A Visit from the Dark Side
Yesterday was fully the 3rd day of my new blog – A Different Perspective. And what happened yesterday shocked the pants off me. The blog site was “attacked” by a witches’ coven. Imagine my surprise when at a local cafe, I checked the blog site only to discover an advert plastered across the top for “love spells that really work”, together with a link to a witches’ website!
I fairly choked on my latte!!
Turns out that because this is a free blog site, the owners reserve the right to put ads of their choice onto each blog unless the blogger pays $US 29.95 to turn the ads off. (Needless to say that today my wallet is $29.95 the lighter.)
Now as I said, at first I was shocked by this spiritual attack. Really! But then I thinks to myself “Berni, why are you shocked?”
Well, I’ll tell you why.
It’s a mistake we fall into again and again. We’re lulled into a false sense of security amidst the physical reality of life … and we forget that the very moment we give our lives to Christ; the very instant we choose to live for Him, we’re stepping out onto a spiritual battlefield.
Over and over again, God’s Word tells us that the pervading reality of life here on this Earth is the reality of the spiritual war that’s raging on, every minute of every day.
How often have many of us read these words, that:
… our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic power of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places … (Ephesians 6:12)
… and skimmed over them as though somehow they don’t apply to us?
We shouldn’t be shocked when the forces of darkness come against us, we should be expecting it. Sometimes they come dressed as angels of light and other times, as they did yesterday, they mount a full frontal assault.
In that same chapter of the Book of Ephesians (v11) Paul exhorts us to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Yesterday, as God in his own way used all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, He tapped me on the shoulder and whispered – Wake-up Berni. Look around. You’re in the middle of a raging battle.
And in that battle, as Rick Dunham writes in his book Secure, you and I are men and women under orders – sent by God into a lost and hurting world to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Him (Acts 26:17,18).
My friend, the Son of God was revealed for this purpose – to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
Wake-up!
This whole thing seems sensationalized and way overblown. The blog was in no way “attacked” as the headline reads, the people who run the blog hosting site simply ran an ad that was disapproved by the blog creator. Tough, it’s not his site, the site belongs to the site owner who runs it according to the terms of service agreed to by the blogger. It’s simply not the blogger’s site, just simply where their blog is hosted, if you don’t like the terms of service go elsewhere or hodt you own blog on your own bandwidth and your own hardware under your own terms. That said, the point about retaining full editorial control including ads as to what is displayed when someone reads your blog is a good one.
Thanks for your encouragement Jo.
Don’t we serve a mighty God?!
Hi Bernie
I received your Christianity Works letter today with snippets of Ami’s story in it and how God came to her rescue at her lowest point. So then I found your blog site to read the whole story and the responses that followed. I’ve been treated to a beautiful half-hour reading one account after another lifting up the Lord, giving Him honour and esteem for all His goodness as well as loving and encouraging everyone who has written in. Thank you for your dynamic ministry. My prayers and blessings – Jo
The spiritual realm IS as real as the things we touch & see in ‘this’ world. Three examples I have witnessed:
1. In the early hours of the morning we heard two drunks yelling to each other as they were walking past our home. We looked out our 2nd storey window as I was preparing to race down & ‘protect my castle’ if need be. My wife was overcome with a feeling of love for these two ‘yobbos’ & started to pray for them. A moment after she did one stopped outside our house and called to the other (50m away) ‘hey Dave I feel like I have to pray’, put his half case of beer down on the gutter, put his hands in the air & proceeded to pray his drunken version of the Lords prayer. He then picked up his beer, yelled hey Dave got a light & staggered off..I was astounded.
2. I had finished serving lunch to detainees in a juvenile detention centre. I was sitting in the kitchen area keeping an eye on the young people as they were quietly eating. I felt the urge to pray in the Spirit, being (sometimes) obedient, I did.
