Sunday, October 28, 2007

Satan Evil Spirits & More: A True Story

satan, Evil Spirits & More: A True Story


Evil Spirits
I have to say that I was very skeptical about evil spirits and demon possession until I met a lady in the Family Christian Book Store I managed. I walked up and said "Hi" then went about my business. I noticed that she was following me, it looked like she wanted to talk to me, but was afraid to. She finally spoke up.

As she was telling me her story, I thought she was pulling my leg, but as she went on with her story, I could tell that she was scared to death and had no idea what to do. I could have sold her thousands of dollars of products, she just wanted the spirits out of her life. She told me that the spirits would make noise in the middle of the night, shut doors behind her, move items, and one story that made the largest impression on me is that she could tell that her dog could sense the evil spirits. She told me that her dog would look past her and almost follow or track something that was not there. OK I have goosebumps.

I then asked her how these evil spirits came into her life. She told me that she invited them into her house. A while back she was looking at a picture and saw a "Light" she became curious. She began to study orbs and crystals. She thought that it was very innocent as they where "Healing" crystals. So, she began to go to these shops and buy very bad things, she then brought them into her house.

Where satan and demons Come From
After reading the above verses, it is very clear that satan and his demons were once angels in heaven cast down here to earth. If you read Ezekiel 28:14-19 you will read that satan's sin was pride. I know that we have spoken about this in another devotional, but satan is described by GOD as "Blameless", I would go as far to say that visually satan is quite beautiful and attractive.

satan and his demon's purpose here on earth is quite simple "Make war" against you and I. Did you read that "W" word? WAR, not tease, not annoy, or name calling.... it is WAR! And satan knows there is not much time left.

So, How Does This Effect Me?
Before we look at how these evil spirits effect us, let's answer the question; WHY? Once you said YES to Jesus Christ you chose a side between good and evil. You just entered the battle and you are on Jesus' side (BTW, we win in the end) but during that time satan has chosen to wage war on you, wether you like it or not. And the closer you are to Christ or the more active you are, the more warfare you will feel. So, when you are attacked, do not get frustrated, be honored, the enemy is picking on you because you have become dangerous to him.

So how can satan effect us? Let's take a historical look:
satan can influence people against us as Job saw.
satan can influence nature. satan can inflict pain & sickness.
satan can influence speech/muteness.
satan influence our bodies/seizures.
satan entered Judas.
An evil spirit was allowed to enter Saul and tormented him.
People can be possessed by more than one evil spirits as found in Luke 8:30-31. The evil spirit refers to himself as legion, being that they were many.
The last point that I found interesting was that satan can hinder us and what we are doing in our day.

What Can We Do?
First, I believe that we need to remember we are in a war, and we are deep in the enemies territory. We are told in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that satan is the god of this age.A evil spirit cannot enter into you, unless you invite him in there. We are told in 1 John 4:4 that what we have inside us (Jesus) is greater than that of this world.

You also need to know that satan can not take a pee pee without our LORD allowing it. So, if you feel that you are being attacked by satan, your LORD knows about it, it might be a test or a chance for you to grow in your faith in Christ.

In closing, how can we counter attack the evil one? Well, I would start each day by praying on your amour. If you feel you are under attack, do as Jesus did and quote scripture. There is one tool that we have that I feel we do not use as we should; there is POWER in the name of Jesus. If you read the Bible many times when people or angels were under attack, they rebuked the evil one with the name of our Lord. See Jude 1:9, Luke 10:17, Zechariah 3:1-2 for just a few examples.

Just as Jesus was sending out the 72 in Luke 10, he gave them authority to trample on evil spirits and overcome the power of the enemy. I believe that scriptures parallels our lives. Jesus has appointed us to go out into the world, and He has given us authority, are you using it? 

Revelation 12:1-17
The Woman and the Dragon

A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. (Mary) She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. (satan & demons). The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. (Jesus) She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, (satan) and the dragon and his angels (demons) fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." 

