Through the centuries, many renown artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, and Rembrandt, just to name a few have attempted to paint how Jesus might have looked... soft features and long flowing hair, often with delicate features, others depicting Jesus as a rough, rugged carpenter from the town of Nazareth.

Every culture has a picture or image that seems to shape and conform "their image" of Jesus to their race, culture, and ethnic background - a black Jesus, a white Jesus, Chinese, Indian, Hispanic; almost every conceivable portrait or image of Jesus imaginable. It is only fitting and reasonable to understand how everyone wants to "paint Jesus" through the lens of their own culture, race, background, as well as their own preferences and interpretation of how Jesus probably looked.

I say probably, because as any bible scholar well knows, the bible has very little to say about "how Jesus really looked"; at least not in terms that an artist or sculptor could use as a blue- print or schematic for drawing or painting Jesus with any degree of accuracy or certainty. What color were Jesus' eyes? Hair? Was He a big man, or was He thin and of sleight build? These questions, and thousands of others like it are not found in the pages of scripture; in fact; the silence is deafening!

The glaring absence of detail concerning the outward appear- ance of Jesus Christ throughout the bible should cause any serious student of the bible, any Christian for that matter to ask the obvious question: Why is the bible silent on the details of how Jesus looked? Why did the apostles, Peter, James, and John; who knew Christ so intimately not mention the way Jesus looked? Why is the bible silent on such an obvious matter as to "how Jesus looked"?
There may be more than one reason(there usually is), but if we believe the bible is the "inspired word of God"; than we may rightly conclude that whatever the reason - it was by design, and no accident.

Could it be that our Heavenly Father in His' sublime wisdom knew that it was in our best interests, to keep the details and specifics surrounding Jesus' outward appearance out of the Bible? Knowing that God is the true author of the Holy Bible, we may answer in the affirmative; but that still doesn't answer the real question of "why God deliberately chose to leave Christ's physical appearance as a mystery and enigma for those of us who would eventually read and study the works and life of Christ through the pages of the Bible.

Adding to this riddle concerning Jesus appearance is the fact that no secular or historical records exist which would shed light on how Christ really looked... mere coincidence? I think not. How is it that the most influential and written about person of all time could leave so little evidence or clues as to what He looked like? Surely, if God had desired, we would know exactly how Jesus looked, in minute detail - down to His' height, weight, and shoe size.

Clearly, God thought such particulars were not necessary for us to be privy to; and again we must ask ourselves the obvious Why did God leave the details of “what Jesus looked like” out of the scriptures - out of the archives and pages of recorded history?
I offer you the reader, the following explanation as to "why" God would leave us to wonder and try to "imagine" what Jesus looked like... keep in mind, this is only my opinion; but I think it makes sense - and will let you the reader decide.

Simply stated, I believe that had God left us with a vivid, description of how Jesus really looked; from His' classic Jewish features(the nose, olive skin, etc), to His' hair color and length; along with a myriad of other human characteristics; the inevitable would follow:
As surely as day follows night: the rush to "look like" Jesus would sweep through the Church faster than you can say, " I want to be like Jesus".

Yes, dear friends we are that carnal, that quick to take the path of least resistance... hey, "looking like Jesus" has got to be easier than "acting like Jesus"... right? And while many denominations and churches today have tried to figure out "how" Jesus would dress and look today(man's idea of holiness); the results are just another example of "modern day Pharisism". As silly as it may sound, if we knew what Jesus looked like, many of us would do anything and everything to look just like Him!

Can't you just see thousands, no - millions of Christians running to and fro like clones or mirror images of the King... Yes, looking like Jesus would replace the goal of "being and acting like Jesus"!

Most would agree that acting like Christ, being gentle, kind, loving, compassionate,etc; is far more important than trying to look like Jesus, even if we did know what He really looked like (which we don't). So it is no small wonder that God in His' loving providence saw fit to spare us the problems we humans would be faced with if given the choice between looking like Jesus, or acting like Him.

God chose to give us a picture of Himself through the person of Christ that demonstrated His holy divine attributes and char- acter... but, disallowed the details of how He looked while here as a man among men. God's deliberate portrayal of Jesus in terms of His' divine nature and holy character, while leaving us few clues as to how He looked after the flesh was for our own good.

                           The way Jesus acted was the picture God left us with...

God wants us to act holy, and to be holy, to be like Him in every way... to be conformed to His very image. Looking like God is an impossibility, a foolish and unobtainable thing for any of us to achieve; ah - but acting or being like Him, well God has made that possible. We may never truly know this side of Heaven what God actually looks like, until we see Jesus face to face in glory, but we can "see" God through the eyes of faith, and see Him in our brothers and sisters in Christ! Hallelujah... Amen. The greatest compliment you can pay another Christian is to tell them that you "see Jesus in them". Let us remember the words of Paul the apostle to the   

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

Something to consider...

One day while I was driving in my truck, I noticed a bumper sticker on the vehicle directly in front of me; I pulled up close so I could read the message - it had these words: I don't have a problem with Christianity, it's Christians I can't stand!

It hit me like a ton of bricks... I had to admit that there was a lot of truth to that simple, yet biting message about Christians. I have often said that, "A bad testimony is worse than no testimony!" The painful truth is that many of us who claim to be Christians, really shouldn't be carrying that Jesus banner so high, if our walk is so low... we're not talking about perfection here friends - I'm just saying Christians should "walk the talk", and live our lives above reproach.
There is another bumper sticker that reads: I'm not perfect, just forgiven! I agree wholeheartedly... but, that is no excuse for those who refuse to live holy lives, who live "like the devil", and yet claim to be Christians. There is something wrong with that picture friends, and there isn't a bumper sticker or slogan in the world that can justify or defend such ungodly behavior.

As Christians we are called to follow Christ, to be Christlike; and while we may stumble and even fall at times in our journey, we are always to be striving and pressing toward the mark - that is to be like Jesus in every way. Perhaps the greatest compliment we can ever receive, is simply having someone tell us, "I see Jesus in you"...

For the world "looking like Christ" is not about how we look on the outside, our hair length, or what Bible translation we may use(the Church debates these issues); but rather how we act towards them, our love, compassion, kindness - in a word: our "character". In the end, the most important question we as Christians should be asking is not " Do I look like Jesus”, but rather this: “Do people see Jesus in me?”

When the world looks at the Church, at Christians - they should see Jesus, which only makes sense when you think about it... after all, we are His' body.

                                                              THE END

This short story, is just one of many stories God allowed me to share with readers in my first book, PEARLS of WISDOM.   I hope you enjoyed the small pearl of wisdom contained in this amusing, yet inspiring story. You may read more of these stories, and other things God gave me to write about by simply going to:   https://books2read.com/u/bw9odv​
 Blessings to all / scribe4god                                                  

                                               A man obsessed with the truth,

                                                                scribe4god

             You may find my books at most online bookstores... just click the links.

