For the next five Sunday Mornings Pastor Mike will be taking us through a journey of Forgiveness. Where do I start? How do I forgive myself? Why should I forgive someone who has wronged me? Don’t I deserve to feel hurt? How does it feel to be livin’ forgiven? Come and join us at 10:45 and discover Forgiveness…For Real!
Our whole Summer has been dominated by the series of sermons entitled, “Whatever It Takes.” This series has focused on the second half of the book of Romans. Chapters 1-11 of Romans focuses on the Theology of Christianity (basically the “Why” of Christianity), and chapters 12-15 focus on the Application of Christianity (basically the “How” of Christianity). At Hurt Road Baptist Church we have recently adopted a new...
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’ “ Joshua 3:7-8 Last night I preached a sermon entitled, “With God Before Us.” In that...
Guiding people into a deeper walk with Jesus
through the truth of Scriptures and the vibrant community of the local church
As a Pastor, I get an unique view of people’s lives. Things are revealed to me that others would never know. I get a sense that people have allowed the burdens of life to overwhelm them to the point that the enjoyment of life is missing. They try fighting the “issues” and the “drama” so much that it just entangles them, surrounds them, and overtakes them. The only time you would ever see a smile on their face is if the were to stand on their head.
Earlier today I put something on my Facebook status that God placed on my heart. Here is what it said:
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus – John 10:10
It is a tragedy to see Christians live in defeat. Satan, our Enemy, is looking to defeat and eliminate Christians, because he knows he can not defeat Christ (he tried that many times while Christ was living). We are weak. We are vulnerable. We are not as wise as we think we are. But, how do we get out? How do we get untangled?
Christ really gave us the answer when He said, “28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” MATTHEW 11.
But, that’s too easy, Mike! Can that really be the answer? Yes…it is that easy.
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Many people are conflicted with demonic attacks…some people are well aware of it while others vehemently deny it. How we face those attacks can have a huge impact on the direction of our lives and many of us try to prevent these attacks by facing demons and by addressing them directly. According to Scripture that is the wrong approach. The demons don’t acknowledge who we are, because we have no authority. After His resurrection Christ said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” Even before his death demons knew who He was and feared Him. We see this displayed in Mark 1 where Jesus confronts a demoniac and the demon speaks saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are–the Holy One of God!”
When we spend time speaking directly to demons as they attack we do not have the authority to do so. This authority is Christ’s alone. However, for those of us who claim to be Christians and indeed have Him in our lives we do have a power within us far greater than any other. That power is not ours, but the Holy Spirit. Our time and effort should be spent praying for the Holy Spirit to do His work within us, and to fill us. That is how Satan and his demons are defeated.
Here is an exerpt from renowned author and speaker Hank Hanegraaff:
C. S. Lewis cautioned against both imagining a demon behind every tree and believing Satan doesn’t exist. While two kingdoms are indeed in conflict (Matt. 12:22-30), Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross, made a spectacle out of the powers of darkness (Col. 2:15). What this means is that we engage in spiritual warfare by the sheer act of pursuing Christ.
Scripture admonishes us to stand firm against the devil and the evil forces of this world by employing the full armor of God, which is metaphorical language for knowing the truth, exercising faith, and practicing righteousness in our daily lives (Eph. 6:10-18; cf. 2 Cor. 10:4-6). To engage in spiritual warfare is to believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and to lead lives characterized by honesty, purity, prayer, Bible study, evangelism, and so on.
If someone struggles with bad thoughts, for example, rather than addressing demons on the issue, we ought to replace the bad thinking pattern with a good one. First, regardless of the source of the original thought (whether from Satan, another human, or our own sinful flesh), we are responsible for what we do with it. Furthermore, while we cannot directly stop thinking a bad thought (it’s virtually impossible not to think about a pink elephant when told not to!), we can consciously focus on something else in its place: a thought that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and so forth (Phil. 4:8-9). Finally, practicing discipline in one area of our daily lives can affect our ability to overcome bad habits in other areas as well.
The bottom line is that we must submit ourselves to God through faith in Jesus Christ, who by His life, death, and resurrection has defeated Satan (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8). What remains is to simply resist the devil, for then, the Bible says, he will flee (James 4:7).
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