What followed nearly knocked me off my chair. A particularly disturbed detainee who had a history (like most others) of violence, who could hear voices and talked to people who were not there, all of a sudden became very aggressive and jumped up shouting how bad christians are, how she was told when she was younger she would be a good christian and she hated christians etc. She ranted and raved for 2-3 minutes then sat down and quietly finished her lunch.
3. My brother and his family are active christians. Not just church attendees, they buy food & clothing for the needy, are doers of the Word, etc etc.
My sister-in-law developed a heart for the women and girls kidnapped and put into sexual slavery. In their style they organised fund raisers, hired a picture theatre & put on a movie depicting what happens to these poor girls, gave talks etc.
My sister-in-law was acheiving great results in bringing awareness of the issues to people and was raising quite a bit of money.
Not too long after, my fit, 55 year old brother, out of the blue, collapsed and died after having a surf.
The spiritual realm exists and spirtual warfare is not an ex-box game, it is as real as any physical war our troups are fighting overseas.
Like the war on terror we must not stop fighting, but we must arm ourselves properly and protect ourselves properly.
Thank you so much for those three “case studies” – they are powerful, practical examples of the power of prayer into the spiritual realm and the impact that that has in the physical realm. The spiritual realm is indeed real and we are on a spiritual battlefield. To miss that is to miss the reality in which we live.
Hey Guys,
I really wanted to tell you what happened last night. I had my first encounter with God. I could actually feel Him!!! Wow!! Seriously the best feeling ever!! He kept me up practically all night, and unlike last week where I was hiding my face in my pillow so my parents wouldn’t hear me crying, last night i was hiding my face in my pillow so that my laughter wouldn’t wake them up. I kept bursting out in laughter and song and dance while laying in my bed.
I’ve seen people at my church start laughing uncontrollably for no reason, some even rolling around on the floor. Now i understand it!
I’d been crying out to Him for so long to let me feel His love and His presence and He finally answered my prayer. I have never felt this good in my life. It is awesome!!
Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement and Yay God!!!
Ami ^_^
Hi Ami
What brilliant news. Brilliant!! What a blessing for for the rest of us to have been able to share in a small but vital part of your journey.
The big lesson here is that God has you in the palm of His hand. You have been through something that many others haven’t and so I have no doubt that he will use your experiences to be a blessing to others.
And the prayer of the righteous is mighty and effective (James 5:16)!!
Be blessed and the next time the enemy shows up to attack you, remember the power of the Lord in your life.
Yours in Christ,
Berni
The word of God is my weapon and of course prayers…when I had experienced such evil attacks during my teen years in a rural town named Pura,Tarlac..that I experienced terrible nightmares,almost every night in that haunted house,not only me but w/ our other 2 church workers who experienced the same, that dogs were sounding noisily, making a strange sound and the like..that sleeping at night was quite a discomfort for us. The Bible,as we claimed God’s promises,prayers and singing hymns as our way of rebuking the devil’s power…All by God’s grace and POWER,we were delivered and the evil power was overtaken by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.Oh victory we had in Jesus!!!
Dear Berni
Thankyou so much for your very kind words of Hope and Encouragement,they mean so much to me, especially coming from such a special person like you,you brought quite a few tears to my eyes as I read them but they were tears of joy,I’m sure you are one of God’s Angel’s
Many Blessings to you
Warmest Regards
Emma
Dear Ami
My heart goes out to you, please dont despair, you are not alone, God is with you, as I’m sure he was with me,I asked him to send his Angels to take care and protect me just before I somehow got the strength to start the car and drive myself back home and I’m sure that’s what he did, please try to do the same, you are in my prayers
God Bless you
Love Emma
Wow ! I am continually amazed at how God works in our lives. The email for this blog came out last week & I hadn’t read it but when I saw today’s email come out with a reference to ‘almost 1000 blog visitors in 3 days’, I knew God was leading me to read it asap. On top of that, I witnessed my wife undergo a ‘spiritual attack’ last night around some of the things Ami & others referred to. As I went to put our 3 yo daughter back to sleep, I prayed for a full 10 minutes, declaring God’s victory over Satan & for the covering of our entire family in the blood of Christ. When I came back out, my wife was calm again & even said I don’t know what happened. I replied, ‘I do, I called upon the power of the Holy Spirit to reject/remove/denounce all evil spirits in you & in our house & He did’. How awesome is our God ???
