Yes, Jesus is still in the business today of ‘healing all who are oppressed by the devil’ (Acts 10:38; Heb. 13:8).

Yes, we can indeed ‘give place to the devil’…who comes to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (Eph. 4:27; John 10:10; 1 Pet. 5:8)

And yes, thanks to all the ‘knowledge’ God provides from His word…we can truly avoid being ‘destroyed’ (Hosea 4:6). After all, it's not His will for any to perish (2 Peter 3:9).

It is from the Bible where we learn of the ‘schemes of the devil’ and how we can ‘resist him’ so that he will ‘flee from us’. (2 Cor. 2:11; James 4:7)

I know this can be hard to wrap our heads around given how much diluted teaching exists today in many churches…but Satan is actually ‘used by God’…to carry out ‘discipline and judgement’ against sin…for the ‘destruction of the flesh so that our spirits might be saved’ (1 Cor. 5:5). What do you think the writer of Hebrews was alluding to when they mention how God ‘disciplines those whom He loves’…and how this ‘chastening is not joyful and even painful’ at times? (Heb. 12:6,11). The end goal here is our ‘holiness’…and without this holiness…’no one will see the Lord’ (14).

Those folks at Corinth were not ‘weak, sick, and dying’ because that mean old devil was after them for passing out gospel tracks in their neighborhood. God told them exactly why they were being ‘judged’, and it was not a good thing (1 Cor. 11:27-32). And I’m sure there was a reason as to why Jesus told a man whom He had recently healed to ‘go and sin no more…or something worse might happen to him’ (John 5:14).

We left off yesterday reading where Jesus healed a ‘daughter of Abraham’, or should I say He ‘loosed’ her from a spirit of infirmity’ after suffering physically for 18 years, and she was immediately made well. (Luke 13:11-16). No, there was not any mention of ‘sin’ in her life nor any reason given as to how she ended up in this wretched condition….but the key insight here is that a ‘spirit’ was the source of her physical ailment. We do however... see in other places where Jesus spent much time ‘teaching’…before He would then ‘heal all manner of sicknesses and diseases’ (Matt. 9:35), so ‘suffering because of sin’ was nothing new to these people back then (John 9:1-2).

As also cited in yesterday’s message …Paul reminds us how we are ‘not ignorant of Satan’s schemes’; and he mentions this in regards to the danger of not ‘forgiving’ someone and reaffirming one’s love towards a repentant sinner…’lest Satan take advantage of us’ (2 Cor. 2:5-11). And please underline that part about ‘reaffirming your love’ to that offender {8}. The case could be made that even if a person has not ‘repented’ yet…we are to still affirm our love towards them, as we ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘bless those who curse you’ (Matt. 5:38-45). If there is any ‘correcting’ that needs to be ‘administered to’ the offender…it’s best to let God handle that and we just do ‘our part’, as scripture instructs us (Rom. 12:14-21). I would even go as far to say that when we fail to do our part…then God may hold off on doing ‘His part’. Remember….His promises are usually ‘conditional’.

Now if there is one area that God is particularly mindful and observant of…it is when His children fail to show the same love and mercy to others…that He has clearly shown and demonstrated towards us (John 13:34; 15:12). Case and point: The parable of the unmerciful servant, found in Matt. 18:21-35. You can read/review for yourself, but please be sure to note how Jesus wraps up that story with a stern warning. We read there of course, of a man whom was forgiven of a great debt by the king; but then he failed to show the same kindness and mercy to someone else that ‘owed him’.

When the king heard about this, he was quite angry and had that servant brought to him, even calling him a ‘wicked servant’ (32). The next thing we learn is this man is then handed over to the ‘tormentors’, or the jailers whose job was to take prisoners down into the dungeon where they would be ‘tortured’ with pain and suffering…until they ‘broke’ and ‘paid up’ (34). It's not like these jailers were pals of the king and they all hung out together; they (the jailers) simply served to carry out a specific purpose in the kingdom.

Now look what Jesus makes known in vs. 35…”So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart…does not forgive his brother.”

Do you think Jesus was just playing around here with empty words and colorful illustrations in order to make a vague point…or did He really mean what He said? This sure sounds like serious business to me, does it not to you?

Here’s a thought for anyone who might be ‘suffering’ today and is desperate for some relief. Consider the words of James who asked: “Is there any sick among you?...confess your sins to one another that you might be healed…” (James 5:13-16). You might really take some time and ‘examine your heart’ as we are encouraged to do (2 Cor. 13:5) and even ask God to reveal to you if you are harboring any unforgiveness….resentment….or bitterness towards anyone who has ever hurt you in any way, shape, or form. I mean…don’t rush through this, as you may even find yourself going ‘way back in time’ to when you were much younger, possibly. I would even encourage you to have pen and paper handy to write down any names that come to mind that ‘hit a nerve’ within you.

Did you know that harboring unforgiveness in your heart is a ‘sin’ and can ‘give ground’ to the enemy who comes to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’? Take your time with this and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you as He wants to lead you into all truth…so that you might be ‘set free’.

Then…if/when any names or faces come to mind, there is no need to rehash or replay the actual ‘offense’ in your mind that was committed against you. But this would be an ideal time to begin praying for any and all people who you have made note of, and with the help of the Holy Spirit who provides ‘grace and mercy in our time of need’ (Heb. 4:16; 2:18) …begin to pray for those individuals (Matt. 5:44). And regardless of what they did, you might start out by asking God to forgive you…for holding on to this resentment and anger and bitterness as you then ‘release the offender’ into God’s hands. Just make sure this comes from your heart...as you verbalize your prayers from your lips.

Don’t rush this...and you may very well sense a ‘release’ with each person you pray for, even asking God to ‘bless them’. And as you forgive them, commit to God that you are done holding on to their past offenses, which means you will no longer talk about it, or them, to others. And should the enemy seek to ‘stir things back up’ (Matt. 12:44)…purpose in your heart that any remembrance of the offender and their sin will only serve as an incentive for you to continue praying for them.

You might be pleasantly surprised to see how God ‘shows up’ in your presence and does a supernatural work of healing within you. I mean…what have you got to lose? Besides...how's your way of holding on to those things been working out for you? (Mark 5:25-26)

I'd love to hear from you if you have an encouraging word of testimony that God indeed 'showed up'. :- )