Stop Coddling Your Demons

#demons #compromise #sin #freedom #Jesus #bible #remnant #christian #church #victim #conqueror #help #deliverance

Part of the great falling away of the Church has a lot to do with who or what the believer chooses to occupy their time with daily. Satan has sent his demons to create a self-serving group of self-proclaimed “believers” who have one foot in the Word and one foot in a world where one cannot be offensive, must tolerate everything and needs to accept everyone. They befriend compromise and pride, and coddle the sin in their hearts and in the lives of their family, friends and loved ones. They buy into and promote lukewarm theology that is festering spiritual pollution, disease and death throughout this world. Jesus didn’t coddle demons during His time of ministry and warns the half-hearted Church “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16).

At one point or another, we have all fallen victim to indulging the lust of the flesh and walking in sin. However, it’s time for the remnant of Christ to shape up, stand out and speak up. If you have opened the door to the enemy by allowing him the space that belongs only to God, here are six ways to uninvite those demons for good!

1. Stop remaining a victim. Because we live in a fallen world, we are going to face persecution, assault from the enemy and personal attacks over our bodies, minds and spirits. We may be victims of these things when they happen, but we cannot remain there. Jesus paid the price to give us the victory. If we continue to live as victims and make excuse after excuse for why we can’t move past the situations or events that occurred, then we are saying the cross was not enough to help us. Jesus paid the price, so we can conquer anything and everything the enemy throws at us. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8: 31-35,37 NIV).

2. Do not be afraid to address sin! Do not try and hide and make excuses for your sin or the sin of your family and friends. It can be so easy to point out the sin in others, but so hard to face our own sin. “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (James 4:17, NIV) Pride will make excuses, lie, or bury the truth. Do not be deceived. Run to the cross and repent! Don’t be afraid to encourage friend family and loved ones who are in habitual sin to do the same! You may face rejection and mockery, but do not be afraid to get rude with the devil! Just as each of will stand before God for our owns sins, we will also stand before him for the opportunities missed to help a brother or sister in Christ by speaking the truth in love. “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins”. (James 5:19-20, NIV)

3. Stop centering your life around others’ opinions. Satan will use the need for acceptance power, fame and fortune to open the door to compromise and sin. When you don’t stand up for God’s word and call out sin for what it is—a one-way ticket to destruction, then you are playing a dangerous game with demonic deception. Do not compromise out of fear that you will be rejected by the world. Choose to please God, desire Him and stand up for His Word over anyone and everything else. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world”. (1 John 2:15-16, NIV)

4. Forgive others, yourself and God. If we refuse to forgive those who hurt us, even if we need to forgive ourselves or God, we are in sin. We are holding hands with the devil, and he is taking us on a road to bitterness, hatred and death. Forgiveness is a choice. It does not require feelings. It does not always guarantee an apology back or reconciliation with the perpetrator. However, when the we start to take the hand of deception and start skipping down the path of unforgiveness, pause look at the nail-scarred hands beckoning us to stop playing games with the enemy and take His hand instead. Jesus had a choice. He chose love, grace, mercy and redemption at the cross and we are commanded to do the same. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”. (Ephesians 4:31-32, NIV).

5. Use your God-given authority. Stop wasting time playing with the demons sent out to destroy you! We must go to the secret place and draw on the authority given through Jesus and spend our time in prayer and speaking in tongues. This will silence Satan’s lies and amplify God’s truth! “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:13-15, NIV).

6. Do not be afraid to seek help and deliverance. If you coddle the demons long enough, they will overcome you. Just like a bully who demands, your attention, action, time and money, the demons you allow to actively participate in your life will destroy the opportunities God has for you in this life. If you have allowed them control and you feel like you can’t walk away, then it’s time to seek help. Go to your pastors, and brothers and sisters in Christ for prayer and support. Prayerfully find a full-gospel, Bible-believing, spirit-filled church that has Christian counseling and healing and deliverance ministries. There is no shame in seeking freedom. “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. (James 5:16, NIV).

