(part 2)
“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?”
Matthew 12:25-26
It is important to understand that not every struggle we face is demonic! Some people seem to believe that every problem they have is caused by the devil. Their car won’t start and they will call it an “attack of the enemy” when, in reality, some standard maintenance would have prevented the problem. Jesus, Himself, did not see a “demon” in every situation. Not every person Jesus healed had to have a demon driven out. Not every person with erratic behavior was demon possessed, some were told to just “stop sinning”! Still, on the other hand, there are those who make no room for the possibility that their struggle is against a spiritual enemy.
The realm of the Spirit is very real and throughout the gospels Jesus repeatedly addressed demonic activity whenever He came upon it. Such is the case found in Matthew 12:22-28, where a man who was demon-possessed was brought to Him. The man, in this instance, was blind and mute because of a demon. Jesus, recognizing this, cast out the demon and healed the man. Needless to say, this caused quite a stir among the people. However, when the religious leaders heard this they attempted to say that Jesus was driving out demons by the power of Satan. This passage of Scripture is significant in two ways. One, it rightly identifies the existence and reality of a spiritual enemy. Jesus makes it clear to us that Satan is real, he has a kingdom, and that demons and demonic activity are a part of his “household”. Secondly, Jesus uses it to educate us regarding a principle that Satan understands and will use against us if we are not discerning of it. He is keenly aware that division proceeds destruction. John 10:10 confirms that Satan’s primary objective is to steal, kill and destroy. He knows that a house divided against itself will not stand, and WILL attempt to “sow division” (through demonic activity) into our homes if given the opportunity. We must be willing to look hard at the struggles we face and acknowledge that they may be spiritual in nature.
Listen to Paul’s counsel to the church in Ephesus found in Ephesians 6:10-12:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.”
We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood! We are facing a “spiritual” force that is bent on sowing division into our homes, marriages, and families. However, by refusing to recognize it, we may eventually “demonize” our spouses, kids, co-workers, bosses and family perceiving them to be the source of our problems! Through our own ignorance, we have allowed Satan a foothold into our lives. A foothold that he desires to see become a stronghold!
Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
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