Sunday, July 7, 2019

THE LORD EXPOSES SONS OF BELIAL AND SHOWS US HOW TO OVERCOME


THE LORD EXPOSES SONS OF BELIAL AND SHOWS US HOW TO OVERCOME
When I was visiting in Kinshasa, our host and his family drove up to where we were. They had just buried one of their sons who died of tetanus poisoning. Our host was a wealthy man and worked directly for the King of the country, but he could get no tetanus vaccine, and his son died. The king of Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo) had riches beyond belief, but the man who served him could get no help for his son. Why not? The KIng oppressed the people under him, and they suffered. This kind of despotism has not only invaded the political realm, but we see it in education, business, entertainment, religion, and almost every institution of life.

God calls these evil people sons of Belial (see Deut. 13:13 and 2 Sam. 20:1). I call them SOBs for short. God says they are merchandisers of men (2 Pet. 2:3). They abuse, oppress, and make the good people under them feel like they can never do anything right.

These top evil despots worship and serve Satan, and he pays them with what they desire: riches and fame. Luke 4:6 tells us the devil gives them kingdoms because they worship him, and he can use them to further his evil ways on the earth. They love people to admire and applaud them. Just like their boss, Satan, they want their co-workers and underlings to worship every idea and plan they have. (see Jude 1:16)

Sons of Belial, or wicked men, as the Bible names them in other verses, are not just interested in the top levels of the mega-organizations. Anywhere they can get a position of decision-making, they will try to get in. Their oppressive ways trickle down to affect everyone under them if possible.

John 8:44 tells us these evil people are liars. Psalm 28:3 says they are hypocritical and deceptive. They will be nice to you one minute and turn on you the next. You can never trust them.

They will take a small mistake committed by a Christian worker and blow it up and add fresh accusations of things that never existed (see 1 Kings 21:10). Working under or around these people is usually extremely difficult and stressful. The SOBs use a person’s words and deeds, twists them, and turns them back on the person.

There’s no reasoning with these people. They are insane in their thinking, so they don’t respond to logic at all. They make up their own rules—whatever works for them to achieve their desired result.

If an SOB doesn’t like you, it doesn’t matter how great a worker you may be, or how great your ideas, you will continuously be the target of their evil. These sons of Belial are masters of slander. They will take something you actually said or did and turn it around to look like it was the most terrible thing ever. They aim to trap those they don’t like (see Ps. 141:9-10 and Ps. 64:3-6). They motivate by fear and oppression.

Under the rule of one of these SOBs, there is never room for individualism but only place for automatons in their juggernaut of control and tyrannical governorship.

These sons and daughters of Belial need to be stopped, and God shows us how to do it.

The Lord exposes them and shows us through the life of His beloved David, what we can do to bring them down.

GOD TRAINED DAVID EARLY TO BE A FIGHTER OF GIANTS. As a shepherd boy, he fought for the life of his sheep when he killed a bear and a lion (1 Sam. 17:37). As a young man, he killed Goliath to protect the people of Israel. As an adult, he fought the devil spirits working in the sons of Belial. We often think of how awesome it was that he killed Goliath with only a slingshot and a small pebble, but we miss the first weapon he used in the battle—the WORDS he fired against Goliath:

David answered, “You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he’s handing you to us on a platter!” (1 Sam. 17:45-47 MSG)

These words of David were powerful, and when he spoke them, they came to pass. When David became king, many SOBs came against him. Just like God gave David words to speak against Goliath, He gave David (and He gives us) strong words to speak against the spiritual Goliaths we encounter.

These words are violent, and they are for those who are ready to battle a strong Goliath that must be taken down. The following are just a few of the Psalms David prayed against the sons of Belial:

Psalm 58:6-8: “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.  As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.”

Psalm 7:11-16: “God is angry with the wicked [SOBs] every day.  If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.”

Psalm 109: 6-12: “Set thou a wicked man over him [the SOB]: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him.”

Second Thessalonians 1:6: “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.”

There are many more of these prayers in the Psalms that you’ll now be able to recognize and use. Knowing how to wield these verses will help you in situations of personal attacks and also enable you to go to battle for others.

A while back, I experienced an exceptionally intense attack of these evil SOBs when they came into positions of authority over several friends and their children in different places around the globe. I prayed the above scriptures and other pertinent ones every day out loud. Some of my friends were able to escape. Some healed quickly, and others are still in the process of recovery.

I’ve given you a brief overview of this powerful weapon against an enemy who effects so many and yet is still so well hidden from most Christians. We are in a spiritual war, and the devil is getting bolder and more vicious the closer he gets to the end. He is out to steal, kill, and destroy like he did in literally killing my African friend’s son. We can turn the devil’s tactics back on him and help rescue our fellow Christians from death and destruction.

“This honor have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord” (Ps. 149:9).

I highly recommend Dale Sides’ book, Exposing Sons of Belial: Identifying and Overcoming Children of the Devil for information on this subject.

Love, Carolyn

QUESTIONS AND EASY CHALLENGES
1. What are some of the characteristics of a person the Bible calls a son or daughter of Belial? Look up and cite some of the scriptural references for this.
2. Have you ever experienced or perhaps read about a person who fits this Biblical description of a person who serves Satan? Explain.
3. What was David’s first weapon fired against Goliath? Where is this found in the Bible?
4. What are some of the scriptures David has given us in the Psalms that we can pray against these SOBs who knowingly do evil against God’s people?


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