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WHAT IS THE MIND OF SATAN?

By Rick Railston
November 12, 2011

Well, over the past four or five years, I think it's obvious to all of us that God has removed a level of restraint from Satan the Devil. And He has allowed him more freedom to do his mischief in the minds and the hearts of God's people and to stir up trouble and turmoil. And, as part of God's Plan, Almighty God has allowed Satan to be the "god of this world." That's by God's design, the Father's design. He's allowed him to be the god of this world and He's also allowed him to blind all of mankind. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4, just as a reminder to see that. He's [God the Father] allowed him [Satan] to be the god of this world and He's allowed him to blind all of those that God is not dealing with during these six thousand years of man's rule on the earth and Satan's rule on the earth. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4, it says very plainly:

2 Corinthians 4:4. In whom the god of this world [has] blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV)

And, as we all know, Satan has done this very successfully. Mankind down through the ages, he [Satan] has blinded; he has become their god without them even knowing about it, with the exception of the very few that God has called down through the Millennia.

In addition to being the god of this world and blinding the minds of people, God has allowed him [Satan] to deceive the entire world. You know the Scripture. It's Revelation 12 verse 9. We don't need to turn there, but it talks about the serpent, the great dragon, the Devil is cast down who deceives the entire world. Sometimes we tend to forget that.

Dale was mentioning a lot of the politics going on and we see the debates and all of that. Sometimes people take sides; God's people take sides; and the fact is that everybody is deceived. All of them are deceived. Liberals, conservatives, it doesn't make any difference. They're all deceived.

And he [Satan] has deceived the entire world by doing one thing. This is the subject we're going to be talking about. He's deceived the entire world by doing one thing. He has injected his mind into the minds of human beings. That's how the deception occurs. And you just have to look down through history to see that mankind has adopted the mind of Satan because Satan has injected his mind into the minds of human beings.

But, the import thing for us is that he [Satan] wants to inject his mind into God's people. That's where the battle is. He's got the world; he's deceived the world; he's the god of the world; he's blinded the world; but what he wants to do is take his mind and put it into the mind of God's people, the Firstfruits.

However, God has said to us what mind should we have. We shouldn't have the mind of Satan. We know that Scripture, Philippians 2 and verse 5. We are to have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (KJV)

So, this is where the battle occurs. God says, "I want you to have My mind, Christ's mind." Satan, on the other hand, is continually trying to inject his mind into our minds. He does not want us to have the mind of Christ.

Now let's look at his [Satan's] goal, while we turn over to John chapter 10. His goal is illustrated in a parable by Jesus Christ. We've covered this many times before. It's the Parable of the Sheepfold. And Christ is saying, "There is a sheepfold with a strong fence around it. And there is a gate at one end of the sheepfold." John 10 verse 1, we'll read through the beginning of verse 10. It says:

John 10:1. [Truly], I say unto you, He that [enters] not by the door into the sheepfold, but [climbs] up some other way, [that person] is a thief and a robber.
2) But he that [enters] in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3) To him the porter [(or the gatekeeper) opens]; and the sheep hear his voice: (KJV)

And He is saying that a true shepherd, the sheep will hear the true shepherd's voice. And, obviously, we should hear the voice of the True Shepherd.

John 10:3b. … and he [calls] his own sheep by name, and [leads] them out. (KJV)

He called us by name. He led us out of the world. Verse 4:

John 10:4. And when he [puts] forth his own sheep, he [goes] before them, (KJV)

He's not behind them kicking them, whipping them, and driving them. He leads them by example, by His example on this earth.

John 10:4b. … and the sheep follow him: [because] they know his voice. (KJV)

When God's people hear the voice of a true shepherd, they respond. Notice:

John 10:5. And a stranger [they will] not follow, but will [run away] from him: for they [don't] know the voice of strangers. (KJV)

Now that imperative is up to us to recognize the voice of a stranger versus a true shepherd. Verse 6:

John 10:6. This parable [spoke] Jesus unto them: but they [didn't understand it].
7) Then [He spoke] unto them again, [Truly, truly], I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8) All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9) I am the door: by me if any man [if any person enters] in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (KJV)

Meaning: find nourishment, find peace, find safety.

Beginning of verse 10, notice the motivation and the goal of the thief.

John 10:10. The thief [comes] not, but for to [#1] steal, [#2] kill, and [#3] destroy: (KJV)

To steal God's sheep away from the sheepfold, to come in and drag them out of the sheepfold—steal. Now, if he [the thief—Satan] can do that (get them out of the sheepfold, out from under the influence of the Great Shepherd, the True Shepherd, the Good Shepherd), then he will kill them—physically kill them. And third, at the end of the day, ultimately, if they don't repent, if they don't turn and come back, if they listen to the thief, then they will be destroyed. Meaning, their eternal life will be destroyed in the Lake of Fire.

Now we have to ask the question (This is all by way of introduction.): How does he [Satan] take the Brethren out of the sheepfold? They are in the fold; the True Shepherd is there; they're safe; they're secure; but he gets some out of the sheepfold. How does that happen? Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 11. It's very plain and very clear in the Bible how this happens. We have an Adversary, as we're going to talk about later, as a roaring lion who seeks whom he can devour, whom he can kill. 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 11, Paul is giving the Corinthian Church some very sound advice. He says:

2 Corinthians 2:11. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us [to get us out of the sheepfold]: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (KJV)

That's the King James. The New International says, "We're not ignorant of his schemes."

The Phillips says, "We are not ignorant of his methods."

Now the Greek word for "devices" is Strong's #3540 and it occurs six times in the New Testament. It's translated only once as "device," here in this Scripture. It's also translated once as "thought," but it's translated four times as "mind."

2 Corinthians 2:11b. We are not ignorant of [Satan's mind]. (KJV paraphrased)

And Thayer says about this verse: "We are not ignorant of the mental perceptions or thoughts he puts into us."

