Day 7 of 21 Days of Fasting

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

I John 4:1-6

The reality of hell and demons is a reality that the western culture does not like to recognize. Today many Christians in the United States have never witnessed demonic manifestations or have even been instructed on how to fight against the spiritual attacks of the enemy. Just because we feel more comfortable in ignoring or turning a blind-eye towards the spiritual battle that we face everyday does not mean that that battle does not exist. In fact ignoring the battle only gives the enemy more ground and time to work with. It is true that in the history of our society people that were oppressed, consistently attacked, or even possessed by demons were set aside in hospitals, asylums, and other medical treatment facilities. There, these people were not set free, but were medicated to keep the problems manageable for the staff. How sad it is that we could not recognize the power that is in the Word of God! Many (not all) sicknesses that we face today are brought on by demonic forces. They try to keep us from doing the will of God and spreading the glorious message of Christ. They distract us from our joy that is in the Lord causing us to focus on ourselves and not on Him. As you fast and pray ask the Lord to reveal to you the spiritual battle that you face. We all face these battles. Sometimes our families are attacked through the generations by the same sickness or dysfunction. These generational curses are real and pointed out in scriptures. With much prayer and wisdom from the Lord we can overcome these demonic attacks. Meditate on the scriptures provided in the devotional and continuously be aware that the enemy is not happy with your dedication to overcome.

Be aware, that as you increase in the Lord the enemy becomes active in your life. Satan does not want you to lead your friends and family to Christ and the power of God. I will be speaking more on this topic during Sunday Evenings service 1-11-09.

God Bless