"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
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