It was no ordinary privilege that Judas Iscariot enjoyed, hearing all Jesus’ sermons. Yet, because his attitude remained unchanged, Satan obsessed him with the idea of betraying his Master (Jn 13:2). When Judas responded to the suggestion, Satan entered him (Jn 13:27). In the end he killed himself. Note the three stages of sin portrayed in his life (Jn 1:14,15): Temptation - “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed”(Obsession); Conception - “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin” (Possession); Death - “and sin, when it is fullgrown, gives birth to death” (Conclusion). Even after years of Christian life, if our attitudes remain unchanged and we keep giving heed to evil suggestions, we ultimately become possessed. Are you possessed with any of the following?
1. The spirit of Slumber (Rom 11:8)
Some of us are natural sleepers. We sleep lying down, sitting or even standing. “Do not love sleep” (Prov 20:13). It is the “love” of sleep God warns us against. David says, “I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids” (Psa 132:4). That means our will-power has a say on our sleep. No wonder he could rule a kingdom and do so much for God. Why be jealous of others’ achievements? H.W. Longfellow writes :
The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight; But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night.
“The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep” (Mt 25:5). This gives us a hint that we need to cut down on our sleep to the maximum possible extent. Eight hours is too much for adults. Do not sleep when you can work for another half hour. Work till you can really work no more and then go to bed. If you wake up in the night and cannot sleep, don’t be rolling in bed. Get up and read your Bible, pray or work. Rise up as early as possible. Salvage every possible minute. Time is too precious to be frittered away. Learn to walk faster and do things quicker. Some fellows dream of worthy achievements, while a few stay awake and do them.
2. The spirit of Fear (2 Tim 1:7)
It is surprising that the “fearful” stand foremost in the queue to hell (Rev 21:8). Fear is a great hindrance for any growth or achievement.
“Even among the leaders many believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue” (Jn 12:42). We are afraid to witness. We are afraid to manifest our gifts. We are afraid of making mistakes, of change, of a new move, of taking a stand for the poor and downtrodden, of attempting things for God, of being hurt! God has not given us a spirit of fear. The Bible says, “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Prov 28:1).
Paul was a timid man (1 Cor 2:3). But he could say, “Because God has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you, so we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Heb 13:5,6).
3. The spirit or Error (1 Jn 4:6)
“We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” If we do not know God as we ought to know and hear His Word, we give place to the spirit of error. Paul’s one longing in life was to “know Him” and so he was kept from error or deception (Phil 3:10).
Jesus said, “Do you not therefore err, because you know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God?” (Mk 12:24). To avoid error, we must know the Word of God and the power of God.
As we study the Bible we must imbibe (a) Who God says He is and (b) Who God says we are. If we believe and act on these we will not err. Understand the Bible as simply as possible. It is the “Highway of Holiness ... Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray” (or be deceived) (Isa 35:8).
50% err because they do not know the Bible. The other 50% because, knowing the Bible, they have failed to experience its power. “He is” not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You therefore do greatly err (Mk 12:27). “God is.” He is the great I AM. Have live faith in Him. It is in this context that the author of Hebrews writes, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is” (11:6). “Do not err, my beloved brethren ... But be doers of the word” (Js 1:16, 22)
4. The spirit of Harlotry (Hos 5:4)
None of us need to pretend that we are “above all that.” With all our spirituality we need to accept that we are all below that, at least to the point of obsession. It is like a cobweb. You keep on cleaning it, breaking the strands, yet it comes up in some corner. It keeps coming up again and again and again that sometimes you just accept it. You cannot fall back with a sigh and conclude, “There is no use.” That’s how it is. You have to keep on cleaning, dusting, wiping at the earliest sign. If you neglect, at the twinkling of an eye the web is complete, ready for a catch. If you are careless in one incident it may lead to the next and then on and on and on to a point of no return.