We are not ignorant of his mind and what his mind is trying to do to our mind by injecting thoughts and perceptions. And, as I said earlier, he wants to put his mind into the mind of God's people, those who are called Firstfruits. And many times we are ignorant—absolutely blindingly ignorant—of the fact that he plants thoughts into our minds; he plants impulses into our minds; he plants emotions into our minds; and we are just ignorant of that. We grab onto those thoughts, those impulses, those emotions and we run with them like they were our own or maybe they were even God's when in actuality they're Satan's. And we don't give it a second thought.

And so, the fact is Satan's thoughts can become all too easily our thoughts. Satan's emotions can become all too easily our emotions. Satan's urges and impulses can become all too easily our urges or our impulses.

So with that in mind, it behooves us to ask the question; we're going to ask three questions and answer them today in the sermon.

  1. What is the mind of Satan? What is he trying to inject in us? What is it about him that he wants to plant in our minds?
  2. How does he do it? How does he get his mind into our mind?
  3. How can we fight this? How can we overcome this? How can we combat this?

So, the First Big Point is we're going to investigate Four Areas of Satan's Mind. And, as we do this, analyze your mind; analyze your history. And, as I do often, and say "How many times have I allowed this mind to come into my mind? How many times have I yielded to thoughts, emotions, and impulses that are being injected into my mind by Satan, my Adversary?"

The First One, the first component of Satan's mind is:

i. Pride and selfishness

That's the heart and core of Satan—pride and selfishness. Now, the two books of the Bible that talk about Satan and his attitude are Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. So, let's go to Ezekiel 28 just to read the first part of verse 17. [It's] talking about Satan's pride and Satan's selfishness.

And, as we go through this, we all need to look back in our minds and see, "Was I ever prideful? Was I ever selfish? If we have been prideful and selfish, as we all have, we've been yielding to Satan's mind.

Ezekiel 28 beginning in verse 17, we're told:

Ezekiel 28:17. [Your (referring to Satan's)] heart was lifted up because of [your] beauty, [you have] corrupted [your] wisdom by reason of [your] brightness: (KJV)

Now the word "lifted up" is Strong's #1361. And it's the Hebrew word gabahh (gaw-bah'). And it means, the literal meaning is to soar as an eagle would soar; therefore meaning to be lofty; to be up in the air. Figuratively, it means to be haughty; to be exalted or to be proud.

And so:

Ezekiel 28:17. [Your] heart was [haughty; your heart was exalted; your heart was prideful] because of [your] beauty, (KJV paraphrased)

Prideful about how Satan looked in his power and in his brightness.

Now let's go to Isaiah chapter 14 and let's read verses 13 and 14 where it again talks about Satan's pride and Satan's selfishness. Now, we get a glimpse into Satan's heart, what Satan was saying to himself, because only God knows a being's heart as He knows our heart. And what He's telling us, now, is what was in Satan's heart when his rebellion occurred. Isaiah 14 verse 13:

Isaiah 14:13. For [you have] said in [your] heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God [or the angels of God or all the other beings in the universe]: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (KJV)

"I'm going to put my throne right up where God's throne is." Verse 14:

Isaiah 14:14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (KJV)

Taking for the self; prideful of the self. Now, these two characteristics are at Satan's core. And Satan seeks everything for his own benefit to exalt himself and to get what he wants. Mr. Armstrong always said (He said it over and over.), "There are two ways; the way of give, the way of get." And then he would launch into Genesis and talk about the Trees because he knew the core of Satan's mind, he knew the core of human nature.

Now so, what Satan then does is [he] attempts to inject this selfish, prideful attitude into human beings. And we are the main target—His (God's) people. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 3. We'll read the first five verses. I know this is very familiar, but read this from the standpoint of Satan attempting to inject pride into human beings and selfishness into human beings. 2 Timothy 3, [it's] talking about the last days.

2 Timothy 3:1. This know also, that in the last days [these days, these very days] perilous times shall come. (KJV)

Why will they be perilous?

2 Timothy 3:2. [Because] men shall be lovers of their own selves, (KJV)

Look at Congress and see if that is not the case, as Dale was pointing out in the sermonette. Look at the state of the Church and see if that is not the case in the Church.

2 Timothy 3:2b. …lovers of their own selves, covetous, (KJV)

Getting for the self; taking for the self.

2 Timothy 3:2 continued. …boasters, (KJV)

Bragging about the self.

2 Timothy 3:2 continued. …proud, (KJV)

Exalting the self, lifting up the self so that it soars above all others.

2 Timothy 3:2 continued. …blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,

In order to accuse somebody falsely; again, to take for the self; to gain a position; to gain recognition.

2 Timothy 3:3b. …incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (KJV)

Wanting to take the good person and bring them low to exalt the self—and I'm talking in the Church! But even [in] the political system in the United States, all the good ones are eliminated before the first election because anybody with any kind of brains (#1) or (#2) any kind of morals or ethics would not even start the process because you have to make too many compromises, morally, to even get on the ballot, much less what happens after that.

2 Timothy 3:3 continued. …despisers of those that are good,
4) Traitors, heady, high-minded, (KJV)

The attitude of Satan, the lofty attitude of Satan.

2 Timothy 3:4b. …lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, (KJV)

Satisfy the self, selfishness.

2 Timothy 3:5. Having a form of godliness, (KJV)

In the Church, there are tares. There are clouds without water that have a form of godliness:

2 Timothy 3:5b. …but [they deny] the power thereof: [And he says, "My advice to you is to] turn away [from those who operate that way"]. (KJV)

Turn away from those who have allowed Satan's mind to come into their mind.

