Copyright Ó 1995, 2007

 

NOTE: For page indexing indicated below, print in the above PDF Format.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 INTRODUCTION

           

 

SO YOU'RE IN A WAR!

 

            One day a young man was out for a walk.  As he went along the street he saw a sign that invited him to sign up to see the world for free.  Food, lodging, everything would be provided.  In fact, he would be paid a salary, too.  It sounded fine, too fine to pass up.  So he went in and signed his name.  To his surprise he was handed a rifle and military equipment.  He soon found out there was a whole army of soldiers who now were his enemy and whose sworn purpose was to destroy him.  It wasn't what he expected.

 

            There are many Christians today who, when they accepted Jesus as Savior, were surprised to find they, too had an enemy.  Perhaps they expected life to be perfect and fine, all settled with no more problems.  Salvation, though, doesn't end the battle.  In many ways it is just the start of it! 

 

            You see, when you accept Jesus as your Savior you also accept Satan as your enemy!  You deserted Satan’s army to join his enemy's army, God's army.  He opposes God, but can only get at God by attacking His people -- you and me!

                                               

            So now you find yourself in the middle of a war you didn't want, don't like, can't understand, and seem unable to win.  What do you do?  Where can you find a quick training program for spiritual warfare?  Read on, this information is for YOU...

 

            Actually, this idea of war following salvation is nothing new.  We see the same thing happening to the Jews in the Old Testament.  Satan has been opposing God from the beginning, but getting nowhere.  When he started attacking God through His creatures he made much more progress.  First there was Adam and Eve in Eden, then Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.  God's people ended up in Egyptian slavery for 400 years until God delivered them.  He did it all: provided the innocent blood and the power to protect them from the angel of death as well as deliver them unharmed through the Red Sea.  They did nothing but accept His salvation. Then the battles started for them:  the Amalekites attacked, then the Canaanites, and on it went.  The Jews had to learn to fight.  When they learned to fight behind their leader Joshua ("Jesus" in Greek) they conquered and settled the land God had meant all along for them to have.  When we learn to fight behind our general, Jesus, we, too, can have victory in life. 

 

            First of all, what are the weapons this enemy uses against you?  The Bible says they are three-fold, "the world the flesh and the devil."    The world refers to the organized system of ideas, people, activities, purposes, goals, motives, priorities and values that are based on Satan's system (I John 2:15; John 15:19).  The "world" does not refer to nature, but to Satan's substitute for God's way.  Peer pressure, rejection, persecution, problems getting along with people, pride, desire for popularity and success, etc., all these things are ways Satan attacks us through the world (Matthew 4:8-10; 12:26).

 

            While these attacks are from without, we also have an enemy within -- our own flesh.  By 'flesh' we mean our old sin nature, that tendency in us to be naturally self-centered, sinful, prideful, willful and immature (Romans 7:15-25; Galatians 5:19-20).  Even the 'good' we do in the flesh is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).  This results in our sinning.  Sin is thinking or doing wrong things, doing good things for the wrong reason/motive, or not doing good things that should be done.  Temptations to worry, fear, get angry, be greedy, fulfill our lusts, think only of ourselves, feel self-sufficient or self-righteous, be jealous, gossip or criticize, etc. come from or through the flesh (Ephesians 4:22-27).

 

            This booklet is designed to help you in spiritual warfare.  It will summarize your battle with the enemy and how to have victory in Jesus.   It is an updated and expanded version of my Spiritual Warfare Handbook of 1995 and replaces it.

 

The BASIC REQUIREMENT: JOINING GOD’S ARMY

Just as there are physical principles that govern the universe around us, so there are spiritual principles that govern our relationship with God.  The first and most basic principle is that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives (John 3:16), but when sin entered the world it separated man from our holy God (Romans 2:23).  Being a just and righteous God, sin cannot be overlooked but must be paid for and since there is no way we can pay for our own sins God Himself, in His great love, became the payment for our sins.  That first Christmas celebrates the fact that He voluntarily left heaven to come to earth as a human being.

Although we celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas, we know that He wasn’t born just to give us a holiday where we remember Him as a baby – He was born to die in order to pay the price for our sins. We worship Jesus as a baby, but the story doesn’t end there. He     Jesus grew up and went through all the things we go through in life.

He was rejected and crucified, but while dying on the cross He suffered the eternal punishment of every sin we would ever commit.  In other words, He went through our hell so we wouldn’t have to (Romans 5:8).   Because He was man He could represent us and take our place.  Because He was God He could endure punishment way beyond anything we could ever experience.  At the end of the crucifixion Jesus said “It is finished” and His spirit returned to heaven.  His body went into a grave but 3 days later came back to life, proving forever that sin and death had been conquered. 

He is in Heaven today! There He has made a place for us if we will only accept the gift and the joy that He has offered us.  Salvation is freely available to every person (Ephesians 2:8-9), but it is a gift we must voluntarily receive by recognizing our need and asking Him to forgive us and live in us (John 1:12).  He Himself then lives within us and gives us new meaning and ability in life.  If you haven’t received this wonderful free gift do so now by asking God for His gift of salvation.

While there are no special or magical words to use, here is the idea of a prayer to pray to accept God's free gift of salvation.  It's not saying the words but meaning them that makes the difference.  Here is a sample prayer you can use: 

Know that if you have ever prayed this prayer or something similar to it you are born again into God’s family and nothing can take your salvation away.  One of Satan’s first lies is to get us to doubt our salvation, to question it we are a child of God or not.  If you have doubts about having done this in the past just pray it again now, write your name and the date below, and you’ll know for sure that you are a child of God and in God’s army.

 

 

__________________________________________________                    ________________

                        (name)                                                                                                            (date)

 

WHY SPIRITUAL WARFARE?

 

            There are those today who say Christians aren't to get involved in spiritual warfare, but instead we are to just trust God and think only of Him.  While God is always to be our only focus, He has given us tools to use to bring victory in this area.  He has provided medical knowledge for us to use in the physical realm. He has also provided spiritual knowledge to help us in the spiritual realm.  Paul tells us to make sure we aren’t ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).  We are to understand and use these resources which He has provided.  I believe God commands us to be involved in spiritual warfare (I Timothy 6:12).  Here are some reasons:

 

1. THE BIBLE COMMANDS US TO USE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, etc."  Ephesians 6:10-12

"We are not ignorant of Satan's devices"  II Cor. 2:11

We are to understand our enemy before battling him (count the cost) Luke 14:31

Armor in Ephesians 5 - why would we be given armor if there wasn't a spiritual battle going on?

 

IF GOD IS SOVEREIGN, WHY DO WE NEED TO FIGHT SATAN?  If God is sovereign, why do we need to witness, pray, believe, work for our money, drive carefully, go to a doctor, or any of those things?  If we trust in God, why lock doors at night? There are some things God expects us to do, in His strength.  By doing these we learn to trust Him more. The Jews were given the land of Canaan but had to learn to fight to live in it. We praise Him more when we see His provision, might and deliverance.  We are better able to pray for and give guidance to others.  Also, we see the awfulness of sin and its consequences so we can better turn from it.  We see His glory as He uses us for victory.  Others see it and He is glorified in their sight.

 

2. JESUS USED SPIRITUAL WARFARE  Jesus talked about Satan & demons more than anyone in Bible.  He cast out demons.  He taught and commanded His disciples to fight Satan and cast out demons (Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:1, 17-20).  He was disappointed when they were unable to deliver a demonized boy without Him (Mark 9:14-29).  The religious rulers accused Jesus (Mark 3:22) and John the Baptizer (Luke 7:33) of being demonized. He commanded His disciples to cast out demons, too 

 

3. EXAMPLES OF OTHERS WHO USED SPIRITUAL WARFARE

DANIEL prayed spiritual warfare prayer for three weeks (Daniel 10:2-6,12-14).

JEREMIAH's whole ministry was one of spiritual warfare.

PAUL was twice involved in casting out demons (Acts 13:6-12; 16:16-18) and writes much about spiritual warfare (Ephesians 4:26-27; 6:10-13; Galatians 2:10, 13; etc.)

MOSES was challenged by Satanic forces (Jannes & Jambres, Exodus 7:1-11, etc.).

Many examples in church history show the involvement of God's people in spiritual warfare.

 

4. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE SUPPORTS SPIRITUAL WARFARE  The testimony of many who have been involved in spiritual warfare support and validate its importance as an important tool for Christians today.  It is not our only tool, for different tools are needed for different jobs.  Spiritual warfare is one tool among many (prayer, witnessing, counseling, praising, etc.) that God gives us to use at the proper time.

 

5. LAST DAYS EMPHASIS OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE  The closer the rapture comes the more spiritual warfare will increase.  There will be MUCH of it in the tribulation as Satan's forces are released.

 

I. COMMANDERS

 

A. THE GOOD GUYS

 

GOD - OUR COMMANDER

            Everything starts with God.  Everything came from Him.  If you are unsure of the existence of God this must be settled in your mind to continue.  Please read Appendix 1 page 79-81.  The Bible is our final authority in all areas and reveals God’s truths for us today.  If you aren’t convinced of the inspiration and total accuracy of the Bible please read Appendix 2 page 82-86.   This must be completely settled in your mind to continue.  Finally, you must believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God Himself come to earth.  If unsure read Appendix  3 page 87-91.  God is our commander in spiritual warfare as well as in every area of life.

 

ANGELS - OUR HELPERS

 

CREATION   God created the angels before the world was created (Job 38:6-7), the same time He planned to create each one of us (and already knew us in His mind).  He created an “innumerable” number of angels (Heb. 12:22; Rev 5:11).  No angels have been created or destroyed since then.  The number is exactly the same.  People who die do NOT become angels, in eternity we have a position greater than the angels will have (I Cor. 6:3). 

PERSONALITY   God created angels and humans in His image in that we all have a mind to rationally think and reason (I Peter 1:12), emotions to feel and experience (Luke 2:13), and a free will to choose our destiny (Jude 6).  Soon after creation, the top angel (Lucifer, now called Satan Ezekiel 28:12-15) used his free will to rebel against God (II Thes 2:4) and as a result was kicked out of heaven (Isa 14:12-15, Ezek 28:15-17; Luke 10:18).  The angels then had a one-time choice to follow Satan or God.  About one third (Rev. 12:4) followed Satan in his rebellion and also lost their first position, now being called demons.  This was the only time angels ever had an opportunity to exercise their free will.  They are now ‘locked in’ and cannot change their state (angels cannot fall to becoming demons, demons cannot move up to being angels).  Angels do not know what it is to experience God’s grace in their lives.  That is why they are so interested in watching us as we talk and live (I Pet 1:12) for our lives show God’s grace and love in operation in a way they don’t personally experience.  They are impressed with God and His undeserved mercy on us.  They are amazed at His special love for us, unworthy as we are.

NATURE  Angels are spirit beings.  They are not like God in that they do not know everything.  They are limited to being at one place at a time.  They are not all powerful or all knowing (Ps 103:20; II Thes. 1:7).  They have no physical body, but sometimes do appear in the form of a person (Heb 13:1).  This is to help God’s people in need.  Some have wings to show power and glory, but not all have wings.  While possessing all the traits we would call ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine,’ angels are always referred to as masculine.  Male pronouns are always used.  Angels are different, just like people are different: different abilities and functions in God’s service, different traits and skills.  Angels can’t and don’t reproduce (Mt 22:30; Mk 12:25), although it does seem that demons somehow impregnated women before the flood in Noah’s day (Genesis 6:1-4).  Angels never die (Luke 20:36).

ORGANIZATION  Angels (and also demons) are organized in a military-like fashion with generals, colonels, lieutenants, sergeants, privates, etc.  They are called archangels, princes, rulers, seraphim, etc. (Rom 8:38; Eph 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:5).  Some have leadership over geographical areas, others over groups of people (as Michael the archangel cares for Israel).

Apparently, there are different kinds of angels with different characteristics and roles:  cherubim, seraphim, and archangels. Seraphim (Isaiah 6:2-3; Ezekiel 1:27) have a fiery appearance because they are usually associated with the Presence of God.  Cherubim (Genesis 3:24; Exodus 25:18-22; Hebrews 9:5) are represented with wings, feet, hands and often more than one face (Ezekiel 41:18; 10:21).  They guard sacred things (the tree of life in Genesis 3:24; the Ark of the Covenant in 1 Samuel 4:4).  Archangels are the highest created beings, angels of the greatest power and majesty.  Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12) was an archangel.  Michael (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 9) and Gabriel (Daniel 8:15-26; 9:21-27; Luke 1:11-38).  Michael and Gabriel are warrior angels (Revelation 12:7) who do battle (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1).  Gabriel seems to be in charge of the care of the Jews.  Other angels exist in various levels of authority and function under these (Ephesians 6:12). God has angels organized in a military-like manner with a chain-of-command from 'generals' to 'privates.'

DUTIES  The Greek word for ‘angel’ (‘angelos’) means “messenger.”  Actually the word is just transliterated in our Bibles (English letters replace Greek letters but the word is the same).  Were it translated into English we would have the word “messenger” every time ‘angel’ appears.  That is basically their function -- messengers (servants) of God.  They are God’s servants who help God’s people (Heb 1:14). Individual angels seem assigned to children and believers (Acts 12:12) to help them in special ways.  God could use His sovereign power to do things such as prevent an automobile accident or have a child fall safely and not be hurt, or similar actions, but usually He has His angels do that work. They protect God’s people (Psalm 34:7; 91:12; Matthew 18:10).  They bring answers to prayers (Acts 12:7), although sometimes demons oppose them and the answers are delayed (Dan. 10:10-21).  They minister to our physical, spiritual and emotional needs (Hebrews 1:14).   Angels watch and learn from believers (I Cor. 4:9; I Tim 5:2).  They encourage us in danger (Acts 27:23-24).  They even help in evangelism (Luke 15:10; Acts 8:26).  They care for God’s people when they die (Luke 16:22; Jude 9).  They fight against demons (Revelation 12).  They watch God's children to learn about God's grace (I Peter 1:12).