When the dragon (satan) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon (satan) was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring-those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (All of Us).

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Sunday, October 14, 2007

Matthew 27-28

Lack of Faith?
Matthew 27-28

Good Morning! I pray that you have had a restful weekend. Over the weekend we started the book of Mark. At first glance each of the four Gospels may look to be the same. The same people, same stories, and they all end the same way. So, some may read one, but not read the other three thinking that if you have read one, you do not need to read the others.

We will take a closer look, and hopefully you will see the difference between the four. If you have a friend that wanted to start to read the Bible, Mark would be an awesome book to start them on. If you look at Matthew, the start of the book goes into all the genealogy of Jesus. I know that if I started to read any story, a full line of genealogy would put me to sleep.Mark is a short book, that tell his stories in rapid fire. He tells you the facts, then moves on. Mark uses the word "Immediately" or "At once" 42 times in his book. 42% of the Gospel are Jesus' words. Mark wrote this Gospel under the direction of Peter.

Mark 6:2-6 ESV
2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the
synagogue, and many who heard him were
astonished, saying, "Where did this man get
these things? What is the wisdom given to him?
How are such mighty works done by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and
brother of James and Josesph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took
offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, "A prophet
is not without honor, except in his hometown and
among his relatives and in his own household."
5 And he could do no mighty work there, except
that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed
them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.

Lack of Faith
All through the Gospels we read of stories of extreme faith. These people were willing to risk their well being just to be healed. Or we read where Jesus could sense a person's genuine faith in Him.

Then in Mark 6 we see an example of the extreme opposite. The people in Jesus' hometown heard the same message and the same miracles that others have heard, but instead of accepting it, they tried to humanize it. Instead of accepting the divine in Jesus they accepted the human side of Him. Their hearts were hardened, and as you read the end of the story; they missed out on a lot of Jesus miracles. The sick remained sick, the suffering kept on suffering. In fact the Bible even goes as far as to say "Jesus was AMAZED at their lack of faith."

I know that the same is true today. There are some of us that can't accept the divinity of Jesus. Yes, we call ourselves Christians, we are good people, but Jesus was just a good man or a good prophet. I would guess that Jesus is not very active in those people's lives.

Then there are some of us, that do believe the divinity of Jesus. But, we still lack the faith, or maybe a better word is that we do not stretch our faith to see Jesus do miracles in our lives. One example; a person is tight or struggling with money. Because of this reason they do not give Jesus a percent of what is His in the first place (They do not tithe), ie. they lack the faith to trust Jesus that He will provide for them. So as it says in Mark 6, Jesus is not active in their lives, they stay stuck in their sufferings.

If you feel that Jesus is not active in your life, take a look at Mark 6 again. Is Jesus speaking about you? I can tell you honestly, faith is not easy, it is hard. But I can also tell you, that every time Kim and I have stepped out in faith, Jesus has met us there. We have seen things that humanly speaking should not have happened.

I wanted to wish Kimmy a Happy Birthday, still holding at 39 dear? :) - Jim

Thank you honey I love you!!

Bible Trivia
Who was the driving force behind the beheading of John the Baptist?
Hint: Mark 6:22-25

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Church Plant Update
The Connection ChurchIt looks like GOD is going to allow us to sign a lease for a building this month. We are planning our first service 11/4/07. We still need your prayers as there is going to be a lot of work that we are going to need to do.If you would like a copy of our current newsletter, please reply back to this devotional.If you would like to commit to prayer for us, please visit our Prayer Page page.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Matthew: The Closing Chapters

Matthew: The Closing ChaptersMatthew 27-28

Happy Friday! Today we finish with the book of Matthew. Remember that Matthew wrote Matthew to tell the Jews that Jesus was truly the Messiah. There is a hint of this verse 28:15

Chapter 27 and 28 tell of the hours before Jesus' crucifixion. For me, it is always bittersweet. The injustice always angers me, but, at the same time I know that it had to be done for my salvation. There is one event after Jesus gives up His spirit that is not heard of a lot. It is told in verses 52-53

Below is a modern day picture of the Field of Blood where Judas hung himself.

