The Selling Point: The salesman (in our case a demon), leads you to a point of identification with the idea, where it harasses like an unwanted longing. Often a bombardment of advertisements and sales calls begin to desensitize you to the wickedness of the idea. These salesmen aim at holding your attention to the idea showing you the selling points while concealing the downsides.

The Sale: You give in to the manipulation, you buy, you bite the apple. However, like someone who’s suffered abuse you feel controlled like the decision was almost made for you and out of your hands. And yet, the enemy, in your perspective, is still yourself and you blame your inner passions.

There to Stay: Nothing bought at this market is meant to give permanent satisfaction. Instead after the first bite a craving for more which leads to addiction and a loss of free will. The summarized goal of sin is this: Convince you that you are the enemy. Then take away your ability to choose. And with those two things in place – detonate you.

The Pitch Killer: I like the following verse: Eph 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The Bible affirms that bad thoughts / temptations do not originate from within and that fighting against ourselves (viewing ourselves as the enemy) is the wrong approach. Two steps are needed. 1. Disassociate yourself from the idea, recognize that you are not the originator. 2. Silence the demonic voice (the real source of the idea) in the name of Jesus Christ and feel it instantly go away. If the harassment comes back, which it often does, follow these two steps again. The important thing is to pay attention to your thoughts and deal with it at that level or the idea will take root.

How a person thinks in his or her heart is the issue behind Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). I don’t believe He was making it more difficult for us to live good lives but rather He knew that battles begin in the mind and He wanted us to have true freedom.