OUR RESPONSE TO ANGELS  Angels are not to be communicated with, ordered around, or in any way contacted by us.  They do not steal any of God’s glory.    We aren’t in any way to focus on them or worship them (Revelation 19:10).  All the credit and glory all go to Him (Revelation 4:11; 5:9-11).  All the attention is His.  In the Bible when someone tried to give them credit they passed it on to God.  We aren’t to communicate with them, but we can ask God to send them to do various things that need doing.  And yes, they do manifest at times.  There are many cases in the Bible.  Sometimes they manifest as spiritual beings.  I think young children can see or sense them quite more readily than adults. They also manifest as people and help us without us knowing they are angels.  Hebrews 13:2 talks about this.  Angels are always present around us, especially when we gather with other believers in Jesus’ name.  However we never can see them unless God opens our eyes in a special way (II Kings 6:17).  It’s quite likely you have seen angels, but in appearance as people (Heb 13:2) and therefore not recognized as an angel.  That stranger who just happens to show up at the right time to provide help or assistance, whom we called an ‘angel,’ might well have been one! 

 

B. THE BAD GUYS

  

SATAN - THE ENEMY COMMANDER

 

EXISTENCE OF SATAN      Unfortunately we live in a time when more people believe in the Loch Ness Monster than in Satan!  Some people who do believe in him tend to  made him smaller than he really is.

            Your devil is too small if your see Satan as merely a personification of evil.  The picture of a devil in a red suit with a tail and trident comes from ancient times when red stood for death, horns for power, and tails and cloven hoofs for bestiality.  Satan is a real, live personality, not a symbol of evil.

            Your devil is also too small if you consign him to long-ago times or far away places.  He is too small if you assume he leaves Christians alone (that's one of his biggest lies, which he uses it to cover his tracks).  He is too small if you don't think he is capable of performing miracles and other feats of power, or if you think you can recognize and defeat him on your own.  He is powerful, even using forces of nature such as lightning (Job 1:16) and strong wind (Job 1:19) to do his will.

            On the other hand some see Satan as more powerful than he is.  Your devil is too big if you see him as an evil god.  He is not equal to God, he is limited to one place at a time and does not have all knowledge.  You also see him as too big if you live in fear of him and avoid learning about how to fight him.

            The truth about Satan is that he was created as an angel.  He was the top ranking of all God's angels, the highest created being God ever made (Ezekiel 28:12-15).  Known as Lucifer, he was the highest angelic creation, the closest to the throne of God.  However he didn't want to serve God but wanted to be worshipped in place of God (II Thessalonians 2:4).  His sin was self-centeredness: pride (Isaiah 14:12-15) therefore God threw him out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:15-17; Luke 10:18).  He lost all his position and privilege.  With that rebellion of his sin entered the universe. 

 

POWER  Satan has great power (Ephesians 6:12; 1:21; Revelation 9:3,10; Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Colossians 1:16; 2:10,15).  He has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14; Luke 11:21-22) but can only use it as God permits (Job 1 and 2).  He uses traps and schemes (Ephesians 6:11-12) and lies and deceives (John 8:44).  He devours like a lion (1 Peter 5:8). 

            His power in inferior to Jesus’ power, though (Colossians 1:16; 2:10,15).  He can only be one place at a time (Daniel 9:21; 10:12-14, 20; Luke 8:33).  He is not sovereign [total and absolute authority over everything and everyone] (2 Corinthians 12:7), not omnipotent [all powerful] (1 John 4:4), not omniscient [all knowing] (2 Peter 1:11-12) and not omnipresent [everywhere at once] (Daniel 9:21).  He cannot act against us without God’s permission and God limits what he can do (Job 1:12). 

            We must always remember that Satan is a defeat foe.  He was cast out of his original position in heaven because of pride (Ezekiel 28:16; Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12).  His judgment was pronounced in Eden (Genesis 3:14-15).  He was defeated by the cross (John 12:31).  He will be cast to the earth in the tribulation (Revelation 9:1; 12:7-12), bound during the Millennium (Revelation 20:1-3) and then cast into the lake of burning sulfur forever (Revelation 20:7-10; Isaiah 27:1; 40:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:8)

 

CHARACTER Looking at the various names of Satan help us understand his character and work better.

Satan (Job 1:6-9; Matt. 4:10) The title "Satan" occurs 53 times in 47 verses in the Bible. The primary idea is 'adversary, one who withstands.'

The Devil (Matt. 4:1, 5, 9; Eph. 4:27; Rev. 12:9; 20:2)"Devil" is the Greek word diabollos which means "slanderer, defamer." This accentuates his goal and work to impugn the character of God.

The Serpent (Rev. 12:9) This name for Satan looks back to Genesis 3 and the temptation in the Garden.

Lucifer (Isa. 14:12) The Hebrew word for Lucifer (KJV translation) is literally "the shining one." This name draws our attention to his pre-fall condition and to the nature of the cause of his fall - pride.

The Evil One (John 17:15; 1 John 5:9) The Greek poneros means "wicked, evil, bad, base, worthless, vicious, degenerate." It points to Satan's character as active and malignant.

The Dragon (Rev. 12:7) The Greek word is drakon (as in draconian) and refers to a "hideous monster, a dragon, or large serpent." This word stresses the cruel, vicious, and blood thirsty character and power of Satan.

The Prince or Ruler (John 12:31) The Greek literally means, "the ruler of this world system." This points to Satan as the head and energy behind the arrangements of things as they are in the world today.

The God of This World or Age (2 Cor. 4:4) The fact Satan is called, the god of this world (Greek, aionos, "age, course") may emphasize Satan's rulership over this final period or economy which is so marked by a growing increase in apostasy, deception, and moral decay.

The Prince of the Power of the Air (Eph. 2:2a) This points to Satan as the head of the demonic hosts which includes all the fallen angelic beings who operate night and day in our immediate spiritual atmosphere-an atmosphere of demonic influence controlled by Satan.

The Accuser of the Brethren (Rev. 12:10) The Greek word for "accuser" is kathgor, which refers to one who brings condemning accusations against others. In view of Job 1 and 2, this is also an attempt to malign the character of God and His plan. 2).

The Tempter (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5) This title reveals him in another of his primary activities as seen from the very beginning with Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3).

Belial (2 Cor. 6:15) This name means "worthless" or "hopeless ruin." The personification of worthlessness, hopeless ruin and the source of all idolatry and religion which is also hopeless or futile.

Beelzebul (Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:22) Three possible spellings of this word each have a different meaning: (1) Beelzebul means "lord of the dung," a name of reproach. (2) Beelzebub means "lord of the flies." Either one of these are names of reproach and of uncleanness applied to Satan, the prince of the demons and uncleanness. (3) Beelzeboul, means, "the lord of the dwelling." This would identify Satan as the god of demon possession. This spelling has the best manuscript evidence behind it.

Abaddon, Apollyon (Rev 9:11) Abaddon is the Greek form and Apollyon is the Hebrew equivalent. These words mean 'destroyer,' 'destruction.' This title stresses his work of destruction; he works to destroy the glory of God and God's purpose with man. He further works to destroy societies and mankind.

The Proud One The five "I wills" in Isaiah 14:12-14.

The Father of Lies (John 8:44) Using his network of deception through demonic forces and duped people, he promotes false doctrines in the name of God.

A False Angel of Light (2 Corinthians 11:14) One of his purposes is to make men as much like God as he can, but always without God. So, he will copy as much of God and His plan as he can, but he will always either distort, pervert, substitute or leave out those key ingredients of truth that are vital to the plan of salvation and sanctification through Christ.

 

PURPOSE  His goal is to rule the whole world instead of God.  He was given authority over this world system by Adam when he sinned (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2) and controls our world system (1 John 5:19).  He rules over it (Matthew 4:8-9; John 12:31; Luke 4:5-7; John 14:30; 16:11).  He is behind its values and world view (James 3:15).   Presently he words to deceive the nations (Daniel 10:13,20; Matthew 4:8; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 20:3,7-8; 16:14; I Kings 22:6-7).  He leads mankind into idolatry (Psalm 96:5; 106:36-38; Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17).  He especially wants to destroy God’s special people: Israel (Revelation 12:13-17; 20:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:9) and the Church.

 

WORK AGAINST ALL PEOPLE  He works against the gospel, hardening hearts to God’s truth (Matthew 13:19-22). He blinds their minds (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10; Luke 8:12; Colossians 2:18).  When they hear the truth Satan tries to snatch it from their minds (Mark 4:15; Matthew 13:19). 

            He denies the truth (Genesis 3:1; 2 Timothy 4:3-4) and promotes false teaching (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:9).  As is true of any good counterfeiter, he tries to make his deceptions as close to the truth as possible so as to deceive more.  The authority of the Scriptures, the person and work of Jesus and salvation by grace are areas he especially tries to obscure so make sure anything you believe has these at its heart and core. 

            Satan brings oppression on all he can.  His does this through sickness such as dumbness (Mark 9:17-29), blindness (Matthew 12:22), deformity (Luke 13:11-17), epilepsy (Luke 9:37-43) and other ways.  He also uses the following to oppress: mental illness (Mark 5:1-20; 9:14-29; Luke 9:39), sin (Genesis 3:13-24; Ephesians 2:2), lawlessness (2 Corinthians 6:15) and death (Revelation 18:2; 9:13-18). 

 

WORK AGAINST BELIEVERS  A primary objective of Satan is to oppose God’s work and God’s people.  He oppresses and leads the persecution against the Jews (Revelation 12:13-17; 20:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:9).  He works especially hard against believers, for we are the light in his darkness, the only threat on this work against his kingdom.  Since he can no longer attack Jesus directly he does so indirectly by attacking His children.  He accuses us before God (Job 1:6-21; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Revelation 12:9-10; Zechariah 3:1-2) but Jesus is our defense attorney, our Advocate when accused (1 John 2:1).

            Satan does all he can to oppose and hinder our service to God (2 Corinthians 4:4; 1Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Corinthians 112:7; Zechariah 3:1; Matthew 13:19).  He tries to infiltrate the church through false teaching (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:9), false teachers (1 Timothy 4:1-3; 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-2) and false ‘Christians’ (Matthew 13:38-40). 

            While not all temptation comes from Satan and demons, he certainly does all he can to entice us into sin (2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26) as he did when tempting Jesus.  He will use our sin nature (James 1:14-15), the world system (1 John 2:15-16) or attack directly through demons (1 Corinthians 7:5).  He can cause and use anger (Ephesians 4:27), pride (1 Timothy 3:6; 1 Chronicles 21:1; 1 Timothy 3:6), immorality (1 Corinthians 7:5), lies (Acts 5:1-3), doubting God’s Word and goodness (Genesis 3:1-5; Luke 4:9-12), ‘miracles’ to deceive (Mark 4:8-9; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3,9-11), hypocrisy (John 8:44; Acts 17:22), self sufficiency (1 Chronicles 212:1-7), worry and fear (1 Peter 5:7-9; Hebrews 2:14; Psalm 23;4), lack of faith (Luke 22:31-32; 1 Peter 5:6-10), physical affliction (Job 1:6-22; 2:1-7; John 8:44; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20) and sin of any kind (1 Thessalonians 3:5; Matthew 4:3; 1 Corinthians 10:19-21, 2 Corinthians  11:3,13-15; 1 John 3:8). 

 

 

DEMONS - ENEMY SOLDIERS

 

CREATION  When Satan rebelled and decided to oppose God instead of serving God, about a third of the angels joined him (Revelation 12:4).  They, too, were case out of heaven and lost their position and privilege.  They are now called "demons."  They, as all angels, have personality (mind, will, emotions) but no body.  They are limited to being one place at a time and do not have all knowledge or power. 

 

CHARACTER  "Demon" means "destroyer."  They are also called evil or unclean spirits, referring to the fact they don't have a physical body.  They spread their sin and uncleanness any way they can.  They are spiritual terrorists, trying to destroy the work of God's kingdom.  As with human terrorists, no one is safe from them, they are deadly serious and have no softness or mercy.  They serve Satan, who is their commander, and carry out his orders.  They receive the worship given to idols or anything other than God (I Corinthians 10:20).

 

ORGANIZATION Satan organizes his demons in the same manner God has angels organized - in a military-like structure. These are similar to generals, colonels, majors, lieutenants, sergeants, corporals, privates, etc. (Ephesians 6:12).  Usually a "strong man" (or ruler) is assigned to a task, and he has lesser demons under his command to help in the work (Matthew 12:25-29; Daniel 10:2-6, 12-14).  The names of these demons usually refer to their work ("Fear," "Anger," "Lust," "Pride," "Deception," etc.). 

 

POWER  Their power, too, though is limited for they are under Satan and he is under God (Job 1:12).  They answer to God, as we see Satan do in the Book of Job. They are powerful but NOT omnipotent like God (John 10:21); they are exceedingly clever but NOT omniscient like God and know their eventual destiny (Matthew 8:29); and they are mobile but NOT omnipresent like God.  Like Satan, they can only be one place at a time (Daniel 9:21; 10:12-14,20; Luke 8:33).  They share the same fate as Satan.  Some are already judged and are in chains awaiting coming judgment (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 9:14-15).  Other demons have already been confined to the Abyss (Luke 8:31; revelation 9:11).  All will be sent to the lake of fire with Satan when he is sent there (Matthew 25:41).  Satan and his forces are defeated foes, having given their all to destroy Jesus on the cross, but being beaten by Him instead (Heb 2:14-15; I Pt 3:18-22).  When Jesus returns Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire forever (Matthew 25:41; Rev 20:1-15). 

 

PERSONALITY  Demons are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:14) but can appear visibly as a person (Genesis 18:1-22; 9:1; Hebrews 13:2).  They are unclean (Matthew 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:14; Mark 9:25; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; Revelation 16:13-14; 9:17-19), evil (Luke 7:21; Matthew 12:45), immoral (Genesis 6); wicked (Ephesians 6:12) and liars (1 John 4:6; 1 Kings 22:22-23).  Their ability comes from Satan, who empowers and orders them to do all he can.  They receive their power from Satan (Mark 5:1-18; Revelation 16:13-16).

 

DUTIES AGAINST ALL  Demons carry out Satan’s commands and wishes. After enticing Adam and Eve to sin and getting authority over the world from them, Satan and his forces have continued trying to keep worship from God and getting it for themselves.  They blind the minds of unbelievers (II Cor 4:4) and snatch the Word from their hearts (Luke 8:12).  They do all they can to oppose God’s work (Rev 2:13).  Since they can’t attack God, they take their anger out on those who are God’s -- His people (Jews and Christians today).  Satan and his forces tempt Christians to lie (Acts 5:3), accuse and slander them before God (Rev 12:10), hinder our work (I Thes. 2:18), do anything possible to defeat us (Eph 6:11-12), tempt to immorality (I Cor 7:5) and incite persecution against us (Rev 2:10).   They promote human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 11:4; 1 John 4:5-6).  They influence and control the nations (Daniel 10:13,20; Ephesians 6:12) and mislead them so they can destroy them (Isaiah 9:14).  It must always be kept in mind, however, that God is in sovereign control.  They can do nothing without God's permission (Job 1:6-12).

