Terror spirit of Babylon 7-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the light of Your glory shine on my face, as I lift my face to You. ... The reminder of the anguished cries of a mother wailing over the senseless and barbaric murder of her child from a suicide bomber in Iraq keeps interrupting the peace of my prayer this morning. In my spirit I hear the anguished cries of our Father in heaven over the evil choices made by men driven by demonic delusion and blinded by the bitter hatred of their souls. This land is the same land ruled by Nebuchadnezzar in ancient Babylon. In the demonic delusion of worshipping his false gods, he commanded his Hebrew captives to bow down and worship his false gods as if they were the same as You. When they refused to bow, " Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted" and ordered them to be thrown into "the furnace of blazing fire" (Daniel 3.19-23). The spirits of deception that drove Nebuchadnezzar into a murderous rage of cruelty and violence still claim their ground in the land today. The enraged jealousy of false gods, demanding worship and submission through control and fear, continues to manipulate the minds of men, in the weakness and deception of their flesh, to bow down and worship what is evil and false. And they continue to demand that others do the same or suffer the consequences. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4.4). Yet, these children of God would not bow down. And the torment of their suffering only served to strengthen their faith and provide a platform for the praise of their God. No matter what they suffered at the hands of evil men driven by evil spirits, they bowed only to You, standing steadfast in their faith through the threats of torment and terror. Open our eyes and the eyes of all those who are blinded by deception and controlled by fear to see You, that we may stand steadfast in faith through every challenge of evil in a world that has given power to evil through the choices we've made. Give us grace, as You did to the Hebrew children, to choose You -- to bow only to You and no other, no matter what taunts of violence and threats murder are hurled against us. The demonic spirit that drove Nebuchadnezzar to worship his false god and torment those who refused taunted the Hebrew children of God, saying, "If you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?" But they responded, steadfast in the faith of the one true God, "O, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God who we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let Him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up" (Daniel 3.15-18). Give us courage to continue to reject these false gods and refuse to bow down their images, no matter how golden they may appear and no matter how violent their threats and cruel acts of terror may become. You alone are God and whether we go through the fires of terror or not, You will be with us. Ultimately, You will deliver us and the lands of the earth from the spirit of Babylon and every false god and demonic delusion, when You restore Your peace to the earth and establish Your reign forever (Revelation 18.1-24). As we turn to You and refuse to bow down to another, fill us with Your peace and establish Your reign in our hearts now, as we remain steadfast in Your faith and secure in Your grace, through all me must endure in this broken, fallen world suffering under the power of fear and the reign of terror of "the god of this world." Yet, You have prevailed and the victory of Your cross will be established throughout the earth in the power of Your love and peace (Revelation 21.1-27; Daniel 7.9-14). We long for the coming of that day on the earth then, and for the coming of that day in our hearts now. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Sat night at 7pm in the Chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Every month is different as the Spirit leads our unplanned time in His Presence. All are welcome, so please spread the word and please cover us in prayer if you can't come. It's the 3rd Sat night of each month. To subscribe/unsubscribe please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com