to deflect the wicked, fiery darts of Satan. Every battle can be won if we recognize who our real enemy is and that we have been given “power” through the Blood of Jesus over all his works. (Luke 10:19).
Before a new life is born a mother goes through a period of transformation in her body. When a seed of life is implanted within her body, she goes through many changes. An expectant mother experiences not only physical, but psychological and emotional changes before a new life comes forth from her womb. In the same way, as Christians we must undergo spiritual, psychological, and emotional changes for New Life in Christ to be brought forth within us. A renewing of the mind, soul, and spirit is essential if we are going to be free from the beguilement of Satan.
The natural man (the old man) must die so the “new man in Christ” can receive and utilize supernatural wisdom. The “soul man” must be transformed by the renewing of the mind by putting on the” helmet of salvation.” The “spirit man” must cast off the works of darkness and let the “Light of Christ” come alive within his heart. The “new man” which is Christ in us—the hope of glory, must drive out all the ungodly inhabitants (thoughts) of the mind. Then, and only then, will the promises of God be fulfilled within us. Then the “divine nature of Christ” will rule and reign within our hearts and minds.
When God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, Adam had to toil or work the ground. Toiling and making a living by the sweat of his brow was something new to Adam. Not only did he have to work the ground by the sweat of his brow, but now the ground was full of thorns and thistles.
In scripture the ground has always been symbolic of the heart or spirit of man. The spirit is like a garden which not only grows good things but also produces spiritual weeds, thorns, and thistles as well. The carnal mind is fleshly oriented and will always have an inclination to commit sin. The carnal mind can be easily influenced by demonic entities which do not have its best interests at heart.
The flesh of man came from the dust of the Earth, but the spirit of man came from God when he breathed the Spirit of Life into Adam. Man is flesh, but he is also a spirit being. For many Christians the spirit within them desires to serve God, but their flesh is weak and easy prey for the “roaring lion” which comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
The words we speak are like seeds, whether they come from God or whether they come from the flesh oriented man. It takes the Word of God, the good seed which is planted by Christ into our hearts, to bruise or mortally wound the head of Stan our enemy. (See Genesis 3:14). We bruise the head of the enemy when we crucify our flesh and take our rightful place in Christ through the power of His Word. If the spirit is weak, the flesh will remain in control and sin will be more appealing than righteousness to individuals.
Sin will become “thorns in our flesh” when we neglect to drive it out of the land (our heart). The Apostle Paul called them “thorns in the side of the flesh.” Those spiritual “thorns” can oftentimes come as friends bearing gifts of deception. They may bring offerings which look good and appealing to the flesh, however, in reality they produce spiritual neglect, fear, and despair, along with many other problems.
In a dream I had a few years ago I was walking around in what looked like a hospital room. As I walked around in the room, I saw people lying on hospital beds and carts in fetal positions. I recognized some of the people, and others I had never seen before.
I noticed that all the patients who were lying on the beds and carts had what looked to me like vines with thorns and thistles sticking in their bodies from head to toe. These thorns and thistles reminded me of the crown of thorns which was placed upon the head of Christ before He was crucified. The crown of thorns which pierced the head of Jesus represented the curse of ungodly thoughts, ideas and philosophies which the enemy has implanted in the minds of people since “the beginning of time.”
Instead of helping the people to remove the thorns and thistles from their bodies, doctors and nurses were going from patient to patient pushing the thorns and thistles DEEPER into their flesh. Each time they pushed the thorns and thistles deeper into the flesh of the patients, the people would cry out in excruciating pain. The deeper the thorns and thistles were pushed into their flesh--the deeper and more painful the wounds became.
I was astonished that the doctors and nurses who were supposed to be helping these people were instead making their problems worse by inflicting more pain on their bodies. Immediately I started going around pulling the thorns and thistles out of the patients. The people would cry out in great pain and anguish as I pulled the thorns and thistles out of their flesh. After they recovered, the people thanked me for helping them get free of all the pain and sorrow which had satanically impacted their lives: spirit, soul, and body.
The patients, of course, were those people who had been entangled by the cares and deceitfulness of the world and the beguilement of the enemy. The doctors and nurses in the dream were their friends and those in ministry who Satan had used to cause great pain and destruction in their lives through deception and beguilement.
If we do not put forth a concerted effort to keep our Garden of Eden (our hearts) free of thorns and thistles, we will suffer much pain and sorrow. We will be like the people in the hospital who were unable to get free from the “seeds of destruction” which had been planted by the enemy and watered by the ignorance of friends and ministers who lacked wisdom and understanding. It is time for us to go forward and not look back at what the enemy has done in our lives, but look at what God has done for us and what He desires to do for us now. When wisdom is planted in our hearts, it will produce the fruit of truth and righteousness within us.
Now is the time for planting, reaping, and harvesting in God’s Kingdom. However, we must keep our own garden (heart) free from “seeds of destruction.” Let us go forward and fight the good fight of faith and trust in the promises of God which are “yea” and “amen.” We must be diligent in casting off the works of darkness which the enemy has planted and tries to plant in our hearts and minds.
