We are unquestionably living in the last days.  The renewal of Israel as a nation in 1948 started the countdown of the final days of the last days which actually began at the resurrection and ascension of Jesus when Joel 2 was fulfilled.  On the day or Pentecost as described in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit was put on display in Jerusalem.  The sound of a mighty wind, the appearance of tongues of fire, the gift of tongues, and the sudden boldness of those first followers of Jesus demonstrated that God had once again begun something new.  

The public display was explained by Peter in Acts 2:17 as a “last days” fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel who spoke about God’s Spirit being poured out on all people.  Notice that Peter identified that time frame as the beginning of the “last days” which could also be called the “age of the church.”  Peter preached in the beginning of the last days while we are certainly living toward the culmination of the last days.

Whether we are two years, five years, or fifty years from the return of Christ I am not certain, but I am certain that as that time draws closer, the activity of Satan is becoming more intense. Over the past five years, I have been amazed at the number of believers we have encountered  who were being afflicted by demons and who had begun to recognize demonic activity and oppression in their own lives as spiritual warfare, even though they have had no church background to prepare them to understand that experience.  Those who think Satan cannot afflict the saved or that those coming out of the world can’t bring demonic spirits with them into the church are misinformed. 

When you look through the pages of the gospels, you can see how active Satan was at the first appearance of Jesus.  He is no less active now as he senses the second appearance of Jesus drawing near.  Because of that, it is essential that every follower of Jesus be equipped to battle the forces of darkness with the divine weapons that Paul spoke about in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 and the armor of God he described in Ephesians 6:10-18.  Remember, Paul said that the real battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph.6:12).

The question for us is how do we effectively fight forces in the spiritual realm? The answer is found in scripture.  How did Jesus, the twelve, the seventy, and the early church fight against the kingdom of darkness.  There were a number of weapons they used against demons and the strongholds of Satan, but they all had one foundational experience that set them apart from those who were not equipped.  The foundational experience was an anointing of power and authority that set them above and ahead of all demonic forces in the heavenly realms.

Ever since the Pentecost experience described in Acts 2, that anointing has come through the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.”  In recent decades there has been a great deal of disagreement and misunderstanding about the nature of Holy Spirit baptism.  That disagreement has stretched from positions that deny any present-day miraculous work of the Spirit to positions that are simply unbiblical and weird.  Because this issue of power and authority is so important in the life of the believer, I have decided to do a series on Holy Spirit baptism in which I try to make it biblical, understandable, and desirable.  This serves as the introduction to that series which will begin next week with The Promise of Power.

One of the most quoted proverbs from scripture is, “The tongue has the power of life and death and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21).  In general, this proverb means that our words have power and authority and that power and authority can contribute to life or death, health or sickness.  That power and authority comes from being made in the image of God and then his giving dominion over the earth to man.  In addition, if you are a believer you also walk in the authority of Christ so that your words carry even more authority.  We can speak words of life or death over others or ourselves.  Eating the fruit of our words simply means that we will reap what we sow from what we have spoken.  If we speak death over others, it will eventually return to us.  If we speak life over others, that too will eventually come back to us.

One of the ways that words impart life or death is that our words give spiritual beings, angels or demons, a legal right to affect the lives of those we speak over…especially if we have spiritual authority over someone such as parents over children, husbands over wives, ourselves over ourselves, etc.  When we speak a blessing, we give angels a legal right and even a directive to work in someone’s life to bring about positive, life-giving outcomes.  When we speak a curse, we give demons a legal right and a directive to work to bring about negative or life-stealing outcomes.

In several of his books regarding the courts of heaven, Robert Henderson points out how often a courtroom scene is depicted in scripture in which Satan is accusing the people of God and attempting to bring an accusation against them that allows him to afflict or torment those individuals.  The first chapter of Job presents such a scene. In our ministry, we call those “open doors” that give the enemy access to the lives of individuals. For believers, this is not a salvation issue but a matter of spiritual warfare, in which, the enemy can gain more access than simple temptation and can oppress or afflict believers so that they are greatly hindered in fulfilling their destiny in Christ.   

The words we speak can be the very thing that enables the enemy to bring an accusation against us.  Remember the warning of Jesus when he said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt. 12:36-37). Entire books can be written on this subject, but I want to point out one possible open door created by our words that many believers fail to recognize.  This may be a small thing but I sense it is more than that.

In Exodus 20:7, the Lord says, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”  The King James version says that we shall not take “the Lord’s name in vain.”  The idea of something being done in vain is that the effort was meaningless or empty.  The idea is that God’s name is holy and sacred and must always be spoken with care and reverence.  We usually think of people who use the name of God or Jesus when cussing as being guilty of this sin, but the Hebrew means more than that. It means to use God’s name in any profane, meaningless, empty, indifferent, or careless way. The Jews were so concerned about misusing the Name that many would not even dare to speak it. 

