“Ephesians 6:12
Amplified Bible (AMP)
12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.”
– Bible Gateway
Too many times, i’ve been in situations with people where i would just raise my hands in amazement like: “are you kidding me right now?!!… Seriously, did that just happen?!… And did they really just say or do that?! For real?!… Or am i dreaming cos this is pretty crazy!”
Do you know what i’m talking about? Have you experienced this?
A little while ago, before the Word of God gave me more insight and i myself matured in character, my response to such circumstances would be an almost uncontrollable urge to knock some sense into the individual, smack them upside the head at least, or i’d imagine throwing a few punches and giving them a size-able piece of my mind with a couple knuckle sandwiches and “french language”! I mean seriously… I intensely disliked people acting up and working my nerves with some things they’d do which were so obviously rude, ridiculous, or just plain stupid by choice. (I thought)
I mean, i used to say “thank God i’m a girl cos Lord knows if i was a boy, i’d probably have huge, (and in my case), not-so-well-controlled anger and violence issues from all the testosterone and adrenaline when dealing with crappy people!”
Anyway, praise God i’m a girl! And praise God i have been saved by the grace of God through Christ dying for me on Calvary; and both my mind & understanding have been renewed. Glory to God. Nevertheless, it did take me a while to see that some things people do really don’t make sense from an ordinary, human perspective! There just has to be a different source to that behavior. There really has to be a greater force propelling this individual to behave this way or carry out this type of action! NORMAL cannot possibly look like this. This person has to be under the influence of something and/or someone! Brainwashing or brain-dirtying i would say!
Ex. A psychopath who kills people for fun, chops them up into little pieces, and then has dinner right next to the deep freezer where he has kept their remains like nothing out of the ordinary is going on! We’ve heard of stories, movies, etc so we know these things actually happen!
Ex. A pedophile who molests a little child! Are you kidding?! (Even hearing this a couple years ago would have me in a whirlwind of being ticked off and i’d have to say “Ok calm down Tomi….) lol.
Ex. Ok maybe just someone who claims to be in a committed relationship who goes around sleeping with multiple people! Then gets some kind of sexually transmitted disease and decides to go right along spreading it to other sorry and unsuspecting participants! (just in case you forgot people like that are out there… Yeah… Please remember that; especially the next time the thought of fornicating crosses your mind. Don’t be a moo moo!)
Ok so you get the picture. There are people out there who couldn’t just be doing these things out of normal behavior. Addictions, obsessions, compulsions, psychopathic behaviors, sadistic inclinations, etc… all have a few things in common. The individual either claims to have no control over their actions, cites being overwhelmed by various sorts of emotions, or believes wrongly that their action is justified; in drastic cases, perhaps with the concurrence of certain otherwise invisible personas, or inaudible voices who encourage the person’s behavior!
This stuff can sound so unreal… Unless you know that we live not only in this physical world but that there is a supernatural existence concurrent with this which supersedes this one in power and influences it greatly. Either for good or for the worst.
Spiritual warfare is a real thing folks. There IS an ongoing battle for man, his actions, choices, and ultimately his soul. Either for good or for evil. It is true and it is a reality that though many choose to disbelieve, or relegate to a nonsensical and fantastic fabrication, continually functions.
As a Christian, i have come to understand that there are demons, and there are angels. There is witchcraft (none of which is good if i may say so unapologetically), and there is supernatural power. There is possession by spirits, and there is torment of people who have allowed these entities into their conscious and subconscious minds, and handed over control to in such a way that turning back from those horrid decisions takes nothing but the grace and incomparable deliverance by the merciful Spirit of God Himself.
If only we could remember this each time we deal with people. It would help us not to react in the natural. What you encounter may not necessarily be like the extreme examples i gave earlier, but it may be something that upsets, irritates, frustrates, debilitates you in one way or another about somebody; and it appears clear that those actions aren’t normal. Rather than reacting in anger, frustration, fear, irritability, cutting off the person, etc… (All tactics the enemy uses to poison and sever our relationships with one another in a people whose unity would otherwise achieve the unbelievable!…), our response would be seeing beyond the obvious. We would read between the lines, so to speak, and not address the individual, but the power behind the puppet. And by the power in the name of Jesus, the shed blood of the lamb of God and the Word of our testimony (power in our tongues), we could deal with the forces and bring them into subjection.
The bible says “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind”, and with that, we should fearlessly be “casting down every high thing that exalts itself” against what is good and God; even in people because we have access to all the authority in heaven and on earth which has been given unto Christ. Knowing that “no weapon formed against us shall prosper”, we can boldly “approach the throne of grace to receive help in time of need” and address issues not from the physical sense-oriented response system, but the “seated in heavenly places”, authoritative, and “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” stance!
Just know that not everything you see or experience is plain or natural. Some things, behaviors, & actions are backed by greater powers beyond this physical world and your natural response will not be as “effectual or fervent in availing much” as your prayer will.
Ok later, God bless you and love ya! 🙂
Tomi.
