Battling demons

As we draw closer to God, we also put ourselves on the spiritual warfare battlefield. While Jesus gives us authority to cast out demons, it might not be our place in certain instances. Consider Gordon Dalbey's story from his book "No Small Snakes: A Journey Into Spiritual Warfare" of trying to counter the demons in Los Angeles:

When I dashed downstairs 20 minutes later to drive to the nursing home, to my shock I found that my car had been burglarized. My $300 guitar (that's in 1979 dollars) and recently repaired car stereo were both gone. I called the police at once, but they could offer no help by that time; in fact, when I reported my address, the dispatcher was surprised. 'We hardly ever get a theft call in that neighborhood!' he declared.

Hanging up in anger, I realized that the enemy had taken away two important weapons that I had been wielding against him: the tape deck with which I played praise songs, and my guitar with which I was even then writing more musical ammunition. How could this have happened, Lord? I cried out.

Simmering quietly, I sensed the answer: 'Don't ever again step out beyond your calling as you did last night.' For an individual to challenge the huge demonic strongholds over Los Angeles, as I had done, was at best naive and at worst suicidal. I was blessed only to have lost a guitar and tape deck for such foolhardiness. That night, I encouraged the speaker to clarify this point in order to save others from my jarring experience.

Since that time, Dalbey has been asking God if he has authority in an area before challenging demons. Dalbey has discovered that he has authority over his family and over people who give him authority by calling for counsel, asking for prayer, or attending one of his conferences.

Jesus Is everywhere

As Jesus is omnipresent, it shouldn't come as a surprise when he talks to us. He's infinitely creative, though -- which often takes us off guard. Consider this experience related by John Eldredge in his book "Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus" (p. 184):

Another friend, Leslie, was traveling in Germany and had the privilege of seeing the renowned Oberammergau Passion Play. 'All the villagers play parts in the story,' she explained. 'For nine years they are woodcarvers and then the tenth they take on a whole new part; the men grow beards and let their hair get long.' The play is three hours in the morning, followed by a long break, and then it continues in the afternoon. She wrote this account to me:

During my break I spent quite a bit of time in one particular shop. The woodcarver himself gave me a detailed explanation of his carvings. He had a head full of long brown hair and some woman asked him if he was in the play. 'Yes,' he replied. I thought, To whom am I speaking??? Peter, James, John, Judas...Jesus?! The moment I thought his name is was as if the Lord was saying to me, You recognize me on the stage in the part you know so well, but do you recognize me in the shop? Have you so compartmentalized your life between sacred and secular, church and business, Sunday and the rest of the week that when I am out there you no longer recognize me? I realized at that moment that I could walk into church on Sunday and know what to expect because I know the story. I could see Jesus in that setting. Then I would leave and go out into my own world and leave him in first-century Palestine. I couldn't recognize him in the shop.

Expect to encounter Jesus in your life. . .not just on Sunday, and not just at church.