                        OUT OF THE DARKNESS - https://books2read.com/u/br9oLz
                        PEARLS of WISDOM - https://books2read.com/u/bw9odv
                        THE CHRISTIAN FAITH - https://books2read.com/u/mdYMZR

A Professor of Philosophy, at a small town Midwest community college; put forth the following assignment to his students just prior to their start of Spring break. "Class, in 1500 words or less, please answer the following question: "What is the worst thing that can happen to a person? "

He went on to say, " Please defend your position with credible examples,and a reasonable defense to support your thesis." The students, were expected to have the assignment finished, and on the professor's desk upon their return from Spring break.

After returning from Spring break, the professor began the lengthy and arduous task of reading and grading the student's papers. The professor was amused, astonished, and in a few cases aghast at the horrible and unspeakable stories presented by his students. As one might expect, he read of ghastly accounts of torture(being skinned alive, electrocuted and beaten to death, raped(every possible scenario), and other loathsome descriptions of various human suffering that each student felt was in their minds: The "worst" possible thing that could happen to a person.

Having to watch your family murdered right before your very eyes, being forced to destroy a whole bus full of people by blowing it up, and one student's gory depiction of being eaten alive by insects , with only your head being exposed above the hot desert sand... On and on, the professor read with disgust and ever growing disdain, the detailed and gruesome stories of "worst case" scenarios. The professor was looking forward to the end of this assignment, it was turning out to be a very unpleasant task... and thankfully, he was almost finished . He only had three papers left to review.

The professor waded through the first two papers, and breathed a deep sigh of relief as he eyed the last paper he would have to read... he winced as he noticed the name at the top of the paper; Mary Harding, the one student the professor truly disliked. Mary was a devout, uncompromising Christian, who openly challenged the professor, whenever he began to promote his "atheistic" and "humanistic" beliefs in the classroom. What really irked the professor, is that Mary was a true intellectual, and was more than a match for his intimidating assaults on religion, but especially - Christianity. On more than one occasion, he had been embarrassed by Mary's forceful display of history, religion, and philosophy; he had to admit - Mary was probably the smartest student he had ever seen... this only made him disdain her all the more.

To say the professor was curious as to how Mary would answer this question, would be a gross understatement - he hesitated for a brief time, and then quickly turned the cover page to read the following ...

There in the middle of the page were these words in large bold type:


                                                       “TO DIE IN YOUR SINS”

The professor was flooded with a sea of emotions... anger, amazement, bewilderment - how dare Mary make such a radical assertion! Of all the answers the professor had read, he was not prepared for this. Cursing aloud, and jumping to his feet, the professor tossed Mary's paper into the air, and screamed, "Mary - this time you've crossed the line!!!"

The professor refused to read Mary's paper any further, his seething anger now a boiling rage; he sat at his desk and just stared at the wall mumbling: "How dare she... how dare she... how dare she..."

As is the case with human curiosity, it got the best of the professor, and within days he decided he would quickly skim through Mary's paper - if for no other reason than to ridicule and discredit her "religious fanaticism" - make no mistake, this is one paper that the professor intended to fill with red ink . Mary's paper would receive the full wrath of the professor, and she would pay for her obvious desire to once again push her religious dogma on the world - her  fate was all but certain.

Turning his attention once again to Mary's paper, the professor was surprised to find that there wert only a few paragraphs for him to read... and much to his displeasure - they weren't even Mary's words, they were "scriptures" from the bible. There below the bold type: TO DIE IN ONE'S SINS, were three passages that the professor slowly began to read aloud:

JOHN 8:23-24/Jesus speaking - And He said to them, " You are from beneath; I am from above, You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. " (NKJ)

JOHN 3:13-18/Jesus speaking - No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

REV 20:11-14/John the Apostle speaking - Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades deliver- ed up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Then the professor lowered his eyes slowly and began to read Mary's closing statement: "It is clearly evident from the words of Jesus Christ, and other Bible passages, that the worst thing that can happen to a person is - to die in their sins! " Any person who rejects God's free gift of eternal life, offered to all who will put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior - is doomed to an eternity in Hell - banished forever from the presence of God. And while it is true, there are a myriad of various torments and suffering that human beings can experience while here on earth... they simply cannot compare with the unspeakable horrors and anguish that await those who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and choose rather to die in their sins. Really, what could be worse than that?

The professor was speechless, numb, and just sat at his desk staring down at Mary's paper - stone faced - showing no emotion... The professor disagreed with every facet of Mary's thesis, but was left with no other choice than to do what his conscience was telling him he must do. With great reluctance, the professor slowly reached for his black pen, paused for what seemed like an eternity - and put an A in the upper right hand corner of Mary's paper. This was one paper that he would never forget.


                               the end
                                                       
                                                   A man obsessed with the truth,

                                                                    scribe4god

​        You may find my books at most online bookstores... just click the links.

                        OUT OF THE DARKNESS - https://books2read.com/u/br9oLz
                        PEARLS of WISDOM - https://books2read.com/u/bw9odv
                        THE CHRISTIAN FAITH - https://books2read.com/u/mdYMZR

Proverbs 20:24
A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?


​

AN ASSIGNMENT FROM GOD IN WALMART - Do you believe God orders our steps? That nothing in our lives as disciples of Christ is really "accidental" ?    I do.

A few days ago, my wife and I were at Walmart in line about to check out. I struck up a conversation with the man in front of me, and soon we mentioned our ministry as chaplains at the jail in Genesee county. A man named "Chip" gave us the name of a friend in jail named Maurice......

Yesterday, we met with this man and told him about how God had arranged our appointment with him that day. He smiled and looked off and thought about that! We shared the gospel of salvation with him and listened to his story of how he ended up in jail. Maurice took our hands and bowed his head and prayed for Jesus Christ to forgive him of his sins, and we left knowing that another soul was snatched out of the hands of the devil... Out of the hundreds of men and women locked up(and we can only see a very small number on our visits) GOD ORDAINED THAT VISIT with Maurice !!

Now don't tell us we don't serve an awesome God, or that serving God is boring or predictable. Serving Jesus Christ is sometimes a zany, wild, and bizarre journey to the end of that particular assignment!  Amen

Thanks to everyone praying for and supporting our ministry to those behind bars. In Jesus Name/Michael & Deb D'Aigle/Light in the Dark Ministries
​ p.s. please pray for Maurice as he is awaiting a hearing on what may happen to him.

                                                                       Proverbs 3:6
                   In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

I've never found any words "harder to swallow", or digest than the words above. They are not easy to take in, and they are not for those who want to have their ears tickled... Jesus said many difficult things while he was here on earth: Drinking His' blood, eating His' flesh, denying oneself, and taking up one's cross, and many other "hard sayings"; ah - but none as brutal to our psyche or comfortable brand of Christianity here in the West as the words uttered by Jesus in Luke 14:26.

To be sure, he made his' point - I HAVE TO BE FIRST IN ALL OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS! So much so in fact, that Christ will not compete with anyone in your list or field of relationships down here on earth. To do that would simply mean, he is not first. Jesus chose to use the word hate, and the idea of "hating" those we are closest to in our lives, to illustrate that when it comes to love, loyalty and allegiance - HE MUST BE SUPREME.

Everyone else in our lives, everyone - MUST BE A DISTANT 2ND - 3RD, 4TH, and so on. Jesus' choice of this word/hate is telling...

