Well, I haven't posted any articles for some time because I haven't been
working on any until the last couple of days.  I have also been spending
most of my free time writing a Christian novel and in the last two weeks,
have written about 75,000 words all together.  Deciding it was time I make
people mad at me once again, here is another article I trust will set you
free in areas you never personally considered.  Some of the information you
have already read in my other testimonial articles but read it any way.  I
try to explain a little more about how we live on lies even as Christians.
This isn't exactly the final copy that will go on my website but I only see
a few minor changes I will make before posting it there.


Believing The Lies Of Satan

                         By Phil Scovell



     A teenage friend of mine and I were walking down the street
together after school.  We were just passing in front of the
church where we were both members.  a car pulled up.  A man wound
down his window and said, "Say, boys.  I am looking for the
location of an automobile dealership in this area."  He then
called the dealership by name and said, "Do you know how to tell
me how to get there from here?"  I had heard of that car
dealership but I had no idea where it was.  My friend, who had
lived in the neighborhood all his life, said, "Sure, I know where
it is," and he proceeded to tell the man where to turn, right and
left, and what streets to look for.  The man thanked my friend and
pulled away.

     I said, "I didn't know you knew where that dealership was
because I sure didn't."

     He said, laughing, "I didn't."

     "You didn't know where it was?" I asked; surprised.

     "Nope," he answered."

     "So why," I asked, "did you give him such detailed
instructions when you didn't know where it was?"

     "Just to send him on a wild goose chase," he grinned.

     Now, I know you would never have a friend like this nor
would you ever do something like this.  I certainly never would,
especially being the fine outstanding and upright Christian that I
am.  All of that aside, I told this, somewhat, embarrassing,
childhood story for a perfectly good reason.  It has to do with
how we live even as Christians.

     In my true story, the driver of the car honestly thought he
was being given correct instructions. So he believed in them.  He
likely followed them to the letter, too.  Why wouldn't he?  He
believe them to be true.  Regardless how much he believed,
however, he ended up in the wrong place down the road because he
believed a lie.  What do you suppose might have been his reaction
upon making his discovery?  Frustration?  disappointment?
discouragement?  Despondency?  Anger?  Hatred?  Perhaps even
revenge?

     Let's compare this story to a typical scenario by way of
illustration.

     A child grows up in a home where love is never experienced
from his parents in any tangible or emotional way.  Furthermore,
he never sees love expressed between his parents.  Let's suggest,
furthermore, he is basically ignored by his parents overall
unless, of course, he gets into trouble; then he definitely gets
attention.

     You can now expand this story illustration into any scenario
you wish because the possibilities are endless.  Would you say
this child just might grow up thinking his, or she, wasn't loved
and this was probably due to the fact they weren't smart, good
looking, creative, intelligent, popular, valuable, or even
wanted?  What if the person happens to be handicapped in some
way, educably slow, physically abnormal in some way, was clumsy,
had a speech impediment, wore thick glasses, or perhaps hearing
aids?  What might you think the possibilities would be this child
would grow up with, to say the least, some form of inferiority?
Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist, a psychologist, a
psychiatrist, a pastor of a large church, the president of a
prodigious Bible Seminary or even an herbalist  to calculate the
chances are super high he will face something of the nature of
inferiority in his life.  Why would he, or should he, suffer such
emotional pain?  I mean, those reasons were all false.  Right?  So
why would there be an emotional or psychological response to
something false and untrue?  Are his parents to blame?  Is it his
fault?  Couldn't he have done better or changed and improved in
some way?  Maybe it was God's fault.  After all, God is in charge
of who is born to whom.  Right?  Couldn't a loving caring god have
given him better parents?  Couldn't God have made him in such a
way that his parents would be proud of him instead of burdened by
him?  If so, why didn't God do any of these things?  Regardless of
your answer, what about the boy who grows up with feelings of
inferiority?  Is he doomed to thinking about himself the way he
does or can he read a couple of hundred self help books, a few
dozen books on psychology, and watch a hundred positive thinking
videos to overcome his inferiority?  What about drugs?  Can't they
help?:  Can he not visit a psychologist or psychiatrist a few
dozen times to be taught skills which will enable him, at the very
least, to cope, or even quite possibly, to overcome his
inferiority complex?  I mean, millions are made on such self
esteem books so if self esteem is all that is needed, then what's
the problem?  All he needs is to believe.  Right?  It is sort of
like all the miracle hair growth products.  Any one of them
guarantees to work or your money back.  So if even one of them is
true, why do we still have bald men running around loose and
scaring the begeebers out of unsuspecting innocent bystanders?

