Two of our drivers claim to have seen a ghost on the same oil lease.   I know that ghosts are demons, not dead people haunting.  I myself feel cold chills around the same place, and tell them to depart from me in the name of Jesus.

Why is it that it or they keep coming back to this location?

Sincerely,
Born-Again Trucker

Dear Born-Again Trucker,

Evil spirits are real, but they were cast out and their powers greatly reduced by Christ and the apostles and the Bible never gives an example of demons haunting or possessing a property.  Demon possession ended not long after the days of Christ.  Jesus made it clear that one of His jobs was to bind the devil and take His strength away by casting out his demons (Matt 12:28-29).  When Jesus’ disciples had come back from their evangelism trips and related to Him that they had cast out many demons, Jesus told them that they were defeating Satan by getting rid of Satan’s demonic minions (Lk 10:17-18).  When Jesus and His disciples cast out demons, they did it permanently (Lk 8:30-33) and bound Satan by their acts.  We no longer have to deal with such overt attacks by the devil because he has been bound by Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 20:2).  Demon possession no longer exists; the devil must use subtler methods to deceive us now.

      I have the Holy Spirit within me.  A voice in my head tells me I am not worthy to have the Holy Spirit within me.  Is that Satan trying to beguile me as he did Adam and Eve?  I sense the spiritual presence of God in my mind.

How can I have His Holy Spirit and Satan at the same time?

Sincerely,
Of Two Minds

Dear Of Two Minds,

Christians do have the Holy Spirit dwell in them (Rom 8:9) – but not literally, so there is no way to “sense” the presence of God in our minds. The Holy Spirit dwells in Christians in the same metaphorical way that Christ dwells in Christians (Rom 8:10). The Holy Spirit and Jesus do not physically dwell inside Christians miraculously. They dwell within Christians in a figurative way because a Christian’s life follows the path the Holy Spirit and Christ set for them.

The Holy Spirit dwells in those that follow the Bible and put to death their previous sinful lifestyles (Rom 8:12-14). The Holy Spirit gave us the Bible, and when we follow it, we are led by the Spirit (read “What The Holy Spirit Does” for further details). Those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God, and the Spirit dwells in them (Rom 8:14-16).

If you would like more information on this topic, we have an entire series of sermons on the Holy Spirit that can be downloaded or viewed by clicking here.

     The Bible teaches "love and pray for your enemies".  Our only real enemy is Satan.  Please explain; I don't understand and am confused.  Are we really supposed to love Satan and pray for him?

Sincerely,
Hard On The Heart

Dear Hard On The Heart,

The Bible teaches that anyone that stands against God is God’s enemy.  Jas 4:4 says that anyone who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.  Rom 12:20 talks about giving food and drink to your enemy if they are hungry or thirsty – only people hunger and thirst… you can’t feed Satan.  Rom 5:10 describes Christians as previously being enemies of God until they were reconciled with Him through Christ.

An enemy is an adversary.  If you perceive someone as your adversary, then God says that you should treat them with love and kindness in spite of your differences (Lk 6:35).