<A-1,Verb,3404, MISEO> "to hate," is used especially (a) of malicious and unjustifiable feelings towards others, whether towards the innocent or by mutual animosity, e.g., Matt. 10:22; 24:10; Luke 6:22,27; 19:14; John 3:20, of "hating" the light (metaphorically); Luke 14:26, as to the claims of parents relatively to those of Christ

Jesus will not tolerate competition when it comes to our relationship with Him. He takes a backseat to no one - not our mothers, our fathers, our sons or daughters, our wives or husbands; not not anyone. To make this point unmistakable, Jesus uses the word hate, metaphorically to show how "distant" our relationship must be with others when compared to our relationship with Him. Why Jesus would choose such a strong word to illustrate what our relationship to Him is to be like, is something theologians would love to ask Him... but, we are left to ask ourselves one important question: IN THE MIND OF JESUS, WOULD HE THINK MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM QUALIFIES ME TO BE ONE OF HIS' DISCIPLES?

Really, when all is said and done, that is what we are left to ponder. Think of the closest relationship right now, in your' life. That person, should be without any hesitation on your part, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. Everyone else, everyone - should be so distant, so far removed in terms of closeness, that they are not even in the same room figuratively speaking. They should be out of sight, gone, not even n the picture. When Christ is truly the closest relationship in our lives - then without question or doubt - we are in good stead...

                                                 JESUS BRINGS DIVISION

Mt.10:34-39 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

                                                           The Holy Divide...

Nothing separates people more than Jesus, nothing, and no one other than Jesus requires His' followers to give total allegiance to Himself. Jesus will not "wink" at sin, He will not compromise to be politically correct. Jesus expects total compliance to all who desire to be His' disciple. Jesus asks certain things of those who would follow Him - and they aren't easy. Above all else, Jesus asks for He, and He alone - to be the most important relationship in your' life. Nothing less will do, and nothing less is acceptable. Yes, Jesus loves unity, and being in "one accord", but not at the expense of allowing sin, iniquity, and darkness in to His' church, His' teaching, or His' relationships with you or those He died for.

Following Jesus will cost you and I much, it will mean being rejected, reviled, persecuted, and possibly even dying for our faith in Christ. If you are truly in love with Jesus, and following Him, and keeping His' commandments, don't expect the world to embrace you, don't expect your' unsaved family and friends to look approvingly on your walk with God. If you are in Christ, and walking in the love of God - the devil will be after you, and will try to destroy your' testimony and your life.

We are called to be a light in this dark world, but please know light is not always welcome, and many hate the light, and they will hate you... just know our suffering as Christians in this evil world is but for a moment. Press on, and fight the good fight, and make Jesus number one in all you do, say, and think. Let us go forward in these last days and hold the gospel high, and know our reward is not in this world, nor are we to love it.
​
                                                    What Kind of Relationship?

Remember,everyone has a relationship with God - with Jesus. I do, you do, and yes the devil does too - a very, very bad one. It's not about having a "relationship" with Jesus, it's about the quality, the depth, the intensity and kind of relationship we have with Him? I'll leave you to think about that... The question God asks of you - of me, of everyone is this: What kind of relationship do you have with Jesus? Only you can answer that.

Here in the West, following Jesus costs us little, we are blessed to have the religious freedoms we do enjoy, though that is fast eroding. The days are coming when being a follower of Jesus Christ may not be so easy, when that happens I pray you and I are ready to take a stand. If you are struggling with your commitment to Christ in the good times, what will you do when persecution and trials come?

Mt.7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! ”
2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”

​  * The article above is taken from my first book, PEARLS OF WISDOM...  to read more stories                      simply go to Amazon.com and type: pearls of wisdom Michael D'Aigle 

WHAT DOES GOD THINK ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISION TO MAKE SAME SEX MARRIAGE THE LAW OF THE LAND?

 Today, I had my daily devotion in Ezekiel chpts. 8-10. It was about "God's glory departing" from the temple in Jerusalem. God was so incensed with the wickedness and iniquity and perverseness that He abandoned the very place where His name should have been honored the most. I came inside and turned on t.v. to hear announced that today the Supreme Court has made be decree: Same sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

I knew in my heart at that moment that America has turned it's back on God's foundation for mankind, for men and women! By redefining marriage we have as a nation thrown God's word behind our back. We have declared to the Most High God - What You think about marriage is obsolete - what You have written about sexual relations between a man and woman from the beginning are not relevant for us today.

So I asked God in those first few minutes as the reality of what lies ahead for our nation: What do think about this God - what do you say? But, the Lord simply told me that He hasn't changed His mind on marriage, and that what He thinks about sex between men and women, and marriage as an institution has already been written and recorded for us in the scriptures- both Old and New Testaments.I have posted a few scriptures below , and  a video/HOMOSEXUALITY; that clearly show God's has not changed His mind on the subject of homosexuality.
 
                                                          
GOD LOVES HOMOSEXUALS!

Of course God loves all of us who are sinners, that is without question and not up for debate. But while God does indeed love all who sin(that's all of us), he does not love sinful behavior; and the Bible is definitive in it's condemnation of "homosexual relations" between members of the same sex. While we may call good evil, and evil good. In the end, it's not what you think, or what I think, or even what nine supreme court justices think. Really. It only matters what God thinks about homosexuality that really matters - right?

Please know that the "wrath of God" will be poured out for this rebellion, and deliberate choice to follow man's laws - rather than Gods... We've legalized the "killing of innocent" unborn babies, and now in our evolution to do what we think is right in our own minds - we've decided to redefine what God has clearly told us is marriage: One man & One woman in a holy covenant relationship that includes God as it's center. REPENT AMERICA,-JUDGEMENT IS HERE...

       God has already revealed His thoughts on homosexuality


"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination." (Leviticus 20:13).

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you." (Leviticus 18:22-24).

"For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." (Romans 1:26-27).

  Jude testifies about God's fiery destruction of Sodom for "sexual immorality": 

"As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 7)

Exactly what type of "sexual immorality" and "strange flesh" had the Sodomites "gone after"? It was homosexuality: 

"Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." (Genesis 19:4-5)


                                                         JESUS AND MARRIAGE


Matthew 19:4 (ASV) And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made [them] from the beginning made them male and female,

michael/fool4christ   

P.S.  To see an incredible documentary on the "agenda" behind the push for society to accept 'homosexuality" as normal and appropriate  please watch this video: HOMOSEXUALITY (it is written from a Catholic perspective just so you know... and no, I'm not Catholic , just an everyday Christian)  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcmKHqH56_4


1 Timothy 4 (KJV)  4 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;...


Jude 1:3 (KJV) 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.  

In my first article on Doctrines of devils/Pt.1(http://www.lightinthedarkmins.com/blogfool4christ),  I presented a brief overview of what most Christians have agreed upon as being "the faith that was once handed down to us"; though it must be admitted that there are still differences on matters of doctrine throughout the Body of Christ in the earth. In my first treatment on this subject, I included both the Nicene Creed and the Apostle's Creed as just two of the early "statements of the Christian Faith", that have been for most Christians the basis along with the Holy Scriptures, for being rightly called: The Christian Faith. 

