YOUR ADVERSARY
INTENTION:
You will be surprised
in realising who you’ve made as an enemy—it’s not always Satan.
I.
TOPIC:
We want to look at who is Your Adversary.
For me, as a believer, the term “adversary” related directly
to Satan (and also the devil)—as he is my enemy and creates adversity in my
life. But there is another, greater, adversary for non-believers: God.
In Luke and Matthew following, we read Jesus speaking about
the need to believe in Him for salvation. That those who do not see and accept
Him to be saved are not fearing the right one, God. Because they do not fear
(revere) God, they do not take Him seriously. And in doing so, make Him their
adversary. God really isn’t our adversary, we just personally make Him to be
one. He Loves and cares for us more than anything, as we are the treasure He
gave up His Son for (Matthew
13:44-46).
The Lord desires all people to come to Christ and be Saved.
And it is the Holy Spirit that testifies to each and every individual about
Christ Jesus and the true Character and Nature of God for us to come to believe
in Him. When we reject that truth of the Holy Spirit, we are “blaspheming” Him,
because we are calling Him a liar. And when we continually reject that
testimony and die on this earth, we have no second chances to come to Him. This
Sin of Blasphemy is the Sin of unbelief (not believing in Jesus Christ). So
don’t make the Lord your enemy by rejecting Him.
This is why Jesus tells us: “As you are going with your
adversary [Jesus Christ] to the ruler [God the Father], make an
effort to settle with him [Jesus Christ] on the way.” And, “Anyone who is not with Me is against Me”.
·
Refer also: Bible Study Lesson 029 – The
Thief (Discernment & Battle)
II.
READING: Luke
12:1-59 (HCSB)
In these circumstances, a crowd of many thousands came
together, so that they were trampling on one another. He began to say to His
disciples first: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden
that won’t be made known. 3 Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will
be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
4 “And I say to you, My friends, don’t fear those who kill
the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the One to
fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I
say to you, this is the One to fear! 6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two
pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. 7 Indeed, the hairs
of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows!
8 “And I say to you,
anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him
before the angels of God, 9 but whoever denies Me before men will be denied
before the angels of God. 10 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man
will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not
be forgiven. 11 Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and
authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you
should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must
be said.”
13 Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my
brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 “Friend,” He said to him, “who appointed Me a judge or
arbitrator over you?” 15 He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against
all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”
16 Then He told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very
productive. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have
anywhere to store my crops? 18 I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my
barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then
I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it
easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your
life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’
21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for
himself and is not rich toward God.”
22 Then He said to His disciples: “Therefore I tell you,
don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you
will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24
Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a
barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any
of you add a cubit to his height by worrying? 26 If then you’re not able to do
even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labour or
spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was adorned
like one of these! 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the
field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will He do
for you—you of little faith? 29 Don’t keep striving for what you should eat and
what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly
seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided
for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give
you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags
for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where
no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
35 “Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. 36 You
must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet
so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37
Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure
you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve
them. 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds
them alert, those slaves are blessed. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had
known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be
broken into. 40 You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour
that you do not expect.”
41 “Lord,” Peter asked, “are You telling this parable to us
or to everyone?”
42 The Lord said: “Who then is the faithful and sensible
manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them
their allotted food at the proper time? 43 That slave whose master finds him
working when he comes will be rewarded. 44 I tell you the truth: He will put
him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart,
‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female
slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that slave’s master will come on
a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him
to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who
knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely
beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will
be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much.
And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.
49 “I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it
were already set ablaze! 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how
it consumes Me until it is finished! 51 Do you think that I came here to give
peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on, five
in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
53 They will be divided, father
against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against
mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against
mother-in-law.”
54 He also said to the crowds: “When you see a cloud rising
in the west, right away you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and so it does. 55 And
when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be a scorcher!’ and it
is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and
the sky, but why don’t you know how to interpret this time?
57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As
you are going with your adversary to the ruler, make an effort to settle with
him on the way. Then he won’t drag you before the judge, the judge hand you
over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you
will never get out of there until you have paid the last cent.”
III.
