As a pastor for many years, I’ve had the opportunity to interacted with people in spiritual panics, some funny, some sad, some tragic. People come to me as their pastor, or I’ve found out about their situation, and they just don’t know what to do. They feel that God’s not answering them. They’re praying. They’reContinue reading “Three steps for avoiding spiritual panic – 1st Samuel 28-30, Part 5”
Tag Archives: demons
You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5
I started this week talking about Tolstoy’s short story, How Much Land Does a Man Need. Read that post here. The main character of the story, Pahom, is hiking around land for sale. As he hikes, he stakes out the land. He has from sunup till sundown to make it back to his starting stake,Continue reading “You can have victory over temptation – Sword of the Spirit, Part 5”
Jesus’ instructions for how to enter the Kingdom of God – Breastplate of Righteous, Part 3
For centuries, one of the primary questions that has been the concern of many, if not most, humans is: How do people enter the Kingdom of God? In Matthew 5, verse 20, Jesus has a surprising answer to that question. Jesus says that we need a kind of righteousness that goes beyond the righteousness ofContinue reading “Jesus’ instructions for how to enter the Kingdom of God – Breastplate of Righteous, Part 3”
It is God’s armor, not ours – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 5
I love Star Wars, and their recent show The Mandalorian is a favorite. The Mandalorian people in Star Wars are known for their impenetrable armor. They are able to defeat evil because of their armor. But what about us? How should we interact with evil? In our study of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6:10-13, heContinue reading “It is God’s armor, not ours – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 5”
Real spiritual warfare in the world – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 4
A few years ago, my Amish neighbor years ago was going to have a new bore hole dug for a well. So they brought in a “water man.” This guy came to their property, pulled out a pliers, and started walking around their meadow. At one point, he said he felt the pliers start vibrating,Continue reading “Real spiritual warfare in the world – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 4”
Evil spirits are not to be trifled with – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 3
In our previous posts this week, here and here, we read in Ephesians 6:10-13 where Paul writes that our battle is not against flesh and blood, not against what we can see and touch, but against a spiritual enemy. That spiritual is the devil and his demonic forces. That immediately sounds ominous and scary. ShouldContinue reading “Evil spirits are not to be trifled with – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 3”
Is spiritual warfare real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 2
Is spiritual warfare real? Perhaps the most famous biblical passage about spiritual warfare is Ephesians 6, verses 10-20, about the Armor of God. For the next couple months, we will be studying the Armor of God. This week we are looking at verses 10-13, the introduction to the passage. The writer of this passage isContinue reading “Is spiritual warfare real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 2”
Are ghosts real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 1
Are ghosts real? If ghosts are real, aren’t they just manifestations of demons? Are demons real? And what about spiritual warfare? In our scientifically-minded culture we can lean heavily toward believing that ghosts, the spirit world and therefore spiritual warfare is not real. Some people go so far as to say that the descriptions ofContinue reading “Are ghosts real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 1”
How should Christians respond to spiritual darkness – Ephesians 6:10-13, Preview
Tomorrow is October 1st, and the pumpkins and Halloween decorations are popping up all over my local community here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Kids are talking about costumes and trick-or-treating. Among the princesses and super heroes we’ll see little ghouls, goblins, ghosts and gremlins walking around our neighborhoods. My personal opinion is that Halloween is oneContinue reading “How should Christians respond to spiritual darkness – Ephesians 6:10-13, Preview”
False Ideas Christians Believe About…Temptation
Author’s Note: It’s been 2+ months since I wrote for this blog, and I’m excited to get back to it. A very busy season of life has finally eased up, and I want to catch up where we left off in the series on False Ideas Christians Believe. In order to speed the catch-up process,Continue reading “False Ideas Christians Believe About…Temptation”
Engaging Scripture 