Empowered Faith: Confronting Spiritual Forces in Our Lives

Devotional

Day 1: Introspection as a Path to Spiritual Growth

During the season of Lent, believers are called to a time of introspection, a period to look inward and examine their own hearts rather than focusing on the shortcomings of others. This self-reflection is not merely an exercise in self-criticism but a spiritual practice that allows individuals to identify areas in their lives that need attention and growth. By doing so, they align themselves more closely with God's will and purpose, preparing their hearts for the transformative work of the Holy Spirit. This process of introspection is a journey towards spiritual maturity, where one learns to recognize personal weaknesses and seeks God's guidance to overcome them. [50:05]

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life that you feel needs spiritual growth? How can you begin to address this area during this season of Lent?

Day 2: Recognizing Our Vulnerability to Spiritual Influences

Every believer, regardless of their spiritual maturity or involvement in the church, is susceptible to spiritual influences. Recognizing this vulnerability is the first step in guarding one's heart and home against unclean spirits. It is crucial to remain vigilant and rely on God's strength to overcome these challenges. The story of the Lutz family from "The Amityville Horror" serves as a powerful illustration of the reality of spiritual warfare. Just as they had to confront the malevolent forces in their home, believers must confront the spiritual forces that seek to disrupt their peace and joy. [01:10:02]

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways do you feel spiritually vulnerable? How can you actively guard your heart and home against negative spiritual influences today?

Day 3: Exercising Authority in Jesus' Name

Believers have the authority in Jesus' name to command spiritual forces to leave their lives. This authority is not based on personal strength but on the power of Christ. By acknowledging His sovereignty, individuals can experience liberation from spiritual oppression. This empowerment is a gift from God, allowing believers to confront and overcome spiritual challenges with confidence. It is a reminder that, through faith, they have access to divine strength and protection. [58:14]

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues." (Mark 16:17, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a specific spiritual challenge you are facing right now? How can you exercise your authority in Jesus' name to address this challenge?

Day 4: Discernment in Recognizing God's Work

It is essential for believers to recognize and affirm the work of God in their lives and not attribute it to the enemy. The Pharisees' accusations against Jesus serve as a warning against misattributing God's work. Believers must be discerning and give credit to God for His miraculous works, ensuring that they do not fall into the trap of skepticism or disbelief. This discernment requires a deep connection with God and an openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit. [01:03:16]

"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, ESV)

Reflection: Can you recall a recent event in your life where you might have overlooked God's work? How can you cultivate a more discerning heart to recognize His presence?

Day 5: Empowerment Through Faith

Faith empowers believers to confront and overcome spiritual challenges. By standing firm in their faith and relying on God's strength, they can experience true freedom and peace. This empowerment is available to all who call on the name of Jesus, offering a sense of liberation and confidence in the face of adversity. It is a reminder that, through faith, believers are not alone in their struggles but are supported by the divine power of God. [01:14:30]

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one spiritual challenge you are currently facing? How can you rely on your faith and God's strength to overcome it today?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound truth that God is always on time, and we celebrated the role of our young people in leading us in worship. As we enter the season of Lent, we are called to introspection, to look in the mirror rather than out the window, and to examine our own hearts and lives. We delved into the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, where Jesus speaks about the human condition using the metaphor of a house with an unclean spirit. This parable serves as a reminder of our vulnerability to spiritual influences and the importance of spiritual vigilance.

The story of the Lutz family from "The Amityville Horror" was used to illustrate the reality of spiritual warfare. Just as the Lutz family had to confront the malevolent forces in their home, we too must confront the spiritual forces that seek to disrupt our peace and joy. The key is to recognize the authority we have in Jesus' name to command these forces to leave. We are reminded that no matter how long we've been in the faith, we are all susceptible to spiritual attacks, and we must be diligent in guarding our hearts and homes.

Jesus' encounters with the Pharisees highlight the resistance He faced from those who should have recognized His divine authority. Despite their challenges, Jesus demonstrated patience and fortitude, teaching us the importance of standing firm in our faith. The Pharisees' accusations against Jesus serve as a warning against attributing God's work to the enemy. We must be careful to recognize and affirm the work of God in our lives and in the world.

Ultimately, the message is one of empowerment and liberation. We are encouraged to take authority over the spiritual forces that seek to invade our lives, to speak to them in Jesus' name, and to command them to leave. By acknowledging the sovereignty of Christ, we can experience true freedom and peace in our homes and hearts.

Key Takeaways

1. reflection allows us to identify areas in our lives that need spiritual attention and growth. By doing so, we align ourselves more closely with God's will and purpose. [50:05]
2. Vulnerability to Spiritual Forces: We are all susceptible to spiritual influences, regardless of our spiritual maturity or church involvement. Recognizing this vulnerability is the first step in guarding our hearts and homes against unclean spirits. It is crucial to remain vigilant and rely on God's strength to overcome these challenges.

3. Authority in Jesus' Name: We have the authority in Jesus' name to command spiritual forces to leave our lives. This authority is not based on our own strength but on the power of Christ. By acknowledging His sovereignty, we can experience liberation from spiritual oppression.

4. Recognizing God's Work: It is essential to recognize and affirm the work of God in our lives and not attribute it to the enemy. The Pharisees' accusations against Jesus serve as a warning against misattributing God's work. We must be discerning and give credit to God for His miraculous works.

5. Empowerment Through Faith: Our faith empowers us to confront and overcome spiritual challenges. By standing firm in our faith and relying on God's strength, we can experience true freedom and peace. This empowerment is available to all who call on the name of Jesus.

