Inspiring Story: The Ultimate Authority

Today's Inspiring Story is short and light-hearted (to a certain extent), but there is still a good lesson to be learned, so I wanted to share it with you all. This story was related by Rod Parsley, pastor of World Harvest Church (founded by Lester Sumerall). I have related it in my own words for your reading pleasure...

It was an "ordinary" day (if you can call a day in the life of Lester Sumerall "ordinary"). Lester Sumerall was in his room, when suddenly everything began to shake! Lester recognized the shaking as the presence of the devil, so he stood up on his bed and began to command him to leave in Jesus Name. Everything was shaking so violently, that his bed, which had been in the corner of the room, landed in the room's center! As Lester continued to command the demon to leave, the room became calm and the shaking stopped!

At this point in the story, Rod Parsley stopped and said, "Most of you would have stopped right there and written a book: The Devil Obeys Me!"

But that is not what Lester Sumerall did! He said, "Devil! You get back here!" The shaking began again. After he was sure that he had the devil's attention, Lester continued, "Devil, when you first came in here, my bed was over there in the corner of the room! PUT IT BACK!"

Lester Sumerall, who died in 1996, was a great men of faith living in the 19th century. Author of Pioneers of Faith, he knew many of those he wrote about personally. He is also the founder of LeSEA (Lester Sumerall Evangelistic Association).

My point in relating this story is that many Christians today are afraid of the devil. They think, "The devil's going to get me," "He's too powerful for me," or some other garbage. But the truth is, we have that same power that Lester Sumerall had; we have the power of Christ. We have nothing to be afraid of in the devil. He is likened to a roaring lion only because a lion's roar creates a paralyzing effect on the animal he is hunting; that animal can't tell where the roar is coming from, so he is afraid to move on. However, we have the power to beat the devil. Jesus said in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Philippians 2:9-11 says, "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

We even have God's armor: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ...Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Eph 6:11, 13). We can win the battle, because God said that we are more than conquerors through Him!

James 4:7 states, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

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