25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the devil.
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
The passage tells us that sinful anger left unconfessed and unresolved gives "place to the devil." These and other practices that are spoken of in this passage and the following verses constitute forms of behavior that are not pleasing to the Lord. The enemy will tempt us to veer off the course God has set for us, seeking to lure us with promises of a better way if we would just choose to yield. We have to be strong against temptation and rely on God's strength to overcome.
+++++
The Bible offers us great principles that we can apply in the practice of spiritual warfare, reminding us of the tools available to us to walk in victory. Ephesians 6 says:
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
One of the latest Internet sensations is a game with a very simple setup and a dangerous premise. Participants draw two lines on a sheet of paper - one horizontal, one vertical, crossing in the middle. That leaves 4 sections. Then, the squares are alternately filled in with the words, "yes" or "no." Two pencils are then placed on the paper on top of each other.
Here's where it gets creepy. According to the Christian Today website, in what is called the "Charlie Charlie Challenge," participants then invoke the Mexican demon known as Charlie asking questions such as, "Charlie, are you here?" or "Can we play?" And if the apparatus mysteriously moves, then the challenge worked.
Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Dallas, has called the game "detestable," and cannot stress enough that Christians should not be taking part in it. The article refers to this statement to Christian Post: "The Bible is clear that Christians should run — not walk — away from any attempt to contact or harness demonic powers through games like Charlie, Charlie." He cited Deuterlnomy 18:10, which says "whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord." He added, "Any parent who takes the Word of God seriously will do whatever is necessary to keep his or her child away from games like these, which God has strictly forbidden."
Pastor Jeffress says that, "If a child shows an interest in games like this, parents — instead of panicking — should use this natural interest in the spiritual world to calmly share what God has said about the reality of the spirit world and how to make contact with God rather than Satan and his demons." Pastor Carl Gallups of Hickory Hollow Baptist outside Pensacola is also quoted in the article - he told WPTF news radio that a lot of people are actually being fooled by the game since it is so easy to blow the two pencils on top of one another and make it move. People automatically assume that spirits are communicating with them when in fact the movement was just caused by air.
Christian Today columnist Martin Saunders of Youthscape says:
Yes, there is a supernatural realm - it is where demonic forces operate. And, the good news is that God and His forces are there, as well. We cannot deny this - there is more than what is detected by our five physical senses. As we acknowledge Christ and His power, we can also recognize that there is an enemy whom Jesus Himself taught comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
There is much that transpires in this world that can be attributed to these destructive forces. And, Satan also desires to bring humans under his control. If he cannot keep us out of a relationship with Christ, he can certainly make us more unproductive in the Christian life. Through the realm of our minds, he can plant thoughts to seduce us into sin and lure us into error. We have to use spiritual resources in order to defeat him, but the good news is that God has given us the tools in the Spirit.
Finally, we have to be sure that we are not giving a place to the enemy by dabbling in activities that are more in line with his ways, his plan for your life, rather than God's ways and His plan for you. Something, even like the "Charlie Charlie Challenge," can seem rather harmless, but opens the door to spiritual activity that does not please God.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
One of the latest Internet sensations is a game with a very simple setup and a dangerous premise. Participants draw two lines on a sheet of paper - one horizontal, one vertical, crossing in the middle. That leaves 4 sections. Then, the squares are alternately filled in with the words, "yes" or "no." Two pencils are then placed on the paper on top of each other.
Here's where it gets creepy. According to the Christian Today website, in what is called the "Charlie Charlie Challenge," participants then invoke the Mexican demon known as Charlie asking questions such as, "Charlie, are you here?" or "Can we play?" And if the apparatus mysteriously moves, then the challenge worked.
Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Dallas, has called the game "detestable," and cannot stress enough that Christians should not be taking part in it. The article refers to this statement to Christian Post: "The Bible is clear that Christians should run — not walk — away from any attempt to contact or harness demonic powers through games like Charlie, Charlie." He cited Deuterlnomy 18:10, which says "whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord." He added, "Any parent who takes the Word of God seriously will do whatever is necessary to keep his or her child away from games like these, which God has strictly forbidden."
Pastor Jeffress says that, "If a child shows an interest in games like this, parents — instead of panicking — should use this natural interest in the spiritual world to calmly share what God has said about the reality of the spirit world and how to make contact with God rather than Satan and his demons." Pastor Carl Gallups of Hickory Hollow Baptist outside Pensacola is also quoted in the article - he told WPTF news radio that a lot of people are actually being fooled by the game since it is so easy to blow the two pencils on top of one another and make it move. People automatically assume that spirits are communicating with them when in fact the movement was just caused by air.
Christian Today columnist Martin Saunders of Youthscape says:
The Bible talks about demonic forces often: Jesus casts them out of people; Paul warns not to 'participate' with them (1 Corinthians 10:20); and James says they believe in God – and shudder (James 2:19). In the Old Testament, God and his prophets are frequently warning Israel not to get involved with those who practice the occult, from Deuteronomy 18's list of 'abominable practices' to the grisly description of demonic sacrifice in Psalm 106.
That's not why young people are interested however. They're intrigued because they've seen one of those pencils move on a YouTube video, or heard a story about a demon who might be real, and can prove his existence. When they 'play' however, they're entering the world described in all those verses.There are all sorts of implications for each of us. If parents know that their children are taking part in this seemingly harmless, Ouija-board-type activity, it's important to take the appropriate action to curtail it, and as Pastor Jeffress suggests, take advantage of that teachable moment to discuss the spiritual realm.
Yes, there is a supernatural realm - it is where demonic forces operate. And, the good news is that God and His forces are there, as well. We cannot deny this - there is more than what is detected by our five physical senses. As we acknowledge Christ and His power, we can also recognize that there is an enemy whom Jesus Himself taught comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
There is much that transpires in this world that can be attributed to these destructive forces. And, Satan also desires to bring humans under his control. If he cannot keep us out of a relationship with Christ, he can certainly make us more unproductive in the Christian life. Through the realm of our minds, he can plant thoughts to seduce us into sin and lure us into error. We have to use spiritual resources in order to defeat him, but the good news is that God has given us the tools in the Spirit.
Finally, we have to be sure that we are not giving a place to the enemy by dabbling in activities that are more in line with his ways, his plan for your life, rather than God's ways and His plan for you. Something, even like the "Charlie Charlie Challenge," can seem rather harmless, but opens the door to spiritual activity that does not please God.
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