2021 Day 2 Top Ten Demons and Stuff

 

2021 Day 2

Top Ten Demons and Stuff

            It was September when I checked into my new command. I instantly moved from a quiet existence as a supervisor in the corrosion shop and a one week on one week off Covid-19 schedule. I entered into the hectic life of a squadron heading on cruise. A cruise in the military sense is certainly not like a Carnival or Disney cruise. It is long months of hard, monotonous work in high heat places.

            When a squadron goes on cruise or deployment, it enters a training phase before they can leave. This training cycle can include much travel and many long working days. One thing that helps is if a person listens closely, they can hear some hilarious stuff. For this cruise, I have begun taking down funny statements that I hear and making spiritual applications. This blog being a Christian blog, I must edit the phrases for language and content. Like today's phrase, “top ten demons and stuff.” I a sure you, stuff was not the word, but either way, I chuckled.  

            I remember when I heard this phrase that some people were talking about anime or video games. I have no interest in either of those, though I enjoy a great game of Age of Empire, but the phrase stuck out to me. “Top ten demons and stuff.”

            I grew up very conservative in a Southern Baptist background and went to an Independent high school and college. I was never taught that demons do not exist. I have never been taught that Satan was not around. I was really never taught anything in-depth about the subject. There seemed to be fear that surrounded this reality.

I remember a speaker from a prominent college in our circles mentioned in a high school chapel that his school had a course on demonology, and it was extremely short. The reasoning was because if a person goes and looks for such things, then they will find them. That really impacted my view on the subject. Just avoid. That was my plan, but the reality is that the Bible discusses that we are in a war. In wars, pacifists still get hurt. People who want to stay out of the way still die.  

Humanity is caught up in a war that is not physical. It is supernatural with real angels and demons. Simply ignoring it does not keep you out of it. In Ephesians, the Bible says, “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.”^[1]  

As Christians, we are a part of this battle, whether we like it or not. John Wimber said, “Christian life is warfare. The church is called to be a family, a hospital, a school, and an army. The church had better be an army because, whether we realize it or not, we're in the middle of a war. A war between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.”[2]

The Bible also says, “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”^[3] So what does this mean? Well, let's start with some terms. First, what is a Demon? Dr. Wayne Grudem writes, “Demons are evil angels who sinned against God and who now continually work evil in the world.”^[4] Second, Who is Satan? Dr. Grudem describes Satan as

the Originator of Sin. Satan sinned before any human beings did so, as is evident from the fact that he (in the form of the serpent) tempted Eve (Gen. 3:1–6; 2 Cor. 11:3). The New Testament also informs us that Satan was a “murderer from the beginning” and is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). It also says that “the devil has sinned from the beginning” (1 John 3:8). In both of these texts, the phrase “from the beginning” does not imply that Satan was evil from the time God began to create the world (“from the beginning of the world”) or from the beginning of his existence (“from the beginning of his life”), but rather from the “beginning” parts of the history of the world (Genesis 3 and even before). The devil’s characteristic has been to originate sin and tempt others to sin.^[5]

This is all very basic, and many volumes have been written on the subject can explain it much better than I but let's move to the critical part.

            So, I am a Christian who loves Jesus, and now I find myself in the middle of a war that I cannot see. What do I do? The first thing that I would encourage you to do is to not be afraid. That sounds very simple, but it is. The Bible is full of verses that talk about how the Lord is with his people, and if you are a Christian, that certainly includes you. So when you read an old testament story about something great God did and the promises he made to those people, then take comfort that you can count on those promises as well.

For example, in Deuteronomy 31, Moses is passing on his position to Joshua. Moses says, “Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.” Moses then summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land the Lord swore to give to their ancestors. You will enable them to take possession of it. The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”^[6]

The context of this passage is clear. Moses is encouraging Joshua with promises from God. We, as God’s people, can claim these promises too. So Jesus will go with you. Jesus will be with you. Jesus will not leave you or abandon you. Though we wrestle with spiritual things, we know that Christ in us means that we are prepared for the fight and are also coming from victory and not to it.

We are also well equipped. The book Ephesians says,

For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,  and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.^[7]

We have weapons and armor that we put on with prayer. We practice using the Sword of the Spirit by practicing the Word of God. Letting it seep down into our souls as we devour in the times we read and memorize scripture.

            The battle is long, and the struggle at times is difficult. As in any war, there may be wounds or casualties, but the key to it all is standing firm. The Bible says, “and having done everything, to stand firm.”^[8] God is not telling you to win. That is his job. He is just telling you to stand, to hold the line.   

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^[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Eph 6:10–12.

[2] Carol Wimber, The Way In Is the Way On, chap 7 para 22 Kindle

^[3]CSB, 1 Pe 5:8.

^[4] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 412.

^[5] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 415.

^[6]CSB, Dt 31:6–8.

^[7] CSB, Eph 6:13–18.

^[8] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Eph 6:13.