All I can add is that like most I was pretty ignornant of the spiritual side of things but in the last 3 months, God had fed me bits & pieces so I could finally accept what the Bible already declares is true, ie we ARE in a spiritual battle.
Apart from God’s word, I have had my senses blown open to this side of things by a fantastic book by Derek Price titled ‘ Blessing or Curse – You can choose’. Read it because it is amazing !
Love & Prayers to you all.
Hi Berni, Very interested in your comments. I work in the high schools as a Christian studies teacher. More than half of our kids are being very much led into the occult in some form. Quite a lot are doing Ouija boards on a regular basis. I have MANY come to me because i am very open in discussing other religions,the occult and cults. A whole world has opened to me that as a Christian I knew was there but didn’t really want to know about and to be truthful a little scared of how to pray about it. If i pray about it at all as i was always led to believe we shouldn’t look to these things. In our town i have heard of ,only in the last week, of all these cults I didn’t know existed, with some also having witchcraft connections. I have been warning kids against witchcraft for a while and teaching of the ways these covens will recruit, which they are doing a lot of, especially in our youth.These things will always go to target the vulnerable. I have set up some prayer support in this area, and am currently looking at praying over the area from the high places, where these people gather. I believe we need to be proactive, whilst also being cautious. We know what the bible says about principalities and powers, but Jesus is far greater. I also make sure my family and myself are prayed over with the blood of Jesus daily, I also cover myself with the armour of God, and keep short accounts so the enemy has nothing he can use against us.It says in the bible “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of sufferings.”(1 Peter 5:8,9) Keep going Berni. My husband and I are praying for you. You’re doing a great job!
Mandy
How true are the things that you are saying. Satan’s reach goes into many places. Thank you for being in that place, for praying and for making such a difference. We are meant to be His light in this world!
Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the prays.
I’m scared to talk to life line or any non-christian. I know they would just think I am crazy and stick me in hospital. Seriously, if someone told me the stuff I am likely to say before I learnt about all this, I would have just thought they were crazy. I’m still not entirely sure I am not.
I did read that story from the bible though, which kind of felt like it was for me. So that was kind of good. I’m finding it really hard to pray at the moment though. Ever since my church homegroup the other night, where the attack was the worse I’ve ever experienced.. This is the first time I’ve been suicidal in ages.
I am seeing my GP tomorrow morning. She is the one who brought me to Jesus in the first place, and she has seen the attacks and how sometimes they make me hurt myself etc. So hopefully she will be able to help…
Thanks again for the prays and for caring. It means a lot to me.
Ami
That’s great to hear.Stay strong in the Lord and remember Christ has already overcome all things for you. And stay in touch through the blog if you ever need a listening ear and the prayer of our little community.
Blessings in Christ,
Berni
Ami, I’m praying for you. Our Lord Jesus is there for you,…always there for you. He is our rock, one who will stand by you. I will continue to pray for you.
I’m praying for you and will continue to do so. God loves you, Jesus loves you which is why He died for you. All God’s children love you because He died for us as well.
I KNOW Bernie’s words are true “He will never ever leave you or forsake you”. “Place ALL your hope and ALL your faith in Jesus”.
I’m being attacked and I don’t know what to do. I really need help. A friend from church made me promise that I wont attempt to kill myself between last night and Monday, but I don’t know what will happen once Monday is here. I have been fighting so long and I’m not getting anywhere. I feel like i am in the middle of the ocean and there is no land in sight, so I don’t know which direction to go, but then, even if land was only a couple of meters away, I have been trying to stay afloat so long that I don’t have anything left at all.
