Prophetic Words are in abundance today. Social media is saturated with men and women who have podcasts dedicated to earth shaking prophetic words from the Lord they receive daily.  Social media is also full of accusations about false prophets or fallen prophets. The atmosphere around many churches is one of suspicion and disbelief when it comes to the supernatural gifts of the Spirit.  Of course, Satan spearheads these failures and accusations in an attempt to discredit churches and leaders who operate in the gifts of the Spirit because these are part of our God-given arsenal of divine weapons with which we oppose the enemy.

The abuse and misuse of spiritual gifts is not new.  Paul, especially, had a great deal to say about the misuse of spiritual gifts in his letters.  In fact, he wrote enough corrections on the topic of tongues and prophecy to make up three chapters of his first letter to the church at Corinth. What we need to notice is that he did not order the churches to no longer operate in the gifts because of their abuse, but he instructed them on how to operate in those gifts in godly and productive ways.

Paul wrote about prophecy in a number of texts.  A few are (I have added emphasis):

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (I Cor. 12:7-11)

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy:” (1 Cor. 14:1).

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. (1 Cor. 14:39-40)

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold on to what is good. (1 Thess. 5:19-21).

In summary, Paul says that prophecy is a gift of the Spirit to be desired and practiced in the church.  But, because it is a spiritual gift and spiritual gifts have to be developed, there may be some prophetic words from honest, loving Christians that somewhat miss the mark … “We know in part and we prophecy in part.” There may also be false prophets who are not speaking out of a desire to encourage God’s people but who are trying to draw followers after themselves.  Because of both reasons, Paul tells us not to quench the Spirit but to test the prophecies, and having done so, hold on to the good.

So how can we know if what someone tells us is actually a prophetic word from God? Sometimes we are too quick to reject or accept a prophetic word when we haven’t yet done the hard work of testing it. Here are some guidelines to test prophetic words.

Does it line up with the word of God?

What does the Bible have to say about the word you just received? Is it consistent with scripture or does in contradict the Word of God?  If it clearly opposes the Word, you can reject it immediately. If it is not something the Bible talks about directly, you may need to assess it with these other guidelines.

Does it reflect the Spirit of Christ?

Test the prophetic message against the character and attributes of Jesus. Does it reflect the Spirit of Christ?  Does it encourage, comfort and strengthen you (1 Cor. 14:3)?  Does it draw you to Jesus or push you away (Jn. 15:26)?  Does it clarify or confuse (1 Cor. 14:33)?  Does it call you to righteousness or sin?

Does it resonate with the inner witness of the Holy Spirit?

When the word hits your spirit is there resonance? Is there peace? Does something inside you agree with what was spoken, even if you may not understand it intellectually yet? The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit so be sensitive to His leading about the word

Share it with trusted counsel.

Another way to test prophetic information is by getting spiritually wise counsel. Seek “spiritually” wise counsel because you are dealing with spiritual information. You may submit the information to close friends, mentors, or leaders whom you know have spiritual depth in their walk with God. Their opinions should not make your final determination, but sometimes in the process of interpreting spiritual information we need a few people with enough distance from the situation to be able to speak objectively and spiritually.  They can confirm that is sounds like or does not sound like a word from God.

Seek confirmation.

Does the prophetic word confirm at some level what God has already been showing you? Often a word simply clarifies something you have already been sensing in your spirit. As we grow and mature in our walk with God, His voice and His word should be our primary source of direction. The prophetic word may then come as confirmation to what God has already been trying to show you. However, he may also use the word to open you up to something new he is beginning to do.

A danger in the realm of prophetic gifts, is that we can start running after prophetic words instead of cultivating our own ability to hear from God. In other words, the prophetic should usually supplement what we are already speaking about with God.  If the word is calling you to drastic action, you may ask the Lord for a supernatural kind of confirmation before you act.

Does it reflect a spirit of love?

All spiritual gifts are to operate out of love.  If a word is not given in a loving way, it may not be from God.  Prophecy is primarily a gift used to encourage, comfort, and strengthen a person (1 Cor. 14:3).   Occasionally, a word may bring a warning or rebuke, but those should be given in private…still with a spirit of love and concern.

Do you know the prophet?

God usually entrusts his word to those he trusts…men and women who have a close walk with him and who speak with integrity.  We can expect men and women who have spiritual wisdom and discernment to bring a more accurate word from the Lord than those who don’t. It’s not that a stranger can’t bring a word to you, but we can have more confidence in those we know or who are known and trusted by someone we know and trust.  Speaking of prophets, Jesus said we will know them by their fruit (Mt. 7:16). “Their fruit” includes a history of accurate prophecies, good character including humility, and a good reputation among those who know them best.  If you don’t know the person who brings the prophetic word, you cannot know their fruit.  So, take more time to test the word from those you don’t know.

In summary, do not quench the Spirit out of fear or constant distrust. Encourage and desire the gift of prophecy.  But test the word you hear.  That is your responsibility.  A prophetic word is a powerful gift that encourages you in touch times, strengthens your faith and comforts you when you have been wondering where God is in your life.  Test it and if it passes the test, hold on to it.  If it does not resonate immediately, don’t reject it out of hand but set it aside and pray about it.  When you test the word and believe it is from the Lord, pray into it and take action to step into it.  That is our part of the word.