This is the sad saga of many a saint of God. Oh, how are the mighty fallen! “Many strong have been slain” (Prov 7:26). It is nothing short of a slaughter! Beware. If you are caught in a web just now, never give up trying to break loose. The deeper you
involve the tighter becomes the noose. It is never too late to unravel the web you have spun. Friendship with members of the opposite sex can last for a lifetime if maintained with all purity. “Holy and without blame ... in love” (Eph 1:4). A good rule to remember is: Not to do or speak anything with a member of the opposite sex, which you will not do if your spouse were present. One of the supreme tests of your character is what you will do if you are absolutely certain that no one will ever find out.
5. The spirit of Disobedience (Eph 2:2)
The sons of Rechab did not receive a direct commandment from the Lord not to drink wine. Their grandfather commanded their father and their father commanded them and they followed it. Then came the day of their temptation. An ideal place - the house of the Lord. The ideal drink - pots full of wine and cups. The ideal person - the prophet of the Lord. Here is something which everyone enjoyed, which they had never tasted in their life, in the house of the Lord, offered by the most trustworthy person, prophet Jeremiah. But he could not make them drink. They would not so much as touch it. Why? What guilt do they have to bear in the house of the Lord and that when the prophet says? They were living in some corner, unnoticed, without any credit for their obedience. But it did not escape the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro throughout the earth. One day the Lord brought it out as a testimony to the whole world (Jer 35).
Behold, temptation to disobey God comes at the most unexpected time, in the most unexpected place through the most unexpected person. It seems silly to exercise so much diligence over something for which you don’t enjoy any appreciation at all. Remember, Beerlahairoi! (Gen 16:14). Contrast with the man of God who disobeyed God by obeying a prophet and was killed by a lion (1 Ki 13). God does not accept excuses for blatant disobedience.
There is no generation which enjoyed the privilege of the Word of God as much as we. We even have the electronic Bible. How much will God require of us! Over and above the written Word of God, do we want visions, dreams and a prophet to tell us to obey?
6. The spirit of Heaviness (Isa 61:3)
No child of God can escape sorrow, suffering or failure. That is why Jesus came, to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that we may be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. How we defeat the purpose of God in glorifying Himself through us by our moroseness. God is ready to give us beauty and joy and praise, only if we throw off our ashes, mourning and heaviness. We hold on to them and refuse to be comforted. That doesn’t get us the name— “Trees of righteousness,” or tell the world we are “The planting of the Lord,” or glorify God.
Recovery should be the byword of a Christian. “Garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Garb yourself with praise and your spirit will take off into the heavenlies!
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God” (T Thess 5:18). It is time to wash your face, comb your hair, wear a smile and sing a song!
7. The spirit of the World (1 Cor 2:12)
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” It is the spirit of the world that prevents many Christians from knowing the things freely given to them by God. Unless you know, how will you possess and enjoy?
You cannot serve God and money. You have to decide your master and be his faithful slave. Many children of God have become faithful slaves of money. Their mind is full of increasing their income, multiplying their possessions, expanding their business, hoarding in the bank, evading tax, and so on. God asks, “You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Lk 12:20,21). Don’t quieten your inner civil war of values. Get rid of all the things that clutter your life and hinder your intimacy with God.
8. The spirit of Lie (1 Ki 22:22)
Have we taken for granted that it is impossible not to speak lies? Have we an accommodating conscience? Have we consoled ourselves that it is too delicate a matter to acknowledge? Do we flatter? Let us accept the challenge to be absolutely truthful. “He said: Surely they are My people, children who will not lie. So He became their Saviour” (Isa 63:8). In other words, children who refused to lie. So He saved them from that situation. God shall break the “lying children to pieces like a pot” (Isa 30:9,14).
In the beginning you’ll find yourselves lying without thinking and then apologizing and correcting the lie. If you can humble yourself enough to correct your lie, then God will lead you to the next step of speaking the truth. That is the way to get the habit of speaking the truth. There is no shortcut to holiness. In situations where you cannot speak the truth you can either refuse to give the details or keep silent. We do not owe the truth to everyone. If you are dead earnest in speaking the truth, you’ll witness the power of God in delivering you from situations demanding speaking lies or give you the wisdom to answer without speaking lies. One who lies brings himself under a bondage to maintain the lie by speaking more lies. But the one who speaks the truth is free because the truth sets him free! Liberate yourself by learning to speak the truth.
