Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Psalm 74:3
I haven’t always been passionate about the Word of God, but do you know how I got so hungry for it? After I got saved, I started traveling with James Robison and doing youth meetings. He started preaching on demonic spirits, and I told him I didn’t understand what he was talking about. So he said, “Why don’t you and Debbie come over to the house, and we’ll make homemade ice cream and get in the Word?”
We joined them one night, and James read Psalm 74:3, which says, “Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.” He asked me, “Who’s the Enemy?” I said, “Satan.” He asked, “Where does it say he is?” I said, “The sanctuary.” He said, “Point to the sanctuary.” I said, “Wait a minute. Are you telling me I have demons?” He said, “Oh, Robert, you have lots of them.” I was rattled. I wanted to get them out, but he said, “No, we just need to keep reading the Word. We need to fill our houses with the Word of God.”
It didn’t make sense to me right then because I had always been taught that Christians can’t be in bondage to demons. But that’s not what Scripture says. It tells us it’s possible for a Christian to have a whole flock of demons. Who do you think the demons are going after? They’re not going after the world because the world is already on their side. However, if they can keep the Church in bondage then they can keep the Church from presenting Jesus to the world.
In Matthew 12:43–45, Jesus says, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” The key term in this verse 39 is the word “empty.” See, if the spirit of lust, pride, insecurity or any other demon is driven out of you, it will come back with others. Your house might be clean and in order, but if it’s empty the demons can return worse than before.
That’s why when James helped me realize I had bondages in my life. I said, “Let’s get them out.” But he said, “First, let’s fill your house with the Word of God, so when they leave, they stay gone.” If you’re saved, but you still have sin and bondage in your life, the best thing you can do is read the Word.
PRAYER
God, thank You that Your Word provides protection from the bondage of the Enemy. Help me to fill myself up with Your Word, so the Enemy will fail when he comes against me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 8:16–17; Mark 3:11; Mark 9:14–29
Taken from It Is Written, a Gateway devotion.