Focus on Prayer

I understand that Satan is, indeed, a defeated foe. We–you and I–are merely fighting skirmishes until he is finally and completely vanquished.

But fight we must.

I’ve heard and read that when you rebuke Satan and any of his evil spirits, you need to do it out loud. God has not given them the ability to read our minds. Although they seem to be really good guessers. And they certainly whisper into my ear more than I care for.

I’ve also heard and read that we aren’t supposed to be rebuking Satan and his demons at all–that’s the job of God and His angels. Except in the Biblically clear example of exorcising a demon from someone who is possessed.

This is one of those issues where there’s no clear-cut Biblical imperative one way or the other, at least that I’ve seen. So being the pragmatic sort, I’ve experimented with various methods. Fortunately–or unfortunately–I’m under enough attack that I have plenty of opportunities for testing.

Here are my tentative conclusions:

1. Praying to God for protection from and help with spiritual attacks is more effective than addressing Satan and the evil spirits directly.
2. Praying out loud is not necessary for God to hear me, but I like the idea of the evil spirits hearing me so they know Divine help is on the way. (Kind of like saying, “I’m gonna tell my big brother…”)

I’d be interested in the opinions–and experiences–of others.

–Joe Vigliano

Well, not quite.

But he’s not entirely humorless either as some would have him portrayed. I’m afraid there is more than a little misunderstanding and misinterpretation of scripture because people tend to miss it when Jesus has his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.

Should it be a surprise? He was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard. He connected with people of all backgrounds. That tells me Jesus has as rich a sense of humor as he does love, compassion, and understanding. And if you read scripture with that in mind, some of the passages that may have left you scratching your head will suddenly make more sense.

Those passages stand out because they seem to be in such complete opposition to what Jesus says and does (and apparently believes) in other parts of the gospels. Some have suggested these passages were later additions, not things Jesus actually said. Others have offered explanations so convoluted they truly boggle the mind. And some just skip over them entirely. If only they would recognize that Jesus had a sense of humor.

For instance, there is the story of the Gentile woman—a Canaanite—related in Mark 7:25-30 and Matthew 15:22-28. Throughout the rest of the gospels, Jesus showed no hesitation to help anyone who asked and he certainly elevated women’s status in that society by the way he treated them. And he obviously had plans to spread the Gospel beyond just the Jews. (Otherwise he wouldn’t have said “first,” which implies at least a “second.”) So why is he so nasty to this woman? It’s just plain out of character.

Unless we allow for the possibility that there was a twinkle in his eye and perhaps a smile on his face when he said it would be wrong to take food from his children to feed “dogs.” Whether those “dogs” were household pets or—as they were often referred to by the Jews—Gentiles. A humorous expression not reflected in his words—we’ve all done that and seen it done—would explain the immediate rejoinder by the woman about scraps from the table. For which Jesus immediately “rewarded” her by healing her daughter.

I have trouble believing that a woman, a Gentile woman, would respond the way she did if Jesus had been as serious and harsh as his words sound. I have even more trouble believing that a harsh Jesus could be so easily swayed by a simple, clever remark.

But I have no trouble believing that Jesus admired her courage for coming forward and asking, responded with a bit of sarcastic humor, and was pleased that the woman was not only courageous, but clever enough to pick up on it. That’s the Jesus I know and love. The one who loves me.

Please stay tuned for more humor of Jesus.

–Joe Vigliano

With Jesus as our example for prayer, we can find a clear explanation of his attitude in prayer in Hebrews 5:7. Variously translated as “deep reverence,” “godly fear,” and “trusting obedience,” I think the translation that best captures the attitude we should strive for is “reverent submission.” In fact, we’re told that is why he was heard by the Father. Too often in my own prayer life, I may be able to muster up “reverence,” but the “submission” part is still a struggle. I’m going to Him for what I want, not to find out what He wants. There’s nothing wrong with going to God with a desire. Jesus did it. But when he did, it was always with the understanding–and attitude–that God’s desire took precedence. We should do the same. Our ultimate goal is to have all our preferences and desires aligned with God’s.

–Joe Vigliano