We often get questions about children and spiritual warfare.  Can a child need deliverance? How should we do that?  What do we teach them?  Will it scare them, etc.?  I want to give some guidelines for this question because it is an important one.

First of all, sometimes children do need deliverance. In the Gospel of Mark, we are told, ^“A man in the crowd answered, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.’ ‘You unbelieving generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?’ ‘From childhood,’ he answered. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him’” (Mark 9:17-22).

Jesus, of course, went on to drive out the spirit, but this boy had been seriously demonized since childhood.  When I say “demonized”, I mean that the child has a demon assigned to him to afflict him.  I rarely use the term “possessed” because that seems to denote demonization to such a degree that the person is under strong demonic influence at all times. Demonization is much more prevalent and refers to when a person (child or adult) has a demon that manifests and takes control or partial control from time to time.

How does a child become demonized?  Typically, this will occur through the “sins of the fathers.”  God declares, “You shall not bow down to them or worship them (false gods); for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Ex.20:5). The guilt of generational sin is not passed down but the consequences of the sin can be.  If a father, grandfather, or great grandfather has sinned against the Lord repeatedly without repentance, the enemy may gain a legal right to afflict that person and his descendants by assigning a demon to that person and his bloodline.  This also includes, mothers, grandmothers, etc.

If ancestors have been involved in worshipping false gods, witchcraft, violence, sexual sin, etc. without repentance, demons may be passed through the bloodline even to small children. Demons also can be assigned on the basis of curses spoken over a child by those who have some spiritual authority over them…parents, grandparents, etc.  It is not uncommon for curses to be spoken over a child even before birth. if the pregnancy was unplanned and unwanted, parents or grandparents might declare something like, “We would be better off if this child was never born!” Someone might declare, “This child is going to bring nothing but trouble into our lives!”  In fear or anger, someone might say, “I just want this baby to go away!” These kinds of declarations can function as curses taken by demons to be enforced in the life of the child. These spirits may manifest in health issues, rebellion, a fearful child or a child especially subject to rejection of all kinds.

Demonic spirits also seem to gain access to a person through trauma.  If the child was exposed to some trauma early in life (abuse or health trauma) or if the mother was exposed to trauma before the child was born, a spirit might gain access through that event. In addition, demonic spirits can gain access when children are frightened by horror shows, movies about witchcraft, demonic spirits, violent shows, etc.  We need to monitor what our children watch and what baby sitters watch when our children are with them.

So, a child might become demonized through generational sin, curses spoken over the child, or through trauma.  In extreme cases, a child might be dedicated to Satan or some occult organization by parents or grandparents which would obviously give access to demons.  Children involved in Satanic ritual abuse often have numerous demons assigned to them.

In any case, if parents or ancestors have been demonized, it is likely the child may be as well.  Adults, can break the power of Satan through the blood of Christ by renouncing and repenting of their own sins or on behalf of their bloodlines, by renouncing and nullifying any curses by the blood of Jesus, and by severing spiritual ties with any ungodly people in their past or present.  Having done those things, they take away the legal right of the enemy to afflict them but still need to command any demonic spirits to leave.

When children are involved, those with spiritual authority over them can renounce and repent of sins in the bloodline on behalf of their children.  Having done that, any spirits attached to the child can then be commanded to leave.  For small children, parents can command spirits to leave and never return while the child sleeps. When we do so, we do not have to be loud and scary.  We have authority and because of that, we can speak sternly but quietly to any spirit and get the job done.

As children get older, we need to let them know there is a spiritual realm and there are spirits that are not our friends.  However, our major emphasis should be on Jesus, his love for them, his power, his authority, and his angels that keep us safe. Let them know that if they ever see anything scary in their rooms or around the house to tell you, but also to tell that spirit to leave in the name of Jesus.  I believe small children often see into the spiritual realm and not every scary thing is their imagination.  Rather than teaching them to ignore what they are seeing, we would be better served to teach them the power of Jesus over darkness. 

We should model praying for God’s covering and protection as part of our “daily bread” and, perhaps, let them participate in our house cleansings where we go through the house commanding any spirits that are not from God to leave and anointing the doors and windows with oil…again demonstrating that Jesus is more powerful than any unclean spirit.

As believers and as children of believers we should be wise in dealing with the demonic but never afraid.  He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 Jn. 4:4). Wisdom tells us to live in a way that never gives the enemy a legal right to afflict us.  Demons are real and they want to afflict God’s people.  Righteous living and faith in Jesus keeps the enemy at bay but any intrusion by the enemy can be dealt with by the blood of Jesus and the authority he has given us.  That is what we want our children to know. 

This week’s blog may seem a little “out there,” if you have not been involved in spiritual warfare or have not been actively engaged in the fight for very long.  For those of us who have been involved in deliverance and house cleansings and have studied the spiritual realm for years, this seems matter-of-fact.

The spiritual realm is very real. The Word of God confirms that reality.  The Apostle Paul declared, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.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” (Eph.6:11-12).

