THE BINDING of SATAN
~ Dr. Cindye Coates -
I wake up every morning to start my day living for Jesus, rather than against Satan. I don't have to bind Satan to get over difficulties or to make it through life and neither do you!
Is it true or myth? Literal or not? This is an important question as it still affects us thousands of years later in culture wars over science, history and religion. It figures into patriarchal society and the reduced status of women. It is the affirmation that all humans are sinful and need a savior. So this is no unimportant question.
Are we to think that God wipes away tears once we get to heaven, but we have to die to experience it?
Actually, the teaching that God will wipe away our tears isn't a promise about heaven. It is a promise for now, that extends into the afterlife.
What do beliefs have to do with our dreams? The truth is that our hearts believe tens of thousands of things about innumerable subjects. Beliefs are the fabric of our experiences, and the filter for the glorious desires within you.
I believe that God has given us the power to access, activate and achieve our dreams. Of course there are lots of methods and programs to help us reach those goals, but I wondered if it was less complicated.
And I found that it was.
Yes, we do need to learn how to steward our hearts into those dreams. But I wanted to know what the common denominator was in getting our heart's desires. Was it prayer? Was it having enough faith? Was it being smart enough? Was it just luck? Or was it an arbitrary God who blessed some but not others?
Joan was 19 when she married Sam who was 22. A couple years later, Joan and Sam attended an evangelistic service and both responded to the gospel and were baptized. Both of them grew as Christians and eventually Sam became the worship leader at his local church. Their church taught that Christians should never divorce but said the exception was abandonment or adultery.
I recceived a "ministry letter" recently which was from a well-known Christian leader who wrote that he stopped to pray just for me. Of course this was a form letter that went out to thousands of people. God showed him that we were under attack by the devil, but God showed him the secret to me getting free. It said, “I felt that your finances, health and a loved one were being attacked by the devil.” (Well, that was hard to figure out!)
A recent article (February 16, 2015) by CNN by Peter Bergen, CNN Security Analyst was called Why Does ISIS Keep Making Enemies. It is the question that many people are asking. Why far-reaching offenses toward even their closest allies like al Qaeda?
The answer, according to Bergen, is simple. It is an attempt to draw the whole world into their end time apocalypse. He writes,
As the TV show Mythbusters does, I want to explore and test the proposition that believers in Jesus Christ should expect him to come like a thief in the night. Is that really true? We are told to expect him at any moment, to watch and pray, and to be ready! Does the Bible really teach that to us, in our generation? Are we supposed to "stay on our toes" in anticipation of a secret sudden rapture?
Judgement day is near. The end of the world will come soon. Tribulation will be in full swing. Harvesting angels will bring in the "last days" harvest of souls before its too late. Even now it is happening as the wheat and tares are easily discernible. ISIS, radical Islam and a back-slidden culture are sure signs we are near the end. Right?
Wrong.
Romans 11:36 –
All things came from Him, and exist through Him, and are returning to
Him; to Him is the glory through all the Ages.
When I was quite a new Christian (in my late teens and early 20’s) I noticed something which seemed to come up quite often, when the preacher or other people in a small group were using a different translation of the Bible than I was - it was one word. Just one word which was different - but it got me curious, and over and over again over the next couple of decades it seemed to come up ore and more. So eventually, I decided to investigate it. I have been reading about it and studying it seriously, on and off, for about 15 years now.
Trying to do the right things but can’t keep up with the list? Feeling disconnected with God because you haven’t read your Bible lately and prayer is dry? Getting offended because of all the work you do in church or “for God” but things still aren’t going great…in fact life kinda stinks? Are you almost tired of being a Christian but you have enough fear of God that you can’t just walk away?
What if I could show you how to get miracles, answers and provision from God? Would you be interested? What if I could point you to a way of seeing answers to prayer without operating in control or forcing an outcome? What if the mystery of God's interaction could awaken in your heart again instead of feeling like you have to abide by another formula?