I remember reading this passage when I was 10-12 years old. It gave me nightmares. The thought of demon possession (and even worse, being possessed by 1000 demons!) rather freaked me out.
First and foremost, one of the things I had to learn was this, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) Although demon possession is real, and there are people who are dominated by the devil in this way, as Christians, we do not need to fear demon possession. We have the Spirit of God living within us, and since our God is a jealous God, He will not share us with anyone. And we have Christ's commission in Mark 16 to cast out demons.
In addition, as a child of God, I needed to take hold of James' words, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Jesus has made us overcomers who by His Word and Spirit overcome the schemes of the Evil One.
We don't think too much about demons in our modern world, although in the transition to becoming post-modern people seem to be more open to spiritual beliefs and practices many of us would have poo-pooed not so long ago. The tension in this is there are people in this world who see the devil behind every little thing, and imagine demons constantly surrounding and attacking them.
The devil and the demonic are real. The Scriptures are perfectly clear on this point. The devil and demons are angels who rebelled against God. Daniel makes it clear that the holy angels are in combat with the demonic angels, and there is great spiritual warfare going on around us - and we are part of that. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood . . . Eph. 6:2."
That being said, we are not to go around cringing in fear at what the devil might or might not be doing. We are, "more than conquerors" in Jesus. He has given us the victory over sin, death and the power of the devil. So although Satan prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, he is also chained (Revelation), and we can live in confidence in Jesus power and salvation.
I do not say to ignore the spiritual struggle we are all engaged in. To do so would be foolish in the extreme. We should be wise to the schemes and tactics of the devil; resist temptation, pray for strength and protection, and arm ourselves with the Word of God. But also do not walk around in constant fear. No one can pluck you from Jesus' hand. You are his. And we know the end. We win because of Jesus.
One last thought, from the raising of Jairus' daughter: Can you imagine "falling asleep" and as you lay there you hear the Lord's voice, and when you open your eyes the first face you see is Jesus'? I'm in no hurry to die, but I look forward to that face to face meeting!
First and foremost, one of the things I had to learn was this, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) Although demon possession is real, and there are people who are dominated by the devil in this way, as Christians, we do not need to fear demon possession. We have the Spirit of God living within us, and since our God is a jealous God, He will not share us with anyone. And we have Christ's commission in Mark 16 to cast out demons.
In addition, as a child of God, I needed to take hold of James' words, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Jesus has made us overcomers who by His Word and Spirit overcome the schemes of the Evil One.
We don't think too much about demons in our modern world, although in the transition to becoming post-modern people seem to be more open to spiritual beliefs and practices many of us would have poo-pooed not so long ago. The tension in this is there are people in this world who see the devil behind every little thing, and imagine demons constantly surrounding and attacking them.
The devil and the demonic are real. The Scriptures are perfectly clear on this point. The devil and demons are angels who rebelled against God. Daniel makes it clear that the holy angels are in combat with the demonic angels, and there is great spiritual warfare going on around us - and we are part of that. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood . . . Eph. 6:2."
That being said, we are not to go around cringing in fear at what the devil might or might not be doing. We are, "more than conquerors" in Jesus. He has given us the victory over sin, death and the power of the devil. So although Satan prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, he is also chained (Revelation), and we can live in confidence in Jesus power and salvation.
I do not say to ignore the spiritual struggle we are all engaged in. To do so would be foolish in the extreme. We should be wise to the schemes and tactics of the devil; resist temptation, pray for strength and protection, and arm ourselves with the Word of God. But also do not walk around in constant fear. No one can pluck you from Jesus' hand. You are his. And we know the end. We win because of Jesus.
One last thought, from the raising of Jairus' daughter: Can you imagine "falling asleep" and as you lay there you hear the Lord's voice, and when you open your eyes the first face you see is Jesus'? I'm in no hurry to die, but I look forward to that face to face meeting!
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