RELATED VERSES AND QUESTIONS:
A. Making
God your adversary is recounted also in Matthew
5. At the time of Jesus, and even to this day, mankind saw God as the
opponent—for people had an issue with God based on ignorance or misguided
teachings by the Scribes and Pharisees (and people today). As such, God saw
this and rectified it. It is not that God was really our enemy, but we made Him
so. Thus, as He sent Christ Jesus to the Cross (as an alter gift), He saw that
mankind (brothers) had something against Him and went about reconciling Himself
to mankind (2
Corinthians 5:14-21). If we do not, in return, come to believe and be
Born-Again, we maintain our status as his adversary—which is why He says to
“settle quickly” otherwise face eternal judgement to “throw people into hell
(prison) after death”.
Matthew
5:21-26 (HCSB)
“You have heard that it
was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject
to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be
subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject
to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.
23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that
your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of
the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and
offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re
on the way with him, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, the
judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I assure you: You
will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!
Question: Share how, before coming to believing
Him, you maybe saw God as an enemy?
B. God
often gives us instruction that we find difficult or even offensive. But God
will never instruct us to do something He Himself doesn’t do—just as we now
read above in Matthew. He will always hold Himself to the same standards of
Righteousness that He holds us to. There is only one kind of Righteousness and
one kind of Holy. As such, when we are told to “love our enemies” we can see
that God loves us even if we are convinced He is our enemy. He cannot not Love
each and every human being. He died not for just believers, but for all of
humanity; believers or not (John
3:16-17).
Luke
6:27-36 (HCSB)
“But I say to you who
listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless
those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on
the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold
back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who
takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do
for you, do the same for them. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit
is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do what is
good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do
that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit
is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love
your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your
reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious
to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is
merciful.”
Question: Do you have a difficult time loving
your enemies?
C. As
unbelievers, we were against the Lord—the term for a non-believer being: Evil.
Just as the unbelieving Pharisees were called evil (Matthew
12:33-37). But even though we had been against the Lord, and thus enemies
of the Lord, He Loved us so much that He reconciled Himself to us. We had
something against Him, yet He was the one to do the reconciliation (Matthew
5:23-24). Now we do not have to fear Him, allowing us to come to Him
without fear or worry. It is only in our imaginations (minds) that we think we
are His enemy.
Romans
5:1-11 (HCSB)
Therefore, since we have
been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in
which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only
that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction
produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character
produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been
poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were still
helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely
will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone
might even dare to die. 8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us! 9 Much more then, since we have now
been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.
10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death
of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His
life! 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. We have now received this reconciliation through Him.
Colossians
1:21-23 (HCSB)
Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil
actions. 22 But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His
death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him— 23 if indeed
you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from
the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all
creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
Question: Does knowing ahead of time that you’ve
already been reconciled by God make it less obtrusive to then come to believe
in Him or minister to others to believe in Him?
D. Because
we are reconciled to come to Him to claim His Righteousness as our own, we do
have an opponent that tries to keep us from believing in Him: Satan. It is he who
tries to snatch up the seed of the gospel that is spread on a person’s heart.
For the one on the path is too hard for the seed to sink in, and it gets
stollen by Satan. The rocky and thorny ones are people who do become Born-Again
believers, but their fruit is stifled by persecution or strongholds (such as
worldly things).
Mark
4:13-20 (HCSB)
Then He said to them:
“Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the
parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones along the path
where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away
the word sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when
they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. 17 But they have no
root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes
because of the word, they immediately stumble. 18 Others are sown among thorns;
these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries of this age, the
seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the
word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But the ones sown on good ground are those
who hear the word, welcome it, and produce a crop: 30, 60, and 100 times what
was sown.”
Question: Looking back to before being
Born-Again, can you see the times when the seed was taken from you?
E. There
are people in this world that hold God as an enemy, and therefore, hold you as
a believer as an enemy. This enmity can come from direct persecution, or just
by the things around us in the world. Remember, we fight the spiritual battles.
We cannot help but live among our enemies, but we have been given Grace and
Peace to live above their deceptions.
Matthew
13:24-30 (HCSB)
He presented another
parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good
seed in his field. 25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed
weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 When the plants sprouted and produced
grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27 The landowner’s slaves came to him and
said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds
come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this!’
he told them.
“‘So, do you want us to go
and gather them up?’ the slaves asked him.
29 “‘No,’ he said. ‘When
you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both
grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather
the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my
barn.’”