Of course, there are many who would add to that the "traditions" of the Christian church that have been handed down through the centuries... water baptism, foot washing, prayer, fasting, church attendance, the reading of scripture and many other practices would be among such "traditions"  viewed by many to be a legitimate part of the Christian Faith. Though there are still some major differences that exist today between the many denominations and groups that comprise the whole of Christianity(especially between Protestants and Catholics), most would agree that the Nicene and Apostolic creeds present the basic tenets of the Christian Faith clearly and succinctly. 

Unfortunately, it's possible to believe the Christian creeds, and be a member of a mainstream Christian denomination today, and even be involved in many "good works"; and still be deceived and blinded by the god of this world. I'll say it again, "you may believe the main orthodox teachings of Christianity", you may sing in the choir, and be an ordained minister with several degrees in theology and still be ensnared by the cunning and seductive teachings and lies of Lucifer! Today, it's possible to know "who Christ is", and believe in the resurrection and the atoning death of Jesus on Calvary - AND STILL BE DUPED BY SATAN.  The Devil is content to let you keep your "basic theology" in tact, if he can simply get you to destroy what God loves, what God sent Jesus to save... US! 

Matthew 24:11-12  (MSG)  “In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.

Today, Lucifer (the master and architect of all competing and counterfeit religions), has turned his hatred and loathing of God to objects and things that God loves dearly, namely - You and me, everyone created in His image... Yes, Satan has always done that, but now in these last days he has convinced many within the Christian churches that "killing babies" and "marrying someone of the same sex" are acceptable - even agreeable and in accordance with the word of God. Nothing could be further from the truth!  

      "LAZY CHRISTIANS" 

The only way Satan could pull off a mass delusion like this upon mankind is to blind them.(2 CO.4:4) And, conversely - the only way the devil could blind Christians to the truth is to have them believe a lie, or in reality many lies... After all, he is the father of lies! For non believers who don't read the Bible, who don't pray or worship Jesus it's easy to understand how they can be so easily hoodwinked and led astray. Ah, but Christians that's another story - or is it? That most Christians today(at least those claiming to be), are not able to defend or contend for the Christian faith is alarming, especially when you consider that we have at our fingertips - more information  than all of the previous generations combined...  We have literally more knowledge at our disposal than our human brains could ever assimilate even if we were to spend our entire lives studying and reading what is available. We don't have a lack of knowledge today....  WE HAVE TOO MANY  "LAZY CHRISTIANS"...   2 Timothy 2:15-18(NKJV)15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Just on it's face, let's be honest - do Christians today  spend more time playing with their smartphones, or reading and studying the scriptures?  Do Christians spend more time on Facebook, then they do in God's Book/The Bible?  That begs the question, if you were the devil: Who would be easier to deceive and beguile, a Christian who studies and meditates on the scriptures daily, and spends time in prayer and worship before God; or a "lazy Christian" who rarely open his or her bible, or seldom spends any time with God in prayer or devotion? No contest is it? The simple truth is that deceiving and deluding Christians today, has become mere child's play for Satan! 

Why? Because many church goers(many who have never repented or allowed Jesus Christ to be their Lord), simply do not have a passion for Jesus or His word... Strong words, not really if you just look around at what is being believed and propagated in many of today's churches. Homosexuality, and abortion; which only a few years ago would have been soundly renounced as "sinful" and  deserving of God's righteous indignation; is now being defended and even encouraged by many who claim "times have changed", and we need to change with them... or words to that effect! Yes, there are people who misconstrue and twist the scriptures to "justify" their sins and ungodly lifestyles; but for most Christians it's simply a matter of not really knowing what the scriptures say on these matters... hmm, with all our "instant information technology" one is left wondering: How can that be?  The answer: they're lazy, they don't read their bibles, and for many they just don't care.

      HUMAN BEINGS AND THE FAMILY...

One thing I've learned over the years in dealing with demons and evil: THE DEVIL HATES PEOPLE, and HE ESPECIALLY HATES THE INSTITUTION OF THE FAMILY!!!  Before the church(the ekllesia/the "called out ones")was established - God ordained the institution of the family. The Devil/Lucifer launched his attack way back in the Garden of Eden, and has been focusing his wicked fury and incurable hatred for God by attacking what He loves most... people, and in particular the "family unit".  If Satan can convince us, you and me to alter - to change the "order" that God has ordained for human beings. That the family is no longer the exclusive domain of one man and one woman - and that all human life begins "within the safety of a mother's womb" - THAN HE HAS DECEIVED US INTO DESTROYING NOT ONLY OURSELVES - BUT THE VERY HEART OF CIVILIZATION - THE VERY HEART OF GOD.  

To destroy the church, the Devil knows he must take out the foundation - KILL US, better yet get humans to kill themselves.  This may sound absurd to some, but you can't build a church with "dead babies" or
"childless unions", which is what the logical end of "same sex marriages/relationships" is in reality.  Add to that diabolical scheme, the hideous plan to reinvent marriage... yep, people have redefined what "marriage is" - not a holy union between a man and woman, but between any two persons regardless of their sexual orientation. Now that dear friends is the Devil's ruse for society. Trouble is, most people today have bought into it - and even ignorant Christians have now bought into these lies of the Devil!  


You have to ask what  Bible(regardless of the translation), are these folks reading? Answer: Most of them couldn't tell you where the book of Jude is in the Bible...  Ask them where their "not so smart phone" is and they'll know exactly where it is...  Don't pray, don't study the scriptures, and don't spend time with God and you are fare game for the lies and damnable teachings now being presented by the world and "wolves in sheep's clothing".

Make no mistake, "killing babies" in the womb, where  life begins, and where God's most miraculous handiwork and wonders are performed is why abortion is Satan has "sold this lie"  -  this abomination to anyone willing to listen ... With every abortion, the heart of God is broken, with every unborn baby destroyed, the laughter of demons can be heard. To think that we have been deluded, even many who name Christ as Lord into thinking "murdering our own children" is okay, is justified, is acceptable is one the Devil's greatest achievements in his war against God and his creation."

It's just a fetus - it's not a human being.  We don't really know when life begins. No one has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body! Hmm, you think maybe God has a say in that? The arguments are many, and the rationalizations for destroying a new life in a mother's womb are sometimes worthy of sympathy(such as in cases of rape or when a mother's life hangs in the balance); but on the whole they are mostly politically motivated or for many just unwanted pregnancies that are a major inconveniences in people's lives... sad but true. These explanations will ring hollow when presented to Jesus Christ on Judgment Day.

WHAT GOD THINKS OF HOMOSEXUALITY... (scriptures clear condemnation of same sex relations)

Leviticus 18:22 - Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 - If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

1 Timothy 1:9-10, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;"


2 Peter 2:6, "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;"

Jude 7, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." 
 
                          WHAT GOD THINKS OF KILLING BABIES(in or out of the womb)

Exodus 20:13 - Thou shalt not kill.

Exodus 21:22-25 - If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished,  ...

Job 31:15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
Psalms 22:10 I was cast on you from the womb: you are my God from my mother's belly.
Psalms 139:13 For you have possessed my reins: you have covered me in my mother's womb.
Psalms 139:14 I will praise you; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and that my soul knows right well.
Proverbs 31:8 Open your mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yes, they may forget, yet will I not forget you.
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.