I’m sorry to dump this here, but i am desperate and i don’t know what to do.
The enemy’s attacks have gotten to the point that I’m not allowed to go back to my church home group now…
If i have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour I go to heaven right? Does that still count if I kill myself?
Dearest Ami,
Spiritual attacks are very, very real. And I know that right now you’re in a place of great fear and uncertainty. But listen carefully to what I have to say to you. It is very important.
Jesus died and rose again to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). He has already defeated Satan through His death, so that you have complete forgiveness and through His resurrection – so that you can have a completely new life. No deception that Satan throws at you can undo that. Nothing!
I want you to know that I am praying for you right now. I believe in the power of prayer. And as I do, I want you to grab a Bible, and read Mark 5:1-20. It is the story of the Gerasene demonic – but more so, it’s the story of the power of Jesus to set you free from this attack. It is this very thing that I will be praying for you and I ask anyone reading this blog to pray for exactly the same thing. That you Ami would be set completely free, in Jesus’ name!
When you have read it, pray … and then go and speak with the friend to whom you made your promise. You need that friend around you right now. And if that person isn’t available, you need some urgent, professional help. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14. They will work with you to help you through this difficult time.
And finally the thing that I said to Emma just a little while ago, I will say to you. With Jesus in your life, there is always a certain hope and never, ever a reason to despair of life itself. For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)
I have been in your shoes. I have stood on the brink. I know how dark and how desperate and how hopeless it may seem. But right now is the time to place all your hope and all your faith in Jesus. He will never, ever leave you or forsake you. Ever. I am living, breathing, walking proof of that – this 16 years on since that time.
Please do the things that I have asked.
Your brother and servant in Christ – praying for you,
Berni
Ami, I’m sorry you feel so down and out right now. I’m praying that God turns your heart and thoughts around. I’ve struggled w depression on and off for decades, often feeling extremely low, thinking suicide would make it all better. Thankfully i did not. The pit of pain is so profound that it SEEMS like no joy can exist again. It can and it.does. please keep holding on….I pray that God heals your wounded heart and shows you that you are valuable. You are alive and you are.deeply feeling ask God to heal you. He will. It is a process but He will never leave you. Tell God you need Him to help you through this. Give.God another.chance to help you by asking Him into your heart. Ask Him to come in.and keep you company. God bless you Ami
Please do what Berni has said. Make sure you especially call the Lifeline or any other professional help service. Please don’t believe that this is in anyway your fault.
Wether or not you believe its spiritual attack, anxiety or depression, its still NOT your fault and it has NOT happened to you because of something you have done or have not done.
Make sure you talk to your doctor also. Depression and anxiety do not happen to people just because they have not been praying hard enough.
Please seek professional help. God wants you to confront this and seeking help is part of this.
You must hang in there because better days will come. They really will. I know this from experience.
Dear Berni
I am so thankfull for your email, and also to my husband, who led me to read it today. I don’t check them often.
And I have to thank God more than anything, because he has saved my life since I turned to him seventeen months ago, when pain and suffering started from an illness.
This has been a huge reminder to me that I must continue to have Faith and Hope in God, because otherwise I would not be writing this email to you now. Just two days ago I decided that I could no longer continue to live like this so I left a note for my husband and drove off with all my medication and a little booklet called God’s Creative Power for Healing. I drove to a few suburbs away, stopped and was crying. I started to read and pray and after quite some time somehow got the strength and courage and kept praying. I did’nt want to give up. I fought with the strong Word of God and I’m sure that that’s what brought me back home.
I’m living proof that we must always be on guard against the enemy, no matter what or how hard it is.
Thank you so much Berni for all that you are doing and saying. You are my inspiration and I’m sure you are to a lot of other people as well.
