A "Grain Of Wheat" Ministries publication

Written by David W. Dyer

INDEX

Chapter 1: GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN (Current Chapter)

Chapter 2: HOW THE DEVIL WORKS

Chapter 3: THERE IS A SAVIOR!

Chapter 4: BEING TRANSPARENT WITH GOD

Chapter 5: THE SOUL-LIFE

Chapter 6: HOW GOD MADE MAN

Chapter 7: THE SPIRITUAL CONFLICT

Chapter 8: REBUKING OR “BINDING” THE DEVIL

Preface

When I began this writing, it was not with the intention of producing a new book. My plan was to write a small article to address what I felt was a neglected subject in Christian circles: the renewing of the mind.

However, as it progressed, the writing kept growing to include other aspects of the subject which were unforeseen by me.

The need for real change in the lives of believers around the world is ever more urgent in these days. Many institutions seem to be collapsing into chaos, including those of long standing. Our world around us is changing rapidly and these changes will probably only accelerate as we come closer to the second coming of our Lord.

Therefore, the need for His children to become intimate with Him has never been greater. There is an urgency for all of us to seek Him ever more earnestly so that we will be able to withstand the evil days which are coming and also not be ashamed when He appears.

May our God use this small writing to change hearts and lives for His glory.

David W. Dyer

Chapter 1: GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN

Whether we like it or not, we are in a battle. If we are a true child of God, we are involved in an intense struggle about who will dominate this earth.

Now I know some will say that Jesus has already won the battle, but the fact is that we are still intimately involved in the working out of this victory. Just because Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection was victorious in the eyes of God the Father does not mean that our part in this war has been finished.

You see, sometime in the distant past (we don’t know exactly when, but it appears to have been long, long ago), Lucifer was given authority over this planet. We can be sure of this since, during his temptation of Jesus, he claimed to have this authority (Lk 4:6). Jesus did not dispute this fact.

Obviously, if Satan has authority, it must have been given to him by the source of all authority, which is God Himself. Also, we can deduce that this rulership must have been given him before he rebelled against the Most High. If not, no authority whatsoever would have been given him.

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He charged them with several responsibilities. One of these was: “...to fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). Now in the Hebrew language this word translated “subdue” means “to conquer” or “to subjugate.”

But wait a minute. This earth already had a master. There is a being who was given authority over it! Yet suddenly, in the Garden of Eden, God introduces another creature who looks just like Himself into the equation and charges him to take this authority for himself. This then began the conflict for control of the earth.

Obviously, Adam was not intended to become a god himself, but was merely the representative of Another. We can know this because Adam was made “in the image of God.” So he was placed upon the earth with the task of taking charge of the planet as God’s representative, he himself being under the authority of God.

In this plan, Adam would “gain dominion” over the earth, living righteously in obedience to God and filling it with his obedient offspring (Gen 1:28). Then, when the task of subduing the earth was complete, God, as the head of this new creature, Adam, would be the supreme ruler over it, “recovering it” in a manner of speaking, from the being who was first given charge of it but then rebelled.

As you already know, Adam failed miserably in this task. Yet someone called “the last Adam,” also known as Jesus the Anointed One (Christ), has won and now is still winning this battle. However, the devil has not given up yet. He is not yet practically defeated.

Through Jesus and His descendants (real believers who are born of God), God is still in the process of establishing His rulership over the earth. He is populating it with His own children who are supposed to be under His authority.

However, it may be no surprise to you to learn that not all of God’s children are obedient. Not all of them are truly submitting every aspect of their lives to Him.

Unfortunately, a great many of them are self-centered, liars, cheaters, unforgiving, and sinful in a great many areas of their lives. This behavior puts them into the camp of Satan. Their behavior shows that, instead of being obedient to God, they are expressing the nature of the god of this world.

This then is where the battle lies. Just as the devil succeeded in deceiving Eve and seducing Adam, today he is still working very hard to deceive the children of God.

In this way he keeps them from becoming God’s true representatives who express His righteousness. As long as believers express the nature of the enemy instead of God’s, they are still part of the problem and not part of His solution.

In many ways, Satan is limited by God concerning what he can and cannot do with men. For example, he is not allowed to sweep in and kill millions of men and women with one stroke. Although he can do such things through men who are under his control, he himself is not permitted to do many such things himself.

But, he is allowed to talk. He can speak into the thoughts and hearts of people. He seems to be able to “speak” into our minds, inserting his thoughts directly, or using other individuals who are under his control to speak to us. Most people do not recognize or “hear” this speaking but it is going on all the same. This “speaking” then is his primary weapon.

We must realize that the devil is extremely intelligent. He is much, much more clever than we are. He is cunning, creative, and farsighted. No believer should ever think that they themselves can outwit him. Our only hope of not being misled by him is to have a complete dependence on and genuine submission to God.

End of Chapter 1

Read other chapters online:

Chapter 1: GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN (Current Chapter)

Chapter 2: HOW THE DEVIL WORKS

Chapter 3: THERE IS A SAVIOR!

Chapter 4: BEING TRANSPARENT WITH GOD

Chapter 5: THE SOUL-LIFE

Chapter 6: HOW GOD MADE MAN

Chapter 7: THE SPIRITUAL CONFLICT

Chapter 8: REBUKING OR “BINDING” THE DEVIL