May 10, 2018

Does Satan Know You?

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of that house naked and bleeding. – Acts 19:11-16

Does Satan know who you are? That was the question posed in the Battle Plan for Prayer workbook. You’re probably thinking, “I hope not!” None of us wants to face an attack from Satan. But if Satan isn’t worried about what we might do for God, then maybe it’s past time we looked in the mirror and asked ourselves why not.

Spiritual warfare is all around us. That’s true whether we recognize it or not. What’s also true is the harder we push forward to serve Jesus and bring God glory, the more Satan wants to stop us. It’s just an unfortunate fact.

One primary way Satan attacks us is in our minds. Satan wants us to believe that God isn’t trustworthy, that He isn’t good, that God wants to deny us all those things we deserve. The devil will twist God’s words and dangle lots of stuff in front of us. His primary purpose is to make us turn away from God.

Don’t do it. Just don’t. Yes, God wants good things for us but that doesn’t mean He gives us everything we desire. It’s not good for us. Think about it this way: Would you let a two-year-old eat chocolate until he got sick? Of course not! You would let him have pieces in moderation so that the chocolate gave him joy and not a sick tummy.

God knows what is best for us, even though we might not always see it that way. He’s trying to mold us into the image of His Son. Sometimes that hurts.

It also forces us to come face-to-face with our total reliance on God. We want to do it all by ourselves. We give something to God – and then we take it back because God isn’t doing it the right way or isn’t completing the task quickly enough to satisfy us. Then our plans fail and we give it back to God. It’s an endless cycle.

We can do all things through Christ. It’s through Him that we accomplish the tasks God has placed before us. It’s not enough to claim faith; we have to believe and live that belief out loud.

Do you know why the sons in this passage couldn’t do anything to the evil spirits? Because they didn’t believe in Jesus. They said all the right things but their heart wasn’t filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s not words that save you. It’s genuine belief in our Risen Lord. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. There is no other way.

Satan knows that his time is limited. Jesus has already won the war. Satan is out to do as much damage as he can, while he can. It’s up to us to keep fighting in the Spirit.

I’ll ask you again: Does Satan know who you are? I hope he does because that means you’re living a life focused on bringing God glory.

April 23, 2018

Faith’s Shield Essential

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

– Ephesians 6:16

For we live by faith, not by sight.

– 2 Corinthians 5:7

What is your weak spot? Where are your vulnerable places where Satan knows he can push your buttons, cause you to doubt God, send you into a panic?

We all have them. We do. For some people, it’s your children or grandchildren. For others, it’s the security of a large bank account or a steady job. Maybe it’s your health. Whatever it is, Satan has you in his radar and he’s coming after you. Guaranteed.

There’s only one way to combat Satan and that’s with the armor of God. Most of us try to put on one part of the armor and leave something else out. The thing is that with even the best armor, Satan’s attacks can sometimes pierce us where we are most vulnerable. That’s where the shield comes in to play.

Why do you think the Apostle Paul paired faith with a soldier’s shield? Because it’s necessary to block Satan’s attacks. Armor can be penetrated in its vulnerable places, like where the metal joins together. But the shield is steady and true, especially when it’s locked together with the shields of other soldiers.

Faith sounds easy. We all have it. We know that Jesus died for us so that we might live. We’re Christians after all. But as the Book of Job attests, faith doesn’t always make life easy. Sometimes it’s just the opposite. There’s nothing Satan wants more than to use God’s children to discredit God Almighty.

We are in a spiritual war, whether we acknowledge it or not. Satan may not literally be attacking us with flaming arrows but we are under attack. Where are you vulnerable? What are the things that temp you to cast aside God’s ways for the world? What lures you away from where you need to stay? Have you experienced persecution for your faith? Are you following false teaching, a particular pastor, or the fun of a concert/church worship that isn’t based on truth? Do you doubt God when something doesn’t go your way? Do you lash out in anger when God doesn’t immediately answer your prayer?

