How to know Jesus and Not Just the BIBLE by Anna Szabo

Have you ever met someone who appeared to be “a good Christian” because of quoting the Bible? I was married to a man like that. Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Let’s discuss the difference between knowing Jesus and knowing the Bible. I’ll share personal examples with you.

The person who portrays himself “a good Christian” in order to deceive people is called a Deceiver and Liar. His intention is to fit into the Christian community, to lure his target into his premeditated deception, and to take advantage of her. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

RELATED: How a Deceiver and Liar Took Advantage of Me

My story began when I met the Deceiver and Liar on November 13th, 2015. I later found out from a friend that actually in January of 2015, eleven months prior to him meeting me, he saw me on Facebook and was inquiring about me already. He described me as “the girl in a red coat” sharing how later in May of that same year he also arranged to be at the church event my friend and I were attending, but we passed him by, so he didn’t get to meet me. Eleven months later, we met and talked for about four hours. We discussed our past, he shared about his divorce but never mentioned that he changed his last name after the divorce…

Lessons Learned So Far:

  • Lesson #1: The Deceiver and Liar targeted me for 11 months
  • Lesson #2: The Deceiver and Liar had multiple undisclosed identities

How Satan Disguises Himself as an Angel of Light

Why is understanding the difference between knowing the Bible and knowing Jesus is so important for every Christian woman?

Because “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” – 2 Corinthians 11:14. Let me tell you how this played out in my life.

The Deceiver and Liar shared when we met that he was a MoneyWise mentor at North Point Church. We talked about budgeting because I was into Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover and Baby Steps, zero-dollar budget, and debt-free journey.

The Deceiver and Liar said he was also a fan of Dave Ramsey and followed Dave’s teachings with his personal finance. He claimed, in writing, to have no debt whatsoever, during premarital counseling.

The Deceiver and Liar also said he was a graduate of Metro Atlanta Seminary at Perimeter Church, that he loved Jesus and lived in accordance with His teachings.

The Deceiver and Liar was an “amazing godly man” who love-bombed me from day one by being attentive, wise, and always quoting Bible verses left and right. In January 2016, he signed us up for pre-engagement counseling called Right Start at Perimeter Church where he said all the right godly things. Then, he proposed to me. On May 14th, 2016 we were married.

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Michel Szabo and Anna Szabo Wedding 5-14-2016 at Verdi. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light

After our wedding, the Deceiver and Liar began wasting my hard-earned paycheck on his IronMan hobby. He avoided talking about money. In the mail, I discovered his multiple debt obligations. Not only did he have a ton of debt but also his was unpaid debt. He was not making his payments.

I addressed all this boldly and demanded his attention to financial issues. Many times, he left me with no money for food. He demanded I deposit my paycheck to our joined account, which I did. I asked for his attention to budgeting and sticking to the budget. He exploded with anger every time and would scream at me: “Why can’t I buy whatever I want?”

Four months after our wedding, the Deceiver and Liar filed for divorce. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

The reason why I’m talking to you about this today is to help you understand the difference between someone’s knowledge of the Bible and their personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Based on my experience with the Deceiver and Liar, I wrote the poem below, which reveals what I observed in regards to how exactly Satan disguises himself as an Angel of Light using the Bible.

Knowing Jesus vs Knowing The Bible

"Knowing The Bible vs Knowing God" #PoemsFromGod

The Bible is a God-breathed document,
The foundation of God's Holy Word to us.
As we acquire at school Business Acumen,
The Spiritual Acumen we acquire in the Bible class.

The class can be a formal community study,
Or just your quite quality time with God.
Or invite to meet up about the Bible your best buddy,
Or organize your own weekly Bible-study, home-based spiritual squad.

Reading it with all your sight focus is good for information.
You learn a lot about the history of the world and our good God.
But reading it with all your heart focus is great for deep transformation.
You become more Christ-like as you apply all the Bible has got.

The Bible teaches us that people are either simple or prudent,
Their behaviors are divided into fool and wise.
You can examine your own self as you become a Bible student.
You can choose to walk in the Spirit and apply or reject the learned advice. 

As you learn more about who God is, who you are, and how to live life,
You will feel tremendous regrets and even shame.
You may even feel stubbed by a self-condemnation and self-contempt knife.
But that's why Jesus died for us, to set us free He on earth came. 

