Hi Everyone! So sorry for the delay! Summer became very hectic. You too? So now we are starting Chapter 4 of Grace in the Dark, the book I am prayerfully writing. Don’t worry if you are just joining, I believe you can still receive quite a bit from this teaching. Unfortunately, this is the rough draft of this chapter and I know it will undergo many edits. Nevertheless, let’s get started!
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“Just stop it!”
The crowd of pastors broke out into laughter when Pastor Jerry Cook exclaimed this phrase – just stop it – was the key to all counseling. Pastor Jerry was the keynote speaker at a large gathering of pastors who full well knew that if they could stop folks from the behaviors that beset their lives, all would be better for them. Nevertheless, Pastor Jerry knew better, too – people can’t just stop a lot of their unhealthy behaviors, but boy oh boy if they could. If we could. If I could have.
If I could have stopped binging and purging, if I could have stopped fantasizing and day-dreaming hours on end, and if I could have stopped the little blue cloud of depression that seemed to follow me everywhere – well, I would have. But I couldn’t stop.
The agreements we make with the enemy about the lies he whispers to us about ourselves and about God become places of bondage. Bible teacher Beth Moore explains that a stronghold of behavior in our lives is exactly that: a place – the topos Paul spoke of – where the enemy has a strong hold on us.
We wonder why we can’t just stop. Or why we can muster up enough gumption to have self-control for a few days, maybe a few weeks, but then fall off the wagon again. Like a hamster on a wheel, we think if we just keep at it, someday all of our prayers and trying harder will finally break the back of the weight of sin we carry in certain areas of our lives.
When we can’t seem to say no, or we are unable to go for very long without indulging in the habits or hang-ups that plague us, our inability to choose the right path may indicate an area of our souls where demonic oppression may be harassing us. Now, don’t become alarmed regarding this possibility. Oh my, I know it sounds terrible. The thought of demons conjures up all kinds of images and fears, however, God’s Word tells us the truth about these limited beings.
Most Bible scholars agree that our adversary, the devil, was most likely an anointed cherub (Ezekiel 28:14-15) whom God created. The enemy was cast out of heaven when his heart became filled and lifted-up with pride and he attempted to call himself a god (Ezekiel 28:2-6,17). With Satan’s fall, it is believed that a third of God’s angelic beings went with him (Revelation 12:4). Nevertheless, the devil is in no way a peer of God and he is absolutely unlike our Heavenly Father in every way…
· He is finite – he is one being
· He is not omnipresent – he can only be in one place at a time
· He is not omniscient – he is not all-knowing
· He is not omnipotent – he is not all-powerful
· He has a little bit of might – but he is not the Almighty God
· He is a liar, deceiver, and accuser
· He has never and will never reign supreme (Revelation 20:10)
The devil’s minions – the fallen angels, recognized by the Bible as demon spirits – have no physical form. The Greek New Testament word for spirit – pneuma – means breath, breeze, wind. These formless spirits have little to no power except for what we allow them to have. As we read about Jesus’ earthly life and ministry through the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – we discover that approximately a third of His ministry dealt with facing demonic oppression head on in people. Jesus broke the hold and influence of varying demonic spirits within them – either physically, mentally, or emotionally –and He cast these badgering demons from the individual’s life.
Many of us today think the work of demons is long gone and over. We may consider that in this day and age, we are simply too sophisticated and knowledgeable to think they still exist. Nevertheless, if we believe the whole God’s Word, we must recognize this truth that Lord Jesus spoke of the devil as the ruler of this world (John 12:31, John 16:11.) Until Christ returns to reign over this planet, the devil, through his ungodly spirit hordes, still attempts to ensnare us today. Do you see the possibilities in your own life where you may have a stronghold that you can’t seem to get past?
To be continued in the next post…