Day 146 "We are at war, and denying it will change everything, but not for the good."

Day 146 Matthew 17:19-21 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Our tour guide, while we were in Israel, was a member of one of the first families of Jewish people who returned to Israel in 1948 as believers and followers of Christ. As you can imagine, he was a very intelligent man. His understanding of Jewish culture and the Hebrew language added more depth to his understanding of scriptures than any person I have ever met; after all, here is someone who is literally living it out. As we were traveling, he shared this same passage with us one day and offered a very unique perspective and understanding to it. You see, when Jesus says "…you will say to this mountain…" to the Jewish people He is saying "when you say to this spiritual power." When you understand this passage, it suddenly makes much more sense and, for myself at least, becomes more personal. The mountains we are attempting to move by faith with prayer and fasting are not in the physical or geographical sense, but rather in the spiritual sense. Therefore, if we have the faith of a mustard seed and understand who we are battling, we enter the battle prepared, which, in some cases, is through prayer and fasting. On many of my street ministry trips, the Lord has called me to fast and pray. I have learned that it is better to obey and suffer a small amount of physical discomfort rather than to disobey and see others suffer spiritually. On more than one occasion after fasting and praying, I have had encounters with many who were demonically possessed. The intensity with which they approach you is not something you would ever desire or, I believe, understand in the flesh. They often know who you are, why you are there, and they fear you; however, not enough to avoid testing you or attacking those you lead. The only thing more foolish than facing powers of darkness unprepared is to not believe that they exist and that they are out to destroy each and every person on this planet. They are not passive and playful; they are aggressive and desperate with one agenda, to deceive and destroy! Please do not allow yourself to become someone who only believes or reads the fun stuff in the Word. Jesus was very serious in His approach to this demonic presence; He even rebuked the disciples and believers surrounding Him at the time. He gave a very stern warning with clear instruction; I say we take heed. Daily Prayer: Father, I pray for the seriousness of spiritual warfare to be ever prominent in our minds. Help us, Lord, to be mindful of our enemy and prepared to meet our foes. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "We are at war, and denying it will change everything, but not for the good." Pastor Gene Burroughs