We are all motivated. Some of us are motivated by our own lusts. We cannot blame the devil of God for these. We want what all that we can get and do whatever it takes to get it.
However, there are other things that drive us that come from the outside. These are spiritual forces that cause us to desire things. They fall into two categories. Our desires come from our relationship with God or they come from our relationship with the devil. We will follow our father's desires.
Jesus encounters a group of Jews who did not realize they were following the devil in the eighth chapter of John. They claim that Jesus must be of the devil. They do not realize that they are the ones whose father is the devil. Jesus points out the differences.
A person who has God as his Father will love Jesus. Jesus said that those who loved Him would keep His commandments. Therefore, those whose Father is God will do what Jesus desires.
A person who has the devil as his father will also follow his father's desires. The desire of the devil is to hate, lie and keep people from the truth. Those who are following the devil are evident because they do these things.
Often people enter the church who may call Jesus "Lord" but do not exhibit evidence that God is their Father. This is because He is not their Father. They will distract the church from its mission with clever lies. These lies are often go undetected by the church. They will point out the flaws of the pastor so that they the church condemns him. The will distract people to give money to what appear to be laudable causes but detract from the true mission of reaching people with the gospel. They will stop action that needs to be taken by manipulating spiritual things to fulfill their desires.
Yet, the church does not know them because they cannot believe that someone could call Jesus Lord and work against Him. Of course, Jesus said that would happen in Matthew 7 but most good church members don't connect the dots. They cannot believe that anyone really has the devil as his father.
The danger of making this statement is that people will go on witch hunts. They will start calling everyone who disagrees with them a child of the devil. That, of course, is not true but it does mean that there should be an evaluation of an overall direction that some would lead the church.
People will carry out the desires of their father. You can count on it.
John 8:42-44 (NIV)
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
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