Fast Time: Tuesdays 6am-6pm
Thank you for your willingness to participate in what God is doing! Above all, please be Spirit-led as you fast. Please note that this is the designated time frame set forth by the Shine Empowerment Network. You are invited- but not required- to join us in any way that you can. If you have a medical condition that prevents a complete fast, then please look for another way to participate. Use wisdom and follow the Holy Spirit.
Teaching: Demons: Can They Do That?
With Halloween just passing, I thought, what a better time to talk about this subject. Demons. Some folks don’t even believe that they exist. Some folks believe they do, but they don’t need to concern themselves with the subject. And then there are the others. The ones that are called, chosen, and appointed to do God’s work and are faithful about it. They can tell you that demons certatintly are real and active. You can’t argue with those people. You simply won’t win. You can’t tell them that the enemy that they fight- isn’t real. There is simply too much evidence.
1 Peter 5:8 (KJV), “ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
I John 3:8 (KJV), “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
Acts 10:38 (KJV), “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
God wants us to come into maturity in our understanding of Satan and his demons. How can you fight, what you do not even acknowledge? He wants us to enforce His victory over their kingdom of darkness. Afterall, He did fight a battle and arise victoriously, right? He wants us to know the Truth and the Truth shall make us free. Only free people, can free others. He wants us to grow in maturity and faith and to appropriate His freedom by casting out demons.
Whether you realize it or not, when you became a Christian, you became an enemy to darkness and everything associated with it. You signed up for war, even if you weren’t aware. But the Good News is, that the war between good and evil- it’s already been decided who the winners are. You just have to know which you are: the loser or the victor! You just have to decide where you stand because God has already offered a better way.
Many Christians do not realize that they can be oppressed by demons. As a result, they do nothing to stop this oppression, which leaves them at the mercy of the Devil. That’s not the place that Jesus left us at. Many people question whether Christians can “have” a demon. A Christian cannot be possessed by demons because possession implies ownership. A Christian is “owned” by God. God tells us that we were bought with a great price. However, Christians can be oppressed by demons if they have provided any open doors or legal ground through which demons can work. To stop demonic oppression, the legal ground must be reclaimed.
Let’s look at two definitions:
1. Demons are invisible spiritual entities with minds, emotions and wills of their own, in league with and under the control of Satan. They are out to do his bidding and to torment the people of God” (Derek Prince). 2. Demonic Oppression is the term used to represent the “pressure” exerted by demons to get us to sin, to keep us involved in sin, to blind us to God’s truth and/or to keep us bound in limitations. Usually demons have an open door to gain access to us.
Many Christians have allowed Satan to deceive them into believing one of two major lies: 1) That he and his demons don’t exist; OR 2) That he and his demons are too powerful for Christian believers. Either lie is devastating to the successful Christian life. These are Ungodly Beliefs that we must get rid of.
It is recorded on many occasions that Jesus did demonic deliverance. It was never strange or hidden. In John 3:8 it says that Jesus came “to destroy the works of the Devil.” Jesus also passed on His ministry to His disciples. The main requirement for doing demonic deliverance is being a Christian believer. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues” ( Mark 16:17). The deliverance ministry is clear. Equally obvious is the fact that Jesus extended His authority and Name to believers to also do deliverance.
Some Ways Demons Oppress
See if you relate to any of the following ways that demons oppress us, working hard to destroy us and our lives.
- Afflict. To inflict something hard to endure
- Harass. To annoy or disturb persistently, to wear out by frequent attacks
- Influence. To exercise indirect power over in order to sway or affect
- Oppress. To lower in spirit or mood
- Torment. To cause severe suffering of body or mind
- Torture. To punish or coerce by inflicting excruciating pain
- Worry. To disturb one or destroy one’s peace of mind by repeated or persistent torment
- Wrong. To inflict injury on another without justification
The question arises whether or not demons know our thoughts. The answer seems to be that if the demons are “inside” a person that they can, but they cannot if they are on the “outside.” However, demons do plant thoughts in our minds, so they often know what we are thinking because they have planted the thought! They also study us to know our weaknesses, so they try to predict and influence our behavior.
The first goal of demons is to prevent us from receiving salvation. If that fails, they work at preventing Christian maturity. They try to shut us down and make us ineffective. Their chief strategy is to try to get people to turn away from God. They do this through many forms of temptation, harassment, and also from challenging God and His Word. Demons lie to us and work hard to have us lie to ourselves!
Another form of harassment is accusation and criticism. Demons will interject condemning thoughts into the minds of believers. They particularly like to stir up the past with thoughts of, “You really should have…” or “If only you had done…differently.” Demons are on a “seek and destroy” mission. They work together and strategize. They take advantage of our weaknesses and they love times when people are either physically and/or emotionally weak or vulnerable. They attempt to affect all areas of a person: body, soul, and spirit. They don’t’ play fair. We shouldn’t take demonic oppression lightly.