The return of Jesus is coming soon. Will He find you a hot, on-fire follower living out the freedom He died to give you, or will he see you hanging out and playing games with the demons sent out to destroy your life? Stop indulging the demons in your life, and seek holiness and freedom while there is still time! Your life, and the lives you influence depend on it! “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12, NIV)

4 Reassuring Ways to Find God’s Purpose During Seasons of Pain and Solitude

#solitude #purpose #god #pain #restoration #seasons #hope #devotions #bible #jesus

Throughout the Christian walk, people often experience great earthly loneliness. The enemy uses rejection, unrealistic expectations, and abandonment from others to convince God’s children that have been forgotten and that God caused the pain to somehow punish them. As believers, we are living in the last days and in critical times. Satan is deceiving Christians to doubt God during times of suffering. During the great falling away of the Church, people are turning away from God and trying to fill their loneliness with the temporary pleasures of this world. Christians young and old are trying to find love and acceptance through pornography, partnering in unequally-yoked relationships and filling their voids with addiction and self-harm.

Some have left the Church because they suffered unexpected losses of relationships or deaths of loved ones and have blamed God. Some have isolated themselves from God and others and have taken roots of bitterness, hatred and revenge on others who have hurt or abused them. Some have become angry with God because they did not yet receive their healing, get married, get the job they wanted or have children the way they thought they would.

After suffering the pain of being raped, going through two painful divorces, losing my home, suffering financially as a single mom and experience great pain, rejection in friendships, ministry and working relationships, I understand earthly loneliness. I often thought my solitude was a punishment from God. There were times I questioned the purpose for the pain. If I loved others with the love of Christ, why did they reject and abuse me? If I was faithful in my relationships, why were they unfaithful back? If I tithed and gave to God, why did I struggle to make ends meet? If I was loyal at work, why was I isolated and falsely accused?

At the end of all of the questions and the tears, I had decisions to make--Was I going to believe in the goodness of God? Was God’s Word true? Did Jesus exchange my earthly loneliness and pain at the cross for eternal joy and peace?

After isolating myself, trying things in my own strength, experiencing rejection and loneliness from others, and buying into the lies of the enemy, I needed to wake, up, repent, take my stand, trust that I was connected to God no matter how lonely I felt. Because Jesus took my pain on the cross, my temporary earthly pain would be exchanged for eternal joy. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us” Romans 8:18 (MEV). God has turned around and is continuing to restore all of pain I experienced. From those seasons of pain my ministry and calling were birthed to those around the world needing hope of His restoration.

The very gifts of freedom, peace and joy that Jesus died to give are willfully being exchanged for doubt, fear and resentment. It’s time to wake up to the enemy’s scheme!

Here are 4 ways to transform that earthly pain and loneliness into Kingdom purpose:

1. Remember that Jesus understands all of our pain and suffering. He experienced every pain we have and will face. “He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him” Isaiah 53:3 (MEV). If we think we are alone in our pain and loneliness we are reminded that Jesus experienced great earthly loneliness and rejection from his family, His followers and those who He suffered and died for then and now.

2. It’s time to stand up and get rude with the devil! Jesus gave us the gift of salvation. We need to stop exchanging our gift to a thief! Satan is the one who robs us and brings destruction. It’s time to stop fighting God and others, and put the enemy in his place, which is under our feet! “Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” Ephesians 6:10-13 (MEV).

3. Thank God for replacing the pain with His purpose. As we remember God’s goodness, trust that He is doing a great work inside of each of us during these lonely times. God did not cause your pain, but He will use it. He can use it to strengthen our faith, build character, protect us from world influences and refine us when sin is exposed. He brings healing to our hearts when we connect with Him, and sometimes everything else falls apart or withers away until we are face-to-face with our heavenly father who is the only One who can fill the void. The pain we feel now will be turned around for His good. We were never promised a life without pain, but were promised that God will walk us through it. He will take that pain, help us overcome and then use it as testimonies to others who are experiencing the same suffering and loneliness. “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (MEV).

4. Remember that the pain and loss we experience in this life is temporary. Those in Christ who stand with Him and His Word until the end are promised that one day all pain and loneliness will be gone, and limitless joy, peace and belonging abounds for eternity! But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will restore, support, strengthen, and establish you” 1 Peter 5:10 (MEV).

Our earthly pain and solitude are only for a season. Take heart, take a stand and connect to the One who will bring you victory, restoration and hope. Jesus understands our pain, but he died and rose again to exchange it for our beautiful testimonies and eternities of everlasting joy and acceptance!