In Christian circles, it is not uncommon for people to say things like, “Oh my God!” or “Good God” or “Good Lord” or God All Mighty,”etc.  as exclamation points for whatever statement they are making.  I know they mean no disrespect, but they are using the Name in a careless, meaningless, or empty way…which is the very definition of “misusing” the name of God. I believe a habit of this can open up believers to the accusations of Satan because they are violating the Word of God.  As a result, he can gain access to oppress or afflict an individual or family.  

I know this may sound like “knit picking” or legalism, but the name of God is a very sacred thing, no matter what age or culture we live in.  If we will have to give account for every careless word, then certainly careless words involving the name of our Creator must be in that category.  

I think this may represent an open door that we rarely consider or recognize. I feel like it is something the Holy Spirit keeps highlighting to me so I wanted to highlight it for those who read this blog.   If this resonates with you at all, pray about it and ask for the Spirit’s leading on this matter.  These are phrases we use so often and automatically that we aren’t even aware we have spoken them.  Ask the Spirit to make you aware of speaking in this way and ask others to make you aware as well, so that you can close any and every door of access that the enemy may have been using against you.  I believe this will honor God and God promises to honor those who honor him (1 Sam.2:30). Be blessed this week. 

I’m reading through the book of Acts once again in my devotional reading.  I continue to be struck by the boldness of the early church in proclaiming the gospel to the world.  This is a time in history when God’s people are going to need that kind of boldness again.  We know that is true for believers in the Middle East, China, parts of Africa, and currently in the Ukraine, but it is also needed by believers in the U.S and Canada. 

We are not yet being beheaded in the streets or having our church buildings bulldozed, but just about every Christian value is being assaulted in our nation by special interest groups and even major political parties.  This is a time when the church must not compromise with culture and must speak out consistently for righteousness as defined by God rather than the state.

The Bible declares that “we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim. !:7).  There is a spirit of fear operating throughout the world and that spirit has certainly been evident in the U.S. over the past two years. Cable news and other media sources have done their part in creating a sense of dread and hopelessness in our country revolving around Covid, inflation, crime, and now war.  It’s not that these aren’t real issues, but the question is whether we bunker in, isolate ourselves, and stop reclaiming the culture for Christ or face the issues with boldness and confidence.  This is a time to remember that our God is still sovereign and watches over his people while we go about the business of the kingdom.

As I read through Acts, I see three great sources of strength for those believers.  First of all, is the Word and prayer.   In Acts 1 and 2, we see about 120 disciples hiding from authorities in a locked room.  Eleven or so of those leading believers had run away into the night when Jesus was arrested only a few weeks earlier.  There was no evidence of boldness in this group, but they were doing two essential things: they were considering the word of God and praying together for answers to their future.  

Clearly, we need to be spending more time considering the Word of God and praying than watching cable news.  And, we need to be doing that together rather than isolating ourselves from the body of Christ.  There is a spirit of fear operating through the media, most of which, is owned and run by unbelievers and opponents of the cross.  We don’t need to get our “daily bread” from them. I’m not saying we should be willfully ignorant about what is going on in the world because we need to pray about much of that. But, we should limit our exposure to that spirit and our time mediating on scripture and praying should out-weigh our time of exposure to any media outlets that pander fear.

The second source of boldness for the early church was the baptism of the Spirit.  As those 120 met and prayed, the Spirit fell and rested on all those in the room. That “filling” with the Holy Spirit caused an immediate  transformation in those believers. The obvious miracle of speaking in languages unknown to these believers was not the greatest miracle that day.  The new found courage and boldness that led the church into the temple courts to proclaim Jesus was the greatest miracle. We need to pray daily to be filled with the Spirit of God and for his Spirit to impart boldness to us and his church.  That constant prayer is more critical than ever in our day.

Thirdly, the early church had an expectation that differed from most of us in the west.  They anticipated hardship as believers, so that when it came, they did not feel abandoned or betrayed by God.  Most of us in America, feel like it is God’s job to keep our lives trouble free, even though Jesus declared, “In this world, you will have trouble” (Jn.16:33). When we face opposition, criticism or even persecution, we often feel as if God has failed us.  The early church saw trouble as evidence of their faith.  

When threatened by authorities and jailed, the Jerusalem church prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:29-31). 

In Acts 5, after being flogged by the Sanhedrin, the apostles left “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:41).  We may need to pray that God will give us a biblical expectation for life as a believer, so that when trouble comes, we are not discouraged and afraid, but emboldened, knowing that God is with us and will give us what we need to endure and overcome.

