Satan?
I’m teaching through Luke at church…and I continue to be struck by one thing over and over.
Jesus goes away to pray for the night…Jesus comes back in the morning…and the first person He meets is Satan.
Over and over again.
Satan… ravaging people with disease, mental illness, and all manner of afflictions.
Jesus, of course, heals them and everyone is off to the next encounter.
My question is this…what’s changed?
Did the cross “bind” the hosts of hell from this sort of activity…or are we just pretending it’s not happening and relying on modern means to combat spiritual affliction?
We’re watching an entire country to the south of us implode with violence and evil…as if there were no restraint from heaven or earth.
More and more these days I’m aware of a hateful presence in our world and in my life.
Do we need to look again at these passages…or are they just ancient history?
Are we tremendously vulnerable to demonic attack…because we don’t think it exists anymore?
NO postings on the Devil
Satan…is bound… but not from all his activities… he can still Kill Steal and Destroy but he cannot dominate and possess all things and all people.
“Are we tremendously vulnerable to demonic attackâŠbecause we donât think it exists anymore?”
Yes, for sure,
and many people are seeking answers in the wrong places, too
and in the wrong ways and wonder why they cant find victory and freedom from the bondage that so grips their lives.
Here are some things
Be strong in the Lord, in the power of His Might
Stand,
in Truth
walking in righteousness,
in the gospel of peace
in faith, which quenches all the fiery darts of the evil one
Bathed in the word of God, Our minds protected in Salvation that is in Christ
be prayerful
watchful,
and no longer walk as the gentiles do, put off your former conduct,
Be renewed in the spirit of mind.
laying aside so many weights that are weighing us down,
cutting those things out of our lives that pull our focus away and detract from those things God calls us to.
“More and more these days I’m aware of a hateful presence in the world and in my life”
…ditto…
Michael. I am going to start calling you Jeremiah (yes, as a compliment). You give us not one but two posts today when you were going to step aside for awhile? đ
7 O LORD, You induced me, and I was persuaded;
You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
I am in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
I shouted, âViolence and plunder!â
Because the word of the LORD was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
9 Then I said, âI will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.â
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.
Jer 20:7-9
God bless you brother.
Every time someone talks about Satan I automatically think of an old Petra record that when spun backwards (a big thing back then) said
“what are you doing looking for the Devil when you ought to be looking to the Lord”
That’s usually enough for me on this topic.
“Are we tremendously vulnerable to demonic attackâŠbecause we donât think it exists anymore?”
Yes. But as Dread stated, he is bound (they are bound) and cannot rip and tear and possess at will. However, they can greatly influence the masses (population) with powerful suggestion. And they can possess or take over a person who surrenders his will and body.
James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
This is as some know a favorite subject of mine….
Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil… I John 3:8 He did precisely that. Revelation 12 tells us about all the things the Devil is unable to do; 1. Could not devour the child Rev 12:4-5 …then after the son of God ascended into heaven… 2 He could not maintain his place in heaven Rev. 12:8, 3. He could kill the ‘brothers’ but he could not overcome their testimony, Rev. 12:11, 4.He could not sweep away the woman with the flood of his vomit. Rev 12:15-16, … But he COULD make war on the ‘rest of her offspring.’
Thus Satan is both bound and unbound. He can make destruction but he cannot make desolation. He can kill the saints but not overcome the church.
Before Jesus he held all the nations in darkness and under his power… after the resurrection the nations are evangelized and taught the commandments of Jesus. Satan is bound. He can do all manner of harassment to the people of God but he cannot possess them. He can no longer hold whole nations in darkness.
Those who bear the name of Jesus are plundering Satan’s house.
My friend London is hoping that if she closes her eyes the old devil will not be there after she opens again.
How much of what we see as illness…mental or physical…is demonic?
How much of what we see in Mexico (moving our way) is demonic.
What are we to do?
Michael saked,
“Do we need to look again at these passages⊔
yes
“or are they just ancient history?”
no
“Are we tremendously vulnerable to demonic attackâŠbecause we donât think it exists anymore?”
yes
“How much of what we see as illnessâŠmental or physicalâŠis demonic?”
more than some know…less than some think
Michael:
Please note, as you see this stuff about Satan, who Jesus was talking to, and it wasn’t the evil, idol worshiping gentiles?
Maybe the key to Satan’s work starts somewhere locally.
I remember Luther had these constant struggle with the Devil. If this was true it would make sense to attacked those who bring God’s word to an unbelieving and unknowing population.
One of the things I appreciate most about Mount Olivet is the acknowledging of spiritual warfare. I have to admit I had become complacent on the subject. Foolishly.
For 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
The war isn’t over. While we know the outcome and The Victor, and “this is the victory that overcomes: our faith” , we are still very much ‘in the valley of the shadow of death’
(and should not fear). This planet isn’t Heaven.
I personally believe the same enemy that decimated Job is still capable of the same today. The same enemy that bound and deceived people in New Testament times is still pulling the same tricks and lies. yes, God is Sovereign, but He does allow….
A comforting verse for me: 1 John 5:18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.
“The evil one cannot touch him”
because:
1 John 5:19 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
“the whole world is under the control of the evil one”
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
“seeking someone to devour”
Eph 6:11 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
“schemes of the devil”
We are at war because there are valuables at stake: the souls of men and the faith of the saints.
BD.
Haha- Yep! Pretty much
Hey everybody. It’s been a while. đ
You probably all know my thoughts on this already, but…when I read the Bible it seems like there ought to be spiritual solutions to all of these problems. But the reality that I have experience is that “spiritual” solutions don’t work, and that scientific solutions, medical solutions, and solutions based on human logic, while not perfect, have a better success rate than “spiritual” solutions–particularly more than the “spiritual” solutions proffered by charismatic church which I have found to be not merely not helpful but actually out right harmful.
