Pass by please

Demons are like bullies.  They feed on fear.  As long as you choose to give your lunch money to the school bully, he'll continue to demand it. - Dr. Karl I. Payne

     This is not one of my favorite topics to write about, but I made a commitment.  God reminded me yesterday, I am a follower and so like going to the doctor when you don't really want to, I have made a commitment to my health.  Health comes from knowing Christ.  Knowing Christ comes from obeying Him and so I write.
     Last night, I sat out on the deck thinking about going to bed, when something caught my eye.  I watched a dark shadow cross the end of my driveway.  When I realized it was not a shadow caused by lighting, it was a demon and I could feel the darkness, instantly I felt Jesus standing next to me and He said, "You're okay.  He's not coming here."  Sometimes I feel like I'm crazy, but it is too real to ignore.  As I have faced the fact that demons are out there and it's my responsibility to make as many people aware of them as possible, I also realize when they show up, God shows up bigger. 
     I usually sleep with my door open, but last night I closed it. I prayed for the safety of my kids and grand kids and then my prayers mostly consisted of a conversation with God that went something like this.  I was not afraid for myself. 
"Are you here God?" 
"I'm right here."
"Stay here.  I need to feel you right here with me."
"I'm right here."
Then I heard sirens up the road and I wondered if that demon was the cause.  I asked God.
"Your family is safe." was all He would say.
     It puts me in a strange place when I see them.  It changes my whole view of the world and I actually feel very sorry for people who will not believe they are here, among us and they want to destroy us.  They want to destroy our faith, but they have only made mine grow stronger.

     I wish I could remember the names and more details, but I keep thinking about a story I heard years ago.  A doctor who was raised in a Christian home, but was not a believer worked in third world countries.  He said many times he sat with people as they were dying.  He had seen it before but for some reason, one man he sat with began screaming and this doctor knew demons were taking him to hell.  It got to him this time and he began telling this guy, "Cry out for Jesus." over and over until the man did.  Instantly he was at peace.  He ended up living and the two of them were both saved.  He went on to say that we in America medicate our dying to such a degree, that we don't know if they are seeing angels in those last minutes or if they are in complete terror as the demons of darkness escort them to hell.  Another way we as Americans shield ourselves from reality.
       I have to ask God why I had to see the demon moving past my house last night.  He points out the people in the neighboring homes all tucked safely away watching TV or curled up in bed, totally unaware of the darkness passing through.  They need to know.  I have made a commitment to tell.  The belief that they are safely tucked away in their homes is a false belief, unless they are aware and they are following God, they are not free from the influence.  Ignorance is bliss?  Not in this case.

     I took this from a book by Dr. Karl I. Payne, Spiritual Warfare - Christians, Demonization, and Deliverance
     "I personally believe that demonic deception is increasing, even within the Christian church, and that the worst of this deception is still to come.  If God allows demonic activity to increase until His return, I believe He will also train up and equip a growing number of His children to faithfully and effectively contend with the powers of darkness who oppose His plans and people.  Too many North American churches are well on their way to becoming the same spiritually dead museums as Western European churches.
     It's time for Christian soldiers to stand up and contend for the faith once delivered to the saints while we still are able, whether our opposition is natural or supernatural.  The alternative is to continue sitting silently in comfort, hoping to blend into a society that's decaying at an increasing rate.  We're commanded to live in this world as Christ's ambassadors, shining as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverted world.  You can appear politically correct at the expense of being biblically correct any way you please, but it still represents the compromised sin of disobedience.
     God bless you as you stand up to the challenge of learning how to biblically contend with the world, the flesh, and the devil.  We are called by God to walk worthy of our calling in Christ and to live as spiritual victors rather than as spiritual victims.  Pragmatically speaking, it's time for this positional truth to become a daily reality rather than just an occasional prayer we offer or song we sing."