9. The spirit of Bondage (Rom 8:15)
“You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Sure, the disciples were happy when Jesus said, “No longer do I call you servants ... but I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). They were in for a greater surprise. He made them His brothers (Heb 2:11). Thus they became the children of God. What a privilege to be a member of the family of God, a brother or sister of Jesus Christ. Everytime I call Him Annan is thrills me and I feel Him so close. A child would interpret Hebrews 4:14-16 as, “I am afraid to go to Daddy because of what I did. But
Annan says He’ll take me by the hand and tell Daddy to forgive me. So it’s O.K. I am not so afraid now.” Oh, what a family!
There are Christians who continue to have only a servant mentality. They worry about “displeasing” their Master rather than learning to “please” their Father. They are afraid God may send them to hell in-spite-of all their struggle rather than basking in the life of heaven on earth. Our heathen backdrop has cast its shadow on our Christian thinking. We should never lose the reverence for God. But there is no need to be terrified of God as the heathen do.
10. The spirit of Pride (Prov 16:18)
Pride is a quality that peeps in, the moment we think we don’t have it. It is an octopus which will not be paralysed until you cut off all its tentacles. One tentacle is self- glorying. We have built a larger-than-life image of ourselves. “He who speaks of himself seeks his own glory” (Jn 7:18a). “Not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2 Cor 10:18). Let’s stop talking about ourselves. We require a voluntary self-discipline to bite our tongue when our throat is full of I’s. Stop bragging about yourself and your accomplishments. Let us also not look for compliments from people, nor try to pluck praises from the mouth of others, but wait for the day of our crowning. Then the reward will be the commendation certificate from the Lord with the seal of His approval. Soon we’ll meet Him in the air and then it will be worth the wait!
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, 8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
It was no ordinary privilege that Judas Iscariot enjoyed, hearing all Jesus’ sermons. Yet, because his attitude remained unchanged, Satan obsessed him with the idea of betraying his Master (Jn 13:2). When Judas responded to the suggestion, Satan entered him (Jn 13:27). In the end he killed himself. Note the three stages of sin portrayed in his life (Jn 1:14,15): Temptation - “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed”(Obsession); Conception - “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin” (Possession); Death - “and sin, when it is fullgrown, gives birth to death” (Conclusion). Even after years of Christian life, if our attitudes remain unchanged and we keep giving heed to evil suggestions, we ultimately become possessed. Are you possessed with any of the following?
1. The spirit of Slumber (Rom 11:8)
Some of us are natural sleepers. We sleep lying down, sitting or even standing. “Do not love sleep” (Prov 20:13). It is the “love” of sleep God warns us against. David says, “I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids” (Psa 132:4). That means our will-power has a say on our sleep. No wonder he could rule a kingdom and do so much for God. Why be jealous of others’ achievements? H.W. Longfellow writes :
The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight; But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night.
“The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep” (Mt 25:5). This gives us a hint that we need to cut down on our sleep to the maximum possible extent. Eight hours is too much for adults. Do not sleep when you can work for another half hour. Work till you can really work no more and then go to bed. If you wake up in the night and cannot sleep, don’t be rolling in bed. Get up and read your Bible, pray or work. Rise up as early as possible. Salvage every possible minute. Time is too precious to be frittered away. Learn to walk faster and do things quicker. Some fellows dream of worthy achievements, while a few stay awake and do them.
2. The spirit of Fear (2 Tim 1:7)
It is surprising that the “fearful” stand foremost in the queue to hell (Rev 21:8). Fear is a great hindrance for any growth or achievement.
“Even among the leaders many believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue” (Jn 12:42). We are afraid to witness. We are afraid to manifest our gifts. We are afraid of making mistakes, of change, of a new move, of taking a stand for the poor and downtrodden, of attempting things for God, of being hurt! God has not given us a spirit of fear. The Bible says, “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Prov 28:1).
