The interview series have been a huge blessing to me in particular. I hope that our readers have benefited from them too. The truth is that, we cannot add to the word of God in the Bible, neither can we subtract from it. What we have tried to do with these interviews is allow these Old Testament figures share their experiences with us, as well as speak to our spiritual conditions from their glorious perspectives. Today, we are interviewing the cream de la cream of the Old Testament, one of the personalities in Scripture identified with the phrase “man of God”. Only few people all through history have had the privilege of being known by one name. He is one of them and is name is Moses.
Shepherd Heart: We are more than delighted to have you here with us Sir.
Moses: (Smiles). I am at your service. Thanks for having me.
Shepherd Heart: Our tradition here is to allow our guests give an abridged history of themselves. Kindly tell our readers what you want them to know about you.
Moses: My name is Moses. By the grace of God, I was born for just one purpose- to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. In between that assignment, I had a thriving family- a wife and two sons.
Shepherd Heart: Your story reads like fiction. Here is a child of destiny pursued by the devil using authority of the Pharaoh. The child is saved from death through the ingenuity of his mother. One would have thought that God would immediately whisk you off to a safer location but He sent you to Pharaoh’s palace! God must have a wonderful sense of humour.
Moses: That just goes to show you how great and marvellous He is. Psalm 119:91 explains this concisely, “Your ordinances stand to this day, for all things serve Your purpose”. Many people erroneously portray God as a counterpoise to satan. That is like comparing water in a teaspoon to the ocean! God and the devil are not contesting for space. Satan is a servant, just like everything God has created. He is like a dog on the leash. The story of Job should be an eye opener to humans as to who has the last say. Until God gave him permission to attack Job, he was powerless. He couldn’t breach the hedge of protection God built around that godly man.
Shepherd Heart: There are many humans who quarrel with God in their heart for creating satan. Their argument is that God should not have exposed humans to such a hateful and wicked being. You gave account of creation in Genesis. Why do you think God created the devil in the first place?
Moses: That is a tough question. When athletes are in their prime, they look very attractive and are full of health. If the same athletes stop training for their respective sporting events, they soon become flabby and very unattractive. This is what happens when there is nothing to motivate humans. When people experience ease, there is a tendency for them to lose their zest for life. In fact, more people commit suicide in developed and wealthy nations than those struggling with underdevelopment.
Why is that so? Those poor strive to stay alive. Their struggle is a form of motivation. They also have hope. To go back to your question, what would life on earth be without a devil to harass humans? Mind you, the devil was not in the equation when Adam and Eve were first introduced. Also remember that man chose satan over God by eating the forbidden fruit. In essence, satan is man’s creation, not God’s. If Adam and Eve had not eaten the forbidden fruit, the devil would not have had any inroad into their lives.
Shepherd Heart: Wow! I have never seen it from the perspective of what man did to enable evil. No wonder the devil himself claimed in Luke 4:6 that the kingdom of this world was ceded to him by man.
Moses: Go back and read the creation story. From the beginning to the end, God validated His work and declared that everything He made was perfect. There was no mention of the devil or satan. He was not an issue at all. Whatever power satan exercises right now is given to him by humans. Yeshua said that satan has come to kill, steal and destroy. Who does the killing for him? Humans. Who does the stealing and destruction? Same humans. Satan is completely powerless without his human agents. Even the Anti-Christ is of human stock. That is how powerless satan is except he is enabled by humans. The earth is not conceded to him by God but to humans.
Shepherd Heart: How do we believers convince people to stop yielding themselves to him as instruments of unrighteousness?
Moses: That is the thrust of the gospel. When God first sent me to my Israeli brethren, they did not have confidence in my ability to take them to the promised land. God had to manifest His power to Pharaoh and his people before my people trusted Him with their lives. It is the same thing with your generation. The adversary knows that humans relish the manifestation of power. So, he worked through his human agents to convince some people that operations of the Holy Spirit ceased with the early church. On the other hand, he uses occult powers to tantalise humans. So, occult groups who now parade as New Age churches attract large followership, especially among the youth.
Shepherd Heart: It is very difficult for believers like us to break through to those who have been so deceived, particularly those who put confidence in their theological degrees. What strategy do you think we should adopt to destroy the influence of satan in this respect?
Moses: When all is said and done, remember that God is not incapacitated by human weaknesses. When Yeshua declared that the counsels of hell will not prevail against His church, He was not looking at what His followers can do; but in the power of God. It is good for believers to be concerned about the situation in the church. It is a godly thing to do. However, always remember that God has the time-table for the restoration of all things and the final judgment. My candid advice is that believers should do more prayer and worry less about the antics of satan. He is a defeated foe. Always remember that every power he wields over humans is the one conceded to him by the same humans. Once you appreciate this, you will cease to be afraid of satan. He is is less than nothing and completely at the mercy of God.
Shepherd Heart: The church has had great challenges with global evangelism. One of the weapons the enemy is using to frustrate this important enterprise is compromised church leaders who now claim that God accepts all faiths on earth. What can the church do to destroy such patent falsehood?
Moses: I think the major problem with the church is that it does not discern the heart of God. When Yeshua was on earth, He ministered to ailing bodies and souls. He healed the sick and raised the death. But these were not the reasons He came to earth. He was sent here for one primary reason- to destroy sin, death and the grave. The same thing with the church.
It is good that believers should minister to the physical needs of people. Build them houses, buy cars and give them other financial assistance if you can; but that does not save their souls. If their souls are still in captivity in the kingdom of darkness, then the church has lost its focus. It has failed as an institution with a glorious purpose. The salvation of souls must be the number one priority of the church or it does not belong to Yeshua.
Shepherd Heart: This has been a very illuminating discourse Sir. I am particularly glad to know that we can do something to stop the operation of satan in our individual lives since we are essentially enabling him by conceding grounds to him.
Moses: Yes. That is the way to be free of his harassment. James 4:7 charges believers to submit (yield) to God, but to resist the devil. What does resistance entail? Refusing to accept or comply with his instructions. Refusing to give in to his temptations. He has no power to force himself on any man. He enters tents that are yielded to him.
Shepherd Heart: Thank you very much Sir for these great insights. We pray that God would use them to enlighten our readers and cause them to live victorious lives in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Moses: I have enjoyed the chat with you. Thank you for allowing those of us in the Old Testament to be part of your lives.