Matthew 26:38-44 ESV38 Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful,
even to death; remain here, and watch with me."
39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and
prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let
this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will,
but as you will." 40 And he came to the disciples
and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter,
"So, could you not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into

temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak." 42 Again, for the second time,
he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot
pass unless I drink it, your will be done."
43 And again he came and found them sleeping,
for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again,
he went away and prayed for the third time,
saying the same words again.

Jesus' Prayer
I would guess that Jesus was praying all the time to His FATHER. The Bible makes references when Jesus prayed, but this prayer is the most well known.

I thought we would take a look at this prayer in this devotional and maybe we can apply some traits of Jesus' into our prayer life.

When Jesus was sorrowful and troubled he went to His FATHER in prayer.
This for most of us, I would imagine, would be a given. But, notice how Jesus went into solitude, fell face down and prayed. When you have something troubling you, you need somewhere alone with Jesus. There is nothing like going alone with Jesus in silent prayer.

I do not know about you, but I have had people tell me that you do not need to repeat yourself when you are praying. They have told me that if I repeat myself, it is like I am not trusting Jesus to help me or answer my prayers. I did not know how to feel about this, until I read this passage. Jesus prayed for the same thing three times (See verse 26:44)

The last thing that I found interesting, is the openness and honesty of Jesus. Yes, I know that Jesus was open and honest all the time, but in His Prayer to GOD he shows His anxiety, and apprehension. Jesus knew what was going to happen, He knew all the pain that He was going to have to endure, and He expressed it to His FATHER.This is key to your prayer life. Pour out every fear, apprehension, and anxiety to Jesus, lay it at His feet. Leave it there, and walk away knowing whatever the outcome, Jesus knows the best for you and your life.

Over the weekend we start to read the book of Mark. May the Lord Bless you wherever you may go. - Jim

Bible Trivia
What is the field called today, where Judas hung himself?
Hint: Matthew 27:8Gods411

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Sunday, October 7, 2007

Matthew 16-20

The Child in You - Matthew 16-20

Happy Columbus Day! I hope that you have had a restful weekend. Over the weekend we have moved up to chapter 20 in Matthew. There is so much good life information in the gospels. If you are like me, these parables that Jesus teaches us, I understand the concept, but Jesus takes these simple commands and gives the concept a whole new dimension. Take forgiveness as an example, yes, I know that I need to forgive people, but Jesus tells us that we need to forgive from the heart. Wow, for me that puts a whole new twist on the concept of forgiveness!

Here are a few more concepts that Jesus tells us that might be worth refreshing your memory.
People That Sin Against You
Mercy/Forgiveness to Others
When Divorce is OK
Being Single

There is one more point of interest that might help you understand Jesus' heart. In chapter 17, Jesus starts to look toward the Cross and cup that He has before Him. In Chapter 19 Jesus leaves Galilee and arrives in Jordan, then in chapter 21 Jesus makes His triumphal entry.

Matthew 18:1-4 ESV
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2 He called a little child and had him stand among them.
3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change
and become like little children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles
himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven.

The Child In You
I know that you have heard this story before. It is one that Jesus tells a couple of times, so it is a concept that Jesus wants us to understand.

Stop and think for a minute. When you think of a child, what comes to your mind? If you were to ask me, a child is usually happy and care-free. They have a natural curiosity for life. They are quick to forgive and make up. They do not worry about life, they live in the moment. These are just a couple that come to my mind, I am sure that you could add to mine.

Take your list, and now transfer that to your life? Do you display those traits? Jesus tells us to have the attitude of a child, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Those are some pretty strong words, aren't they?

I will share with you where I am trying to let the child out in me again. Maybe you will be able to identify with me.

