A lie can produce physical symptoms in a person.

“The father of lies”
I was being told of many people in Africa, believers and unbelievers alike, who suffered afflictions put on them by demons. I can understand a demon’s dwelling in an unbeliever; however, nowhere does any writer of the New Testament–despite dealing with a variety of sins, behaviors, and problems—refer to the casting out of demons as a way of deliverance for a believer. Paul had to deal with immorality, idol worship, and all the deeds of the flesh. His solution was to point people back to Jesus. Here there are visible signs of demonic attack among many of the believers: wounds, sores, and a variety of ailments that have beset them because of the demonic. However, I don’t think Satan is the primary cause of such oppression. Satan is the father of lies. When a father and mother divorce, the father is given a piece of paper that gives him the legal right to visit his children. A lie is Satan’s child; if you invite in a lie, Satan has the legal right to come and visit it. A lie can produce physical symptoms in a person. This is most obvious in the Aboriginal culture of Australia, wherein a witch doctor can “point the bone” at a man and the bone will start to grow in the man until it kills him. Doctors, though, have found a solution; they will give the man a local anesthesia, make a large cut, put on butterfly stitches, and give the man some unrelated random piece of bone as if it had been removed. At that the man gets well. The man had received a lie that manifested itself in physical symptoms that would lead to death. The same is taking place in Africa. Remove the lie and both Satan and the physical symptoms will leave. The lie that needs to be removed is that Satan has more power than God. The people have been taught this through parents, culture, and experience, and they have received it. Because of this false concept of God, the lie is received that Satan can harm the elect, a lie that is used by the enemy to steal joy, confidence, and victory. I would recommend that the focus on Satan might be removed and all such lies invited out, so the Christ within can flow freely to fill the void, and the father of lies can have no legal right to visit. Some believers focus on Satan and deliverance for the removal of the symptoms, and it is better to get deliverance from the source of all freedom, which is Christ. It is important that we all guard against any part of the lie that Christ is weak. Again, the revelation of the truth of Christ will fill the void left when the lie leaves, and the symptoms will go.

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

Romans 13:1-3 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same.” A just government has the moral authority from God to punish an unjust government. However, the passage can be confusing. I write from Nepal, where it is illegal to become a Christian, illegal to baptize, and illegal to preach. This Scripture passage was used by the Communists for years to manipulate Christians to come under their absolute authority via subjection. Rebellion against communism was said to be rebellion against God. As I have mentioned before, we Christians stand and fall on our definitions. What exactly is a “governing authority” that gets its authority from God? I have been in numerous countries where the “government” is nothing more than a mob imposing its wicked will upon the people. “Laws” are passed that are nothing more than excuses to steal from the poor. “Taxes” are imposed to take even more. Every angle is worked to take and take and take. In some distorted way these crooks seek to decriminalize their behavior by seizing power and naming themselves “elected” officials. The role of government in the Bible is to protect the people through laws that are of benefit to all, not to support a band of immoral thieves. Solomon is the greatest example of a governing authority that was established by God; he sought wisdom to help and guide the people. Punishment was meted out in the light of this wisdom. I do not think a criminal can demand subjection on the basis of having biblical authority to do so, when he does not fit the definition of a governing authority. Well, amen, I know many have had to suffer under such criminals. Though they are not true government and we are not bound as Christians to be in subjection to them, we are bound to love, pray for, and bless our enemies, as well as bless the criminal, give to them that ask, and go the second mile. However, the action taken is not out of compulsion from the belief that they are a government. Rather, it is out of something much higher, the life of Christ within.

Simply let the peace of God rule in your heart.

Matthew 5:27, “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

If the message that you get from what I am about to say is that I am somehow justifying immorality, please reread the article. Immorality is sin. However, I would like to make one small point concerning the passage quoted: It is written to those who are married. A single person can commit fornication but not adultery. Fornication is prohibited for the single just as adultery is for the married. Why make a distinction? It is simply in order to recognize the fact of the hormones of youth. God has created men and women with a sex drive for attracting the opposite sex, for procreation. When the hormones are raging in a young man, it is impossible, in the power of self, not to look on a girl with lust, so the Lord can use the sex drive to reveal the weakness in a young person’s flesh. I have seen so many young men under condemnation because they had sexual thoughts about a young woman and applied the verse above to themselves. I don’t believe that is realistic, and it leads to condemnation. Is there any person dating or engaged that has not thought about the day, when married, they could be in bed together? Is this adultery? Are these thoughts fornication? I don’t believe so. Can such thoughts go too far and be sinful? Yes! How to tell the difference? Simply let the peace of God rule in your heart. He will tell you when you have moved out of the natural into the unnatural. However, remember, condemnation will not help you.

Pride is blindness, and only Jesus can break that.

