SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/5/2019
9:40 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “The
Battle: Against Demons”
Bible Reading & Mediation Reference: Ephesians
6:12
Message of the verses: “12 For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces
of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
We
begin with a quote from John MacArthur: “Dealing
with demons in one’s Christian life is not a matter of finding the technique to
send them away, but of being committed to the spiritual means of grace that
purifies the soul, so that there is no unclean place that demons could occupy
or by which they might gain advantage.
James gives the only formula for deliverance from the demons or the
devil himself: ‘Resist the devil and he
will flee from you’ (James 4:7).”
There
is a little booklet entitled “My Heart Christ’s Home,” and in this booklet the
author goes over the different areas of a home as if it were a believer’s
body. He goes from one room to another,
things like the kitchen to the living room, to the bathroom, to the
bedroom. At the end of the booklet we
see Jesus still not satisfied that He was welcome in the believer’s home and
then He goes to a closet where there is an awful odder coming from it, and this
is where he finds a place that was not given to the Lord to occupy, a place
where hidden sins were. If there is one
area of a believer’s life that has not been given over to the Lord then that
could be a place where a demon will use to tempt us, and so as James tells us
we must resist the devil, give everything over to the Lord and then the devil
will flee, that is a wonderful promise.
As
believers we have the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, and that power is a
great power to have. Paul prayed for the
Colossians the following prayer in Col. 1:11-13, but I will begin with verse
nine and go to through verse 14 in order
to help make things a bit clearer: “9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of
it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His
will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all
respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of
God; 11 strengthened
with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all
steadfastness and patience; joyously12 giving thanks to the Father, who has
qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. 13 For He
rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of
His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” There is no Christian any longer in Satan’s
domain, and every believer has the resources of God’s own Holy Spirit, who
lives in all believers, to free himself from any demonic entanglement, no
matter how severe. Where sin is
confessed and put away, Satan and his demons are expelled.
1
Corinthians 10:12 tells us the following “Therefore let him who thinks he
stands take heed lest he fall,” and this is a warning from Paul not to become presumptuous,
thinking that we are free from any danger.
The Christian life is a life that is to keep on growing no matter how
old you are in the Lord, for if a believer is not growing, then he is going
backwards. If we kind of want to take a
vacation from our walk with the Lord then we are most vulnerable, as only where
trust is completely in the Lord’s power is their safety. Paul goes on to say “God is faithful, who
will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure
it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
Lord
willing, we will finish this section in our next SD.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I am to never be over confident in thinking
that Satan cannot mess with me, but am to trust in the strength of the Lord to
keep me growing in His grace. I am
always to keep a short list with the Lord and never try and get to close to
sin, as that could cause me to fall into sin.
My
Steps of Faith For Today: Humility goes along with growing in the Lord, and
pride goes along with not growing in the Lord.
Today’s rather long quotation from “Love in Action”
comments on yesterday’s verses from Daniel:
“When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood before King
Nebuchadnezzar and his fiery furnace, this was their courageous message. During World War II Hitler blasted his way
across France demanding unconditional surrender of the Allied Forces. Trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, the Allies
knew they would soon be obliterated. But
during that agonizing period, they broadcast a terse message across the English
Channel consisting of just three words: “BUT
If NOT…” Was it a code? No. It
was a reference to the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. When the English soldiers back
home heard those words, they understood them completely. They knew the biblical context and understood
what it meant. It was a “shorthand”
message of courage designed to help them stand strong when everything was
against them.”
10/5/2019 10:17 AM
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