Demons of addiction

At the moment, during my personal devotions, I am reading through Mark's account of the Gospel. Last week I was reading in chapter 5 - the story about the healing of a demon-possessed man in the country of the Gerasenes: a predominantly Gentile area.

As I read, I sensed that the Lord was speaking to me - not about demon possession, but about demonic influence in certain areas. There are private issues involved that I am not at liberty to share, but what I realised was that at least some of what we refer to as "addictions" are the result of demonic influence - and that such influence is as much in need of being cast out as were the multiple demons that possessed the poor man from the country of the Gerasenes. This realisation (dare I call it a revelation?!) has already caused me to pray differently for some of those who are on my daily prayer list, and who suffer from certain addictions!

However, the Lord continued to speak to me, reminding me of a garden analogy. I may clear a patch of ground, rooting out every single weed, regardless of how small it me be. Yet, if I leave it for just a few weeks, I may be assured that weeds will start to grow again! Whether fresh seed be dropped by birds, or blown in on a breeze, the outcome is guaranteed. I then thought of the words of the Lord Jesus: "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first." (Luke 11:24-26).

So is there anything that can be done to stop this kind of situation from coming to pass? Thankfully, there is! In the garden, I must immediately plant my clean patch with good, strong, healthy plants - flowers, vegetables, or whatever. They will be established before the unwanted seeds can make an entrance, and the few that do manage to take root, will be starved of nutrition, and be easily removed. So in the spiritual realm. Paul writes to the early disciples of Jesus at Philippi: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phil 4:8). That's what I must do - fill my mind, my heart, my spirit, with that which is good, and upbuilding, and pleasing to Father God. If I do, then those things that cause me harm, that spoil my testimony, that have a negative effect on my life, will be less likely to take root.

Of course, if I am, myself, a disciple of the Lord Jesus, then I also have the assurance, given by the beloved disciple, John: "Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4). The devil, we must accept, is stronger, and more clever, than you or me. Praise God, however, he is not more powerful than the Lord Jesus, Who dwells in each of His disciples by His Spirit.

P.S. I have wondered, for some days as to whether, or not, I should share this post! However, I realised that someone may read it, who is labouring under an addiction of one sort, or another. It is my prayer that any such will find help here - and, of course, if anyone wishes me to pray for them, then I shall be happy to receive an e-mail (using either the e-mail address from which you received notification of the post or, if you came to the blog from another direction, then using the address at the top) in which you share your own issue(s). Please be assured of total confidentiality.

Spiritual hunger.

In Wishaw Baptist Church, this year, the pastor is preaching through "The Sermon on the Mount" - apart from 'special' Sundays such as Resurrection [aka Easter] Day - and has now moved on from the Beatitudes, which are found at the beginning of that sermon (Matt.5:3ff).

One of the Beatitudes (or, as we were reminded, "beautiful attitudes") states: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matt 5:6).  During my private devotions, this morning, I found myself thinking of those words.  I then recalled the famine in Ethiopia in the mid-1980s, and the work of the singer, Bob Geldof, in establishing "Live Aid" (I believe that it was footage of a BBC news report, in 1984, in which Red Cross nurse Claire Bertschinger was featured, that was the catalyst that moved him to begin his fund-raising).

I recalled television pictures of children with distended stomachs - the result of eating grass in an attempt to satisfy their extreme hunger.  I recalled scenes of even adults fighting over individual grains of rice that fell from sacks being unloaded from aid lorries.  These were people who had a gnawing hunger, and they were seeking to satisfy it even with that which provided no nutrition, or was totally inadequate.

I realised that there are so many in the world, today, who recognise a deep spiritual hunger.  They are seeking to satisfy that yearning that is in the very depths of their beings.  However, so many turn to that which is unable to provide true spiritual nutrition.  They find, as the Rolling Stones' song put it, that they "can't get no satisfaction"!

Last evening, the pastor directed us to, among other passages, Isaiah 55:1-2: "Ho, every one who thirsts,
come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy?  Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness."

We might say that the prophet was looking forward to the Gospel, and to the One Who could say, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35).

Of course, we need to have, spiritually, the same hunger and thirst that was experience by those Ethiopians almost thirty years ago.  But, if we do, and we come to Him, we will certainly find both spiritual nourishment, and satisfaction!