 

​ 
SIGNS & WONDERS & MIRACLES
​
Acts 2:22
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

Hebrews 2:3-4 (KJV)
 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

GOD'S STAMP OF APPROVAL

Look closely at the scriptures above. They reveal some very important spiritual truths for us to take hold of. We find that Luke in Acts 2:22, states that Jesus Christ was "approved" of God by "miracles, signs and wonders". That is not a verse you want to skim over quickly, it is dynamite! Luke is saying, this man Jesus was not just a phenomenal teacher, or merely a gifted orator and charismatic leader; though he was certainly that and more. To be "approved" of God has a very special meaning, and worth examining. Luke was ascribing the power of doing supernatural acts to Christ, which was another way of saying: Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, a man that proved Who He said He was, by the very things He did - in essence: If you need proof of Who Jesus Christ is, look no further than at the very works He did for all to witness while He was here among us!

In the book of Hebrews, verses 3 and 4 f chapter 2, we find the same idea expressed, only now it's after Jesus has ascended into heaven, and the words are slightly different. The writer of Hebrews, uses the expression in verse 4: God also "bearing them witness", both with signs, and wonders, and with various miracles... to bear witness means to: give evidence or proof of something. What both of these passages are saying to us is that, God proves He has sanctioned, and blessed, and approved of the person or persons who are ministering to others in His name - and according to His purpose and will; by signs, wonders, and miracles. Whew! That is for us as modern believers also a way of saying in reverse, or conversely: Where we find no signs, wonders, or miracles, or very few - we may rightly conclude that God is "not bearing witness" or "approving" of that ministry... Strong words, perhaps - but only if you believe God is content to no longer show forth His power in performing signs,wonders, and miracles in the earth. The modern church has learned to be satisfied without them. That is a pity, and evidence of a "powerless church" that has succumbed to doctrines of demons and unbelief.

VINES EXPOSITORY GREEK DICT  
<A-3,Verb,584,apodeiknumi> (approved) 
lit., "to point out, to exhibit" (apo, "forth," deiknumi, "to show"), is used once in the sense of proving by demonstration, and so bringing about an "approval." The Lord Jesus was "a Man approved of God by mighty works and wonders and signs," Acts 2:22. See PROVE, SET, No. 17, SHEW.

Here we find that to be "approved of God", means to "prove by demonstration". That is simple, God proved that Jesus was His son, by demonstrating it through miracles, and signs and wonders. But, as we all know that just wasn't enough for many who witnessed these great manifestations of supernatural power through Christ's many acts of miraculous healing, and other inexplicable feats of wonder and otherworldly power. Turning water to wine, feeding multitudes with a few fish and loaves of bread, and even raising persons from the dead were not enough to win over many who blindly reasoned away these wondrous acts with "unbelief" that Jesus Himself was amazed by...

Mark 6:6    And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

John 12:37    But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

​
MY FIRST MIRACLE...

As a new Christian, I hadn't been told yet that miracles and signs and wonders were no longer for today - that would come later. I was just naive, and simple enough to believe that God could still do the kind of things I was reading in the New Testament, like healing people after you laid hands on them and prayed for them. As I read the things that Jesus did, and that the early apostles and disciples did in the Book of Acts; I was filled with faith and a strong belief that we could still witness the power of God today if we would just act boldly in faith. For some reason, that was very easy for me as a new believer - I had yet to be taught otherwise.

One day, I went to visit my mother who was staying in an upstairs apartment in a house that had another apartment on the ground floor. As I pulled into the driveway that afternoon, I heard a moaning sound coming from the downstairs apartment. It sounded like someone was dying or in serious trouble. I quickly ran up the steps of the porch, and tried to peer into the downstairs apartment, by placing my face close to the screen door. As I strained to see through the old webbed screen that is common to those kind of old screen doors; I saw a woman standing on a chair and she was yelling and screaming in pain, "Help me, help me, please help me!" 

I forced the door open after a couple of hard yanks, and ran over to where she was standing on a chair with her hand smashed underneath a window that had fallen on it. * This is the kind of window found in older homes, that has pulleys inside the wall, it is very heavy to lift, and is often very difficult to move up or down. I reached over, and gently pulled the window up - off of her bruised and battered hand, and then lifted her off of the chair and down to the ground. The woman's name was Bernice, a short elderly woman, who was a seamstress, and probably only weighed about 100 pounds soaking wet, really. She was hysterical, and screaming about how her hand was smashed, and how she would no longer be able to sew or do any of her work as a seamstress.

A PRAYER OF COMPASSION...

I remember very little about everything that was going on at that moment, but I do remember feeling compassion for this woman. With less than a minute having passed from the time I lifted the window off her hand, I told her to calm down - that Jesus was going to heal her. I grabbed her wrist, and I looked down at her hand that was severely bruised, red, and showing the obvious signs of being broken or fractured at the very least. If you've ever smashed your hands or tissue on your body, then you know how skin looks when it has been smashed or hit very hard. For some strange reason, I never gave that a second thought - I just began to pray for her and my words were not rehearsed or eloquent that day; but they most surely were spoken in faith and from the heart.

"In the name of Jesus, I speak healing to this hand now - amen!" (or words very similar to those)
In a nano second, before I could blink - her hand before my very eyes was completely healed, and restored to normal - the same as her other hand. She began to move her hand and open and close it, then she began to thank me over and over - she was so excited she began to jump up and down in the room shouting, "THANK YOU - O THANK YOU!"  I quickly told her, "don't thank me, it was Jesus who healed you - thank Him." We praised God together, and the presence of God was very strong in that living room - the glory of God was with us in a mighty way. That was my first miracle.   *Note - Bernice had been trying to water some plants as I recall

​FINAL THOUGHTS...

Bernice went to be with the Lord only a couple of years after that miracle happened, but I'm sure she was never quite the same after having that experience. I know it changed me forever. I knew God could theoretically still perform miracles and signs and wonders; but honestly seeing one, only a few inches from my eyes, and  instantaneously - well, that took me to a new place in my walk with God, and buoyed my faith to a new level that had me believing GOD CAN DO ANYTHING!! Sadly, I was later to be told that God no longer does miracles or the supernatural among us anymore; that those manifestations had ended with the early church long ago... (the modern day Sadducees 

Looking back now, I can see that as a new believer, who had not been taught any false teachings or doctrines of demons yet; my faith was strong and childlike - ready to believe God could and would do amazing and awesome things if we would just dare to believe Him and take Him at His word. Fighting to keep my simple faith in God's promises and words to us, would prove to be harder and harder as I became involved with the modern church and many of the mainstream denominations who no longer teach or believe God still does miracles, signs, and wonders. Keeping this simple, childlike faith has been an ongoing struggle for me over the years because of all of the "unbelief" that is in the church today. I know it must break God's heart, and it most certainly quenches the Spirit of God from "bearing them witness" with supernatural manifestations of His power... 

Do you still believe in miracles, signs and wonders?  I hope so, God does.

Matthew 17:19-20 (KJV)
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 13:58  And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Blessings to all/michael/fool4CHRIST

COMING FACE TO FACE WITH DEMONS

Luke 4:35
“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.



