Sheep Food

  So let’s again look at the possibility as to whether sexual ‘lust’ might be raging hormones amped up on steroids ...or could there be a literal, demonic spirit ...attached to it that drives and compels people to crave and do things they feel powerless to resist and overcome? (This is Part 8 in an ongoing 'series') Please know that I am not overly preoccupied nor consumed with sniffing out demon spirits ‘behind every bush’ ...or seeing them at work every time someone cusses and honks their car horn in anger at another slow driver. And once again, all I know to do is open the pages of our beloved Bible to see what it might have to say regarding this subject of ‘unclean’ and/or ‘demonic’ spirits. We are told in 1 John 5:19 that the ‘whole world is under the influence of the wicked one’. Paul informs us in his letter to the Ephesians that when we were previously ‘dead in sin’, that a ‘spirit worked IN us’ as it influenced or worked in/through our ‘fleshly desires and carnal thou...

  A man who was possessed by thousands of demon spirits...had an encounter with Jesus that led to his freedom from captivity; and once they were cast out of him, this man whom ‘no one could tame’ was found to be in ‘his right mind’. (Mark 5:1-15). It’s important to point out that nowhere in scripture is it suggested that it took this man years of ‘therapy’ to recover. In fact, he was so free and in such a good place that Jesus sent him back home, even encouraging him to share with all his friends the ‘great things the Lord had done for him and how God had compassion on him’. (19). When did God’s ability and willingness to do such things... change? (Mal. 3:6) Again, let me say that after the demons were gone... he was indeed...in “his right mind” (15). Funny how that comes in to play when talking about being held captive by Satan...and the need for one in such a place to ‘come to their senses’ (2 Tim. 2:25-26; Luke 15:17). It also casts new light on the words Jesus uttered while on ...

  Even the secular world will often make mention of people who are known to have had their ‘own demons’ to battle with in life. Granted, to them it may be ‘just an expression’ not to be taken literally...or maybe not? But why would a church world of ‘believing Christians’ scoff and roll their eyes at such a possibility existing, especially considering the countless numbers of references our beloved Bible is filled with that makes mention of them (demons). I noted early on at the onset of this series that began comparing sexual ‘desire’ with sexual ‘lust’...that ‘lust’ may be more than just strong ‘natural cravings’. Why not consider the possibility that lust could  actually be a specific ‘spirit’, and not the good kind, that can actually work ‘inside’ of us. I’m not asking you to believe what I am laying out here for you in this study, but at least be open to acknowledging that the Bible really does have much to say about this topic and if there is any truth to it, I’m confi...

  [Welcome back to Part 5] - As Jesus was wrapping up a lengthy list describing the distressing things that would for sure be coming upon the earth leading up to the days of His return (Matt. 24:3)...He added this warning as well: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the ‘thief’ would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.” (42-43) We know from previous teachings of Jesus that a ‘thief’ comes to ...”steal, kill, and destroy”, (John 10:10). Would you read those three words again, slowly? Now, take a look at Matt. 12:43-45 where Jesus talks about what happens when an ‘unclean spirit’ goes out of man. You know, He sure talked an awful lot about demons and unclean spirits and such, even spending much time removing them or casting them out of people. When did this cease to be a ‘problem’ for humanity that no longer needed attention? And why did Peter say...

  So what does it mean to be ‘taken captive’? The Bible has much to say about this in both the OT and the NT. I mean...Jesus made the declaration that this is why He came and what He was ‘anointed’ to do – to proclaim liberty to the captives. (Luke 4:18) And He said that it was the ‘truth’ He came to share that would do this...set captives free. Which then leads me to ask: Who exactly are being held ‘captive’ and by who or what are they ‘captive to?’ Not only did Jesus come to proclaim the ‘truth’, He claimed that He, Himself...was the ‘Truth’. (John 14:6). He reminded some folks who said they believed in Him that “if they abide in His word...they would know the truth and the truth would set them free.” (John 8:31-32). They promptly went into ‘denial mode’ claiming they had never been in bondage to anyone since they were ‘descendants of Abraham’ (33). Why, in their indignation they demanded to know how could Jesus have even implied... ‘they’ needed to be set free. His response w...

