“Only the Jesus that
Paul preached”........Alex,could you expand that thought if you have the time? Thanks
@Reynaldo Hernandez
Sure the passage comes from Acts 19.
Act 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
Act 19:14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
Act 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
Act 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
It is usually assumed that the sons of Sceva did not know Jesus through the new birth. Thus they had no authority over the demons, and I agree with this interpretation. However, I am using this quote by extension. With us who do know the Lord through the new birth, our faith can still be misdirected into unbelief.
The OP author, Reynaldo, indicates that he grew up in the Pentecostal tradition. I am assuming that he both has the new birth and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So, while the sons of Sceva apparently did not know Jesus, thus the demons could say, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"; I believe that demons look for cracks in our armor - our armor being our faith in Christ.
For Reynaldo to reach a point where he can believe that God is only a figment of his imagination, he must also believe things about God that are not true. For example, if he believes that God is sovereign in the sense that He micromanages everything, then he may also believe that it is God's responsibility to resist the devil for him. That is simply not true. God has delegated responsibility to us. We are to resist the devil, not God. Submitting to God means trusting God and obeying him. If you obey God without trusting him, then you become like a soldier paying his own way in warfare. In other words, he might try to resist the devil but without faith in God he is shooting blanks and the devils know this.
There are many doctrines that are taught that actually create unbelief in the promises of God, in my opinion. Paul knew who he was in Christ thus walked in that authority, but that did not stop him from being beaten, persecuted and stoned, possibly to death. Some think that if you obey Christ, no bad thing will happen to you. Again, not a real understanding of who we are in Christ.
Those are just some examples of how wrong belief will undermine your authority in Christ.
Post Script
Another doctrine that undermines faith is works. If you believe that your relationship is contingent upon your obedience your faith will rise and fall. So if you think you have been disobedient then you will also believe that God will not help you. Thus you think you stand alone with the devil and resistance will fail and the devil knows this. He loves a works doctrine because it brings doubt into our relationship with Christ. God's grace works through our faith, and his grace is also his power. You can speak all you want to the mountain but it will not move because your doubt blocks his grace.
Some object that Paul cried unto to the Lord who said to him, My grace is sufficient, thus Paul who walked in full authority was nonetheless denied access to that power. But that was not case. Thorn in the flesh is an OT expression of persecution, not sickness. God's grace was sufficient to carry him through the persecution, but God does not violate anyone's free will.
