“Lest
Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
2 Corinthians 2:11.
Certainly, it is a very dangerous position to doubt
or down play on the existence of the devil or the operation of the kingdom of
darkness. The Scripture clearly admonishes Christians not to be ignorant of the
devices of the devil who is our archenemy. If any is ignorant, such person is
susceptible to becoming a prey to Satan and his cohorts. Becoming acquainted to
the devil’s ‘modus operandi’ will put any Christians in an advantageous
position.
However, some have crossed the line, to becoming
demon-minded. Some Christians have suddenly forgotten that, primarily, their
undivided attention should not be on the devil or demons, but on Jesus Christ
who is the author and finisher of our faith. This is what the Scripture
counsels Believers to do.
“Looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2.
These Christians are overly conscious of the
activities of demons with less or no regards to the works of God around them or
the operations of angelic ministration to them. They’ve ignorantly dedicated
their lives to the pursuit of enemies, and ignoring the many benefits in the
salvation package. Their studies, prayers and interpersonal relationship are all
focused solely on the devil. This may be as a result of their idolatrous or cultural
background, or their continuous listening to the “enemy-driven” messages.
They see demons in everything. They are overly
suspicious of everyone. They are not free, but are a captive of their fears.
They read negative meaning to everything around them. The appearance of a cat
in their path, especially at night, has a demonic interpretation. They read
negative meaning to every dream and things around them. This is not the kind of
life that Jesus intends for His followers.
I believe that life is spiritual and that we are in
a state of spiritual warfare every day. I am not suggesting or implying that
there are no satanic attacks and manipulations all around, or that a Christian
should ignore them. No! There are spiritual battles and there will be till
Jesus comes. My proposition is that, Christians should not devote their entire
life to catching witches, wizards and demons, while underestimating or
neglecting the opportunity of enjoying being and having fellowship with Jesus
Christ.
I have had the experience of being a demon-minded
Christian also. I can tell you that it’s not a good position to be. Besides the
fact that I have done a lot of studies and researches on demons (demonology), I
have had the privilege of attending a Bible School on Healing and Deliverance,
where the school’s major focus is on the devil and demons. You can only imagine
how demon-minded I was then. I can tell you that that is not the best life;
where you are suspicious of even the food that you cooked by yourself.
When it comes to the spiritual battles of life, I
believe according to the scripture that the battle itself is not for us to
fight (2 Chronicles 20:17). God has equipped us in Christ to wage war against the
devil and his cohorts. But don’t forget, the battle is not yours but God’s. When
our life is right with God, we can invoke through prayers, the hand of God into
any spiritual battle. It is not that we,
by our human strength or wisdom have any might to fight the devil.
There is actually a thin line between being overly
conscious of demonic activities and waging war in prayers against the devil.
Take for example; there are Christians who would scream with fear when they see
a cat or an owl in the night while another would be undisturbed about it
because he has learnt to rest in God’s love and protection. Besides, even if
the former is disturbed about the cat or owl, his simple prayer would keep his
mind at rest.
Sensitivity to the Spirit of God is the key to
living the victorious Christian life over the devil. If you are sensitive to
God’s Spirit, you will know when to pray against satanic manipulations. This is
better than being ruled with fear to pray, cast and bind, because of a false or
presumed satanic manipulation or appearance.
To be demon-minded is to be overly conscious of the
activities of demons with less or no attention to the works of God around us. By
the Spirit, Apostle Paul wrote something remarkable in the book of Philemon.
“That
the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of
every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” Philemon 1:6.
This Scripture implies that, as you give full
attention to acknowledging every good thing that Christ Jesus has wrought in
you, then will your faith become effective; producing results. As you know,
faith is an important ingredient in the Christian faith.
EFFECTS OF BEING
DEMON-MINDED
- It makes one to live in fear.
- It makes one to be self-conscious instead of God-conscious.
- It leads to being overly suspicious.
- It makes everyone around you a suspect.
- It kills a person’s ability to trust people
- It puts people in bondage
- It makes a person to become self-righteous; by depending on your prayer strength.
- It indirectly magnifies the devil.
- It makes one to lose focus of what he has in Christ Jesus.
- It can be a distraction to enjoying your inheritance and privileges in Christ Jesus.
BENEFITS OF BEING
CHRIST-CONSCIOUS
- It makes you experience and enjoy the freedom and liberty in Christ Jesus.
- You start acknowledging what you have rather than what’s against you. Philemon 1:6.
- It helps you to love unconditionally. Trust will no longer be an issue.
- You will begin to understand and comprehend the love of God the Father.
- You will begin to see that you are at advantage.
- You indirectly handed over the battle to the Lord.
- Get the right teaching of the truth of God’s word.
- Depend on the finished work of Christ Jesus.
- Focus on all that Christ has done for you and in you.
- Rely on God’s love as demonstrated through Jesus Christ.
- Seeking God’s Kingdom rather than chasing after the kingdom of darkness.
- Focus on Jesus rather than the devil.
- In prayer, speak to God the Father the more rather than devoting your prayer to speaking to the devil.
- Fellowship with God, than constantly interacting and engaging the devil and demons.
- Love people and see God in them.
- Know that God is in charge and not the devil.
- Be aware that God who is your Father is all powerful and lovely.
- See God in all things rather than seeing the devil at work. Be conscious of the fact that God is more at work than the devil for God is in charge not the devil.
