For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places... 

For the longest time, I always used to wonder why people would say, "don't talk about your successes or what you want to do in life." I never understood it because I found it to be somewhat selfish and unbecoming.

Why wouldn't you talk about your successes or plans? Why don't you want people to be as great as you? Or rather, why would you want people to remain stagnant or in poverty? Why don't you want people to know how you did it? 

I always felt success or whatever it was people did,  was something that was to be shared so that everyone was given the same opportunity.

The answers I got from people were very puzzling. "Don't tell people about your successes because they don't want you to be great and will make sure you don't succeed. They wish evil for you so rather keep it to yourself".

It was after I read screwtape letter by CS Lewis and He came to set the captives free by Dr Rebecca Brown and followed up these readings with conversations with God that I understood.

You see, although we should be careful of people, it is the devil our adversary and his demons that we should be more concerned about. From the books, I read, and the conversation I had with God, this is what I gathered.....

The devil cannot read our thoughts! In fact, when we pray in tongues, he fails to understand us. However, he is the most intelligent being God ever created. 

Therefore,  he has a way of suggesting things to us... To make it look like those suggestions came from us and not from him.

Moreover, he doesn't need to be in the body to do so.  He only needs to have access to our minds and thoughts.

Therefore, if he has the power to suggest things to us, he has the power to manipulate us and our emotions, and do his bidding. This is why we are told to resist the devil, and when we do, he flees.

Nevertheless, we are not all the same and not everyone has the knowledge of resisting the devil.  Also, people are easily manipulated and influenced by their thoughts. 

Plainly because their hearts have not been guarded, they simply do not know the Lord and they are unaware of the tactics of the devil.

So the best thing we can do for ourselves is to keep the plans God has for us and the plans we have set out for ourselves to ourselves, until an opportune time.  

To prevent the devil from using humans to do his bidding of taking us off tracks and out of the path God has created for us,  and into dismay and utter pain. 

After all, the whole world lies under the influence of the evil one.

Therefore,  I truly believe that when it comes to the things of life, whatever it may be, whether starting a business or entering into a relationship or asking God about who our "soul mates" are, or where we should work or live.  

We need to keep them to ourselves, because the devil our adversary, who is like a prowling lion, roaming to and fro, is ready to kill, steal and destroy.

And the only weapon we can use against him is not only our words but also our silence.....