The Devil as the Power that "Feeds the Self"
Scripture says: “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:15). Jesus said: “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34).
If viewed from the "structure of the heart" and "spiritual energy," the Devil is not merely an abstract figure but a real psychological-spiritual mechanism: God’s power breaks the self; the Devil’s power feeds the self.
This article reveals:
- Why the Devil is intimately connected to the self;
- How the Devil "satisfies" the human heart;
- Why the Devil’s giving is inevitably a snare;
- Why "following your own will" is the path to destruction.
(1) The Essence of the Devil: Feeding Your Self
We must point out a universal yet profound insight: all human suffering stems from the self. The structure can be written as:
- Self → Comparison
- Comparison → Struggle
- Struggle → Scarcity
- Scarcity → Fear
- Fear + Self → The root of sin and suffering.
The Devil works precisely along this chain: he amplifies your self, strengthens your desires, encourages you to "do as you please," and satisfies your ego in the fastest way possible. In other words: The Devil’s work = The acceleration of self-inflation. Scripture calls the Devil the "father of lies" because he provides the illusion of short-term satisfaction followed by long-term destruction.
(2) The Essence of God: Breaking the Self to Return to the Childlike Heart
In contrast to the Devil, God’s direction is singular: to break the self so that man may return home. God is not in a hurry to satisfy what your "self" wants; He seeks to fulfill what your "spirit" truly needs. That is: God gives what is truly good for you, which is not necessarily what your "self" desires.
This echoes Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane: “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” God’s way involves: dismantling obsessions, exposing falsehood, training trust, and guiding us to walk with the Spirit. His goal is to bring us back to the "infant heart." Therefore: God’s path = Humility, surrender, and the return home.
(3) The Devil Can Give You What You Want, but He Fulfills the "Desire of the Self"
The Devil is not incapable of giving; in fact, he is particularly adept at it. His giving is characterized by being fast, direct, and precisely tailored to the ego’s desires. All legends of the "Faustian Bargain" revolve around the same structure: "As long as you cooperate with me, I will let you have everything you want."
The price? Yourself. Because:
- The larger the self → The further from God.
- The further from God → The more the spirit dies.
- Spiritual death → Is "death" in the biblical sense.
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, all that the Devil offered (authority, glory, stones into bread) was essentially: "Walk according to your own way, and I can give it all to you." That is the Way of the Devil.
(4) Why is the Devil’s Satisfaction Inevitably a Snare?
After a person obtains things through the Devil’s way, they ultimately discover: "This is not what I truly wanted." The reason is that the self is an illusion, and the desires of the self are illusions; therefore, everything obtained by the self is essentially the satisfaction of an illusion.
When this layer of satisfaction ends, it inevitably brings deeper emptiness and despair. Thus, the Devil insists on a "contract signed in advance"—because he knows that once a person truly receives it, they will immediately wish to recant. This explains why the myth of the "Devil’s bargain" appears across civilizations.
(5) All "Following Your Own Will" is the Power of the Devil
Buddhism calls this "acting according to afflictions"; Christianity calls this "living according to the flesh"; Taoism calls this "acting willfully against the Tao." The essence is the same: acting according to the self → self-inflation → falling under the power of the Devil.
We can summarize: "Do as you please" = The Way of the Devil; "Humble surrender" = The Way of God.
The Devil says: "Follow your own thoughts, and I will let you have it all quickly." God says: "Follow My path, and I will lead you to true freedom."
Summary｜Original Doctrine 49
- The Devil is not a cartoon character but the power that "feeds the self."
- All suffering stems from the self, and all temptation grips the desire of the self.
- The Devil satisfies desires; God heals the soul.
- The Devil’s giving is swift and fatal; God’s giving is slow and eternal.
- "Doing as you please" is the fall; "humble surrender" is salvation.
- God leads man home; the Devil drives man away.
In one sentence: The Devil makes you become "who you think you are"; God makes you become "the true self you are in Him."