Philippians
3:13-21 (HCSB)
Brothers, I do not
consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what
is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the
prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, all who
are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything,
God will reveal this also to you. 16 In any case, we should live up to whatever
truth we have attained. 17 Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those
who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For I have often told you,
and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in
their shame. They are focused on earthly things, 20 but our citizenship is in
heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His
glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.
2
Thessalonians 2:1-4 (HCSB)
Now concerning the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him: We ask you, brothers, 2
not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message
or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has come. 3
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the
apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or
object of worship, so that he sits in God’s sanctuary, publicizing that he
himself is God.
1
John 4:1-6 (HCSB)
Dear friends, do not
believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 This is how you know the
Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is from God. 3 But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from
God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming,
and he is already in the world now.
4 You are from God, little
children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world. Therefore what
they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God.
Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen
to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
Question: Do you come across people or things in
this world that directly or deceptively oppose the Lord?
F. Sometimes,
our adversary are the things we must give up. Often, when we seek the Lord and
His ways, the ways of our former self must be let go of. Holding onto them can
be a stronghold that keeps us anchored to our past. Sometimes that stronghold
isn’t just money and things, but people—family that are close to us and mean
the most to us. Thus, many times, it is very difficult to either come to believe
in Christ or to follow Him if it means we will lose our “brothers, sisters,
mothers, and children”—knowing even the persecution that may come.
Mark
10:23-31 (HCSB)
Jesus looked around and
said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the
kingdom of God!” 24 But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus
said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to
enter the kingdom of God.”
26 So they were even more
astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not
with God, because all things are possible with God.”
28 Peter began to tell
Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”
29 “I assure you,” Jesus
said, “there is no one who has left house, brothers or sisters, mother or
father, children, or fields because of Me and the gospel, 30 who will not
receive 100 times more, now at this time—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers
and children, and fields, with persecutions—and eternal life in the age to
come. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Question: What have you given up, or are being
called to give up with the Lord? How can you discern if this “giving up” is
done from a “religious stance” (flesh-centric) or Spirit-led?
G. When
we choose the Lord and to believe in Christ Jesus, that moment we are
Born-Again, we are (in essence) no longer making God our adversary (enemy); yet
the devil still remains (and treats us as) an adversary (enemy). And as we
learned in previous Bible Lessons, the devil is not specifically Satan, but
anything that opposes God—thus opposing you as a Child of God.
1
Peter 5:8-9 (HCSB)
8 Be serious! Be alert!
Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for
anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him and be firm in the faith, knowing that the
same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the
world.
Revelations
12:7-12 (HCSB)
Then war broke out in
heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his
angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them
in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was
thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud
voice in heaven say:
The salvation and the
power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now
come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who
accuses them before our God day and night.
11 They conquered him by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love
their lives in the face of death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you
heavens, and you who dwell in them!
Woe to the earth and the
sea, for the Devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows he
has a short time.
Question: Do you see the Devil and Satan at work
in this world?
H. As
we learned in our previous Bible Study (Lesson 038), the Law is actually
our adversary—creating an “anti-love” approach to our life. Our flesh longs for
the Law, but the negative impact comes about from a Law-based mindset /
heartset / attitude; whether towards our self or others. The Law is sin-focused
and death, not Love and Life.
Romans
8:1-4 (HCSB)
Therefore, no condemnation
now exists for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the Spirit’s law of life in
Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 What the law
could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in
the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as
a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in
us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Question: How does the Law show up in your life?
I.
This flesh we have is a self-adversary. It
represents the parts of us that have not yet been renewed (healed)—by which
that healing brings about a Spirit-lead existence. The flesh is anything we
pick up of the world that causes so much hardship and destruction in our life (even
if unintentional). Our flesh will always be at odds with our Spirit-self.
Romans
8:5-14 (HCSB)
For those who live
according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who
live[b] according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. 6 For the
mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and
peace. 7 For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not
submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the
flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the
body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then
He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life
through His Spirit who lives in you.
12 So then, brothers, we
are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 for if you
live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put
to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 All those led by God’s Spirit
are God’s sons.
Question: How do you discover areas of yourself
that need renewing because it brings hardship or destruction in your life
and/or those around you?
J.