As a mother protects and nourishes the seed which is planted in her womb until, it is our responsibility to care for the seed (Christ) within the womb of our heart. We must be diligent and make sure the seed of God’s Word brings forth “new life” conceived in righteousness and truth. That seed must be fed with the Word of God and watered by the Spirit of God before its true potential can or will be realized.
Until the thorns and thistles have been removed from the garden of our hearts, we will be unable to help remove them from the hearts and lives of others who are in need of help. We must plant within the hearts and minds of others “seeds of righteousness and godliness,” not seeds which will ultimately end up causing them more pain and destruction.
Beguilement, or witchcraft, which basically is the same thing, is the door through which all evil enters into the lives of people. James 3:16 is the counterpart to John 3:16. What John 3:16 is to the body of Christ and the Kingdom of God, James 3:16 is to Satan and his Kingdom. James wrote: FOR WHERE ENVYING AND STRIFE IS, THERE IS CONFUSION AND EVERY EVIL WORK.
People are beguiled every day by false or fake news stories, friends, co-workers, and relatives. A lying and deceptive tongue is controlled by the “fleshy work of witchcraft.” Witchcraft is one of the “works of the flesh.” Beguilement is found everywhere truth is challenged and/or suppressed. Beguilement is more prevalent in people’s lives than they know or understand.
In the Garden of Eden Eve was beguiled or deceived by the Serpent, Satan. The definition of “beguile” means to “deceive, delude, seduce and lead astray.” Beguilement is the process by which someone is manipulated by sorcery into fulfilling the wishes or desires of another person or demon spirit. Beguilement and witchcraft are the same thing, and will produce the same results.
In Galatians, Chapter 5, we see that witchcraft is one of the works of the flesh. Witches, through the power of Satan, are able to cast spells upon people through sorcery. Sorcery is defined as: the art of using drugs and/or enchantments to manipulate and control the minds of people. Manipulation is not always performed by actually drugging people for the purpose of control, but it is done by a “spirit of witchcraft” or sorcery. The witch who is performing the “act of manipulation or sorcery” is also under the “spell” of demon spirits.
The word “witchcraft” comes from the Greek word “pharmakia.” We get our English word “pharmacy” from the Greek word “phamrakia.” Pharmakia, also known as sorcery, deals with the use of drugs, spells, and enchantments which operate to cloud or manipulate the physical and/or spiritual senses of people. In other words, witchcraft or sorcery deals with the use of drugs, medicines, or spells in order to change or control the thoughts, ideas, beliefs or mental dispositions of individuals. The objective of those who practice “pharmakia” is control and/or manipulation. The benefit will always go to the practitioner when deception is performed by the SPIRIT OF WITCHCRAFT.
Deceptive words and lies can be like an intoxicating drug which clouds and confuses the mind. A person who is attempting to manipulate someone by telling them a lie is actually attempting to put a spell upon them. The person telling the lie is also under the spell of demonic manipulation (witchcraft). People lie to people every day in an effort to “cast a spell” on them for their own selfish reasons. All lying comes from a “spirit of deception.”
Sorcery is like wine which intoxicates and deadens the thoughts and senses of a person to the extent they have indulged. In Revelation, Chapter 17, Mystery Babylon (the harlot) was drunk with the wine of her fornication and the blood of the Saints and martyrs of Christ. In Revelation, Chapter 18, Verse 23, we see that all the nations of the Earth are deceived by the harlot’s sorceries. The harlot, of course, is the world’s geopolitical, religious, financial, and military systems which are influenced by Satan, the god of this world.
The world systems operate according to certain earthy principles and philosophies which are nonconforming to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God operates according to spiritual principles which conform to the plan, will, and purpose of God. In a sense, the kingdoms of this world operate apart and separately from the Kingdom of God. This world which we live in has its own god which is Satan. “Satan is the God of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the “Prince and power of the air. (Ephesians 2:2).
Satan’s kingdom is called the “Kingdom of Darkness.” Satan rules the darkness of this world through fear, intimidation, manipulation, and deception. His dominion is in the domain of spiritual darkness. Yet, there is light in this world which comes from God, the Father of Light, who resides in and rules the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of God lies within the heart of every believer.
Although Satan is the god of this world, this world is NOT his kingdom. His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. He does, however, rule the “worldly systems” through fear, deception, and manipulation. Satan does all this through the power of beguilement, fear, confusion, intimidation, accusation, false religions, and economic subjugation, to name a few. In the following chapters we will take a look at each of these spiritual weapons, as well as the spirits which use these weapons against us. We will look at some of the spirits which possess demonic powers, as well as how they operate and use sorcery to manipulate and control the minds of many people in this world today.
Satan’s plan and purpose is to draw believers away from God’s plan and purpose for their lives. Satan always attacks the “weakest” link in the body. The weakest link is always the first and easiest link to break. The weakest link in the body of Christ seems to always be our “relationship with Christ” as well as others within the Church. Satan attacks relationships between believers, families, and friends. More important, however, is that Satan attacks relationships between believers and their Lord Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Christ should be our greatest priority. Our right standing (righteousness) in Christ is where we will find the POWER to defeat Satan.