            Physically they can give superhuman strength (Mark 5:4); physically torment (Revelation 9:5,10), emotionally torment (1 Samuel 16:14-23); do miracles (Revelation 16:13-14; 13:12-15), inflict disease (Matthew 9:33; Luke 3:11,16), indwell people (Matthew 8:28-34) and indwell animals (Matthew 8:31-32).

            Emotionally they torment (1 Samuel 16:14-23), cause fear (1 Samuel 18:12,15; 2 Corinthians 11:4; 2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 8:15; Job 4:14-15), cause anger (1 Samuel 18:10-11), cause jealousy (1 Samuel 18:10-15) and harden consciences (1 Timothy 4:2).

            Sexually they cause immorality (Revelation 9:21-22; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 1 Timothy 4:1-3) and cause all kinds of impurity (Zechariah 13:2).

            Mentally they cause bondage (2 Corinthians 11:4), influence the mind (Genesis 3:15; Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:13), control the mind (1 Corinthians 10:20; 2 Corinthians 4:4), and deceive, mislead and lie to people (1 Timothy 4:1,6; 1 Kings 22:22-23; 2 Chronicles 18:20-23).

            Religiously they promote false doctrine (1 John 4:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:1; 1 Kings 22:22; Revelation 16:13), counterfeit the truth (2 Corinthians 10:20-21), promote hypocrisy (1 Timothy 4:2), promote legalism (1 Timothy 4:3), use false prophets and false teachers (1 John 4:1; 1 Kings 22:22-23; 2 Chronicles 18:20-23), use fortunetelling and occult practices (Acts 16:16-18) and promote idolatry while receiving the worship of idols (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; Revelation 9:20; Hosea 4:10-12; 5:4; Acts 16:16; 1 Corinthians 10:20).

 

DUTIES ESPECIALLY AGAINST BELIEVERS  They especially work against believers by frustrating and opposing God’s perfect will (Acts 16:16-18), putting obstacles in the path of following God (1 Thessalonians 2:18; Romans 15:22), influencing believers to mislead other believers (Matthew 16:22-23.) and instigating things such as jealousy, pride and disunity (James 3:13-16).  They seek to get believers to turn from God and living for Him (1 Timothy 4:1), they can cause physical torment (2 Corinthians 12:7), and they try to get us to operate by our own strength and ability (2 Timothy 3:5).  All this work will intensify as the return of Jesus gets closer (1 Timothy 4:1).

 

DEATH, DARKNESS & SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

            Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).  Demons do this work for him (I Kings 22:22-23; II Chronicles 18:20-23).  He is characterized by any kind of falsehood and deceit (I John 4:16) and is not above mixing in some truth to make the lies more quickly accepted.  Like any good counterfeiter, he knows the importance of making his false product appear as much like God's original as possible.  He is very good at lying and deception (Revelation 12:9) and even tries to make it seem like he is bringing light instead of darkness (II Corinthians 11:13-15). 

            In actuality all Satan's forces operate in the realm of darkness (fear, deception, blindness, confusion, hopelessness, depression, self-pity, anger, revenge, suicide, death, etc.)  He blinds men to spiritual things (II Corinthians 4:4; I John 2:11).  He hardens minds and hearts to spiritual things (II Corinthians 3:14; Ephesians 4:18; Romans 1:21).  He does this to individuals as well as nations (i.e.: Israel Romans 11:7-10).  His purpose is to keep men from God's light and salvation (II Corinthians 4:4).  God's light is greater than Satan's darkness (Genesis 1:14-19; John 1:5-9; 3:19-20; 8:12; 9:5; Matthew 17:2; Ephesians 5:8; I John 1:5-7; Revelation 21:11,23-24; 22:5; Isaiah 60:1).  Believers are in the light, not darkness (Acts 26:18; I Thessalonians 5:4-5; Colossians 1:12-13; John 8:12).

            The epitome of darkness is death.  Satan's plan for man is death, just as God's plan for man is life.  Satan is a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).  His name, Abaddon or Apollyon means "Destroyer."  He tries to destroy physical (John 8:44; Mark 9:20-22; I John 3:12) or spiritual (II Corinthians 4:4) life.  Satan has power to bring death (Job 1:19; Luke 11:21-22; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 9:14-16), but because the power of death was destroyed at the cross (Hebrews 2:14-15) he cannot use that power without God's permission (Job 2:6; Revelation 9:4).  Satan cannot separate us from God, even by death (Romans 8:38). 

OVERCOMING SATAN & HIS FORCES  God is greater than Satan and his forces (I John 4:4), so we need not fear them (Luke 10:17-19).  We must humble depend on God’s strength, not our own (James 4:6-7; 5:16).  Admit sin and open spots that Satan uses in your life (Psalm 32:5; 139:23-24), and confess any sin (I John 1:9).  Accept God’s forgiveness and, with His help, turn from the sin (Amos 3:3; Ezekiel 20:43).  In prayer claim back any openings Satan is using in your life (Acts 19:18-19; Matt 3:7-8).  Cover yourself with the armor of God each day (Eph 6:10-18). Stay in the Scriptures (Psalm 1:1-3).  The Word is a mirror (James 1:22-25) a lamp (Psalm 119:105) a cleanser (Ephesians 5;25-26) a sword (Hebrews 4:12) and food (I Peter 2:2; Matthew 4:4). Use it for all these.  Develop a life of continuous praise & prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17).  Stay in close fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 13:5).  Commit yourself to totally follow God (Ephesians 6:16).

 

II. CHARACTERISTICS

A. DEMONIZING DEFINED

            The Greek word doimonizomai ("demonizing") refers to one who is heavily impacted by demons.  It is used 15 times in the New Testament.  It does not differentiate between possession (demons within) or influence (demons without).  If God doesn't make that clarification or distinction, I don't think its something we need to make, either.  In the spiritual realm there are no clear-cut divisions like we try to make (demons 'within' or 'without', etc.).  There are, of course, degrees of demonizing depending on the person, the demons involved, the access, etc., but it isn't always possible or necessary to pinpoint these things.   The common denominator is that the person being demonized usually doesn't separate their own consciousness from the demonic influence.  The thoughts and feelings the demon feeds them they assume are their own.  A person always has a free will to turn to God for help, but when followed these impulses bring one deeper and deeper into bondage.

            Perhaps demonizing can be better understood by thinking of it as a kind of spiritual hypnotism from within.  Hypnotism of any kind is something for God's people to avoid (Psalm 54:4-5; Joshua 1:8; Philippians 4:8).

            We don't need to know the exact extent of demonizing, just that it is taking place.  The cause is the same, and so is the cure.  We will use the broad term 'demonizing' as the Bible does, referring to the whole spectrum of demonic influence/possession.  Other words the Bible uses for the same thing are "entered in" (as when Satan entered into Judas - John 13:27) and "filled" (the same word that is used of believers being filled with the Holy Spirit - Acts 5:5 about Ananias and Saphira).

B. DEMONIZING DEFENDED

CAN A BELIEVER BE DEMONIZED?

            While all Christians agree that unbelievers can be demonized, some don't believe that can happen to believers.  Demonizing speaks of influence, not ownership.  A believer still has a free will to give soul access to demons, as do unbelievers.  His spirit belongs only to God, but it is up to us to allow God's spirit to control or not. 

            The Bible makes no distinction between believers and unbelievers as far as demonizing is concerned.  In fact, the Bible refers to many believers who were demonized: Paul's thorn in the flesh was a demon (II Corinthians 12:7), King Saul was a believer (I Samuel 11:6) and was obviously demonized (I Samuel 16:14-23), David was motivated by Satan to take a census of the people (I Chronicles 21:1ff; II Samuel 24:1ff), Ananias and Saphira were believers (Acts 4:32-35) but allowed Satan to "fill" them (Acts 5:3), and Peter was Satan's spokesman in tempting Jesus to not go to the cross (Matthew 16:23).  Paul warns believers to not give Satan a "foothold" in their life (Ephesians 4:26-27), showing such a thing is possible.  Jesus Himself called deliverance "the children's bread" (Matthew 15:22-28), meaning it was for His children.  A Christian can receive another spirit (II Cor 11:2-4) and there are examples of believers being demonized (Luke 13:10-16; I Cor. 5:4,5).  Christians are warned to guard against this (I Pt. 5:8-9; Eph. 6:10-18).

            A believer belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.   Satan cannot own him as he did before salvation (I John 4:4), but he can still demonize.  When the words ‘possessed’ or ‘oppressed’ are used then the question can asked if a believer can be ‘possessed.’  To answer that then ‘possessed’ must be defined.  The Bible simply does not define it, not does it even talk about ‘possession’ – just ‘demonizing’ which means being influenced by a demon.  No one would doubt this happens to believers.

            As long as we are in this body we still have a sin nature, a capacity to sin just the same as we did before salvation.  Salvation creates a new spiritual nature within us.  But the old capacity to sin still remains in us.  It is in this area, this sin nature, this capacity to sin, that demons work.  Our new nature is greater but doesn’t take away our free will choice to still function in our sin nature.  Paul’s struggle as recorded in Romans 7 describes this well.

A Christian has every right and resource to be free from this demonizing, however.  Property which you own can be trespassed on by another person, but you have every right and resource to put him off your property.  You just need to learn how to do it. 

 

C. DEMONIZING DESCRIBED

 

THOUGHTS IN, THOUGHTS OUT

            The majority of demonizing consists of demons putting thoughts into a person's mind or snatching thoughts out of a person's mind.  While they don't have access to our minds and thoughts to the same extent that God does, the Bible makes it clear there is some access.  Jesus said this in the sower and the seed: "Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown."  (Mark 4:15).  David's thought to take a census was demonic (I Chronicles 21:1ff; II Samuel 24:1ff).  So was Ananias & Saphira's greed (Acts 5:3) and Saul's jealousy/anger (I Samuel 16:14-23).  That's why, when talking about spiritual warfare, Paul says we are to "bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (II Corinthians 10:4-5).  Not only can Satan's forces put wrong thoughts into our minds, they can snatch right thoughts out of our minds (Mark 4:15) so we forget them.

 

LET YOUR MIND EXPLAIN REALITY TO YOUR EMOTIONS

Feelings and emotions are fine, important and necessary.  They are icing on the cake of life.  They add color and enjoyment to life.  God created them for this purpose.  But He didn’t create them to be the source of our decision-making.   Our feelings should dependent on our rational thought.  When our feelings get ahead of it or away from it then trouble comes.  You know in your mind that you are an OK person, yet your emotions fear you will be rejected.  When feelings aren’t founded on the truth of the mind they go wrong.  The truth is that you are a fine person, but your emotions reject that truth and try to do the ‘thinking’ themselves.  I often tell people they need to let their mind explain reality to their emotions.  When we feel our emotions are correct over our mind we err.  One of the greatest needs of our emotions/feelings is security.  This is closely related to love so we could say the core of our heart is love/security.  Love must bring security but doesn’t always do so.  Other factors can tribute to our security as well.

 

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE MIND

The Bible distinguishes between the heart (seat of emotions, subjective reasoning) and the mind (seat of thought, objective reasoning).  The emotions are to enjoy life, the mind is for decision-making. It is the rational control center of our beings, the center of decision-making (Luke 10:27; Psalm 26:1-3; Proverbs 23:7)

Demons can and do influence a person’s mind (Mark 5:15-16).  That person isn’t aware Satan is doing it; it appears to be their own thoughts.  We see Satan deceiving mankind in the very start of the Bible (Eden) and at the very end. (through the Antichrist).   Man’s mind can be deceived (Genesis 3:13; Rev 20:10).  Therefore God gives us 2 ways to victory over deception.  One is the mind of Christ placed within us by God’s Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:16).  The other is the Word of God which we must study and learn (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12). 

The reason our mind is untrustworthy without the mind of Christ and the written Word is that it is influenced by out sinful nature (Romans 7:14-25).  Paul clearly says his mind isn’t in control of everything for what he wants to do in his mind he is often unable to do because of the pull of sin in him.  This same tendency to sin can influence the mind and warp its perspective.  Victory over the sin nature comes by submitting to God’s power and presence and allowing Him to take complete control over every aspect of our lives (Romans 8:5-8; 12:1-2). 

Our minds only find peace in God (Isaiah 26:3-4). God promises us steadfast minds (Isaiah 26:3).  Steadfast means ‘firm, secure, fixed, settled’ – our minds must be totally submissive to and dependent on God’s control.  Then He will give us peace.  As the verse says, trust is a key factor.  We can’t trust and fear at the same time, we can have both but must choose to follow one or the other, not both.  God knows our thoughts and intentions better than we do and, when we let Him, will work and guide us (Romans 8:26-27).

Those not in control of their minds are in a dangerous position.  Giving up our mental control to anything or anyone opens us to the demonic seizing that access.  Paul uses the example of speaking in tongues to make this point (1 Corinthians 14:13-16).  When speaking in tongues the mind is doing things that the person is not in control of.  The person lets the mind go on its own, out of their control.  Paul warns that this is dangerous, that the mind needs to be involved in everything we are doing.

What you put in your mind has an effect on what you think. Remember those scary movies you watched as a kid, and then had nightmares? It didn't take long to realize that the way to avoid the nightmares was to stop watching that kind of movie. God has provided a way to overcome unhealthy thoughts and behaviors, and gain the self-control you seek. It's a matter of taking charge of your life - His way.

In order for us to take our thoughts captive (Romans 12:21) we must first accept responsibility for our thoughts.  God gave us a free will choice and the ultimate responsibility is ours.  If we have unwelcome thoughts we are responsible to resist them and get to the root cause so they can be removed.  Thoughts are the key to actions (James 4:1) so we aren’t to just try to change actions (that is hypocrisy) but the thoughts behind them (Romans 12:2). 