God Bless You Always,
Warm Regards
Emma
Emma,
what an incredibly powerful testimony. You have obviously been through such a tough time. May the Lord continue to strengthen you and be close to you. And remember, He is with you always, even to the end of this age.
With Him – there is always a certain hope and never, ever a reason to despair of life itself.
Your brother in Christ,
Berni
I feel the people who have discounted this as a spiritual attack are missing the bigger picture, and failing to understand the subtlety of the enemy. The fact that there are such ads programmed to latch onto blogs of this nature is an attack in a wider sense.
Thanks for the blog berni, I used to listen to you on vision radio when I lived in australia.
Regards
Dom
Dom, I agree with what you are saying about it being an attack in a wider sense, absolutely. However, it could have been avoided by paying the $29.95 hosting fee. BD knew of the advertising ‘gotcha’ and would have been aware of the often salacious nature of web advertising as a whole so I kind of feel that this episode was unintentionally provoked.
You are right Dom there IS a larger picture here. That picture is that we are are trying to communicate with those that do not yet know christ. I started this journey as a result of listening to Berni’s _fantastic_ radio shows. I was compelled to listen to him more and more – because he was smart, switched on and communicated with me on a ‘real’ level, in the context of common sense, the real world and my experiences. The blog post in question flies in the face of that.
If it had been my first exposure to Berni, I would not have returned.
In terms of our ability to communicate with others, this blog post does not help at all because I personally think that it dilutes Berni’s message in the eyes of exactly the people we are trying to reach out to. Thats the bigger picture Dom, you could go further and argue that THAT is the real attack. Not the adds – the reaction.
There are two ways to look at this. From our point of view it was a spiritual attack. From the secular worlds point of view it is an unfortunate overreaction to a bit of bad planning. You could argue that from the point of view of non-christians, the real damage is being done by the many people supporting BD’s point of view.
However, if you believe that this site is not about helping non-christians and is entirely self serving then I humbly apologise and would encourage BD to remove this post. If you believe that this site IS about helping others then I feel that the text here needs to have just a little more.
This is a storm in a tea-cup and all the energy that is being funnelled into it just makes it bigger. Satan has got to be laughing right now. The smart thing to do would have been to not open the door to him in the first place.
Hi Dom 🙂
I am not discounting anything, but I do think this issue is overblown. We’re pretty much arguing over a small issue like this. I won’t say anything more, because BM had said everything I wanted to say and put it even better than I could.
Satan uses people and circumstances, but they are not our real enemy-he is. He works through people and circumstances, then delights in watching us react without ever realising that he is the source. When Satan used Peter to try to prevent Jesus from going to the cross to complete the task God had sent Him to do, ‘Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offence and a hindrance and a snare to Me]…”‘ (Matthew 16:23 AMP) Satan used Peter, but Jesus knew that Peter was not His problem. So He ‘turned away’ from Peter and addressed the source of the problem-Satan. So, first, identify the source of your problem. At the cross Jesus prayed, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ (Luke 23:34 NKJV) When you understand that Satan’s strategy is to use other people to tear you down, it’s easier to forgive them. You don’t have to carry the weight of resentment, or lash out, or even change them; you can leave them in God’s hands. You won’t be exempt from the devil’s attack, but you’ll be shielded from it and you won’t be discouraged or defeated by it. You see, if the devil can’t defeat you outright, he’ll settle for keeping you pinned down. That way you’ll never move forward in victory. Secondly, use the authority God has given you. Jesus said, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven. Behold, I give you the authority…over all the power of the enemy…’ (Luke 10:18-19 NKJV) So identify the source, and use your God-given authority.
(This was my ‘Word for Today’) How amazing does our God work!
And all the saints said … AMEN!
Amen Berni.
This is a neglected topic in reformed circles. For too long we’ve had only our helmet of salvation on and the rest of the armour missing.
