Denying the Devil and Ignoring the Battle
Before we return to the Sudan mission, let's remember that spiritual warfare rages in our midst as well as in Africa. In a document titled "Spiritual Warfare and Worldviews," Dr. Paul G. Hiebert, Professor Emeritus Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, wrote:
[5]"...much literature on spiritual warfare has been written by western missionaries who have been forced to question their Western denial of this-worldly spiritual realities through encounters with witchcraft, spiritism, and demon possession. Too often they base their studies in experience and look for biblical texts to justify their view. They fail to examine the worldviews they use to interpret both Scripture and experience...."The Gospels clearly demonstrate the existence of demons or unclean spirits who oppress people. The exorcists of Jesus' day used techniques to drive spirits away. Jesus, in contrast, simply drove the demons out on the basis of his own authority."
Don't think that America is immune to such warfare. Though most of us may never encounter the scary demonic personalities that torment idol worshipers and fans of the occult, we are still vulnerable to Satan's onslaughts. Today's rising hostility toward Biblical Truth is simply another facet of the ongoing spiritual war against God's people and Biblical faith.
From beginning to end, God's Word tells us to shun evil, resist temptations and expose deceptions. Are we doing that? Remember, evil is mentioned 1461 times in the Bible. "Satan" is mentioned 552 times. And the "devil" is mentioned 448 times. But in these changing times, such truth may fast be dismissed as cultural myths -- even in churches.
“...[cultural and spiritual] change will probably be radical, if not total. Those whose lives are dedicated to serving the Church of the past will resist these suggestions with a vehemence that always emerges from threatened hierarchies and dying institutions… we will once again be able to see continuity between the Church of the past and the purged and opened church of the future.”[6]
Such deceptions are speeding the ruin of our proud, postmodern America! We can't win this war when we deny the existence of our foe! The deadliest war is fought in the spiritual realm, yet few are equipped to stand firm in this battle. As the beleaguered west stumbles along,hope remains.
God's Victory over evil
While God's Truth is fading from Western consciousness, faithful missionaries continue to spread the light across Africa. It reminds me of the wonderful news revealed by Isaiah about twenty-seven centuries ago,
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined." (Is 9:2)
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:57-58
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