PUT OUT THE FIRE OF DENIAL
In previous blogs we’ve talked about how our training pastors in India is like being part of a water brigade passing buckets to the end of the line so the water of God’s Word can be poured on the fire to quench it. We’ve talked about each one of us being part of the brigade and the bucket containing the water of the Word of God. For the next 4 Mondays we’ll have spiritual warfare blogs on just what the fire is and how the Word puts it out. This blog will be about the fire of denial.
Satan is a roaring lion seeking to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is the ruler of this world (Ephesians 2:2) and opposes everything God does (Ephesian 6:10-17). He tries to keep the whole world in darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4). He and his demons try to accomplish this in various ways. Sometimes he attacks directly, other times he deceives or distracts, but the tactic we want to look at today is when he tries to work under cover by convincing people he doesn’t exist.
In the USA and the West, where everything is looked at ‘scientifically,’ the existence of supernatural forces is usually denied. Instead, everything is given scientific terms. The cause has something to do with chemical imbalances which can be treated with the right combination of drugs so that the symptoms are masked. In Jesus’ day, when He faced the same symptoms, He cast out demons and the people were immediately and completely healed from the root cause as well as the symptoms.
Many Christians in this country deny the existence of Satan, if not with their words then by their actions. They take the ostrich approach and seem to think that if they ignore Satan he will ignore them! Denying or ignoring his existence does not make him go away!
What puts out the fire of denial? The water of the Word, of course. In the Bible, no one talked about Satan and demons more than Jesus. Read any of the Gospels and you can’t deny the existence of Satan and his forces. Talk to someone who has been a missionary to a third world country and ask them if Satan is real. For more information on the subject of spiritual warfare go to SW.ChristianTrainingOrganization.org or email me at jerry@schmoyer.net and I’ll send you a free copy of my Spiritual Warfare Handbook.
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
We are not to fear Satan, but neither are we to be uneducated about how he and his demons work against us (2 Corinthians 2:5-11). Do you think you have a balanced approach to spiritual warfare, not overly preoccupied with demons but not unaware of how they work against you, either? Pray and ask God to help you have a balanced perspective of this important aspect of our Christian lives.
Jerry Schmoyer
Christian Training Organization
india.christiantrainingonline.org/
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