demonic

It’s Not Us Against Them

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

“We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places. And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

It’s not about us versus them. It’s not about us Republicans voting those meddling Democrats out of office or visa versa. It’s not conservative versus liberal, right-wing versus left-wing. It’s about fighting against the evil spiritual forces in the heavenlies. And who does the fighting? God does.

What does the Bible say in regards to us versus them? Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Yes, speak out against evil but remember that the source of that evil isn’t human. It’s demonic.

Too many times it’s about me proving that I’m right rather than engaging in honest dialogue and actually listening to what the other person has to say. And it’s best to speak the truth with humility rather than in pride, remembering that any truth that I know didn’t come to me because of my intelligence or good looks or wit. It came because God chose to reveal it to me.

That’s my random take for the day. I leave it up to you to figure out how to apply it to real-life.

 

Making The Impossible Possible

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

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If you want to see a positive, life-affirming movie, watch The Impossible. It’s set during the 2004 tsunami that hit the coastal areas of several Asian countries and centers around a family trying desperately to find each other.

It seems like an impossible task. There’s so much devastation and chaos that the odds of finding anyone familiar are extremely high. But their love for each other proves more resilient than any obstacle that stands in their way and in the end, they find each other. Sorry if I just spoiled the ending for you.

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Maybe you’re facing an impossible situation right now.

Maybe it’s a friendship that’s fractured beyond repair.

Maybe it’s a marriage that’s fraying at the seams and it seems like it will inevitably fall apart.

Maybe it’s a son or daughter who has gone prodigal and the chance of their returning seems less likely with each passing year.

Maybe it’s a dream that you’ve all but given up on, believing that you missed your best chance long ago and now any hope of seeing that dream come true is fading.

I’ve come to believe that with God, truly nothing is impossible. There’s no such thing as too late. There’s no such thing as past hope. There’s nothing broken that can’t be fixed, nothing so shattered it can’t be put back together again.

In fact, the more impossible the situation, the better God is at coming through. He even makes it look easy.

After all, if he can take a life that was dead and decayed and make it alive again, is anything else really so hard?

If he can take death, hell, sin, and the grave and defeat them on their own terms at the cross and the empty tomb, is there anything left that can stand against him?

I love these words of the Apostle Paul’s: ”

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutelynothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us (Romans 8:31-39).

 

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts on spirituality

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

As believers in Christ, we don’t fight for victory; we fight from victory. The battle is the Lord’s and He has overcome. The battle is won!

The moment we choose to rebel against what we know to be true is the very moment we open the door to demonic activity in our lives. Peter is a good example of this when he opposed Jesus’ going to Jerusalem and to the cross. If we are under attack, maybe the question to ask is, “What am I believing that is a lie?” or “What am I not believing and acting on that I know to be true?”

God doesn’t want all your activities and programs and to-do lists as much as He wants your heart. And that does not mean a still-beating heart on a silver platter. It means that God wants your heart surrendered to Him. He wants your affection, your emotions, your devotion. In essence, He wants you to fall in love with Him all over again like you did at the first. God is not mad at you or disappointed in you. He knows you better than anyone. He knew who you were and who you’d turn out to be when He created you. Nothing you do is a surprise to Him. But what He’s about to do in your life will be a great surprise to you (and better than anything you could have dreamed of). As I heard someone say, God will use you unless you choose not to be used.

Some of Satan’s modes of attack is accusation and condemnation. That you are not good enough. That you are not nearly up to the task He has called you to. Remember that God doesn’t call the equipped, but equips the called. He wants your availability, not your ability. Another mode of demonic attack is to divide and conquer, to get you isolated and vulnerable. If you are cutting yourself off from fellowship with other believers, beware. You are walking straight into the devil’s trap. But every story of deliverance starts with admitting that I am helpless and that I need Someone to come to my rescue. And God is in the business of rescuing.

God wants your heart. God wants your availability. Believe it or not, God wants you. God still wants me, after all I’ve done wrong and how I’ve often been a walking billboard of reasons not to believe. Rest in your Abba’s love for you. Wherever you are and wherever you’re headed, you can always turn around and come Home.