When we take our thoughts captive we reject any lies or deception they may bring and turn them over to God.  We can best defeat unwanted thoughts and temptations by quoting Scripture.  When Jesus was tempted He quoted Scripture to have victory over Satan's temptations.  Paul says our only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  Psalm 119:9,11 tell us that it's through God's Word that we have victory.  When you have these thoughts and attacks use Scripture to have victory.  Ask God to give you some verses that will help against these things, write them down and memorize them.  Say them over and over when these thoughts attack you.  That is the only way to victory, and God guarantees it will work!

In addition, we are required to make every effort to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable (Philippians 4:8).

 

HOW CAN WE BE DECEIVED IF WE KNOW THE TRUTH?

Do you remember the children's story about the emperor's new clothes?  Some crooks convinced him they were making fine garments which only the enlightened could see so he pretended to see them.  Everyone else did also.  Then in a parade a little boy spoke the truth and everyone realized they had been believing a lie and deceiving themselves.  Satan deceives us into believing a lie.  But how can we be deceived if we know the truth?

1. We can be demonized.  Like a drunk is influenced by alcohol so we can be by demons.

2. We can prefer to be deceived because we don’t want to face the truth or don’t like the truth, so we convince ourselves that a lie is true.  We start to really believe it because we want to.

3. We let our emotions run the show instead of our mind.  When we let our feelings explain reality to our emotions (reacting out of fear for example) we replace the truth with deception.

4. Our mind can be deceived, too, when we use it as the final determining factor and think absolute truth comes from it.  Without the anchor of God’s Word to form our mind and correct our errors we can truly believe something based on the facts as we interpret them. But we may not be interpreting them correctly.  However only God has all the facts and perfect insight, seeing the future as clearly as the past, so when we reject His truth we are open to any kind of deception.

5. Satan and demons tempt us to deception.  Of course they don’t ‘sell’ their product as a black lie, but make it look as appealing and good as possible.  We sometimes fall for the bait.

6. Even aside from the enemy, our  natural tendency to sin (sin nature) causes us to prefer sin for we are often more interested in what is easiest and most enjoyable now instead of what is best in the long run.  Our ‘flesh’ desires instant gratification and we can ‘want’ something so much that we leave all reason and balance behind.

 

RECOGNIZING TRUTH

How does your heart know truth? How do you know when your mate is telling the truth?  It’s not something you can explain or put into words.  It’s not something others who don’t know your mate can tell, either.  But you know them well enough to be able to read the subtleties and know what they are communicating.  That takes time as a relationship grows.  The more time one spends listening to God the better he knows what God is saying.  The more you listen to and follow the truth, the better your heart will recognize it.  Really it is His Holy Spirit in us that speaks to our thoughts (and emotions as well).  He promises to reveal His truth to us (John 16:13-15).  For more information on listening to God read Appendix 7 & 8, pages 101-108.

 

COMPULSIVE & OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS

            Thoughts we don't have captive (aren't in control of) fall into two categories: compulsions and obsessions.  A compulsion is a force that causes us to act against our inclinations.   It comes from within but is not under our control and drives us to unpleasant behavior.  These often take the form of a 'ritual' or tradition to be superstitiously followed.  It can be an extremely detailed preoccupation with minor, every-day tasks or be a besetting sin we are unable to conquer.  It feels like a force greater than self is driving the person.

            An obsession is a thought which forces itself into conscious thought against our will (usually something unpleasant and/or sinful) and can't be dismissed by ones our free will.

 

MENTAL ILLNESS

            Demons can and do cause mental illness:  they can make a person be not in his 'right mind' (Mark 15:15), they can cause screaming and convulsions, foaming at the mouth (Luke 9:39), they can cause self-destructive thoughts and actions (Mark 9:22), they can make a person appear to be 'raving mad' (John 10:20), and they can cause immoral, anti-social behavior that makes the person seem not right mentally (Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35). 

            It cannot be said that all mental illness is demonic.  Other factors are involved such as chemical imbalances, birth defects, damage from injury or drug usage, etc.  However demonizing must always be considered until completely ruled out.  One way to tell if it is demonic or not is the person's willingness to listen or talk about Jesus.  If they fall asleep, change the subject constantly, don't seem to be hearing you, get violent, want to leave in a hurry, etc., you have good reason to suspect demons are involved.

 

SCHIZOPHRENIA

            One of the most severe psychological disorders is schizophrenia.  In general it is characterized by a loss of interest in life, withdrawal and varying degrees of thought disorders.  Among the symptoms most frequently observed are: secluding ones self and withdrawal from society, irritability, excessive daydreaming or preoccupation with thoughts and fantasies, delusive thinking characterized by self-pity and feelings of persecution, bizarre behavior and/or language, and over-sensitivity to criticism and comments of others.  I am no expert in these things, but in every case I have seen this has been demonic (Mark 5:6-7).

 

FEAR

            Fear is one of Satan's biggest weapons.  Demons are often behind and use fear (Romans 8:15).  If it takes the form of insecurity, anxiety, worry, preoccupation with problems, or whatever, it is still fear.  Demons put fear of David into Saul (I Samuel 18:10-15) and put fear and terror into Eliaphaz by gliding by his face (Job 4:15).  Anything not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23).  God does not give us fear (II Timothy 1:7; Romans 8:15), so if you experience fear realize it is not from God but from Satan.  This doesn't mean it is always through demonizing, for you can be attacked with fear without being demonized.

            Fear takes root when we choose to focus on circumstances instead of God.  Peter walking on water is a good example.  When his eyes were on Jesus his faith was strong, but when he looked at the waves they grew in his mind to be greater than Jesus’ power and he started sinking.  He did the right thing, though, and put his eyes back on Jesus.

Dream with me for a minute.  Suppose as a young child you had a father who loved you more than anything and constantly showed it.  He was always there for you, always showing his love, enjoying you and laughing with you.  Whatever you needed he was there to help and supply.  How would that make you feel?  What difference would it have made?  There is something down deep inside all of us that would love to have someone we could trust, someone to take care of us, someone to always be there no matter what.  Then we wouldn't need to be in control so we wouldn’t fear.   Control is a poor but often necessary substitute for love and trust.  It may have been necessary in your past but isn’t necessary any more!

TRUST, THE ANTIDOTE TO FEAR  How can we understand trust, what it means and how it works?  I think understanding how a family should work is the best answer.  God established a family relationship to answer all those questions.  He is the Father, we are the children.  Do your children trust you?  What do they have to do?  What do you expect of them?  It's exactly the same.  Jesus says we are to be like little children in order to learn faith and trust.  Let your children teach you.  Put yourself in their position - with a Perfect Father.

 

 

ANGER

            Anger comes from mishandling hurt and pain.  Instead of feeling it as hurt we turn it into anger.  Demons are behind and use anger, too.  They made Saul angry at David, so much so that he tried to kill David (I Samuel 18:10-11; 19:9-10).  Paul says there is a very close connection between anger and demonizing (Ephesians 4:27).

As I said before, anger comes from pain and hurt that is buried inside.  You can't bury something alive and think you are getting rid of it.  The hurt must be dead - faced, admitted, healed, removed, forgiven.  When a person buries hurt alive it keeps poising everything until it is dug out and destroyed.

While there is a legitimate use for anger (‘righteous indignation’) most of what we face is not right.  Anger is a secondary emotion, unlike fear which is a basic emotion.  Wrong anger is always the result of mishandling another, deeper emotional like fear or pain.  Let’s take pain, first of all.  When a person hits their finger with a hammer what do they do?  Usually they get angry.  What they feel is pain, but it comes out as anger because anger is a much easier emotion to handle than pain.  When someone says something critical or threatening it hurts, but the natural response in many is to get angry.  That way they don’t have to face the pain – but it stays and causes more and more anger.  That’s where fear comes in.  It’s not just pain that causes anger, but fear of pain.  Fear is at the root of anger in other ways as well.  To seek to manage our fears we try to control our lives and circumstances (thus the control emphasis part grows).  We feel that is necessary to prevent pain and other things we fear.  We use anger as a control tool.  The adrenalin rush makes us feel in charge instead of a victim.  We learn that people can be manipulated and controlled by our anger (or the threat of it) and we use that to control as well.  This is another reason why it’s important to deal with and get victory over the fears down inside.  When they go the anger and control issues will become much more manageable.  A person can’t stop their anger as long as what causes it is still inside pushing it out.  They must get the root cause out, and that is where dealing with the fear comes in.

 

CUTTING, SELF MUTILATION,  SUICIDE

Some today explain cutting and other self-mutilation activities as purely psychological.  They say it is a way of refocusing pain, of using physical pain to alleviate emotional pain.  While that may be true, I believe there is a deeper cause to these things.  From my experience and the Bible I am convinced that self-mutilation is contrary to our natural desire to ‘love’ ourselves and the natural drive to protect self and survive at every cost.  Mark 5 tells about a demonized man who was continually cutting himself (Mark 5:5).  Then there is the demonized boy who keeps throwing himself in the fire to burn or water to drown (Matthew 17:15).  Satan loves pain and death.  They are his tools of trade.  He would have all of us dead if God would not forbid it.  So the best he can do it to try and get us to harm ourselves.  The ultimate of this is suicide.  The prophets of Baal regularly used cutting as a means of appeasing their demonic gods, as seen in their encounter with Elijah on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:28).  Accounts of suicide in the Bible also show close association with demonization.  Saul killed himself after his encounter with the witch of Endor.  Judas’ suicide came after being indwelt by Satan and betraying Jesus.

 

 

 

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF DEMONIZING

            Luke 8:26-39, the account of the Gadarene demoniac, clearly describes various symptoms of demonizing.  There is nakedness (immodesty, immorality), self-destructive tendencies (even to suicide and death), supernatural strength, animalistic behavior, schizophrenia, mental illness, preoccupation with darkness and death (living in a graveyard), fits of rage, resistance to spiritual things, etc.  The strong man (ruler) was "Legion", meaning he had many demons under his authority that are doing these various works. 

 

HOW RESPONSIBLE ARE THE DEMONIZED?

How could a person be responsible and at the same time have demons affect the mind? While we aren’t responsible for everything that happens when demonized we are responsible for letting it happen and not being in control.  Think of it this way.  Someone gets drunk and kills another family in the car.  They didn’t want to kill them, probably didn’t even realize they were doing it until it happened.  Does that mean they aren’t responsible and can walk away free?  No.  They are responsible for their actions.  They are certainly responsible for getting drunk and allowing themselves to be in a situation that could cause death.  Just because sometimes they drive without killing anyone doesn’t mean they are any less guilty then, too.  The same is done with demonizing.  Allowing another power to influence us makes us accountable for all that happens while under that influence.

But if someone is demonized from childhood and isn’t aware of it, are they responsible?  Yes and no.  Yes, they are responsible, but no, for God covers it with His grace and His work on the cross.  Just like a little child is guilty of sin but God doesn’t hold him accountable until he is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, so the person demonized that way isn’t accountable until they start to realize what is going on.  The option then is to turn to Jesus for help over it. 

 

EVIDENCE OF DEMONIZING

 

I. COMPULSIVE THOUGHTS

            Extremely low self image (feel unworthy, unclean, no good, etc) Luke 8:2

            Constant confusion in thinking (especially about spiritual things), restlessness

            Inability to believe spiritual truths which you hear or read

            Mocking and blasphemous thoughts (esp. when hearing spiritual truths)

            Perceptual distortions (thinking others are angry at you when they are not)

            Repetitious dreams or nightmares (sexual, horror-filled, fearful, etc)

            Violent thoughts (of suicide, rape, murder, self-abuse, cutting, etc.)

 

II. COMPULSIVE FEELINGS

            Hatred and bitterness toward others for no justifiable reason

            Tremendous hostility, fear, restlessness when challenged about demonizing

            Deep depression and despondence (frequent and long)

            Irrational fears, panic, and phobias (Rom. 8:15 Luke 9:39)

            Irrational anger or rage (Mt. 8:28)

            Irrational guilt and extreme self-condemnation, not forgiving self

 

III. COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR

            Desire to do right but inability to carry it out

            Sudden personality & attitude changes (like, and then hate someone)

            Strong aversion to Scripture reading & prayer

            Lying compulsively, then often wondering why (Acts 5:3)

            Stealing compulsively, if you need the thing or not

            Drinking or using drugs (prescription or not) compulsively, if you really desire to or not

            Eating compulsively (or reverse, bulimia or anorexia nervosa)

            Sexual sins that are compulsive (especially perversions) Matthew 15:5 Luke 8:27

            Irrational, inappropriate laughter

            Irrational violence (compulsion to hurt self or someone else) Mt. 17:15; Mk. 5:5; Lk 9:39

            Sudden speaking of a language not previously known

            Reactions to the name and blood of Jesus (uncomfortable, move away, etc.)

            Uncontrollable cutting and mocking tongue and language

            Vulgar language and actions (Luke. 4:33-34)

            Uncontrollable greed, which drives you on (Acts 5:3)

 

IV. CONSCIOUSNESS PROBLEMS

            Loss of time (little or a lot, not knowing how you got someplace what you did)

            Extreme sleepiness around spiritual things (Bible study, prayer, etc.)

            Demonstration of extraordinary abilities (ESP, telekinesis, out of body, disassociating)

            Voices heard in the mind (mock, intimidate, accuse, threaten, bargaining

            A voice speaking from you refers to you in the third person ("he" "she”)

            Supernatural experiences (haunting, movement or disappearance of objects, etc.)

 

V.  ABNORMAL MEDICAL PROBLEMS

            Seizures (Mk. 1:26 Mk. 7:24-30 Mk. 17:15) (may or may not be demonic)

            Pain without justifiable explanation, problem doctors can’t cure

            Physical ailments alleviated by a spiritual command (epileptic seizure, asthma attack,

headache, nausea, etc., which stops when commanded in Jesus' name to be gone)

            Sudden interference with bodily functions (buzzing in ears, irritability to speak or hear, increased hypersensitivity in hearing or touch, sudden chills, etc.)

 

III. CAUSES

            Having looked at what demonizing is and some characteristics of it, the next step is to find out what allows demons to do this work in/against us.  These openings are like cracks in a wall which allow the enemy to slip in.  When you have these openings, it could be that demons are using this to demonize you.  Demons are like rats that feed on garbage.  To get rid of the rats one must get rid of the garbage, then the rats will be gone.