So, studying the Bible you can gain great knowledge.
You can cite the verses and demonstrate that you've worked hard.
You can even graduate from a popular Bible college,
But to be transformed, you'll need to allow God to give you a new heart.

A heart of flesh for the future to prepare you for sanctification,
Instead of the heart of stone from the past, that was always holding you back.
Now, to have a new heart, you don't need from a Divinity School graduation,
But you do need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you'll be on the right track. 

You can know every page, every verse in the Bible,
But never know your Heavenly Father God.
You can even get yourself in the Bible memorizing spiral...
But instead, why don't you get yourself out of the ego mud?

Focus on the Gospel, the Good News, and how it's applicable to you.
Ask God on your knees to permanently rid you of yourself.
Reach out for His endless grace, His mercy, and get the clue
That the Bible won't help you sitting on your bookshelf. 

You need to accept the Bible truth with your whole heart,
Confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, and repent.
Now, repentance is where the Bible knowledge gets really hard,
Because repentance as an intentional, permanent change is meant.

You repent not out of shame and obligation.
You repent out of gratitude to God.
You repent because you received humbly your expensive salvation.
You repent because living in sin is unacceptable and too hard.

So, reading and knowing the Bible, after all, might be an interesting quest.
But learning to be in a relationship with God and to know Him personally is a better goal.
Of course, it will take you a lifetime to become Christ-like and fulfill His request,
But in the meantime, you'll be healed by God as you're becoming more whole. 

5/6/17 © Anna Szabo, JD, MBA

John 14:6 I Am The Way and The Life

According to John 14:6, Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I believe that the Bible is God-breathed word. It is a sacred book to me. I read the Bible, and it always has all the answers to all my questions. God speaks to me through the Bible, which is His word. BUT… It’s not because I have the Bible but because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, my lord and savior. Having the Bible, knowing, and quoting it does not produce any fruit in anyone’s life. Having a relationship with Jesus does.

I didn’t know it.

Well, actually, I just had not thought this through.

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

I was a new Christian and very naive: I believed that the very fact that the Deceiver and Liar knew the Bible meant he actually lived out the word of God. After our wedding, I learned my lesson when he took off his mask.

RELATED: How Satan Came at Me Looking Saint

If you want to know what kind of life we had after the wedding, read about it in the articles about how Satan revealed his identity and how Satan manipulated me into suicidal depression.

Lessons Learned So Far:

  • Lesson #1: The Deceiver and Liar targeted me for 11 months
  • Lesson #2: The Deceiver and Liar had multiple undisclosed identities
  • Lesson #3: The Deceiver and Liar quoted the Bible but not lived by it
  • Lesson #4: The Deceiver and Liar knew the Bible and not Jesus Christ

Isaiah 43:10 You May Know Me

Isaiah 43:10 describes Jesus’ calling for us to know him, not just of Him: “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.”

See, Jesus wants us to know Him personally. Just knowing of Him doesn’t make anyone His disciple. This ministry, Online Discipleship For Women, is dedicated to being Jesus’ disciples, meaning following His teachings and living in accordance with God’s word – not out of our desire to earn God’s love (it’s already ours, we are loved) but out of our gratitude for salvation.

As Jesus’s disciples, we follow His teachings and live in accordance with God’s word – not out of our desire to earn God’s love but out of our gratitude for salvation (click to tweet)

Anna Szabo

Knowing Jesus and not just the Bible is the hallmark of a Christian, a disciple of Christ, a person who received salvation by accepting Jesus as lord and savior. Quoting the Bible only indicates good memory, not a heart of flesh. The Deceiver and Liar had a heart of stone but I was blind to it because his words were so luring, he sounded so wise, so “godly.”

When you encounter a Deceiver and Liar, you need to be prepared and equipped to examine his heart. You must discern between a person’s knowledge of the Bible and knowledge of God through Jesus Christ.

Do not believe everyone who can quote you a text. History is strewn with cults who twisted the Scriptures to their own destruction.

Satan’s Bible Knowledge by John Piper

Lessons Learned So Far:

  • Lesson #1: The Deceiver and Liar targeted me for 11 months
  • Lesson #2: The Deceiver and Liar had multiple undisclosed identities
  • Lesson #3: The Deceiver and Liar quoted the Bible but not lived by it
  • Lesson #4: The Deceiver and Liar knew the Bible and not Jesus Christ
  • Lesson #5: The Deceiver and Liar doesn’t have the heart of flesh
  • Lesson #6: The Deceiver and Liar’s memory is good, intentions are bad

John 6:51 I Am The Living Bread

John 6:51 teaches us that all we need is in our relationship with Christ: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”

When we are new and transformed, when we follow Jesus genuinely, when we have the heart of flesh instead of the heart of stone, when we are true disciples of Jesus, we eat our “daily bread” which is Jesus.