  What if ... what the Bible has to say about ‘demons’ and ‘unclean spirits’ and the ‘devil/Satan’ is not just figurative or poetic language? What if...there really is a world of spiritual influence, both good and evil and there is no escaping being influenced one way or another by these spiritual forces? Paul seemed to make a clear case that it is “Not flesh and blood that we contend with, but spiritual powers of evil and darkness’ that are at work here. (Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:13) Yes, I know many will scoff at such a suggestion; and I’m not even compelled to ask you to ‘believe’ all this. But I am wanting to at least point out what the Bible says ...and you can do what you want with that information. So what if... there really are unclean spirits, demons, fallen angels, under the rule of Satan himself and they work as forces of darkness in attempt to sabotage anything that is good and ordained by God…with their goal being to corrupt and destroy what God has decreed to be ‘good’? Y...

  I’ve shared the story before how I was standing in the grocery store one day while shopping with my wife and I found myself staring at a beer display in the aisle. What piqued my curiosity that evolved into a half-hearted prayer of inquiry to the Lord was...what is it about alcohol, like beer and wine, that can be such a stumbling block, or snare, for so many people? I personally could drink one glass of wine or one beer and it have little, if any effect on me. But someone else...would have a hard time finding the ‘brakes’ and would keep on drinking until they were inebriated. Trying to wrap my head around that dilemma for understanding, I looked up and saw a display of Oreos. That’s when the lightbulb went on...and I was like “Oh...OK, I get it”, and I had my answer. We all tend to have our own personal ‘vices’ and areas of weakness. And it’s kind of sad, really, how ‘Christians’ can look down and shame those who struggle with alcohol or drug additions...while excusing their...

  [ Flashing Blinker for ‘lane change’] Let’s wade into a topic that may or may not... interest people today: sexual lust. What could possibly be uncomfortable with this topic? And to make it more interesting, we will compare it to what we humans know as ‘sexual desire’, (something entirely different than ‘lust’) and was actually dreamed up and designed by God our Creator, if you can believe that. We’ll take a look first though, at, sexual desire, a ‘God-given’ gift meant to be enjoyed by husband and wife. (Prov. 5:18-19; Gen. 3:16) We learn early on from the opening pages of Genesis that after God created man and woman, male and female… (Gen. 1:27), and in His image, He proceeded to ‘bless them’ and then told them: “Be fruitful and multiply…and fill the earth…” (28). And God saw all this as being ‘good’. (30). Now in order for this ‘multiplying’ to take place, we all know what has to happen first between a man and a woman, in order for them to reproduce and bear children… who wi...

  You and I...are incapable of producing the fruit that God is looking to see manifest in our lives. I don’t care how much you desire it, pray for it, and then do your best to ‘bear it’... trying harder to do better will only lead to more spiritual frustration, discouragement, and eventual failure. And if you don’t ‘toss in the towel’ by giving up completely as you turn your back on ‘God, religion, and faith’ (John 6:66) because of your constant failure to ‘measure up’, you will probably at least ‘hang around’ and settle for a widely accepted ‘form of godliness...devoid of any power to transform your life’. (2 Tim. 3:1-5). You might even be proficient at studying God’s word, teaching great lessons in Sunday School class...while ‘always learning yet never coming to the knowledge of the truth’ (7). I would submit to you in humility and in love that the reason for this is a possible failure to truly ‘come to Jesus’ with all your heart so that you might experience the true life He came...

  Planting season is just around the corner for many of you, and it’s my friends back in Texas that I’m thinking about, despite your current cold snap. Got those potatoes and onions in the ground yet? ;-). I have a lot of fond memories of my vegetable gardening days when I lived back there, and I often gleaned some good spiritual lessons from that ‘hobby’ along with some tasty produce as well. While I am not a huge consumer of tomatoes, it probably is my favorite plant to grow. And whether you too, enjoy raising those attractive and tasty fruits from either a seed, or seedlings when the weather warms up, I bet you can confirm the illustration I’m about to use here to help us better understand what ‘abiding’ or ‘remaining in Jesus’ means and looks like; and we’ll be examining John 15:1-8 once again. But before we dive off into John 15, may I just point back to our lesson from last week where we touched on the ‘parable of the barren fig tree’ (Luke 13:6-9). Jesus tells us of a ‘cert...

