Gaining a Foothold
"And do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:27)
The following story is from a book by Ben Alexander
entitled, Out From Darkness. The book is about one man's
extra-ordinary escape from satanic power. Order info follows
story.
"The phone rang and the voice on the other end said, "Mr.
Alexander, would you be interested in debating a
Spiritualist medium on primetime television?" The caller
identified himself as Lee Tabor, host for a program at 10:30
p.m., Sunday on KOIN television in Portland, Oregon. I
agreed and the time and date were set. It was July of 1973.
"It was exciting to anticipate hundreds of thousands of
viewers not only hearing the exposure of the Devil, but also
the Good News of Jesus. My stipulation was that we had to
settle on a basis for discussion. I told the moderator I
would debate only if the Bible was the final authority. The
spirit medium agreed to this. The debate was well-advertised
and many Christians were praying that souls would be reached
because of this venture.
"My strategy for the debate was to treat the whole affair
like a prize fight. I would get as many points as I could by
quoting the Spiritualist manual and showing where the Bible
refutes their doctrines. I planned to eliminate Satan in the
last round by a knock-out.
"The debate went according to plan. It became apparent early
on that the man I was debating knew nothing about the Word
of God, and yet he was being interviewed as a "Reverend."
(All spirit mediums in America who run a Spiritualist church
are called "Reverend.")
"The medium, Satan's pawn, was reeling from the might of
God's Word. With about five minutes left it was time to
deliver the knock-out blow.
"I came into the final round with an admission, saying that
I realized that sťances were held in the Old Testament
times. King Saul went to a spirit medium at Endor and asked
the witch to call up Samuel from the dead.
"My opponent took the bait and said, "That proves that the
Bible condones Spiritualism." He was exuberant but his joy
was short-lived. I retaliated with, "King Saul died because
he went to a spirit medium."
"Not in my Bible," the medium said. The moderator then asked
him for his Bible, but he medium did not have one with him.
I told the moderator, "It's in my Bible," and as I was about
to quote I Chronicles 10:13, the moderator snatched the
Bible out of my hands and said, "Let me read it," He then
read, "So Saul died for his trespass which he committed
against the Lord because of the word of the Lord which he
did not keep and also because he asked counsel of a medium,
making inquiry of it."
"The message from the Bible was a devastating indictment
against Spiritualism. The moderator turned to the spirit
medium and said, "Look, it is true. God says those who do go
to mediums will die." The medium's Adam's apple bobbed up
and down. He was red-faced and speechless. Jesus was
victorious!"
This actual story is from a book by Ben Alexander entitled,
Out From Darkness. The book is about one man's
extra-ordinary escape from satanic power. A few months ago,
I was blessed to be able to spend a few days with Ben as he
shared in our fellowship. I highly recommend this book
because it opened my eyes up to the very subtle ways satan
tries to lead people astray. The Bible is my greatest
handbook! But Ben's book guides me to the actual verses in
God's Word about subjects like fortune-telling, witchcraft,
demon possession,
E. S.P., astrology, hypnosis, yoga, reincarnation, karate,
ouija boards, dungeons and dragons, Halloween, pornography,
and much more!
APPLICATION: What goes on in your house? What things are
working against your children's Christian growth? Satan is
so shrewd in sneaking subtle messages into our minds. Today,
pray and ask God to make you sensitive about the areas where
satan is gaining a foothold.
Dear Jesus, thank You for living in me! Your Word reminds me
that You are greater, more powerful and victorious over
satan, the devil. Yet, he devil is constantly trying to
defeat me and discourage me and distract me from growing as
a Christian. So, I pray for your wisdom, insight and
discernment in identifying the subtle ways in which satan
tries to trip me up. So, today, I pray that Your Holy Spirit
will reveal anything in my life that satan may be using, or
anything in my home that might be influencing my children in
a negative way. Then, give me the courage to change it! In
Jesus' Name, AMEN!
Re-arranging my life for Christ,
David Burns Fresh Wind Ministries eSUB-eMedList@freshwind.org