I personally need to have a deeper curiosity for Jesus and the Bible. I need to stop thinking like I know that or this, and really want to understand and question everything. A child needs to know everything. Have you ever gotten into a conversation about the moon with a child? (Something so simple right?) You know how the conversation goes: Why does the moon smile? Well Johnny, it seems to smile, but actually those are craters that look like a smile. Oh, OK..... What are craters? Well Johnny, craters are made from meteorites. Oh, OK..... what are meteorites? You get the picture? We need to have the same kind of curiosity for Jesus.

I need to stop worrying about my future and what is going to happen, how the bills are going to be paid, are we going to make enough money this month. When was the last time you heard a child asking if we were going to have enough money for food this month? A child puts all their trust into you, they do not worry about the future, they live today, the moment. A BIG lesson for me.

Have you ever watched kids when they are playing? They do fight and argue, but once they find an adult and tell their side of the story. The adult tells them to make up. Both children say they are sorry, then 5 minutes later they are best friends again. This is huge for us. We need to move forgiveness from our heads to our hearts, as Jesus commands us.

So, if anyone ever tells you to stop acting like a child, just smile and know that you are that much closer to the Kingdom of Heaven. :) Have a Blessed Day! Jim

Bible Trivia
When Jesus and Peter were talking about paying the two-drachma tax, where did Jesus tell Peter to find their taxes?
Hint: Matthew 17:24-27

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The Connection ChurchIt looks like GOD is going to allow us to sign a lease for a building this month. We are planning our first service 11/4/07. We still need your prayers as there is going to be a lot of work that we are going to need to do.If you would like a copy of our current newsletter, please reply back to this devotional.If you would like to commit to prayer for us, please visit our Prayer Page page.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Matthew 12

Today's Reading - Matthew 12

Good Morning! I hope that you are enjoying the change of reading. The New Testament has a different feel to it doesn't it? We are moving through chapter 12 today, then through chapter 17 over the weekend.


Insight Into Scripture
Chapter 12 is a set of stories that sets Jesus against religious leaders. Verses 1-12 deal with the sabbath observance, casting out demon, seeking a sign from Jesus, then the chapter closes with an epilouge with Jesus' family verses His heavenly family.

Matthew 11:2-6 ESV2 Now when John heard in prison about
the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by
his disciples 3 and said to him, "Are you the
one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
4 And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell
John what you hear and see: 5 the blind
receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers
are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead
are raised up, and the poor have good news
preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one
who is not offended by me."

Not the Way You Planned?
When you are reading the Bible and the stories that are in the Bible, you must always put yourself into the story, and into it's characters. When I first started reading the Bible, I used to skim over sections like the above text. But, now I really try and understand what these people were feeling.

Look at John the Baptist. John knew that this great Messiah was coming. In fact John was the one that baptized Jesus to start His ministry (3:13-17). The heavens opened up, GOD spoke, and the Spirit of GOD descended upon Him. So, John must of known that this was the Messiah. I know that if I saw this sign, I would.

So why then, did John ask in verse 11:3:"Are you the one, or should we expect someone else?" To give you a little background John was in Jail. I believe that John was saying in a round about way.Jesus, remember me, I am the one that baptized you, ahhhhh did you know that I am in jail? Bust me out and lets change the world! I want to help, and I am not doing much here in jail!Did you like Jesus' response? Jesus did not say yes or no. But, tells John what you have seen with your own eyes. I do believe that Jesus gave John some words of encouragement in verse 11:6. Jesus was saying hang in there, trust me even if this does not make sense.

Put yourself in John's shoes.
I would guess that he imagined that when the Messiah came, he would be a part of the plan in some way. I would guess that John was excited for the great things he would see and experience. I would guess that John wanted and dreamed about being apart of this. I would bet the last place that John expected to be was in JAIL.

If you know the end of the story; John was beheaded. I wonder if all the way to his death, in the back of his mind John was thinking:Surely Jesus is going to rescue me.Like John, your plans are not always going to line up with Jesus'. In fact there may be sometimes you may be angry or saddened by them.

