You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder. James 2:19
There are scriptures in the Old and New Testaments that record encounters between ambassadors of the kingdom of light and ambassadors of the dominion of darkness. It is interesting to note that each acknowledges the presence and activity of the other. The devil and his demons know who Jesus is. And the agents of God are able to recognize demonic activity and destroy the darkness through the power of Jesus Christ. Pastor Sam noted that in the spirit realm, there exists an entire community of evil spirits that believe in God. They know who Jesus is. They even know the scriptures. But their agenda is still to favor and promote the dominion of darkness.
This same dichotomy is, unfortunately, present and active in the community of faith here on earth. We in this community are comprised of two groups: those who know Jesus and submit to Him, and those who know about Jesus but have not given their lives to Him. They are active members in the church community but their lifestyles indicate that they have adopted the agenda of the dominion of darkness. And there are some in the community, the agents of the kingdom of light, who have recognized the presence of agents of evil among the flock.
Well, what do we do? The Lord gave me a wonderful insight. I had gotten a text message from a friend of mine who responded to a comment I had made regarding a "tough crowd", and I spent half an hour reflecting on his one-sentence reply. Then it dawned on me: LOVE. Vengeance and justice are in the the hands of God. I think that my job is to pray, to warn, and to demonstrate the love of Jesus to my fellow believers who know about Jesus but who are captive in the dominion of darkness.
Paul says, and I paraphrase here, "My brothers, I am begging you to present your bodies as living sacrifices. Jesus is not dragging you to the altar. He is so merciful to have not destroyed you, He is giving you another chance. Please offer yourself to God- your body and your mind, because when you have the mind of God you will know what He wants and how you can please Him." (Romans 12:1-2)
This week we'll be reflecting on several different passages that serve to encourage us in this process of rejecting the influence and temptations of the dominion of darkness, and instead embracing the kingdom of light. I'll leave you to reflect on James 2:19 for today.
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