What Glenn Writes

Let me just set the record straight: Hollywood doesn’t have a clue when it comes to spiritual warfare.

I know, I know, some of you may think I am being blasphemous against the holy grail of entertainment. All of those hard working producers, actors, and actresses are the bishops of doctrine in today’s society; how can I have the audacity to speak against Hollywood? How can I be so arrogant as to pick on these under-paid and over-worked servants of culture and Mother Earth?  Where are my scruples?

If we look at movies for their entertainment value, then my statement really holds very little weight and means nothing. However, too many people develop their understanding of spiritual warfare from these movies and make two simple mistakes: › Continue reading

Hello. My name is Glenn Sasscer and I am a heathen.

You may recognize this line or a variation of this line from numerous support groups or from addiction therapy. The purpose is the basis for any recovery or treatment, and that is to recognize we have a problem so we can address it. If we do not acknowledge we have a problem, we cannot address the issue.

I have a problem. I am a sinner. › Continue reading

There are things in life we prefer not to think about. While we sometimes walk the fine line of denial, I believe it is our human nature to avoid thinking about the unpleasant things in life. I don’t like thinking about paying bills, my ever-increasing forehead, or colonoscopies, but these are still a part of life and need to be addressed each in their own way.

If I deny paying bills, then I create a problem that will eventually catch up with me and I’m in big trouble. If I refuse to accept my ever-increasing forehead, I end up with a ridiculous hairstyle in an attempt to cover up what is so apparent to everyone else. If I avoid the colonoscopy, I place myself at risk of ignoring something that should be addressed today. Each of these is in a class of topics I do not like thinking about, and each must be addressed differently.

Some people do not like thinking about spiritual warfare, yet it is also an area we must address as believers. I defined three distinct categories of spiritual warfare in yesterday’s article to help clarify our response in each area. For review, these categories are:

• Demonic attacks;
• Fallen nature; and
• General aging.

Let’s start with the last one and work backward through these categories over the course of the next few days.

As I stated yesterday, some may question why I would classify general aging as a form of spiritual warfare. I put this label on it for two reasons: one, it is a result of a direct demonic attack against Adam and Eve in the Garden, and two, it is often confused with or assumed to be a direct attack.

After Adam disobeyed God in the Garden, we find this disobedience brings a curse against the world in Genesis 3:17-19:

…Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Before this curse, there was no aging, no sickness, and no death. This is difficult for us to even imagine, at least it is for me. Adam and Eve would have lived indefinitely, as man was created in the likeness of God.

We do not know at what physical age Adam and Eve were created, but we do know they started aging on the first day of this curse. This day is also the placeholder for the first death, when an animal was killed to make the coverings for Adam and Eve.

General aging is a result of a direct demonic attack against Adam in the Garden. We now age. Some of us age more gracefully than others, but we still age. The earth and all creation also ages. This aging process brings aches and pains along with it, more so when we are poor stewards with our health or other elements.

Let’s look at some examples:

• When my eyes start to wear out with aging and my hair starts to thin, and my forehead gets bigger, is it a direct attack from the enemy? Probably not.
• If I rarely exercise and I throw my back out when I try to lift something, am I under a direct attack of the enemy? Probably not.
• If I never change the oil in my car and it starts to break down, is it the result of a direct attack of the enemy? Probably not.

My answer to the above questions is probably not. Yes, the enemy does attack us physically and can cause each of these situations to occur, however I believe we blame the enemy for many things that are only a result of what happened in the Garden.

Why is this distinction so important to note? Because we address this form of spiritual warfare in a completely different way from the other two categories.

A perfect example of this happened two weeks ago: The Lord blessed my family in an awesome way and at that same exact moment, over 30 miles away, my wife felt a stabbing pain right between the shoulder blades. When she came home, we both recognized the attack of the enemy as an attempt to take our focus off of what God was doing. We prayed against the attack with a simple prayer that went something like this: “Lord Jesus, we ask you to rebuke this attack and speak Your healing in this situation.”

I also know I skipped two days of exercise last week and my lower back pain was very bad Sunday morning. This was not the result of a direct attack, but instead a result of sitting at a desk for over 8 hours a day and not exercising as much as I should to keep my aging body in shape. Praying that same prayer would not have addressed my own poor stewardship (although I did ask the Lord to bring relief and take away the pain). 

The difference between these two examples is one attack was designed to take our focus off of Christ and what He was doing and the other is a direct result of my own laziness or poor time planning. By the way, our response in the first example brought quick relief to my wife’s back, while our response in the second example was a little longer in coming… why? One was an attack that stopped immediately and the other was caused by me not doing something – how quickly would I learn if I got instant relief every time I asked for it?