The most common avenue to demonic entrance is through a family line.  One person opens themselves to demonic influence and the demons claim them and all they have, including children.  Then the same traits and influences pass on to the children and their children.  Occult and Satanic involvement by activities, drugs, acid rock music, Ouija boards, etc. is another opening.  Cult involvement in the family, especially Masons, opens one.  The Bible says that when 2 people have sex the two become one flesh and that allows demons to claim the other person.  Abuse of any kind or any form of trauma, especially when young, open one to the demonic.  Strong soul ties with someone involved can cause an opening.  Being unwanted when in the womb or young is a definite opening.  These are some of the main avenues demons use to gain entrance and attack people.

In order to have victory over the attacks of the enemy it is important to understand where those attacks come from – what is the cause of them.  This is very important in being able to defend against them.  If we know the direction from which our enemy will attack we can better defend ourselves and defeat those attacks.  If you think of your life as a fort you can better understand what is happening.  Think of a frontier fort such as were built for protection in the early days of the USA.  An enemy can 1) claim access through an open door, 2) enter through a weak spot in the wall, 3) claim the land on which the fort is built, or 4) attack us because of our commitment to Jesus.  Let’s look at these four avenues of attack.

 

A. PHYSICAL ATTACK We can be attacked because of access given through what has happened on the land or to the property in the past.

 

It can be PAST USE OF THE LOCATION.  Some event may have happened on the land or in the home or room where you live.  It could be a violent act, an occult activity, a curse, a dedicating of the property to the powers of darkness or similar acts.  Sometimes when we go into a certain neighborhood or home there is a ‘sense’ of evil, a discomfort in our spirit.  In a store that sells New Age materials you may ‘feel’ different in your spirit, a discomfort.  This is the explanation for supernatural apparitions that happen in ‘haunted’ homes – demonic activity may be present.  Some countries and even continents are in extra darkness and bondage and it can be sensed by believers.  The message we get is from God’s Holy Spirit Who is warning us against the evil around us.

Our solution is to pray, taking back any access the enemy may claim to the property and asserting our right as children of God to claim and use it.  Put any other claims under the blood of Jesus and dedicate it to Him for His honor and glory.  A sign, picture or cross on the wall can be a good visual reminder to all of the ownership of the property by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray, anoint the house and property, etc.  Walk around you boundaries praying out loud, claiming your property for God and forbidding any demons to have any access to it.  Dedicate it to God and invite His presence through all of it.  Take back any access any demons may claim to the property and put the access under the blood of Jesus.  Break it in Jesus’ name.  Ask God to put an angelic hedge of protection around it.  Do the same in all the rooms of the house, especially the basement (if you have one). Anoint each room with oil by dipping your finger in the oil and putting a cross on the door, walls, etc.  Pray as you did when you walked around the property.   If there is one particular part of the house that seems worse put a night light there so there is always light in to room.  You could do that to all the rooms.  Demons hate light, and they hate hearing Jesus praised, so you can play praise music in various places 24 hours a day.  It can be real soft – they will hear it!

 

In addition it can be from PERSONAL PROPERTY ON THE LOCATION.  When the Jews took possession of Canaan under Joshua they were told to not keep any of the objects they captured.  Even animals and children were to be destroyed.  They had been dedicated to Satan and were claimed by him.  Those who used these things would be opening themselves up to the demonic powers they had been dedicated to.  That’s why Paul had the people in Ephesus burn all their occult books.  Today we must watch for things like literature from other cults and religions, Ouija boards and other occult paraphernalia, pagan objects from primitive cultures, objects from Masonic or other secret societies, some Native American artifacts or the like.  Pornography, drug or alcoholic supplies, music with a black or evil dimension

The solution is to remove and destroy such objects as God convicts you or as being openings for demonic access.  Ask for forgiveness for having them, cleanse the room from their presence, take back any access the enemy may claim and dedicate the space as well as yourself to Jesus.  Ask Him to reveal to you anything else that may need to be dealt with.

When a room or object is under the control of an evil spirit for whatever reason they claim, painting crosses by dipping a finger in oil and making them on a wall claims the place for Jesus.  Playing Christian music and leaving a small light on also are offensive to the forces of darkness.  Of course praying and quoting scripture while making the crosses is important, too.  I know I, as a Christian, have great power in blessing people, especially my own family and other Christians.  'God bless you' is more than a slang or shallow comment.  There's real power in it when one means it that way.  It's a privilege I use and repeat often to people.  Distance doesn't seem to affect it at all.  Of course there is something even more special about touching a person when I pray or ask God to bless them, but when at a distance it carries just as well.  The power is in God who is everywhere (omnipresent).  Satan and demons are limited to one place at a time so they are at a distinct disadvantage in this, too.

The promise God gives us to claim and use is: The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  I John 4:4

 

 

B. HISTORICAL ATTACK  This attack comes through our or our ancestors’ sins.  It is the same as leaving the front door open while building a secure fortress. 

It may be because of our ANCESTOR’S/PARENT’S PAST ACTIONS.  When one person opens themselves up to demonic influence, that person’s descendants are also at risk of demonizing.  When a demon has access to a person, he also claims right to all that person has, including their children.  The Bible says God "punishes the children

for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation" (Exodus 20:4-5; Deuteronomy 5:8-9; Exodus 34:6-7).  The Bible says that children are affected by their parents sins (Ezekiel 18;2) and this is one of the ways.  In fact, this is one of the most common reasons people are demonized.  This is especially true of first born males, for Satan seeks to claim them just as God does (Exodus 34:20). 

Generational bondage is often discerned by the sin patterns that repeat from generation to generation. It is not uncommon to observe generations of abuse, addiction, hatred, superstition and fear, pride, control and manipulation, rejection, sexual sins and perversions, aberrant religious beliefs, witchcraft, and rebellion etc.

If you notice some of the same problems in your life as in your siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, or grandparents it could very well be ancestral demonizing.  The same demons have access to those in the family and do the same work in various members (not all members, that would be too obvious).  They claim the blood line and use that as access.  If you see some patterns in the symptoms or characteristics of demonizing that were covered previously in others in your family that could show ancestral access.  That is why so often a boy who hates his father for beating his mother grows up to beat his own wife, or a child of an alcoholic becomes an alcoholic themselves. 

A very, very common pattern is for the first-born male to be affect first and most by generational attacks. The first-born Jews were dedicated to God and so Satan tries to attack and claim them first, too.  Often it is the first-born male in a family that is attacked spiritually.

Generational bondage can be broken by personally repenting of and confessing the sins of past generations. Claim the blood of Christ as stronger than your blood line and put that access under the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:15).  Claim that you are a "new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).  Ask God to turn curses into blessing (Deut. 23:5). 

 

 

The sin that opens the door for demonic attack doesn’t have to be done by others, though.  It could be  OUR OWN PAST ACTIONS.  The lists of sins that are especially prone to allowing demonic access are listed in this handbook on pages 20, 32-33. This refers specifically to things that happened early in life, often in childhood, which gave demons access to work against us.  Present acts of sin will be considered separately.

This can include occult, New Age, Ouija Board or other involvements in the past.  Having become a Mason, Shriner or member of any secret society, have had a traumatic experience, rape, molestation or abuse experience, been involved in drugs, alcohol or immoral behavior, having someone lay hands on you to pray and they had demonic issues themselves or having a curse put on you or your family.

God clearly states that SEXUAL UNION means two become one flesh, even if it is sex with a prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:16).  Therefore sexual activity with anyone before or outside marriage can be a direct opening to demonization.  Any demons that have access to the person you are involved with will have immediate and instant access to you as well.  It is like a spiritual AIDS infection, but there is no prevention, no ‘safe sex’ application.  Those sexual involvements of the past must be confessed and put under the blood of Jesus.  Any access given to any demons through them must be broken in Jesus name.   Ask to be filled with His Presence instead, and thank Him for His mercy!

It may be someone has put a CURSE on you or your family by asking that something bad happen to you. That is really a prayer that Satan really loves to answer!  Parents can curse their children by saying they wish they hadn’t had them, they hate them, don’t want them they are no good and will never amount to anything, and so forth.  Finally, we can curse ourselves (Proverbs 6:2) by saying we hope we die, that we aren’t good enough, that we’ll never be happy or any of many such things about ourselves.

            The area of curses is a less common but still a strong opening to demonic access.  To curse someone is to ask for evil to happen to them.  Those requests (really prayers) are heard by Satan and his forces and 'answered' when possible.  This includes everything from occult and witchcraft curses to one individual 'wishing' harm on another.  Balaam was paid to curse Israel, but God wouldn't allow it (Numbers 22 - 24).  These curses, when in effect, can also be passed on from generation to generation.  The Bible says that speaking evil of someone is the same as cursing them (Romans 12:14).  Things like: "I hope you die..."  "Since he/she won't love me I wish they'd ....."  "You're no good, you'll never amount to anything..."  "I hope she gets some of her own medicine..."  "I hope your children do ..... to you when you grow up."  You can even curse yourself by what you say (Proverbs 6:2).  Our words are powerful and important.  They aren't something to be taken lightly.  Using profanity ("curse" words) also falls into this category.  When someone "damns" someone to "hell" that is an awful, awful thing to say!  Demons love to hear it, they use the power of the hate in the speaker and will latch onto any authority or justification to do their evil!

Balaam tried to curse the Jews (Dt 23:4).  The Bible says we can curse others (Ps 109:17).  Demons use this as an excuse to work against the person, as a ‘prayer’ to gain access.  Old Testament men (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Gen 27:23, 38) would bless or curse their children (Genesis 48:20).   Sometimes they even put a curse on them, as Abraham did with Ishmael and Isaac cursed Esau.  The Levites were used to pronounce blessings (Dt 10:8; 21:5).  When Naomi came back to Israel she said she was to be called ‘mara’ because things had turned ‘bitter’ for her. A father is to bless his children by his words and send them into life with his and God’s blessing.  What you have done is the opposite. 

            If you feel this may have happened to you remember to "Bless them that curse you" (Matthew 5:44).  Treat the person with love and kindness, for when you return good for evil the "undeserved curse does not come to rest" (Proverbs 6:2).  Break that curse against you in Jesus' name, claiming Galatians 3:10,13 which says "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'"  Ask God to turn the curse to a blessing (Deuteronomy 23:5).

ADOPTED CHILDREN are quite often attacked because of openings in their past: rejection, illegitimacy, rape (mother or them), abuse or many other things.  There are often many generational demons at work.  Deliverance should be sought early for adopted children who show signs of difficulties adjusting and adapting to their new family.  Any child who has experienced a traumatic experience when young can have demonic openings from it.  A car or other kind of accident or any situation that causes terror can be the reason. 
So can abuse, rape, molestation or any form of rejection.

In order to bring deliverance to adopted children first of all the bond with the natural mother must be broken.  It’s like cutting an invisible spiritual umbilical cord.  Pray to break any claim by sprits of abandonment, resentment, anger, lust, low self-esteem, self-centeredness, jealousy, rejection, self-rejection, etc., and pray for them to be free from any generational spirits who would be claiming them.  Pray against any family curses, spirits of occultism or anything that had access to the family through the ancestors.  For more information about children and deliverance see pages 57-58, 60.

REJECTION If, before birth, one or both of the parents reject the pregnancy and the baby is unwanted, demons can step in and claim the baby.  Also, if there is a difficult birth or the parents are disappointed because of the sex or a physical feature (or handicap) of the baby then demons can claim it.  Sometimes even extreme sibling rejection can cause this. Rejection can come later too, especially if a baby cries a lot or causes problems for the parents, or if it interferes in their life or career.

            If you felt rejection in your childhood, what can you now do about it?  First, make a free will decision to forgive the person/parent.  In Jesus' name break anything they said/felt against you (as with curses above).  Freely accept God's love to fill and heal you.  In Jesus name forbid any demons of rejection to do any work against you.  From then on take every thought captive (II Corinthians 10:4-5) and don't let negative thoughts about your past rejection dominate (Philippians 4:8).  Claim your new relationship to God (II Corinthians 5:17).

ABUSE  This includes any form of incest or physical abuse (physical or emotional).  As seen before, sexual union gives demons access (I Corinthians 6:16).  The trauma of abuse creates openings that demons often use in the child's life from then on.

REBELLION  Rebellion is often seen as "natural," but can be as much an invitation for demonizing as direct occult involvement (I Samuel 15:23 says so!). There is a difference between normal "trying to find one's self" and real rebellion.  In Israel older children who rebelled were stoned to death.  How can we tell normal rebellion from abnormal?

            It is normal for a child to want his curfew extended to that of his friends but abnormal to ignore their curfew and sometimes stay out all night.  It is normal for a child to exhibit mood swings (without violence of destruction) but abnormal when they become more and more irrational and violent.  Showing less interest in family activities as they grow older is normal for children, but becoming so withdrawn they only use the home for a bed and breakfast is abnormal.  Showing some impatience with rules and restrictions is normal, but purposefully disobeying and speaking disrespectfully are not.  A gradual change in interests and friends as a child grows in normal, but suddenly dropping all former interests and activities is not.  It is normal that a child will not confide in a parent as much as they used to as they mature, but abnormal for them to be sneaky and secretive, even dishonest and manipulative.  Children may want to stretch the dress code you lay down, but it is abnormal to purposely dress in a way that will shock and offend you.  The Bible says this abnormal rebellion will grow in the last days (II Timothy 3:1-5) and it certainly has been. 

            If you sense this in your child please pray specifically and regularly for them.  Confront them in love.  Reestablish the relationship so grounds of communication can be opened.  Counseling can be helpful, too.  Try to distinguish between their attitude and their action.  Sometimes one must be addressed first, other times the other.  Ask God for wisdom (James 1). 

SOUL TIES in our past can be another opening for demons.  Just like they can transfer from one person to another through a physical union like sex, so they can transfer through an emotional union as well.  Souls can bond as well as bodies.  When one gives their trust, their heart to another a bonding is formed.  Bonds between mates, parents and children, godly friends, etc., are good and necessary.  But when we bond with someone who is demonized then those demons can use that as access to the other person.  Souls become bonded, or tied together.  If you have any of these in your past that you feel may not have been godly and healthy, confess them as sin and break the bond in Jesus’ name.

 

 

BREAKING ACCESS GIVEN IN CHILDHOOD

FROM YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD  Confess (admit) what happened as sin and put it under the blood of Jesus (I John 1:9).  Even if it isn't your sin, you must label what happened as sin and break its power over you by Jesus' blood. Forgive anyone that has been influential or guilty in any of these areas.  In Jesus' name take back any access demons can try to use.  Ask to be filled by the Holy Spirit and healed from the results of any of these.  Claim II Corinthians 5:17, that you are now a new creation in Jesus and all those old things are gone and passed away.