This means that we are in constant fellowship with Christ because He is real, alive, and always present. The Deceiver and Liar knew the Bible but not Jesus. He would quote Bible verses about the need to pray about everything but when asked to actually pray, he’d get angry and flip out, screaming: “God already knows everything I need, I don’t need to waste His time with my prayers!”

So, the Deceiver and Liar did not eat his “daily bread” because he never believed in Christ. he did not know Jesus. He just knew the Bible.

Lessons Learned So Far:

  • Lesson #1: The Deceiver and Liar targeted me for 11 months
  • Lesson #2: The Deceiver and Liar had multiple undisclosed identities
  • Lesson #3: The Deceiver and Liar quoted the Bible but not lived by it
  • Lesson #4: The Deceiver and Liar knew the Bible and not Jesus Christ
  • Lesson #5: The Deceiver and Liar didn’t have the heart of flesh
  • Lesson #6: The Deceiver and Liar’s memory was good, intentions bad
  • Lesson #7: The Deceiver and Liar talked the talk, didn’t walk the walk

Romans 15:13 May You Abound In Hope

Romans 15:13 calls us to abound in hope and have peace and joy that come from the Holy Spirit powerfully dwelling in all true believers: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

The Deceiver and Liar abound in ego, not in hope. To unmask him, you must be alert, sober-minded, and discerning.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

Peter 5:8

The ego of the Deceiver and Liar shows if you are prudent and discerning, which I wasn’t. He talks the sweet talk, quotes the Bible left and right, and at the same time, he abounds in sin. When confronted, he says: “I’m not perfect, that’s why there’s God’s grace.” He’s filled with ego and entitlement. He has no gratitude for salvation because he never received it.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Romans 6:1-23

The Deceiver and Liar doesn’t abound in hope. He abounds in his ego and sin and claims that he’s saint because of God’s grace on him. That’s how you can see that while he does surely know the Bible, he doesn’t know Jesus.

Eight Lessons I Learned About Satan

  1. Satan targets you intentionally and he pursues you vigorously
  2. Satan has multiple undisclosed identities, which he masks
  3. Satan quotes the Bible left and right but doesn’t live by it
  4. Satan knows the Bible but doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus
  5. Satan doesn’t have the heart of flesh but a heart of stone instead
  6. Satan’s memory is good but his intentions are bad (cruel)
  7. Satan talks the sweet talk because he walks the deceptive walk
  8. Satan talks about God’s grace as commodity justifying the life of sin

How To Recognize a Bible-Believing Christian

There’s one and only criteria to help you discern a true Bible-believing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a child of God who received his salvation and lives in gratitude for what Jesus had done on the cross.

The criteria is this:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

1 John 2:3

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Summary

In this article, I shared with you how I was deceived by Satan who quoted Bible verses left and right but had no personal relationship with Christ. He knew the Bible but not Jesus. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

I brought to your attention this topic not accidentally.

My goal is to help you be prudent and discerning because Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and he targets you profoundly, cleverly, and eloquently. I also gave you Eight Lessons I Learned About Satan.

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

1 John 2:3-6

Make sure to read my Spiritual Warfare Prayers to arm yourself with the Armor of God. The helmet part of your armor is your identity in Christ, which is the primary focus of my ministry.

I help women see themselves the way God sees them. 

In the last few years, I’ve personally been on a quest to figuring out and conquering the negative voices in my head that distort my understanding of who I am. I call those voices the Shitty Committee, and each of us has that special committee in our headspace. 

I’ve specifically been focusing on my identity in Christ. 

From the Bible, I discovered 52 incredibly-positive things God says about us as His children. Those 52 precious discoveries turned into 52 Biblical affirmations I created to encourage and empower Christian women. 

To help share this life-changing information with you, I created an ebook called #52Devotionals. Download it now for free

My free ebook helps you understand who God says you are. Don’t be vulnerable to identity attacks from the mainstream media, relatives, coworkers, your boss, society, culture, and the voices in your head. 

Stand firm and know what God says about you.

Anna Szabo Ebook Devotionals for Women #52Devotionals
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