Matthew 8:16 
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

A TYPICAL DAY WITH JESUS...

An average day with Jesus going from village to village was anything but boring or normal by any one's measure to be sure. Casting out demons, healing lepers, the blind, the crippled, and doing more good in an hour than most of us will do in a lifetime was not unusual for this son of a carpenter.  His very first day of "official ministry" in His hometown of Nazareth, where He stood and read from Isaiah, chapter 61, verses 1-3, ended with those hearing Christ proclaim Himself to be the "Messiah" - the very One that Isaiah had prophesied about, being more than they could take. In a frenzy of seething rage they hurried to escort him to a cliff where they could hurl him to His death for uttering such blasphemous assertions! Imagine your first day of ministry beginning with such deep offenses and threats being leveled against you. I've thought about Jesus first day of announcing His earthly ministry many, many times - and it still shakes me to the bone. And, this was just His first day on the job - Wow!

Today, following most modern day ministers of the gospel, would seem rather tame and unlike the ministry of Jesus and the early followers of Christ. Why? Because, instead of miracles, signs and wonders, and the power of God being manifested we would probably see a nice illuminated sign in front of a big church with the words: Chicken dinner this Sunday afternoon/everyone is welcome.  Hey, I like chicken as much as anyone, but honestly it is no substitute for going out and seeking the lost and hurting souls that are most likely not going to be at this weekend's Chicken Dinner... Would you be surprised if you witnessed an honest to God miracle sign or wonder this Sunday at your church?

Yes, I'm convinced as a church we have gotten away from the basics of the faith, and that includes "casting out demons", and healing the sick through the power of prayer and fasting. When going to church becomes a place where no one present expects to see God's power -no miracles, no signs, no wonders - no one being healed, no one being set free from demonic spirits and the evil oppression of the devil; WE ARE IN A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE AS CHRISTIANS! If you're afraid of having God "interrupt your predictable and carefully scripted" church services, and are uncomfortable with the idea of God doing amazing and awe inspiring things in your presence - you might find my story of having to confront and cast out demons a little unsettling. Just keep in mind, that for Jesus and the disciples, it was just another normal part of their ministry to people... really. 

3 DAYS WITH A WOMAN DEMON POSSESSED

Let me first begin, by letting you know that I do not have a fascination with demons, the devil, or evil. I hate horror movies and avoid them like the plague. I have never watched the movie the "EXORCIST" in it's entirety, as it is too creepy for me, I kid you not. Truthfully, I have an aversion to everything that is on the "dark side" of Christianity, and I attribute that to the Holy Spirit in me and the changes God has affected in me since coming to Christ. I share that so you will know that I did not go seeking for a confrontation with demons or the devil; as a new Christian my life was busy with just trying to grow by reading the Bible, going to church regularly, and being active in various ministries in and outside of the local church. 

What happened to me, less than a  year earlier as new Christian was to change my life forever, and my view of sin, evil, and demons. In my last blog, I shared how God had allowed me to be attacked by demons in my bedroom, and how I was able to gain the victory by simply exercising my faith in the name of Jesus. As I thought the name Jesus in my mind, and then began to speak out loud the name of Jesus to the demons who were attacking me - experienced compete peace and victory over the demons assaulting me. This earlier battle had taught me many things, and built my faith up significantly. Now, I was about to face demons face to face, in a battle that was to test me and several other Christians to the utmost degree... (this all took place sometime in 1973)

THE BATTLE BEGINS...

I can't remember exactly how this whole episode began, but I can tell you it involved some Christians I knew very well, who were going to the same church as me. They were new believers in Christ, and very involved in our church; we all were on fire for God and talking about the Bible, Jesus Christ, really - anything to do with Christianity was really the center of our lives at that time. There came a day when this couple, who had several children; called me and informed me that a family member, a woman they were related to was at their home and that she was acting very - very strange. They sensed that she was in need of prayer, and deliverance - though they knew very little at that time about how to engage in anything like that. I headed over to their home not knowing what to expect, but having a sense that I was about to confront something or someone very evil. That proved to be true. I was not ready for what about to happen in the next three days - this was going be a confrontation with unspeakable evil and darkness that none of us could have imagined.

Upon my arrival, I found this Christian couple, praying for this *woman who was seated in a chair, with both of them praying quietly over her. They were praying in English(their native tongue), and also in the spiritual gift of tongues, that is listed in the Book of Acts, and in Paul's letters to the Corinthians,etc. I observed that this woman was making facial contortions, which twisted her face all out of sorts -and that she was cursing and making whispering sounds as well as muttering sounds. It was obvious that this woman was deranged by normal standards of observation; her eyes, face, and body language all gave evidence that this woman was mentally unstable, and not in control of her speech or her body's movements. This prayer went on for hours - with the most bizarre manifestations I had ever witnessed in a person, especially at this close proximity to them. I was literally face to face with this woman, whose eyes would glare at you - piecing right through you to the core of you very being and soul! This was very frightening and stressful, and I sensed this was not going to be over quickly.

​THE MIND GAMES AND DEMONIC PLOYS... 

This was not something anyone of us present were experienced with, so we called in some Spirit filled pastors to assist us and give us their assessment of what we were dealing with. Two Assembly of God ministers came to the home of this couple and prayed for this woman, and were convinced that we were in fact dealing with a "possessed woman" with many powerful demons tormenting her. We were already in our 2nd day of prayer and fasting, and we had the children removed from the home to ensure that they were not involved or adversely affected by this ensuing battle we were engaged in. We had take time off from our jobs so we could pray around the clock, but our flesh and emotions were beginning to show the signs of fatigue and there was a sense that we might not win this battle. We had many people praying for us and this woman; but as time dragged on we were becoming less and less effective in battling with these demons. We were doing our best to win this battle, but I will admit our faith was shaky at best, this was evil beyond anything I had ever confronted; worse - far worse than the demons of "fear" that had attacked me just months earlier in my bedroom at my sister's house where I had been staying. I knew this was actually happening, but it seemed like a very bad dream, a horrible nightmare - but we all knew that what was happening was  actually happening to us - to her. We were committed to seeing this through to the end, but honestly - our bodies were already feeling the strain and stress of being in the presence of such intense evil for  hours, and now days...

The woman we were praying for would act completely normal and tell us she was okay, that we could let her go; but we knew she was not telling the truth; and when told to tell the truth in "Jesus name" - she would scream and begin to curse and shout at us with all her strength. She tried to claw us, scratch us, and her voice would change to a low beastly growl that can only be described as beyond anything I had ever heard in my life at that time. There was a smell, a foul, ghastly - odor that came out of this woman's mouth that was enough to make you vomit. At this point the demons were challenging us with many words, and taunting us; somehow knowing we were very new at this - and sensing we were afraid and not in control. I had learned from my earlier battles with demons, that demons can sense "fear" in a person, not unlike a dog or animal can; and they will pounce on you if they think you're afraid or fearful. I refused to be afraid. I would rebuke and command the demons to shut up and to be quiet in the name of Jesus. This would work for a short time, and then the demons would begin to talk again, or try to physically attack one or more of us.

