Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. | ||
| Leviticus 26:1 | ||
| If you’re a believer in Jesus, satan knows he’s lost your soul. But he’ll seek to neutralize and nullify your witness by attacking you, by sending out his demons to cause destruction and deception. What do we do with these images, these powers that plague and haunt us? Consider the following four suggestions . . . In dealing with the entities that war against your soul, there must first of all be realization. We are at war. And because we’re at war, there will be casualties. When a person sins, the reaction can be, “He has blown it. Shame on him.” But we need to realize that he has been attacked and therefore look at him not as vicious but as a victim of the Enemy’s attack. Second, there must be preparation. When the disciples were unable to cast out a demon from a boy who was possessed, Jesus told them to do so required prayer and fasting (Matthew 17). Therefore, we must be prepared before the attack comes. How? I suggest one way is by fasting. Before running a marathon, runners stock up on carbohydrates. To prepare spiritually, we are to do just the opposite because something happens when we say “no” to our stomachs. Saying “no” to our appetites physically strengthens the inner man spiritually. Third, there must be confrontation against these entities. We can’t run from them. We must move in authority, fervency, and intensity in dealing with them. And yet all too often when we sense a spiritual attack headed our way, we just give up and get depressed. It took a shout to bring down the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:20). It took a spoken, authoritative command to cast out demons (Mark 5:8). Thus, if we are to wage war against the demonic entities that plague us, we must confront them with authority, and at times even vocally. Finally, we move in expectation, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We can expect to be victorious knowing that our Enemy and his hordes from hell are doomed to one day be thrown into the bottomless pit forever (Revelation 12). The victory is ours, gang. All we have to do is take it and act upon it. May we be those who keep ourselves from idols as we recognize them, prepare for them, and confront them in the name of Jesus. Pastor Jon Courson. | ||
