Satan and Demons

In respect to 1 Corinthians 14:20, "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature/" I am going to be wrapping up my study of Spiritual Warfare soon and move on to other topics to avoid falling victim to being obsessed with our battles against demons. However, I did want to talk about what I have been learning over the past few days.

My dad brought home a book for me to read, Spiritual Warfare, by Jerry Rankin. Dr. Rankin is an alumni of Southwestern Seminary, former missionary, and currently president of the International Mission Board. When he speaks of encounters of Spiritual Warfare, this is an individual that has most certainly seen it. I am about halfway through his book, and it is a MUST READ for all Christians. I almost want to say that before you agree to pray for a missionary, you should look into reading the book. I will dive into that a little bit more later.

In order to supplement Dr. Rankin's writings, I read the chapter in a Systematic Theology book on Satan and Demons....Spiritual Warfare. I won't go into all of the detail of what I read, but I do have a few facts that I want to point out:

1. Satan and Demons (fallen angels) exist.

As you read through the Bible, you will find scripture that discuss satan and demons. The serpent that tempted Eve, Satan failing to tempt Christ, demons being present in various individuals and Christ / others casting the demons out, etc.

2. Not all evil and sin is from Satan and Demons, but some is.

We need to accept our own responsibility obey the Lord and not to shift blame for our own misdeeds onto some demonic force. That being said, there can be influence, but we have dominion over that influence and chose to succumb to it. Not all sin is caused by Satan or demons, nor is the major influence or cause of sin demonic activity, but demonic activity is probably a factor in almost all sin and almost all destructive activity that opposes the work of God in the world today.

These are two very basic points, but I only wanted to arrive to the point that anything that goes against God and the Great Commission is worldly and of sin. Dr. Rankin points out that if this world can't stop the missionary him/herself from going, then it will go to the next person in line...family in friends. I'll go ahead and throw myself under the bus. When I found out, I was angry. I wanted to know why my family was moving away from me. Why was my family making the choice to take my sisters into Mexico. I did not get my answers right away, but I did get my answer. To simply show the Glory of God and to fulfill the Great Commission.

Everything that we do in this world is to glorify our Lord. Satan knows that he can't win this war. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and out of the tomb his scarred hands were the equivalent of victorious trophies. I can not think of a game that draws a parallel, so I have to change the rules of one to make it work. Imagine in football, if you could arrive to the point that the game can not be lost. However, you have to drive the ball down to the end of the field one last time for the game to be over. I imagine that is what we are doing right now. We are trying to get the ball to the end one more time, and Satan knows that if we do, his reign is over. Therefore, he is going to do everything he can to delay us from completing that goal.

As Christians, we are ALL to give our lives to the Lord. That is not a prayer just for those who want to go into the ministry as their careers. EVERYTHING that you do, you are to do in the Lord's name. If you are setting out for the day to do something that does not glorify His name, ask yourself if you should even go do it. I am an auditor, so my daily job is not preaching. However, I go to work everyday to glorify the Lord, and pray that the opportunity will present itself that I may be the light that people may see Jesus Christ. If the Lord calls me to do something else in the future, I must remember that Earthly James no longer lives. He died. Christ lives in this Earthly body that writes to you now, and this body has no say in the argument of what it does in this world. He is just supposed to listen and be a soldier of Christ.

As I close, I want to circle back to my statement that you might want to read Spiritual Warfare before accepting the responsibility to pray for a missionary family. For some of you, you have not made that conscious decision to live your life for the advancement of Christ. Keep in mind that praying for a missionary is declaring war against Satan.

Do not fear, for you have been given strength against sin, and you have armor! It is my hope that these thoughts have not scared anyone. We need not to be scared, because we have the Great Protector. We do need to be alert. Satan does not want us to make to the the end of the field, but I like many others would like to get this game over with so we can go home.

I came across this song on my iPod as I finish this post. This is a great example of what our lives in this world are:

Lord of the Dance, Steven Curtis Chapman

On the bank of the Tennessee River
In a small Kentucky town
I drew my first breath one cold November morning
And before my feet even touched the ground
With the doctors and the nurses gathered 'round
I started to dance

A little boy full of wide-eyed wonder
Footloose and fancy free
But it would happen, as it does for every dancer
That I'd stumble on a truth I couldn't see
And find a longing deep inside of me, sayin'

I am the heart, I need the heartbeat
I am the eyes, I need the sight
I see clearly that I am just a body
I need the life
I move my feet, I go through the motions
But who'll give purpose to chance
I am the dancer
I need the Lord of the dance

The world beneath us spins in circles
And this life makes us twist and turn and sway
But we were made for more than rhythm with no reason
By the one who moves with passion and with grace
As He dances over all that He has made

I am the heart, He is the heartbeat
I am the eyes, He is the sight
And I see clearly, I am just a body
He is the life
I move my feet, I go through the motions
But He gives purpose to chance
I am the dancer
He is the Lord of the dance

And while the music of His love and mercy plays
I will fall down on my knees and I will pray

I am the heart, You are the heartbeat
I am the eyes, You are the sight
And I see clearly, I am just a body
You are the life
I move my feet, I go through the motions
But You give purpose to chance
I am the dancer
You are the Lord of the dance

*Most of the doctrinal statements made in this post came from Grudem, W. A. (1994). Systematic Theology : An introduction to biblical doctrine (422). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.