Philippians 3:13-14, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
You may not hear it in the places you travel, but I have heard it so many times I actually find myself finishing people’s sentences for them. They don’t believe in Christianity because of the Crusades, something a pastor once did, the behavior of the television evangelist, or the behavior of some denomination. They have examples of abuse by Christians, past, present, and future, that exclude them from having to question their own life and allow them to discount Jesus and every positive example of a believer. Make a list and put in the left column those things Christians have done wrong and in the right column the contributions of believers. From talking on the phone, to turning on the lights, to getting vaccinations, to women’s and children’s rights, to everyday great inventions that have become commonplace, to getting an education, the world is indebted to Christians. The unbelieving world stands on the back of the believer, reaps the benefit of believers, and makes their complaint against the believer. I just can’t think of all the scientific contributions of Hindus or Atheists. The argument against Christ because of the behavior of a few is flawed, if not ridiculous. Horses have killed people, so will I never own a horse? Electricity has killed people; do I not want electricity in my house? Cars kill people; should I never own a car? Doctors have immoral procedures; I will never go to a doctor. People kill people; I will never listen to another person. The Crusades took place; I will never listen to a Christian. It is really absurd. Why write such an article? It is just polemic preaching telling you what you already believe. Just to make a simple point. The issue is not the Crusades; the issue is pride, and no argument will break pride. Pride is blindness, and only Jesus can break that. Before you ever speak to a proud person, it is pre-determined that you will lose. The only reason for speaking is the revelation of the heart and a coming judgment.

What does this passage mean to you? Many are beating themselves up over their sin, so much so that I assume they live under the Law. It is obvious that they believe they are justified by behavior. Abraham understood the secret: without faith, the Law cannot be birthed.

Without first believing in God, Abraham would never have received the commands of God. I wouldn’t listen to any of the commands of the Hindu gods simply because I don’t believe they exist. Law without faith gives birth to sin. For example, if I believe in the love of God, knowing full well that all He tells me is for my good, I will easily and readily keep the command to bless those who curse me. It is simple. However, if I don’t believe in the love of God, I will read the command to bless those who curse, realize that I don’t do that, and not believing that it is for my good, I will find a way around the command. “I don’t have to love them, for they have gone too far.” The Law that was to bless me (if birthed in faith, in the love of God) now becomes the thing by which I am condemned; the Law, without faith, will always give birth to sin.

It is easy to see how Abraham was walking in the greater way of faith; even without the Law he was justified. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Sweeter words were never spoken. I determined long ago to spend my time in the love of God and not in the Law. As I have discovered the love of God, the command has been found to be easy. In fact, I refuse to listen to the Law unless it is in the context of faith in Him and His love.

The Law is good if birthed in faith, and moving deeply into the faith of Jesus brings a higher life than living in the Law, for faith in Jesus will lead to an expression of exactly Jesus. Amazing! Without the Law, sin is dead (Rm. 7:8). Sin counts on man’s boastful pride attempting to keep the Law without faith. This accounts for so much immorality in legalistic churches, where the emphasis is on performance and little or nothing is said of faith. A dating couple comes to the office, they have been sleeping together, and they are under great condemnation. Is the solution to have them stop? If they stop because of the command without believing in the Love of God that gave the command, they will continue to struggle and “slip up.” If they see the Love of God in the command and believe in Him who gives the command, the struggle will cease.

If a child is told that by working he will obtain a bicycle, and the child believes the parent, the work will be a great joy. But what if the child does not believe the parent? Will the work be done grudgingly or with joy? And working grudgingly is sin. If the child were never given the promise, the child wouldn’t be working grudgingly, and there would be no sin. In the end, that child would be better if he had never heard the promise. The problem is simple: the Law was given to men of faith, and men of unbelief have attempted to keep it–which they cannot do, for Law is birthed in faith—and the result is sin and condemnation. Now, Romans 7 becomes quite clear; the battle described is not the battle of the old man against the new man, nor a battle that exists before conversion or after conversion. It is describing an absolute battle between faith and Law, a battle that includes the unbeliever (going to hell) and the unbelieving believer (going to heaven.)

Security only comes in faith

At any time, either the unbeliever or the unbelieving believer can perceive, with the mind, the Law of God and want to keep it, for they know that it is good. Yet, because of lack of belief in God, the entire being cannot keep the Law, the person is divided, and the end result is sin and condemnation. Don’t think that the way out is recommitment, harder work, rededication, vows, knowledge, or strength; the way out is faith in Jesus. “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” The Gentiles have pursued the promise by faith and gotten it, but the Jews sought by Law and lost it. “For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Where do you begin in your struggle? Stop fighting the Law and start confessing Jesus with your mouth each day. Before you go to sleep, do not let your thoughts end at the Law you have not kept. Instead, let your thoughts end at Jesus, in whom you believe. This brings us to the final “hiccup!”

Security only comes in faith. Regardless of whether you are a Calvinist or an Armenian, to attempt to find security in works will only bring about insecurity. These two camps become one under the Law. Read Romans 7 and think of it differently. Paul is talking about living in the Law and how impossible it is to live so. The Law reveals what I didn’t know was sin, and then it doesn’t give me the power to obey. After the knowledge, I find myself doing the very thing I don’t want to do. This passage applies to all that live by the Law.