Dorothy and I were walking down the street one day and passed a shop that sells T-shirts. And the T-shirt right in the middle of the window all spread out there, it had one sentence on it. And it said, "It's all about me!" on that T-shirt. And if that doesn’t epitomize today and the mindset of people today, I don't know what does. "It's all about me. My concerns, my feelings, my desires, my problems, my drama—it's all about me!" And Paul said to Timothy, "This is the way it's going to be in the last days in the Church and out of the Church."

Now, the fact is that the end, the end result of pride and selfishness is separation from God. Now think about that. The end result of pride and selfishness is separation from God. For Satan it's being locked up for a thousand years and, then after that even worse. And for human beings who have this prideful selfish attitude, let's go to Proverbs 6 and read verses 16 and 17. We're being told—this is a very familiar Scripture. God is saying to us, "I hate six things." But then there is a Hebrew idiom that if you want to emphasize something, what you do is you come one short of what you want to emphasize and you say that, and, then, you re-emphasize it adding the other one. So, it says:

Proverbs 6:16. These six things [does] the Lord hate: [yes], seven are an abomination unto him:

Now what is the very first one?

Proverbs 6:17. A proud look, (KJV)

And I hate to say it, but in the Worldwide days, there was a culture of pride. A culture of pride in the whole Church because:

And the whole system was fraught with pride. And the only way to take care of that—God had to destroy it! Absolutely just dismantle it and take it apart.

Proverbs 6:16. These six things [does] the Lord hate: … seven are an abomination unto him:

Pride is the very first one.

Now this separation between God and those who have this attitude or allow themselves to be influenced by Satan in a prideful selfish way, there is a solution. It can be avoided. Let's go to Philippians 2 and verse 3. I'll read it out of the New King James. The instructions are very simple. What we have to do is resist, as we'll get into that later, resist this, but put on the mind of God and Jesus Christ. Philippians 2 and verse 3 out of the New King James, it says:

Philippians 2:3. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, (NKJ)

Don't do anything—nothing—with a prideful, selfish, conceited, arrogant attitude. Rather it says:

Philippians 2:3b. …but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (NKJ)

Now, that's exactly the opposite of what Satan did and what his attitude is. He is up here looking down on other people. And what we're being told, the mind of Christ (who sacrificed Himself, who washed feet, who ate with sinners, who shared a meal with publicans) He placed Himself in the lowest position, the most humble position and He esteemed others better than Himself because He came to give His very life for other people before He even knew them. He gave His life for people who spit on Him. He gave His life for people who drove nails into His hands and feet. So, this can be avoided through lowliness of mind, through humility, and esteeming others better than ourselves.

Look at Romans 12 and verse 1, last Scripture under this First Attitude of Satan. Separation from God can be avoided if we follow Romans 12 and verse 1. All of us in the Church need to have this attitude, which was the same attitude, the same mind that Jesus Christ had.

Romans 12:1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that [you] present your bodies a living sacrifice, (KJV)

Sacrificing ourselves for other people; sacrificing our time, our wants, our desires, our interests to serve other people. He's says that's:

Romans 12:1b. …holy, [that's] acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service [or your reasonable job]. (KJV)

So, all of us need to have that mind of esteeming others better than ourselves, of sacrificing ourselves to the benefit of other people. Serving others and getting the mind off the self is the perfect antidote for Satan's attitude of selfishness and pride.

Okay, that was the First. The Second Component of Satan's mind is:

ii. "I am not wrong. I cannot be wrong."

That is an attitude in and out of the Church. How many times have you seen a politician caught red-handed and he said, "I didn't do anything!"? Does that sound familiar today? "I didn't do nothing. All untrue. All lies." And then this guy that molested these kids that were caught in the act, he's pleading innocent. And if he can get away with it, he will.

Satan believes that God is wrong and that he is right. Remember—we won't turn there—but in Genesis 3—the Two Trees, Adam and Eve, and God gave them instruction. And what did Satan say? "Oh, no! If you take the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you're not going to die. You're going to be like gods." And that was his attitude. "And that's not going to happen. Do it my way. My way is the better way. I'm not wrong. I can't be wrong." That's the attitude, second big attitude of Satan. And he injects this into the minds of human beings.

Look at Jeremiah 5. This is poster-child so to speak of this attitude. Jeremiah 5, we're going to read the first three verses and then jump to verse 9. This says it all about this attitude. Jeremiah 5 verse 1, Jeremiah is saying:

Jeremiah 5:1. Run [you] to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, (KJV)

What's he supposed to look for? What are we supposed to be looking for?

Jeremiah 5:1b. …if [you] can find a man, if there be any that [executes] judgment, that [seeks] the truth; (KJV)

And He says, "If you can find a man, then, I'm going to pardon everything I'm going to blast on this city." Verse 2:

Jeremiah 5:2. And though they say, (KJV)

These are their words. (Dale was talking about words versus deeds.} These are their words:

Jeremiah 5:2b. …The Lord [lives]; surely they swear falsely. (KJV)
3) O, Lord, are not [Your] eyes upon the truth?

God knows the truth.

Jeremiah 5:3b. [You have] stricken them [They are reaping what they're sowing], but they have not grieved; (KJV)

They're suffering the results of their sins, but they're not sorry.

Jeremiah 5:3 continued. … [You have consumed them, but [Notice this!] they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return [or to turn around]. (KJV)

Even though God punishes them, even though God withholds blessings, they are not going to change because they are not going to be corrected. "I am right. You are wrong. I cannot be wrong."

Verse 9, God goes on to say:

Jeremiah 5:9. Shall I not visit for these things [this arrogant attitude]? [says] the [Eternal]: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? (KJV)

And it's being avenged on this nation, the western nations as we speak. Mr. Armstrong said many, many, many times; he said, "Do you know what the hardest thing for a human being to do is?" And we all know this. It is to admit you are wrong. When we admit we're wrong, we admit our fallibility. We open ourselves up to be vulnerable toward another human when we admit we're wrong. And humans do not want to do that.