Richard
I have found that when Satan loses a soul, he will try with all his might to regain it. I found this personally a number of times throughout my life and regularly when working with the Broken.
It is a strange thing that when man is at his weakest he will call for and find the Lord but it is also at his weakest that Satan will be at his side trying to claw back the soul. It is a hard won battle but the joy it brings to all around and involved is an awesome sight and a welcome home to the lost.
In answer…where is the Devil now?? At your elbow…waiting for you to fall…AND…we will and do…but don’t lose hope or faith, Christ died for your sins and we are forgiven..don’t beat yourself up when you fall…we are human and by definition..broken…we are born to fall..but also grow and learn in faith and grace.
Awesome observation. Thanks Rob.
Physical, or Spiritual, or Both?
Quite a discussion – thanks to all who are contributing. And what it seems to reflect is the dilemma we all face. With this “attack” – was it purely physical, or was there a spiritual dimension to it as well? I’m not one who believes that there’s a demon under every bed. But at the same time, the old enemy uses the simple, mundane, everyday things of life to make his point.
Was I aware that there was going to be advertising on my blog? Yep, sure was. Did it take me a little by surprise when it came from the kingdom of darkness? Yep, initially. But then why wouldn’t Satan take every opportunity to discredit something new that might honour Jesus?
So … where is the devil right now?
“Going to and fro on the earth, and walking up and down on it” (Job 1:7) … “prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).
I just want to say when I am being spiritually attacked I sing and worship out loud you see the enemy does not like that…Praise be to God our redeemer and savior…
Hi Bernie and readers,
I know where you are coming from Bernie as 8 months ago God called me to work for the Salvation Army in Qld, Australia. I was fully aware that I could be attacked from any direction and certainly have been. Like you the attacks take me by surprise but it doesn’t take long before I realize where they have come from and just have a good laugh. “Satan you are DEFEATED!”
One of my favourite scriptures – ” Be still and know that I AM GOD”! Praise be to God our redeemer, saviour and strength!
thanks for your comments on spiritual attacks.
I am presently under a double attack
1 I am finding it very difficult to pray, since a serious illness 3 years ago.
2 a very common one, it is always a challenge to get to church, whether it is difficulty waking up or too busy.
Jill
Jill,
it’s really tough when that happens. But let me encourage you to press in close to God. He is closer than we can ever imagine. And His heart is for us to know HIs Presence in all the circumstances of our lives. (John 14:16-27). As I look back on the darkest days of my life over 16 years ago now, what I remember is that nothing anyone else could say or do ever made a difference. But in that inky blackness, the light of Christ shone ever so brightly. It was the greatest opportunity that the Lord would ever hand me – the opportunity to discover His love, His mercy and His grace. Not just in theory, but in reality.
Berni
God is on all Godly people side, His strength is immeasurable. It might have just been a freak accident? You never know? but,just in case I would PRAY & BIND them from any type of Powers! God is KING of all KINGS, there is no other above him, AMEN to that. God bless you brother,Praise OUR HOLY SAVIOR now!
Dear Bernie, Ephesians is correct in keeping us alert. Growing up in a church, where Bible reading was never encouraged, I wastotally ignorant. For some reason, I thought all sprituality is of God. All the shows and movies on mediums etc, made it seem so innocent and mainstream. Six and a half, years ago, I had NO IDEA what a viper’s den I was walking into after consulting a medium, (calling herself woman of light) and taking her courses. I thought all the spirit world was of God, but was ignorant of Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation. We chanted rubbish, used ouija, hands on, psychometrics– the entire arsenal of evil!!! That night I had horrendous, ugly,vivid nightmares about primitive societies making blood sacrifices to their false gods. I could see, smell, feel everything and was filled with terror. I had five hours of nauseau and the most excruciating pain in my life. Silly me, could still not figure out then that it was the medium, and took MORE evil courses. A month and a half of “automatic writing”, hearing voices, not eating, not sleeping because of the horrid visions, took a toll on my mind. Never having any sort of “mental illness” in the family, I was taken (all mal-nourished 48kgs of a small woman) kicking,screaming and fighting against 6 orderlies into a mental hospital. On the spot, the doctor declared I was bi-polar. No way, there was no one in the family with it. No traumas growing up, no teenage angst nor rebellion and a stable family. I thank God for the experience into this hell, knowing that the devil is real. Christ got me out of the Hospital. I have been devouring the bible for the past 6 years, using the “sound mind” that God has given me, and continuously praise the Lord.
