Throw salt over your shoulder, do not walk under a ladder, cross your fingers, superstitions, leftovers from the days when people were truly afraid of the dark, because in those days there were at times things in the dark to be afraid of. “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.” (Acts 19:19)
Go even further back, back to the days of Moloch and Dagon, the gods of the Amorites and the other tribes that dotted the countryside. These people did not worship these gods just because they needed someone to worship, these gods were demons, and they exercised the authority they had, and still have, over the people of those days, they showed the ability to do things that humans could not do, and so they were feared. Have you ever given any thought to the reason that there were so many people that were possessed by demons in the days of Jesus, and why it was so prevalent. Do you wonder if it is still common today, but is just covered up by the media, or perhaps it is because they no longer turn their victims into madmen when they enter into them, perhaps they have learned that power expressed in other forms avails them much more.
These are the powers of Spiritual darkness (Eph. 6:12) that we fight against my brothers and sisters, and yes, we must include human beings who are not possessed, but who have willingly of their own volition chosen to stand against the Most High God. A foolish endeavor, yet one that none the less they pursue.
Superstition, for the most part, is dead on this planet, the rise of technology in all its forms killed it, and along with it the fear of the dark, the dark forces that have not abated one bit. There are exactly the same numbers of demons troubling this world today as there was the moment they were cast out of heaven with their leader Satan, no more, no less, but they have grown exponentially in knowledge much faster than the human race has. Barely one hundred years ago the main form of transportation was the horse, lands were plowed with oxen and sweat, not diesel motors and GPS systems, over six thousand years of trial and trouble just to stay alive. Now, when possible we go on roller coaster rides, watch movies, and attend carnivals to reach a point of self-inflicted safe fear, and this has caused the lost to, in most cases, lose their fear of what is in the dark, and now for the believers, to let their guards down over the last few decades, decades that we can now look back on and see how our adversary crept in right under our noses.
No prayer in schools, abortion, the me generation, the pursuit of the things of the world, the loss of God-fearing pastors standing upright and shouting, “Thus saith the Lord!” Now, today, we find ourselves, as it were, not on the losing side of course, but in a much worse battle than we would have been in if we simply would have wielded our sword, the Word of God, (Heb. 4:12) more proficiently, more earnestly, and with a fervor that would not quit. The abortion clock is not going to be turned back, children will continue to be sacrificed, the masks, the vaccine and all of the regulations and rules that will come with it are not going to disappear. The saddest part of all of this though is not shown in the renewed vigor of the Christian warriors, but in the ever prevalent “I hope the Lord comes back soon.”
As the churches continue to close, the Christians continue to hide in their houses, as evil begins to cover this earth, some believers do little more than pray for the rapture, their swords dry and rusted in the corner. We do not need superstition anymore, far too many are living lives of fear without being concerned about whether or not they stepped on a crack that day.
The trowel in the days of Nehemiah was used to repair the city, (Neh. 4:17) the sword was kept in the other hand to ward off and defend the city and its inhabitants from those who would see the people of God fail. I do not think that many Christians know where either of those implements they were supposed to be wielding are anymore, perhaps they never owned them in the first place, perhaps they like hiding in their houses, perhaps fear suits them better than faith.
I believe that there are a lot of people that are going to be put to the test in the days ahead, tests that will show them who it is they really serve, and sadly many will find that it was only themselves they were concerned with. I hope you are not one of them, I hope I will see you when we get home, I hope you are keeping your sword sharp.
