The opening sentence of the 4th chapter of 1 Timothy contains a chilling warning:
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
Doctrines of demons? The NIV renders this phrase, things taught by demons.
Did you realize that demons like to teach theology? They would love to enroll you in their seminary and put you through their courses, one by one.
What do demons teach? Whatever is in opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since the substance of the gospel is faith in Christ, the core doctrine that demons typically emphasize is doubt and unbelief.
If I could layout the standard demonic theological curriculum, it would look something like this:
- Disillusionment 101: In this course you will learn that your attempts to live the Christian life have been a great disappointment. You’ve tried it before, and it just doesn’t work . . . for you, at least. You need something else . . . something more.
- Intro to Relativism: In this course you will discover that there is actually more than one path to truth. Jesus Christ may be a way, but he is not the way.
- Applied Lawlessness: In this course you will discover that the only way for you to access the things that are beyond what Jesus can bring you is to break beyond the boundaries of what Jesus commanded.
- Advanced Bondage: Here you begin to experience the full gamut of what life outside of Christ has to offer. The results can be terrifying, to say the least!
Any time we entertain unbelief, we are sitting in the classroom of demons. And when we are sitting in the classroom of demons, it is very difficult to hear the voice of the Lord.
This is why renunciation is one of the most powerful forms of consecration. If I want to ensure that my mind and heart belong continually and completely to the Lord, I must learn how to immediately renounce whatever doctrines that the enemy tries to teach me.
When disillusionment tries to creep in, I must recognize that it is more than just a psychological or emotional state; it is a lie from the devil designed to separate my heart and mind from God’s.
When doubts about the lordship of Jesus begin to creep in, I must recognize that my intellect is not their origin. I do not doubt because I am smart; I doubt only because I have been deceived.
We must learn how to sanctify the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15) and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts (Romans 13:14).
This fast is a consecration . . . our objective is to ensure that our hearts and minds belong to God and God alone. Yes, we will wage the good warfare. We will pursue the objectives that we set out to pursue. But we must seek consecration first so that when we set our hearts upon intercession we may proceed with greater power and authority than we have ever known.
Le Juan, Justina, Steph and I were just talking about this yesterday. Hmm. Consecration.
Nice!
This is so true. Every day we are being bombarded by the messages/doctrines that the world has to offer. It’s no wonder, that hearing the voice of God, or knowing his voice at all becomes difficult.
Yes John, but it’s only difficult until we come out of that classroom and into the classroom of the Lord. Then, suddenly we find it easy to hear from God, and nearly impossible to hear anything that the enemy would speak to us!
“Any time we entertain unbelief, we are sitting in the classroom of demons.”
This made me realize the significance that community has in consecration. Though it is about our own personal consecration, I’ve realized how renunciation is less difficult when you’re surrounded by the right community. If our classroom is filled with people who will help keep us to continue to walk and believe in Truth, then there is no room for the demons to join in that classroom. But if I remove myself from the classroom of Truth and away from right community, then I leave soooooo much more room for the lies and the deception of the enemy to come and dwell with me.
As I seek consecration during this fast, I’m reminded how important it is that I have the right community around me. Though I don’t primarily depend on them throughout, they will play a significant role in keeping me in the Truth of God.
<3
Our hearts and minds belong to God and God alone… This convicted me to refrain from frequenting blogs, even the seemingly good ones like TEDtalks. Fasting from mental stimulation is not easy but the only source of truth I need right now is the Bible.