But to solve a problem, you first must admit you have a problem. That's one of the biggest problems in counseling Brethren who have problems. They come to the ministry after making a series (as Dale was pointing out), a trail of bad decisions. And then, they come and want the minister to wave a magic wand and make the consequences of all of those decisions go away because they will not admit that they are part of the problem.

We have situations where an individual has a problem with this person and this person and this person and this person and that person. And you gently try to say, "Okay, think with me a minute. What is the common denominator here with this person, this person, this person, and this person? All these people aren't mad at each other. But you're upset with this person. You're upset with this person. You're upset with this person. You don’t like this person. And you just called this person 'evil'. So, what's the common denominator here? It's you! Maybe, just maybe you have a problem."

But it is amazing in counseling—there are blocking devices in counseling. These are my names, but they're common. When counselors are trained or you go to graduate school, you are programmed to look at these.

1) The first one I'll call "Circle the Wagons." That's when somebody sits like this when you're trying to talk with them (folding one's arms across the chest as a symbolic shield). And what they're saying is, "I just put up a wall. This is my wall. And I'm not going to let you any closer to me. And I'm not going to listen to what you say because I've got this big barrier between me and you." Circle the Wagons.

2) Another one is "Deflection," where you're talking face to face with somebody and they're looking off to the side like this or they'll turn like that (deliberately looking away from the person talking and refusing to make eye contact). And you're trying to make a point and you're boring in to make eye contact and they will not make eye contact with you because they are deflecting what you're saying and it's bouncing off and going somewhere else. It's a subliminal way of saying, "I don't like what you're saying. I'm not going to listen to what you're saying. And what you're saying is not true. So, I'm just going to look over here or look over here."

3) A third one I call "The Shield." And that's where somebody does this. They look away and they do this (doing the above two—folding arms across chest and not making eye contact—plus putting a hand over one's eyes so as to symbolically block incoming information). And it can't get any plainer. They're blocking you from them and they're showing you "I don't want this. I am not going to listen to you. I don't accept what you say. So, I am just sitting here, hunkered down in my little hole until you shut up."

And these are blocking devices because the Satanic attitude is there—"I cannot be wrong. I am not wrong." And we can't change unless we admit we're wrong.

But what does God say? We know the familiar Scripture—we won't turn there—2 Timothy 3 and verse 16.

2 Timothy 3:16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God [is God-breathed], (KJV)

And what is one? For correction. And another one is for instruction in righteousness. God's Word is there to correct us. If it's there to correct us and we need correction, therefore we must be wrong at some point in our lives in order to need correction. And God understands that, but we just fight it right down to the last nanosecond. We're being dragged kicking and screaming to the realization that we might be wrong, but we fight it and fight it and fight it. And that's what Satan does.

Look at Titus 2 and verse 15. We're talking about Paul's instruction to this minister. But notice what he tells the minister he must do. Titus 2 and verse 15 he's saying:

Titus 2:15. These things [referring to the previous verses (in which) he's talking about Jesus Christ] speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise [you]. (KJV)

Now the Greek word for rebuke is Strong's #1651 and it means to convict or to convince or to tell a fault—tell someone they have a fault.

So, Paul is telling Titus, "It's your job to exhort, to rebuke with all authority." Why? So that people can see their faults, go to Jesus Christ, go to the Father and repent, then have God's mind and not Satan's mind and begin walking again on the path towards salvation.

But you see the end result of an "I cannot be wrong. I will never be wrong," attitude is again separation from God. Let's go to Proverbs 15 and verse 10. If we have this attitude, if we refuse to admit we could be wrong or do we have a problem, Proverbs 15 and verse 10 gives us the end result. Notice, it says:

Proverbs 15:10. Correction is grievous unto him that [forsakes] the way: (KJV)

Now none of us likes correction. I've had plenty in the past and I've gone and asked for correction from time to time. And I asked the other elders in Pacific for other correction from time to time, "Do you see anything I'm doing wrong? Is there something I could be doing better?" You learn that. It's only taken me forty-plus years to learn that.

And at times previously correction was grievous. But it says here that it's grievous to somebody that forsakes the way. It's grievous to somebody who is not close to God and who forgets that they need correction in order to be in God's Kingdom.

God will not accept them as they are. They must be like Jesus Christ. "Therefore, I must change from what I am to the image of Jesus Christ. Therefore, in certain areas I'm wrong and I need to change." But if we have forsaken the way, then we don't want to change.

Satan forsook the way. He does not want to change.

Now notice the last part of the verse.

Proverbs 15:10b. …and he that [hates] reproof shall die. (KJV)

Die physically out of the sheepfold; die spiritually being destroyed out of the sheepfold.

But, as with pride and selfishness, the separation from God can be avoided or be corrected through humility. Look at Micah 6 and verse 8, another very familiar Scripture. We're not covering any new ground here. We all know this, but we need to understand it from the standpoint of Satan wanting to inject his mind into the minds of God's people. Micah 6 verse 8, very clear Scripture, absolutely clear. Micah says:

Micah 6:8. [God has shown you], O man, what is good; and what [does] the Lord require of [you], but to do [three things]… (KJV)

Satan did none of that. And he wants to inject that attitude of arrogance and pride and "I can do no wrong; I am not wrong," into God's people. Yet, Christ says to us, "Turn the other cheek. Walk the extra mile. Take the lowest room; not the highest room."

Let me just say this. The mark of the converted mind, one of the prime characteristics of a converted mind is the ability to admit we're wrong.

With an unconverted mind, the first barrier you run into is "I'm not wrong. I cannot be wrong. You're wrong. It's your problem. It's not my problem." That's the mark of a carnal mind.

The mark of a converted mind is to quickly see and quickly open up one's mind to the fact that I can be wrong. "I have been wrong. I might be wrong right here. Let's sit down and talk about."

