What is our Adversary?

... Most of my life I believed that Satan was a fallen angel. Not only was he a fallen angel, but he was the
most powerful and brightest and most talented of all the angels... almost as glorious as God Himself...
and that Satan was only a little lower than God who, until Christ came and defeated Satan on the cross,
was literally dominating man on the earth.. that on our own we stood no chance against this powerful
fallen angel.

... I'm coming to see that the Hebrew word 'satan' was NOT translated.. it was transliterated and
brought directly into the English bible. It means, "adversary" or "opponent". Somehow, somewhere,
we turned a word that means 'adversary' into a NAME.. and then we capitalised that name: Satan. As
time went on this made up creature became 'mythological" and very powerful.

... In the 36 times it is used in the New Testament, it is always transliterated from the Hebrew
"Sawtawn." Its meaning is "an opponent" -- "the arch-enemy of good." The root of the word means, "to
attack."

... One thing I do know is that the only power in the universe is God... Jesus is the power of God. There
are essentially two words for "Power" commonly used. One refers to the power of God ( dounamis )
and the other is a 'privileged power' like 'the power of darkness'... which in reality has no power in
itself... the only power it has is the power we give it.. and then in our minds that thing may have power
over us..but doesn't seem to affect anyone else... that is “exousia”.

... so, even if there was a creature called Satan he has no power in himself.. but the reality is that there
is no fallen angel called Lucifer. I think the King James Version is one of the few who use that name
(Isa.14).. and that passage is referring to the King of Babylon.

... What then is our adversary? It's our minds.. the carnal mind is hostile to the Spirit of God. Most of
the 'bad influence' on our lives comes from within.. not from the outside. Paul referred to the 'vain
imaginations': those illusionary worlds we create and live in.. created by our own minds as we try to
produce our own life apart from God.

... I wonder if the conversation between Eve and the serpent in Genesis 3 ( the 'hissing whisperer' ) was
Eve talking to herself? We have a belief system based on what we've been taught... Lots to sort out,
but I'm wondering.

... We're called to be spiritual people.. living in and by the Spirit.

... I'm not saying there isn't a satan.. nor am I saying there are no demons or devils..

I'm saying that my old mindset was probably distorted.. maybe even wrong.
... As James Stone brought out in his teaching series on the Biblical Concept of Satan, he said, " The
clearest description of the adversary is from the New Testament. Perhaps, it is best seen in a statement
of Jesus to Peter: (Matthew 16:21-23)

"Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. From
that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer
many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto
thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for
thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." With thou savorest in "thou
savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of man" -- meaning "the exercise of the mind’
(literal translation), Jesus seams to be indicating that "Satan" has something to do with the mind.

Paul also knew where the adversary to God would occur. He stated:

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:6,7)

With enmity meaning, "hostility; by implication, reason for opposition" and the root of that
word meaning, "hostile; usually as a noun, an adversary" -- Paul also connects the adversary with the
mind of man.

Peter also knew the power of the adversary, the power of the uncontrolled mind. (1 Peter 5:8)

"Be sober ["to abstain from wine (keep sober), i.e. be discreet"], be vigilant ["to keep awake, i.e.
watch"]; because your adversary ["an opponent"] the devil ["a traducer; from a word meaning to
throw"], as a roaring lion, walketh about [ "to thread all around," also translated by KJV as "be occupied
with"], seeking [to plot] whom he may devour [to drink down, i.e. gulp entirely, from the root, "to
imbibe"]"

Peter seems to be indicating that the adversary is an intoxicated mind in control of the soul.

... What do you think? Is another mindset being challenged? Something for the Lord to clear up for us,
me thinks.