IN YOUR OWN CHILDREN  Confess the sin and especially your part in it, putting it under the blood of Jesus (I John 1:9).  Forgive anyone involved (others or yourself).  In Jesus' name take back any access demons can try to use from it.  Ask to be filled by the Holy Spirit and healed from the results of any of these.  Pray for them regularly and specifically.  Claim II Corinthians 5:17 for them if they are believers (they are a new creation and all these things in the past are gone).  If they aren't a believer pray for their salvation.

God’s promise to us in this area is: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  II Corinthians 5:17

  

C. RELATIONAL ATTACK One of the most common reasons for our attacks is because of our commitment  to Jesus.  The fort is attacked just because it is there and represents a threat to those who don’t want it there.

We don’t have to have done anything – just our stand with Jesus will draw attacks for Satan is committed to opposing God’s kingdom in any and every way he can.  Satan can’t attack Jesus directly so he takes his hate and anger out on God’s children.  That’s why the Jews have experienced such persecution through the years.  While we were in Satan’s army, or even when we were neutral and ineffective for God, demons didn’t need to waste time and effort on us.  But when we become committed to serving Jesus and building His Kingdom we find we have spiritual enemies sworn to do anything they can to destroy us.  Sometimes these attacks are direct, other times they take an indirect approach.  Our marriage, finances, children or health may be attacked to discourage us and cause us to cease to actively participate in the cause of Christ.  These attacks can also take the form of opposition from others.  There may be a person who does what he can to make life difficult for you.  This is why Satan attacked Job – because he was effective in his faith and Satan wanted to stop that.  That seems to be the cause of Paul’s demonic ‘thorn in the flesh’ attack as well (2 Corinthians 12). 

            How can we tell what is a normal problem of the flesh or life in a fallen world from what is an attack of the enemy?  If it brings a long, ongoing battle, and especially if you are having trouble having victory over it, you should seek for deeper causes.  Or if it is a very new, very sudden attack that threatens to overwhelm and defeat you.  If it is something large that comes from nowhere, like a gigantic wave that threatens to wash you away.  Then suspect spiritual causes as well.

Pray for a hedge of protection around yourself, your property and your family, as Job did (Job 1:45, 10-11).   Turn to God’s Word for guidance: 

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you.  James 4:6-8

All things work together for the good of those who love God. Rom 8:28

There is no testing taken you but such as is common to man.  God will not allow you to be tested beyond what you can bear, but with the testing will make a way of escape so you can bear it.  I Cor 10:13

 

D. SPIRITUAL ATTACK   The major cause for most of our battles, especially if we are struggling with sins that defeat us.  These are like having cracks and rotten spaces in our defense.  They are a sure invitation for attack and defeat.

For children such sins as self-centeredness, pride, rebellion, anger and unforgiveness are especially damaging in this area.  Rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23), immorality, substance abuse, pride and self rejection are sins teens commit which open them to the enemy.  For adults any ongoing sin patter, pride, greed, anger, lust, etc., can be an opening for demonic attack.  The lists of sins that are especially prone to allowing demonic access are listed in this handbook on page 20, 32-33.  Demons love to piggy-back on human sins, so watch out!  Demons are like rats attracted to garbage.  To get rid of the rats you must get rid of the garbage.  For us that would be sin.

Ask God to show you any sin in your life so that you can effectively deal with it.  Ps 139:23-24  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Sin must be confessed (I John 1:9).  That means to see the sin as God sees it.  It includes thoughts, actions, motives and sins of omission.  Fasting can be a way of showing humility and seeking victory over sin (Ps 169:10  Dt 8:2-3, 11-14; Isa 58:3).  For more information on fasting see page 56-57.

 

REMEMBER, GOD PROMISES VICTORY!

"Thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  I Cor. 15:57

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ."  II Cor. 2:14

"Who is He that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God."          I John 5:5

So let’s define sin.  Sin is anything we do, anything we think or anything we feel that is not what Jesus would do, think or feel.  It is anything we could do, think or feel that is right and He wants us to do but we don’t do, think or feel it.  Or it could be something good we do, think or feel but do, think or feel it motivated by our own selfish reasons.  Sin is more motive than action.

 

Let’s look a little more specifically at some of the sin areas that are especially related to demonizing, either by cause or by effect.

 

ANGER BASED SINS

            One of the leading causes of demonizing is unconfessed anger.  Anger includes any form of unforgiveness, bitterness, hate, jealousy, gossip, criticism, etc.   Paul says these can "give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:26-27).   He tells the Corinthians that if they don't forgive each other Satan will use that to "outwit" them (II Corinthians 2:10-11).  Jesus Himself said that those who don't forgive others will be turned over to tormenting demons to bring them to repentance (Matthew 18:34).  This anger includes anger toward others, parents self, or God.  There can be no removing demons using this access until all anger is truly confessed and put under the blood of Jesus.  This is one of the first things that usually comes up when we counsel people and pray for their deliverance.  Do NOT take this lightly!

 

 

IDOLATRY BASED SINS

            Sins which specifically put something or someone before God also give openings to demons.  Putting anything before God is idolatry, and is  forbidden by God (Exodus 20:3,4,23; 23:24).  These sins include greed, envy, jealousy, materialism, or putting anything (career, possessions, etc.) or anyone (mate, child, parent, self, etc.) before God.  Demons receive the worship we give anything other than God (Zechariah 10:2; I Corinthians 10:19-21). Ananias and Saphira were guilty of this (Acts 5:3).  Spiritual adultery is something God hates (Jeremiah 3:8-10; Ezekiel 16:23-43; 23:24-30; Revelation 17:1-5).  This starts in the mind (Judges 2:10-13; Ezekiel 14:7).

 

 

IMMORALITY BASED SINS

            God created sex to show the great oneness of believers and Christ (Ephesians 5).  Therefore Satan tries hard to pervert and destroy this model.  Any sex outside marriage is sinful (Ephesians 5:3, 5-6).  This includes thoughts (Matthew 5:27-30).

            Sexual sin has an element that other sins don't have.  When you unite yourself with another person that also opens you to being demonized by any demons that are demonizing the person you are united to.  This is true even if it is simply sexual lust with a prostitute (I Corinthians 6:16).  Sex creates a special union, a spiritual oneness, an opening of total sharing between two people.  Often demons will claim this as access from one person to another. It is like a spiritual AIDS disease, but much more contagious and with far worse consequences.

            It is important for each believer to confess all their past immorality and put it under the blood of Jesus, as well as taking back any access given to Satan's forces by that act.  Ask God to heal and cleanse you spiritually.  Of course a good spiritual life (connecting with God in devotions each morning, reading your Bible, etc.) is a must.

When a person first gets tempted, when the first thought pops into their mind, they must get victory over the thought and not allow it to stay and grow.  Victory only happens by quoting scripture.  Jesus had victory over Satan by quoting scripture and that is our sword of the Spirit.  Her are some passages you can use. Start quoting or reading them when tempted and don’t stop until well beyond the temptation”  2 Corinthians 5:17; Psalm 51:10-12; Romans 12:1; James 4:6-8; I John 4:4; Philippians 4:19; Matthew 16:23; Psalm 139:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Job 31:1; Matthew 5:27-28.  These verses can be your sword for victory.  Make sure you have an accountability partner who will check on you and be there for you as well!

 

 
 

WRONG SELF IMAGE BASED SINS

            While there is often too much focus on self today under the guise of "developing a good self image," it is true we are to accept ourselves as God made us (Psalm 139).  We are to accept ourselves as we accept others (Luke 10:27) - accepting both strengths and weaknesses without over-emphasizing one or the other.  Overemphasizing our strengths is pride, and that is the sin that caused Satan's downfall.  He tries to use it today as much as possible.  The other extreme (under-emphasizing our strengths) is to dislike or not accept ourselves as God made us.  Self-love and self-hate are both from pride.  Both focus on self and are preoccupation with self.  In one we see ourselves as better than others in the other you see yourself as worse.  Both are definite cracks to demonizing, sins which must be confessed. 

            King Saul is a fine example of someone with a poor self image, someone who was insecure and thought he was inferior to others (I Samuel 10:22).  This was a crack that opened him to demonizing (I Samuel 16:14, 23).

            Its as important to forgive yourself as it is to forgive others!  Satan tries to bring up past sins to have us feel defeated, unworthy, etc.  Don't let this tactic work!  The next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.

 

LIST OF COMMON SINS

 

The following sins are examples of those which can allow Satan and his demons to have access to "demonize" you.  If you are now doing these you must confess them and take back any access you gave Satan through them.  If you no longer do them, still make sure they are confessed and then renounce them.  If a close relative does or has done them seek God's guidance as to if Satan has used that to attack you through the relative.  This list is not complete, but will give you an idea of things:

 

            When these are confessed and renounced, claim back for God the ground that Satan may have claimed for his through these sins. Then make sure you ask and invite God's Holy Spirit to fill those areas.  If they aren't replaced with the Holy Spirit, Satan will re-enter in stronger fashion (Mt. 12:43-45; Lk. 11:24-26).  If there is a particular fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, Gal. 5:22-23), that you need to counteract what you have confessed, ask God for His Spirit to produce that in you.,  Be specific when you pray.

 

PATCHING THE CRACKS

 

            The only cure for sin is the blood of Jesus.  Any sin you recognize in your life must be confessed (admit it is sin - I John 1:9 ).  There is no other way of deliverance from demonizing caused by sin.  Demons are like rats that feed on garbage.  Remove the garbage and the rats will be gone!

            Prayerfully and carefully read the Scriptures listed below and meditate on the questions about each verse (Psalm 139:23-24).   Every time God's Spirit pricks your heart pray and admit/confess your sin.  Put it under the blood of Jesus, and take back any access this sin has given to Satan's forces.

 

CONFESSION OF SIN

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  Psalm 139:23-24

 

1. MATTHEW 6:12,14

Is there anyone against whom you hold a grudge?

Is there anyone  you hate?  Is there anyone you do not love?

Are there any misunderstandings  you are unwilling to forget?

Is there any person against whom you are harboring bitterness, resentment, or jealousy?

Is there anyone you dislike to hear praised or spoken well of?

Do you  justify a wrong attitude toward another?

 

2. MATTHEW  6:33

Is there anything in which you have failed to put God first?

Have your decisions  been made after your own wisdom and desires instead of by seeking and   following God's will?

Do any of the following in any way interfere with your surrender and service to God: ambition,       pleasures, loved ones, friendships, desire for recognition, money, plans?

 

3. MARK 16:15

Have you failed to seek the lost for Christ?

Have you failed to witness consistently with your mouth for the Lord  Jesus Christ?

 

4. JOHN 13:35

Are you secretly pleased over the misfortunes of another?

Are you secretly annoyed over the accomplishments or advancements of another?

Are you guilty of any contention, division  or strife? Do you quarrel or argue?

Are there people whom you deliberately slight?

 

5. ACTS 20:35

Have you robbed God by withholding His due of time, talents, or treasure?

Have you given less than He wants you to give to God's work?

Have you failed  to support mission work in prayer or offerings?

 

6. I  CORINTHIANS 4:2

Are you undependable so that you cannot be trusted with responsibilities in God's work?

Are you allowing  your emotions to be stirred for things of the Lord but not following through?

 

7. I CORINTHIANS 6:19-20

Are you in any way careless with your body?

Do you fail to care for it as the temple of the Holy Spirit?

Are you guilty of intemperance in eating or drinking?

Do you have any habits which are defiling to the body?

 

8. I CORINTHIANS 10:31

Do you take the slightest credit for anything good about you, rather than giving all the glory to God?

Do you talk of what you have done rather than of what Christ has done?

Are your statements mostly about "I"?

Are your feelings easily hurt?

Have you made a pretense of being something that you aren't?

 

9. EPHESIANS 3:20

Are you self-conscious rather than Christ-conscious?

Do you allow feelings of inferiority to keep you from attempting things you should do in serving God?

 

10. EPHESIANS 4:28

Do you do  little in your work?

Have you been careless in the payment of debts?

Do you waste time?  Do you waste other people's time?

 

11. EPHESIANS 4:32

Do you complain?

Do you find fault with others?

Do you have a critical attitude toward any person or things?

Are you irritable or cranky?

Do you get angry?  Do you become impatient with others?  Are you ever unkind or harsh?

 

12. EPHESIANS 5:16

Do you listen to unedifying radio or TV programs?

Do you read unworthy material?

Do you find it necessary to seek satisfaction form any questionable source?

Are you doing certain things that show you are not satisfied in the Lord Jesus Christ?

 

13. EPHESIANS  5:20

Have you neglected to thank Him for all things, the seemingly bad as well  as the good?

Have you virtually called God a liar by doubting His Word?

Do you worry?

Is your spiritual temperature based on your feelings instead of on the facts of God's Word?

 

14. PHILIPPIANS 1:21

Are you taken up with the cares of this life?

Is your conversation or heart joy over things rather than the  Lord and His work?

Does anything mean  more to you than living for & pleasing God?

 

15. PHILIPPIANS 2:14

Do you ever, by word or deed, seek to hurt someone?

Do you gossip?

Do you speak unkindly concerning people not present?

Do you carry prejudice against true Christians because they are of a different group or church?

Do you think less of people who do not see everything exactly like you?

 

16. PHILIPPIANS 4:4

Have you neglected to seek to be pleasing to Him in all things?

Do you carry any bitterness toward God?

Have you complained against God in any way?

Have you been dissatisfied with His provision for you?

Is there in your heart any unwillingness to obey God fully?

Do you have reservations as to what you would or wouldn't do about anything that might be  His will?

Have you disobeyed some direct leading from God?

 

17. COLOSSIANS 3:9

Do you engage in empty and unprofitable conversation?

Do you ever lie?  Do you ever exaggerate?

Do you ever cheat?  Do you ever steal?

 

18. II TIMOTHY 2:22

Do you have any personal habits that are not pure?

Do you allow impure thoughts to stay in your mind?

Do you read that which is impure or  suggest unholy things?

 

19. HEBREWS 10:25

Do you  think about other things while God's Word is taught?

Are you as faithful in your attendance as God wants you to  be?

Have you neglected or slighted daily private times of worship?

Does your family have regular family worship together?