Notice several things from this passage.  We (all believers) struggle against the powers of this dark world (witches, warlocks, satanists, etc.) and spiritual forces of evil. The word translated “struggle” means close, hand to hand combat. We will have, close personal encounters with demonic forces who intend to kill, steal, and destroy.  We encounter these forces as a result of Satan’s schemes against us.  The word translated “scheme” denotes a well-studied and implemented plan of attack.  Satan develops and releases a logical and studied strategy to destroy us. 

The most successful demonic strategies against us are subtle.  There is no horned entity breathing fire with saber-like teeth and dragon wings trying to break down the door. These strategies come in the form of temptations that wear us down day after day and draw us away from God’s will a little at a time…a little drink with friends that over time becomes several drinks and eventually dependence on alcohol.  A gradual flirtation in the work place that eventually erodes boundaries.  You begin to imagine an intimate moment with the other party but dismiss it, knowing that would be not only wrong but catastrophic. But the month both of you are having trouble at home, you take the next step and Satan pulls the trigger. Satan is patient.  If the process takes a year or two, he doesn’t mind.

The strategy designed to take you out is so gradual you would never think of it as a demonic plot against you.  These attacks also come in the form of slight depression, a little anxiety, a little resentment, a steady whisper that you are always being victimized, an occasional glance at porn, not feeling your best, but over time…it becomes more than a little depression, fear, resentment, anger and pornography. You assume these issues are part of life, having a bad day, living in a fallen world, etc.  And that is true, but many times there is also a demonic component to your struggles.

You may seek prayer, counseling, accountability partners, support groups and medications, but, if the root is spiritual attack, these will not solve the problem.  You may be able to “manage” your issue most of the time, but the enemy will work tirelessly to undermine your “managing.”

I want to talk about a specific strategy the enemy uses against many believers. It’s invisible.  It’s silent.  It happens at night. I have heard this strategy revealed by several former witches and Satanists who used to carry out assignments against believers.  I have had personal conversations with those who were once steeped in occultism but became followers of Jesus. Nearly all of them came to Jesus because they found their occult powers could not match the powers of Jesus or they had a “love encounter” with the Christ that filled the emptiness they were trying to remedy through witchcraft.  After their encounter with Jesus, they were quite willing to talk about the strategies Satan uses against God’s people.

Witches and Satanists partner with demons to do the bidding of Satan.  Active witches’ covens and satanic groups are extremely prevalent in our nation right now.  One of their tools is astral projection by which their spirit leaves their body and travels about. Frequently, they enter the homes of believers to carry out assignments against them.  The prime time for these visits is between midnight and three in the morning…the time when the barrier between the natural realm and spiritual realm seems to be the thinnest. Clearly, not every believer is going to be visited, but leaders in churches would be the most likely targets or other believers at vulnerable times in their lives.  This strategy may be detected when believers are experiencing emotional, relational, or health issues that don’t seem to make sense and cannot be adequately explained.

Sometimes they simply observe, moving through the house seeing what is there and what might give Satan a legal right to afflict these people.  They sometimes function as monitoring spirits simply doing reconnaissance to help develop schemes against you. Sometimes, they stand over your bed and whisper things into your mind or dreams that create fear, doubt, sadness, depression, resentments, distrust, etc.  You wake up feeling off, down, anxious, etc. without knowing why.  They may reinforce temptations to drawn you away from Jesus.  They may instigate nightmares or distrust between spouses because you are asleep and, like hypnotic suggestions, your critical thinking defenses are not operating. They may instigate health issues that are not easily diagnosed or treated. They may assign demons to continue the strategies they helped develop including spirits of infirmity (sickness) and fatigue.

One former witch said she carried out these night time visitations for over a decade.  Now, as a believer she pleads with Christians to be aware of these schemes and to take steps to prevent these witches, warlocks, and demonic spirits from entering their homes. As we live in these end times, demonic activity against Gods’ people is ramping up. I want to give you a plan to resist these schemes. The former witch said when she came to believers’ homes that did not do these things, she was able to move through the house freely.  When she was assigned to homes where these strategies were practiced, she could gain no entrance.  Sometimes the house seemed to be ringed by fire and, at other times, angels were standing guard.

1. Never go to bed before asking the Lord to protect you and your family from the evil one. Ask him to set sentries (angels) around your home and establish a hedge of protection.

• Each night, verbally dedicate and submit your home and your family to the Lordship of Jesus. 

• Declare protective scriptures over your house nightly…Psalm 91, Isaiah 54:17, etc.

• Perform regular house cleansings, commanding spirits to leave your house and property in the name of Jesus and anointing each door and window with oil (olive oil).

• Remove any objects in your house that do not line up with the holiness of God… occult objects, occult keepsakes, music that does not honor God, videos that do not honor God, etc.  This may include freemasonry tokens, dream catchers, astrology charts, even cultural artifacts that were used in the worship of false gods or that were dedicated to those gods.

• Avoid television, video games, and streaming that is violent, pornographic, or occult.

• Play praise music or the audio Bible softly at night somewhere in the house.

• Keep your relationship with God fresh, your forgiveness up to date, and your confession and repentance current.  These things take away the enemy’s legal right to afflict you.

