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“"It's a Question of Focus"”

Thoughts for Today:

In Romans 6:16, Paul teaches: "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" So we know that any sin can give Satan an opening. However, the Bible also clearly teaches the sin of un-forgiveness is one that we have to be especially wary of (Matthew 6:32-35 -- Parable of the Unmerciful Servant): "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

In our passage today, Paul states that un-forgiveness is one of the major ways in which Satan gains an advantage over us. However, it is equally important to understand what he didn't say: Paul didn't instruct us to spend more time studying demonology; he didn't tell us we should look for demonic activity in every unfortunate event; and he certainly didn't ask us to run around and accuse other people of being possessed by demons. All of these activities only encourage demonic activity and become a device for Satan to use against us.

Our best defense is to be so God-centered that Satan has no room in our lives. Those who are overly sensitive to Satan's presence, do so at the risk of becoming insensitive to the Lord's. In Psalm 139:8, David said, "If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." The point is, anytime there is any oppression by Satan, the Lord is there as well. It's just a question of who we choose to focus upon.

Questions to Ponder:

Who is at the center of your thoughts? Upon what do you spend the majority of your time and energy? The scheme of Satan is distraction, separation, and then destruction. Are you trapped somewhere in his maze? Place your attention on the Lord. He alone will provide the clarity, peace, and solutions we desire.

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.