Perhaps the easiest analogy for us in this age would be that of the internet, every computer on the entire planet is in some way connected to every other computer in this sense, they are in a way symbiotic, unable to access information without this capability. Although everyone that has a computer more than likely has software programs that can be run effectively without this connection, to access most of the information that we either believe necessary or desire, an internet connection is required.
Contrary to the widely held belief not only among many Christians and a good part of the lost, Satan is not the “leader” of sin, of evil, he could in a sense be considered its figurehead, if you please, but sin, evil, which can only be interpreted as open rebellion against our Lord, is not under the control of our adversary, nor is his presence necessary for its continuation. It is why the analogy of the computer and its internet access capability is an apt one, we being, in this sense, the software program that is installed and capable of being accessed independent of the internet connection, we have the capability of sin without Satan. It is only when we decide to tap into, to turn on the function that will allow our computer to function within the arena of the internet that we, as individuals, place ourselves within the scope of the influence of demonic forces.
This is best seen in the millennial time, when Satan will be bound for the thousand years, and we can only by presumption assume that this infers all demonic forces, and so man will be left on his own, as it were, to sin without external influences. And sin they will, “For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.” (Isaiah 60:12)
We have a sinful nature, free will has determined within us that we can either submit to or rebel against the Lord God, for the lost, this is their natural state, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) They openly rebel, for that is the natural path of man. For the believer, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, we also retain this free will, and choose to rebel against that sinful, natural nature that will remain in us until the moment that we are glorified. We have within us, as our computers do, software programs that we can access at any time, the Word of God that we have hidden in our hearts, (Psalm 119:11) the mind that contemplates the Most High, yet the operating system, the hard drive if you will, is still within us, our natural man is continuously striving to run the entire operation.
There are ministering spirits for the saints of God, (Heb. 1:14) they are, to remain in the context of our analogy have, the anti-virus protection for our computer, they warn us, as well as the Holy Spirit of God that resides within us does, of the possible dangers to our system, but what we must realize is that those dangers are never present until we access a system outside of ourselves, outside of our computer. A computer not connected to the internet cannot sustain damage from the internet.
“Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” (Lev. 19:2) Yet within our external forces upon us, we sin, for that is our natural nature, like it or not, we will always have within us the tendency to sin against God, the hard drive of the computer is in charge of all the software systems. But as the internet has valuable spiritual wisdom available to us, it has exponentially more available ways to sin, it is run by man with the influence, and in many cases, the direct intervention of demonic forces, it is not in its nature to glorify the Most High. Herein is not just the choice we must make, but the commandment we are to obey, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
Where the sin is, is where we are to go, and here is where we must learn to trust and obey. I do not believe that every born-again believer has their own “personal demon,” assigned to them, I do not believe that the work that they are doing for the Lord infers the need for one, as many of the previous letters that have been written to you will attest to, but for those whose lives are dedicated to the glory of God, there is always the possibility of attack, most Christians, again to remain in the center of our analogy, never venture into the internet, they stay within the realm of the hardware and software systems on their computer, and wrongfully give credit, or blame, to our adversary for sins they commit, sins that come from their own sinful nature, one that they have yet to truly recognize as within themselves.
For those that venture outside of their houses, to go into the world, is to invite evil, in a sense, it is to be sent out as sheep among the wolves and this child of God must rely completely on the Lord in this time. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matt. 10:16) We must act with all possible compassion, for the Shepard watches after His sheep, they never leave His sight. We must be bold as lions, (Prov. 28:1) but must always rest in the vine. (John 15:4) We are never in danger, as the world interprets the word, for “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” (Psalm 91:10) But each time we leave the safety of our computers software system, each time we venture away from the software systems embedded within our computer and into the internet, we open ourselves up for attacks.
This is the main reason for the great falling away we now reside in, the majority of Christians have decided the work is too personally risky, that it is best to just stay in the operating system of their computer, the church setting, to not venture out past the installed software settings, the traditions of the church they attend. To go out into the world, to turn on the internet and get to work, to become obedient fully to the Holy Spirit, to submit fully to love not their lives to the end, (Rev. 12:11) has become a risk they are not willing to take.
Evil, open rebellion to the Most High is everywhere, it is in our sinful nature, the old man (Romans 6:6) within us that we try to kill every day, it is in the world, it is the world, those that we are commanded to love are those that hate our Lord. Perhaps it is time for you to leave the comfort of your software systems, perhaps it is time to venture out into the internet, to the world where sin resides, where the true battle is, perhaps it is time to spend less time concerned with yourself, and step out in faith, as a sheep among the wolves, and let the glory, majesty, and power of the Most High God be seen through you. Join the battle my brothers and sisters, we are already more than victorious in Christ.
