"Playing With Demons"

Playing with Demons

“They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.” Psalm 106:37

I have come to the conclusion that “What was – is – and will be again.”  The Israelites were at last in the Promised Land, but gradually gave way to the worship of the false gods of the heathens to the point of sacrificing their children to demons.  Eventually, many of them were destroyed because of their disobedience to Jehovah God.  As civilized people we can’t imagine sacrificing our children to demons; in fact most don’t even believe in demons. 

Most will be shocked when I tell you we do the same thing today.  Parents, you may say, “I would never do such a thing.”  Really?  Let me jog your memory.  Remember when you bought those book about werewolves and vampires for your kids to read?  Remember when you took them to movies of occultism things?  Maybe you sit in your own living rooms and watch all sorts of evil type things on TV.  You may say, “They know it isn’t real, they just like scary stuff.” 

What people don’t realize is that your children (and maybe yourself) are becoming desensitized to Satan and his demons.  If you believe in God, you must also believe there is a devil and many demons.  That’s what the Word of God tells us and warns us about.  In fact in 1 Timothy 4:1, it says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”  

What are doctrines of demons?  It’s alright to have abortions; it’s natural to live whatever life style you want; fornication and adultery is strictly for pleasure and there’s nothing wrong with it.  Playing demonic computer games is only for fun and can’t possibly attach itself to a person.  Doctrines of demons says you can do whatever you want and still be a Christian.  Well, what does God’s Word say about that?  “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's Table and of the table of demons.” I Cor. 10:21  

I hope you get the picture of what I’m trying to show you here.  Plainly said, ‘if it’s not of God – it’s of the devil.’  Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me.”    If you question whether there is a devil (written 137 times in the Bible); Satan; (177 times); Demons (102 times).  Did you know the word, EVIL is written 1,641 time in the Word of God?  How do you deny this scripture?  “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12] If you deny what God says about evil, you are denying God and where do you go from here? 

This generation of young people have become so accepting of the doctrines of demons that even if they don’t want a part of them, they still won’t take a stand against them.  After a while, they don’t see anything wrong with these things happening.  We have shoved this statement down their throats, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.”  We need to be very careful of this statement, because in their mind it turns into this, “They don’t think they are sinning, and so we will just love and accept them where they are at.”

Now that our kids are desensitized by the works of the enemy of our soul, it’s time for them to begin playing with the demons.  Have you heard the latest craze of young people?  They are playing a game to call up demon spirits, particularly one called, Charlie.  It is not a crazy kid’s game and those who’ve played it will tell you that a feeling of terror invades the room.  Don’t mess with demons; they are real and they want to destroy you by any means possible.   

When I was a youngster, Ouija Boards were popular.  Parents bought their kids this game for birthday and Christmas gifts.  I played it myself, but never thought of it as evil, until a group of us discovered it was giving answers to things that no one knew.  We all got so scared we never played again.  Now with kids calling up demon spirits, they are opening up doors they don’t understand.  Let me stress the fact that when you open yourself up to demon activity, be prepared because demons are powerful and they want to destroy you. 

You may think I’m way off base by telling you there are demons and they are real.  As I explained in the beginning of this writing, the Bible is full of scriptures about demons and evil spirits.  If you don’t believe in them, then you probably don’t really believe in the Bible as the Word of God.   

I, along with millions of others, believe we are living in the end times and that demon activity is on the increase.  This scripture in Revelation 12:12 tells you why this is happening.  “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” 

In the progression of time the earth will come to the Millennium which is a thousand years of peace. Then, the Bible tells us Satan will be released from his prison and for the last time will try to defeat God.  At that time God will devour Satan and his demon hordes and cast them into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever and ever. [Rev. 20:10]  If there isn’t a devil, demons and a place called Hell, why would the Bible talk so much about it?

June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court voted that marriage between a man and a man and a woman and a woman was now legal in all of our states.  This is just another tactic of Satan and his demons to try to break down God’s creation of marriage between a man and a woman.  If God wanted marriage to be otherwise, he would have made both man and woman with different sexual parts that would adapt to that life style.  You may think that Satan has won this battle, but he hasn’t; we know what happens to him in the end.

