September 21

THE PURPOSE OF EVIL / PART 13

SATAN … A DOG ON A LEASH

According to J. Preston Eby:

-"Dear saints of God, don't believe for one moment that anything in all God's great universe is out of control! God is GOD, He IS in full control of every sphere of activity, and Satan himself is under the province of God. May God enlighten our minds to perceive the truth that Satan has no power at all except that which God delegates to him. Do you REALLY believe that Satan could cause all the trouble in the world UNLESS GOD HAD ORDAINED IT? My friend, if you believe Satan is a problem to Almighty God, then your God is entirely too small! Satan is no thorn in God's side Who made him in the first place, Who binds his hands daily, Who sets his boundaries and limits his power and marks his path. Oh, yes, those who would be sons of God MUST OVERCOME HIM. Beloved, when that purpose is accomplished, Satan will have completed his course as an INSTRUMENT in the hand of God Who has everything under control! Hallelujah!" ( The Serpent, J. Preston Eby )

-Yes … Satan is a dog on God’s leash. He is only able to do what God either allows or commissions him to do. STOP thinking of Satan in terms of him being able to do anything he wants. He can only operate inside the boundaries of God’s SOVEREIGNTY. IT IS GOD WHO WRITES HIS “PAYCHECK” AT THE END OF THE WEEK, FOR HE IS ON GOD’S PAYROLL! Satan does what he is told. ( Read the story of Job. ) If this is the case ( and it is ), then man will find his real battle to be with God and not the Devil.

-The battle that man finds himself in is one of SUBMISSION TO GOD! James 4:7,8 states, … Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you …

-It is not our job to try to fight the Devil, but to submit to God, Who created the Devil, and is in charge of the Devil! THIS IS THE BATTLE OF THE AGES! Once that we recognize God as sovereign, we will STOP trying to blame everything on the Devil, realizing that there is a purpose for all of our fiery trials. Satan is not fighting against God, but rather, he is WORKING FOR GOD to accomplish His ( God’s ) purpose, which is to produce overcomers. It is not the DOG ON THE LEASH that we are to be concerned with. Remember … It is the Master of that dog …

-THAT CONTROLS THE LEASH!-