Whether you have gone in to see a dentist to have a cavity filled, or a heart surgeon to have a triple-bypass done, or anything else in-between...then you are familiar with the pages upon pages of paper work that always need to be ‘read’ and signed. And there is always that one paragraph, or two, that gets real serious and somber as you are informed of all the ‘potential outcomes' that could occur from the procedure you are about to undergo. Why even ‘death’ is a possible outcome. Now the doctors are quick to assure you how unlikely it is that these things will happen, but they are required by law to ‘bring it to our attention’. So we sign away, have the procedure done, and usually live to see another day.

As we come to learn over time, be it a business contract we are signing or medical papers, few of us really take the time to read the small, fine print; I mean...who has time for that? And yet, as they always say...’the devil is in the details’. Which then leads me to ask this question: If a doctor cannot proceed forward to treat a patient unless those papers are signed, acknowledging we understand all the implications and possible outcomes, is it possible that God might be hesitant to ‘heal and deliver’ us of our afflictions until we fully understand the warnings that come with such actions?

“Warnings”, I say?

I closed out yesterday’s message suggesting I had a ‘theory’ as to why we may not see God moving in the same manner and fashion that He did back in the early years of the church’s inception. Call it what you want, but all I know to do is present scripture for you to examine, read, and study, and then pray about it and ask God to confirm it to you. (Acts 17:11)

We are taught that we have a spiritual ‘enemy’ who happens to be ‘the devil’. (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 6:12). We are admonished to ‘give him no place’ or opportunity. (Eph. 4:27). Jesus explained that his intent is to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (John 10:10). We learned previously in our study of Job, and other places, how these ‘spirits’ are used to carry out God’s judgements and wrath. (Job 2:7; Ps. 78:49-50; 1 Cor. 5:5; ) And it is, after all, the ‘wrath of God’ that Jesus came to ‘save’ us from. (Rom. 5:9; John 3:17)

Now let me be clear here: I am not suggesting that every single ailment, ache, or pain we have is brought on by ‘demon spirits’. But we’d be foolish to dismiss the idea that many of the afflictions that people suffer from are not associated with ‘unclean spirits’(Luke 13:11; Mark 9:25). That might explain why ‘physical’ treatments and medicines prove to be ineffective. So now turn and read Matt. 12:43-45 for the ‘small print warning’ that Jesus gives us when it comes to ‘treating’ such spirits. IF we fail to follow through on His advice to ‘repent and follow Him’ in obedience, what might we expect down the road? And what was Jesus hinting at when He warned the man whom was healed by Him after being afflicted for 38 years, there in John 5:14? And do we see any serious warnings listed there in Hebrews 10:26-31?

Please finish up by visiting Leviticus 26 and reading through vs. 3-16 and then 21-25,28. That part in vs. 21...how many more times will their affliction be multiplied? And how many more ‘spirits’ did Jesus say would come on a person if the enemy is given place to return in Matt. 12:45?

Yeah...maybe God really means what He says...and just maybe lots of prayers have gone unanswered because we failed to read the ‘small print’ which could have had devastating consequences. Don’t we all have those unanswered prayers in our history, that looking back, we are glad did NOT answer at that time?

Me thinks we all still have much to learn.