Daniel 10:12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
The story of this battle between the angel Gabriel and satan, for the mind of the king of Persia is really a microcosm of the greater conflict that takes place daily for our hearts and minds. Every major decision and choice we make, from day to day, cumulatively, will contribute to determining our eternal destiny.
And every decision and choice we make, that comes down on the side of righteousness, will further cement the fact that our sins will one day, be transferred to the head of the scape goat, which to him is very bad news.
We are the arbiters of our own destiny, and when we choose to do right it would matter in the greater scheme of things; not as having any intrinsic, salvific value, but as a determining factor in whom we will ultimately choose to serve and obey.
Obeying God does not in any way save a person, in and of itself, for we are all saved by grace through faith. What obedience does is, it makes clear where our allegiance lies, and our allegiance to either one of the two great powers in the universe, ultimately determines our eternal destiny.
Thus, satan goes to work in protracted, ingenious, and systematic ways, to tilt our minds to choosing evil, or doing anything that is contrary to God’s will. The very grave nature of this battle is revealed in our first passages, and should be understood by all who are desirous of living victoriously.
There are also certain parameters set, as it pertains to the battle for our minds, which persons must be aware of, for God, who has done all that can ever be done to save us, sets the rules of engagement which can be deduced from the episode with Cyrus, king of Persia, and from other scriptures, treating upon the same issue.
[1] The first rule of engagement in the processes of our decision-making is that the use of any force is forbidden, especially when it comes to issues which pertain to one’s eternal destiny. Both good and evil angels are forbidden to use force to coerce anyone into choosing either this way or that way.
We are free moral agents, and thus, God guarantees that our freedom to choose is left untrammeled at all times, except in such cases where one gives his/ her will over to devils. Then, at such times satan can take full control of a person’s mind, and force them to do his bidding. Let’s read:
2nd Timothy 2: 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
[The Desire of Ages pp 125] While Satan can solicit, he cannot compel to sin. The tempter can never compel us to do evil. He cannot control minds unless they are yielded to his control. The will must consent, faith must let go its hold upon Christ, before Satan can exercise his power upon us.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
So now that we have established from the Bible that the use of force by angels is off the table as pertains to decision-making, we must investigate what other tools or avenues angels have at their disposal to try and get us to think and decide along a preferred line of thought.
In the battle that had unfolded between the angel Gabriel and satan, they had to use other means and methods, to try and sway the mind of the King Cyrus either this way or that way, so, we ask the question: What ways and means do angels use to procure the preferred outcome? This leads us to the second rule of engagement:
[2] As a general rule, both good and evil angels are barred for the most part from appearing to persons in their true form, as this could cause individuals to make decisions out of fear, and/or intimidation.
There are rare exceptions to this rule that are found in the scriptures, such as when an angel was given the command by God to appear directly to stubborn Balaam, who had to be forced into saying the things that he would not have otherwise chosen to declare because his actions could have adversely affected God’s people.
Thus, in very rare instances such as this, God would have us mortals to understand that He retains the prerogative at all times to be God, in the fullest and highest sense.
Yet, for all intents and purposes, on a day-to-day basis, angels are not permitted to appear in their true forms, for if, in the process of decision making, God permitted angels to reveal their true selves, we would be greatly intimidated by their presence, and as such, such manifestations could materially affect our freedom to choose in an untrammeled manner.
For the time being angels are permitted to influence persons in different ways, especially, through the medium of other persons like ourselves. The good angels move upon the righteous to preach the good news of salvation to other persons, and evil angels move upon folks to offer resistance to any such preaching.
However, this second rule of engagement would not remain the case for too much longer, since the Bible specifically tells us that as the final conflict between good and evil ramps up to a crescendo, all the stops would be pulled out and folks can expect increasing, direct interventions, from both the good, and evil angels.