Paul was a timid man (1 Cor 2:3). But he could say, “Because God has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you, so we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Heb 13:5,6).
3. The spirit or Error (1 Jn 4:6)
“We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” If we do not know God as we ought to know and hear His Word, we give place to the spirit of error. Paul’s one longing in life was to “know Him” and so he was kept from error or deception (Phil 3:10).
Jesus said, “Do you not therefore err, because you know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God?” (Mk 12:24). To avoid error, we must know the Word of God and the power of God.
As we study the Bible we must imbibe (a) Who God says He is and (b) Who God says we are. If we believe and act on these we will not err. Understand the Bible as simply as possible. It is the “Highway of Holiness ... Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray” (or be deceived) (Isa 35:8).
50% err because they do not know the Bible. The other 50% because, knowing the Bible, they have failed to experience its power. “He is” not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You therefore do greatly err (Mk 12:27). “God is.” He is the great I AM. Have live faith in Him. It is in this context that the author of Hebrews writes, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is” (11:6). “Do not err, my beloved brethren ... But be doers of the word” (Js 1:16, 22)
4. The spirit of Harlotry (Hos 5:4)
None of us need to pretend that we are “above all that.” With all our spirituality we need to accept that we are all below that, at least to the point of obsession. It is like a cobweb. You keep on cleaning it, breaking the strands, yet it comes up in some corner. It keeps coming up again and again and again that sometimes you just accept it. You cannot fall back with a sigh and conclude, “There is no use.” That’s how it is. You have to keep on cleaning, dusting, wiping at the earliest sign. If you neglect, at the twinkling of an eye the web is complete, ready for a catch. If you are careless in one incident it may lead to the next and then on and on and on to a point of no return.
This is the sad saga of many a saint of God. Oh, how are the mighty fallen! “Many strong have been slain” (Prov 7:26). It is nothing short of a slaughter! Beware. If you are caught in a web just now, never give up trying to break loose. The deeper you
involve the tighter becomes the noose. It is never too late to unravel the web you have spun. Friendship with members of the opposite sex can last for a lifetime if maintained with all purity. “Holy and without blame ... in love” (Eph 1:4). A good rule to remember is: Not to do or speak anything with a member of the opposite sex, which you will not do if your spouse were present. One of the supreme tests of your character is what you will do if you are absolutely certain that no one will ever find out.
5. The spirit of Disobedience (Eph 2:2)
The sons of Rechab did not receive a direct commandment from the Lord not to drink wine. Their grandfather commanded their father and their father commanded them and they followed it. Then came the day of their temptation. An ideal place - the house of the Lord. The ideal drink - pots full of wine and cups. The ideal person - the prophet of the Lord. Here is something which everyone enjoyed, which they had never tasted in their life, in the house of the Lord, offered by the most trustworthy person, prophet Jeremiah. But he could not make them drink. They would not so much as touch it. Why? What guilt do they have to bear in the house of the Lord and that when the prophet says? They were living in some corner, unnoticed, without any credit for their obedience. But it did not escape the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro throughout the earth. One day the Lord brought it out as a testimony to the whole world (Jer 35).
Behold, temptation to disobey God comes at the most unexpected time, in the most unexpected place through the most unexpected person. It seems silly to exercise so much diligence over something for which you don’t enjoy any appreciation at all. Remember, Beerlahairoi! (Gen 16:14). Contrast with the man of God who disobeyed God by obeying a prophet and was killed by a lion (1 Ki 13). God does not accept excuses for blatant disobedience.
There is no generation which enjoyed the privilege of the Word of God as much as we. We even have the electronic Bible. How much will God require of us! Over and above the written Word of God, do we want visions, dreams and a prophet to tell us to obey?