We are going to have hardship in this world. God is going to tell us no sometimes. Life on this earth isn’t easy. It can really hurt. And even when all is well, we’re still looking ahead, one step at a time, following a God who knows the way but isn’t telling us the plan. Instead, God tells us to trust Him. God is faithful and true. He wants good things for us. He knows what He’s doing. It really will be okay.

I can’t even imagine how hard it was for Abraham to leave all that he knew for an unknown destiny. He did it anyway. He trusted God. He walked by faith.

Today will have challenges we can’t predict. Lift up your shield of faith, wrap yourself in God’s promises, walk in His light. Whatever the day brings, He’s got you covered. When nothing else makes sense, trust in Almighty God and you will find rest and peace for the journey.

March 24, 2016

Resist Satan’s Attacks

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." -- John 10:10

I want peace. I want to live in the moment, to be thankful for what I have and where I am. I don’t want to worry about what might or might not happen. I don’t want to bother with things I can’t predict or control.

Satan things that’s funny. How do I know? Because his attack is relentless. The Bible calls it spiritual warfare. It is real and it is way beyond anything I am capable of combating on my own.

In Ephesians, Paul talks about the armor of God. But those are things we put on before we go in to battle. It’s too late once the battle wages all around you.

I keep thinking of a scene in the War Room. Elizabeth has finally broken and cried out to God. Afterwards, she keeps repeating “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” That’s out of James. She basically throws the devil out of her home and her life.

In real life, it’s not that easy because the devil comes back again and again. Every time you think you’ve finally reached a place of peace, here he comes again with another attack. Satan doesn’t want us to pray. He doesn’t want us to seek God. He wants to negate all we are in Christ. But he can only do that if we allow it.

One of my favorite weapons is Scripture. When the enemy attack is in my mind, I push it aside with Scripture. It isn’t an easy battle. I repeat the same verses over and over again until the attack passes. Why? Because when Jesus was tempted by the devil, he answered with Scripture. I want to follow Jesus’ example.

I am certain I cannot fight this battle alone. No chance. Scripture tells me to humble myself before God and to stand firm in my faith. I so badly want to do that. I refuse to allow Satan to have my peace.

I resist, not on my own authority or with my own power, but through Jesus. I am nothing without Him. Really I am just another insecure person being battered by people and events who would do me harm. But through Him I have power to defeat this unseen foe.

March 13, 2016

Be Alert At All Times

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. -- 1 Peter 5:8

Last night our downtown hosted a Girls’ Night Out event. It was filled with fun and talk and meeting new people and old. I visited a store where my friend once operated her business. So much had changed. But not everything.

The young girls working heard me telling someone about the history of the store. It was once a funeral parlor. The old elevator with pull cords is still there. That’s how they got the bodies up to the second floor, where the embalming was done.

One Saturday my friend’s mother was working. She had one of her sweet dogs with her. She’d gone upstairs and the dog went with her. Something spooked the dog, who went running downstairs. Her Mom said she could see some clothes moving but nothing else. The dog would never go back upstairs.

One of the girls was totally freaked out and told us she works there most days by herself. There couldn’t be spirits, she insisted. When a person dies, you either go to heaven or hell. I didn’t want to get into the whole spiritual warfare topic. Honestly, I wasn’t sure she could handle it and I knew it was neither the time nor the place. I may stop back in one day and talk with her, though that’s another thing.

My advice: If something scares you tell it in no uncertain terms and in Jesus’ name to go away. She practiced. I hope she believed me because as simple as it sounds, it works.

We live in a fallen world where there is a spiritual battle going on around us all the time. It’s not some mystic mumbo jumbo. It’s real. And we’ve got to realize what is happening in order to fight against it. Be alert, as Peter says. Understand that the closer you get to doing something God has called you to do, the more Satan will attack you.

Know also your buttons. What are you afraid of? What makes you angry? Know where you are vulnerable to attack. Know what is most likely to cause you to sin and be prepared to fight against it -- in Jesus’ name and with His power and wisdom.

I have no idea what freaked the dog out that Saturday afternoon. But I do know it’s another reminder to us to always be aware of what is happening in the spiritual world that we do not see.