Tag Archives: demons

THE DEVIL IS ATTACKING ME!

Bible Study, ,

This is what it seems butb it all depends on our perspective.

There is a trend within the church to believe that God and the devil are on equal footing, or so it seems by the way some Christains talk. They think that Satan sometimes has the upper hand and that we need God’s intervention to get him off our back.

What has the Bible to say about s
this situation?

Three stories come to mind, Job, Paul and the Gadarene demoniac.

The prologue to the story of Job’s suffering clears up the issue of who is in charge. Satan is fully and always under Almighty God’s authority.

Told in poetic language, Job’s story was one of severe suffering but only because God permitted the devil to test his integrity. Satan accused Job of being mercenary. “He only trusts you because you are good to him. Take away the blessings and he will turn on you,” he taunted.

We know the outcome. Despite Job’s questions and the cruel accusations of his so-called comforters, Job affirmed his trust in God even to death.

Job 13:15 NIV
[15]” Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him”…

God did not fault Job for being unrighteous. He lifted the issue much higher. “Where were you…?” Was Job ever on a par with God to question His ways? All Job’s questions and arguments were obliterated at the blast of God’s revelation of
power and glory. “No more questions, Job! I am not obligateded to you.”

God’s sovereignty over all creation including the spirit beings who serve Him is beyond question.

Hebrews 1:14 NLT
[14] “Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.”

So, where does the devil fit into the picture? Does he attack and harass God’s children? Yes and no.

Yes, he does, according to Job’s story but only by permission. No, he is not permitted to harass and attack randomly. God uses him for His own purposes.

Paul’s story illustrates at least one purpose for his attacks.

2 Corinthians 12:6-7NLT
[6] “If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, [7] even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”

Paul was seriously tempted to be proud of the supernatural revelations he received that could have easily elevated him above fellow believers and even above his fellow apostles. He was constantly harassed by those who wanted to get rid of him as well as by the dangers and challenges of his mission. He identified the source of these hardships as Satan himself. Was he right or wrong?

God did not correct him.

Strange that Paul calls his trials a “messenger from Satan” and a “thorn in the flesh”. Did he recognise, on hindsight, what was happening to him?

Yes, it was, true that those who mistreated Paul did so at Satan’s instigation, but why did God allow this to happen? Was Paul harking back to God’s warning to the Israelites after they had conquered and taken possession of the Promised Land?

Judges 2:1-3 NLT
[1] “The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. [2] For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? [3] So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”

Paul understood that ungodly idolaters are those who elevate themselves above God, reject the truth about Him, refuse to worship Him, and set up their own gods in His place. They, in fact, take God’s place as God.

Proud people do the same in their attitude. They elevate themselves above God and become God by the way they live.

To God, this is so serious a situation that He permitted the devil to use his methods to keep His servant humble. Paul was surrounded by idolaters who hated God enough to pour their hatred out on him. No matter how much he prayed for deliverance from them, God said an emphatic, “No!”

God regarded Paul’s weakness and constant dependence on His grace of greater value than deliverance from his hardships. So, He allowed the attacks to keep coming because, as Paul realised, in this way, he would always be thrown on God for the strength to endure.

So, Paul could say,

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT
[9] “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The third issue is that of so-called “demon-possession”. There are many examples in the New Testament of Jesus delivering people from indwelling evil spirits. How can demonisation happen?

It seems to me that demons take occupation and control in a person who so persists in his or her sinful beviour that demons make their home in that person’s spirit. This is so serious that the demonised person can no longer make choices and decisions but is under the influence and control so completely that the demon acts through him or her.

This was the case of the Gadarene man that Jesus delivered from demons. This man gave his name as “Legion” because of the many demonic spirits in him. The story illustrates the motive of demons… to alienate and destroy.

The man was so violent that he was driven out of his community. He was continually mutilating himself. He was out of control. He was destined for a horrible death and a worse eternal destiny.

The story also illustrates Jesus’ absolute authority over demonic spirits and His power to restore the man to sanity and normality.

Mark 5:15 NLT
[15] “A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.”

What do these records in Scripture teach us?

  1. God and Satan are not fighting on equal terms. God is sovereign in each and every situation in every human life. He orchestrates situations for His own purposes. He determines the boundaries in which Satan can act.

Job 1:8, 10-12 NLT
[8]” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”
[10]” You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! [11] But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” [12] “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.”

  1. God knows and uses the devil’s work and his tactics for the good of His people.

Romans 8:28 NLT
[28]”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

  1. God will use whatever it takes to keep His children humble and dependent on Him.

Paul’s thorn in the flesh is an example.

  1. Persistent sin is dangerous because it gives the devil a foothold in our lives. Only God’s power can break his hold on us when we repent and turn from evil. James 4:7-8 NLT
    [7] “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
  2. God uses Satan’s work to destroy the hold fleshly desires have on believers. He turns suffering into salvation.

