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Paul
wrote in Ephesians 6:12...
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Question... how many of you have seen the swine flu? (I realize some of
you
may have seen some of this under a microscope, but work with me) Or how
many
of you have seen strep throat? Or for that matter how many of you have
seen
the common cold? Chances are, with the exception of those of you in the
medical field, that you have never physically seen those things. That is
because, for the most part, they are invisible. They are unseen, but that
does not lessen the powerful effects that they have on our lives if we
should come into contact with them.
Next question, how many of you have seen the effects of sickness? Now I
bet
that number is much higher. Because while we cannot see the sickness, we
can
see the effects it has on us or the ones that we love. So what we infer is
that just because something cannot be seen, does not make it any less
dangerous. As a matter of fact, it probably makes it all the more
dangerous!
And how about this, what great lengths do we go to so we can avoid getting
these sicknesses? I see hand wipes in the grocery store now so you can
wipe
down the buggy handle. I know people who carry hand sanitizer everywhere
they go to kill germs they may get on their hands. And what of those who
try
and keep their body healthy so that things can be fought off easier. You
see
we will go to great lengths to fight off, or avoid all together sicknesses
that will hurt us, but I am amazed at how much we do not plan, or avoid
one
sickness that can kill us.
Satan really likes it when people do not believe that he and his demons
are
real. He likes it because those people become his primary target. He likes
people who do not acknowledge that he exists because they are the very
ones
that he can target and get off track. And trust me, he wants to get you
off
track. I truly believe that he is that little voice that says, "You
have
worked hard all week, you don't need to go to church" or "I am
going to
sleep those extra few minutes, I will pray tomorrow" or "I know
that for
most people this is a sin (put whatever you want in the blank) but I can
handle it". You see the Bible says that Satan comes to steal kill and
destroy. He wants to steal your peace, kill your joy, and destroy any kind
of life that you can have on this earth.
So what do you do? You fight! Just as you and I take precautions to stop
from getting a cold or any other kind of sickness, you take precautions to
stop Satan from wrecking your life. If you knew that you were walking
through a room of people, and five out of ten of them had an infectious
disease, would you wash your hands? Maybe even avoid contact with some or
all of the people in that room? You bet you would! So listen, take
precautions! I cannot stress to you how important it is to pray. Paul said
we should pray without ceasing! I cannot stress to you how important
church
is. Jesus said that He is the vine and we are the branches, if we remain
in
Him we will be alive. How is Jesus represented on earth? THE CHURCH! If we
want to have life, we must be connected to His body, the church. I cannot
stress to you how important it is to read your Bible, Paul calls it the
Sword of the Spirit! You cannot fight without your Sword.
Do not walk through life naive thinking that Satan will just leave you
alone, if you do you will become his target. I'm going to leave you this
week with the words of Peter. . .
Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in
the
faith . . . 1 Peter 5:8-9
I love you guys, have a great week!
Pastor Jason Lyle
The Open Range Church of Henry County
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those
who
believe and are saved.
Hebrews 10:39
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