Thanks for sharing your blog experience!
I agree with Rob totally….but would also like to add, we all have our own callings, God will have us spreading the gospel in many dirferent ways to many different types of people.
I agree spiritual warfare is rife…and feel it is only going to get worse as Satan’s time runs out!
Praise God, Jesus made us victors that day on Calvary…all we have to do is simply what God tells us to! To top it off…when we feel weakened or unable…thats when He can work within us and use His strength to annialate the enemy!
To God be the glory!
Bernie, I don’t usually reply to blog sites but in your email you suggested that I might share my thoughts.
Ok brother..today I will.
I am surprised that YOU were surprised. Trust me here, I do not judge (as God has asked me to be a witness…not judge or jury) but since giving my life to Christ some years back I have worked at the coalface with streeties ..the marginalized and broken and see these attacks on faith daily.
Might I suggest we Comfort the disturbed…and disturb the comfortable.
Unfortunately some Christians tend to live their life’s wrapped in the cocoon of the church and don’t see the seedy side of reality.
Where would we find Christ today? In the comfort of the Church walls or the back streets of society working with the broken…downtrodden..depressed? Broaden your horizons brothers and sisters…we are chosen by the Spirit to be Christ’s warriors. That might mean moving from our comfort zones to reach out to those unchurched and wanting.
Blessings
Rob Cross
thank you for keeping and reminding me to stay on my toes. awesome message!!
Hi Bernie
While I do take your point about spiritual attack, what happened to your site, IMHO, was not an attack.
Wordpress did mention upfront that free sites will have ads on them from time to time (http://en.wordpress.com/products/).
Why the specific ads (love potion, witchcraft) on your site? Most likely the automated ads targetting system lump all those things together with your site (probably under the “Spiritual Blog” category or something)
JL, leaving any humble opinions aside, lets look at what the one true authority says about this. Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me, is against me”….
Just as God ‘works all things together for good..” Romans 8:28, so Satan uses whatever he can to attack the truth and draw people away from the true light.
fiona, an interesting observation but JL’s point still stands. This was entirely and totally avoidable. This is more a case of not knowing about wordpress’ readily available T&C.
Avoiding spiritual attack by paying $29.95 to help spread the word is not that bad a deal.
I know many people with WP blogs. Those that have a message to deliver (commercial or otherwise) all opt out of the add scheme.
was surprised to see a google ad on your site for a link to ‘there is no Trinity, just the Father and the Son and a ‘force’, the Holy Spirit! That night in my reading before bed Romans 8/27 leapt into sight ‘and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He (the Holy Spirit)intercedes for the saints according to the will of God’. Thnak you Lord!
Thanks Steve – yep that anti-Trinitarian ad popped up straight after the witches’ one. Fortunately, we won’t see any more of them on my blog. But doesn’t it just show you how the forces of darkness come looking for us when we step onto the spiritual battlefield for Christ?! And how easy is it for us to ignore the spiritual battle … at our peril. Bless ya
This was a ‘just what the Doctor ordered’ message Berni. Sometimes we accept life as being run of the mill and some of it is. But when we ‘write-off’ everything to be just our dose of life or just what we deserved we lose sight of the scriptures you have used to highlight the spiritual battle and the prayerful responsibility we have. Thanks for sharing a simple real experience that was just the right prescription for me today. Time to armour-up and step-up.