Having Bible knowledge and understanding is great, however if the scriptures are not living and active in our lives, it is all in vain (Hebrews 4:12-13). The life application selections contain thoughts provoking, real life challenges that will prayerfully transform us to be more like Jesus in our spiritual journey. James 1:23-27 challenges us to not just merely listen or read the scriptures, it says “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” Do not miss your blessings my friends!
“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
As we read historical record of Jesus encounter with demons, we can become naïve by convincing ourselves those things happened during the time of Jesus. As if the demons left the world when Jesus went back to heaven. Satan and his demons came to this world for one reason to lead as many people as possible astray to join his army that is heading to hell (Revelation chapter 20:7-10). I can relate to the young boy’s encounter with Jesus. Yes, Jesus came and rebuked the demons that were tormenting me that doctors, elders, ministers, and Satan worshipers were not able to free me from. My health struggles continued after Jesus brought me the Bible and said one day I will understand what he meant. At the age of 13, my mother came to Haiti to bring my siblings and me to America to live with her and my father. Prior to leaving Haiti, the evil spirit that was tormenting me entered the body of his servant and made a proposal if accepted they would release me from promises that was made by my parents before I was born. The proposal was accepted, and they did exactly what the evil spirit requested.
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.
Prayer:
Father God, I come before you in the name of Jesus Christ! Thank you, father, for taking a sinner like me and opening my eyes to see the spiritual war that is against us in this world. Father, please teach me how to share with the world what you have imparted in my life and commanded me to share. Remove my flesh out of the way, allow your Holly Spirit to use my vessel for your glory. Father, I know your desire is to set us free from the bondage of sins through Jesus Christ but as your word says, evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world are fighting against your will for our lives. Lord Jesus, please open our eyes to see the two-dimensional world that we live in so that our focus is not only on the physical world but also on the Spiritual world. I pray every soul who reads this prayer will allow the Spirit of the living God to remove scales from their eyes to see and understand the presence of Satan and his demons are in this world with the purpose to use our sinful nature to make us hostile toward God through disobedience (Romans 8:6). Father God, in the name of Jesus, teach us to recognize Satan when he is disguised as an angel of light so that we can extinguish his schemes in our lives. Heavenly father, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-NLT) clothes us with wisdom, humility, meekness, mercy, grace, peace, patience, purity, and love so that we can walk toward the great city of light described in Revelation chapter 22. In Jesus name I pray all this, amen!
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Be warned about the scheme of the Devil
My research to learn about the roots of Halloween according to United states, I found that it can be traced back to the ancient religion of the Druids which was stopped by Rome due to the evil practice nature of the holiday. Halloween is rooted in a long history of a pagan festival called “Samhain” where they celebrated the day of the dead which involved sacrifices of animals, crops and satanic symbols that evolved around demonic spirits. The pagan holiday could also be traced back to the Celts of Europe who occupied parts of Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. The Celts believed the soul of the dead roamed the street and village at night but since some of the spirits were believed to not be nice, they left them treats to appease their evil traits.
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. “
Halloween The Devil’s Birthday celebration
As God calls me to start this journey of being a voice in a world that seems comfortable with the spirit of compromise, I notice we often engage in things that I believe according to scriptures Jesus would never engage in and there is no evidence in the Bible he has engaged in. If there were such evidence of him and the Apostles engaging in celebration of a holiday that worshiped spiritual demonic gods, they would have compromised the very essence of Jesus’ ministry as the son of God. Jesus warned us in Revelation 20:18-20, anyone who adds or takes away from his words will be dealt with. I for one, would prefer to pray for the world and stay quiet because ministering to the world is a heavy task. It is heavy because Satan is very clever in spewing a distorted version of God’s commands into our ears. This is one of the reasons we need to be more in fellowship with our creator like Jesus was in Matthew 4: 1-11, who fought against Satan’s scheme during his weakest time. God often reminds me, Jesus did not save me from the devil to become a grateful sinner and to stay quiet, which I would prefer to do. In Revelation 15: 1-4, John was able to see a glimpse of the end of Satan’s defeat, verse 4 exclaimed “Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” Apostle Paul asked a question that should always be in every Disciple/Christian’s mind who claim they have died and have risen to a new life with Christ (Galatian 2:20-21), “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?” Satan’s nature is to scheme, to deceive and to confuse.
They went across the lake to the region of the Gadarenes. [When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
As you read this passage above, what goes through your mind? The obvious might be going through your mind which is the man was possessed and Jesus set him free which is a fact from the story. Let me ask you a deeper question, do you believe the demons that Jesus encountered during his ministry are amongst us today? That same story is referenced in Matthew 8:29 when the demons asked Jesus a profound question, “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” When Satan was hurled down after he lost the great battle attempting to overthrow God, the scriptures say his angels were hurled down with him (Revelation 12:9). Throughout the Bible from Old to New Testament, God is warning us about Satan and his demons and the war they are waging against our soul. The Devil knows his time is short and his time is coming. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus reinforced that an hour is coming and warned us He and the angels do not know when the hour will arrive but only God.
Next there was a battle in heaven — Mikha’el and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But it was not strong enough to win, so that there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown out, that ancient serpent, also known as the Devil and Satan [the Adversary], the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now have come God’s victory, power and kingship, and the authority of his Messiah; because the Accuser of our brothers, who accuses them day and night before God, has been thrown out! “They defeated him because of the Lamb’s blood and because of the message of their witness. Even when facing death they did not cling to life. “Therefore, rejoice, heaven and you who live there! But woe to you, land and sea, for the Adversary has come down to you, and he is very angry, because he knows that his time is short!”
This month of October 2024 begins a journey that compels me to step into my spiritual destiny until I meet Jesus’ face to face again. The next few months’ reflections will echo the essence of my journey. I did not understand what Jesus meant when he said to me in a vision between the age of nine and ten, while giving me a Bible, I will one day understand. As I have done for many years during my prayer and supplication, in January 2024 I asked Jehovah to reveal my next step in this season of my life. I pleaded with God if he is done with me, I am ready to go home. Jesus Showed up again and reminded me the reason he rescued me from the bondage of Satan as a little girl. Jehovah showed me why I must stay a little longer in this temporary dwelling and charged me to go warn the world about Satan’s campaign against their souls. Read my newest Devotion on heisthelight4you.com titled “The Call to Obedience: Yes, Lord I will Go!”.
