The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning. Life with the Holy One truly is a thrill a minute. I can't tell if it's me asking non stop-questions of my Lord or Him wanting me to learn more with the short time I believe we have left on earth., but the "why's" are swallowed up by the "whats" and I can't scribe fast enough. Before I can fully process one vital lesson another one comes on it's heels. This is one of those days.
The subject of "deliverance" has been all around me lately. There are many who make the fatal mistake of believing that the Devil does not exist. Jesus spoke of the reality of the prince of darkness and Ephesians speaks of the battle and identifies the enemy, so to deny his existence and viability is rejecting the Truth of the Word of God.
We are told about "strongholds", which is a power grip that the devil has on one's mind. When the power grip is so strong, demons manifest through the person and we call them "possessed". The process of freeing the mind is then called "deliverance". When the evil demon power over the mind is evicted, the person is considered "delivered" from bondage to that entity and regains control of their thoughts and behavior.
The whole subject sounds "ooga-booga" and many will not even attempt to grasp the principles behind the mystery. The Holy One calls me today after a week of hearing different personal testimonies of people being set free by the power of Jesus. It's not everyday that these testimonies surface, but the few coming in a short space of time has me thinking deep.
As I ponder the subject of enemy intrusion into the mind, the Holy Spirit speaks, "Satan cannot operate without permission".
God's Word in Isaiah 54 says, "For I, the Lord have created the destroyer to work havoc." That sounds like it could be bad, until you read the next part. "No weapon formed against you will prevail". In essence, what I read is that God created the destroyer to work havoc and therefore God is in control of the degree of havoc that the destroyer is allowed to work, and, also, that God is in control of the purpose behind the havoc. God did not create the destroyer to destroy us. That is why the next part is so important. No weapon formed against us (who believe) will prevail.
Then the scripture says, "You will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and this is their vindication from Me". Satan is the accuser of the brethren of believers. This part of the verse reveals that the real battle is in the mind where all accusations come to rest and actions are formed in response.
Wrong thinking in our lives represents sin and that opens up the doorway for the darkness to enter. As we have the Word of God to encourage us, direct us, teach us, command us, warn us, we are not without the tools to recognize behavior that is antagonistic to God's Will, in other words, sin. Add to that our Indwelling Counselor, whose role it is to bring in God's wisdom and life and to bring out of us the Glory due Christ Jesus, we have all we need to live free from tormenting spirits sent by Satan AKA the Devil.
Reading the account of Job's life, we get the picture that Satan had to have God's "permission" to attack Job's life. Satan's intended goal was to humiliate God through Job. His effort was aimed at the end game...to manipulate the relationship between the God and His Beloved "servant". He was intent on discrediting God's creation and thereby insult the Creator. The enemy set out to break down God's beloved and attempt to get him to curse God.
How does this evil one work? His strategy is ancient and never changes. He is a liar. He will speak lies and half truth to our minds and then create circumstances that tend to support the lie he wants us to believe.
In John 8:44, Jesus speaking to a group of rejecting religious people of His day said, "you belong to your father the devil.......he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him. For when he lies, he speaks his native tongue for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Our ancient enemy speaks lies to our minds. As we come to believe his lies against the Truth and the Word of the Living God of all Creation, we give him a doorway of access into our minds. Once he moves in without being evicted, we can be overcome by evil thoughts which then become ungodly behavior. The enemy gains permission to enter when we continue to violate or disobey God's commands which were set up for our good.
For the really "possessed", those having believed the lies for so long, his access often comes through substance abuse which neutralizes a person's will to evict the liar and creates a temporary place of comfort or peace. But for those he just "torments", access is gained through attitude sin like anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, anger, hatred, resentment, guilt, all of which we are commanded to get rid of or "put off".
Back to Job's life, and while none can judge I notice a few places where he believed a lie and co-operated with Satan's attack.
Job' statement in Job 1:21, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away". In reality it was not the Lord who caused the loss, It was Satan. The assassination of God's character was allowed to stand in Job's mind.
In the end, after all that the enemy brought against Job's life while under God's Sovereign control, Job entered into a deep relationship with the Creator God.
God spoke to him and set him straight. Job answered indicating, he got the point. In Job 42:4 he says about his experience with God, "You said, Listen now and I will speak: I will question you and you shall answer me." My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you, therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
What was Job repenting for? I see it as his "wrong perspective", which is a polite way of saying Job had believed lies about the true character of God.
Satan was given permission to enter Job's circumstances. God allowed the test. Satan was also given permission to enter as Job himself believed lies and half truths about God's Character and relationship with His beloved.
The account of Job's life and trials, the understanding of God's permission and Satan's limitations is really a hard concept to accept until we get to the end of the story. There we find Job fully restored and even multiplied in blessings. He, like Lazarus, was a resurrected man, with a bigger and better understanding of the mighty, powerful, majestic God we serve.