     Concerning Christianity and Biblical evidence, if the Bible
says, "Fear thou not, for I am with thee," (Isaiah 41:10), then
why would we be afraid of anything.  If we are afraid, is that due
to unbelief of God's Word on our behalf?  "And be not dismayed,
for I am thy God," (Isaiah 41:10).  The word "dismayed" is the
word for discouragement or literally to gaze about anxiously.
Actually, if you simply study the word "dismayed," it is clear the
Bible is talking about depression.  So, if we are commanded not to
be depressed and we are depressed, are we committing the sin of
unbelief?  Maybe I should quote the rest of the verse, too.  "I
will strengthen thee; yeh, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness."  Of course, you
likely know this is only a single verse of promise in the Bible.
The Book is full of such promises.

     The bottom line is this.  If the promises of God are true,
and they are, and if God promises to give us strength and help to
the extent of even holding us up by the power and authority of His
right hand of His own righteousness, what is, therefore, wrong
with us that we cannot seemingly rise above our inferiority's,
depressions, anxieties, posttraumatic Stress Disorders, Obsessive
Compulsive Disorders, bulimia and anorexia, or anything else you
want to add to this list?  Yes, there is an answer and one which
is Biblically absolute.

     In my earlier example, my friend played a childhood prank on
a man who believed he was hearing the truth.  The man did not
realize he was being literally lied to at the time.  Thus, he was,
in fact, innocent.  He did, of course, find out later he had
believed a lie.  If you are depressed and experiencing fear, you
are believing a lie.  If you suffer from doubts and insecurities,
you are believing a lie.  If you feel inferior and you don't feel
anybody likes or loves you because of who and what you are, or are
not, you are believing a lie.  If you are angry because you have
been rejected time and time again, and your pain is just simply
more than you can bear, you are believing a lie.

     Now, about this time, some Christian gets good and mad
because they have been a Christian since they were little and
going to Sunday school.  They have, therefore, almost their entire
life, believed the Bible and specifically, the promises of God's
Word.  The anger cranks up another notch or two when you say, then
why are you afraid, fearful, doubtful, and a dozen other things
which the Bible says you should not be.  The reason for the anger
is because they think, when you talk this way, you are blaming
them for not believing God's Word.  That's the way I lived my
Christian life for 45 years as a born again Christian until I
discovered I had been lied to by the Enemy.  Once those lies were
exposed and removed, the real truth, God's eternal Word, began to
work in places of my life where it never had worked before.  Let
me show you what I mean.

     When anxiety and panic attacks began controlling my life, it
was after I had been born again more than 35 years.  When I began
hearing voices, things grew worse.  Eventually the voices got
around to suggesting that I commit suicide.  I drew the line at
taking my own life simply because I was too big of a chicken to
figure something out that I could do that wouldn't hurt.
Learning they could not tempt me with killing myself, they
suggested I kill my wife instead.  That one got my attention and
the anxiety and panic attacks and nightmares blew off the scale.
By the way, try telling either one of those things I just
mentioned to your pastor, a Christian counselor, psychologist,
psychiatrist, or any mental health provider and see what happens
next.

     If you are wondering how all this began, we discovered we had
a witch in the church I was pastoring.  I knew nothing about
demons, witches, warlocks, Satanists, or the occult other than it
was evil and that a smart Christian should stay away from anything
of this nature.  So I did, I thought.  I did not know at this
time, unfortunately, that such people can come after you; by using
their craft to destroy you and your church and your family.