This is of critical importance for us to understand, whilst we can, for if folks were to come up to those days without thorough preparation, persons would be swept off their feet, when the miracle-working power of demons takes center stage, and becomes mainstream across the earth. Let’s read:
Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
In every prior instance recorded in the scriptures, it is never stated that devils revealed their real selves to mortal eyes. Not with Eve, not with Job, not with David when he numbered the children of Israel, not with Peter, when he was moved upon by the devil to try and discourage Jesus from going to Calvary.
Again, the devil remained hidden from view as he entered into Judas and took full control of his mind, because through a series of repetitive decisions, the battle for his mind had culminated in Judas handing himself over entirely to the control of demons.
Just so it will be with every person who persistently forestalls Christ’s gracious overtures until the day of probation comes to a permanent end. However, in, and throughout the entire episode with Judas, satan was never permitted to reveal himself in his true colors.
The singular, and only recorded instance was when Jesus was being tempted in the deserts, and even then, satan appeared as an angel of light. But as the final conflict gathers steam, things will be changing.
The enemy of souls will reveal himself as a dazzling, supernatural being, to forever seal the decisions of those who have rejected Christ and His truth. But, for the time being, he is restricted to remaining hidden from view for the most part.
This leads us to the third rule of engagement as it pertains to the battle for our minds. Some way, and somehow, angels need to get their suggestions into our minds. With the angel Gabriel, who was locked in combat with satan, both of them needed to get their persuasions into the king’s mind, and so, the next logical question is: How do they do this?
The answer to this question has two parts, because of sheer necessity. Angels do not necessarily need a human being to infuse the mind of another person with their suggestions and persuasions. They have the ability to do so directly on their own.
There was not a single other person involved when satan had spoken through Peter. No one influenced Judas to do evil at Christ’s communion table and the Bible does not specifically state that other folks had encouraged David to number Israel.
We will be dealing with this aspect of direct angelic infusions later on. However, in many instances other human beings are used as vehicles to transfer ideas, thoughts and suggestions to the person in question, and this would constitute part one of the third rule of engagement:
[3] Human agents are very often used as vehicles to transfer ideas, perspectives, interpretations, views and suggestions from angels to other persons.
For instance, when satan stood up to tempt Job, he stated to God that if Job was afflicted in his body, he would turn around and curse God and die. So, after getting God’s permission to touch Job, the devil had to find someone, who would repeat to Job, the very same sentiment he uttered to God.
To accomplish this, he would have to go looking for someone who will share his views on the matter in question, in order for that person who would be the middleman, to convey his sentiments through their utterances. In other words, the human agent to be used as the vehicle of infusion must see eye to eye with satan on the issue in question.
This should be of grave concern to every soberly-thinking person, for none of us will like to know that we are being used to convey any satanic sentiments views or ideas. Yet it is too often the case that this is actually true in real life. Let’s read:
Job 2: 4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Here it is again, so no one would conclude that this only happens with women, for it also happens the same with men. We are just observing the method of infusion as it occurs with the human agent. Peter was not a woman, and David was fully male yet they too were used as the vehicles of infusion on certain occasions. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 11: 14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
1st Kings 22:2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
3 And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?
4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.
Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 55] Without a fear she [Eve] plucked and ate. And now, having herself transgressed, she became the agent of Satan in working the ruin of her husband. In a state of strange, unnatural excitement, with her hands filled with the forbidden fruit, she sought his presence, and related all that had occurred.
The way to avoid the middleman role is for us to be fully aligned and surrendered to God’s revealed will. For instance, when God teaches us to forgive others, if we accept His instructions with a willing mind, the likelihood of any satanic views on this matter, being in sync with ours goes way down, and as a result, he knows that he must look for a different candidate.
