onTRANSFORMATIONS
Dungeons and Dragons
Are you familiar with the fantasy game called “Dungeons and Dragons?” It became very popular for a time in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It’s been controversial from the beginning with many people claiming that it encourages behavior that can become very destructive – emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and even in some cases physically as those who play the game are sometimes moved to suicide or aberrant behaviors.
I view the game much like a Ouija Board. It seems innocent or even fun but it can be very dangerous. The spiritual world is very real. Ephesians 6 tells us that we are at war with much more than simply our own weak wills. There is a very real power that seeks our destruction.
Here is perhaps his greatest tool… to cause us to think that it isn’t real or even more dangerous, that you can control it.
Dungeons are secret dark places – we think they are hidden far away from everyone and affect no one else. Dragons are angry monsters – we think we use them and control them. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Dungeons and Dragons become destructive forces that eat us alive. They chew us up spiritually and leave nothing but a sad residue of regret and guilt. People who are destroyed by spiritual strongholds start most of their reflective thoughts with two words, “If only…”
Spiritual Strongholds are nothing more than dungeons and dragons of the soul.
Simon was a Fake
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
A man who wanted to have power, fame, prestige, and notoriety – in other words, a pretty normal guy!
He was a fake and he knew it. There was a hunger in him for meaning, purpose, significance, and peace. He hungered for God.
The reality is that we’re all fakes. Posers and pretenders – we all get good at acting like we’re happy when inside there is a deep and unrelenting ache for real joy.
Do you remember the song by Peggy Lee, “Is that all there is?” She sing about the circus, a house burned down by fire, and the love. After each chorus she closes with the line, Is that all there is… and then the conclusion,
If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing
Let’s break out the booze and have a ball… If that’s all there is
Simon became a believer
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
Acts 8:9-13
When Philip, the evangelist came and told the people about Jesus they turned to the Lord – and so did Simon.
He turned to God but like all of us that was just the beginning.
Becoming a believer doesn’t mean that you instantly become perfect – just saved – still broken but now you are covered by the blood of Jesus and you are redeemed – that’s very cool!
You Can Be Saved, but still have Spiritual Strongholds
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:12-13
The Bible said, Simon believed and was baptized, then Simon closed his business and continued with Philip. Then when Peter and John came down, Philip received the Holy Spirit through the laying in of the apostles’ hands. But still he had heart trouble.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Strongholds come from Un-Repented Sin
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 8:14-19
Physically, medical doctors caution us about our blood pressure, cholesterol, stress and the like, they call them silent killers. Spiritually, we have conditions in our life that lie dormant until an opportunity presents itself and to our surprise we find ourselves in the middle of a crisis.
The danger comes from these strongholds, hold out territories in the deepest part of our lives that need to be turned over to God along with the rest of our lives.
Simon’s stronghold was his personal pride and the hunger inside of him for the spotlight. Simon had been the main man so long, following Philip was not satisfactory to him; before he was in the spotlight, doing wonders, receiving praising and gifts of appreciation. He thought that it was all behind him, but as soon as he saw an opportunity to redeem himself and continue in a similar way as before. He offered them money and tried to buy the gift of God. Simon was so ambitious to possess this power peculiar to the apostles, he offer money for it. His sin was not that he desired this power, but that he sought to buy it. He sought to make merchandise of it. It is easy to identify Simon’s sin as the sin of greed and the desire for glory. But the sin is typical of the many old habits that often show up and attempt to drag us back into bondage.
Satan has a way of allowing us to have a selective memory. We only remember the pleasure and not the pain. When God led Israel out of Egypt, how often they said, let us choose us a captain and return to Egypt. Although they given manna everyday and did not even have to work for it, they desired the flesh pots of Egypt. King David, a man after God’s own heart fell into sin when the right opportunity presented itself.
Ps 51:10 David prays in repentance, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Although David was a man after God own heart, there was something unclean and wrong in his heart. Even disciples, who had been called to be fishers of men, after Jesus had been gone only ten days, the old desire of fishing surfaced again, and Peter said, “I go a Fishing.” Maybe some of you can remember catching yourself doing something you never thought you would do again. You may even have questioned yourself, “What in the world was I thinking.” “I must have been out of my mind.”
There is a God given way out of these strongholds. It’s not by your power but God’s power in you. Let’s look at how God breaks down strongholds as we look further into Simon’s life.
God’s Way: Identify the Stronghold
20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
We need to be confronted when we get caught up in the crazy of life.
Sometimes it is a friend, a brother, sister, son or daughter, wife or parent.
Sometimes it is the word of God that we are reading in our devotions.
Sometimes it is the sheer weight of the burden itself.
Sometimes it is a message that God uses to smack you right between the eyes – duoh! 12 years ago, when I ministered in Beavercreek Christian Church, a woman who was visiting called and made an appointment. When she arrived she sat down and said, “I want to know who you have talked to in my office.” The message the previous week was so “on target” that she was convinced that someone had told me about this woman. I had to assure her that I had spoken to no one and that I didn’t know her at all. Then I told her that it’s clear that God was using my message to confront her about some things in her life – things that I didn’t know anything about. But God did.
God’s Way: Breakdown the Stronghold
22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Whatever the source of stronghold – you have a choice (you always have a choice) – harden yourself to the message or be broken before God and turn from the sin.
Don’t protect the sin by keeping it in a dark corner. When you do this you are really hardening yourself to this sin in your life. The most dangerous piece of a stronghold is you thinking that you can play with it and that it won’t hurt you. You will be full of bitterness and that dragon you are keeping in the dark dungeon of your soul will break loose into the open of the light of day – and you will be chained to it.
It doesn’t matter who you are. You can be the powerful governor of the state of New York. You can be the influential mayor of the city of Detroit. You can be… you. It does not matter. Here is the truth – that sin that you have hidden in the dungeon is a dragon that will eat you alive. I don’t know what it is… but you do. Right now, God’s Holy Spirit is bringing it to your mind and your guilt is very real. Don’t try to control it… confess it to God and turn away from it.
God’s Way: Pray to the Lord for Help
24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
Acts 8:20-25
The Remedy for Simon’s Heart Trouble begins with confrontation and his thinking.
Transformation = Put off + Put on
God’s power in you.
Not a spirit of timidity, a spirit of power, of love and self discipline…
Now that’s cool!
God’s Way: Confess to Another for Encouragement
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16
he must solicit the prayers of others to help him overcome his sinfulness.
It is hard for us to compare ourselves with a man like Simon who was so thoroughly exposed and confronted in this text, but each of us may have experienced a little heart trouble, and we found ourselves saying or doing something that surprised even ourselves. When you came to yourself and said, “What was I thinking?” Like Simon, our spiritual heart trouble begins in our mind.
When Peter confronted Simon, Simon was forced to face the real issues of his life and he dealt with his sin. When the prophet Nathan confronted King David, David was forced to face the real issues of his life, he dealt with his sin. Today’s society seems to try to avoid dealing with the real issues of life. Sin must be confronted, repented of, forsaken which make forgiveness possible. David knew how to get right with God…..
Ps 51:10-13 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”
Ps 139:23,24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Transformed Lives Transforms Lives
25 When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
There is nothing more powerful than a transformed life. Nothing transforms life like the word of God in your life.
How are you doing?
Close
