Do you believe in the existence of the devil? Many do not. Others believe in Satan but think he stays overseas, tormenting the uneducated in foreign lands.
But consider the people of Israel. Jesus cast out demons from people in EVERY VILLAGE. A soul is a residence. You can open it to Jesus and ask Him to move in and take over, or you can invite demons to shack up in your heart. Sounds crazy, but people do it EVERY DAY. How? By toying with the occult, by praying to “spirit guides,” and with mind-altering (“mind-opening”) drugs. The Biblical word for “sorcery” is “pharmakeus,” from which we get the word, “PHARMACY.” Yes.
Some drugs open your mind to demons.
“Jesus rebuked the demon and said, ‘Be quiet! And come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit came out” Mark 1: 25.
Jesus cast out demons SIX TIMES in the short Bible passage I read today. Not only that, it was far more than six people. “They brought to Him MANY who were demon-possessed and He drove out the spirits with a word.” Matt. 8:16. We don’t even know how many; it could have been hundreds. See Mark 1:34; Luke 4:35,41; Matt. 4:24.
Demons had taken residence in the souls of numerous Jews—members of a strict monotheistic religion. What must demon possession be like in India, China, and Africa, where millions worship idols that actually represent demons?
Possession may be common in the States as well, but demonic activity in Western nations seems to be more subtle to keep everyone thinking they do not exist. And when things get crazy, Americans lock the demon-possessed in psychiatric hospitals and call it a medical problem. But it is a spiritual problem.
Jesus spoke of the enemy’s mission:
“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy” John 10:10.
What does the most powerful thief on earth want to steal from you? Ask Jesus to give you an answer to this question.
Beth Moore says, “Yes, God has a plan for your life. But so does the devil.”
Ask God to prepare you and help you resist.
“RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU” James 4:7.
Read Mark 8.
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