When the seventy disciples returned after being sent out to heal the sick and preach that the Kingdom of God was at hand (Luke 10: 9-20) they were full of joy because demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name. As usual, Jesus’ response was not what one would expect. He didn’t say, “Good going guys! I knew you could do it.” Rather, he said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” That must have sobered them a bit. Jesus was basically saying I know all about Satan’s limited power, about his fall. I was there when it happened. Then He adds, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Snakes can be poisonous and their bit deadly, and scorpions can pierce and sting. This so describes Satan’s work, always trying to steal, kill and destroy or at the very least, sting and wound. But Jesus gave His disciples power over Satan and his minions, and we still have this same power today. But it’s interesting to note that “power” is mentioned twice in verse 19 and are two very different words. The first “power,” the power to tread on serpents and scorpions, is exousia and means the freedom, the privilege, the legal right to do this. Jesus was giving us the legal right to thwart Satan. The second word “power,” the power of the enemy, is dunamis and means force, miraculous power and indicates a power Satan has but we do not. And though we have the legal right to stop Satan in his tracks, we need dunamis in order to do it. And the only way we can get it is through Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. It is only God’s power in us that can overcome Satan’s power. We must never forget that.

But here’s the kicker. Even though this is all wonderful and makes us “more than conquerors” and able to overcome adversity, that’s not the thing that should make us want to throw a party because Jesus said, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Written where? In the Lamb’s Book of Life, of course. “And there shall in no wise enter into it (the new heaven and earth) anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)

That is our real joy. The fact that we will be with our beautiful Lord and Savior for all eternity, living a life we can’t even imagine now. Oh, that all those we know and love will have their names written in the Lamb’s book, too!

Until next time,

Sylvia

Demons are real. Just ask anyone who has come out of the occult and been saved by Jesus.  Even so, it’s a subject rarely talked about in Christian circles in spite of the fact that the Bible often mentions demons, and in spite of the fact that Scripture tells us Satan can appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); in other words, like something benign, even desirable.  And isn’t that happening now? Millions of our children are being desensitized to the occult by Harry Potter books full of witchcraft and sorcery, as well as the Twilight movie series depicting vampires, a traditional satanic symbol, and all portrayed in a desirable light.

But make no mistake, Satan and His hoards are anything but benign or desirable. If you follow Jesus to the country of the Gadarenes in Matthew 8:28-34 you see two men under the control of demons. And what a pathetic sight! We are told they are savage, that they shriek and scream, showing them to be wild, without self control, and mentally tormented. And no one can get near these men without injury. In Mark 5:1-5 we learn they don’t live in houses but in the tombs, desolate and alone, isolated from normal life and the company of others. Mark tells us they cut themselves with rocks. The Amplified goes even further and tells us they beat and bruised themselves. Luke 8:27 adds that they wore no clothes. This is a clear and vivid picture of what our enemy wants to do. It depicts the sorry state to which he desires to reduce us, a state of torment and isolation, where we inflict pain upon ourselves and others. And the sad thing is that every day, more and more people are opening themselves up to the incursion of Satan through demonically inspired books, movies, music as well as the use of drugs, etc. It is so pervasive I fear we could lose an entire generation of young people.

The good news is that Jesus, with just His words of “Be gone!” was able to drive out the demons which were called “legion” because there were so many of them. It’s interesting to note that Jesus allowed the demons to enter a herd of swine. Pork was forbidden under the Levitical Law. So what was an entire herd of pigs doing in the land? Illustrating that the Jews were not following their laws, thus opening themselves up to Satanic attack. As Christians we are under grace and have only two laws to follow: 1) Love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and strength, and 2) love our neighbor as ourselves. Both of which the Holy Spirit empowers us to do.

We need to know our enemy. He is nothing like God. He is no gentleman, doesn’t play fair, lies, deceives, gives no quarter, is cruel and, as 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, goes about like a “roaring lion . . . seeking whom he may devour.” Jesus Himself warns us that the devil has three goals for each of us: to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Therefore, we must be vigilant and not give Satan any place in our lives.

Until next time,

Sylvia