I want to encourage you to be more thoughtful and intentional about the enemy’s schemes against you.

Don’t be fearful but wise.  Be proactive in your spiritual warfare and know it is a very real thing. 

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the writers recorded the account of Jesus being transformed or transfigured in the presence of his inner circle – Peter, James and John.   The uncertain location is typically referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration.  Anything reported in three of the four gospels is significant, so we should pay special attention.

Mark says, “After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, they were so frightened. Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him” (Mark 9:2-7)!

This was a supernatural moment for the disciples. Apparently, they had no warning of what they were about to witness.  Probably, a little joke orchestrated by Jesus.  Suddenly, his clothes began to almost glow they were so white and then Moses and Elijah appeared with him.  The other gospels tell us that the face of Jesus was also bright as the sun and that Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor. There were times when God spoke to Jesus but those around him just heard thunder.  But this time, these three disciples could clearly see the two epic figures from Israel’s past.  Either Jesus introduced them or they were wearing name tags (church event) or they simply knew in their spirit who these men were.  These two were probably the most revered men in the Jewish pantheon of heroes.  Moses embodied the Law.  Elijah embodied the prophets. 

Peter, of course, was the first to blurt out something.  We are told that he didn’t know what to say because he and the other disciples were so frightened.  He didn’t know what to say, but he said something anyway.  Can you relate? “Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  Undoubtedly, the disciples were starstruck, but Peter’s notion reveals he was giving each of them equal billing.

Then a cloud appeared, reminiscent of Mt. Sinai as Moses received the Law, and God spoke once again. Yahweh declared, “This is my Son, whom I love.  Listen to Him.”  As soon as God had spoken, Moses and Elijah were nowhere to be seen.  Then, Jesus instructed his three followers to tell no one what they had seen until after his resurrection.

The lesson for the Jewish followers was that, as great as Moses and Elijah were, and as much the Law and the Prophets were foundational to their faith, Jesus was greater and has the last word. We are to listen to Him.  That doesn’t mean that we should not study the Law and the prophets, but the Words of Jesus supersede all other men and all other things. Bill Johnson likes to say that Jesus is perfect theology.  Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  So, all other scripture must be interpreted through Jesus…either his words or his actions.  However we understand the Father or the Bible, it must line up with what Jesus said and did, his words and his character.

That is a good word for today.  No matter who is espousing their theology, their politics, their cultural values, their “scientific” theories…these must all be weighed against Jesus and it is Him we must listen too. If they don’t line up with Jesus, we must discard them, even if those views resonate with our flesh.

When we begin to put our faith in men, no matter who they are, we need to remember the Transfiguration.  As great as Moses and Elijah were, they were men subject to error, frailty, and failures.   We can still honor men, but Jesus must always be our North Star and the decoder of scripture.  Remember, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law immersed themselves in scripture. They memorized it, taught it, debated over it, and held it in the highest regard.  But they missed it. They missed nearly everything God had wanted them to get.  They missed Jesus, mercy and justice, In much of his teaching, Jesus had to correct their understanding – You have heard that it was said…but I say unto you.

We live in a world saturated with talk shows, news anchors, podcasts, preachers, prophets, and pundits.  It is easy to latch on to one or two of them and grant them the authority of truth in our lives. We may quote them more than Jesus and be led by their influence more than the Word.  They may have good things to say, but Jesus is God’s beloved and we must hear him first.  Be careful that you don’t start giving more influence to men than Messiah.  The last days will be marked with demonic deception where men, fueled by the enemy, will offer signs and wonders.  The truth of Jesus Christ will have to be our plumb line to test what these men and women teach and what the fruit of their ministry is.  Always remember, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”  

When Christmas cards arrive, many have the Magi (the three wise men) joining Joseph and Mary and a handful of adoring shepherds at the manger in Bethlehem. However, Matthew tells us they came after the birth of Jesus.  When they came to Herod asking where the child might be who was destined to be King of the Jews, Herod was disturbed. He determined through the Jewish chief priests and teachers of the law that Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, but did not know when. Herod asked the Magi for the exact time they had seen his star and asked them to return to him after they had found the child so that he might go to Jesus and worship him. His intent, of course, was to murder the child to remove any threat to his throne. After the Magi visited Jesus and his family in Bethlehem, they were warned by God in a dream not to go back to Herod but to return home a different way. 

Once Herod discerned the Magi were not coming back, he was furious and ordered every male child under the age of two to be killed in the vicinity of Bethlehem.  Because of that order, we know that Jesus must have been between one and two years old when the Magi arrived.  Joseph was warned in a dream to leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt before Herod gave his order.

Many assume that three Magi came because Matthew records their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. There may, of course, have been a different number, but Matthew was careful to record the gifts because they each had prophetic significance. According to Rick Renner, the Greek word for gold in this text, reveals that it was the purest, most refined gold, meant only for the greatest of kings.  The Magi understood that this child was no ordinary king, like Herod, subject to greater powers, but was indeed to be King of Kings.  Most commentators believe that these men came from the region of Babylon and had carefully studied the prophecies of Daniel who had spent his life in exile there.