So, theoretically, yeah, there ought to be spiritual solutions that actually work. But practically speaking that doesn’t seem to be the case. Either they don’t work because there is no spiritual solution. Or they don’t work because I am too flawed to make them work and God has not deigned to show me how they work. Either way, it seems futile to continue searching for them.
Hi Jessica
Does that mean there is no forgiveness of sins?
Good to see you …and how are you … and isn’t this the Married Menn-____?
and dang it BD…now you’ve gone and creeped me out again!
đł
wrong face.
should have been đŻ
***Does that mean there is no forgiveness of sins?***
No, I don’t think so. If Jesus really is God and He really came and He really died on the cross and rose again, then there is forgiveness of sin. Supernatural healing from disease and mental illeness and rescue from horrible social situations seems to be separate from forgiveness of sins. Sometimes those things do happen, but very rarely it seems–certainly not as commonly as they happened in the New Testament. It would be cool if those sorts of things really happened now like they seemed to have happened in the Bible, but it doesn’t seem to happen like that in this day and age. What I’ve seen is christians working themselves up into an emotional frenzy and trying to convince themselves that supernatural works are occuring or will occur in the near future. I need more than that to believe that disease, mental illness and horrendous social situations can viably be cured by combatting the devil as opposed to using science and human logic to deal with them.
Oh, and, yeah, I’m married now–since June 6th. I have some pictures posted on my facebook page. This whole married thing is pretty nice.I finally get to live in the house I bought instead of having to go to my parents’ every night. :p
My husband’s last name is Anderson–which was kind of an issue when The Matrix first came out, but people have finally for the most part stopped quoting Hugo Weaving at him. I don’t know yet if I’m going to change my last name or not. I’m definitely just going to stay with my maiden name for all my online activities–it’s way too much of a hassle to change thing. (Although, actually, I can keep that in my back pocket. If I ever say anything too ridiculous and controversial, I can start all over with a whole new online name and no one will be the wiser đ )
#12 Dusty
several years ago a psychiatrist, Scott Beck, decided to examine the concept of evil w/in the mental health field… he became a believer from his research… he’s ‘moved on’ to a more eastern belief system since the book is The Road Less Traveled in which he decribes evil… often existing in such a mundane form it is ‘missed/excused’
he “moved on” in alot more ways than that. He died in 2005.
His first book was called “The Road Less Traveled” and is about things such as having self control and impulse control etc. The book that is specifically about evil is called “People of the Lie”. It should be required reading of anyone in counseling or dealing with people in any type of profession including ministry IMNSHO.
and it’s M. Scott Peck (in case you’re gonna google him)
An Angelic Angel of Finance, I missed it. Do people actually listen to this tripe ? Would you want your doctor, contractor, the engineer that builds the plain you fly in, the car you drive in, the bridge you drive on, the scientific team that builds our vaccines each year, make our medical machines, grow our food, manage our power grids, manage our water supply, etc. ?
builds should have been develop sorry
plain is plane
I misspell more words when I am trying to be righteously indignant. Sometimes I make myself feel silly.
ummm i think it’s ok at 1:33 AM
and London, thank you for correcting my information…asked my SO for specifics, later realized we were discussing apples and oranges lolol
If it was true when Jesus lived, it is true today. The problem with the modern church is that it has picked over the scripture and decided what it wants to believe and thrown out the rest.
If you did a Bible study on the Destroyer, you’d be amazed at what you would learn. It’s interesting why he comes and when he comes and what precipitates his coming.
The truth is that God CAN heal mental illness, afflictions, and disease but very few seem to want to believe it. We much prefer modern medicine and mental health centers to the hand of God. And, we don’t know how to appropriate the hand of God or how to move God to heal us. We haven’t the faith or the conviction.
I have personally been healed of mental illness and while most people (Christians) just blow that off as some odd boast, it is true. I was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic when I was 19. I heard voices, had delusions, blackouts, and the whole gamut. God delivered me and healed me, and His prescription included a lot of repentance on my part for the unforgiveness, hatred, anger, wrath (etc) that resided in my heart. Freedom came as sin went out the door. This is not the place to explain it all, but I’ve been on the other side and I’ve come back and I know what God can do.
But it’s not easy. Not easy to look at yourself and turn from your sins. Not easy to believe you are not the victim. Not easy to take responsibility for your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Not easy.
I actually get upset when I hear people say that God doesn’t heal these things. That means I should just cross out my life and pretend that God never healed me. I won’t do it. I will boldly stand and say that God can do today what He did in the New Testament if you are serious and ask with your whole heart. Me, I was just desperate. I was not a good Christian. I was desperate and had no one else to turn to and I would not accept insanity as a life sentence.
The church isn’t that desperate for truth today. We have modern medicine and mental health center.
Sorry if I offend anyone, but someone has to stand up for the Lord and say that what is impossible with men is possible with God. I am neither a charismatic nor an evangelical. I just a nobody in terms of the world and the church, but I know what God can do.
Judy, thank you for that beautiful testimony!
Judy, I would love to hear more, I have been praying for healing for my mom and several others in our church for several years and still not seeing God or medicine heal, in fact things are getting worse.
***I actually get upset when I hear people say that God doesnât heal these things. That means I should just cross out my life and pretend that God never healed me.***
I didn’t say those things never happen. What I said was “Sometimes those things do happen, but very rarely it seemsâcertainly not as commonly as they happened in the New Testament.”
Basically, if those things happen it’s cool, but I wouldn’t bank on it. They don’t happen like they happened in the Bible.