When Not to Have a Heart

Like any rural dweller, I have a collection of Hav-a-Heart traps. Generally, there are two types of people who own such traps: either the ones who catch and release, or catch and decease! I, for one, am of the category of people who catch a varmint and dispose of it either in the pond or let my dear husband shoot it with his .22 rifle.

I don't judge the people who catch troublesome, chicken-killing raccoons or disease-ridden opossums only to release them on some other poor sap's land, because I understand that their soft hearts are getting the best of them. However, there is a kind of varmint that should never be released when caught. I am speaking of demons.

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." (Matthew 12:43-45)

Many times, I encounter Christians who will struggle with a demonic issue. Let us say that the issue is lying, and the Christian compulsively lies even though he knows it's wrong. He wants to be free and cannot battle this demon of lying on his own. Out of a desire for deliverance, he cries out to God to free him, and in response to his broken-hearted cry, God "catches the varmint" for him. So now, he stands freed from his issue and Lying is in a cage. What will he do?

Many, many, many Christians I know will take a "hav-a-heart" approach to spiritual warfare and will believe the best of the Devil, not realizing that getting caught once is not going to "teach him a lesson" about messing with you. If you release this demon from his trap, believing your issue is done with, you may find that it is much like setting a greedy raccoon loose who has had a taste of your chickens. That raccoon may run off for a day or two, frightened from his encounter, but he will get hungry again. If he comes back to your land to find that you've done nothing to change your defenses, he will find a way back into your land to continue to ravage your flock. He may even live to tell his other raccoon buddies where the feast is, and you may be worse off than before.

As it is with greedy raccoons, so it is with demons. Jesus warns that they are prone to want to come back to you once you've "caught and released" them. If you've done nothing to build up your defenses, you will find yourself in a position worse than your original one. Deliverance and freedom are areas to never joke around in or ever let down your guard. Those demons will want to come back, and they will tell their friends where the great feast is. Build your walls high, check for chinks in your armor, and station a watch post (have accountability).

I know that we cannot drown a demon in the pond, shoot them, or even kill them at all. This is why we need to take such a serious approach to maintaining our spiritual freedom. Imagine a chicken farmer living in a land with giant, highly intelligen,immortal, rabid raccoons (yikes!). How dull of mind the farmer would be who would not diligently work to protect his livlihood in the midst of that!

The world, the flesh and the Devil will be here longing to destroy you until the day you are declared victorious and called into Eternal Retirement. "Well done, good and faithful servant," will say our Lord when we arrive after guarding what He has given us.

"To live in ignorance of spiritual warfare is the most naive and dangerous thing a person can do. It's like skipping through the worst part of town late at night, waving your wallet over your head. It's like walking into an Al-Qaida training camp, wearing an 'I love the United States' t-shirt. It's like swimming with great white sharks, dressed as a wounded sea lion and smeared with blood." -John Elderedge 'Waking the Dead'

"Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession the the presence of many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

I call myself a Christian, and I claim that Christ has made me whole. I will eat of that fruit of my mouth (my proclamation of faith) and experience that which Christ died to share with me. I will show no mercy to my enemy, for he will surely show me none. When my time is done, I shall be able to truthfully say:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)