In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
Do you ever wonder why that sometimes it’s so difficult to start reading the Bible or while reading the Bible, every possible distraction comes to pull you away? Or maybe you’ve been sharing scripture with someone and as soon as the listener becomes intently interested, all kinds of distractions come to interrupt you and it seems like all of hell broke loose?
We’ve seen this happen countless times when sharing the Word of God and it’s not a coincidence. One day when sharing the Gospel in a very dark neighborhood, four men came forth from a party and were listening as the anointing of God fell on us all. Two wanted to know Jesus, one prodigal wanted to be led back to Jesus, and the fourth was carrying a Bible and sharing how he had been rescued by Jesus after we had prayed for him two years earlier in another state! (That’s a powerful redemption miracle testimony for another day!)
But just as the anointing was bringing us into the light, a big fight broke out in a crowd on the sidewalk behind us and within minutes, three police cars with sirens blaring pulled up within 20 feet of us. Total chaos had broken out around us, yet we fixed our eyes upon these men and kept preaching from within the anointing which felt like a protective bubble around us.
Eventually after a few more minutes, the men began to get distracted, so we used the situation as a teaching moment. We asked if they understood that walking with Jesus gives us authority over the powers of darkness and the plans of the devil, and if they wanted to see that demonstrated. So in faith, putting ourselves out on a limb with the risk of looking quite stupid, we then turned to face the chaos and in Jesus’ name we commanded the chaos to end, commanded every demonic entity to leave, and we commanded peace over that place.
Then almost immediately (within seconds), everything began to calm down, all the fighting and screaming ended, and just as fast as they arrived the police got back in their cars, left and it was completely peaceful again (Phil 4:7). The men looked with total astonishment as the power of God’s word had just cast out demons and brought peace because Jesus is the Word and He is the Prince of peace.
My friends, He really has given us all authority over the powers of darkness, if we will only believe. He is the greatest lover of our souls and brings light to all men and will not be denied His rightful place with us, certainly not by some punk demons.
In Jesus’ parable about the sower and the seed , Jesus said, “When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts”.
This is because all of hell and every demon on earth, is trying to stop (and steal) the Word of God, from being rooted in your heart.
Why? Because the Word of God is more valuable than gold and silver (Pslm 9:10), and more powerful than any force in the universe, (the Word was God) and a thief only comes to steal things that are highly valuable.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Satan is terrified that the Word of God might dwell in you and become flesh. He tries every possible distraction to keep us out of the Word so it doesn’t get rooted in our heart, so we won’t look like Jesus, and so we won’t walk in His great power that has already put satan under foot.
So next time you are having trouble reading the Word of God, make sure you understand why, and make a commitment that you will no longer allow a punk thief to steal your inheritance in Christ. Make sure you don’t back down and settle for chump change because He that is in you, is far greater than he who is in the world.
Jesus has already given us the victory if we won’t back down. The Bible says that God takes no pleasure when we shrink back (Heb 10:38 ), so we must lean into Christ, commune with Him through the Word, and take our rightful victory.
Jesus is the Word and He was referred to as the bread from heaven (Jn 6:32). Whenever we read the Word, we are eating bread from heaven and partaking in a prophetic form of communion, bringing us into remembrance of Him. All of hell is trying to stop us from communing and supping with Jesus – don’t fall for it. Eat and drink with the great I AM!
…. until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12
Scott Levesque
3/31/2022