We cast many demons out of this woman, how many I'm not sure but we finally realized that the most powerful demons in this woman were religious spirits and very knowledgeable and prideful. They would quote scriptures back to us and remind us that they were around when Jesus walked the earth, that they knew the Bible better than we did. They were most cunning and intimidating in their ploys to engage in conversation with us. We were now exhausted, and becoming increasingly more and more mentally drained and ill equipped to keep this fight going much longer. The remaining demons, or "demon" simply refused to exit or come out of this woman and though we had experience partial victory in casting many demons out of this poor tormented soul - it was becoming increasing clear that we might not be able to rid this woman of this unwelcome intruder. Later, we were to find out that this "religious spirit" was not unwelcome, but had probably been invited in to this woman's life - which is what "seducing spirits" do by the way. How these demons, any demons for that matter enter a person, or gain access to someone's body - is not what I'm attempting to explain here - that is a lengthy and complicated message in itself. This testimony is not about "how" this poor woman became possessed and under the control of demons; but how a few new Christians dealt with someone in need of deliverance on short notice...

THE BATTLE ENDS...

By the third day, we were spiritually, physically, and mentally spent - we knew we could no longer continue our around the clock "prayer and fasting" vigil/intercession for this woman. We realized that though we had experienced some victory over the demons that had tormented this woman, and had in fact cast many of them out of her. The most powerful of the demons, we sadly - were not able to force out of her. We ended up having to commit this woman temporarily to a mental ward, where she was later released and went on to lead a very normal life and serve God and attend church regularly. We felt defeated at that point, but God in His mercy showered us with a baptism of "joy and laughter", that all of us experienced immediately after we had this woman put in a facility where she could be cared for. God knew we had done all we could do for this woman, and He would do the rest as we prayed and continued to intercede for her; which we all did. I believe this woman eventually was freed from the remaining demons - through the prayers and intercession on her behalf long after our 3 day battle had come to an end.

Later, God revealed that this woman did not want to let go of this demonic spirit of "pride" that she had. She refused at that time to relinquish or let go of this demon's control over her. That may sound strange to you and me, but then again this entire confrontation with demons and evil is not really everyday stuff - is it? When we got down to the controlling spirit, the "strongman" in this case - we could not force it out. I believe we could have, if we were stronger in the Lord at that time. We were all baby Christians, and looking back now  I realize that we were lacking in not only experience and knowledge of the scriptures, but we were also weak in our new Christian faith. We didn't win the battle entirely as we should have, but we did fight valiantly and we learned many lessons about spiritual warfare that you can't learn from simply reading a book. The next time, should the occasion arise - all of us would be better prepared to deliver anyone whom we might find in need of prayer and deliverance... 

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS 

Why God allowed a few new Christian believers, who had no real experience casting out demons, or confronting evil to go through what we experienced those three days is something I've pondered often. I believe it was because we were willing to help a woman tormented by demons, in need of deliverance. I also believe it's because we all believed that the things we were reading in the Bible that Jesus did, and that the early apostles and disciples were doing in the Book of Acts and the New Testament were still for us as believers today. That being said, I must admit - God probably could have chosen more qualified believers if He wanted to. In the end, I also believe it was so we could gain valuable experience that we could use in later battles with evil and demons as we went on in our Christian walk with God down here on earth. 

This much I do know, the devil, demons, and evil are real, very real.But the Lord Jesus Christ is greater than the devil, and all the demons in hell! Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Jesus did not leave us here to watch people suffer or be tormented and oppressed by demons or evil. He has given us every spiritual weapon to overcome all the devices and schemes of Satan and to destroy and tear down every wicked stronghold in Jesus name.

He promised that we would do "greater works than He did", because He was going to our Father in heaven. Does that sound like you or me today? Does that sound like the church you or I attend now? I pray we rise up and begin to do great exploits for our King. Let us believe God still can and does do miracles, signs and wonders; and let us reach out to those bound in chains of addiction or under the curse of sin and iniquities with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dare to believe God, His word, His promises - step out in faith and watch God do miracles and wonders before your very eyes!
God is waiting for you and me to simply go out and do what He said to do. NOW LET'S GO!

1 John 4:4 (KJV)4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Matthew 10:8 (NKJV) 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,[a] cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

John 14:12   Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Blessings to all/michael/fool4CHRIST        *Note - for the sake of this family's privacy, I've not given their names...  also, the title: 3 DAYS WITH THE DEVIL, does not mean I was with Satan himself, but a reference
to being in the presence of "his structure/kingdom of darkness" first hand, up close - and with some of his many "powers and rulers of darkness"... see Eph.6:12

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          WHERE ARE THE "SIGNS" TODAY?


Mark 16:17-18
 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Today, many Christians no longer believe in miracles, signs, and wonders; at least not anymore. I recently was rebuked and  called a false teacher for believing what Jesus told His followers just prior to His ascension into Heaven. This crusader of  "unbelief " - teaches against the very words of Christ and promotes the lie that: the gifts of the Holy Spirit, miracles, signs, and wonders, and all other supernatural manifestations found throughout the Book of Acts, and the New Testament no longer exist. Hmm, that is some serious theological commentary on his part - and way over my head. I'm just naive and simple enough to believe God meant what He said, and that the signs Jesus spoke of above in Mark 16:17 - will still follow those who believe.The irony, is he purports to be an expert in "exposing cults, heresies, and false teachers" in the Body of Christ. Talk about the fox in the hen-house protecting the chickens - Irony of ironies !

I know it's easier to not believe, (that takes no faith whatsoever), but to actually teach against something Jesus taught is a scary thing for anyone to do...  the next logical step in denying the validity and truth of what Christ taught, and what the scriptures clearly teach us is to attribute the gifts and manifestations of The Holy Spirit to the devil! That dear friends - is blasphemy. Be very careful, very cautious before you renounce the words of Jesus as being null and void today... that would be a tragic mistake.

                                 UNBELIEVING "BELIEVERS" / no faith = no signs following                                                                                                                                                 
You will not see signs, wonders, or miracles if you do not believe what Jesus says. Those manifestations are for those who "believe". When a person chooses to not believe, or cannot believe in the words of Christ - they have chosen to live in a world where God will not display His supernatural power and majesty... Signs follow believers not "unbelievers". God doesn't reward unbelief, nor is He pleased by it. I'm convinced that Jesus would not do many mighty works today in many of our churches because of one thing - and that is: UNBELIEF!

Today, unfortunately - we have a whole generation of church goers who are camped out in a "dead zone", where you don't need faith to serve God, at least not as we read about in the Book of Acts, or Hebrews. Nope - we now have vast hordes of "unbelieving believers"; an oxymoron of epic proportions if you stop and think about it. If it weren't so pitifully sad and tragic, it would be funny. IT'S NOT. To not believe God still does miracles, signs, and wonders is to me a gigantic slap in the face of God. Many will tell you: NO GOD DOESN'T DO THOSE THINGS ANYMORE. I pray you aren't camped out in that place of unbelief, death, and disobedience...

