Yesterday, we looked at human wisdom and said that it was not rooted in the will and the ways of God. Today, I want us to consider the other type of wisdom which I call devilish wisdom.
The devil is an antigod. He is not original. So, he is not authentic. He perverts anything good. He works to corrupt God’s wisdom. The Bible says the devil did not started out as the devil, God created him as beautiful entity. He was perfect. God created him as a wise being. God did not take his wisdom away when he rebelled against Him but that wisdom was corrupted because of the corruption that was in him. The Bible says iniquity was found in him. The devil is diabolic and wise in his own way.
One note of caution here is that the devil is not the opposite of God. Neither is he God’s equal. So, he should not be seen, referred to, or addressed as one. The devil is a created being and a rebel. Unfortunately, people (even Christians) have at different points in time equated the devil with God. He is not God’s equal at all and he should not be placed side-by-side or compare with Him.
The devil is not all-powerful. He is not everywhere present. He does not know everything and he is not all-wise. He cannot create any new thing out of nothing but he can manipulate what has already been made. Just as you cannot have a counterfeit without an original so the devil cannot create any counterfeit without the presence of the original.
In fact, as God’s children, we are higher in the equation of things than the devil. The devil is not God’s second-in-command, we are. He was not made in God’s image and likeness, we are. The devil is not a child of God, we are. The devil is not saved, we are. The devil does not possess the Spirit of Christ, we are. The devil cannot please God, we can and do. The devil is not a friend of God we are. The devil does not live in the light we are. The devil does not have the truth in him, but we have. The devil is not filled with and full of the Holy Ghost we are. The devil is not redeemed, we are. The devil is not born from above we are. The devil cannot say Jesus is Lord but we can. Unfortunately, because of our ignorance, I think we have erroneously arrogated some power and place to the devil that is not his. That is why many of us have ceded place and control to him because we have unconsciously given him power that does not belong to him.
In fact, as God’s children, we are higher in the equation of things than the devil. The devil is not God’s second-in-command, we are. He was not made in God’s image and likeness, we are.
After the resurrection, Jesus Christ our risen Lord proclaimed: “all power in heaven and earth has been given to me” (Mt 28: 18). In other words, Jesus was saying He has been divinely approved and authorized to hold on to and distribute power as He deemed fit. Even though the devil is the god of this world, he does not have any authorized and divine backing to operate in the lives and domains of believers who know their rights as God’s children anymore. Remember,
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name" (Jn 1: 12, AMPC).
That means if you are born again, you belong to the category of those many who have been authorized to become the god of this world. The devil is no longer in charge, you are. The devil is no longer the god of this world, you are. The devil is darkness, but you are light and when light appears, darkness will naturally disappear.
God’s wisdom is the real deal. It is what we need to pursue as God’s children. It is available to us. The devil is the author of chaos, the master of darkness, the father of lies who loves and enjoys confusion. There is no true wisdom in him.
Devilish wisdom is always about manipulation. It is about lies and the end-product is to put people in bondage. There is no freedom in the devil even though he promised it but we know it’s a lie.
The devil has nothing good to offer you. So, following him will lead to death. If you continue to live for him, you will be disappointed in the end because he has nothing good to offer you. It may appear good but the end is going to be full of regrets, pain and suffering, and ultimately eternal separation from God.
Nothing that the devil gives lasts forever. It may appear so but it is just an illusion and his effort is to trap you. So, you cannot use his lies to run your life. Otherwise, he will run it aground. There is no future in the devil. He aims to steal, kill, and destroy. There is nothing glorious about where he is going.
The Bible says the devil sinned from the beginning. So, everything he does has a goal to make you rebel against God, your source. This is how bad the devil is, every promise he makes to give you a better life is to make a fool of you because he wants to separate you from life.
The devil is the architect of evil and anyone who wants to enjoy life and desire good days must eschew evil. That means they must reject anything devilish. It is so interesting that the devil operates in our world today to turn people’s hearts away from their creator. And what we call civilization today is an attempt by the devil to take God out of the system of the world. That is why the world cannot know God’s wisdom without the the grace of the only wise God. Haven’t you noticed that when people are telling themselves that their eyes are open it is about attacking God’s principle that he used to create and hold the world together? We can’t fight God’s wisdom and want to live in a sane society at the same time.
What we call civilization today is an attempt by the devil to take God out of the system of the world.
Devilish wisdom is very subtle. You can be caught unawares if you are not careful. Here are some examples, devilish wisdom wants you to forgive and not forget. It wants you to get even with those who have offended you. Devilish wisdom wants you to do life independently instead of depending on God and being interdependent on others. It is what makes people doubt the goodness of God. It is what makes people live in worry or think that they are responsible for themselves. Devilish wisdom wants you to think that God’s commandments are burdensome or too hard to do and live by. So, he makes pleasure very easy. He makes breaking God’s laws very easy. He lies to us that God does not want us to experience the good life when Jesus said He came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly (Jn 10: 10).
Devilish wisdom says people can continue in sin and grace we abound. It says people can do anything they like, live anyhow they like and God will not mind. Yet, we know that God’s foundation stands sure and everyone who is named God’s name ought to depart from sin. It is devilish wisdom that makes people call evil good and good evil. It is what makes them to subvert justice. It is what fuels conflict, strife, pride, arrogance, rebellions, all self-seeking and self-serving tendencies. It carries that me, myself, and I mindset. It promotes sin. It is what produces the works of the flesh. It causes chaos and disorder. It is what makes people belittle themselves, look down on themselves, be mean to themselves, and have low self-confidence. It is what makes people think they are smarter than God and run from Him and not to him.
Devilish wisdom says people can continue in sin and grace we abound. It says people can do anything they like, live anyhow they like and God will not mind.
Devilish wisdom influences people to think about and do what is wrong. It causes people to gravitate toward the wrong things and be happy with living the wrong way.
To escape the trap of devilish wisdom as God’s people, we must guard our hearts, look unto Jesus, allow God’s love to be rooted in our hearts, stay in God’s word and let it become the measuring rod, be discerning, be a worshipper, live in obedience, be sober-minded, live prayerfully and resist the devil in the name of Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, help me not to fall victim to the devil’s manipulations in Jesus’ name. Amen!