Wake up, people; the demons are out in full force and want to destroy God’s people.  What better tool than through television, books and games.  Don’t fall for this deception if you are a Believer; God has called you and your children to a higher place.  Stand, stand, stand; “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:11-13

 

"Honoring Fathers"

Honoring Fathers

“Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and,       

    'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.”   Mark 7:10

 

Father’s Day, although not quite the celebration of Mother’s Day, is a great time for reflection.  It can bring out the best in a man, or the worst.  It can fill him with regrets, or with satisfaction.  At its worse, he may retreat and draw into his shell, but at its best, a father will see he can still become better.

In my estimation, there is nothing worse than a father who sexually abuses his child and second place, is the one who physically abuses his children.  Both of these behaviors leave deep scars in a child’s life and most of them grow up believing they are worthless and often display the same type of behavior when they become adults.  This is fatherhood at the depth of the downside.  Only those who experience this will know that God alone can set them free from bitterness, un-forgiveness and a sense of worthlessness. 

You may say, “My father never did those things” and that is wonderful; my father never did those things either. Yet some of us have such mixed feelings on Father’s Day.  When old wounds open up, even after years, they are very sore and need to have First Aid.  Where do we go for First Aid?  To the Red Cross, of course - the Cross where Jesus died; the cross stained red with the blood he shed to wash away our sins.

Christians know God is in the restoration business.  Some of you have been restored and have discovered you are of great worth in the eyes of God.  It is then you began to change and you find your rightful place in life.  Men, reflect on the kind of father you are. Where are you lacking in fatherhood? What kind of memories will your children have of you when Father’s Day rolls around? 

            I have mixed memories of my father.  I remember Sunday afternoon drives and picnics at roadside parks, fishing from a wooden rowboat and listening to the oars dip steadily into the water.  How secure, knowing my father was taking me safely back to shore.  I was never afraid when I was with him.  I remember excursions to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the time he took me down the Indian River in his little trapper’s boat. 

If I close my eyes, I can still see him sitting in the green metal lawn chair under the little maple tree he planted.  When I returned home for visits with my family in the summer, you could be sure that’s where he would be.  The children would jump out of the car and run towards him calling, “Grandpa, Grandpa, we’re here.”  He would hold both arms out and they would cover him with hugs and kisses, but only for a few minutes, then he would say, “All right, that’s enough now.”  Then they would run and find Grandma to hug. 

In the winter, Dad always wore plaid, flannel shirts with the musky scent of the muskrat and mink pelts he sorted in his garage.  His trade was a trapper and fur dealer of animal pelts.  When I was young he often let me help stretch the pelts on drying boards, or pack them in gunny sacks.  He also owned the Standard gas station in our town of Hesperia, Mi.

He used ‘Old Spice’ aftershave lotion and liked to wear a heavy flannel bathrobe and alpaca lined slippers in the winter.  He smoked a pipe, drank strong coffee, and had an egg, toast and cornflakes for breakfast every day.  He liked real honeycomb on his toast.  He wore a red cap and liked to hunt, fish and play Yukor at the billiard hall.

            I also remember the time he packed his suitcase and left, but he came home later that night and I was so happy.  I remember he didn’t go to church, or pray. He only once or twice ever came to watch me perform in school functions and when I showed him my report card, he would only glance at it and say, “Yep, that’s all right."  He never asked me anything about what I liked, or what I did for fun.  He and my older brother didn’t see eye to eye.  He never had a best friend.  He complained a lot about money and hated to part with a penny.  I wish, just once, he would have said, “I love you," but he never did.  Neither did he ever say, “You’re pretty”, or smart, or, “you did a good job.”

When Dad passed away at age seventy-two, I was in my late thirties.  It was one of the hardest times in my life.  All I could think about was never again would I see him sitting under the maple tree in their back yard.  After the funeral, I put on his old flannel bathrobe and his fleece lined gloves and sat in my rocking chair crying for a whole day.

            It took a long time for me to get past the grief of his death. I loved him so much and knew he loved me in his own way.  It wasn’t just missing his physical presence, which I did; it was as though I felt cheated, because he left me and I had never won his approval.  There was an empty place in my life that had never been filled, even though I always knew he loved me. When Father’s Day came the next year, I wrote the following poem for him.

                                    Father 

            I thought of you today - a special thought.