How often it is then, that we are “our own worst
enemy”—whether our own condemning hearts, thoughts, or sin-conscience. We can
learn (renewing our hearts and minds) to Love ourself as the Lord Loves us, healing
those parts of our own being that have been trained (programmed) to
self-sabotage, jeopardise, “steal, kill, and destroy” us. Instead, we have to
be good to ourself and bless ourself, even when we become our own enemy. Our
“flesh” will still battle us and resist (as a stronghold) our Spirit-self; but
even in that turmoil, we can treat ourself with respect.
Romans
12:14-21 (HCSB)
Bless those who persecute
you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those
who weep. 16 Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead,
associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not
repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honourable in everyone’s eyes. 18
If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not
avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written:
Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 But
If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing you will
be heaping fiery coals on his head.
21 Do not be conquered by
evil, but conquer evil with good.
Question: What goes on in your being that treats
you as an enemy? Do you turn-around and Bless yourself?
IV.
FURTHER THOUGHT:
A. Philippians
4:8 (HCSB)
Finally brothers, whatever
is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever
is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if
there is any praise—dwell on these things.”
Thoughts: Too often, our nature or habits look
for the things wrong—not only in others but in ourselves too. We become
adversaries to both our own self and to others—whether criticising external
appearances (the body) and internal problems (the mind, soul, and heart). We
are inherently (programmed in us) as fault-finders.
But that's not how the
Lord sees us. The Lord only sees the good in us and how to encourage and build
us up. He doesn't condemn us when we fault. So let's do the same to ourselves
and to each-other (any other) to see only as the Lord sees us and sees others.
Look for (focus on
finding) and strengthen these things in your life and in the life of others.
That is your nature of the Lord in you. And the nature of the Lord to you and
to everyone too. For if the Lord's requirement of us is to think on those
things, would He not also hold Himself to do those things of us!
Let’s let go of the notion
that the Lord sees your faults; for it is the Love of God that draws people to
Himself. How can you believe He Loves you if you believe He dwells on your
faults. And moreso, let go of dwelling on your own faults and think on those
good things about yourself, others, and the Lord. He lives in us and all He has
is Goodness in us and out through us, unhindered by our faults.
Remember, no matter what
transpires in our life—whether of ourselves or from others, the Lord WILL bring
good from it all… nothing that transpires will ever go to waste:
Romans
8:28 (HCSB)
We know that all things
work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called
according to His purpose.
B. Luke
11:14-26 (HCSB)
Now He was driving out a
demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute, spoke,
and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by
Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!” 16 And others, as a test, were demanding
of Him a sign from heaven.
17 Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against
itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. 18
If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you
say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul,
who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your
judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God
has come to you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his
possessions are secure. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers
him, he takes from him all his weapons he trusted in, and divides up his
plunder. 23 Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather
with Me scatters.
24 “When an unclean spirit
comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not
finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house where I came from.’ 25
And returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and
brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle
down there. As a result, that man’s last condition is worse than the first.”
Thoughts: Our strongholds are things we hold
onto that we have come accustomed to. Often the things that are engrained in us
as children through the nature and nurture aspects of upbringing. We thus do
not immediately know that they are opposing to the Lord. Instead, they feel so
natural to us that for us to lose it makes it seem we are being robbed of
something. But that is just it… the Lord breaks into us (as a thief /
adversary) being the stronger person and binds up that which we had held onto
as our truth (“weapons we trusted in”), revealing His Truth by setting us free.
We think only a “bad guy” would break into a home; but the Lord is the one
rescuing us from the “bad guy” that has been holding us deceptively captive.
Of note: a stronghold
is not demon-specific. It can be for some in certain areas, but we must not see
it as only demonic, as I feel it is mostly just our flesh. Our approach to
strongholds are just us healing whatever area of our life that stronghold
exists in. My take on the demon-aspect of the verse is that Jesus is speaking
in regards to a non-believer (someone not Born-Again):
That when that
stronghold (or demon in the passage) is overcome, bound, and removed, it cleans
a person’s self to be able to more freely accept Christ Jesus and fill that
“cleaned house” with the Spirit of God. When a person doesn’t come to belief,
filling themselves with the Spirit of God, it stays vacant for the demon to
return. Thus, this is not referring to a believer being opened up to demonic
possession, as Born-Again believers are purged from their old self into “a new
creation” (2
Corinthians 5:17).
A thank you to Kelly and Joshua who are inspirational in this life-journey. And to all the family, friends, sponsors, and donors who have fed into this ministry and outreach.
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