Go to Jesus, tell Him your honest feelings (Like King David) Jesus honors this. Once you have shared your heart, "Do not fall" V6 if it still does not fit into your plans, trust Jesus. Someday (Maybe in heaven) it will make sense. - Have a great weekend!!! Jim

Bible Trivia
What does the Bible say about fearing man?
Hint: Matthew 7:13-14

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Church Plant Update
The Connection Church
It looks like GOD is going to allow us to sign a lease for a building this month. We are planning our first service 11/4/07. We still need your prayers as there is going to be a lot of work that we are going to need to do.If you would like a copy of our current newsletter, please reply back to this devotional.If you would like to commit to prayer for us, please visit our Prayer Page page.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Matthew 7-9

Today's Reading - Matthew 7-9

Good Morning! The New Testament is amazing, isn't it? There is so much "Life" information that can apply to our everyday lives, today. Next year for Gods411 devotionals we are going to switch gears a little bit. We are going to go in-depth on some topics, and really take a look at what GOD is wanting us to learn.

Insight Into Scripture
Chapter 5 and 6 of Matthew are must read chapters. Jesus' sermon on the mount has been compared to Moses on Mount Sinai where he first taught GOD's law of ethics.In verse 5:39 Jesus speaks about turning the other cheek if someone strikes you on the right cheek. A blow to the right cheek was the most grievous insult possible in that time. So, Jesus was not referring to the actual physical act of the strike, but the insult of the strike.
In these chapters you will read about Jesus healing the sick and diseased. There is one common bond among those that were healed. They had extreme faith.

Matthew 4:1-11 ESVThe Temptation of Jesus1 Then Jesus was led up
by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and f
orty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter
came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread."
4 But he answered, "It is written,"'Man shall not
live by bread alone,but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God.'"5 Then the devil took him
to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple
6and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down, for it is written,"'He will command
his angels concerning you,'and"'On their hands
they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot
against a stone.'"
7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall

not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to him, "All these I will give you,
if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus
said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written,"'You shall
worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and
were ministering to him.

Your Enemy
I have a question for you, but you can't look down and read the rest of the devotional. You have to read the question, then answer. OK?Here is the question: In your mind what does satan look like?


I am sure that if you do a google search for images of satan or devil you will get pictures of this red person with horns, pointy tail, an the infamous pitch fork. Is that what you imagined?

I used to think that until I became closer to Christ, moving me more to the front line, thus knowing my enemy better. To me ( This is clearly my opinion, not fact) satan is the most beautiful creature, being short of Christ, but, the most ugly thing that you have ever witnessed on the inside.

You might ask why would I think this? Well, if satan is ugly and a being that makes you afraid, that would be too easy for us. You would see him, or be tempted by him and run, sin would not appeal to you. But, if satan were beautiful, like sin is at first, it would be very tempting, and hard to resist. If you remember back to Ezekiel 28:12-17 God referred to satan as "Perfect in beauty."

So, why focus on satan or his ways? Well, if you have taken a stand and committed your life to Christ, you now have a mortal enemy. You have taken Christ's side in the spiritual war that is raging on around us. satan will do anything in his power to take you out.

If you do not prepare yourself and know how your enemy is going to attack, you will find yourself another casualty. satan will tempt you, you will fall to his temptation, maybe become discouraged and want to give up all this Jesus stuff. BAM, satan has you right where he wants you. Ineffective for Jesus.

In closing, Jesus was tempted, the model and example of perfection for us. Did you notice how Jesus responded to satan's attacks? Jesus quotes scripture back to satan, did you notice satan's counterattacks after the scripture? There were none. he tried two more times then left. If you do not read your Bible, you are going into the battle with NOTHING on your side. Know your enemy and how he attacks, then kick his butt with the Sword of the Spirit. - Have a great day! Jim

Bible Trivia
Is the gate that lead to destruction narrow or wide?
Hint: Matthew 7:13-14


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