            Not that I don’t think of you often, but missing you a little more,

because of the day. 

I picked a rosebud and would have placed it

            on your grassy coverlet, if I could have,

because of the day. 

            I would have liked to talk to you as I used to do,

            and given you a ‘little something’, even if you didn’t need it,

            - because of the day. 

            The best I could do was to pick a rosebud from the bush in my yard

            that marks your passing, and tell you I love you,

            - because of the day.

          Dads, what will your children remember about you when you’re gone? It doesn’t matter if they are four or forty, they need your approval. They need to know you are interested in them and care what is going on in their life.  Tell them you love them.  Don’t assume they know.

For those of you who have not known the love of an earthly father, the love of your heavenly Father far exceeds any love you desire. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”  (I John 3:1)  How wonderful to know we have a father who constantly watches over us and cares about every part of our lives. 

We are his children and in Romans 8:15, we are told to call him, ‘Abba’, meaning, Daddy.  His arms are always waiting to receive us and he welcomes our love; even desires it.  In Hebrews 13:5, “God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  What comfort this is for all of us - the children of God.

If you have failed as a father, it’s not too late. Where do you go for guidance?  The Word of God is full of wisdom regarding relationships of father’s to their children.  The book of Proverbs speaks much of the father-son relationship.  The New Testament is full of advice on being a loving, God-fearing father.  Can you improve?  God’s Word says you can change.  Why not try?

 

Me and my Dad, Lewis Hammond.

 

 

“Fuel for the Fire”

“Fuel for the Fire”

“His word was in my heart like a burning fire.” Jeremiah 20:9 

Following last week’s message on ‘hearts growing cold’, now let’s concentrate on fueling a fire in our hearts. A fire will only burn so long without fuel.  Without feeding it, it will soon turn to coals and then to ashes where it grows cold and dead.  This is just the nature of things.

 

When we go to my son’s cabin, every evening he builds a huge fire in the fire pit.  While we sit around he is continually putting more wood on it so our blazing fire will keep burning. It sounds so simple; fuel feeds the fire.  However, when it comes to our internal spiritual fire, it’s not so easy.  It seems as though fuel is not so readily available.  A cold heart can be heated up with a little effort on our part and the love of a Godly Father. 

After Jesus had been crucified and some claimed he was risen again, two men who were believers were traveling to a nearby town called Emmaus.  As they walked they were discussing all the things that had happened in the last three days.  Another man came and began walking with them and began sharing scriptures.  It was Jesus, but their eyes were made so they could not know who he was. They all stopped at an inn to eat and Jesus broke bread with them.  Suddenly their eyes were open and they knew who he was and then he vanished.  What happened to those men from being with Jesus?  It tells us in Luke 24:32, “And they said to one another, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”  

I’ve had to ask myself some hard questions such as, how often do I just sit and read the Bible and take time to think on what I just read. When do I take time to get away and pray to my heavenly Father?  When I close my eyes in sleep at night, is He the last thought on my mind and when I wake in the morning, is He the first thing I think of when I open my eyes? 

God is not going to do these things for you, but he is waiting right there for you to come back to Him as you once did.  What is going on between you and the Lord is fuel for the fire of your heart.  If nothing is going on with the Lord, the fire dries up because of the lack of fuel.  You may say, “I want to get closer to God”, but you really don’t want to take the time or effort. 

When your gas tank is on empty, you head to the gas station to fill it up.  If you don’t, that car isn’t going anywhere.   It’s the same with your heart; if you don’t refill it; you will never get any closer to God and when the fire goes out, you are of no service.  You are just there because you once accepted Jesus as your Savior.  You may still be sitting there after the Rapture has come and gone.  Salvation is a free gift from God, but after that he expects something of us.  Are we leading others to the Lord; are we helping others and giving to those who can’t give in return.  There are hundreds of opportunities to express Christian love and the Lord expects it of us to act on them. 

On the other hand, just being a do-gooder without a relationship with the Trinity (God – Jesus – Holy Spirit) won’t get you into heaven. If we are not following the way of the Lord and living to satisfy our own wants and pleasures, He won’t want you.  “Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”  Matt. 7:22-23 

I believe we are living in a time when we must make a decision to serve God with our whole being or we will perish.  If our hearts are not burning within us like the men on their way to Emmaus, we will not be able to stand up for God in the days to come.  Go to God in prayer, read the Word and reach out to the lost and God will sustain you. 

