John F Avanzini - Whos causing your trouble?

Whos Causing Your Trouble?

The devil is the mastermind behind every evil act that takes place on planet earth. The Bible abounds with evidence that he is the villain. Whether it is sickness, disappointment, robbery, or whatever, the motivating force behind each problem is the same. It is the devil.

Many times we tend to blame other people or the circumstances of life for our trouble. However, the Word of God tells us our battle is not against flesh and blood.

... we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:12

Don't misunderstand. You don't have to be afraid of what Satan might do. When Jesus rose from the grave, He stripped the devil and his demons of their power and made an open display of their defeat.

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:15

The purpose of this book is to teach you to identify the true source of your trouble. Once you know who is causing the problem, you can put a stop to it.

God Made a Good Universe

Things do not tend toward evil because God planned it that way. He created everything to be good.

... God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good....

Genesis 1:31

The evil that abounds on planet earth is an unnatural intruder. It came into existence when Satan interfered with God's perfect creation, tempting Adam and Eve to disobey God.

Even Satan was perfect when God created him.

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth ....

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Ezekiel 28:14-15

Through misuse of his free will, the devil brought sin and evil into the world.

Satan Motivated Adam and Eve to Sin

Who set the trap for the fall of man? The Book of Genesis gives us the answer to this question. Notice that Adam began by blaming Eve.

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Genesis 3:12

It was Eve who put the blame where it belonged. She named the serpent (Satan) as the evil force behind the fall.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?

And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Genesis 3:13

As soon as Eve placed the blame on the guilty party, God was immediately able to bring judgment upon Satan and deliverance to Adam and Eve.

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:14-15

God can bring quick deliverance and victory when we recognize and accuse the true enemy. Because Eve refused to wrestle with flesh and blood and went directly to the spiritual root of the problem, God was able to bring speedy judgment and restoration.

Satan Motivated Jobs Problems

Job is a good example of someone with big trouble. He suffered one of the greatest robberies that ever took place. A quick look at the inventory of goods stolen from Job tells the story.

... seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household....

Job 1:3

The evil reports poured in from across Job's vast empire. He lost all his oxen, donkeys, sheep, and camels. All his children died. Only four of his many servants escaped with their lives. No doubt Satan spared them just so they could bring Job the bad news. He suffered all these tremendous losses in only one day. However, I want you to notice who received the blame for this reign of terror.

Job 1:15 blames the Sabeans for taking the oxen and donkeys and killing some of the servants.

Verse 16 lays the blame on God for burning up the sheep and more of the servants. (I hope you grasp the significance of this accusation, for even today many people still like to blame God for the loss of their goods. Insurance policies commonly make allowances for liability in the event of so-called "acts of God." They interpret every destructive or harmful incident of nature as something that God caused.)

Verse 17 goes on to accuse the Chaldeans of taking the camels and slaying still more servants. Verses 18 and 19 blame the wind for the deaths of the children. However, verses 6-12 show us clearly who was actually responsible for Job's loss.

... the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand....

Job 1:12

Scripture tells us God gave Satan the authority to test Job. Once you understand this fact, it becomes clear that the real troublemaker in Job's life was the devil. He took control of everything Job had, and he motivated all the robberies and murders. The Sabeans and Chaldeans may have done some evil deeds, but it was Satan who masterminded Job's losses. Scripture is clear that God did not cause the destruction that came Job's way.

A Spiritual Problem

As you read the following passage of Scripture, allow your mind to focus on this principle. When you understand the importance of identifying the source of each problem and learn to use your God-given authority, the real enemy in your life will have to cease his destructive activities.

And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath .

And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

Luke 13:10-17

In these verses we see a woman who was bowed over, unable to straighten up. The ruler of the synagogue made a false judgment, believing her problem was purely a physical situation that Jesus shouldn't deal with on the Sabbath. The ruler blamed her health, but Jesus saw beyond the physical realm, discerning what was really happening. It was not paralysis or some other irregularity in her body that caused the woman's affliction. Once again, Satan was at the root of the problem.

Notice that when Jesus named the real culprit, two wonderful things happened. Joy came to the multitudes, and shame and disgrace came to the adversary.

The religious leaders saw the woman as having a physical problem. Jesus looked at the root cause of the woman's infirmity. He recognized a spiritual problem and deemed it appropriate to handle on the Sabbath. He saw how the devil had interfered with her life. By identifying and naming the real troublemaker, Jesus was able to bring the woman an immediate healing. It was Satan who had bound her for eighteen years. However, on the day Jesus identified the devil as the true villain, God set the woman free.