Matthew 13:58
Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Mark 6:6 
And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Mark 16:14   Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

We never see Jesus rebuking or reproving anyone for "believing" in miracles, or the supernatural. Again, let me repeat this truth: We never see Christ rebuking or correcting anyone who is exercising "faith" in God, His words, or in Christ - Himself! On the contrary, we find Jesus sternly rebuking those who refused to believe or have faith when they had every reason for exhibiting faith. If it is hard to have faith when God is right there in front of your very eyes - doing signs, and miracles - then it must be impossible to have faith in His absence. The point of what I'm saying is this: Without faith, you will never see signs following you - or your ministry; that is solely the domain of those who "believe". The most uneducated man or woman in any church can witness great and marvelous miracles, signs, and wonders if they are just foolish enough to take Jesus at His word. I do - do you?

​MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH DEMONS

After surrendering my life to Christ, and leaving my old life of living as a rock-and-roll musician just drifting from one bad experience to another - I finally found really meaning in my life. I moved out of the dope house I was living in, and moved in with my sister Bobbi, and her husband who had recently become Christians and were both going to church regularly and on fire for God. My appetite for the bible and spiritual things was insatiable - really. I was attending church as often as I could, and reading the Bible and other spiritual books and literature whenever I had time to do so. Although I was a baby Christian, there was no doubt that God was stretching and shaping me into a completely different person from who I was before coming to Christ. It was truly amazing what God was doing inside of me! 

The room I was given to use as a bedroom was a strange room by anyone's standards. It had been their "get high" party room, and they had painted it completely black, with the windows completely covered and there was still dark light posters up when I moved in. With the light turned out, you couldn't see anything at all - not even your hand if you held it up two inches from your eyes. It was black, and so dark that  it would make most people uncomfortable I'm quite certain. Oh, and did I fail to mention that this room was in their basement, so late at night it was also very quiet ; you could hear every sound in the house it seemed.  I'm not afraid of the dark, so it really didn't bother me that much, though I had this creepy feeling that the room was too dark and needed to be brighter - and I planned to change the color and atmosphere of the room as soon as I had some free time. 

ATTACKED BY DEMONS...

I remember coming home that evening very late, at the time I was working two jobs  and was saving to go to Bible college. I undressed for bed, and after putting a few things away I turned out the light by pulling the string, and climbed into bed exhausted. After laying there for only a few minutes, I sensed something was in the room with me - it's hard to describe in words because I couldn't see a thing, but I felt a very evil presence near me. I've only been really scared a few times in my life, but never have I experienced such horrible fear and terror as I did  lying there in my bed that evening. The best way to describe what was happening to me is to picture a bottle of "black ink" being poured into a bucket of water.  I was literally "scared stiff".

As I lay there trying to reason  with myself, and figure out what was really happening to me; I realized that I couldn't move - I was literally paralyzed with fear - fear that is beyond anything I had ever experienced before in my life. I've been scared many times, and knew what fear felt like, but nothing like what was happening to me then. I realized I couldn't move , I couldn't speak, I couldn't move my tongue or my lips - I was scared stiff, scared beyond anything I had ever known or could imagine! Laying there, completely frozen with indescribable fear, I could feel this evil presence - this thing that I couldn't see; move right next to me and then I heard a whisper - a voice speak directly into my ear: THIS ROOM IS OURS - WE AREN'T GOING TO GIVE IT UP. 

THE NAME OF JESUS... 

​Being a new Christian, and unaccustomed to any kind of real spiritual warfare, I was not really sure what I could do; or if there was anything I could do at that moment. I started to panic, and was almost overwhelmed with a sense of complete hopelessness and despair; and at the same time there was a inky blackness that was enveloping my entire body that can only be described as being wrapped tightly like a mummy, or someone being buried alive - really, it was that horrible. In a flash, in a moment's time - I felt the urge, the need to think the name of Jesus in my mind. My body was paralyzed, my mouth couldn't move no matter how hard I tried - but my mind was still free - barely. I remember thinking: JESUS, JESUS, JESUS... BAM!! Like a bolt of electricity shooting through my body, I was free. I jumped up out of my bed, and turned on the light. 

The sheer joy of being able to move freely, and to not feel terrified or scared was exhilarating and my soul was filled with thanksgiving to God for not letting me suffer or be tormented any longer. The entire episode only lasted less than five minutes probably, but it seemed like a very very long time as I endured it in the dark. I began to shout out loud; "I rebuke you Satan, I command you demons to go in the name of Jesus!" I'm sure my words were not exactly right, and sounded like they were coming from a "freshman" believer - they were; but make no mistake: THE DEMONS HEARD ME LOUD AND CLEAR! Unfortunately, so did my sister and brother -in-law as well; they opened the clothes chute, and my sister wanted to know, "What's going on down there Mickey?" I told her that I had just been attacked by demons, and she calmly told me to go back to sleep that they had to get up in the morning, or words to that effect. 

THEY DON'T WANT TO LEAVE...

After calming down, and praying over every inch of my bedroom; I decided it was time to try and get some sleep.  I turned out the light once again, and crawled back under the covers and began to try and fall asleep. Within a few minutes, I once again felt this eerie - creepy presence move up next to the side of my bed, and speak clearly into my ear: "We'll leave you alone, but this room is ours - we're not giving it up." I was not terrified this time, I was mad and confident that "in the name of Jesus", I had power over these demons. I jumped out of my bed and turned on the light, then I began to rebuke and command the demons to leave in Jesus' name. I must have prayed out loud for at least 3 or 4 minutes before I heard my sister calling out to me again, "Mickey, what's going on down there?"  After explaining that I was fighting with some demons over the room that they didn't want to surrender - we both agreed enough was enough and went back to bed... I slept good after that - very good.

Although my experience with these demons wasn't a typical "casting out demons", in that it was a "room" and not a human body or animal as is the case in the scriptures; it was nevertheless very real - and taught me many valuable lessons. Later that same year, I would be face to face with a person possessed with many evil spirits, and would be more prepared for what would prove to be a most horrific battle with very powerful demons. I will share that confrontation with very powerful and stubborn demon spirits in my next message, but let me close now with some things God taught me about spiritual warfare, and the authority we as believers have over the devil, demons, and evil. We have nothing to fear, we have every weapon we need to not only defeat the devil and the demons who do his bidding; but we can have demons and the devil himself tremble and shake with fear when he sees us coming. 


FINAL THOUGHTS... There is so much power, so much anointing in the name of Jesus - that if a Christian had nothing but "faith in the name of Jesus", he or she would be more than a match for the devil and all the demons in hell! My terrifying confrontation with demons in my sister's basement, in a room black as the deepest cave one can imagine taught me to revere and hold in the highest esteem the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Demons like darkness - that was something I learned very well, but they couldn't claim that bedroom as their own - they had to go in the "name of Jesus". I changed the room, and removed everything that was connected with it's sinful past. We as Christians have many powerful weapons at our disposal, the word of God, the power of prayer and fasting, and anointed music and songs; but please know that  the name of Jesus, when spoken in faith - is all the power and might you will ever need to put to flight a legion of demons - the devil himself.  

Blessings to all/michael/fool4CHRIST    p.s. My next message/blog/Pt.3 - will be my involvement with casting demons of a woman severely tormented and bound by Satan
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Luke 9:1 (KJV)
9 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.


Luke 10:17    (KJV)
17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.