There is a scripture that I keep returning to time after time when my flame begins to waiver and it is this in Psalm 51:10-13.  Don’t just read it, but think on each part of it; it can save your soul.  Divide it into sections and see what it is really speaking to you about.   

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” Psalm 51:10-13

First, ask God to cleanse your heart.  We have a fireplace and have to sweep the hearth of ashes and dirt, so when we start another fire, it burns better.  So it is we need our own heart cleansed and the ashes swept away.

Second, ask God to renew your spirit.  As time goes by and your inward spirit grows week; your attitudes can pull you down.  God wants to renew your spirit if you let him.  “Lord, renew my spirit and change my attitude toward you and others so you can use me.”

Thirdly, ask God to draw you closer to him and to once again know the presence of the Holy Spirit at work within you.

Fourthly, ask God to help you remember the joy you felt in your heart when you were first saved and you knew it.  I know that I want to feel that joy and peace like I did the day I asked you into my heart.

Fifthly, ask God to lift you up as the eagles fly, for he has given you a free spirit to fly as high as you want to or as low. 

Sixth, until you do 1-5 you won’t have the ability to do the work God has called you to.  Notice in the last line of this verse it says ‘then’.  Only then are you able to teach sinners the ways of God and lead them to you. You must be prepared to minister to others so their souls might be saved.

If you really study what I have written here from the Bible, you should already feel the heat of God reaching into your heart.  Take this fuel and start the fire; watch it grow as you become closer to the Lord.  Keep trying until His fire burns bright within you.

[Next week is Father’s Day and I will have a message about that.  In two weeks, I have a message that will either stir you out of complacency or strike you with terror; don’t miss it.]

 

 

"Are You Growing Cold"

Are You Growing Cold?

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:12 (NKJV)

Most people don’t even realize their hearts are growing cold; it happens so gradually in such subtle ways.  The church of today is coming to the place that we read about in the above scripture.  How can that be?  It was prophesied in the Old Testament by Isaiah and found in Matt. 13:14-15, “The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.”

Things of the Spirit of God are still happening today, but in America we seem to have become more sophisticated.  When the Holy Spirit does a work in a church service, there are those who are sitting in the pews looking bored to death.  Perhaps at one time in your life you were on fire for God, but the flame has gone out and only ashes remain

Let me tell you that in other parts of the world, the flame is burning bright and people are flocking to churches where the Holy Spirit is still welcome.  Even Israel is rising up and they are worshiping the Messiah.  I don’t have the space to explain why this is happening, except to tell you this would never happen unless we are in the ‘end times’.

However in this country, Christians have a hard time being satisfied with where they are; they want something more.  The problem is, many have turned to the ‘Hyper Grace’ movement. This is a reaction against holiness, such reaction against hunger for God and thirst for God, because that's “doing” something. According to these preachers and some are popular on TV, we don't have to do anything.  They say that Jesus has done it all. The finished work of the cross means there's nothing left for me to do. So they preach against repentance. They preach against conviction of sin. They preach against the need to confess our sins. They preach against real accountability in your own life.  

They preach that when you get saved, God not only forgives your past sins and your present sins, but all of your future sins. He forgives in advance. So that means if you go out and blow it tomorrow, you don't have say, "God, I'm sorry, I sinned, wash me, cleanse me, forgive me," because you're already forgiven. That means that the Holy Spirit will never convict you of sin because God has already forgiven that sin. That means no matter what you do, it cannot even affect your relationship with God, or your standing with God, because you've already been pronounced forgiven. That means that if you or I do some terrible sin, God doesn’t even see it.  He only sees you as perfect; you never have to deal with sin at all. Could this be the End Time deception that will cause millions to walk away from the Lord in the last days, as the Bible says will happen? 

If your heart is cold and doesn’t respond to the things of God any longer, or a move of the Holy Spirit of God seems foolish to you, or you think you’re too wise to believe it, you better think on this scripture and pray long and hard over it.  “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” I Cor. 1:27 

My friends, this is the time to do all you can to draw closer to God; to take a look at your priorities and put aside all the things that draw you away from God. Other priorities will take second, third or fourth place from Him until you and God don’t even know each other.  Proverbs 28:14 says that, “Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”  Are you going through some hard times right now, then draw close to God?  Are your finances, worldly pressures, or your marriage problems pulling you down?  Draw close to God.   