     By this time, of course, I had already been to Bible college
and been preaching for more than 25 years.  I had read the Bible
more than 100 times.  I had committed hundreds of Bible verses to
memory.  I had led many people to Christ.  I had seen several
hundred people walk down the aisles after my sermons to receive
prayer and to make things right in their lives with God.  I had
preached in several states and in many churches and in Bible
conferences.   I had even been a youth pastor in one church and
the pastor in another church when I began hearing voices.  Yes, I
knew those voices were demons.  It took me awhile to learn this
but after I recognized it for what it was worth, I fought against
it with God's Word and the name of Jesus Christ.  They did not
leave.  Yet, I still believe God and His Word but God's Word was
not working.

     Some suggest at this point that you are not confessing God's
Word enough.  Some suggest you just aren't believing it because,
they say, if you really really really believed it, this wouldn't
be happening.  Some suggest you aren't even born again and that's
why it isn't working for you.  Some suggest you aren't in the
right church with the right pastor or reading the right
translation of the Bible.  Some suggest your depression is
inherited.  Your father had it and his father before him and now
it's your turn.  Some offer the idea you are chemically imbalanced
and your serotonin levels are all out of whack and certain drugs
will save the day for you.  My problems went a whole lot further
than that.

     If, for example, you are being demonically attacked, as a
born again Christian with all the authority of Christ behind you
and confirmed again and again through the Word of God, you should
be able to tell demons to leave you alone.  Right?  I stayed up
all night doing this more than once and sometimes they would go
away and then the next day they would return.  What about the
truth of God's Word?  I meaN, if it says, we can cast out devils,
why don't they leave and why don't they stay away?  I am one of
the Lord's disciples, so what was wrong?  Why would they return?

     In my case, I discovered through agreement in intercessory
prayer with a friend, that I had misinformation in my mind which
was implanted at times I was unable to process the truth.  Like
the man in his car looking for the truth, he had no other choice
but to believe the directions he heard.  To whom you listen makes
all the difference in the world of what you believe.  If you are
unawares of who is doing the talking, you can be deceived and
deceived quite easily and quite innocently.

     My situation began as a child when I was 11 years young.  My
father had just died and six months later, I began having problems
with my retinas.  Multiple surgeries were performed and my vision
deteriorated after each one.  I was finally pronounced totally
blind and sent home on the exact same day my father died a year
earlier.

     While in the hospital, everything was strange to me as a
child.  My mother was with me most of the time but we were over
100 miles from our home.  We had friends in the hospital town with
whom my mom was able to stay at night but many times, I felt and
sensed loneliness all around me.  I never once remember of
thinking of my dad during this time but I know I must have thought
of him because this was the very hospital to which he was taken
when his eyes were operated on a few years earlier and for the
same reason.

     In one prayer session with my prayer partner, we began with
anger.  A super intense anger had been generated within me, which
I had seen in action before over the years, but I never knew why
it hurt so much.  It always took a lot to get me mad but when I
finally reached that point, my anger was hot and sharp.

     One day, someone accused me of something that was untrue.  I
had always noticed that any such accusations which were false that
were related to my character, easily brought my anger to the
boiling point instantly.  Until this particular prayer time, I
never knew why.  As we began to pray, I saw myself back in the
hospital.  The anger had taken me there and there were some
elements of anger that were rooted there as the Holy Spirit
revealed truth to me.  For one, I was angry with God that He let
me go blind.  He could have changed it.  He could have kept me
from losing my sight.  It was His fault, then.  As we prayed, I
could feel the anger in a little boy's heart who was confused
about why such a terrible thing was happening to him.

     As we continued to pray together, the Holy Spirit revealed
another point of anger; the death of my father.  Why did God let
my dad die?  I needed my dad now and God took him away from me.  I
saw God in my dad and I wanted to be just like my dad and love God
and love His Word but now my dad was dead and God took him.
That's what all the grownups said; God took him home.  Why God?
Why did you take my dad from me?  How can I see you now without my
dad?

     We pressed on with more intercessory prayer and I saw my mom
suffering and afraid and lonely herself.  I couldn't help her.
Why did God take dad away?  Why did God hurt my mom?  Anger burned
and seared deep.

