Conversation with a Demon

"And Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Legion'; for many demons had entered him." (Luke 8:30)

I was on my way to an undisclosed location. (I am purposely disguising various portions of this story to protect the innocent ~ myself included.) As I was journeying to this place, I had a good sense of the presence of God, was enjoying recognizing it and rejoicing.

It was in this "mood" that I arrived at my destination and was met by someone that I hadn't seen in a while. This is a person I am friendly with and have known for a long time.

Immediately, he or she (still disguising things as best I can) made an odd comment. (I just got chills writing that.) They said, "Hey Mike, you know the Bible talks about giants."

My antennae went up.

This person never talks about the Bible. I mean, never. So something unusual was happening.

I knew it was the Enemy.

I quickly responded, "Yes, the Nephilim." (Genesis 6:4) "That's right," they immediately said. (I'm still getting chills.)

Now you got to know a little bit more. I know about this person that was talking to me. I know that he or she (they) have been exposed (and given themselves) to New Age and cult practices. And so I was all the more tuned in, on the alert.

The conversation continued as "they" said there was a certain cosmic occurrence that was about to take place that would trigger another alien visitation to the earth which hadn't happened in a very long time.

It was as if Satan had put bait on a hook (more chills) to get me to try and bite (in the sense that I would confront this person and/or try to share the Gospel at that moment with him/her). But I didn't. I wouldn't. It simply wasn't the time or place.

As I reflect upon the encounter I believe God was wanting to show me something else.

And our Lord did speak of the end of the world and that it would include an atmosphere identical to that of Noah's day. (Luke 17:26)

And let me just say: Those same spirits that overtook the world prior to the Flood have been (and are being) released in ours (in all their decadence and filth). (Revelation 12:12)

Listen: "They" know who we (believers in Jesus) are.

Make sure you have your armor on. (Ephesians 6:13-18)

(The Fall of the Rebel Angels picture is in the public domain: click here.)

You might also be interested in:

• Signs of the Evil Times
• The Devil at the Door

Kissing Man

"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

(This is the second in a series: Taking It to the Streets.)

I used to lead worship in San Francisco for the street evangelism team on Friday nights. We would drive from Fremont in the East Bay (where I lived and went to Bible school) to the City to meet at a downtown church for prayer. It was always a thrill to hear which part of town we were going to.

This particular night it was the Tenderloin District.

We sang and praised the Lord like we always did. Then we began to converse with the onlookers.

And you know, as I look back, it's interesting to note how God directs people into our lives. We don't always think this way ~ that every encounter is actually planned by "Providence" ~ but it is.

And on this night in particular, "Providence" had a certain gentleman (as I like to say) come up to me and we began talking. I can't remember exactly what was said, but I do know that I found out he was formerly a preacher (I was studying to be one at the time) and had walked away from the Lord, lost his marriage, his kids, etc. (It was a sad story.)

Of course, I was reminding him how he could turn back to God and Jesus would forgive him.

That's when it happened.

He asked me a question. "Can I kiss you?" I was caught off guard.

"What did you say?" I responded.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked it again.

"No," I said. "That's not right."

I seem to recall that his response to my "No," was, "You're rejecting me."

He went his way.

And let me just be blunt. It was an evil spirit that had captured this man via his own choice to entertain lust over the years.

Jesus can rescue you from the spirit of lust if you're bound by it yourself.

You might also be interested in:

• Bat Man
• Sometimes you just need to worship because...

4 Lessons I've Learned in 4 Years of Tweeting

It's my 4-year anniversary on Twitter. (Send presents.) I posted my first tweet four years ago (November 19, 2008). Twitter was younger then. (I was, too.)

I've learned a lot in four years of tweeting. At the writing of this post that's 79,584 tweets to be exact. And I'm an introvert after all. (I really am!)

I've had my Twitter "ups" (making a difference as a Gospel minister in thousands of people's lives all over the world) and I've had my Twitter "downs" (like the time I lost 22,000 followers overnight due to a Twitter glitch ~ #failwhale).

But I don't want to talk about "ups" and "downs" so much. What I do want to reflect upon are some other lessons that I hope may be a help to you whether you've been a Twitter user for a long time or just starting out.

And so here we go with...

4 Lessons I've Learned in 4 Years of Tweeting:

LESSON 1: Relationships will change.

People will come and people will go on Twitter just like in real life. There will be those that you are close to on Twitter today, but you won't be tomorrow. (Where did they go?) The neat thing is there will be others that come along ~ new relationships ~ to replace the old. And that Twitter follower that you watch from afar today just might be your BFF (best friend forever) tomorrow. Who knows?

LESSON 2: It's easy to become obsessed.

Yes, like anything else, Twitter (and social media in general for that matter) can become an obsession. And let me just say, it's not social media's (and Twitter in particular's) fault. The common thread is it's human beings that use it. And it's human beings that fall in the trap of "abusing" it. So take time off. (I'm talking to myself, too.) Schedule breaks and stick to your schedule.

LESSON 3: Use people's names and say "Thank you."

I guess I learned this one from being in ministry. Twitter is all about relationships. And it's the simple things that really make all the difference ~ like greeting people (saying "Hello") and using people's names when you're tweeting with them. And I like to say "Thank you" when they retweet me or I read something they've tweeted and it speaks to or blesses me. (Retweeting others is a "Thank you" in itself.)

LESSON 4: You will be judged.

I saved this one for last probably because it's the hardest one to deal with. You can have 99 out of 100 people say nice things about you, but it's that one critical "voice" that you remember. (Isn't it true?) I have been judged for my tweets and how I tweet and even to the point of not spelling "God" with a capital "G" and using a lower case "g" instead in my Twitter name. (I've tried to tell people it's a Twitter thing ~ using lower case ~ but they still misjudge me.) So how do I deal with it? In the worst cases especially I find the best way to diffuse the judgment "voice" is to not respond and forgive.

You might also be interested in:

• 7 Mistakes Women and Men Make with Twitter (plus 1 bonus)
• A Social Media Morning in the Life of Pastor Mike