❀ ❁ January 10th ❀ ❁
In the book of Tobit, Sarah is being ridiculed by a servant because she has been married seven times. A demon has murdered her husbands on each wedding night, before consummation. Being plagued by a demon causes Sarah enough grief and embarrassment that she considers suicide. It is not until Sarah cries out to God for His help that her situation becomes remedied. She is giving Him permission to remove this demon from her life and free her.
C.S. Lewis writes about lust in The Great Divorce, in a story called "The Little Red Lizard." In this tale, an angel offers to kill the demon plaguing a man, who refuses, stating he can handle the creature on his shoulder himself. The angel is not free to kill the lizard without the man's permission. The man is afraid of the pain of having the thing taken from him.
C.S. Lewis writes about lust in The Great Divorce, in a story called "The Little Red Lizard." In this tale, an angel offers to kill the demon plaguing a man, who refuses, stating he can handle the creature on his shoulder himself. The angel is not free to kill the lizard without the man's permission. The man is afraid of the pain of having the thing taken from him.
How often do hold onto our own demons? Like the man in the Lewis story, we sheepishly decline to give our struggles and addictions over to the LORD. We have much to give up in the process, including the excitement and the fun of sin.
A friend of mine who struggled with shopping addiction finally prayed for the LORD to remove this sin from her. Not long after she did it, her checking account was emptied out by an anonymous thief. Hundreds of dollars were taken and was done in such a way that it was difficult for her to get her money back. In the interim, she had to rely on her husband and had to become accountable for each purchase she made with his card. No longer could she lie to him about purchases, claiming they were items given to her by friends or overstating her grocery bill needs in order things she wanted, like new clothes, books, and craft supplies, whose receipts she threw out at the stores, so she would not be caught by husband and have to return the items. She disclosed her problem to her husband and gave him permission to help her be accountable for her spending. She suffered embarrassment and the temporary loss of financial independence. In the end she gained a freedom and joy greater than she imagined, as she was able to share honestly with her husband what she had bought, and she no longer felt the need to hang onto all the material goods she had collected over the years. Her marriage improved, as did her peace of mind, energy, and ability to help keep their home clean and organized. Once she was able to give over her weakness to LORD, her pain was replaced with much greater than her wrong actions could have ever brought her.
A friend of mine who struggled with shopping addiction finally prayed for the LORD to remove this sin from her. Not long after she did it, her checking account was emptied out by an anonymous thief. Hundreds of dollars were taken and was done in such a way that it was difficult for her to get her money back. In the interim, she had to rely on her husband and had to become accountable for each purchase she made with his card. No longer could she lie to him about purchases, claiming they were items given to her by friends or overstating her grocery bill needs in order things she wanted, like new clothes, books, and craft supplies, whose receipts she threw out at the stores, so she would not be caught by husband and have to return the items. She disclosed her problem to her husband and gave him permission to help her be accountable for her spending. She suffered embarrassment and the temporary loss of financial independence. In the end she gained a freedom and joy greater than she imagined, as she was able to share honestly with her husband what she had bought, and she no longer felt the need to hang onto all the material goods she had collected over the years. Her marriage improved, as did her peace of mind, energy, and ability to help keep their home clean and organized. Once she was able to give over her weakness to LORD, her pain was replaced with much greater than her wrong actions could have ever brought her.
Pray for grace to see the area of your life in which you need the most help. Ask Him
to slay the demon of this situation and remove this burden from you. Be prepared to gain ultimately more than you will lose!
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