Also, a good practice for us is to first pass every idea and suggestion, brought to us, through the word of God before we speak. In that way the scriptures can become a sort of check valve, to siphon out every sentiment that does not pass the gold standard. This is not merely a good suggestion; it is an instruction coming from The God of heaven. Let’s read:
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
20 For the wrath of man works not righteousness of God.
When Christ was refused passage through a city of the Samaritans, two of His disciples, who still clung to the principle of revenge, gave voice to views that came from the prince of darkness. At that very time it was revealed to them by Christ that they were in sync with a foreign spirit, and thus gave utterance to the sentiments of that evil spirit. Let’s read:
Luke 9:52 And He sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
However, if we cherished sin in any form or fashion, and if persons harbor unscriptural views, and ideas on any point, they become like sitting ducks for the middle man role, and it will be just a matter of time before we are used as a vehicle of infusion.
[The Desire of Ages pp 125] Every sinful desire we cherish affords him a foothold. Every point in which we fail of meeting the divine standard is an open door by which he can enter to tempt and destroy us.
In the battle for our minds, we have to be mindful of the fact that close relatives, and friends can be used as the vehicle of infusion, either for good or evil. In very many instances, human agents are used to say words that are a savor of life unto life, and indeed, it is through human instrumentalities that the bulk of the gospel is disseminated.
Again, some persons with the best of intentions may suggest good, and others with the best of intentions may suggest evil. The correct way to decipher all of the incoming ideas, and infusions is by applying the sword of The Spirit, which is the word of God, and in addition to prayer for guidance, the Christian will in most cases be able to navigate safely between good and evil.
God just wants us to be aware of the fact that such agents could be used on either side of the fence, a fact that must be brought into the equation when studying the battle for our minds.
Now we must turn to the second part of the third method employed in the battle for our minds. This particular one hasn’t yet received its due attention, because of the limitations of science as we know it. Yet, it must be investigated and must be thoroughly understood now, in the context of the battle for our minds.
It's the method of direct infusion, where the human agent as a vehicle is bypassed, and angels can infuse the mind of any person directly, with their thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.
In order to understand this one, we must first try to observe how our highways, and our transportation systems work in the temporal realm. Highways such as the I-95 were designed for the transportation of goods, and persons, and other articles.
They are used to transport food to thousands of our groceries across the land, including Publix, where shopping is a pleasure. They are used to transport roofing materials, hardware, school children, people and almost anything you can think of.
However, our highways are also used by drug lords in the transportation of Cocaine, fentanyl and other harmful substances. The highways of themselves do not, and cannot prevent the wrongful use thereof, for they are just highways.
The same is true of the internet, which was made as a superhighway to convey information. And, like the I-95, both, good and evil are transported 24/7, for you can find preaching and Christian music, while at the same time you can find porn. Thus, the internet is just a superhighway that is used to transport the various types of information globally.
In the spiritual realm there are highways that are for general purpose use, meaning that they can be used in transporting either good or evil. Therefore, as it pertains to the battle for our minds and the method of direct infusion a general-purpose highway is used by good and evil angels.
It is a highway, which makes accessibility to every person on the planet possible, without exception. It has to do with our atmosphere that we breathe, for like our own super highways, it can be used to carry oxygen, but could also be used in the transportation and transfer of thoughts, suggestions, and concepts from angels to mortals.
Both The Hebrew word Ruach, and the Greek word Pneuma, point to the air or atmosphere as the only superhighway with direct access to all mortals.
Hence the reason why in so many instances, angels do not necessarily need the human agent as their middleman; they can get their ideas directly into a person’s mind via the superhighway of atmosphere. Let’s read:
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
In every instance recorded in the Bible, where evil spirits were cast out of any human being, air was involved, without any exception. When Christ cast out the legion of devils from the demoniac man, He used His voice, which obviously involves air to carry His command.
At that time, as well as in several other instances, Jesus commanded the evil spirits to come out of the person in question. Thus, a fundamental question to this issue has to be asked, and settled once, and for all: If Jesus cast them out, how did they enter in into the person in the first place?
Air is the superhighway that makes accessibility to every human being possible, a fact that could be observed in the following scriptures, as we study line upon line. Let’s read:
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Job 27: 3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.