In many churches today we frequently find spirits of jealousy, envy, strife and confusion. What church has not experienced the fiery darts of the enemy? According to James, as previously discussed, entertaining these spirits leaves the door open for “every evil work.” All evil work is carried out or instigated by evil spirits in the realm of Satan’s Kingdom. Demons and devils are the angels which were tossed out of Heaven along with Lucifer when he attempted to usurp the power of God and take over the Throne of God.
Some have questioned the difference between demons and devils. There is no difference between the two, they are the same. However, the word “demon” is not found in the Bible. The word “devil” is found in the Bible 115 times. The Greek word “devil” is actually translated from the Greek word “daimonion” or “demon.” Many people, even some well known ministers, do not believe demons exist. However, Jesus spoke of them and to them on a few occasions.
Jesus spoke more about “devils” than he did “angels” in the Bible. Since He spoke so often about devils, surely He wanted us to know about them and to understand what we must do to take authority over them. On the other hand, Satan would deny his existence if he thought it would enhance (which it does) his power to deceive and bring into subjection anyone who believes the lies he propagates. If people realized who Satan was, how he operates, and how to defeat him, he would no longer be a threat to their lives.
All Christians should have a good understanding of how demons operate and how to cast them out of those who are tormented, oppressed, and/or possessed by them. I have cast demons out of many individuals. However, “deliverance” is not my main focus or call in ministry. There are Christians who are specifically called to deliverance ministry. Preaching the Word, delivering Christians from carnal mind-sets and exposing the “works of the flesh” in the Church plays a big part in what God has called me to do.
Demons come in many different shapes and sizes, and all have specific jobs which they have been assigned to perform. They operate much like an army having different levels of power and authority. Demons are organized according to rank much like our own military. The highest ranking authorities under Satan are known as “principalities.” Principalities rule over nations. There are demons which possess less authority under them who also have demonic entities which they have control over. The Kingdom of Darkness operates under a system of control where each satanic soldier is under the complete subjection of his superior officer.
Demon spirits are militant in nature. When recognized and confronted, they can and will become very aggressive. We must know who we are in Christ and the power He has given to us to defeat the enemy or we will be unable to defeat the satanic entities when they attack us. The objective of every evil spirit is to “steal, kill, and destroy.” With his “tail” Satan “Drew (dragged) a third part of the stars (angels) of Heaven, and did cast them to the Earth.” Revelation, Chapter 12, Verse 4.
I am not one who suggests there is a demon under every rock or bush, but we would do well to understand they can and will be found where there are people who have not cleansed their spiritual and/or physical homes. I have even seen demons in churches. Yes, many of them attend church on Sunday. When it comes to church attendance, demons are more faithful than many Christians. They travel with people, and are dwelling within many people.
Satanic armies do most of their warfare in secret. Deception is their greatest tactic and rule of warfare. If people fail to know they have an enemy, and the enemy is hard at work trying to destroy them, they are on the way to losing the battle for their souls.
The Demoniac of the Gaderenes was possessed with between three and five thousand demons. How can one person be possessed by so many demons? The answer is simple: Satan is also known as “Beelzebub.” Beelzebub means the “Lord of the Flies.” Another reason so many demons dwelt in the “maniac” is because the demons themselves live in a different dimension where size can be compacted into much smaller areas.
The “fly” demons are among the smallest of demons. They have power over the “souls of ungodly men,” especially when they band together to torment them. Can you imagine being tormented by thousands of flies at the same time?
The “fly demons” have a much stronger demon over them who calls himself “Legion.” A Roman Legion usually consisted of between three and five thousand soldiers. The Bible called Legion an “unclean spirit.” All evil spirits are called unclean spirits. They are labeled unclean because they are unholy and filled with every evil desire, motive and ungodly thought, plan, and purpose that exists.
All demons are workers of iniquity and are under the command of Satan. Demons are also slaves of sin which are bound in chains of darkness. Saying that they are “chained in darkness” does not mean they are all “chained” in a dark pit somewhere. It merely means that the darkness “IS their chains.” However, there are many demon spirits which are bound in the bottomless pit today and are waiting to be “loosed upon the Earth” during the Great Tribulation.
Demons have power to wreak havoc and destruction on unsuspecting souls all over the world. They can be found influencing people of all ages, cultures, backgrounds, and races. Mankind does not realize how societies, governments, and nations are controlled by these workers of evil who dwell in the Kingdom of Darkness.
The sole (soul) objectives of demons are to steal, kill and destroy everyone they can by influencing them through fear, manipulation, deceptive thoughts and tactics. No one is, has been, or ever will be free from the schemes of these demons unless the Blood of Jesus is applied to their lives. Christians must be taught how to “use the authority” which Christ has given to them to defeat the enemy, or they will languish in fear and devilish oppression as long as they live on this Earth.
Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 1, says: FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES.
There are people in “high places” in geopolitical, religious, economic, and military positions in this world who are influenced and/or controlled by spiritual wickedness in “high places.” These demon powers