Although these are examples of God's protection from harm caused by the physical creation, this scripture is also speaking of mastery over the spiritual realm of the enemy (i.e., Satan). This Scripture does not say that Satan cannot inflict any harm. The scriptures abound with examples, and warnings of the enemy's damage on the godly and the ungodly alike (2 Cor. 2:11, 2 Tim. 2:26, 1 Pet. 5:8-9). However, he cannot harm us when we are walking in faith in Christ's redemptive work.
There are no unique temptations. The devil likes to make us think there are. If he can convince us that no one understands, no one has ever had this problem before, then he can isolate us and take away our hope. But any temptation we face is just some variation of the same old...
It was the power in the name of Jesus plus the disciples' faith in that power that made the demons subject unto them. This can clearly be seen in Acts 19:13-17 where certain Jews called on the name of Jesus in an effort to cast demons out of a man. They used the name of Jesus, but it didn't work because they had not put faith in that name.
These Jews were itinerants who used incantations to effect deliverance for people who were demon possessed. The first-century historian, Josephus, wrote of an exorcism that he witnessed in the presence of Vespasian and many of his soldiers. The exorcist supposedly followed a ritual passed down from King Solomon to effect the deliverance. There is no doubt that men throughout all history have tried to resist demonic...
DON'T GIVE UP
DO YOU HAVE A DREAM? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO OR TO HAVE AND HAVE PRAYED FOR? WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T GIVE UP HOPE. HOPE FOR THAT DREAM TO COME TRUE. ROMANS 8:24-25 TELL US A LOT ABOUT HOPE. "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. I HAVE BEEN HOPING FOR SOMETHING FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS AND I KNOW IT WILL BE MANIFESTED ONE DAY. I THANK GOD EVERY DAY FOR IT AND I KNOW I HAVE IT IN THE...
Peace is the result of casting our care upon the Lord through prayer and thanksgiving. However, many people are asking God to give them peace so that their cares will leave. It doesn't work that way. Through faith we cast our cares on the Lord, and then God's peace comes. Christians who are lacking God's peace have not taken their cares to the Lord and left them there. All Christians have peace. It is a fruit of the Spirit that is always present in our born-again spirits. Cares will blind us to God's peace. When we eliminate the cares, peace flows.
Being carnally minded doesn't just tend toward death, it is death. Likewise, being spiritually minded doesn't just tend toward life, it is life and peace. A person who says he or she is spiritually minded and yet is experiencing death is deceived. If...
HAVE WE CONFESSED OUR SINS TO JESUS AND ASKED HIM TO BE OUR SAVIOR? THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO TO BE SAVED. IF WE HAVE, HAVE WE REALLY TURNED OUR LIVES OVER TO HIM AND ARE WE TRUSTING IN HIM? DO WE BELIEVE THE GOSPEL? DO WE KNOW WHAT THE GOSPEL IS?
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It is commonly thought that an evangelist is someone who has a passion to lead people to the Lord. But every believer should have a passion for souls. When presenting the Gospel, we are not just presenting a theory about God but the factual account of God's dealings with man as revealed through His Word, with the ultimate witness being the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Our personal witness of the reality of Jesus being alive in our lives brings Christ from theory to reality.
The early Christians had experienced the love of Christ in an intimate and life-transforming way. This motivated them to reach their known world with the Gospel of Christ more than any generation of Christians has...
This verse has often been used to support the misconception that Jesus and His disciples lived in poverty. However, in this instance, the fact that Jesus had nowhere to lay His head was because of persecution. The Samaritans, because of a religious prejudice, had just refused Him hospitality and a place to stay as He journeyed to Jerusalem. Persecution is part of the cost of living a Christian life. Jesus was communicating to this man that not having a place to stay at times was part of that cost.
There are many forms of persecution. Having your life threatened because of your faith in Jesus is one way you can be persecuted, but it is not the most damaging. History shows that the Church has always...
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