Ezekiel 8:7-12
The gift of discerning of spirits is given so that we will know what is happening in the unseen spirit realm. An insight into this world is given in Ezekiel 8:7-12.
Ezekiel was shown a secret place not far from the
He went into this secret place and saw 'wicked
abominations'.
This was not the secret place of the Most High; this was the secret place of Satan. It was a habitation of devils.
In this place he saw 70 elders worshipping the
idols on the wall.
It was not the young men but the old men who were
there.
The Lord said to Ezekiel this is what the elders
are doing in the imagination of their minds.
These idols are described in Galatians 5:19-21 under the
works of the flesh: immorality; occultism; the armoury of self; and the excess of self gratification.
The old men were not doing this openly they were
doing it in the secret place of their minds.
Nobody could see it.
Through the imagination they were dwelling in
this evil secret place.
The danger of relaxing the guard on our thoughts.
It can be relaxing to let down the guard on our
mind and enjoy the pleasure of sinful thoughts.
Preachers and Christian leaders have fallen into
sin because they went into this secret place in the imagination of their mind.
Thoughts that begin with immorality can be led
by a wrong spirit into deeper areas of sin and into the ream of occultism.
It is therefore essential for believers who have
entered into this secret place of the devil to run from it.
The devil always works in the dark, he hates the
light.
If a Christian has become entangled in the sins of the imagination such as pornography, then it is necessary to first repent, which means 'to change the thinking', then 'to turn away from the sin', and finally to confess it so that the sin no longer remains hidden in the dark. We are to share our faults to one another so that we can help and encourage one another, (James 5:16).* It is good always to use common sense in sharing personal things. We do not need to tell everybody about our worst failings. It can be good to have meetings where specific groups meet together to confront issues that are particularly relevant to them.
A good way to deal with the issue of sinful imaginations is to talk to a small group about Ezekiel 8:7-12 and express our personal problem.
When we
1) resist the temptation of sinful imaginations and
2) resist the devil by not hiding the sin but
3) confess it through
4) fellowship with other believers
then the devil will
flee from you in the same way that an insect that is revealed hiding under a
rock will flee to the darkness.
*There is freedom in confession but this is not secret confession that works in the dark. Biblical confession is to confess our faults to one another.
This is confession that works in the light of Christian fellowship, (1 John 1:7).
Steve Dulwich