“Agents” Against a Spiritual SPECTRE
Bond…James Bond.
Wouldn’t you love to introduce yourself that way? Or at least meet Agent 007, the legendary character who has inspired 23 films over the last 50 years!
Think about it, if you are a teenager, then your grandparents probably went to see a Bond movie back in the day. And as well, the original actor who played the first Bond (Sean Connery) could BE your grandpa!
But here we are in 2015, with Daniel Craig’s steely blue-eyed gaze that penetrates the hearts of the good, the bad and the ugly in his explosion-a-minute world. In this latest release, he comes face to face with an organization called SPECTRE, which stands for: Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.
You gotta give these guys props for being very straightforward with their motives — right? Basically this is a global terrorist organization with no political alliances made up of characters from The Gestapo, The Mafia, drug cartels and a host of other groups that don’t play well with others.
But when they play together, they wreak havoc on people and property in a very “specter”-like fashion (spectre is the British spelling for specter—meaning “ghost”— get it?)
Enter James Bond—a man armed and ready to foil the evil plans of SPECTRE and bring justice for their victims. He is a powerhouse combination of brains and brawn, and he is fearless in the face of danger.
Man—I would love to be James Bond for a day. I’d love to come face to face with an eeeeeeevil SPECTRE agent and take him down to Prisontown—wouldn’t you?
But wait…if you and I are followers of Christ, we are faced with the battle between good and evil on a spiritual level each and every day. Our enemy is not SPECTRE, but it is a much more powerful array of forces drawn together under the leadership of SATAN.
And when we feel discouraged or overwhelmed in the battle, we can gain great hope from this amazing encounter:
They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As he stepped out onto land, a madman from town met him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn’t worn clothes for a long time, nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery. When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before him, and bellowed, “What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!” (The man said this because Jesus had started to order the unclean spirit out of him.) Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles, but crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Mob. My name is Mob,” he said, because many demons afflicted him. And they begged Jesus desperately not to order them to the bottomless pit.
A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned (Luke 8:26-33, The Message).
Amazing—right? Jesus comes face to face with a man who has the strength of The Hulk and a host of powerful demons.
But the Son of God need only speak a word, and the evil was blown away like a leaf in a tornado. The man was freed from Satan’s power, and if you read the rest of his story, he went back to his hometown and became a powerful witness for Jesus.
Did you know that the same power Jesus used to cast out the demons lives in you? The Holy Spirit indwells your soul, therefore through Him you have the power to blow away evil as well!
But don’t make the mistake that many Christians make—thinking that people are the problem. No, the evil we fight is spiritual in nature and demonic in origin. So the “weapons” we use are things like the Word of God, prayer and faith that God will be victorious.
So if you aren’t feeling as bold as Bond lately in your efforts against the powers of darkness, remember the power of Jesus and the tools He has given us to be effective “agents” in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Darkness.
And may your heart be shaken—not just stirred—for THE Cause!
Let’s take a cue from 007 to be motivated in our efforts to be used by Jesus! If Jesus can cast out a mob of demons in one man, think about what He can do in your situation!
Want to use this Soul Fuel as a bible study with your students this week? Copy and text them the following: “Did you know that the same power Jesus used against spiritual darkness lives in you? Learn more in this week’s devo: http://hubs.ly/H01lKWw0“
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