Job finally saw that in relation to God at the end of the Book of Job. Look at chapter 42 and we'll read verses 5 and 6. Job, as James [Smyda] pointed out in that two-part series on Job, Job was a very righteous man. He was a very, very deeply religious and righteous man. But at the end of the day in verse 5 of Job 42, he said the following. He says:

Job 42:5. I have heard of [You] by the hearing of the ear: but now [my] eye [sees You]. (KJV)

He says, "I finally understand You and who You are." Now once he did that, verse 6, he says:

Job 42:6. [Therefore] I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (KJV)

"I abhor who I am. I abhor the fact that I am so prideful and so selfish that I can't admit I'm wrong and I blame all of my problems on other people, because I can't be wrong."

David said, after all that he went through—we won't turn there but in Psalm 51, you know the Scripture—what did David say? He said, "My sins are ever before me." Now, before, he deflected them; before, he wouldn't admit them; before, he turned away. Then once Nathan confronted him and God got his attention, from that point on through the rest of his life, his sins were right up there, right in his eyes, right in his face. He realized who and what he was. And he didn't have this attitude of "I can do wrong."

So, what Satan's goal is, you see, is to inject that attitude into God's people. And to get us there just set with our teeth grit and "I can't be corrected because I've done nothing wrong. I'm right. You're wrong."

What we need to do is continually remind ourselves that we can be wrong, we are going to be wrong until Christ returns. And we need to be prepared to receive correction and then prepared to change and to be more like Jesus Christ.

So, the Second Component of Satan's mind is "I can do no wrong."

The Third Component of Satan's mind is:

iii. "No one is going to tell me what to do."

You look at the story of Satan. He would not allow God to tell him what to do. He thought he had a better way. Didn't he? We've already been there, but Isaiah chapter 14 verses 13 and 14:

Isaiah 14:13-14. I will ascend above the stars of heaven: I will ascend above the clouds: I will put my throne up where God's throne is. (KJV Paraphrased)

"Nobody's going to tell me how to do it. I'm going to do it the way I'm going to do. I will do it my way." We have even had that famous song a couple of decades ago, "My Way." Frank Sinatra sang that and others sang it because "I'm going to do it my way. And I don't have any regrets. I wouldn't change a thing." Yeah right. Someday you will see and you will see you're going to want to change just about everything, but the human mind doesn't see that.

So, what Satan does is inject that attitude into the minds of God's people and he does it primarily, most forcefully in the Laodicean Era because what is the—we won't turn there, but in Revelation 3—what is the prime characteristic of a Laodicean? "I have need of nothing. I don't need advice. I don't need correction. Nobody's going to tell me what to do. I’m going to do what I want to do." And all of those attitudes are Satanic attitudes.

Sometimes when those thoughts come into our mind the first thing we need to realize is:

We covered 2 Timothy 3, the first two verses; "In the last days, perilous times shall come." But notice:

2 Timothy 3:2b. … [they will] be lovers of their own selves, [and], boasters, [and] proud, [and] disobedient to parents, (KJV)

"Nobody's going to tell me what to do." Teenagers—even little kids—stomp their feet at their parents and say, "You're not going to tell me what to do!" That's the look on their face. Sometimes they even say it! "You're not going to tell me what to do. I'm going to do what I want to do."

Where does that attitude come from? It comes from the world, which comes from Satan. We have to be very careful in raising our children. Let me just give some examples in the Church, small things.

Those are little things, but there's an attitude behind it.

Big things:

I had a lady tell me, "It's a good thing I didn't come that day at that place because I wouldn't wash her feet."

Oh my! Well, what did Christ do? Whose feet did He wash? He washed Judas Iscariot's feet. He washed the traitor's feet. In fact, all the disciples at that time were unconverted. They didn't have God's spirit inside them. And He washed their feet.

Yet, people will say, "I will not wash that person's feet. Nobody's going to tell me what to do."

In times past, there was respect of persons. And certain people were treated very well. But then other people were not treated well at all because of friendships or economics or getting something in return. Christ says and the apostles all say, "We can't be respecters of persons. We have to treat everybody alike." But people say, "Nobody's going to tell me what to do. I'm going to do this. I'm going to be a respecter of persons. I'm going to favor this person over that person. And we, as Christians, can't do that because we're all brothers and sisters! We're all part of the same family. But it gets so bad sometimes that people draw lines in the sand and say, "You either do it this way, or I'm out of here."

And I've had that happen to me. We had that happen in the early start of the Pacific Church of God. There were a handful of people that said, "We don't want you doing this." And I said, "Look, this is what the Bible says. This is what we're going to do." They came up with some reasons otherwise and said, "You either do what we want you to do or we're out of here." Well, they left. And that's fine if they want to leave.

But we have to not have an attitude of "No one's going to tell me what to do" because at the end of the day, Christ is the one that tells us what we have to do. And we have to be open to the fact that we are under Jesus Christ and what's in that Book we have to do. Not pay lip service. Not selectively obey or not apply the Laws to this person but to this person. We have to come under the authority of Jesus Christ and we have to say, "I want you to tell me what to do. Please tell me what to do."

The end of that attitude of "it's my way or the highway," we find in Revelation chapter 3. Let's go there. We referred to it earlier about "I have need of nothing attitude," but look at verse 16 and then we'll go to verse 17.

Revelation 3:16. So then because [you are] lukewarm, (KJV)

We know this by heart.

Revelation 3:16b. …neither cold nor hot, [He says, I'm going to spew you] out of my mouth. (KJV)

At some point with that attitude, He says, "I will spew you out of My mouth. The day of reckoning is coming. And if you continue to have a Laodicean attitude, at some point I'm going to spew you out of My mouth, because," (verse 17). This is why people are going to be spewed out of His mouth.

