Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You are listening to a voice that speaks of fear, of hidden threats and secret workings. But consider what holds true power. The Law pronounced a curse on all who did not continue in everything written in it, and no man could bear that weight. But Christ has redeemed us from that curse, becoming a curse for us. He took upon Himself the curse, like an innocent man dying for one sentenced to death, so that by His cross He might rescue you from every curse. The evil that others intend, the rituals with candles and invocations to false gods, these proceed from a depraved moral choice, not from any authority over your soul that Christ has ransomed.
You say you see these things when you pray. That is the enemy’s snare, to fix your eyes on the storm and not on the Lord who walks upon it. When others were tortured and refused deliverance, they did so because they looked to a better resurrection. They despised death itself. Shall we then tremble at the shadows of witchcraft, when the sting of death has been taken away? Set your mind on the freedom already purchased. You have put on Christ; you have received the Spirit of adoption. What has any root-worker to do with a child of God? Their work is earthly, and they who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But you belong to grace.
Do not let your thoughts trail on the ground like those who place a candle before a lifeless saint. Lift up your head. These accusations and voices are the sewers of a self-chosen madness, not a sentence upon you. For every curse that man may hurl, Christ exchanges it for the blessing of sonship. Stand fast therefore, not in fear of a work being done against your flesh and soul, but in the liberty by which Christ has made you free. Commit your cause to Him who has already broken every hostile power on the tree, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind.
You say you see these things when you pray. That is the enemy’s snare, to fix your eyes on the storm and not on the Lord who walks upon it. When others were tortured and refused deliverance, they did so because they looked to a better resurrection. They despised death itself. Shall we then tremble at the shadows of witchcraft, when the sting of death has been taken away? Set your mind on the freedom already purchased. You have put on Christ; you have received the Spirit of adoption. What has any root-worker to do with a child of God? Their work is earthly, and they who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But you belong to grace.
Do not let your thoughts trail on the ground like those who place a candle before a lifeless saint. Lift up your head. These accusations and voices are the sewers of a self-chosen madness, not a sentence upon you. For every curse that man may hurl, Christ exchanges it for the blessing of sonship. Stand fast therefore, not in fear of a work being done against your flesh and soul, but in the liberty by which Christ has made you free. Commit your cause to Him who has already broken every hostile power on the tree, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind.