** [50:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[48:34] - Setting the Atmosphere for Worship
[49:11] - Prayer and Invocation
[50:05] - The Season of Lent: A Call to Introspection
[50:49] - Scripture Reading: Matthew 12:40-45
[51:32] - Sermon Title: Get Out of My House
[52:21] - Personal Story: The Amityville Horror
[54:47] - The Lutz Family's Determination
[56:51] - Spiritual Warfare in Our Homes
[58:14] - Authority in Jesus' Name
[58:58] - Jesus' Ministry Challenges
[60:21] - Confrontation with the Pharisees
[63:16] - Misattributing God's Work
[64:49] - Jesus' Rebuttal to the Pharisees
[66:58] - The Parable of the Unclean Spirit
[70:02] - Vulnerability to Demonic Susceptibility
[74:30] - Empowerment Through Faith

Sermon Clips

As we now begin the season of Lent, which is a season where we are called spiritually to embrace introspection, for all the time we spend looking out the window, these next several weeks in faith, we're required to look in the mirror. What does that mean when we spend more time looking in the mirror at ourselves instead of out of the window at others? [00:49:43]

When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find it. It then says, I will return to the home that I left, and when it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they together go in and live there. [00:50:36]

The Pharisees, those who represent the religious establishment, the church, and all that came into the structure and infrastructure of getting closer to the Almighty, were giving Jesus a hard time. It was the Pharisees, those within the church, who were giving the Lord grief behind his allowing his disciples to eat of the grain fields that they were passing through on one particular Sabbath day. [01:00:07]

The Lord checks the Pharisees by schooling them on the true pertinence of the Sabbath. He weighs them by sharing with them that if they truly understood the Divine Commission of wanting mercy rather than sacrifice, they would not have said what they said. He then infuriates them by exclaiming to them that the Son of Man is indeed the Lord of the Sabbath. [01:00:46]

Jesus leaves that place and goes into the synagogue. It's there in the synagogue that he then heals a man with a withered hand. As soon as he does this, he is challenged again by the same Pharisees who followed him into the synagogue, not to worship with him, but to find him doing something that they didn't agree with. [01:01:57]

The Lord says to them, would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and also lift it out? How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep? And so it is lawful, says the Lord, to do good on the Sabbath. [01:02:57]

The Pharisees became angry with him and then began to plot and conspire on how they would kill him. He walks away from that incident. The Bible then says that a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute was brought to him. Upon exercising the demoniac and healing the man, the Bible says that the crowds wondered aloud in amazement, could this really be the Son of David? [01:03:54]

The Pharisees, upon hearing this and witnessing this, became enraged again and declared that the reason he was able to exercise demons was because he had received such power being a servant of Beelzebub. You got to understand here that this was truly a searing insult and also an offense to state that Jesus was the servant of Beelzebub. [01:04:47]

Beelzebub was recognized as an infernal deity that was worshiped by the Philistines at Ekron, and the translation of the entity's name means literally the prince of demons, the lord of flies, and the lord of dung. It was literally an affront; it was the insult above all insults in the face of his doing good, in the face of him performing miracles in the name of God the Father. [01:05:11]

The Pharisees accuse the Lord of being able to do all of these miraculous works not because he's the only begotten Son of the Father, but rather because he is a child, a servant, and a shepherd for the devil. Oh, that was the last straw. The Lord then responds with a litany of rebuttals to the insolence of these Pharisees. [01:05:54]

The Lord shares with them, beginning in that 26th verse, and I quote, and if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you. [01:06:34]

How else then can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly walk through and plunder the house. He then says these words: whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. [01:07:06]

The Pharisees continue to challenge him and accuse him of having demonic connections, and even as he's trying to walk away, they continue to berate him with insults until finally he says in that 34th verse, Oh, you generation of vipers, how are you able to say anything good since you are so evil? For the mouth speaks what's only in the heart. [01:07:36]

The Lord recognizes that there's something wrong within the house of humanity, that is to say, as it relates to our affirmation of the Most High God. There's something wrong within the "house" of humanity when we challenge, question, and ridicule the Divine at every turn in an attempt to try to discredit the evidence of his supernatural power. [01:08:41]

There's something wrong within us when we try to tell the Lord that he's not the Lord. There's something wrong within us when we tell the Lord that healing can't take place in his temple, when deliverance can't take place in his service, and also when redemption cannot take place in his church. [01:09:13]

There's something wrong within the house of humanity when the work of the Father, when the work of Christ, and when the work of the Holy Spirit is now being likened to the works of Satan's minions. There's something wrong within the faith community when we would rather assign credit to the enemy for that which God is clearly doing all by himself. [01:09:47]

In typical and classic "Jesus fashion," our Lord addresses this concern by teaching through a parable. In response to them accusing him of being a servant of the devil, Jesus uses a parable that is much like a familiar urban legend of an actual event that transpired sometime earlier in that very region. [01:10:19]

The Lord starts teaching there in that 43rd verse. He says when an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find any. It then says, I will return to the home that I left, and when it returns, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order. [01:10:48]

Jesus aptly and accurately assesses what's wrong with the house of the human condition. There's something in our house, there's something in our hearts that is influencing us from the inside out to act the way, behave the way, and be the way that we are. In the attempt of raising awareness concerning what forces may be residing within the homes of our human condition, Jesus shares this parable. [01:12:02]

The first thing that Jesus illustrates within the parable as a problem within the house of the human condition is the vulnerability to demonic susceptibility. You have a vulnerability, my brother; you have a vulnerability, my sister; you have a vulnerability, man of God; you have a vulnerability, woman of God. We have a vulnerability collectively of being susceptible to demonic possession. [01:13:10]

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