In spite of a great spiritual awakening in Samaria, Simon the Sorcerer was still in business. The people '...heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time' (Acts 8:9-11 NKJV). So, how do the apostles handle this situation? Sidestep it? Coexist peacefully with evil? No, they confronted him with the claims of Christ, saying: 'Repent...[that] your heart may be forgiven...' (Acts 8:22 NKJV). And Simon did. A good doctor identifies the problem then treats it. The forces of evil around us are real, and we must know how to deal with them.
Blaming satan for all your problems is a cop-out, but failing to see him at work in your situation renders you powerless.
Remember the tortured man living in the tombs of Gadara whom Christ healed? The spirits within him did two things worthy of note. First, they introduced themselves as '...Legion...for we are many' (Mark 5:9 NIV). A legion was a well trained, fully equipped division of the Roman army that took orders from Caesar. Second, they '...begged Jesus...not to send them out of the area' (Mark 5:10 NIV). That's because they'd established a stronghold there. Can you see a spiritual parallel here? You can't fight spiritual battles with carnal weapons and hope to win. Blaming satan for all your problems is a cop-out, but failing to see him at work in your situation renders you powerless.
To fight and win you must know what you are up against. You must be able to look beyond the obvious and see the actual! You are dealing with '...principalities...powers...the rulers of the darkness...spiritual hosts of wickedness...Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day...' (Ephesians 6:12-13 NKJV).
Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.
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