1 Peter 4:1 NIV
[1]”Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.”

Suffering can turn us away from sinful behaviour if we allow it to do its work.

Psalms 32:3-4 NLT
[3] “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. [4] Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.”

Paul instructed the Corinthians believers to hand an unrepentant member over to Satan.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT
[1]”I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. [2] You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship. [3] Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already passed judgment on this man [4] in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. [5] Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.”

How important for us, then, to acknowledge God in all our hardships. He is at work, refining, purifying, and preparing us for our role in His eternal kingdom. We must never give credit to the devil what God is doing.

God is sovereign in every circumstance in our lives. Let us worship Him with gratitude that He has not abandoned us to our sin, that He is merciful and patient, and that He will finish what He started, recreating us in the image of His Son.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – EVEN THE PIGS PERISHED!

Christian life, ,

EVEN THE PIGS PERISHED!

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. Mark 5:11-17

It seems that the madman first spoke for the demons, and then they spoke for themselves. Their very plea not to be sent away is proof of Jesus’ absolute authority over them. It also shows how foolish they were. They requested to be relocated into the pigs, not realising that their presence would drive the pigs crazy just as they had driven the man crazy. According to Jesus, evil spirits roam around looking for a host body, in this case pigs but, once again, the demons were homeless because their new hosts were dead!

In the meantime, the delivered man became a momentary celebrity. The news of his deliverance spread around the region faster than a bush fire. Everyone wanted to see him and hear his story – over and over again. There he was, as sane as any of them, just as they had heard about him. And there was Jesus, the man responsible for this dramatic change! Did He say anything, preach, teach, or explain? Probably not! The man himself was enough of a witness without any explanations.

But there was something else as well. A herd of dead pigs floating in the lake awoke them to the economic disaster this man’s healing had caused. Their anger and panic over lost income overrode their awe at this amazing event. Instead of rejoicing with the man and his family over his restoration, they drove Jesus out of the region just in case He did any more damage to their already depleted resources.

I wonder what would have happened to their economy had they believed in Jesus and turned their lives over to Him. Since He promised never to diminish us (Psalm 23:1) losing their pigs would have ultimately been to their benefit.

But there was one hope left for this region – the newly-sane man. What impact would his freedom have on his people? How would his deliverance change a hostile mob?

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE _ IS JESUS A DEVIL?

Bible Study, ,

IS JESUS A DEVIL?

“Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, ‘Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, but if you’re slinging devil-mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick on your exorcists? But if it’s God’s finger I’m pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God’s kingdom is here for sure.'” Luke 11:17-20.

Talk about twisted thinking! In their eagerness to discredit Jesus, these opponents forgot to think logically. In fact they were teetering close to being taken over by demons themselves. Who thinks up an accusation like that except Jesus’ arch-enemy? To be saying what they said without considering the implications of their accusation meant that their brains had been overtaken by the deceiver.

Jesus’ reply was masterfully simple and wise. One wonders whether they were dumbstruck by His reply or just plain obstinate in sticking to their opinion. How can a divided kingdom or even a divided household stand firm? Division is the opposite of unity. Since unity (ECHAD), which represents the very image of God, is what holds the universe together, then division will tear it apart.

Anyone with a little bit of understanding knows that division in the ranks, be it in an organization, or in any group, human or animal, will cause it to disintegrate. Division in the function of the body is called sickness and will bring about death if not treated. How then can Jesus be driving demons out using Satan’s power? The idea is ludicrous.

Just the opposite is true. What Jesus had just done and what He was doing across Israel was a witness to something very different. He was getting rid of the illegal occupants in people’s lives and restoring God’s rule in human bodies and human spirits. For too long Satan had had his way with people, deceiving them into believing that he was in charge.  Jesus was setting the record straight by evicting him from the people who belonged to God, not to him.

The very fact that the demons gave way at His command was evidence of who was really in charge. This was building up to an even greater victory over Satan, already accomplished from eternity’s perspective but to be effected in time when His enemies, under the influence of His great enemy, would have Him killed, thinking that was the end of Him!

What a blessing that I am part of that living proof of who is actually in charge. Through the same ‘finger of God’, the Holy Spirit, all who believe in Jesus have been rescued from the kingdom that is causing the world to fall apart, and are now a part of the kingdom over which Jesus rules, and are being restores to perfect oneness with God.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – TWO PERSPECTIVES

Bible Study, ,

TWO PERSPECTIVES

“The seventy came back triumphant. ‘Master, even the demons danced to your tune!’

Jesus said, ‘I know. I saw Satan fall, a bolt of lightning out of the sky. See what I’ve given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God’s authority over you and presence with you. Now what you do for God but what God does for you –that’s the agenda for rejoicing.'” Luke 10:17-20.

