Scripture: Matthew 12 v 22 - 28: "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."
The name Beelzebub is of a huge ruling demonic spirit, also know as the Prince of Devils. One aspect of his domain is the insect kingdom. This has become a rival kingdom to mankind. I was prompted to write about this when I heard there is a man not far away fighting for his life having been stung by 100 bees.
Now bees are wonderful insects producing honey, a very wholesome food, and royal jelly which has healing properties. However many people have a serious allergic reaction to the venom in their stings.
Our God created insects, not to be a hindrance but a help to Man. When Adam fell into subjection to Satan, the whole of creation fell with him. Satan turned insects into rivals for this planet.
There are killer bees that travel up from South America to North America and put many people in jeopardy.
Plagues of locusts consume every bit of live vegetation over thousands of square kilometres every year, wiping our crops and causing famine especially in the poorest regions on Earth.
Mosquitoes, particularly the tsetse fly, causes malaria which has claimed millions of lives, and the little beasts have mutated to cause strains of malaria that current medication cannot prevent or cure.
Spiders, worms, other bugs bring their particular danger into play, as Satan has perfected his killing machines. Snakes and wild animals are another kingdom but just as scary as great white sharks, bears, eels and stingrays.
Satan has turned many plants toxic as well killing many people with poisonous mushrooms, poison ivy, and the like. We have to stay alert and not be caught by any of his endeavours to destroy mankind.
Thankfully, Jesus has given us power over all demons and their toys.
Mark 16 v 17 - 18: " And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Paul knew this authority very well. When he was shipwrecked on an island, he was bitten by a viper. Acts 28 v 4 - 6: "And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god."
There was no antivenom, no medication at all. Paul did not panic. He believed that no weapon formed against him would prosper, and the snake was one of those. Satan tried everything to get rid of Paul. While he had been a Pharisee he had been a powerful influence against Christianity. Once he had converted to follow Jesus he was a major hindrance to his plans. To this day nearly 2000 years later.
We must overcome our fears of what the enemy can do to us. That which we greatly fear shall come upon us. That in which we put great faith will save us from these problems. When Jesus said He has given us all power over the enemy, He meant it. It's up to us to believe it.
Jesus healed us 2000 years ago and we need to walk in that truth and live by it. I so believe it that in 1980 I cancelled all life insurance and medical aid. Jesus has honoured that in amazing ways ever since. As well as saving me a fortune in fees over the past 42 years. I don't even know the name of a doctor in this town where I live.
To live as a Christian its time to shun the world and submit to God in every way. Trust Him with your life and He who has saved you from Hell through the death and Blood of Jesus, is able to save you from any dangerous beasts or insects. He spared Daniel from a pride of hungry lions. King David killed a lion with his bare hands. He killed Goliath with a stone.
We are called upon to do extraordinary things for Jesus by faith. God loves us to have faith in Him for big things. He wants to be seen in us not as poor, timid, unhappy people, but those who believe they can walk on water, like Mel Tari in his book Like a Mighty Wind.
It's not by what we can see, hear or feel but what we strongly believe in our hearts of the might and power of God that gives us courage to do exploits in His name. Let's make 2022 a year to remember as the year we turned our back on fear and make Jesus joyful that He saved us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for everything! Let us not fear the dangers of venomous insects, but rather glory in our victory over them. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that nothing shall by any means harm us. Teach us Your ways O Lord that we may be a credit to Your Kingdom. In Jesus' name. Amen.