How many of us have had regular times of reading those morning chapters to ‘feed our souls’, but while ‘reading’ (your eyes going over the words) your mind is flooded with other thoughts, most likely having to do with all you need to get done that day?
Here’s another example. You might be reading and actually getting some ‘good stuff’ out of what you are taking in. Then, when you get finished, ‘life happens’ and the next thing you know your focus has been redirected and those good intentions to ‘apply’ what you gleaned that morning fade away. But at least you had a few moments to start the day and ‘felt something’ good, be it as brief as it was.
James addresses what happens to so many of us reminding us to be ‘doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves’. (1:22). But then he adds when we do this, we are like a man who looks in to a mirror and sees himself, but then gets up, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” (23)
Here is what I feel impressed to share today. I merely want to again, have you look up in your bible and mark, highlight, or make note, of these particular verses. And I cannot emphasize enough here, I am simply pointing you to words written down in YOUR bible. They are there for a reason. We all love to celebrate and point to this book as the holy, infallible Word of God. So if we truly believe that, do we believe what He meant? I now share with you some verses, and a few simple questions that follow pertaining to the verses you make note of.
1- When Paul wrote: “Give no place to the devil” (Eph. 4:27), this sets up some legitimate questions. (as in, why is this written to us?)
Do you believe a ‘devil’ actually exists?
Who or what is this devil and how does he operate?
IF he/it does, is it something we need to be concerned about or know more about?
How does one ‘give place’ to the devil?
If the command is that direct, then what might happen if we do ‘give place’ to him?
2- When Peter advises us to “Be sober and vigilant for your adversary, the devil, goes about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour...resist him.” (1 Pet. 5:8), we again have more questions needing to be addressed and answered.
Why such serious tone here about being ‘sober and vigilant’ as in alert and clear minded?
What do we know about ‘enemies’ in general and their intent?
Peter likens him to a ‘lion seeking to devour’. It’s one thing to fall in to a lion’s cage in the zoo and become an unscheduled meal. But just how does this ‘devil...devour like a lion’?
Not only does Peter advise ‘resisting him’, James does as well in (4:7). The term here is ‘resist’ him, not ‘ignore’ him or ‘pretend he’s a poetic entity that “represents blah blah blah”.
How does one do that....resist him? And what might be the outcome if we chose not to ‘resist him’.
3- Paul wrote that “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light as does his ‘ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness’. (2 Cor. 11:14-15)
Again...more questions such as “what might an ‘angel of light’ or ‘minister of righteousness’ look like and what would be its purpose? And how does one spot or detect such an entity or deceptive disguise?
4- Paul also suggested that we are “not ignorant of Satan’s devices” which should aid us in not being ‘taken advantage of’ by him. (2 Cor. 2:11). He taught that we are to “stand against the schemes of the devil” making use of some apparent armor God provides. (Eph. 6:11)
Schemes? Devices? Take ‘advantage’ of us? Ever given much thought to what that looks like or how that plays out? And it’s one thing to say we ‘know’ about the ‘armor’, but do we utilize it daily?
5- John wrote that “we KNOW the whole world lies under the sway/influence of the wicked one. (1 John 5:19).
Really? How so? The whole world? Can you just stop and give some serious thought to that?
And just before writing that, he says something about how ‘we know whoever is born of God does not sin;....and the wicked one does not touch him.” (vs 18)
Could ‘sin’ be a way in which the ‘wicked one can touch us’?
6- Paul gave some advice to Timothy about the manner and tone he should speak to those who oppose him, encouraging him to be humble and gentle and patient with the hopes that God might lead that person to repentance so they might “know the truth and come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” (2 Tim. 2:24-26)
So if what he says here is true, then this ‘devil’ can actually take people ‘captive’ and cause them to ‘do things’ he wants done? You think Jesus understood this when he prayed ‘Father, forgive them...they don’t know what they are doing”? (Luke 23:34). And ‘taken captive’? Could that actually happen to us since we are being warned of it repeatedly in the word?
7- According to my ‘red letter edition’ of the bible, I read in Acts 26:18 where Jesus was telling Paul that he was being sent to the Gentiles to preach the gospel so their ‘eyes might be opened and they would turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God’.
Again...more questions...implying people need their eyes opened where they can turn or be freed from the ‘power of Satan’? I wonder who ‘blinds them from seeing the light of the gospel? (2 Cor. 4:3-4)
8-So when Jesus told those 70 disciples that he was giving them ‘authority’ to trample over ‘all the power of the enemy and that nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19), is it safe to assume that we are dealing with a spiritual foe who could do us harm if we are not following God’s Spirit?
9- Jesus shared a very purposeful and short dialogue as to what happens when an ‘unclean spirit goes out of a man’. (Matt. 12:43-45). Being a spirit, he seems to be in need or search of another ‘body’ to inhabit. Unable to find one, it seeks to return from the ‘house’ in which it came. We are told what it finds upon returning, (an obvious opening or access) and in turn, brings with it, seven other spirits more wicked than himself.(45) It is then revealed by Jesus that the condition of this person who had the unclean spirit is worst off in the end.
I don’t know of another passage that could be more worthy of serious study, reflection, and thought as to what applications and implications it could have for any of us than the one we just read there.
IF there is indeed a devil and a host of his minions roaming about, why would God not get rid of them? Can He? And if He can but hasn’t, then what purpose would there be in leaving them to go about harming and ‘stealing, killing and destroying’? (John 10:10)
10- Last passage for today on this. I’ve mentioned this before and will do so again now. We read in Acts 10:38 that “God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” When did demons stop oppressing people and when did Jesus stop healing and delivering them from their torment? The answer is They haven’t nor has Jesus. And He commanded us to continue on doing the ‘works that He did’ since God wants to empower us to do the same. (John 14:12; Mark. 16:20; Luke 4:14)
If this much emphasis is placed on this entity, this spiritual enemy, this demonic influence, as laid out in these verses I presented today...(there are plenty more), would it not seem rather foolish on our part to dismiss, downplay, or even ignore such passages? And if you were asked to share with a mixed group of folks, be it work colleagues, believers and non-believers, along with some ‘educated’ or ‘influential’ folks in your community...would you be comfortable sharing such passages as these, (if not this entire lesson today) with them? Or could you admit it might make you feel a bit anxious given how they might respond to such an ‘ancient’ topic as ‘devils’?
I wonder what might be the source of that ‘discomfort’? Or might we be more concerned about what people think of us? (John 12:42-43)
One last nugget: I just ‘sowed some seed’ here today from God’s word. Want to take a guess who is coming ‘immediately to take this word from your heart lest you believe’? (Luke 8:12)
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