The Spiritual Journey 2024 - Day 10: Satan’s overtures must be resisted!

”Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.“

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

On Day 8 of the spiritual journey, we talked about the first of the entities who came to me in waking visions under the guise of wanting to “help” me. This “Christ-like” entity was not from the Lord. As I noted, when I spoke that he was a deceiver and was not from the Lord, then told him to leave, he did.

Over the next couple of days, other deceitful minions from hell would present themselves before me. With the appearance of each entity I knew that they were offering me “help.”

After the false Christ entity, a person dressed like a woman, wearing a jacket made to simulate “wings,” presented itself before me. I immediately saw that this was a perverse spirit, and indeed was a “man” masquerading as a female “angel.”

After this one came an entity with beautiful golden hair who leaned over towards me but would not show its face. Each of these deceivers were quickly dispatched when I spoke that they were not from the Lord and told them to “get out of here.”

One appeared as I was waking and was attempting to spread some sort of white “salve” on my chest. I immediately told it to get away from me—that I didn’t need its “cure”—and it fled as well.

There were two others I will discuss another day. But for now, I describe all these encounters to remind/inform you that in such circumstances, you must actively resist these interlopers.

Understand, you may not see the “persons” involved in the temptations presented to you, but believe me, they are there.

James gives a wonderful and concise description/prescription of how our resisting should look, and the context within which our resisting is successful.

”Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.“

‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I speak of the “context within which our resisting is successful” because simply telling the enemy to leave with empty words (not backed by a true relationship with Jesus), will not work.

As well, if we are actively inviting and/or partaking of, or involving ourselves in, the things of this world, the things of darkness, we will not have authority to send evil minions fleeing.

Consider the story about the seven sons of a Jewish leader who tried to exorcise a demonized man:

”Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.“

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

These fellows had no authority to resist the devil and narrowly escaped to tell the story.

In our opening scripture we find Peter warning the people that the devil is an adversary who is unrelenting in his efforts to “devour” human souls. Peter says that the devil flees when he is resisted “steadfast in the faith.”

Friend, our adversary, the devil, takes very seriously his efforts to deceive and destroy souls. We must be very serious, immovable, rooted, and grounded, in our faith in God through Jesus Christ. Otherwise, trying to resist the devil, becomes like trying to rid yourself of a piece of plastic, stuck to your skin by static electricity: The more you try to shake it off, the more it clings.

We’ll talk more tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#thespiritualjourney2024