This is going to be my first blog of many and one of the most important. It will be something repeated over and again and it will be my main reference point. I say this because, above all else, I am adamant about keeping things Biblical. With all the false doctrines today that are ruining people’s lives and robbing people of their souls, keeping things completely biblical and testing all things through scripture should be everyone’s number one focus. Paul the apostle seems to agree. That being said, let’s get started.
When learning about doctrines, ministries, or anything that is taught from the pulpit, it is very important to remember two things:
1. We must test all things. We (obviously) are supposed to use the Bible to test doctrines and ministries. Therefore, if it isn’t in the Bible, it isn’t from God. I think that should seriously go without saying. However, Bible reading Christians still fall victim to false doctrines every day. Sadly, many of these false doctrines lead to the demise of otherwise whole-hearted Christians.
2. Just because something is real does not mean it’s from God. For example, witchcraft is very real. However, witchcraft is most definitely not from or approved by God because it is a work of the Devil. Witchcraft can even be done in the context of a church service (aware of it or not) but it is obviously not of God.
Here’s the snag that gets a lot of people in trouble: Even if something is done having said “by the blood” or “in the name of Jesus” does not, by any means, mean that it is from God. There are many false Christ’s and by merely saying “in the name of Jesus” or “by the blood” does not mean anything at all. They are just words. It’s not some fancy spiritual incantation that you can say and things will be done for you. When Jesus said to “do this in My name,” He did not mean to literally say “in the Name of Jesus” at the end of your prayer. When someone tells you to do something in their name, it means by their character. For example, slaughtering Jews could be done in the name of Hitler or in the name of Nazi Germany but it definitely could not be done in the name of Jesus. Make sense? So when Jesus says “Do this in My Name.” He did not mean to use the literal words “in the Name of Jesus” as some sort of incantation, but to actually do as He would do.
It’s very important to mention this because the Devil is an expert counterfeiter; he’s been doing it for thousands of years. He even uses the scriptures to try and fool us and cause us to turn from God. Do not be fooled into thinking that the Devil won’t do everything in his power to kill God’s beloved. He even used scripture, the very Word of God, to try and fool Jesus into worshipping him instead of the true and living God in Matthew 4. The Devil will stop at nothing and he will even twist scripture, which is why it is of the utmost importance that we diligently test everything.
For some reason people think that by merely quoting scripture or singing songs about Jesus, the Devil flees from the room and is found powerless against you. While we absolutely have power, through Christ, over sin, death, and the Devil, it takes a lot more than simple words and songs to find victory. Just quoting scripture alone means nothing, they are just words. Those scriptures have to actually be alive in your heart; those words have to be a reality in order to speak with boldness and power. You can’t move mountains without faith and you certainly can’t defeat the devil with empty words. If the scriptures are not alive in your heart, if they are not a reality in your life and you speak them to try and defeat the works of darkness, you have turned those words and scriptures into powerless incantations. Does this make sense, I hope?
Let me give you one more example from real life and then I’ll end this: One night I had a demon wake me up to try and scare me. He shook my bed, made a lot of noise, and the whole bit. I had never seen a demon before so I was pretty terrified. I began to say, “In the name of Jesus, get out of here! Leave me alone in Jesus’ name!” I didn’t exactly get the reaction I was hoping for. Instead of leaving, he started to scare me even more. This lasted for about half an hour before he finally went away. As I lay in my bed crying, I asked the Lord what I did wrong. I said, “in the name of Jesus,” why didn’t he go away? The Lord gave me a dream that night (it was still only 3am) where He explained to me what went wrong. He gave me 1 John 4:18 (AMP),
“There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].”
This makes so much sense. God taught me something that should have been obvious. Merely saying “in Jesus Name” means nothing. They are just words. If I am commanding a demon to leave in the name of Jesus but I’m saying it in fear, then the words are powerless because I do not really believe in the power behind His name. Perfect love casts out fear. If I really believed that God is who He says He is and that God is on my side, then a stupid little demon couldn’t scare me if he tried. That demon may as well be the boogeyman. However, if I am afraid of a demon, then I do not really know God because God is much bigger than the boogeyman! Hahaha. Seriously though, the enemy doesn’t even come close to touching God.
The point is, words are meaningless and powerless without the true reality of them living in your heart and through your life. As in the days of old until now, God looks at your heart not your words. Let this be a lesson learned and lived by.
