Casting out

by Ben

(Fair Warning: This post may come across as a little odd.)
I read Joshua 23 today.

A short chapter, but it triggered something in me. Basically, in this section, Joshua is telling the Israelites that he is getting old, that if they stay true to God that He will always protect them, and that they should trust God to deliver their enemies to them.

Simple enough: Trust God.

And yet, it caught me. I look at my life today and compare it with that of the apostles. They were given the duties of teaching and sharing God's love and the ability to cast out demons. If someone defined that as the role of a pastor in today's world, we might look at them strange. That is mainly because we are not used to the concept of demons. However, look around you at the world today; are there not sick? Is God being praised daily by creation (more specifically humans?)

Then I fear that there are still demons among us. Mind you, they aren't like Slimer in Ghostbusters, floating around from place to place (our definition of demons has been warped over time). And less and less can I picture them working like in the Exorcist. However, have you ever had a sudden flare of anger or resentment at someone that you love? Ever felt like "oh, I don't really need to read the Bible (or pray, or share God's love) today." And I'll bet that many of those times, you've later wondered about what caused that feeling or realized how silly it was. It seems to me that these subtle feelings that most decidedly work against God's Kingdom have to be modern day demons.

It is okay to be skeptical here. I'm still trying to figure it out myself. But I tell you what, the next time you get one of those feelings, challenge yourself to command those feelings away. Try it once on your own, and then try it in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There's a difference. Trust that God is on your side and gives you the power to do so.