Today, I read the scariest verse in the entire Bible. It isn’t the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, it wasn’t Saul (pre-saved Paul) pulling people out of their homes for following Jesus and executing them. It wasn’t the disciples hiding out after the crucifixion, paralyzed with fear. It wasn’t even the Old Testament stories of cannibalism or torture.
Luke 22:3 “Then entered Satan into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.” (KJV) Why is this verse so scary? Because that could happen to us! Before you get defensive and say ‘that would never happen to me,’ let me walk you through a few things. Remember, Jesus chose him! Luke 6:13 tells us ‘And when it was day, he called unto him, his disciples, and of them he CHOSE twelve, who he also named apostles,’ Then in verse 16 ‘And Judas, the brother of James and Judas Iscariot, which was the traitor.’ So Judas Iscariot was chosen by Jesus to be one of the elite. He was also the treasurer which meant he had some credibility with everyone in the executive committee, the apostles. We know that he was sent out with all of them and performed signs and wonders, he struggled with greed as we see in the story of the woman with the alabaster jar, but he also sat at Jesus feet and was taught with all the others. Judas chose to follow Jesus, in spite of the challenges the entire group faced. That took tenacity and dedication. This group was hated by the leadership of the day and challenged by many. They did have a level of celebrity with some of the people, but that waxed and waned depending on the circumstances. He watched Jesus heal people, multiply food, and walk on water. He, like the others, probably struggled within himself, with his own shortcomings, but Judas chose to stay the course. I’ve heard many teachings over the years about Judas and his motives. However, we truly cannot judge the state of his heart at the time and neither can these teachers. How do I know that? Because each one of us face the very same things in our own spiritual journey. Sometimes we are completely dedicated and fully following Jesus, others we struggle with our own humanity. Now back to the reason this verse is so scary. There are many people who glibly say that a Christian can’t have a demon. Well it isn’t that simple. There is a huge difference between saying the sinners prayer and fully giving your life to Christ. It is obvious that some folks say a prayer at some point to get their ‘hell insurance.’ They think, and are probably taught, that prayer ensures your ticket into heaven. However, the truth is, that the only way of ensuring our salvation and deliverance into eternity with Jesus, is to make Him Lord of our lives. This begins with the prayer of repentance, submission, and dedication, but continues in our daily lives with our choices and our heart. Several years ago, I read a book by John and Paula Sanford that explained it perfectly. I can’t remember the exact book or the story, but it gave me the realization, that even though I absolutely loved Jesus and tried to do everything to please Him, when I allowed my anger to get out of control, that was a level of demonic influence. So, while the part of me that was fully surrendered to Jesus, and was ‘saved or safe’, the part of me that allowed my flesh to take over and cause destruction, was not. Luke 21:19 says ‘in your patience, possess your soul.’ Wow, that is powerful. As we move through our walk with Jesus, it is our job to ‘possess’ our soul and be sanctified. That is a process. It is a process that is the result of our choices every single moment of every single day. You see, Judas made choices that was against his soul. He allowed his greed to become bigger than his dedication to Jesus. That my friends, is why this verse is so scary. Many people say that Judas went to hell, however we see clearly in Matthew 27:3 ‘Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, REPENTED himself, and brought again his thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.’ I truly believe that Judas was ‘saved’ throughout his journeys with the Lord. It looked a bit different than it did after the resurrection, but safe, or saved non-the-less. Why do I believe that? Because conviction came on Judas and he repented. If he wasn’t saved or safe, the conviction would not have come. When we allow our ‘soul’ or our ‘flesh’ as some would call it, to overtake us and we behave according to that, instead of what we know Christ would have us do, we are allowing the enemy to use us to bring destruction. Many top leaders in the church have done this. A pastor who manipulates women into have sex with him, a youth or children’s pastor who molests children, a business leader who skims money out of the coffers, a parent who seriously abuses their children, I could go on, but you get the point. The only way to can guarantee that ‘Satan will not enter us’ is by working hard every day to grow in your relationship with Christ, get rooted and grounded in His word, and by repenting and turning from the things that the Holy Spirit convicts you about. Churches today are so worried about offending people, that they quit preaching convicting sermons. Because of that they quit teaching what SIN is. When you don’t know what sin is, then you mistake conviction for offense. Satan cannot have any part of you that is not dedicated wholly and completely to Christ. The Sanford’s taught that the cross was like a ray of light shining into the darkest part of your heart. When the light of the cross shines in, it displaces the darkness, then you invite the Holy Spirit into fill that place, the enemy can no longer have a hold on that place, unless you willfully allow it. But in the dark places, where we don’t allow the cross to penetrate, the enemy can influence and use it to bring destruction into our life. This is how ‘Satan entered into Judas.’ He didn’t have the cross, but he had Jesus and he didn’t surrender those dark places fully to Jesus. This isn’t just about being saved or eternal security. Remember salvation is the beginning of our journey, sanctification is the rest of it. So if Satan can’t have your heart, his next best thing is to make you totally ineffective. If he can use you through those dark places in your heart, then he has done his job and stolen your destiny. So today, pray, and ask the Lord to show you any darkness in your heart. Then repent of any sins around that darkness and ask Him to bring healing. Finally invite the Holy Spirit into that place to bring healing and wholeness. Then Satan will never be able to use that part of you again. This is a process, so you may have to repeat this throughout your life. That is the process of sanctification, and it may take some time, or you may need a bit of help. But commit to this process and watch your life change in ways you could never imagine. Then, and only then, can you be guaranteed that the enemy won’t be able to use you for destruction, like Judas. My prayer over you: Father, hold my friend in your hand, reveal the darkness that you want to heal. Help them see how this darkness has brought pain and destruction and show them how to repent of their part. Then Father shed your light fully and send Holy Spirit to engulf it. Bring complete healing and wholeness and strength to my friend. Reveal the complete truth to them and cover them as they heal and move forward in their destiny. In Jesus Holy Name, Amen.
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AuthorI'm a wife, Mom, grandma, teacher, friend... Lived a while and still have some living to do. Archives
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