6. The spirit of Heaviness (Isa 61:3)
No child of God can escape sorrow, suffering or failure. That is why Jesus came, to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that we may be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. How we defeat the purpose of God in glorifying Himself through us by our moroseness. God is ready to give us beauty and joy and praise, only if we throw off our ashes, mourning and heaviness. We hold on to them and refuse to be comforted. That doesn’t get us the name— “Trees of righteousness,” or tell the world we are “The planting of the Lord,” or glorify God.
Recovery should be the byword of a Christian. “Garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Garb yourself with praise and your spirit will take off into the heavenlies!
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God” (T Thess 5:18). It is time to wash your face, comb your hair, wear a smile and sing a song!
7. The spirit of the World (1 Cor 2:12)
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” It is the spirit of the world that prevents many Christians from knowing the things freely given to them by God. Unless you know, how will you possess and enjoy?
You cannot serve God and money. You have to decide your master and be his faithful slave. Many children of God have become faithful slaves of money. Their mind is full of increasing their income, multiplying their possessions, expanding their business, hoarding in the bank, evading tax, and so on. God asks, “You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Lk 12:20,21). Don’t quieten your inner civil war of values. Get rid of all the things that clutter your life and hinder your intimacy with God.
8. The spirit of Lie (1 Ki 22:22)
Have we taken for granted that it is impossible not to speak lies? Have we an accommodating conscience? Have we consoled ourselves that it is too delicate a matter to acknowledge? Do we flatter? Let us accept the challenge to be absolutely truthful. “He said: Surely they are My people, children who will not lie. So He became their Saviour” (Isa 63:8). In other words, children who refused to lie. So He saved them from that situation. God shall break the “lying children to pieces like a pot” (Isa 30:9,14).
In the beginning you’ll find yourselves lying without thinking and then apologizing and correcting the lie. If you can humble yourself enough to correct your lie, then God will lead you to the next step of speaking the truth. That is the way to get the habit of speaking the truth. There is no shortcut to holiness. In situations where you cannot speak the truth you can either refuse to give the details or keep silent. We do not owe the truth to everyone. If you are dead earnest in speaking the truth, you’ll witness the power of God in delivering you from situations demanding speaking lies or give you the wisdom to answer without speaking lies. One who lies brings himself under a bondage to maintain the lie by speaking more lies. But the one who speaks the truth is free because the truth sets him free! Liberate yourself by learning to speak the truth.
9. The spirit of Bondage (Rom 8:15)
“You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Sure, the disciples were happy when Jesus said, “No longer do I call you servants ... but I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). They were in for a greater surprise. He made them His brothers (Heb 2:11). Thus they became the children of God. What a privilege to be a member of the family of God, a brother or sister of Jesus Christ. Everytime I call Him Annan is thrills me and I feel Him so close. A child would interpret Hebrews 4:14-16 as, “I am afraid to go to Daddy because of what I did. But
Annan says He’ll take me by the hand and tell Daddy to forgive me. So it’s O.K. I am not so afraid now.” Oh, what a family!
There are Christians who continue to have only a servant mentality. They worry about “displeasing” their Master rather than learning to “please” their Father. They are afraid God may send them to hell in-spite-of all their struggle rather than basking in the life of heaven on earth. Our heathen backdrop has cast its shadow on our Christian thinking. We should never lose the reverence for God. But there is no need to be terrified of God as the heathen do.
10. The spirit of Pride (Prov 16:18)
Pride is a quality that peeps in, the moment we think we don’t have it. It is an octopus which will not be paralysed until you cut off all its tentacles. One tentacle is self- glorying. We have built a larger-than-life image of ourselves. “He who speaks of himself seeks his own glory” (Jn 7:18a). “Not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2 Cor 10:18). Let’s stop talking about ourselves. We require a voluntary self-discipline to bite our tongue when our throat is full of I’s. Stop bragging about yourself and your accomplishments. Let us also not look for compliments from people, nor try to pluck praises from the mouth of others, but wait for the day of our crowning. Then the reward will be the commendation certificate from the Lord with the seal of His approval. Soon we’ll meet Him in the air and then it will be worth the wait!
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, Mob:8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