  Whenever I am out driving, and especially when I’m on a two-lane road where I am meeting oncoming traffic from the opposite direction in the lane right next to me, ... the fact is never lost on me that with the simple flick of my wheel, I could steer my car into the oncoming traffic and do a lot of damage, which would most likely include ending my own life. That may sound morbid to some of you, and others might wonder if I have ‘suicidal tendencies’, which I don’t. But it really is a sobering thought to think of how we have this ‘freedom’ to drive these big pieces of steel up and down the road, and the fact that our own actions (or inactions) can have devastating consequences truly marvels me. Does this ever cross anyone else’s mind as well? I only bring this up because the more I study and write and post here, the more I clearly see how this ‘abiding in Jesus’ life ...is very much like driving a car in all kinds of conditions, and the importance of staying focused on what one ...

  I remember during the first year or two of the pandemic, driving around... I would see signs in the windows of homes or maybe on a stake out in the front yard for all to see ...and all that was printed on it was “Psalm 91”.  Those were some interesting times, were they not? I’m quite familiar with that Psalm, as I’m sure many of you are, and it was verse 10 that came to mind that I’m pretty sure folks were referring to as they wanted to publicly declare their faith in the promise that reads: “...neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.” It reminded me of the OT story where the Israelites smeared lamb’s blood over their doorposts on the night of the first Passover when the “destroying angel’ came and struck all the firstborn in Egypt. (Ex. 12:23) There is one small detail recorded there in verse 22 that I think many fail to ‘see’, and that is the part that says “And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.” That sounds like a ‘condition’ to b...

  The Bible paints a pretty grim picture of what will be taking place at the ‘end of the age’. Do any of us know when that will actually occur? No, not really; but Paul seemed to suggest that the ‘end of the age’ was already here when he penned those words some 2000 years ago. (1 Cor. 10:11). John added a little more sense of urgency declaring (back in his day) that it was already the ‘last hour’. (1 John 2:18). Here’s a provocative thought to chew on: Every generation has their own ‘end of the age’ and ‘final hour’...does it not? (Luke 21:32) Let’s be honest here...are we not seeing ‘perilous times in the last days’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5) where they ‘call good evil and evil good’? (Isa. 5:20) After Jesus shared some parables with the multitudes, He ‘sent them away to their homes’, and then His disciples came to Him asking for more explanation to what they had heard Him teach. Remember...He only reveals the ‘mysteries’ of the kingdom to His disciples... those who ‘come to Him’ (with thei...

  Your 3rd grade child comes home from school in a less-than-joyful mood one day. When you inquire as to what is bothering them, they sheepishly inform you their ‘whole’ class got marched down to the principal’s office today to be ‘disciplined’. Apparently, the teacher had stepped out of the room for a minute or two to confer with a colleague after leaving a stern warning with the class to continue working quietly on their assignment, and anyone who acted up would be dealt with in a ‘quick and serious manner. It did not take long before the entire class ‘acted up’ and things got loud and unruly quick; which prompted the teacher to cut her visit short as she stormed back into the room to bring order. As promised, she then lined the class up and marched them down to the office where they were indeed ‘disciplined’. Many of the kids returned back to the room, whimpering in tears. Notes were sent home to the parents informing them as to what had transpired. Lessons learned, you thou...

  When a person comes to Jesus with all their heart, a genuine and supernatural transformation begins to take place. And you will know it, I promise. It doesn’t take a ‘running start’ either, to become made aware of this change, nor will one need to be convinced that something has happened to them by repeating over and over some phrase or Bible verse, as if ‘positive thinking/confession’ plays a role in one’s conversion. Now that’s not to say being with other like-minded believers for encouragement is not important or beneficial, because it is indeed. (Heb. 3:12-13; 10:24-25;Acts 2:42-47). But make no mistake about this: “IF...the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11). And I cannot stress enough the importance of ‘coming to Him’ (with all your heart) in order to receive this new life. (John 5:39-40; 2 Cor. 3:16) If a curious ‘seek...

  I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, and at the risk of being misunderstood, and possibly offending or irritating others, it still needs to be said. It’s more of a concern, really, that I have had... that many who claim to be ‘followers of Jesus’, or ‘believing Christians’ have become overly pre-occupied with the wrong....’ship’. Just because the ‘passengers’ elected a new ‘captain’ who made all kinds of promises to ‘turn this ship around’ offering up better days ahead...what good is it if that ship’s name is the ‘Titanic’? Yes...my concerns run deep for the many who have possibly been lured in to a false sense of security that ‘happy days are here again’ and they have no idea what may be ‘coming down the pipe’, as we like to say. The real pressing concern here is which ‘boat’ are you finding your security in these days, the Titanic (with its new 'captain'), or the ‘Ark’? And friends...you can’t be a committed passenger on both boats. Jesus warned of increased decept...