Frankincense was an expensive and rare commodity imported and used primarily in the temple.  It was burned there to create a pleasing aroma to God.  It was associated mostly with the priesthood and the High Priest who only could enter the presence of God on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifices for Israel in the Holy of Holies. Jesus was destined to be not only the High Priest of God’s people but also the perfect and eternal sacrifice for our sins.  The third gift highlighted that part of his destiny.

Myrrh was also a precious commodity used for many things, but especially to anoint the dead and prepare them for burial.  Matthew wrote, “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs” (Mt. 19:38-40).  Myrrh pointed to this element of God’s redemption for all who would believe.

The Magi brought gifts that pointed to the destiny of this child born in a manger.  King of Kings, High Priest, and Lamb of God who would be offered up for our sins.  Of course, the gifts funded the escape to Egypt where the family would live for several years before returning to Israel, but the greater meanings of the gifts should not escape us on this Christmas morning,

God is not accidental but intentional in all that he does.  He reveals truth to those who seek it, even if they are not yet in a covenant with him. He brings things to pass that he ordained even from before the foundations of this world were formed.  And, certainly, this season is a season for gifts. The gifts of the Magi were given, not only to remind us of who Jesus would be, but because he was God’s greatest gift to us.  Let’s celebrate that truth today as we enjoy food and family and the love of God who has been given to us.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.               (Isa. 9:6-8).

If you haven’t noticed, the world is becoming a very dangerous place once again.  Terrorism, assassinations, antisemitism, violence, rage, and hate speech are rampant and highlighted on the news 24/7.  In a season that is supposed to promote peace on earth,  that is not what most of us are feeling.  And yet, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn. 14:27).

If we want to live with a sense of peace while the world explodes around us, there are some decisions we need to make.  This peace does not come automatically, but comes through obedience to the wisdom of Jesus. 

First of all, Jesus directed us to eliminate fear and worry by focusing on the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of men.  “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt. 7:31-34).

An old story tells of a man leaving an ancient city and as he walks out, he encounters

Death.  He asked Death what he was up to and Death replied, “I’m going to this city to collect lives and take them to the afterlife. The man said, “What a terrible thing!” Death shrugged and replied, “It’s what I do.”  Days later, the man was returning and encountered Death again as Death was leaving the city. The man had already heard reports of hundreds and hundreds of people who had died since he left.  He scolded Death for all the destruction he had visited on the city and the grief and loss he had produced.  Death replied, “Oh, I only came for a few, Fear and Worry got the rest.”

Fear and worry are our enemies.  They rob us of peace, health, sleep, joy and fruitfulness.  They damage our relationships. Every doctor or research scientist will tell you that stress is our number one enemy. It impacts our physical health, our spiritual health, and our emotional health. Stress comes from worry and fear.  And yet the most repeated command is scripture is, “Do not be afraid!”  That Is a mindset we discipline ourselves to maintain.

Here are a few verses that can help us lay aside our worry and fear. 

Matthew 7:31-34 (quoted above).  Choose to focus daily on the kingdom, the power, the faithfulness of God, and his promises for provision and protection. Do not look at what you don’t have but what you do have.  Don’t fixate on the prayer yet to be answered,  but on all the prayers to which God has already said yes.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8).  Make a choice to think about good things, pure things, praiseworthy things, etc. rather than thinking about the unholy, criminal, violent, perverse things of the world. 

This means choosing what you watch on television, listen to on talk radio, and review on social media. This means monitoring your conversations with friends and family. There is a spirit of fear attached to so much of what we hear about on television twenty-four hours a day.  That spirit will attach itself to you if you come into agreement with it. It will get into your heart and head and rob you of the blessings that could be yours in Christ. Most of what we see and hear about does not touch us and we cannot affect it except by prayer. I’m not saying we should be totally oblivious to what is going on in the world, but we should not dwell on it.  Watch the news briefly, ask the Lord how he wants you to pray about what is going on, pray about it, and release it for the day.  Turn your focus to positive things, heavenly things and over time your stress will abate, your health will improve, and you will find joy in life again.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (1 Cor. 10:5-6). Monitoring your thought life and making sure your thoughts are aligned with the teachings and commands of Jesus is the essence of spiritual warfare. When you find yourself entertaining thoughts that are contrary to the Word of God, renounce those thoughts, repent of having come into agreement with them, and command any unclean spirit producing those thoughts to leave you immediately…especially worry and fear.

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Col.3:2-3).  We spend way too much time thinking about the world and events in the world.  Our home is in heaven and we need to discipline ourselves to think often about home: the glory, the joy, the abundant life, the promise of eternal life without disease or loss, our reunion with loved ones, the presence of a perfect Father and a perfect Savior.  Paul focused often on heaven and finally said, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christand be found in him” (Phil. 3:7-9).

During this season of Peace on Earth, let me assure you that the peace Jesus spoke of is peace in your heart, not in the world around you.  The same peace that Jesus had while sleeping on a sinking boat on Galilee is available to us.  It comes from fixing our thoughts on things that produce faith and peace and limiting our time with the things that steal our peace.  If married, agree with your spouse to break the old habits of bad news and more bad news.  If you are single, agree with a friend. Turn the channel or turn it off. Focus on the good news of Jesus Christ and not the bad news on Fox. Find value in silent nights where we can hear the Lord rather than nights filled with the discouraging noise of the world around us. In just a week, you will feel the difference.  Blessings in Him.