Revelation 3:17. Because [you say], I am [enriched], and increased with goods, [but I] have need of nothing [as we said earlier]; and [don't you know that you are] wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (KJV)

But separation, that separation from God which ultimately ends in death—being spewed out of Christ's mouth—that can be avoided by doing some very simple things. Let's go to James 3 and verse 17. This is the attitude that all of us should have and this is referring to wisdom that is from above, Christ's wisdom, God's wisdom that comes from above. James 3 verse 17, we're told:

James 3:17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure [not polluted], then peaceable [wanting to get along, wanting to make peace], gentle [not argumentative, not fighting, not harsh], and [Notice this!] easy to be entreated, (KJV)

Now, what does that mean? The New King James says, "willing to yield." We would say, "Not insisting on having it your own way." Willing to yield for the thermostat to be two degrees higher or two degrees lower than what I personally want. Willing to yield and look at the Bible and apply it to myself and not to other people—the 2" x 4" in our own eye.

Going on:

James 3:17b. … full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (KJV)

And so, if we could just all obey this one Scripture, if the whole world would obey this one Scripture, what a world it would be!

God is not going to have somebody either in the Place of Safety, but more importantly in the Kingdom, that says, "It's got to be done my way." Can you imagine in the Place of Safety with thousands of people (Hopefully there will be thousands of people there!) each one wanting his own way or her own way? It would just be a cat and a dog fight. Christ isn't going to invite somebody to the Place of Safety who isn't willing to yield, who isn't willing to be easily entreated or easily appealed to. God is waiting to see if we are teachable and we will follow His direction. Are we going to do it His way? Or are we going to do it our way?

We were talking about this at the Feast at several points with some of the elders and others. I don't have an agenda for Pacific. I don't have a vision for Pacific, because, frankly, I don't know what God wants us to do yet. All I know right now is there are several hundred people that are scattered, that are hungry, that want to be fed and sheltered and taken care of and God's made that very apparent to everybody. But until God shows us something different, we don't have some grand plan because most of the time men's grand plans stink and they end in nothing.

So, what we appeal to God continually—I do it every day!—is "Show me what You want me to do. Give me Your vision. Give me Your mind so that we don't go off in some cockamamie direction and head into a train wreck, because that has happened before!" We don't want to do that. And we need to do that not only as a Church, but we also need to do it as individuals—"Show me what You want me to do." And to be open and say, "I'll do whatever You want. Just please show me."

I wish we had a Urim and Thummin sometimes or I wish we had a burning bush or the pillar of fire or the cloud or whatever and we could just follow that. That's what we're asking for. "Please show us what You want us to do."

So, that is the opposite of Satan's mind, which is "Unh huh. I’m going to do it my way and nobody's going to tell me what to do."

So, we have to be careful when we have those thoughts of doing it our way. We have to [ask] "Where is that coming from? Is that the mind of Christ?" So, that's the Third Component of Satan's mind.

The last, the Fourth One that we want to talk about today, the Fourth Component of Satan's mind is that:

iv. He manipulates those around him to suit his agenda.

Satan is the master manipulator. He can play with people's minds to get them to do what he wants. And he will use any means to make that happen.

Look at down through history. Look at the world leaders and how they have been manipulated to have the mind of Satan.

He manipulated a third of the angels (Revelation 12). He worked on their minds. He played with their minds. He manipulated them. If Revelation 5 verse 11 indicates the total number of angels, there are well in excess of fifty-one million of them! Probably far more! And he influenced them by manipulating them to turn against God.

And he wants to do the same thing. He's manipulated the entire world. We talked earlier [about] Revelation 12. He deceives the entire world. He's done that by manipulating their minds.

He even attempts to manipulate God. Satan attempts to manipulate God. Let's go to Revelation 12 and look at verse 10. [We'll] see a graphic example of Satan attempting to manipulate God. He has never been successful. And we can thank God for that! Revelation 12 and verse 10:

Revelation 12:10. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (KJV)

What Satan does, it's very apparent. What Satan does, he has access to God's throne, as we see that in the Book of Job. He [Satan] says, "Well, do you see Job down there?" Well, he's saying the same thing about us? "Did you see her down there? Did you see what she did yesterday? She did something that shows that she doesn't love you?" Or, "Did you see what he did this afternoon? He doesn't love his neighbor as himself. He did this and this and this." And he is accusing us to God in an attempt to manipulate God so that God will destroy us, but, obviously, God is not going to do that. We reap what we sow, but he [Satan] does attempt to manipulate God.

And then Satan injects this manipulative attitude into human beings to manipulate, to politick, to get my agenda, to get my desires accomplished for selfish gains. Look at 2 Corinthians 11. We'll start in verse 3. Paul, now, is going back and talking about the garden like Mr. Armstrong used to do. 2 Corinthians 11 verse 3. Paul is afraid for certain members of the Corinthian Church. He says:

2 Corinthians 11:3. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, (KJV)

As we're going to see, just thoughts, just emotions, just impulses.

2 Corinthians 11:3b. …through his subtlety [he beguiled her], so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (KJV)

By the influence, the manipulative mind of Satan! And he is telling us we have to be very careful about that because we can be manipulated to ignore the simplicity of God's Book, the simplicity of the Words of Jesus Christ, and go off in some cockamamie direction. And we have seen that! It can be over the calendar; it can be over history; it can be just all kinds of things! And it seems to be getting worse as we get closer to the end.

Now, jump to verse 14.

2 Corinthians 11:14. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (KJV)

And, I'm sure, the angels that followed him felt, indeed, he was an angel of light, a new leader, a new agenda. They were mightily manipulated. Verse 15:

2 Corinthians 11:15. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; (KJV)

And he has ministers out of the Church and he has ministers in the Church. There are tares in the Church. And there are ministers who are tools of Satan in the Church. But he [Paul] goes on to say:

2 Corinthians 11:15b. …whose end shall be according to their works. (KJV)

Jumping to verse 19, notice what he says to the Church in Corinth. He says:

2 Corinthians 11:19. For [you allow] fools gladly, seeing [you] yourselves are wise. (KJV)

He's being facetious here. "You allow these fools to come in and you're so wise in your wisdom you allow them to come in." Verse 20:

2 Corinthians 11:20. For [you allow], if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, (KJV)

What did Peter say about Satan? "A roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."