     Then, suddenly, a truth came to me that I had never wanted to
face in my life.  I had never felt God's love for me.  I knew He
loved me theologically and intellectually and spiritually.  I had
experienced some magnificent spiritual things that only a loving
caring God would have allowed me to experience in the spiritual
realm.  Yet, I could not feel His love.  Now, in prayer, I was
standing at my own bedside forty years earlier and the Holy
Spirit touched that painful woundedness of my life and I wept.
Fear tried to tell me that this was the focal point but I would
never get to know the truth.  It was another feeble attempt by the
Enemy to misdirect me once again but it failed.

     The Holy Spirit revealed God's truth to me.  He had been
there with me all the time.  It wasn't His fault and He wasn't mad
at me even though I had been mad at Him.  He spoke to me in a
split second of time, faster than the speed of light, and revealed
the truth about what was wrong.  I was looking for His love on the
outside; He said, "You should be looking on the inside for my love
for you because that is where I am.  I am love and I dwell within
you."  The chains were broken that had bound my emotions for
nearly forty years.  Then God showed me why I thought the way I
did and why I believed the lies instead of the truth in His
eternal Word.

     As I stood and watched in my memory of that hospital bed
where I helplessly lay, a demon appeared; amorphous, dark, and
evil.  He was bent over at the waist as if he were talking to me
on the bed and though I heard nothing, I felt his lying words of
deceit as he took advantage of a little boy who had already been
traumatized by events over which he had no control.

     We continued to pray together and suddenly all was gone.
The room felt empty and I was so very much alone.  Then I knew
where my loneliness had come from all my life.  Yes, I had a
family and I had many friends, yet, I was totally alone.  The
loneliness pressed in upon me and I was helpless to feel anything
other than the loneliness.

     We prayed and suddenly, I was no longer in the hospital but
standing at the final graveside service for my dad.  The Holy
Spirit, through the loneliness, let me feel the anger.  This was
the origin of my anger toward God.  I prayed and gave it to the
Lord and it vanished.  That memory had no more woundedness
because I had been healed completely through the Lord speaking His
truth to me.

     Returning to the hospital memory in order to see if we had
missed anything, I felt a small amount of anger still lingering.
My prayer partner and I asked the Lord about it and the Holy
Spirit explained that we were friends and sometimes friends have
misunderstandings which occur for various reasons in their
relationship with each other.  He explained to the little boy back
in the hospital room that He understood why I had been angry and
that I had been lied to and deceived into believing lies about
Him.  He told the little boy, He wasn't angry at him for being
angry and it was all over now because we were friends.  I left
that place with the Lord and He told me that we were never coming
back again.

     I was often told through my life that I was a shy person.
What I felt was less than wholeness in my life and I felt
inferior.  I secretly wondered if God truly loved me because I
never felt His love for me.  I felt shame for the things I felt in
my heart about the Lord but I couldn't explain what I felt nor
would I have understood it even if I could explain it.  So Jesus,
explained it to me through agreement of prayer and the renewing of
the mind, who searches the hearts, because He, Jesus, knows the
mind of the Holy Spirit, since He, the True Lord Jesus Christ,
makes intercession for us according to the will of God.  Thus says
Romans 8:26-27 which reads, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:
but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth
what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for
the saints according to the will of God."

     How did the Lord Jesus reveal the lies to me so I could see
what He saw?  the answer is simple; agreement through intercessory
prayer.  Jesus said, "Again I say unto you, That if two of you
shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it
shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven," Matthew
18:19).  Either God's Word is true or we have been misled, given
wrong directions, and now, the True Lord Jesus Christ, wants us to
find Him in His Word.

     Have you found the true God who never lies but always tells
you the truth?  Have you been given the wrong directions?  Are you
lost even as a Christian?  Do every day experiences bring up
terrible and horrible woundedness that you just cannot explain?
Do you still suffer from things the doctors still are unable to
help you resolve? Are the drugs just helping you cope?  Do you
want to be free?  If so, call me.  I'll introduce you to the same
God who healed my woundedness, silenced the voices, and flew kites
with me.

Safe Place Fellowship
Phil Scovell
Denver, Colorado - Mountain Time Zone
Phone:  303-507-5175