Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. By this epistle, we reveal one of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven concerning the wiles of the enemy by which he gains access and control into the lives of many professed believers thereby seeking to destroy them by leading them to perdition. Surely, the chief aim of the evil one is to destroy the fellowship between God and His children. Once he is successful in this, God's hedge of protection is somewhat removed from the believer and then the enemy can attack him more freely. The enemy does have many devices through which he wars against believers and overcome some. We as saints of God are commanded by the Word of God to know these devices lest he take advantage of us (2 Corinth 2:11). These devices can only be known through the light of God's Word. Some churches today do not teach their congregation how to know and overcome these wiles of the enemy. Because of this, the evil one has taken advantage of many that profess to know the Lord and he now holds them captive. He comes into the life and daily dealings at will and influences most of their decisions for they are captive to him. We have written this epistle that the Lord's captive might be set free by this truth and the power thereof. For it is written: you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared in Matt 13:33 that the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. This parable was spoken by the Lord in public by the sea side. While teaching the people, He spoke many parables to them and without a parable He did not speak to many, for in the parables are the secrets of the kingdom that have been kept from the foundation of the world (Matt 13:34-35). In Matt 13:33 as quoted above, the Lord spoke of leaven that is hidden in a meal until the meal is all leavened. This is one of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven which we now unveil unto you that you may understand and do the will of God. According to the Word of God, leaven is figurative of sin (1 Cor 5:6-8; Gal 5:9), false doctrines (Matt 16:6-12; Mark 8:15-21), and hypocrisy (Luke 12:1). A woman when used figuratively in an evil sense represents wickedness, fallacy, uncleanness, and unfaithfulness (Lam 1:17), harlotry (Ezek 16:15, 22, 26, 28-59, 23:1-49, 36:17, Hos 1:2; 2:2-17, 3:1, Rev 17), wickedness (Zech 5:5-11; Rev 17:5), and false religion (Rev 17). The meal in which the woman hid the leaven symbolizes the Word of God (Matt 4:4; John 6:47-63). The mystery in this parable illustrates how the teachings of the kingdom of heaven and the program of God in this current age would become corrupted by small specks of false, unscriptural doctrines and programs until the whole is corrupted. A spot of sin or false doctrine cannot stand together with the truth of the Word of God. It is either false doctrine or true doctrine, leavened meal or unleavened meal, but it cannot be both. It is not in vain that the Lord Himself said we should take heed how we hear (Luke 8:18). For whoever that accept the truth and is honestly wanting the whole truth and nothing but the truth will be given truth if he seeks with his whole heart. This is done by the Lord. Yet still, no man can base all his actions on some truths and a little bit of false doctrine that genders unto sin and expects to be saved in the end. A little false doctrine that condones sin and unrighteousness when mixed with the truth makes the whole doctrine false and sinful. In the same manner, a man that is serving the Lord doing all service unto Him but yet is entangled with “just one sin” will become fully captive to the enemy in no time. The “one sin” he is entangled with will open doors to other sins and will cause him to be all entangled with sin and fully captive to the devil. Is it not written that a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Gal 5:9, 1 Cor 5:6-8)? We beseech you all to understand and know that there is nothing as a little sin. Sin is sin and it will damn a soul wherever it is found if not repented of and forsaken immediately. It is the opposite of the nature of God who is holy and who also will not accept any man without holiness.
Whoever that professes to be saved and belongs to the Lord must walk as the Lord walked, abiding in Him and in His Word. This we have written to you from the very beginning. Whosoever abides in the Lord does not commit or practice sin. This is plainly written in 1 John 2:6. Sin is the chief weapon used by the devil to gain access into the lives of many professed Christians today. The devil is always after believers to cause them to sin against God and lead them away from repentance, so as to gain quick access into their lives and take them captive. This is what he does day and night, for he is ever busy walking about seeking whom he may devour. For this reason, we are commanded to be sober and vigilant at all times, resisting him steadfastly in the faith, and rebuking him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. For as it is written: they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony (Rev 12:11). There is great power in doing this and how victorious shall you all be if you put this thing to practice. Shod your feet and keep your walk according to the gospel of truth. Walk in the light and obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Put on the whole amour of God and fight the good fight of faith that you may lay hold on eternal life.
Every unbeliever belongs to the devil (Col 1:13, Eph 2:2-3, Matt 13:38, John 8:44, 1 John 3:8-10) but when they repent and forsake their evil ways and receive the Lord Jesus Christ into their lives they immediately receive the Holy Spirit of God and they are free from the devil, sin and death. They are now servants of righteousness (Rom 8:1-2, Rom 6:18). As all unbelievers have various sins in them that made it possible for the devil to take them captive, so also is any believer that goes back into sin. By this, he opens again the door that was shut to sin and the enemy, giving him (the enemy) access again. So the devil comes in and takes over again, but this time with stronger holds. This is according to the Word of God as declared by our Lord Jesus Christ wherein He said: “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” For this reason it is most important after a man is saved that he must be fully grounded in the Word of God so that he can be perfect in obedience to the Lord in all things as he is receiving light. This is because the demons that came out of him are walking about looking for doors to get back in and when they find the door they go back to look for more demons so that they cannot be easily sent out again. Understand and know that sin is service of Satan and righteousness is the service of God. This is clearly written in Rom 6:16. We are also commanded in Rom 6:12 wherein it is written: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” In this Scripture, Sin is pictured as a king or tyrant who has the soul passions, spirit faculties, and bodily members of man under control, dominating his life. We beseech you all not to let him work or reign in your own mortal body. Give him no place or ground for working in your being. In this present world, Sin will always seek to rule and ruin many. This the devil does by his numerous demons going to and fro from the second heaven to the earth from day to day. Sin has its own lusts which are synonymous with the lusts of Satan. This further proves that sin and Satan are in unison for one is a means by which the other prevails against men.