The seventy came back from their preaching trip bubbling over with excitement. They had just experienced something they had never thought possible – authority to send demons packing. Note – they weren’t excited about people getting free or cured or saved. No, they were proud of their success because they had experienced what it was like to have power.

What was their perspective? Control! We can control demons. We’ve got power over diseases. We can control people? Is that what they were thinking as well?

Once again Jesus has to pull them up short. He was happy about their success because it meant that He now had a wider group of followers who had been recruited to continue His ministry but – if they did not understand His heart, they would become a liability and not an asset to the kingdom of God.

They had to understand two things clearly. Firstly, when they learned to live under God’s authority, the enemy had no power to touch them. The only power he had to influence them was the power they gave him when they believed his lies and capitulated to his manipulation and intimidation. He is a liar and he can only speak the language of lies. Believing his lies, not his power is what gets people into trouble.

Secondly, when they submitted to Jesus’ authority it was a pledge to come under His yoke. We have been learning that Jesus’ way of doing life is the way of unselfish generosity. That includes caring about other people enough to forget ourselves in order to meet the needs of others. Real power, said Jesus, is power over ourselves, not power to manage others.

It takes far more for us to submit to God’s authority than it does to get others to submit to us. We, not the devil, are our own worst enemy. There is so much potential to do damage and wreak havoc in the lives of other people that we don’t need the devil to do our dirty work for us when we are capable of destroying others ourselves by our words and actions.

Take our tongues, for example. How many children’s lives have been destroyed by the careless words of parents or teachers? When we think about it, words, which seem so weak, are one of the enemy’s most powerful tools to destroy when we allow him to influence us.

Words also have the power to do unimaginable good. What about God’s Word? His word brought the universe into being. Jesus said that His words are spirit and life. We have been given a brand new life through His Word, and we are directed every day to live that life His way through His Word.

It’s up to us who claim to be His followers to keep our perspective true to Jesus’ perspective. It’s never about what we can do for God – not even cast out demons and heal the sick. It’s about His life in us – His Spirit at work in us and through us. We are not in charge; He is. Our perspective must be how well we can get out of the way so that His life can be lived out through us.

In the words of Louie Giglio: “I am not, but I know I AM!”

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – SELECTIVE DEAFNESS

Apologetics, , ,

SELECTIVE DEAFNESS

“John spoke up, ‘Master, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped Him because he wasn’t of our group.’  Jesus said, ‘Don’t stop him. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally.’

“When it came close to the time for His Ascension, He gathered up His courage and steeled Himself for the journey to Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for His hospitality. But when the Samaritans learned that His destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality.

“When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, ‘Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?’ Jesus turned on them: ‘Of course not!’ And they travelled on to another village.”  Luke 9:49-55.

Talk about selective hearing! James and John’s attitude was proof that they had not taken in a word Jesus had said about true greatness.

What had these men learned from their association with Jesus? From non-religious guys who were part of the “out” group as far as their religious leaders were concerned, they had developed the idea that they were now part of a new “in” group!

They were very protective of their status as followers of Jesus – disciples of the newest and most popular rabbi in Israel. Although He had many followers on the fringe, Jesus had not invited anyone else to be part of the “in” group and they wanted to be sure that no one gate-crashed their party.

Anyone of the “them” group who happened to “get” what Jesus had been teaching and act on it was frowned on, not encouraged, because he was not one of “us”. They proudly announced to Jesus that they had put a stop to a man’s enthusiastic participation in doing the “kingdom stuff” by casting out demons, thinking that He would applaud them for their loyalty to Him. They were not anticipating the surprising rebuke they received for their trouble! ‘Don’t stop him,’ Jesus said. ‘If he’s not an enemy, then he’s a friend.’

James and John were such fiery characters that they had earned the nickname, “sons of thunder”. To protect their inner circle they were prepared to use their new-found authority to incinerate people who dared to oppose them, especially the hated Samaritans! Thinking that Jesus would applaud their outrage for the snub they had received, they wanted His approval for their plan to wipe out the village.

What did Jesus think of these goings-on from His disciples? For all their response to His teaching and demonstrating His yoke, they were still thinking and acting in exactly the same way as they did before they met Him. It seems that everything He taught them bounced off them like a ball off a wall. In fact, an “outsider” had caught on to what they, the “insiders” had missed. To cast out demons “in His name” meant that the unknown man, who was not a disciple, was doing what their rabbi did, in the disposition of their rabbi.

How sad that many of Jesus’ self-proclaimed “followers” today have just as much of a “we – they” mentality as the disciples had. Being a Christian is being part of an exclusive “club” and to be a Christian minister is to have an elevated position in this club.

To get the real picture, let’s go back to Jesus’ visual aid on greatness. He insisted that to be truly great, one must use one’s position to elevate others, not to put them down or lord it over them. Get down to the level of the lowest and treat them with dignity and respect.

Jesus was the greatest and truest model of what He taught, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV).

Are you as selectively deaf as the disciples were?