There are no hard fast rules in defining which category the spiritual warfare occurs, however recognizing there are differences in the groups gives us insight on how to address the issue. We should also ask for wisdom on this topic, as we are directed in James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

I include this simple request in my morning prayer time. I ask for wisdom; I also ask for understanding to know how to apply the wisdom and strength to apply it when it is difficult.

I encourage you to pray for the wisdom, understanding, and strength to address the attack as it happens. Contact me if you need help with this – I’ll be glad to pray with you.

Glenn Sasscer

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Some people are of the belief spiritual warfare is one of those fringe subjects the really wacko Jesus Freaks talk about or a topic the television evangelists get into when their donations take a dip. I guess I would be classified as one of the wacko Jesus Freaks.

When I started down this road with yesterday’s article , part of me wondered if I needed to backtrack and steer the topic in another direction. This is usual when I am writing; it is my way of making sure I am staying on course – write it, read it, rewrite it, reread it, repeat. Even with this self-review, I had to stick with this issue and press through it. I have never been one to back away from anything just because the subject might make a few people uncomfortable or might label me a wacko freak. › Continue reading

About four or five years ago, the process for my ordination began, but I stopped in the middle of the path and backed away. I didn’t back away from the church or from my faith, but backed away from the position. I just didn’t feel like I was ready. There were several reasons for this decision and I believe it was right for the time. In hindsight, I am so very glad I held off until now… I doubt I could have handled the battle.

This is where I am going to freak some people out. Some of you reading this are going to think I am wacko or on the fringe with where I am going with this article, but I am willing to take that chance to expose the truth.

You see, few people believe spiritual warfare is real and active all around us. I think this is the way the enemy likes it. Why not? If the enemy can be stealth and sneaky, attack people without them knowing they are being attacked, doesn’t it make his job easier? However, I can tell you without reservation: I have experienced spiritual warfare, I have been in the battle, I have been attacked, and I know it is real. › Continue reading

One of the preparations for my ordination coming up on April 25 was to write a personal history and statement of faith. This was an interesting task, taking inventory of my life and pulling out the pieces relative to my walk with God, sharing the moments when God specifically reached into my life and made a difference.

I know, I know, this is otherwise called a testimony, but I have always looked at a testimony as a single event, while this is a history of single events laid out on a string called “my life”.

In analyzing these events, I look at the very beginning of the string and I am including just about every instance I can remember when God touched me, but this becomes more difficult as I get further along. Early on in the string, the gaps between my moments with God are measured in years, the first one being over a decade – these moments are easy to remember and place, as they are more distinct. They become more difficult to pick out in recent times, as these times with God are more blended – I now make an effort to seek Him continuously. › Continue reading

When I was speaking about Anger Management in yesterday’s article, I referred mostly to the habitual anger or cycle of bitterness we fall into through our daily routine or pattern. Even before I had the food allergies I spoke about in yesterday’s article, I struggled with anger and forgiveness. I like to blame the food allergies, as they make an easy target and my reaction was centered in anger and aggravation. And blame… well, blame is an inclination in our natural state. Thankfully, the Lord healed me of my food allergy and took away my excuse for being angry, agitated, and your basic all-round jerk. I suddenly had to deal with my anger, as I had nothing else to blame.

Of course, I could blame God. › Continue reading

I went out on the ledge yesterday and talked about all the symbols Christians use to remind themselves they are believers or to illustrate their faith. I love some of the symbols we try to incorporate into our lives and they do serve as an important reminder. I can think of several examples of when I was able to remind myself not to totally blow my stack because of something close by, a bookmarker, a Bible, and in one case, I found my hand touching a cross hanging around my neck – all good reminders and serving a functional purpose (seems like in each of these examples, the functional purpose was keeping my anger in check).

Do you find your anger being a habitual response in your day? You might wonder what I mean by habitual response.

I was challenged for over seven years with a food allergy to gluten, and for almost a year of that time I was also allergic to casein. My solution to the allergy was avoidance of the foods containing these elements. The problem is gluten and casein are in roughly 85% of the food products on the grocery store shelves. My reaction to these allergies was consistent: there would be a tightening in my chest, I would find it difficult to take a full breath, I would start to get extremely tense, and after about 20 minutes, I would get severely lethargic. Because of the prevalence of gluten and casein, this allergy was a regular occurrence, sometimes as much as a weekly event. › Continue reading

I’m am heading way out on the ledge here, almost to the point where the ledge is very narrow and the wind gusts threaten to whip me off the side of the building. You know the place to which I am referring? The point where you look back and wonder why you thought it was so great to come out so far? You might ask, “Why am I out here?”  (You can ask, we are all friends here.) I am out here because I think this needs to be said instead of swept under the rug, and I’m just the person to say it.

At this, my wife is rolling her eyes and thinking, “Oh no, what is he doing now?”