2 Corinthians 11:20b. …if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, (KJV)

Does that happen in God's Church today? Are there leaders who stand up and exalt themselves? Of course! Satan injects this manipulative mind into humans. And this attitude has been in God's Church for decades—attempting to manipulate. We call it today—and I think rightly so—"politics." Politics have been in God's Church down through the decades. When I came into the Church in the sixties, there were just all kinds of politics. You see it in local churches and you saw it at headquarters. You saw it on the campuses—politics.

Let's go to Proverbs chapter 6. We were there earlier. We read the very first of the seven things God hates, but let's look at the rest of then. Proverbs 6, we'll read verses 16 through 19.

Proverbs 6:16. These six things [does] the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (KJV)

And in the beginning of verse 17, the very first was "a proud look," but look at the rest. Look at the rest and each one of these is manipulative, political.

Proverbs 6:17b. …a lying tongue, (KJV)

Meaning: to either deflect blame from the self or to put blame on somebody else.

Proverbs 6:17 continued. …hands that shed innocent blood, (KJV)

In other words, to destroy somebody who is innocent but keep alive somebody who is guilty—politics!

Eighteen:

Proverbs 6:18. An heart that [devises] wicked imaginations, (KJV)

Wanting to seek for the self, plotting, planning.

Proverbs 6:18b. feet that be swift in running to mischief, (KJV)

Stirring up trouble to gain one's own ends through politics.

Proverbs 6:19. A false witness that speaketh lies, (KJV)

Again, to manipulate and to gain for the self.

Proverbs 6:19b. …he that [sows] discord among [the] brethren. (KJV)

Again, for his own personal agenda.

All of these are manipulative, which God hates.

Now let's summarize these four, just a quick review of these four categories or characteristics of Satan's mind.

  1. Pride and selfishness was the first one.
  2. "No one's going to tell me what to do," the second one.
  3. The third one is "I am not wrong. I cannot be wrong."
  4. And then the fourth is a manipulative spirit.

Now, based on all that, based on everything we've covered so far, I'm going to read the following character traits. And, as I read them, ask if these are not, indeed, character traits of Satan; ask yourself this as we go through each one of these traits.

Well, we've seen that, Isaiah 14. "I will establish my throne above the Most High," or "like the Most High."

What did we read in Ezekiel 28? "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty."

What did God say in Ezekiel 28? "You've corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness." But [your brightness is] no where near God. Exaggerating one's talents or achievements.

Well, Satan did that! "I'm special. I'm going to exalt my throne above the stars of God."

Well, what was the thief going to do to come into the sheepfold? Steal, kill, destroy these inferior beings. "I'm going to kill them. I’m just going to eliminate them off the face of the earth. Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior.

Well, that's Satan—tough, unemotional. You betcha.

Well, he expected a third of the angels to do that. He probably thought all the angels would follow him, wanting to go along with his plans.

Again, wanting a following from the angelic host.

Why? Because of his pride and selfishness. He doesn't care about others. He doesn't care about their emotions, their feelings. "I'm important. What I want is what counts."

That's what probably started the whole revolution in the first place. We won't turn there, but in Hebrews 1, Paul is saying, "Which of the angels did He at any time promise to sit on His right hand?" And once Satan found out that the angelic Kingdom wasn't the end all and the be all and that God was going to create human beings, he became jealous of others.

Well, same thing. Easily hurt, rejected—"We're not at the top of the heap anymore. These humans are coming."

Well, he sure had trouble with his relationship with God and the Word. Didn't he? And the two-thirds of the other angels.

And the last one is:

We just covered that in the fourth point—being manipulative, taking advantage of them.

Now, do all these characteristic traits I've mentioned sound like Satan? Well, of course they do.

But guess what these characteristics are? They came from the Mayo Clinic. And they are characteristics of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Every one is a characteristic of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. And what that means is these are characteristics of a mind that has been injected with the mind of Satan. Psychologists and psychiatrists put a label on it—Narcissistic Personality Disorder—but what it really is is a mind that has been taken over and controlled and influenced and manipulated by Satan. Every one of his characteristics is in the mind of a narcissist that has that disorder. These are characteristics of a human mind that has been influenced by the Satanic mind. And this is just one example of how Satan can inject his mind into a human being.

So, we just finished the first big area.

  1. What is the mind of Satan?

The second one (These are very short):

  1. How does Satan inject his thoughts in the human mind? How does that happen?

Well, we don't know exactly all the mechanics, but we know the principle. Mr. Armstrong knew it years ago. Let's go to Ephesians 2 and verse 2. Mr. Armstrong likened it unto radio. And Mr. Armstrong was born before there was a radio.

Dorothy's mother was born before a radio. And I remember talking to her. "What was it like when you heard your first radio broadcast?" And she said, "It was like magic! It was like a miracle. There was this box in the living room and it's plugged into the wall. And you can walk all around it and wave your arms. There is nothing other than this plug in the wall. And, yet," she said "we heard somebody that was talking that very minute in New York City out in Seattle, Washington."

And Mr. Armstrong took that example and said, "That's the way Satan works." Exactly, because in Ephesians 2 and verse 2, it says:

Ephesians 2:2. Wherein in time past [you] walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now [works] in [inside of] the children of disobedience: (KJV)

And "children of disobedience" can be people in God's Church or out of God's Church. He [Satan] has power over the air. And he [Mr. Armstrong] drew the analogy of [something] like radio waves coming into our ear and affecting what we hear, and, therefore, what we think. He drew the analogy of Satan's planting thoughts and impulses and emotions into our brain in a similar manner—exactly the same.