So…as we face a time when boldness and courage is required, we should consistently meditate on the Word of God and pray with other believers while limiting our exposure to the spirit of fear attached to so many things in our culture.  We should pray fervently to be filled with the Spirit daily and to be filled with boldness.  In addition, we may need to ask the Holy Spirit to adjust our expectation about living as a believer in a fallen and hostile world…for we have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

Lord, give us boldness and courage to face every obstacle in our lives today as children of God, rather than children of this world.  

An acceptable part of our culture in 2022 is for a couple to live together without being married and even to have children together outside the covenant of marriage. Celebrities have paved the way for the normalization of that arrangement, and many young Christian couples have followed in their footsteps.  

It is not uncommon for couples to come to premarital classes at our church or come to Free Indeed, our spiritual warfare component, while living together unmarried…maybe even with children. Many seem to be unaware of the biblical injunctions against that arrangement.  Culture does not change the Word of God and it clearly declares that any kind of sex outside the covenant of marriage is sin.  The biblical term for sex outside of marriage is “fornication” or “adultery” if either party is still married to another. Some want to argue that cohabiting is not sin because both parties are being monogamous and are verbally committed to one another.  This skirts the definition of marriage in scripture but, since either party can take off when they feel like it without legal actions and because they do not present themselves as married, it is not marriage.

Much of the blame falls on my generation of postwar “baby boomers” who took on the mantle of “free love” and living together either as a statement against social norms or as a trial-run before marriage. So many of our children have experienced divorce in their homes that they simply fear making a mistake in marriage and then going through what they saw their parents go through. They also fear putting children through the divorce experience if their own marriages fail.  The response seems to have been almost a cultural decision to test the waters for marriage by living together for months or years to see if life under the same roof was manageable.  In the natural realm, the approach seems to make sense.  Don’t by a car until you have taken a lengthy test drive.

However, in the spiritual realm, it is outside of God’s will (sin) and, therefore, invites the devil into the relationship.  Anytime believers participate in a sin for an extended period without repentance, it opens them up to the enemy.  Since they have come into agreement with Satan in that part of their lives, he has a legal right in the courts of heaven to afflict them and the persistent sin of that relationship withholds God’s blessing from what they are doing.  David declared, “Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psm.66:16-19).

Even in the natural realm, statistics show that those who live together and then marry, have a higher divorce rate than those who simply marry.  So, in actuality, the “test drive” gives no real assurance that the relationship will work in a marriage.  I think there are a couple of reasons for that.

First of all, “living together” is a relationship in which partners promise to stay together only as long as it works.  When it stops being fun or fulfilling, one partner has permission and the expectation to pack up and move out.  The relationship is based on the premise that the couple actually anticipates failure, so they will not enter into a lifetime commitment.  That approach to a relationship is a contract, rather than a covenant.  Contracts say “I am in this relationship as long as you meet my expectations.” Biblical marriage is a covenant and covenants are a commitment to make the relationship work…even when one party has a bad day, month, or year.  You know…for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

I think living together reinforces the notion that I’m only in this as long as it feels good and is a good deal for me.  Even if the couple eventually marries, I think they often take the same mindset into the marriage because that has already defined the relationship and is the mindset of our culture…so divorce rates are high.

God, however is a covenant God who is faithful even when we are not and who brings all of his resources to bear to restore and maintain the relationships, even when our hearts have taken a vacation.  Without that same mindset, without the Holy Spirit combatting our brokenness and selfishness, and without the blessings of God, few marriages will make it in this world.  Because cohabiting in a sexual relationship is outside of God’s will, those resources will not be available to the couple or will be greatly hindered.

Successful marriages today, require a strong commitment to work through the issues, the failures, and the rough spots.  We all bring a measure of brokenness and selfishness into marriages that will either be healed or will be a constant source of wounding and conflict. 

My experience is that the Word of God activated in our lives, the healing and transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and the support of God’s spiritual family are the best resources for any marriage to make it and to develop into a relationship full of blessings rather than disappointment.  

Couples who are living together outside the covenant of marriage are living without those powerful resources as well as opening the front door of their lives to the enemy who wants only to kill, steal and destroy.  When couples show up who are cohabiting, we do not run them off because God loves them.  But we certainly encourage them to marry, stay sexually pure until they do marry, and to draw close to the Lord where they will  learn to truly love.

Marriage is designed to shape us into the image of Jesus Christ by illuminating our rough spots, our selfishness, and our brokenness so that these areas of our lives can be submitted to Jesus, when we protect ourselves from potential pain by low level commitments, we will not be changed.  We will simply take our baggage with us into the next relationship and the next.