Passing The Test
On Friday of last week, I wrote an article for this blog that may have freaked a few people out. I’m ok with that, as I write about life and guess what? Life experiences can be pretty freaky sometimes. If you do not have freaky moments in life, you are probably dead and just don’t know it yet.
I wrote about spiritual warfare. You can ignore it, say it doesn’t exist, or pretend you are immune to the battles being waged against you, but the bottom line is the only way to win a war is to recognize you are in one.
On Friday, I mentioned being in the presence of demons as the most terrible times of my entire life. I stick by this statement, and yes… there were a few times. I also pointed out I never worshipped the devil, practiced voodoo, played around with black magic, or messed around with anything like that of a serious nature.
This is significant; this statement points out we are all vulnerable. You may think you are not walking in my shoes and will not follow the same path, but again… I never did anything to entice the encounters. We are targets of the enemy, so how will you respond if or when you find yourself in those crosshairs?
My encouragement comes from Jonah.
I know you might think this guy was thrown overboard and was swallowed by a large fish, how can we really find any encouragement from him? Because Jonah passed the test. Let’s take a look at the second chapter of Jonah:
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.” And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah couldn’t have gotten further away from the Lord at this point in his life. He was in a huge fish! (Reference life having freaking experiences in the first paragraph of this article). You might say Jonah was at the peak of enduring his trial… at the pinnacle of a life-threatening challenge. What is his response? He remembers the Lord.
He remembers the Lord, and in this very instant he passes the test. God’s response is immediate and Jonah finds himself on dry land. (Again, reference freaky experiences in first paragraph).
In the middle of my demonic encounters, it was not my strength, my wisdom, my understanding, or my knowledge bringing me through the attack. I did not look for some ancient book, recite some long forgotten incantation, or draw some magic sword to defeat the enemy… these are all Hollywood fiction and false hopes. In each of the instances, I said the name “Jesus Christ” and the battle ended immediately.
How did I respond? I remembered the Lord and God’s response was immediate. I remembered His promise in His Word, found in Philippians 2:9-11:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Whether or not you believe in the demonic, spiritual warfare, that demons and angels exist, or that what I wrote above could be true, I encourage you to understand the power of our Lord and Savior, even just the mere mentioning of His name. I encourage you to recognize our one and true Creator, our one and true Savior, our one and true Lord, and above all else, to realize His primary focus is to have a relationship with you.
Take a look at the focus of His ministry in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19:
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
And, in John 17:23:
I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
I encourage you to pray for and ask God for a better understanding of this relationship, and for the strength to turn to Him in the midst of whatever attack is directed at you. I encourage you to remember the Lord, turn to Him, and rely on the power of His name! Contact me if I can pray with you for this revelation and for strength in the battle.
Glenn Sasscer
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