At our weekly staff meeting this morning, our Lead Pastor took us to a place of personal examination that I think is worth repeating and expanding.  He drew from a passage in 2 Kings 18. Speaking of King Hezekiah, the writer said, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.”

If you are not familiar with the story, in Numbers 21 the people of Israel were once again complaining about their time in the wilderness.  God had recently delivered them from years of harsh slavery in Egypt, but now they remembered it as “the good old days.”  The spoke out against God and Moses and God released a horde of venomous snakes against them.  Many were dying from the snake bites so the people went to Moses and repented of their sin.  God told Moses to craft a bronze pole with a snake on it and those who would look upon the pole would be healed.  As time passed, the Israelites placed the staff in the archives of the temple.  Originally, the bronze pole was a symbol of God’s mercy, but eventually it had become an object of worship – as if the power of healing was in the object itself.  So…Hezekiah destroyed it along with all the other idols he could find in Israel.

God is serious about idols. Exodus 20 declares, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Ex. 20:4-6). 

The scripture reveals that idol worship constitutes hatred toward God and is so serious that the consequences of that idolatry can be passed down in family lines for generations.  The other thing revealed in these passages is that what once was  a blessing that pointed us to the goodness of God, can become an idol that takes the place of God. 

Sometimes a career that was given as a blessing by God, becomes an idol.  We can give it the majority of our time and attention and we draw our significance and security from the job rather than God.  Children can become idols in our lives as we give them and their activities priority over our relationship with God.  We exchange worship in church for soccer fields or volleyball courts.  Of course, we rationalize the idolatry by thinking of it as only a season that will pass.  We will get back to God once the season is over.  How often have we seen single adults place a romantic relationship ahead of their relationship with God because, at the moment, it actually means more to them than God does.  Even in church, we can begin to place our faith in a pastor or in the church itself, rather than God.  There are numerous “good things” that like the bronze snake, can become idols in our lives.

We need to remember, however, that God is a jealous God.  In his love for us, he will try to turn us away from the idol and back to him.  He may discipline us or take away the very thing we have begun to value more than God.  This isn’t an ego trip on God’s part, but he is jealous for our souls.  Idolatry is an open door to the enemy.  It puts our souls in jeopardy.  It devalues God and places material things above him.  Since he loves us, he cannot ignore the idols in our lives.

We know that feeling if we have had children or close friends who began to develop a relationship with someone we knew would lead them down a very dark path.  We pointed out the dangers, pushed back on the relationship, and even disciplined children if they snuck out to be with that person.  We did so out of love, knowing that disaster awaited them if they continued with that person.  We saw it had become an idol because they refused sound counsel, ignored all the red flags, turned a deaf ear to all the warnings of their friends, and ignored even the promptings and conviction of the Spirit. 

We have seen people lose marriages because they would not give up a job they loved but that always kept them away from family.  We have seen people who were once passionate about God, drift away from the church for a sinful relationship.  We have seen others forsake their families and their values in a search of fame and fortune.  The things that began as a blessing, became an idol and destruction followed.

Paul put it this way, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8).  Idols appeal to the flesh.  If we pursue them, destruction is in the pipeline.  If we seek God, however, and keep his as our highest priority, life and blessing will flow our way.

So, this year, as we ponder New Year’s Resolutions, check your priorities.  To whom are you giving your best time, your resources, your thoughts, and your heart.  Ask the Spirit to show you the truth about these things because we can easily rationalize our idolatry.  If you need to make adjustments, do so.  Many of the things that have subtly become our idols, taking priority over the Lord and his things, are not bad in themselves, but only in the fact they have become more important than God in our lives.  Remember the words of Jesus to the church at Ephesus, “You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first” (Rev. 2:4-5). 

Watch out for idols.  Like snakes, they are sneaky.

Christmas is a major event in the western world.  Some of it is big business. Shopping, eating, trees, lights, inflatable Santas, parties, family gatherings, concert tours, T.V.  specials, football, and so on.  If you asked a hundred people what their favorite part of Christmas is, they might name one of those things we just listed. 

If you asked them the meaning of Christmas they might say “peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”  But they would probably mean good will toward one another.  It’s the season to be kind to others and maybe drop some cash in the Salvation Army kettle.  They would probably know that Christmas was originally a celebration of the birth of Jesus by religious people and they might know about him being born in a stable and three wise men coming from the east.  They might speak of the Christmas story as just that…a story, a myth, or some fiction. It would carry with it nice sentiments and a feeling of family and a season of kindness, but the true message would be lost to them.  And, in the cacophony of Christmas activities, even those of us who follow Jesus might forget the true message as well.

Before Jesus the world was lost.  Judgment was postponed by adherence to the Law of Moses.  Sin was not forgiven, but simply “rolled forward,” as some theologians might put it.  The writer of Hebrews argued that if the blood of bulls and goats had been sufficient to deal with our sin before a righteous God, they would not have had to offer more sacrifices daily without end. Paul simply said, before Jesus, “you were dead in your trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1).

