Not of God

Bill Brinkworth

All through our lives, we are constantly making decisions regarding what we are going to do, where we will go, or what we believe is the right thing to do. In making a proper choice, it would help a Christian to know what is of God, and what is not of God. Making a decision knowing that the situation is from God would guarantee that the outcome would be His will and would result in success. Knowing that the circumstances were not from the Lord, or that He is against such activity would result in failure and unhappiness if a wrong decision were made.

Knowing this, God has provided many examples in the Bible to help us discern what He is for and what He is against. The account of the maniac of the Gadarenes (Mark 5, Luke 8, Mat. 8) gives us some insight into many activities and behaviors that God has nothing to do with and could even be encouraged by “devils” (Mark 5:12). Examining this man’s demonic actions can help us realize, if they are happening today, that they are certainly not of God and are of the devil(s).

If one is committing some of this man’s ungodly actions, does it mean that he is possessed by the devil? A child of God has God as his Father. He is born into the family of God. Satan is no longer one’s Father, if he is born again. However, if he gives Satan leeway to do so by disobeying God’s commands, he can be influenced by Satan and his devils; although he cannot be possessed as was this man in the Mark 5 account.

Some of this man’s demonic-inspired actions include:

He was controlled by an unclean spirit. God created us in His image, and we are always to take care of our bodies. If we are saved children of God, then our body is the temple of the living God and should especially be taken good care of.

Satan usually encourages the opposite of what God does. While God wants us to take care of our body, the devil wants us to not take care of it and even ruin it. The spirit governing this man had him commit unclean things, including hurting his body and committing acts that were socially unacceptable. Because of demonic leadership, this man led a lonely life, filled with unclean behavior and immodesty.

We see this ungodly leadership in many people today. They do not take care of the body God gave them. Filthy thoughts and habits, such as smoking, drinking, pornography, and immodesty are an integral part of their lifestyles. Their activities, like the demon-possessed man of the Gadrenes, are not of God.

In today’s music, be it rock, gothic, rap, and even “Christian” rock, we hear words and see actions that do not glorify God. Some of the music’s titles, words, and performers’ actions indicate that they are from an unclean spirit that certainly has nothing to do with God. Some of the themes of this ungodly music include: grotesqueness, mocking God and Christianity, insanity, hurting and killing people, disobeying authority, dismemberment, unnatural and immoral sex practices, death, drugs and other abuses of the body, and thousands of other wicked practices that even most unsaved people know are not right to even think about. Unclean spirits are involved in what today’s ears, eyes, minds, thoughts, and actions are exposed to. God is not in those influences.

He lived in tombs. The demon-possessed man lived in tombs. He had a desire to be among the dead.

This is not unlike the interest of many today who are infatuated with things having to do with death. Not only is today’s music desensitizing minds through the ears with the subject, but so are the eye gates being attacked. It is a popular theme in movies today to romanticize blood-sucking vampires, werewolves, killing to survive, and barbarous actions. Minds have been influenced by media to think that life after this life is adventurous, exciting, and certainly not a lonely, fearful, anf painful eternity that the Bible promises awaits those that are not saved from their sins. It makes too many eager to enter the next life, but, if they are unsaved, they will find it was all a deception, and they will only find a frightening hell awaiting them. God is not in any thinking, lifestyle, or belief that is not in-line with His Word.

He did not conform to normal thinking and behavior. This man’s actions were not in accordance with the norms of society, and because of his thinking, he could not get along with other people. His behavior was so bizarre, people even tried to bind him with fetters and chains; perhaps so he would not hurt himself or others. The supernatural indwelling of demonic spirits gave him a supernatural strength to even break the bindings that kept him from hurting himself and others. His behavior was not of God.

He attempted many times to destroy and disfigure his body. Satan loathes even the people he controls and wants their bodies destroyed. Here the maniac cut his body with stones.

Today, it is too common to hear of and see people wanting to mutilate or hurt their bodies. Satan hates the perfect body God gave us. His ungodly influence quite often wants to change how it looks by marring it with tattoos , being not satisfied with the gender God made us, defacing it by piercing it with holes, not satisfied with how we look, and even ending one’s life early by murderous abortions, suicide, or euthanasia (the killing of older people). God is not in any action or thoughts that alter what He created, how it should look, or choosing when the life should be ended.

He cried! In all this man did, he still was not happy. He cried day and night.

Living the way God commands us is not easy. It will have hardships and trials like everyone else, but there will still be a joy and a peace in one’s life that the unsaved can never have. All the adultery, drinking, drugs, doing what one wants, perverse lifestyles, and other sins never give permanent happiness. An examination of those committing sins reveals no peace and usually great sorrow in the end. A disobedient-to-God lifestyle is certainly not of God.

The good news however, is although this man was totally entrapped and controlled by ungodly influences; Jesus made him a changed man. Knowing Jesus and Christ’s own commands made all his indwelling spirits leave this man. We learn one more thing about the indwelling, demonic spirits from this story. When they were commanded by Christ to leave this man, they left him and entered into 2,000 nearby grazing hogs. Immediately these hogs went insane and committed hogicide by drowning themselves in the sea. This again reinforces that Satan does not care whom he destroys, and if he cannot use you, he would just as soon use a pig. That certainly should make the Satanists, who believe that Satan loves them and will give them only good things, wake up and see the truth.

In such few words, it is not possible to make one aware of all the demonic and ungodly influences that can compel and control one today. However, this poor man’s actions can make us aware that some of today’s lifestyles are similar to the maniacs and are not of God. Before involving yourself in some activity, please first ask yourself, is it of God? If God is against it, we should be also!

“ When Satan knocks at your door, ask Jesus to answer it. ”

This lesson was featured in The Bible View #168.

An additional biblical study of Satan can be found at: http://www.openthoumineeyes.com/Lessons/satan.html.