“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

A man named Abba Elias told an old story about a man who was living in a temple. Demons came to pester him, trying to get him to leave. 

To some of you that might seem shocking. Perhaps you’ve been told that demons aren’t real or that these things are just ‘in your head.’ Sometimes they are, but sometimes they aren’t. (If you’re new to this subject, have an open mind, and want to learn more, I’ve provided links to three resources in the footnotes below that you may find helpful.)

Back to the man in the temple.

These demons kept bothering him and were trying to get him to leave. When one of them tried to drag him to the door the man called out: “Jesus, save me!”

At once, the demons left. 

The man was upset and started to cry. Henri Nouwen tells us what happened next: “the Lord said to him, ‘Why are you weeping?’ and the old man said, ‘Because the devils have dared to seize a man and treat him like this.’ The Lord said to him, ‘You had been careless. As soon as you turned to me again, you see I was beside you.’”*

There is something about our world which tries to convince us that we can handle our problems on our own, and that we should only reach out to God when things are absolutely desperate. There is also something about our world which tries to convince us that God is distant and disinterested in our daily lives. 

But one of the incredible things we learn about God in the Bible is that he is close and that he cares—and not only when things are disastrous. 

Are you living under the illusion that you can handle everything on your own? 
Are you having problems in your day to day life? 
Do you have questions?

Call out to God. Don’t wait. Your problems aren’t too “small” for a God whose love is so big. 

“As soon as you turned to me again, you see I was beside you.”*

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Resources:
a) My interview with Steve Dabbs, author of “When Demons Surface.” Click here.
b) “Is this the sermon demons don’t want you to hear?” One of my sermons. Click here.
c) My interview with Jon Thompson, author of “Deliverance.” Click here.

Notes:
-The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on February 24, 2025.
-* Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (HarperOne, 2009), 30.
-Bible quotes are from the NIV.