If we don’t know our weakness, we are in for trouble, because the enemy sure does know our weaknesses.
Open Doors
Demons sometimes target people for special attacks; particularly those who are serious about serving God and who are advancing the kingdom of God. Demons target people, also, where there has been occult involvement and/or dedications in the past generations, or where the person himself has been involved in occult. There are some very specific “open doors” by which demons frequently gain entrance into a person’s life.
Common open doors include:
- Inherited Curses
- Sins of the Flesh
- Emotional Trauma
- Passive/Trance State of Mind
- Occult Involvement
The sins of the flesh are the door that we most frequently open. This is particularly true if the sin is repeated and becomes a pattern or lifestyle of indulging the flesh.
It is important to remember who you are in Christ. Christ has given you as part of your identity the authority and rule over Satan and his demons. “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions and (physical and mental strength and ability) over all the power that the enemy possesses and nothing shall in any way harm you” (Luke 10:19 AMP).
It is also important to remember who the deliverer is! Jesus delivers us from demonic oppression. It is the power and authority through HIM that allows us to be free from demonic oppression. We command the demons to leave in the name of Jesus, which is above EVERY name.
“You know Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38 NAS).
Tips For Walking It Out
- Satan is always roaming around seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Therefore, be aware that he will make attempts to get you to return to past behaviors and sin. By returning to the old, you will re-open doors that have been closed through the prayer time. Remember God always provides a way of escape for you in the midst of every temptation. Many times that way of escape is simply the power of your choice (I Corinthians 10:13).
- If you realize you have re-opened a door, then be quick to repent. Simply get honest with God, confess our sin, and ask for forgiveness. (I John 1:9)
- Satan may be persistent in trying to draw you back to the old patterns, sin, and behaviors. Stand firm in your authority, and fight those battles. You will get stronger with each victory.
- Remember to first submit yourself to God (which means you surrender to His way of doing things) and then you resist the Devil and he WILL flee from you. (James 4:7)
- You can help resist the enemy by guarding your mind, mouth, and your activities. There may be changes in your lifestyle that need to take place, so you can help yourself. (Example: build Godly relationships, let go of ungodly relationships, limit the amount of television, or what you watch on television, don’t listen to ungodly secular music or particular types of music, etc.)
- You have been learning how to fight and stand against’ Satan. There will be moments in your life as a Christian that you need to engage in spiritual warfare on your own. Remember that as a believer, you have the same authority as any other believer. You just need to know who you are in Christ.
- Stay in the Word and spend time in prayer. These two aspects are vital to your growth and life with Christ, and will help you know how to stand against Satan and his tactics. Battles may come daily, so you need to use the weapons of God’s Word and daily prayer, as well. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing which means to talk and communicate with God constantly (Ephesians 6:18).
- Praise and worship are mighty weapons. If you read the book of Joshua, there are many examples of times in battle where the Israelites praised their way to victory. Turn on a praise and worship CD in times of temptation or struggle and begin to praise and worship God. This helps you get your focus on God, and not on the battle or temptation.
- Accountability – you may want to develop a one-on-one relationship with someone to help keep you on track in a specific area of your life where you have struggled the most. This type of a relationship offers you prayer support and encouragement that is helpful in the midst of temptation and struggle.
- Grow in and be filled with the fruits of the Spirit. These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
- Daily put on the WHOLE armor of God. This includes truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17)
A Word From Christy
Friends, I can personally testify to the freeing power of the Name of Jesus. It is unlike any other name and carries with it authority and power. We come to Him just as we are, but praise God, He doesn’t leave us that way. He didn’t pay the ultimate price, His very life, to have His children walk around defeated and oppressed. He truly came to set the captives free, no matter how long we have been captive, no matter who put us in captivity, no matter what! God is so good that He provides good gifts, good things, and ultimately grace, mercy, and sustaining power to overcome.
I came to the Lord with a lot of issues in my life. I had sinful patterns, generational sins, and life hurts that I needed freedom from. The enemy didn’t want me to gain freedom, but wanted to continue to harass me in these areas. He wanted these doors to remain open in my life so that he could continue to oppress me.
It was a process of finding freedom, retraining my mind in the Word, and becoming comfortable in my new authority as a child of God. I had to grow in it. I never gave up because I had tasted of the freedom and new life in God. So, I continued to work in areas of my life to gain freedom. Let me tell you it is worth it. Any areas that you are experiencing these symptoms, I believe that God is enough to set you free. Will you surrender these area to Him today? Will you trust Him to set you free in His mighty name today from these areas? He is interceding for you right now at the right hand of the Father. He is willing and ABLE to make you free! Just dare to believe, ask, and act!
Shining Brightly for the King,
|