Permission to enter was granted Satan , but only so that God's Sovereign purpose in it be fulfilled. God's Will is intimacy with His beloved and at the end of Job's story, that was accomplished unto God's great Glory. Intimacy begins when we seek God for who He is, and His Word is all about who He is. To get to know our God we must get to know His Word.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
The subject of "deliverance" has been all around me lately. There are many who make the fatal mistake of believing that the Devil does not exist. Jesus spoke of the reality of the prince of darkness and Ephesians speaks of the battle and identifies the enemy, so to deny his existence and viability is rejecting the Truth of the Word of God.
We are told about "strongholds", which is a power grip that the devil has on one's mind. When the power grip is so strong, demons manifest through the person and we call them "possessed". The process of freeing the mind is then called "deliverance". When the evil demon power over the mind is evicted, the person is considered "delivered" from bondage to that entity and regains control of their thoughts and behavior.
The whole subject sounds "ooga-booga" and many will not even attempt to grasp the principles behind the mystery. The Holy One calls me today after a week of hearing different personal testimonies of people being set free by the power of Jesus. It's not everyday that these testimonies surface, but the few coming in a short space of time has me thinking deep.
As I ponder the subject of enemy intrusion into the mind, the Holy Spirit speaks, "Satan cannot operate without permission".
God's Word in Isaiah 54 says, "For I, the Lord have created the destroyer to work havoc." That sounds like it could be bad, until you read the next part. "No weapon formed against you will prevail". In essence, what I read is that God created the destroyer to work havoc and therefore God is in control of the degree of havoc that the destroyer is allowed to work, and, also, that God is in control of the purpose behind the havoc. God did not create the destroyer to destroy us. That is why the next part is so important. No weapon formed against us (who believe) will prevail.
Then the scripture says, "You will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and this is their vindication from Me". Satan is the accuser of the brethren of believers. This part of the verse reveals that the real battle is in the mind where all accusations come to rest and actions are formed in response.
Wrong thinking in our lives represents sin and that opens up the doorway for the darkness to enter. As we have the Word of God to encourage us, direct us, teach us, command us, warn us, we are not without the tools to recognize behavior that is antagonistic to God's Will, in other words, sin. Add to that our Indwelling Counselor, whose role it is to bring in God's wisdom and life and to bring out of us the Glory due Christ Jesus, we have all we need to live free from tormenting spirits sent by Satan AKA the Devil.
Reading the account of Job's life, we get the picture that Satan had to have God's "permission" to attack Job's life. Satan's intended goal was to humiliate God through Job. His effort was aimed at the end game...to manipulate the relationship between the God and His Beloved "servant". He was intent on discrediting God's creation and thereby insult the Creator. The enemy set out to break down God's beloved and attempt to get him to curse God.
How does this evil one work? His strategy is ancient and never changes. He is a liar. He will speak lies and half truth to our minds and then create circumstances that tend to support the lie he wants us to believe.
In John 8:44, Jesus speaking to a group of rejecting religious people of His day said, "you belong to your father the devil.......he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him. For when he lies, he speaks his native tongue for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Our ancient enemy speaks lies to our minds. As we come to believe his lies against the Truth and the Word of the Living God of all Creation, we give him a doorway of access into our minds. Once he moves in without being evicted, we can be overcome by evil thoughts which then become ungodly behavior. The enemy gains permission to enter when we continue to violate or disobey God's commands which were set up for our good.
For the really "possessed", those having believed the lies for so long, his access often comes through substance abuse which neutralizes a person's will to evict the liar and creates a temporary place of comfort or peace. But for those he just "torments", access is gained through attitude sin like anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, anger, hatred, resentment, guilt, all of which we are commanded to get rid of or "put off".
Back to Job's life, and while none can judge I notice a few places where he believed a lie and co-operated with Satan's attack.
Job' statement in Job 1:21, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away". In reality it was not the Lord who caused the loss, It was Satan. The assassination of God's character was allowed to stand in Job's mind.
In the end, after all that the enemy brought against Job's life while under God's Sovereign control, Job entered into a deep relationship with the Creator God.
God spoke to him and set him straight. Job answered indicating, he got the point. In Job 42:4 he says about his experience with God, "You said, Listen now and I will speak: I will question you and you shall answer me." My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you, therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
What was Job repenting for? I see it as his "wrong perspective", which is a polite way of saying Job had believed lies about the true character of God.
Satan was given permission to enter Job's circumstances. God allowed the test. Satan was also given permission to enter as Job himself believed lies and half truths about God's Character and relationship with His beloved.
The account of Job's life and trials, the understanding of God's permission and Satan's limitations is really a hard concept to accept until we get to the end of the story. There we find Job fully restored and even multiplied in blessings. He, like Lazarus, was a resurrected man, with a bigger and better understanding of the mighty, powerful, majestic God we serve.
Permission to enter was granted Satan , but only so that God's Sovereign purpose in it be fulfilled. God's Will is intimacy with His beloved and at the end of Job's story, that was accomplished unto God's great Glory. Intimacy begins when we seek God for who He is, and His Word is all about who He is. To get to know our God we must get to know His Word.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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