VIRUSES

VIRUSES

I recently read an article on viruses like the H1N1 pandemic last fall. The statement was made that viruses are living organisms that need a "host" in order to survive and wreak their havoc. In some cases a virus can be present for years before the host is even aware of it. Also a virus can mutate into a different form in order to avoid detection, as if it had a mind of its own! When I read this I thought about evil spirits, or demons, as the scriptures describe them. As you are aware Jesus spent a lot of His ministry time casting them out of people. Actually often when He cast them out, the person received their healing. So demons and sickness or disease are closely connected. People who live with an "Eastern World View" understand the invisible realm of the spirit much better than those of us who live in the West, with a "Western World View". We tend to see things through a lens based on a humanistic, rationalistic, mindset, which has no understanding of anything that can't be proven scientifically. This leaves us at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the supernatural invisible realm, which according to Paul is more real than what we can detect with our five senses.
(2 Cor 4:18)   

However, because Father God has given to followers of His Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit, to replace Jesus when He went back to be with the Father; we now have the ability to understand the invisible spiritual realm. In Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, he gave instructions on receiving, and properly making use of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. We find this information in chapters 12, 13, and 14, which should be studied carefully, to know how to mature in the use of these gifts. In (1 Cor 12:10) we read "He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or another spirit" (NLT).  The "other spirit" would of course be a demon, and Satan's purpose would be to lead people into deception. He is known as the "deceiver of the brethren", and there have been many cases in church history where this exact thing happened. We need to heed the warning of Jesus and the apostles to beware of false teachers or prophets who will come into our midst in these last days. See (Matt 24:23-25), and (2 Cor 11:12-15) for clear warnings from both Jesus and Paul! In light of these warnings, we should be praying for this gift of discerning of spirits mentioned above.
Sincerely submitted.
Dave Jamer