Christians and Demons

By Lane Palmer of Dare 2 Share

Quick test for you: There are 2 cowboys in the kitchen. Which one is the real cowboy?

The one on the range!

OK, I’ll admit that was both corny and funny.  Not unlike the film that attempts to fuse two American homegrown genres into one shoot-em up action flick...

Cowboys and Aliens

Or rather it should be called Cowboy, then Cowboys, then Aliens, then Cowboys and Indians Native Americans, THEN Cowboys and Aliens.

That’s pretty much how it plays out.  Steely-eyed Daniel Craig wakes up with no memory of who he is or where he is - not unlike many celebrities on any given weekend, and strappedto his wrist is an alien contraption that leaves him a little shaken, but not stirred.

Then he goes to the town of Absolution, which is absolutely what you’d expect in the Old Wild Wild West.  Enter Harrison Ford, who plays out his western attitude with appropriate grunts and one-liners.  Just before the first shoot-em up, non-descript aliens swoop in and show us an early version of catch and release with humans.

After that, it’s a Cowboys and Indians Native American version of “We Are The World” as they bond together in a common purpose and posse to rescue their captive friends and loved ones from the “demons” (because back in them days there weren’t no such word like “alien”).

It all goes down in the end when they find the Mothership and battle it out at the E.T. Corral…

YEEEEE-HAW!

Sure, Cowboys and Aliens is predictable and clichéd, but if you want to turn off your brain and kill two hours alongside an all star cast, this movie is your Huckleberry.

And when you leave the movie theater all stoked up because it was cool to see a bunch of people come together and rescue their friends, turn your brain - and more importantly your heart - back on and remember that you have friends that have been captured as well:

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God(2 Corinthians 4:4.)

In this verse we discover that Satan (and his real demons!) wield a particular power over unbelievers that has captured them and blinded their spiritual eyes from seeing the freedom Jesus Christ offers them by trusting in Him alone for salvation.  It’s like Satan and his army have swooped down and taken them away with deceptive worldviews and lifestyles, and now it’s time for us to form a posse and Git’er Done!

Interestingly, one of the reasons that the humans even stood a chance against the “demons” was the iPhone 5 looking thing attached to Daniel Craig’s wrist.  When the bad extra-terrestrials showed up, his alien weapon released a ring tone and BAM! - he was off to kick some alien whatever you might call it.

Likewise for us, don’t think for a moment that we have the strength, intelligence, or power in ourselves to last one second in the battle with the dark spiritual forces of this world.  That’s why when you ride off with your posse to help liberate your friends this week, keep these verses in mind:

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.  We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

“God’s mighty weapons” consist of prayer and His Word brandished in the awesome power of the Holy Spirit.  You must understand that because God lives within you, no encounter you have with anyone is an accident or by chance.  Jesus has empowered you and released you to seek out the strongholds of Satan that keep those you love in bondage to the ideas of this world.  So let me paint a couple targets that you can blast away at right away.

First, many of your friends think they can earn their way to heaven by being good, so they are trapped in this prideful lie that comes straight from the gates of hell.  Here’s the ammo for your first salvo:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it(Ephesians 2:8-9).

Second, there are those in your circle who feel like God could never forgive them.  Satan has captured them with guilt and regret, so you need to open up this can of truth:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong(1 John 1:9).

So have fun with Cowboys and Aliens, and better yet, have an adventure in THE Cause of Christians and Demons.  Get your posse together and ride off into the sunset - because the Son will bring about a great victory for you!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

Oftentimes we as Christians forget the seriousness of our calling to use the truth of God’s Word and the power of the Spirit to pray for our friends, pursue them in relationships, and persuade them to trust in Christ as their only hope of salvation.  If we don’t reach them, who will?  This week, put aside your fears and demolish the strongholds that keep your friends prisoner.

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Holy Spirit, empower me to live for THE Cause of reaching my friends with the gospel.  Help me to see them as You do, as prisoners and captives, and lead me into conversations that release the truth of Your Word that can set them free.

Read:Ephesians 6:10-12. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Get:  Make sure you and your posse are geared up to stand strong when spiritual warfare invades your life. Check out the free article, Soldiers, On Your Feetfor help