Strong Man Of God Blog

          The binding tie of addiction Satan uses to bind men up is especially effective and devastating in helping him plunder their lives, families and communities.  While this tie has varying degrees of strength and impact, at whatever degree it is ruinous and without being delivered, many work their own destruction leading to death in some manner every day.  As a former captive of addiction bound by drug and alcohol abuse, I write with great empathy for those that are now, bound to commend my Lord Jesus Christ to you as the way to complete deliverance and permanent freedom.  Indeed, I have been free from cigarettes my last drug of choice 36 years; other drugs and alcohol over 42 years!¹

          According to Bible prophecy, drug abuse with the accompanying tie of addiction is going to be an issue in the world until the Lord returns.  Of the deeds men will refuse to repent of in the face of severe divine warning judgments and preliminary displays of wrath is their sorceries (Revelation 9:13-21, 16:10-11).  Sorcery is not only associated with witchcraft, but the admixture of chemicals of various kinds to achieve an altered state of mind (which illicit and many legal drugs can also do) during or in performing it with the aid of demons.  Indeed, many Bible students have duly noted how sorcery in the Greek language is “pharmakeia” from which we get our English word, “pharmacy.”²

          One reason drugs and alcohol will continue to be widely used and abused in these latter days is because of their false value as a means to cope with the unprecedented stresses of reality (such as what many have felt dealing with God’s Coronavirus judgment), political instability, intensifying lawlessness, murders, economic upheaval, hardships created by the quickly moving times along with afflictions and widespread death (Isaiah 24:7-13; Revelation 6:1-8).³  However, producing more powerful prescription drugs, legalizing those that are or were once illicit such as marijuana as a gateway drug that leads to those more addictive or making alcohol plentiful are not the right solutions.

          Repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as I am a witness is the healthy right answer for everyone!  For He not only releases those captive to addiction through drugs and alcohol (or whatever), but walking by faith in Him, those set free are able to enjoy the fullness of His love, peace and eternal life in themselves and effectively cope in this turbulent world under approaching divine wrath (John 7:37-39, 10:10, 14:15-27, 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)!  Satan’s aim with every tie he uses to bind men is to destroy us, our families and communities as I point out in our second Strong Man Of God Online Rally.⁴  Christ though, came to set us free from all satanic ties beginning with sin and make us eternally strong in Him.⁵

1 Read Part Four of the Releasing The Strong Man Commentary where by way of testimony I discuss the origins of my drug and alcohol abuse also cited in the footnotes of
   the February 17, 2019 post, Surrendering All To Jesus, under the category, Glory To God! 

2 Use  your  favorite  search  engine  to  verify  what  I have written and delve deeper into the word.  Knowing what I know spiritually and from my former drug abuse experi-
   ences,  I have limited my acceptance of legal and safe prescription drugs offered by doctors and those from over the counter to only what is absolutely necessary.  For ex-
   ample, rather than pills to treat high blood pressure, the Lord has helped me be free of it through a healthier low salt diet, exercise and walking.

3 What started out as teenage exploration and recreational “fun” became young adult addiction as I found myself needing these items to help me cope better--I thought--with
   life and its troubles.  It was and is a lie!

4 View the rally and subscribe to the channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13NjNpNexg.

5 Learn  about  becoming  a strong man of God in Christ’s image in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics along with companion works The Strong Man Of God
   Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store.

          As the Lord leads, I write briefly to elaborate further on His instructive illustration using the concept of a strong man to rebuke Israel’s religious leaders in their blasphemous accusation He cast out demons by Satan recorded in Matthew 12:22-30.  This is the text I use in my Releasing The Strong Man message during our second Online Rally rolled out November 27th, Hallelujah, Free!¹  The same incident is also presented in Mark 3:22-27 and Luke 11:14-23.  The Lord arrives at His strong man illustration after making it perfectly clear the man He had just healed through casting out a demon that made him blind and mute was “by the Spirit of God” (Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 12:28, NKJV).

          Very historically significant and spiritually pregnant, Luke wrote the Lord said He performed the healing “with the finger of God,” (Exodus 8:16-19; Luke 11:20, NKJV).  Both expressions convey the infinitely superior power of the Kingdom of God over Satan’s kingdom on display for all to see!  For as the Holy Spirit is the actualizing Agent of God’s Word that caused the universe to leap into existence out of nothing and lice from dust men practicing the occult recognized (Genesis 1:1-3; Exodus 8:19), so, Israel’s religious leaders supposedly in the know about God should have immediately been rejoicing with everyone else that He had mightily shown up in the miracle! 

          Religion deadened the hearts of these men as it does many today.  Not being willing to acknowledge the spiritually obvious, the Lord uses the logic of the natural world in His rebuke of Israel’s religious leaders to hopefully help them see the truth.  In the natural world no one can typically enter into a strong man’s house and take his goods.  Strong here expresses the idea of being well equipped whether physically in body, with weapons or both to repel anyone that would tread upon the premises a man guards to take from him.  The only way such a thing could happen is if the one who enters the strong man’s house is actually stronger than he is!²

          Thus, if the Lord Jesus cast a demon out of the man, then, He is plainly stronger!  Satan would not foolishly do this since the demon belongs to his kingdom and has bound up and occupied the man serving his kingdom purposes.  Christ freed the man on this and every other occasion He cast out demons because His Kingdom is stronger!  As the Lord led me to point out in the Online Rally message, Satan has bound every sinful man in some form because he though fallen, is an angel and naturally stronger than we mortals.³  But Christ being stronger than Satan is not only able to release us from his binding ties, but enable us to become the eternally strong men of God in His image God intended from the beginning who in His strength, can repel Satan’s efforts to bind us going forward!⁴

1 View the rally and subscribe to the channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13NjNpNexg.

2 Please note the Lord is not advocating for men to be ready to pulverize or keep weapons to fend off home intruders, but only relating the natural posture of men who under-
   stand  their  role  as  protectors of their families and homes.  That said, the Lord’s use of the strong man in His illustration affirms this divine assigned role of men from crea-
   tion as protectors of their families and homes.  Men in this role imitate God who protects Heaven--no one will ever roll up into Heaven to successfully bind God, unseat Him
   and plunder His House (Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:7-9, 12, 19:11-16, 20:1-3, 7-10)!

3 Satan  binds  men  as  sinners through the ties of sin, fallen thinking, emotions, attitudes and deeds as well as the fear of death and evil desires (Proverbs 20:9; Romans 3:
   9-20, 23; Galatians 5:19-21; Hebrews 2:14-15; James 1:12-15).

4 Read  and take to heart Ephesians 6:10-18!  Learn about becoming a strong man of God in Christ’s image in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics along with
   companion   works  The  Strong  Man Of  God  Men’s  Group  Study  and  Great  Woman  Of  God  Women’s  Group  Study  at  your favorite internet book seller and in the
   Strong Man Store.