Well, hold on to your crosses folks, and hold on to your Bible covers, your tracts, your “Honk If You Love Jesus” bumper stickers, your worn out “WWJD” bracelets, your fish symbols on your cars, your commemorative Jesus pen and pencil set, and your coffee cup with a picture of Jesus laughing, because I might be stepping on your toes with my next statement: › Continue reading

I am pleased to present, “What JoAnn Writes”:

Catch’n A Wave

By JoAnn Wegert

The tour guide was giving his speech before we arrived at the river. I was thinking about ways to get out of it.

“If any of you are doing drugs, you can just get out of the bus and walk those rail road tracks back,” he continued.

What had I been thinking! Why did I agree to go with my husband and the two other couples on this death-trap adventure! Could I raise my hand and volunteer to walk the tracks back home? . . . I couldn’t see finding my way back down river on my own any more than I could see myself ON it. White water rafting was one of several activities on my ‘never-do’ list, yet here I was traveling on this rickety old bus heading where? . . . To my death, if I believed that waiver paper I had just signed!

As we got in that flimsy piece of plastic they called a raft, our friend Dave seemed to notice my serious apprehension. Since we had one more rider than we had paddles, Dave volunteered me to take the center spot; safe and without responsibility.

Our raft was launched into the New River. As we traveled downstream my mind whirled with horrifying thoughts of vicious waves swallowing up our vulnerable raft. At every ripple my body tightened and my gasping breath was heard by all. Again, our friend realized my condition; this time handing me a paddle. As I pushed my paddle through the water for some reason I felt some relief. I guess it was because I had something to occupy my time. For the first time since we began this tour I saw the beautiful mountainside, and heard the call of the birds. I listened to the tour guide point out some of the areas finer beauty, and noticed that the water was actually quite calm and beautiful.

Just as my system seemed to settle into a state of peace I heard a sudden shrill call from the guide. “DIG!!!! DIG!!!!” was his cry. Without thinking I picked up my paddle and dug as deep into the water as I could. The next few minutes were a blur as I watched the raft fold, and heard the guide direct us with more shrill commands. As my fellow rafters screamed; I didn’t have time to figure out if all my fears were being realized and whether I made a bad decision to NOT getting out of the bus when I had the chance.

I wonder if any of Jesus’ disciples would have understood how I felt at that moment. Luke chapter eight tells a story of their venture with Jesus out on the open water. Beginning at verse 23 tells we read “As they sailed, he (Jesus) fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” They seemed to have the same view of their peril as I did out in the New River Gorge. The only difference was that Jesus wasn’t sleeping in my boat!

It wasn’t until we settled on the other side of the white water that I realized this is what we had drove all the way down here to do. This terrorizing moment when the waves whipped us some 8’ up and then right back down in a seemingly uncontrollable fashion is what most tourists call ‘fun.’ This is what adventure seekers do on purpose because they like it! I wasn’t sure how to feel. While my fellow rafters were smiling and laughing and asking for more, I was still checking out that railroad track which followed the river. As the raft drifted toward the next round of white water, I had to decide whether to trust my fears or trust everything else that was going on around me including our guide’s ability to navigate us through the white water, and my ability to have fun despite my fears.

In an earlier blog I discussed James 1:5 where we learned that if any lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all, without finding fault. James goes on to tell us in James 1:6-8:

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

In my rafting adventure I enjoyed very little. I had the opposite of belief; I was filled with fear and doubt. I question everything from my own logic, to the structure of the craft. I was sure the guide’s directives were a death cry on an out of control vessel. With this lack of ‘faith’ I became what the verse describes: “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” My ‘fun-factor scale’ was set to zero, and my ability to accomplish ‘a really great time’ would be nil as long as I trusted my fear more than I trusted the evidence of a successful business that put hundreds of rafts down that very same river every summer.

In our journey through life there are times when we enjoy the scenery and notice the finer details of life. But what do we do when the storm is upon us and our boat seems to be sinking? Do we let our fears and doubts toss us to and fro like the wind does to the water in open sea? Do we doubt that God will grant us wisdom; do we see our God as stingy and miserly rather than eager to give generously? Do we believe that lie that he only gives to some (namely everybody but me)? Do the waves of condemnation overtake us instead of seeing that God helps us without dragging our faults out into the open for all to see?

What did the disciples do in Luke 8 when the storm was upon them? They went straight to the Master. They called on HIM for help. What did the creator of the universe do about their calamity? Luke 8:24b tells us “He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided; and all was calm.”

The same Jesus who calms the raging sea, can calm the heart teaming with fear. In your time of need ~ large or small; call out to HIM. He WILL hear you. You can believe Him.

Once again, my thanks and appreciation to you, JoAnn.

If you have something you would like to add or if you would like to write as a guest blogger, please send your comments or article to me at glenn@sasscer.com, or mail them to me at PO Box 711, Elmore, Ohio 43416. If your article fits the theme, direction, and style for my blog, you may be the next guest blogger.

Glenn Sasscer

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