Stirring the Enemy

Stirring the Enemy
Words of Faith 10-19-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 1
[23] Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, [24] "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are‑‑the Holy One of God!"
[25] "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" [26] The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
[27] The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching‑‑and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." [28] News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

The authority and presence of Jesus will always draw a response, particularly among unclean spirits. When the authority of God is present and clearly articulated, demons start to squeal and unclean spirits start to complain.
On a community level, even in a congregation that seeks to worship God and study the Word, there are often a few demonic voices that will come out shrieking when the Word of the Lord is clear and authoritative. The demon at Capernaum purported to speak for the whole congregation, a calculated ruse. Don't be fooled. Not every voice that claims to "speak for the congregation" really does.
And don't miss this. It should be pretty clear that just knowing who Jesus is does not qualify one as a disciple. The demons clearly knew who Jesus was. "Beliefism" can be a seductive substitute for a real faith relationship. Real faith TRUSTS in Jesus as Savior and SURRENDERS to Him as Lord. Beliefism simply agrees to an intellectual concept or theoretical truth, but never actually trusts in Jesus. Even the demons believe.
Notice what Jesus did in this situation. Jesus sternly commanded the evil spirit to be quiet. He would not allow such voices to speak in a house of worship. He then commanded the unclean spirit to come out. At the Word of Jesus, the evil spirit cannot abide and must be gone. Such voices have no business in our lives and have no right to speak in the congregation of the people of God.
The hardest part with all this is at a personal level. Will we allow the authoritative Word of Jesus to be clearly articulated into our lives? There may well be some unclean things, the influence of the Enemy, within us that will squeal and complain. The unclean voices that try to speak within us never come out quietly. But Jesus speaks with a firm sternness to drive out those voices. His Word cleanses us and sets us free.
How about you? Have you heard any shrieking, squealing, or complaining lately? Let His voice speak to your soul and drive out everything that is not clean.

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.