It doesn’t matter what other people see or think, but God knows all about it.  “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”  [Revelation 3:15-16]  Have you shut off your feelings? If you have no reaction at all to a move of the Holy Spirit, Your heart is growing cold.  You may not even be aware of the changes in you so ask God to reveal this to you. Remember, if you are growing cold, Satan is laughing his head off and doing everything in his power to encourage you to pull away from God.  Read your Bible and pray always, because God hears your prayers, but you must turn your heart back to him. 

(Next week’s Blog is ‘Fuel for the Fire’; don’t miss it.) 

 

 

"Time is Flying By"

TIME IS FLYING BY

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4  

Did you ever feel like time is flying by?  I woke up one Monday morning and it hit me, “It was Monday morning again, but the week had passed so quickly I hadn’t even noticed it.  I find this happening the older I get.  At first I thought it was just me, but then I heard some young people talking about how they couldn’t believe how fast time was going by.  

With the world going so digital, it would seem that life would be easier, but in fact it gets busier.  Within my own family I see how busy they are and work more hours than I ever had to, even when I worked full time.  None of them have time to just sit down and read a good book, or sit on the deck and watch the birds at the feeder.   

Ever wonder what happened to those days when we were young and time had no meaning whatsoever?  Summer days seemed to last forever as we played out doors, swam in inland lakes, had family picnics that lasted from noon until after dark and then we chased fire flies.  Does anyone still go on Sunday afternoon drives?  My mom and dad would take off after church with a picnic basket in the back of the car and a jug of lemonade and a thermos of coffee.   

Dad would usually head north and would find a roadside park where we would pull in and stop by a picnic table.  Mom would cover the table with oilcloth and lay out our feast.  After eating, Dad would take the old quilt from the back seat of the car and spread it out on a grassy spot for his nap.  Mom would take out the Chinese checkers game that we would play for a while, or take out a deck of cards to play Solitaire.  I usually had a book to read.  We didn’t look at a clock because we would leave when we were ready and travel on to find an ice cream store. (Jones’s ice cream at Baldwin was our favorite and is still there.) Eating our cone on the way back home was the best way to finish our day. 

The lazy days of the past have faded away just like it says in Psalm 103:15-16, “As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone.”  We now live in the days that Daniel spoke about when “many will run to and fro and knowledge will increase.”  When things happen on the other side of our world, we can watch it happening.  If you buy a computer, by the time you get it home, it’s out of date. 

 

It is prophesied in the Word of God that a time would come when days would be shortened. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.” [Matt. 24:21-22]  We are living in those days!

Friends, the Holy Spirit is calling you to get close to God.  He wants to draw you to him.  You cannot afford to be a casual Christian in these days.  A casual Christian sits back and says, “Whatever happens will happen; I don’t care what others do.”  Well, you better care, because if you don’t take a stand for Jesus today, you will probably not make it to heaven.  In spite of what you may have heard, there is only ONE way to get to heaven and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior.

But it doesn’t stop there.  You can no longer be a casual Christian and serve the Lord.  Jesus was not casual about dying a terrible death on the Cross.  He wasn’t casual about willingly shedding his blood so you could be forgiven from all your sins.  Do you think you can just be a ‘do-nothing’ and make it into heaven?  Jesus told us what to do in Mark 16:15, “Preach the Gospel to every person.”  We must share about Jesus and the gift of salvation that he gives to every believer.

When was the last time you told someone about Jesus; led someone to the Lord, or prayed with a lost soul?  Time is flying by and I surely don’t want to miss Jesus’ return when he gathers the believers together and takes them to heaven with him.  If you don’t see time slipping away, you probably don’t read the Bible or even think the day will come when it will be too late.

Someone challenged me today to take 30 seconds and think about my week and how much of it I gave to God.  I really felt sad when I thought about it.  I was ‘doing things’ for God, but I failed miserably when it came to one on one time with my Lord.  Let me encourage you to pray and ask God to open your eyes to what is happening and try spending time with Him. I know I’m going to.