Are you neglecting studying the Bible as you should?

 

20. HEBREWS 13:17

Do you hesitate to submit to leaders in the church ?
Are you lazy?

Do you in any way have a  stubborn or unteachable spirit?

 

21. JAMES 1:27

Is your manner of dress pleasing to God?

Do you spend beyond what is pleasing to God on anything?

Do you neglect to pray about things that you buy?

 

22. JAMES 4:6

Do you feel that you are doing quite well as a Christian?

Do you feel that you are not so bad as others?

Do you feel you are good enough for God?

Are you stubborn?  Do you insist on having your own way? Do you insist on your "rights"?

 

23. JAMES 4:11

Have you dishonored Him and hindered His work by criticizing God's servants?

Have you failed to pray regularly for your pastor and leaders?

Do you find it hard to be corrected?

 

RECOVERY FROM SIN

 

Psalm 51 (David's confession after his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah) is a model for recovery from sin.

            1. Admit the failure to yourself (v. 3), don't blame others or make excuses.

            2. Admit the failure to God (v. 4).  Recognize sin is basically against God.

            3. Claim God's faithfulness and forgiveness (v. 1).

            4. Come to terms with your sinful humanity (v. 5). Face up to and admit your sinful nature.

            5. Ask God to put your together again (v. 10).  Take hold of God's pleasure in restoring sinners.

            6. Turn to the task at hand (v. 13).  Get on with life.  Accept God's forgiveness, forgive yourself.

 

 

 

 

WHO MAY BE DEMONIZED?

 

Those who experience any of the following may be demonized:

1. If you were conceived in fornication or adultery.

2. If you were not wanted at the moment of conception or while your mother was pregnant.

3. If your mother had a difficult pregnancy.

4. If your mother had a long or hard delivery.

5. If your mother was depressed a lot throughout her pregnancy with you.

6. If your mother died giving birth to you or if your father or mother died in your first few years.

7. If you severely lacked oxygen or were delivered with forceps on the head.

8. If your parents separated or divorced before you were an adult.

9. If you have some childhood handicap or infirmity.

10. If you are an orphan or your father and mother left you.

11. If you were treated cruelly or were molested, raped or fondled.

12. If you have a very painful memory.

13. If you wish that you had never been born.

14. If you wish that you were dead.

15. If there is a history of sickness in your blood line, such as cancer, diabetes, learning disability or mental illness.

16. If you have been cursed or have curses in your blood-line.

17. If you have an uncontrollable habit and your have tried prayers, fasting and a firm effort of your will but with little success.

18. If you have a persistent or uncontrollable fear of any kind.

19. If you have strong rejection, depression, loneliness, despair, hopelessness, thoughts of suicide, etc.

20. If you have a constant desire to be held.

21. If you don't want to be touched.

22. If you're obsessed with sexual desire or are abnormally frigid.

23. If you dislike the opposite sex or your own sex.

24.  If you have guilt or condemnation for another person or yourself.

25. If you find it very difficult to forgive a certain person.

26. If you have resentment against God, for example, blaming Him : "God, why did you let this happen?"

27. If you lived in a war zone or were in combat.

28. If someone very close to you died, especially a sudden, tragic death.

29. If you saw someone killed or murdered, watched an accident  occur, or were in an accident.

30. If you are constantly angry, or shy, or embarrassed, or timid.

31.  If you are afraid of demons or of deliverance.

32. If you are a homosexual, lesbian, transsexual or transvestite, etc., have been one, or are tempted to be one.

33. If you are or have been engaged in an adulterous relationship.

34.  If you or your family were ever involved with the occult: Satan worship, playing with a Ouija board, tarot cards, witchcraft, mind control, séances, out of body experiences, spirit guides, astrology, etc.

35. If you ever had an abortion or were a party to one.

36. If you were ever in any religious or para-religious cult or false religion.

37. If you have watched movies or TV which opened you to fears, lust or the occult.

38. If you compulsively indulge in fleshly sins that you detest but cannot live in freedom from  sexual sins, lying, desire to curse God, alcoholism or drug addiction, smoking, desire to      tear up Bibles, intense overwhelming anger or rage, rock music, desire to commit suicide.

39. If you are unable to progress beyond a certain point of spirituality, have trouble reading your Bible, or often fall asleep during spiritual meetings or events.

40. If your life has been much worse since becoming a Christian.

41. If you resist or have constant distractions while trying to read the Word or pray, even when there is a desire to do so, of if Scripture seems to always condemn you as you read it.

42. If you ever feel the presence of evil around you.

43. If you sometimes feel there is some force of power controlling you from within, or if you   sometimes feel you are a different (strange) person.

44. If you ever hear voices speaking to your mind.

45. If you have repeated unwanted thoughts you don't seem able to get rid of permanently.

46. If you have ever observed yourself from some vantage point somewhere outside your own body (an out-of-body experience).

47. If someone has ever laid hands on you or prayed for you to receive a certain spiritual gift.

48. If you have recurring dreams or nightmares that are of a horrible nature, or if you have clairvoyant dreams.

49. If you have a compulsive desire to curse the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit.

50. If you have compulsive murderous or suicidal thoughts or sudden surges of violent rage, uncontrollable anger, or seething feelings of hostility.

51. If you have deep feeling of bitterness and hatred toward a person or group of people for no logical reason (Jews, church, strong Christian leaders).

52. If you experience compulsive temptations which week to force you to thoughts or behavior which you truly do not want to think or do.

53. If you have compulsive desires to tear other people down even if it means lying to do so, or if you speak with a vicious cutting tongue.

54.  If you experience overwhelming feelings of guilt and worthlessness, even after honestly confessing your sin and failure to the Lord.

55. If certain physical symptoms suddenly appear and pass quickly for which there can be found no medical reason (choking sensations, unexpected pains which seem to move around, feelings of tightness about the head or eyes, dizziness, blackouts, fainting           spells, ringing in the ears, etc.

56. If you are frequently in deep depression and despondency.

57.  If you have terrifying seizures of panic or abnormal fears.

58.  If you have persistent doubt of your salvation even though you once knew the joy of your  salvation.

59. If you get thoughts like "Grab that knife and kill that person/yourself," " Jump over the edge"       (when up high), etc.            

 

            These will be covered in more detail in coming pages.  We'll group these openings into five main areas: 1) sin in life, 2)ancestral access, 3) curses, 4) childhood experiences and 5) occult & new age involvement.  First, sin in life.

 

 

OCCULT & NEW AGE

 

            On the banks of the Amazon River live a species of large, colorful spiders.  When they spread themselves out they look exactly like the blossoms of a brilliant flower.  When bees and insects land on one to find pollen they find instead a spider that poisons and kills them.  Satan does the same thing with the occult and New Age movement today. 

 

OCCULT IN GENERAL

 

            Many, many Bible verses clearly forbid God's people to get involved in any occult activity.  The power behind the occult is always demonic (Acts 8:9-24; 16:16-18).  While sins of the flesh give opening to Satan's forces, involvement in the occult gives MUCH more access.  It is direct involvement with demons, and voluntarily asking them to work in your life.  Deuteronomy 18:9-13 gives a list of some of the main occult activities which are forbidden.

 

 

sacrifice son or daughter in the fire   Worship of Molech (includes worship of stars, sorcery, divination, etc.)  Manesseh did this (II Kings 2:1-17)

 

divination  kosem kesamim  Foretell future or discover hidden knowledge by supernatural powers.  Ezekiel 21:21 used arrows (picked one with label that they likes), or livers (color and configuration).

 

sorcery  meonen  Predict future based on planets, etc.  Drugs usually part of this (pharmakeia - Greek  Gal 5:20)  This is referred to in Acts 8:9-24

 

omens  menachesh  Inspect entrails of beasts, flight of birds, especially they used snakes back then.  To find hidden, secret info, knowledge

 

witchcraft  mechashsheph  Literally to reveal truth, uncover mysteries, usually by magic or witchcraft (drugs, herbs, perfumes to call demons, etc.).  The Jews learned it in Egypt & from pagans.  It is associated with idolatry (turn from God) and is strongly forbidden  (II Kings 9:22;  II Chronicles 33:6; Micah  5:12; Nahum 3:4).  God gave the death penalty for doing this  (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27)

 

cast spells  chober chaber  A charmer, hypnotism, spells, curses

 

medium  shoel ob  'engastromuthoi' or 'ventriloquist' - demon speaking through man  (Isaiah 8:19, Leviticus 19:31; 20:27).  This is the same as Phythona spirit in Acts 16:16,18.  This is the name of the dragon/snake Apollo killed at Delphi who guarded the priestess there and gave her oracles.  Thus this Apollo spirit became the one by which the god spoke to the person who had it, enabling them to pronounce oracles.  This can be misinterpreted as 'speaking in tongues'.

 

spiritist  yiddeoni  A wizard (male witch) who would contact demons trying to get information God doesn't give out

 

consults the dead  doresh el hammethim  Necromancy, contact the dead, is forbidden (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6,27; II Kings 23:24; I Chronicles 10:13-14).  Saul went to the witch of Endor to do this (I Samuel 28:7-25).

 

THE OCCULT AND DEMONIZING

 

                        Listed below are many forms of the occult today.  While not all-inclusive, it does give an idea of sins that need to be confessed and things to be avoided in this area.

            Acupuncture

            Amulets (good luck charms)

            Apparitions (things move untouched)

            Automatic Writing (hand writes while person sleeps or is in a trance)

            Astrology (not astronomy)

            Astral Projection (out-of-body travel)

            Black or White Magic

            Clairvoyance (discerning things  beyond the 5 senses)

            Coffee Grounds reading

            Color Therapy (threads or light used to heal or get information)

            Charming (spells, ‘healing’, etc.)

            Candles burning to invite spirits

            Crystal ball readings

            Divination (to foretell the future, find something lost, etc.

            Drugs, especially illegal

            Extra Sensory Perception

            Eye Diagnosis (Iridology) (reading spots in the eye to tell info.)

            Fetishes and related paraphernalia

            Fire Walking

            Fortune Telling

            Graphology (some forms, not all)

            Herbology

            Horoscopes

            Hypnotism

            Letters of Protection

            Levitation (raising objects, tables)

            Magic of any kind

            Materializations (things appear or disappear without being touched)

            Mind Reading

            Necromancy (talk to the dead)

            Numerology (numbers foretell things)

            Occult Healing

            Occult Games (Dungeons &  Dragons, I Ching, Kreskin, etc.)

            Omens (occurrence to tell future)

            Ouija Board

            Pendulum

            Palm Reading

            Pyramidoloty

            Psychedelic Lights or Music

            Psychometry (personal objects tell information)

            Reflexology

            Ring or Needle on a Thread

            Rock Music (nonChristian)

            Scientology

            Séances

            Sorcery

            Screening (Protection from a 'hex')

            Satanism

            Soothsaying (to tell future)

            Speaking in a Trance

            Spells (give or receive) & Curses

            Spiritistic Visions

            Table Tapping or Raising

            Tarot Cards

            Tea Leaves - reading

            Telepathy (communication by unusual ways)

            Tongues (seeking it, hands laid on)

            Transcendental Meditation (Eastern Rel.)

            Vitagenics (health appeal)

            Water witching (depending on how it  is done)

            Wizardry

            Yoga of any form

            Zodiac signs, going by them

 

It can be that some of these, in proper conditions, may not have anything to do with demonizing, and I’m sure other activities and beliefs could be added to the list. My purpose is not to make a conclusive list, but to give an idea of the types of things that open us to demonic involvement.   The point is that sins of these kinds MUST be admitted, confessed, renounced, and all access taken back from Satan.  Then any demons who are working through these areas must be cast out in Jesus' name.  Prayerfully and honestly read the list and check anything you have ever been involved in, then confess, renounce, and take back all access.  Command the demons to be gone, too.

 

 

SECRET SOCIETIES

 

            While often quite popular today, even in Christian circles, secret societies have definite occult connections.  These are not so obvious from a distance, but are there.  In Scottsdale, Arizona, hotels and motels paint their grass green to lure tourists.  You can't tell the difference until you get up close. So with these societies.       Secret societies include groups like the Masons, Shriners, Elks, Moose, Odd Fellows and Klu Klux Klan.  They are counterfeit religions for they talk about God and being good, have chaplains, pray, quote Scripture and often meet in "temples."  They appeal today because of their WASP policies and pride in belonging. 

            However, as the name implies, there are 'secrets' those without (and often the majority within, too) don't know.  An oath is taken to join, with a curse that comes if the secrecy oath is broken.  These secrecy oaths are commitments which open a person to demonizing. Jesus and the Bible are against this secrecy (Matthew 5:33-37; James 5:12; Exodus 20:7; John 18:20; Ephesians 5:11-12).  In these societies believers are unequally yoked to unbelievers.  Their view of God is wrong (they have a secret name for Him, which some say is Lucifer, and equate God with Allah and all other gods).  Jesus is dethroned and made equal to  Buddha, Mohammed, etc.  Prayer is not "in Jesus' name."  Salvation is promised through doing the good works of the group, and that is wrong (Ephesians 2:8-9).  These groups usually see themselves as superior to the church and Christian fellowship.  Titles for their leaders like "Worshipful Master" are pure blasphemy. 

            The power and appeal behind these things is demonic.  They receive the worship and instill the pride (I Corinthians 10:19-21; Zechariah 10:2). Joining one of these groups give a clear opening to demonizing.  Once in a family these usually pass down ancestrally, even if the next generation doesn't join a secret society. 

            The cure is to leave, confess the involvement as sin (I John 1:9), and put any access given under the blood of Jesus.  Often these are powerful demons and this renouncement must be made over and over while depending on God's deliverance.

 

SATANISM

            Satanism is one of the fastest growing religions today.  The dark nature of it has a strong appeal to those already demonized, and of course any involvement in it opens a person to deep demonizing.  Children and teens are more and more drawn into this through drugs, sex, rock music, movies and other avenues.  Satanists believe Satan represents indulgence (instead of abstinence), vengeance (instead of turning the other cheek), and meeting your sensual desires (instead of spiritual pipe dreams).  Man is just another animal free to indulge any desire he wants.  Satan represents power and immediate gratification instead of Jesus' seeming weakness and living for the future.  Satan seems near and concerned, willing to quickly do whatever a person wants.  Involvement in Satanism is usually the end result of a path that starts very subtly by allowing other openings to demonizing.  Of course God is greater and it can be broken, but even dabbling with it in curiosity is very serious business.