And all of us have been there. We've been fine. We're happy, whatever, and then all of a sudden bam like that (fingers snapping) we get an impulse; we get an emotion; we get a thought and everything changes. I've had that happen to me too many times.

Early on, you just act on it. You feel angry; well, you go kick the cat; or you yell at somebody; or do something. But after a while, you begin to think, "Whoa! Where did that come from? I was happy ten seconds ago. I'm not happy now. Where did that come from? Why am I feeling this way?"

So, you see what we have to do, as we get more experienced with this, we have to remember that we must be more self-aware of what's coming into our head. We've got to be self-aware. "Why am I feeling this way? Where did that come from? This isn't a Christian thought. Christ wouldn't have this emotion. Christ wouldn't have this impulse. Christ wouldn't have this thought. He wouldn't do any of this?"

So, how does he [Satan] inject his thoughts into a human mind? We don't know the mechanism of how a spiritual thought can come into a physical brain. (Someday we'll find out.) But the fact is that we have to be aware of it. And the more experienced we become, the minute that thought comes into our head, we are aware of it and then we react accordingly.

And that leads us to the Third Point.

3. How can we overcome the Satanic mind? How can we do that?

Three points, real quick.

a) We must ask God for protection.

What did Christ say in the outline of the prayer in Matthew 6? "Deliver us from the evil one." We need to pray that every day.

And then, we won't turn there, but we have the example in Jude verse 9 where Michael the archangel was wrestling with Satan over the body of Moses. Undoubtedly, Satan wanted to turn the body of Moses into an icon that would be worshipped that would lead Israel astray. And they fought and they fought. We're told that Michael, the fighter—every time you see fighting in the Bible on a spiritual level, Michael is right there in the middle of it. He is the leader of the spiritual shock troop, so to speak—and he wouldn't go head-to-head against Satan. But what did he say? "The Lord rebuke you."

So, we must ask God for protection and ask God, Christ, "Rebuke these thoughts. Rebuke these impulses. Rebuke these emotions." We need to ask for that protection.

Only God and Christ are more powerful than Satan. We can't even raise a finger toward Satan. We have no power at all. God and Christ are our only hope. And we have to ask for that protection.

A second way of how we can overcome a Satanic mind is that:

b) We have to resist and we have to fight.

We have to resist and we have to fight because, we won't turn there but in 1 Peter 5, he tells us to "Be sober, to be vigilant, your Adversary the Devil seeks whom he may devour." And that Greek word means to gulp down or to swallow up. You've seen an orca whale take a seal and in just one bite it's down. That's exactly what Satan wants to do to us.

But in 1 Peter 5 and verse 9, it says:

1 Peter 5:9. Whom resist [steadfastly] in the faith, (KJV)

1 Peter 5 and verse 9, we have to remember that! Resist steadfastly!

And that word for "resist" is Strong's #436 and it means to stand against, to stand against or to oppose.

So when we have those thoughts, those impulses, those emotions, we have to stand up against them. We have to oppose them and say, "This is not a godly thought. This is not a Christ-like emotion and I'm not going to yield to it. I'm not going to go there. The Lord rebuke this thought." And then, change your mind, as we'll get to.

The third area is that:

c) We have to get control of our minds.

It took me a long time to be able to shut a thought off. All too often, you just run with it. But the third way that we resist is we have to get control of our minds.

When we have a wrong thought or a wrong emotion or a wrong impulse, we have to—and it comes with God's spirit and it comes with training—you just have to shut your mind off. If you have a picture in your mind that is wrong, an impulse that is wrong, an emotion that is wrong, you switch your mind. You just throw a light switch and that image is gone, that emotion is gone, and you put your mind somewhere else. You focus on something else. You think of a Scripture. You get involved in something. You stop sitting in the room alone. You get up and do something. But get the mind off those thoughts, those emotions, or those impulses. And we have to replace those thoughts, emotions, and impulses with cleanness, with purity, and with righteousness. And we learn very quickly to turn those off.

Now, let's conclude by going back to John chapter 10. We started there about the sheepfold and we left off in verse 10. John chapter 10 verse 10, let's continue on as we close this sermon. We read verse 10 which says:

John 10:10. The thief [comes] not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: (KJV)

But notice the contrast of Christ versus the thief, which is Satan—totally opposite. He says:

John 10:10. The thief [comes] … to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: [He says, in contrast,] I am come that they might have life, (KJV)

"I'm not going to kill them. I'm not going to destroy them. I'm here that they might have life…"

John 10:10b. …and … they might have it more abundantly.
11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd [gives] his life for the sheep. (KJV)

A living sacrifice! Christ did it to His death. Verse 12:

John 10:12. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, [he sees] the wolf coming, and [boy he runs away] and the wolf [catches the sheep], and [scatters] the sheep.
13) The hireling [flees], because he is an hireling, and [he doesn't care] for the sheep. (KJV)

But Christ said, contrary to that—Satan doesn't care for the sheep either and his minions don't care for the sheep—

John 10:14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of [My sheep].
15) As the Father [knows] me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (KJV)

And we all should lay down our lives, be willing to, for each other, living or dead.

Verse 16:

John 10:16: And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring [referring to us today in this end time], and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd [the Body of Christ]. (KJV)

So, let's remember this, in closing. There is one being that wants to steal, to kill, and to destroy by inserting his mind into our minds. And I can't overemphasize that! His goal is to put his mind into our minds.

But there is another Being who said, "No. I want you to have My mind and if you have My mind, I will give you life eternal and I will give you life abundantly."

The Father wants us to have His mind and His Son's mind, each and every one of us! But it is our choice. Every day, every minute of every day, we have a choice. "Am I going to have the Satanic mind in my head? Or am I going to have Christ's mind in my head?" It's ours to choose. And let's choose the mind of Christ.

Transcribed by kb December 5, 2011