Of course, we see that truth more clearly at the cross than at the manger, but the sacrifice of his Son began before the cross.  Isaiah talked about seeing “the Lord high and exalted, seated on a throne, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isa. 6:1). In his gospel, John quoted that passage from Isaiah and said that Isaiah was actually beholding the glory of Jesus (Jn. 12:41). 

So, on the night we celebrate as Christmas, the Son of God stepped down from a throne of glory, surrounded by adoring angels. He submitted to the human process of being born as a biological child to a virgin under suspicion of being unfaithful to her betrothed.  The suspicion in their little village was probably what prompted Joseph to take her with him on an arduous journey to Bethlehem, very late in her pregnancy.  It was probably why they did not return but stayed in Bethlehem until Jesus was nearly two.  As Herod tried to kill this “king of the Jews,” this Son of God became a political refugee fleeing to Egypt for his life.

The King of Glory gave up a throne in heaven to be dependent on two impoverished young Jews whose names we would never have known if they had not parented Jesus.  He was born in a stable, probably a cave where animals were kept out of the weather, in an environment that was anything but sanitary.  Some fresh hay and some clean cloth was probably the best they could do. As far as we know, there were no friends or relatives on the scene.  Perhaps, a midwife was found in the village, but there is no mention of that in the gospels.  To see his beloved Son in poverty, isolation, and danger was part of the sacrifice. The only real witnesses to the event were shepherds who were tending sheep nearby. Some scholars believe they were watching the temple flocks from which daily sacrifices were chosen. Shepherds were at the bottom of the social strata in Israel because they could not keep the mandates of the Law while living in the fields. 

So… Jesus is born to poor, unknown parents on the run, unjustly disgraced in their hometown, and was welcomed into the world by a handful of  ragtag, “unclean” shepherds from the fields around Bethlehem.    Yes, some kings showed up from the East, but only after many months had passed.  The shepherds were initially terrified by angels announcing the birth of Messiah and only later gathered their wits about them to go see what the hosts of heaven had announced.  As far as we know, Mary and Joseph never saw the angels or heard their singing,  but only heard about them from the keepers of sheep.

All this is to say that the Son of God did not come into the world in a warm palace with soft sheets and servants to care for him.  He faced life as many have faced it in the Middle East.  As he grew, he knew the sting of both poverty, insults, and harsh discrimination from the Romans who ruled his land. And here is the thing…both God and Jesus knew what was waiting, including a cross, and yet counted us worth pursuing.  God is love and nothing else could have motivated him to send his son into this world to be abused, accused and misunderstood.  Peace on earth, goodwill towards men was God’s good will expressed in a manger.

He came in search of us.  He made the first moved He provided what we could never provide for our salvation. Christmas reveals the heart and the sacrificial love of God.  In Romans 12, Paul calls on us to be living sacrifices.  Jesus fulfilled that call first. 

In the Old Testament, Job stood before God in his suffering and asked, “Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees” (Job 10:4)?  In other words, how can you really understand what I am going through because you have never had to face the trials and pain of a mortal man. After Jesus was born in a stable, that accusation was silenced. God put on flesh and lived among us.  Not only did he live but he died on our behalf.

Many of us struggle with our sense of worth or value.  We wonder if we matter.  We wonder if even God could love us.   The Christmas story declares an emphatic “Yes” to our doubts.  That is the true message of Christmas.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn. 3:16). This Christmas, don’t marvel at the lights or the concerts or the amazing food.  Go ahead and celebrate because God loves a good party, but marvel at his infinite love for you, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger.

I was speaking to a father of a teenage girl today.  He was expressing an ample amount of frustration…which isn’t unusual for the parent of a teen. His issue with the daughter was that she didn’t take care of or seem to care about the things she had been given.  Those things included a car, tuition for private schooling, sports gear for all her sporting interests, etc.

The money wasn’t the issue.  The issue was that she did not appreciate the hard work, the sacrifice, it took for him to provide those things. Those were his expressions of love and when she didn’t take care of the car or put maximum effort into her schooling, he felt totally unappreciated and felt as if his best gifts had no value.  He felt unloved by his daughter.

Later, I was thinking about how our Heavenly Father must feel when we ignore, reject, or take for granted his greatest gift to us…his Son. Thanksgiving is this week.  How many of us may go through the day focused on food and football without taking a moment to express thanks for all that we have in Jesus? Christmas is waiting in the wings and we are already desperately or frustratingly looking for gifts that are just what our loved ones would want or need.  How many of us will invest hours and maybe significant cost into the “perfect gift, ” as an expression of  our love and appreciation for that person?  How many of us would be hurt or even angry if the friend or family member we had spent hours and energy shopping for, simply tossed the gift aside as something of little value or interest?

Jesus is the greatest gift and it is important to remember he was a gift.  God was not obligated to give us Jesus.  He was given as a gift. Isaiah put it this way,  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end (Isa. 9:6-7, emphasis added).

John spoke of that same gift when he said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn.3:16-17, emphasis).

