How can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his
property, unless he first binds the strong man? (Matthew 12:29).

Another common misconception of the spiritual world is that some
problems are psychological and some are spiritual. This
misconception implies a division between the human soul and
spirit, which does not exist. There is no inner conflict which is
not psychological, because there is never a time when your mind,
emotions and will are not involved. Similarly, there is no
problem which is not spiritual. There is no time when God is not
present or when it is safe for you to take off the armor of God.
The tendency is to polarize into a deliverance ministry, ignoring
the realities of the physical realm, or a psychotherapeutic
ministry, ignoring the spiritual realm.

Dr. Paul Hiebert, a missions specialist, contends that, as long
as believers accept a two-tier worldview with God confined to the
supernatural and the natural world operating for all practical
purposes according to autonomous scientific laws, Christianity
will continue to be a secularizing force in the world. If your
worldview does not recognize the activity of the god of this
world in human problems, it is at best incomplete and at worst a
distortion of reality.

Another misconception is that Christian aren’t subject to demon
activity. The prevailing belief among evangelicals today is that
Christians cannot be severely oppressed by demons. Even the
suggestion that demonic influence can be part of the problem
often prompts the hasty disclaimer, “Impossible! I’m a
Christian!”

Nothing has done greater damage to diagnosing spiritual problems
than this untruth. If Satan can’t touch the church, why are we
instructed to put on the armor of God, to resist the devil, to
stand firm, and to be alert? If we aren’t susceptible to being
wounded or trapped by Satan, why does Paul describe our
relationship to the powers of darkness as a wrestling match?
Those who deny the enemy’s potential for destruction are the most
vulnerable to it.

Father, I don’t want to be ignorant in matters of the spiritual
world. Remove all blinders from my eyes so I may see clearly and
share the truth with others.

This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.GOSHEN.net/ . It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.freedominchrist.com/ .