John 3:8 The wind blows where it lists, and you hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell whence it comes, and whither it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
John 20: 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Mark 9:20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tore him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Matthew 8: 28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Mark 5: 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
[The Story of Redemption BK. 3 pp 87] The words of Jesus penetrated the darkened minds of the men enough for them to dimly realize that One was near who could save them from the demons that tormented them.
They fell at the feet of Jesus, worshiping him. But when they opened their mouths to entreat his mercy, the demon spoke through them and cried vehemently, “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most-High God, I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not!
Mark 5:12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
John 13: 27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spoke this unto him.
[Christ’s Object Lessons pp 339] Every soul is surrounded by an atmosphere of its own; it may be, charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love.
Or it may be heavy and chill with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin. By the atmosphere surrounding us, every person with whom we come in contact is consciously or unconsciously affected.
There are times when in His capacity as God He may see fit to block the superhighway of atmosphere to a particular person for emergency reasons. Not too long ago I was in West Palm Beach, and was looking for Advanced Auto Parts, and my GPS directed me to drive to a specific street to get there.
So I went, but as I was approaching it, I saw that there were several police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck, and the road was completely blocked off, so that I could not enter. That is because there was an emergency, and for that reason all access was to be restricted to the relevant authorities only.
There are times when the universal highway has to be blocked by God so that access cannot be granted to anyone else, but Himself. There are times when a prophet is in vision, and God blocks all access to the person so that they cannot breathe in or out, thus, precluding any effort by others to make an infusion. Let’s read:
Daniel 10:4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel.
5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz.
15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
Some persons may now be wondering why this third point pertaining to atmosphere, is important, as it pertains to the battle for our minds. The reason is, that there are places on this planet where there are higher concentrations of evil spirits, than at other places.
And if we were to visit those places, without a just cause, the likelihood of direct angelic infusions, go up exponentially. When Saul had visited the witch of Endor, he went to a place where there was a very high concentration of evil spirits in the atmosphere, and he suffered a very severe, and direct infusion, from which he was never able to recover.
Conversely, when David went to hide out with the prophet Samuel, there was a high concentration of holy angels and God’s presence in the atmosphere, and therefore, when Saul tried to break through the invisible shield, he could not. The reason is that in this instance Saul experienced a direct infusion, in so much that he started to sing praises and prophesy even though he had come for a different, ulterior purpose. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 19: 19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.
23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 653>654] Saul then decided that he himself would go, for his fierce enmity had become uncontrollable. He was determined to wait for no further chance to kill David; as soon as he should come within reach of him, he intended with his own hand to slay him, whatever might be the consequences. But an angel of God met him on the way and controlled him. The Spirit of God held him in Its power, and he went forward uttering prayers to God, interspersed with predictions and sacred melodies.
In the battle for our minds, there are certain things we should be cognizant of. We are the sole arbiters of our own destiny through the choices we make. It does not matter if intimidation, applause, heckling, or persuasion are used, because at the end of the day, the choice is ours.
Again, we must, by the grace of God, surrender our will to His in entirety because if we harbor divergent views that are not supported by the scriptures, we’ll be used as vehicles or agents to spread perspectives and suggestions from devils to other persons.
Thirdly, we must ask God to imbue us with His Holy Spirit, so that an invisible shield could encompass us round about, thereby guiding and guarding our way in the paths of righteousness and peace.
If we were to cherish any sin like how Saul cherished revenge, it will control us after a while, if confession and repentance is not made, and thus, we can lose the battle for our minds through just one weak link.
God is able to keep us from falling, but we must first desire and then choose to be kept, for at every step of advance towards God’s eternal kingdom, we will be challenged by humanity’s arch-nemesis.
Therefore, gird up the loins, buckle up the belts, and zip up the shoes, lest we be faint and weary in well- doing for God is well able to make the weakest saint be victorious, in the battle for our minds. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which certifies this sacred truth. Let’s read:
Philippians 2: 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God Bless!