August 14
SPIRITUAL WAR
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name
The Christian worldview perceives life through the grid of Scripture, not through culture or experience. And Scripture clearly teaches that supernatural, spiritual forces are at work in the natural world. For example, approximately one-fourth of all the healings recorded in the Gospel of Mark were actually deliverances from demon activity. The woman whom Jesus healed in Luke 13:11, 12, had been the victim of a "sickness caused by a spirit" for 18 years.
Many people I have counseled came with physical problems which disappeared shortly after the demonic influence was dealt with. The most common symptoms I have seen are headaches, dizziness, allergies, nausea and general pain throughout the body. The most conservative estimate by medical doctors is that 50 percent of their patients are suffering psychosomatic illnesses. Biblically, it is reasonable to expect that if a person's personal and spiritual problems are resolved, the physical body will be benefited. Stress is a leading cause of heart disease and cancer. The peace of God alone will cure many diseases.
I'm not saying that everyone who is ill or in pain is being terrorized by a demon. But I am convinced that many Christians battle physical symptoms unsuccessfully through natural means when the essence of the problem and the solution is spiritual. "He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you" (Romans 8:11).
The fact that Jesus left us "in the world" (John 17:11) to wrestle against "spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12) is a present-day reality. Supernatural forces are at work on planet Earth. We live in the natural world, but we are involved in a spiritual war.
Prayer: Dear God, keep me alert to the spiritual conflicts occurring around me and ready to respond in Your authority and power.
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