In waging war against these three fronts we, as Christ Followers, are in constant battle. But never forget that because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, the devil can mess with us, but he can’t take possession of us or separate us from Christ: “What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? It is God who justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, not life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:31-39).
We must also never forget that in dealing with the things in this world, we are NOT dealing with those “things,” but rather: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12).
I say these things because I have been involved on both sides of the fence. I worshipped the enemy for 33 years and know from firsthand experience where the battle lies, and it is NOT against people and things! There is a huge lack of understanding in the church right now as to the role of the devil, demon possession, and even many even denying that such “things” exist.
There are also many things of the world (who the enemy has rulership over) which he uses to make difficult for us to discern whether or not something should be dealt with in a worldly fashion or as demonic possession. One of those is the drug epidemic. Many use drugs because of mental health issues, and many others inherit mental health issues because of the drug use. Drug use is a HUGE gateway to the supernatural realm and opens yourself up to demonic possession. So, how do we discern whether a long time user is possessed or just has severe mental health issues? Even if you care enough to try helping them, these are things we must figure out so we can be in a position to help them.
There is so much darkness in our areas right now, and the enemy seems to have the upper hand. The darkness closes in while the lights sit idle in their church pews and hide out in their homes. I heard an illustration once where it was likened to a lighting isle in Home Depot or Menards. Thousands of lights lighting an area where it doesn’t need to be lighted, but rather just there to show off for looks. This is like how many of the people in our churches are right now. While their “light” is shining in the church and in their homes, where it doesn’t need to be, the darkness outside those places slowly creeps further and further outward winning more and more territory and swallowing more and more people up!
Evil is real. Satan is real. Demons are real, and the world can do nothing to battle against these things which are slowly destroying our friends, families and homes. ONLY we, as unified Christians, fighting FROM the victory Jesus already attained on the cross, will we begin to see the light once again taking control of our communities. You cannot do this from the comfort of your homes and churches. While people are dying all around us and going to hell, we continue to ignore the problem because we are comfortable and obviously don’t care about others. It’s time to wake up church. This is on us! Matt. 25:31-46.
Last week: Brian Cole: The World, the Flesh and the Devil, Part 1
Last Update: Apr 16, 2018 5:45 am CDT