This gift was an astounding expression of God’s love for each of us.  It was purchased at the ultimate cost, but it met our ultimate need…reconnection with our Father and eternal life with Him.  Amazingly, he picked out the gift before the creation of the world and gave it to us while we were still estranged from him. The apostle Paul wrote, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:7-8).

Here is my point.  God has given us the ultimate expression of his love and the ultimate cost of his own Son.  If we treat that gift casually or toss it aside, how will we face the Father, the giver of our gift?  We feel hurt or angry if someone doesn’t value the car we gave them or the education we have sacrificed to pay for.  How much more should the Father feel that way when we treat his son with contempt or indifference or simply casually?

So…as you shop feverishly for the perfect gift over the next few weeks or as you stand in long lines on Black Friday, think of the perfect gift given to you at extreme cost and take a moment to cherish the gift and then take great care with what has been given to you.

We often think of spiritual warfare as powerful prayers, authoritative declarations, or encounters with the demonic through deliverance.  That is part of the equation, but building proactive walls of defense is a better strategy, in the same way as keeping burglars away from  your property with great security measures is far superior to a confrontation with a stranger in your home in the middle of the night.

Scripture often calls on us to guard our hearts and minds because those are most often the entry points of the enemy.  The most comprehensive statement about this may be found in Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Phil. 4:4-9, emphasis added).

One of the most common and yet undetected strategies of the enemy is to create dissatisfaction in our hearts and minds. In some ways, that was his first ploy recorded in scripture.  Satan spoke to Eve and said, “Did God really say ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’” (Gen. 3:1)?  With these words he slyly implied that God was stingy…that he was the kind of God who would withhold good things from his children.  Eve went on to say that they could eat from any tree in the garden except one – the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Satan countered by implying that the forbidden tree was actually the best tree in the garden and the only one that really mattered. Instead of being grateful for the abundance God had provided, Eve suddenly focused on the one thing God had withheld.  Suddenly, she thought that all her happiness and significance was to be found in the one tree that was out of her reach, even though the Tree of Life was always available.

In the same way, when God led the Hebrews out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery, they quickly stopped being thankful for their new found freedom and the miraculous deliverance God had provided.  They quickly stopped being grateful for the land God had promised them that was actually only a few days away and began to focus on their immediate desires.  Within days they began to complain about their lack of meat, their lack of water on demand, and the “boring manna” they ate each day, and so forth.  Through their complaints, they immediately cast God as a God who did not care about  their needs, who only had catastrophe planned for their future, and who brought them out of slavery only to abandon them in the desert.

Once we begin to focus on “the one thing” we desire that God has yet to provide and forget about all the other blessings he has given us, we begin to see God though the eyes of Eve and the Israelites who questioned God’s goodness, his intentions, and his provision for his people.  Through our own accusations, our trust begins to diminish and we come into agreement with the enemy.  Unfortunately, this focus on what I don’t have rather than on what I do have is human nature and a tendency we must guard against.  Madison Avenue preys on this idea that my happiness is always found in one more thing.

Intentional prayer with thanksgiving is the weapon against this universal scheme of Satan.  As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of this principal but would do well to practice it year-round.  To rehearse all that God has done for me in the past, all that he is doing in the present, and his promises for my future is a form of worship and keeps my heart and mind fixed on him as good, as my provider, as my savior, and my deliverer…even when I might be facing extraordinary challenges. 

Unfortunately, I keep running into people in counseling who have come to define love as someone giving them whatever they want, whenever they want it.  No matter how much they have been given, the minute one desire is withheld, they declare they are not loved. They feel abandoned and betrayed at the first “no,” no matter how much has been given and how many needs have been met before.  A good father says “no” or “not yet” to many desires of his young children as they grow and mature.  Our Father has not lied about the pain that will inevitably come our way in a fallen world.  These responses to our prayers and hardships that come are not evidence that he doesn’t love us, but his presence and his grace to face these hardships is the evidence of his love.

Satan loves to bait us with that attitude whenever God says “no” or “not now” to any request or any longing we have in our lives.  The key to overcoming Satan in these situations is to have an unbreakable confidence in the nature of God that he is good, he is love, he hears our prayers, and he always is working in our best interest.  The practice of thankfulness continually reinforces our faith in his character and the belief that he is good, even when a longing or a need seems to go unanswered for the moment.

If Eve had believed with rock solid certainty before her sin that God was a generous God who met her every need and protected her from things her flesh desired but that would destroy her in the end, she would not have taken and eaten.  We need that same certainty before Satan whispers again that God is holding out on us and keeping from us some singular source of our happiness apart from him.

A journal with all the things we are thankful for in our past and in our present would be a great Thanksgiving project (singularly or as a family) that would be a helpful reminder when Satan comes to tempt our mind and our hearts. Adding to it daily through the year, would also be a strong testimony against his lies.  The testimonies of thanks would be a great tradition to be read and added to each Thanksgiving.

The Bible is full of moments when monuments were created (piles of stone) as a reminder of what God had done for his people in a certain circumstance, traditions such as Passover and the other feast days, and the Lord’s Supper.  These are all testimonies of the love and care of God for his people. Some personal reminders (testimonies) of God’s goodness to you, would also be a blessing and a powerful weapon when the devil comes calling.