We must also mention that the evil in this world is caused by the devil, whether it be sickness (John 5:14), a life contrary to the abundant life that the Lord promised in His Word, a frustrated life, helplessness to sin, a life of compromise etc. All these things are influenced by the devil and his demons and the root cause is mostly sin in some form. It is the same battle that Apostle Paul fought before he met the Lord and was saved from the power of sin and death. This is written in Rom 7:15-25. He (Apostle Paul) wrote concerning when he was still observing the Law before he was saved, how he was entangled with sin even though he was a Pharisee (teacher of the Law), that the thing he wanted to do he did not do them, but the things that he did not want to do those were the things he was doing. And he concluded that it is no more him that does those things, but sin that dwells in him though he yielded to the sin. He mentioned that he found a law that, when he would do good, evil is present with him. For he had delight and desire in the law of God in his heart after the inward man but he saw another law in his members, warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin which is in his members. This illustrates that there was a stronger force in his body that was always making him to go against what he desire in his mind to do. For this, he cried out, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And he was soon delivered by the obedience to the gospel of Christ (Rom 8:1-2). This is what many professed Christians that still hang unto one sin or another need to do today. They need to cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ to wash them and cleanse them from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and perfect their holiness in the fear of the Lord. If you are such, receive this word and cry unto the Lord and He will save you.
Another key wile of the devil is that he always wants to come back through the same sins and unrighteousness of the past by which he once held a person captive. The same sinful lusts of the past e.g. spirit of fornication, lust, addiction, etc. would try to come back but now with other more wicked ones (Matt 12:45). This is why every believer is commanded to be sober and be vigilant. Having been saved, we must always stand and be ready to subdue the enemy, for we are like soldiers at war (Eph 6:10-18, 2 Corinth 10:4). The devil is always walking about looking for doors to enter. Keep yourself pure by the fullness of God's Word and the Holy Spirit. As we have written to you in times past, even so we write these things to you again, that the way to be free from sin, the devil and his demons is to be filled with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. You must be a doer of the Word always, not hearers. You spend good time with God daily to know His will and do them. The ever presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer proves a life of holiness, for God can not dwell in an impure place. If our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, then it means we must be continually holy for Him (the Holy Ghost) to dwell in us for He is called the “Holy Spirit”. This can only be possible by perfect obedience to the Word of God at all times. The Lord Himself declared in John 14:23 that if any man loves Him, he will keep His words. Therefore living in perfect obedience to God's word is the utmost requirement of all.
By doing these things, a man will be able to keep himself from the reach of the enemy and abide in the secret place of the Most High. For it is written: whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one does not touch him (1 John 5:18)” You should be dead to sin always and let your life be hid with Christ in God (Col 3:3). By this, the enemy has no seed in you and thus cannot overcome you. Even Our Lord Jesus Christ declared that the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Him. This is written in John 14:30. As it also written in Psa 17:3: Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shall find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. You must be determined to fight the good fight of faith, living holy without any spot or wrinkle always. Be quick to repent and turn away from every evil and places where sin is condoned, testifying like the Lord moment by moment that the prince of this world comes and he has nothing in me. Surely, the tempter will come to tempt but we must yield to God and His will. It is not sin to be tempted; the sin is in yielding, sin is Satan's solicitation. It is Satan's lust and sin but when you yield, you make the devil's sin yours. Therefore resist the devil today with the Word of God that you have learnt and obeyed and he will flee from you.
We exhort you all that will read this epistle to take heed to this word and yield to the Lord. If there is any sin in your life that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of by the word of God, repent and forsake this sin immediately. A little leaven will cause you to be entangled and be in bondage to sin that not too long you will begin to wonder how you got yourself into this cloak of sin. Therefore run from sin and all the wiles of the enemy by which he takes men captive. Resist him in the name of the Lord. If you mistakenly fall into sin, be very quick to run to God for forgiveness knowing that you are doing this for your good so as not to allow the devil access into your life and eventually taking you captive with the “little” sin. Stay away from all the things you know the Lord delivered you from when you were in the world. You must abandon them and flee from them so that you can remain pure in spirit and holy in the Lord. This involves denial. You must deny yourself of anything that tends to ungodliness and worldly lusts. Please strive now to live soberly, righteously and godly keeping your peace at all times. This way, you will not be moved by Satan's antics because the Holy Spirit will warn you ahead of time when they are yet afar off so that you can recognize them and flee from them. The most effective way that you can hear these warnings in your spirit is by being at peace always. Be quiet and speak less. Speak even less when you are outside. For as it is written, if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man who is able to bridle the whole body (James 3:2). We exhort you while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin that you do not hide your sins from the Lord. Come to Him, for our Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy (James 5:11). His eyes are upon them that hope in his mercy, and on those that fear him, and He takes pleasure in them (Ps 33:18, 147:11). Understand and know that He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy. Therefore repent of your sins today, and be converted and healed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who sent us. Peace be to you all.
