The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
How do evil spirits interfere with our lives? Let me answer with a simple
illustration. Imagine that you are standing at one end of a long, narrow street
lined on both sides with two-story row houses. At the other end of the street
stands Jesus Christ, and your Christian life is the process of walking down that
long street of maturity toward Him. There is absolutely nothing in the street
which can keep you from reaching Jesus. So, when you receive Christ, you fix
your eyes on Him and start walking.
But since this world is still under the dominion of Satan, the row houses on
either side of you are inhabited by beings who are committed to keeping you from
reaching your goal. They have no power or authority to block your path or even
slow your step, so they hang out of the windows and call to you, hoping to turn
your attention away from your goal and disrupt your progress by tempting you,
accusing you and deceiving you.
What is the enemy's goal in having his demons jeer you, taunt you, lure you, and
question you from the windows and doorways along your path? He wants you to slow
down, stop, sit down, and, if possible, give up your journey toward Christ. He
wants to influence you to doubt your ability to believe and serve God. Remember:
he has absolutely no power or authority to keep you from steadily progressing in
your walk toward Christ. And he can never again own you, because you have been
redeemed by Jesus Christ and you are forever in Him (1 Peter 1:18, 19). But if
he can get you to listen to the thoughts he plants in your mind, he can
influence you. And if you allow him to influence you long enough through
temptation, accusation and deception, he can control you.
If I could influence you to believe a lie, could I control your life? Yes. Let's
fix our eyes on Jesus, "the author and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2) and
take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Dr. Anderson, Freedom in Christ and Harvest House Publishers
www.ficm.org
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