            There are many good Christian books in Christian bookstores that can give much more detailed information about this subject than we can here.  If necessary, please avail yourself of them.

 

NEW AGE

 

DEFINITION OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

            New Age Movement: A loosely knit group of individuals and organizations that fundamentally believe that persons will all evolve into God and achieve a global unity that will transcend religious, racial, cultural and political ideologies.  New Age Magazine, "What is the New Age?" defines it as: "A form of utopianism thinking, the desire to create a better society, a 'new age' in which humanity lives in harmony with itself, nature, and the cosmos.  Various names are used: New Age, Aquarian conspiracy, Holistic Health Movement, Cosmic Consciousness, etc.  Buzz words include awakening, centering, consciousness, cosmic energy, enlightenment, force of life, global village, holistic, human potential, networking, world unity, planetary vision, spaceship earth, synergistic, transcendental, transformational and transpersonal.  Symbols include the rainbow, triangle, Pegasus, rays of light, unicorn, yin & yang, pyramid, and crystals.

 

DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

            New Age beliefs are not new.  They are as old as man.  In the current form they go back to Humanism and Unitarianism with a lot of spiritism sugar-coated and thrown in.  In the current religious vacuum it has moved in as Satan's lie of the last days, to set up his world empire.

 

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF NEW AGE BELIEF

 

            A. MONISM (ALL IS ONE) "In J. D. Salinger's short story, 'Teddy,' a spiritually precocious youngster recalls his experience of immanent God while watching his little sister drink her milk.... 'All of a sudden I saw that she was God and the MILK was God.  I mean, all she was doing was pouring God into God.'"  Marilyn Ferguson, 'The Aquarian Conspiracy'  Therefore all mankind is one big brotherhood.  "We are one!" they say (as mankind did at the Tower of Babel, too).  "We" here refers to man, animals, rocks, nature, etc. 

 

            B. PANTHEISM (ALL IS GOD)  "All boundaries and dualism have been transcended and all individuality dissolves into universal, undifferentiated oneness."    Fritjof Capra, 'The Turning Point'   Trees, snails, books, people are all of one divine essence -- all are 'God'.  This is pure Hinduism.  Thus today we worship "Mother Earth."

 

            C. HUMANISM (MAN IS GOD)  "Each soul is its own God.  You must never worship anyone or anything other than self.  For YOU are God.  To love self is to love God."  Shirley MacLaine, 'Dancing in the Light'  This is what Satan promised Eve: "You will be like God" (Genesis 3:5). Reincarnation part of this (remember past lives - really is demon speaking, remembering).   New Age teaches that Lucifer is light and the one who brings unity & wholeness into life.  He is actually superior to Christ.

 

            D. A NEW WORLD ORDER  A coming one-world government (Age of Aquarius) will bring world peace.  This is Satan's counterfeit to the Millennial kingdom of Jesus.

 

            E. MAYA - ALL IS ILLUSION  (MAN CREATES HIS OWN REALITY)  "If I created my own reality, then -- on some level and dimension I didn't understand -- I had created everything I saw, heard, touched, smelled, tasted; everything I loved, hated, revered, abhorred....I was my own universe."  Shirley MacLaine, 'It's All in the Playing'  They say we determine reality by our mind, so each mind can determine what is real and what isn't, what is absolute and what isn't, what is good and what is evil.  Thus abortion and homosexuality aren't 'wrong.' Consciousness-raising & positive thinking seminars are popular.

 

            F. CONTACT WITH KINGDOM OF DARKNESS SOUGHT  "My own out of body experience...served to validate the answers to many questions -- the surest knowledge being derived from experience."  Shirley MacLaine, 'Dancing in the Light'   Out of body experiences and altered states of consciousness are done by demons.  It is opening ones self up to be demonized.  Channeling by spirit guides is the same thing.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THIS

Let no one be found among you ... who practices divination, or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or one who casts spells, or who is a medium, or spiritist, or who consults the dead.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord..." Deut 18:9-12  The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.  I Timothy 4:1  The Devil ... is a liar and the father of lies.  John 8:44  For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  II Cor 11:1

THE SOLUTION FOR MAN - AS NEW AGE SEES IT

 

            A. SEEK HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS "spiritual disciplines are designed to attune the brain to ... a wider sensory realm and the mystical dimension by altering the brain's biochemistry.  Meditation, breathing exercises, and fasting are among the common technologies for shifting brain function."  Marilyn Ferguson, 'Aquarian Conspiracy'  The powers one tunes into in this are all demonic!

 

            B. AWAKEN THE GOD IN US  "The goal is to awaken the god who sleeps at the root of the human being."  Theodore Roszak, 'Unfinished Animal'

 

            C. CULTIVATE QUESTIONS "A teacher in the traditions of direct knowing encourages questions, even doubts.  This spirituality asks the seeker to drop beliefs, not add to them."  Marilyn Ferguson, 'The Aquarian Conspiracy'

 

            D. USE SPIRIT GUIDES  "In my own far-out experiences...I have come upon two guides....They may be entities in other spaces....They may be representatives of an esoteric hidden school....They may be members of a civilization a hundred thousand years or so ahead of ours."  John Lilly, "Center of the Cyclone'

THE DANGERS OF NEW AGE THOUGHT

 

            A. AN IMPERSONAL, FINITE GOD New Age turns God into a mere impersonal energy source and crowns mankind with deity.  This is a lie (Romans 1:25), God is distinct from the universe (Genesis 1:3 - 2:3), He is an independent person who communicates with man (Exodus 3:13-14).

 

            B. DEIFIED HUMANS           The Bible condemns men thinking of themselves as God (Genesis 3:2-7; Daniel 11:36-37; Acts 12:21-23).  God, not man is in control (Colossians 1:15-17).

 

            C. NO SIN  The Bible clearly says that man is dead in sin (Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-24; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Ephesians 2:1-3).

 

            D. LOSS OF INDIVIDUAL UNIQUENESS  Man will never merge into blissful cosmos oneness for man is a distinct individual from the rest of creation (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-16)

 

            E. NO TEST FOR EXPERIENCES  When the person himself is the final authority there are no absolutes.  God warns against Satan's deception (Revelation 12:9; 20:7-10; II Corinthians 11:14). 

 

            F. ETHICAL STANDARDS ABANDONED  When there are no moral absolutes anarchy reigns.  History has proven that (Nazism, etc.).  God has given moral absolutes in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and Sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7).

 

            G. FAILURE IMPORTED  India has practiced this same thing for 2,000 years and it is destitute

 

	BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY	NEW AGE PANTHEISM
God	Father (Personal) Created all things	Force (Impersonal) Is all things
World	Created out of nothing Temporal, finite - will be redone by God	Emanated out of 'god' Eternal, will always remain just as it is
Man	Made like God, sinned & became evil Resurrection after death	Is god and totally good Reincarnation after death
Jesus Christ	God-Man Died and resurrected	Jesus just a historical man Christ is the god-force in all of us alike Died and reincarnated
Problem	Sin against a holy God	Ignorance of innate divinity
Sin	Rebellion against holy God	Ignorance of personal divinity
Evil	Free choice in this life	Free choices in past lives
Solution	Trust in finished work of Christ in cross	Become conscious of  innate divinity
Salvation	From moral guilt by grace	From disharmony by human effort
Faith	Put it in Jesus	Put it in man
Power	Resides in Almighty God, uses it for man	Resides in man
Cross	Provides deliverance from sin	Example of man perfectly united w/God
End of evil	Removed by God	Reabsorbed into god, eliminating distinction between good & evil
Holy Spirit	God, 3rd person of the Trinity, personal being	Energy that can be used creatively or physically
Bible	Inspired Word of God	Incomplete, Inadequate book by men
Basis of Ethics	Grounded in God as revealed in Bible Absolute	Grounded in man choices & decisions Relative
Death	Separation of soul/spirit from body to live forever in heaven or hell	Time of merging with the energy force of the universe if enlightened (if not reincarnated)
Satan	Top created angel, real being , not god	Man his state of unrealized  potential
Heaven Hell	Real eternal states of being after death	States of consciousness in this life
Last Things	God-appointed end inaugurated when Christ reigns on earth as king	Human-realized end inaugurated when humankind realizes its inherent divinity

 

CURE FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN OCCULT OR NEW AGE

            Recognize that just because there are nice-sounding words, deep conviction, and even displays of power, that doesn't mean a thing is from God.  "False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.  Behold, I have told you in advance."   Matthew 24:24-25

            Confess any and all involvement as sin (I John 1:9) and put any access you may have given Satan's forces through your involvement under the blood of Jesus.  Take back any openings you may have given demons to work in your life.  If anyone in your family has been involved in any of these occult activities (occult, Satanism, secret societies or New Age) put that under the blood of Jesus, too, and take back any access any demons may have tried to claim against you through it. 

 

 

MARTIAL ARTS AND THE BELIEVER

While many Christians participate in marital arts, I personally feel they are to be avoided by believers, especially by those who are open to demonic attacks.  It is very hard to separate the physical aspect from the Zen Buddhist meditation techniques.  These are not just physical gym exercises but actually are seemingly innocuous doorways into non-Christian religions.  Taekwondo and martial arts are Zen Buddhist meditation techniques designed to bring a person into the experience of satori, or Buddhist enlightenment. They can be traced to Bodhidharma, a 6th century Buddhist monk who taught his disciples sitting meditation and moving meditation, or the martial arts, to obtain spiritual enlightenment.  The sitting meditation commonly done in taekwondo and most martial arts is an essential part of the training, done before and after class to clear the mind of all thought and relax completely, according to the book Official WTF Taekwondo.  Synchronized breathing is a key to both Buddhist and Hindu meditation, he said. In contrast, biblical meditation is meditating on God's written Word the Bible, rather than meditating on the empty mind by using breathing and visualization techniques.

The ritualistic patterns of motion in the martial arts is also a concern. Many of the patterns are rooted in semimystical Taoist philosophy and “their deeper meaning is said to be far more important than the mere performance of a gymnastics series of exercises” (quote is by taekwondo author and instructor Eddie Ferrie).  We westerners can be naïve about the very subtle influences of martial arts and we lack experience to notice their hidden religious nature. 

Some Christians practice the martial arts for exercise, or even as a way of evangelizing, but don't really know what they are getting into.  If it works they don't ask questions about what it means.  Eastern religious techniques often are portrayed as neutral so anyone from any religion can use them, but I think this is very deceptive.  We can try to ignore the spiritual dimensions, but spirituality is their ultimate purpose historically. The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs considers the martial arts as "forms of spiritual education that function as means toward self-realization or self-enlightenment."

Martial arts can be a Trojan Horse in the house of the Lord, eroding the spiritual barriers between Zen Buddhism and the Christian Gospel, and potentially leading vulnerable children and teens into the early stages of Eastern occultism.

It can be difficult emotionally for a person to give up the martial arts, because they may be so involved with them.  Rather than considering they may be dangerous they vigorously defend their right to practice them.  Personally, I can picture Jesus exercising, but I can’t picture Him involved in the marital arts, can you?

 

 

CONCLUSION TO SECTION ON CAUSES OF DEMONIZING

So sometimes we are attacked because of where we live – property we own or where we live.  Other times it is because of victories over parents or grandparents – attack us same way.  It could be something we did or that happened to us early in life as well.  In addition, it could be because of sin in our life.  Or we could just be attacked because we are Satan’s enemies since we now support God’s kingdom.   Understanding the direction of the attack can help you know how to defend yourself and have victory over the attack.

 

IV. CURE

A. THE SOURCE OF DELIVERANCE

 

            Before anything can be said about how to bring about deliverance, there must be no doubt about whose power is in deliverance.  It cannot be done in our own strength, we do not have any power to remove demonizing (Mark 9:14-18).  In fact, we can cause more damage than good doing this in our strength and not Jesus' (Acts 19:13-20).  Even Michael let God rebuke Satan and wouldn't do it himself (Jude 9). We must be strong in the power God gives us. Not our own.  We can only be strong in Jesus' strength and power (Ephesians 6:10-18).  We are strong "IN" Jesus (Ephesians 6:10-18), not just "from" Jesus.  Strength only comes from a close personal relationship and dependence on Him. This is because Jesus has defeated Satan (Eph. 1:20-22; Philippians 2:9-11; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14; I John 3:8; Luke 4:18).

            In Jesus we have both power ( dunamis   dunamis - Luke 9:1; 24:49; Acts 1:8; 4:33; 6:8 Ephesians 1:18-23; Hebrews 2:14-15) and authority (exousia   exousia - Luke 10:1,17-20; Matthew 10:1,8; Mark 3:15; 6:7; I John 4:4).  Power comes from the Holy Spirit within (Acts 1:8), authority comes from our relationship as a child of Jesus (John 1:12).  A policeman has both authority (badge) and power (gun or club).  Both come from a source outside himself, as do ours (Colossians 12:9-10).  Satan also has power (Luke 10:19; I Corinthians 15:24; I Peter 3:22) and authority (Luke 4:6; Acts 26:10; I Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:12).  Demons have these, also (Revelation 9:3,10,19; Colossians 1:16; 2:10; I Peter 3:22).  God's power and authority is superior to that which Satan & the demons have.  Men without Jesus do not have power or authority anywhere near to Satan and his demons, though.

            In all areas it is Jesus' strength, not ours, that gives us victory (Philippians 4:13).  God promises to give us power (II Timothy 1:7; II Thessalonians 3:2-3).  God is faithful to keep His promise to strengthen us (Numbers 23:19; Philippians 1:4-6; Hebrews 10:22-23).  Our part is to use His strength.  We are to fight, but in His strength.  We must put on the armor God provides and stand in His strength (Ephesians 6:10-18).  We are promised what when we resist Satan in God's strength that Satan will flee (James 4:7; I Peter 5:8-9).  Victory is assured when we fight in His might (I Corinthians 15:57; II Corinthians 2:14; I John 5:5).  French Painter Emile Ranouf, in a painting called "A Helping Hand," depicted an old man dressed in fisherman's garb, seated in boat with little girl beside him.  Both have hands on an oar.  He is looking down fondly and admiringly at her.  Apparently he has told her that she may assist him in rowing the boat, and she feels she is doing a great share of the task.  It is easy to see it is his strong, muscular arm doing the work.  That's how it is with us and Jesus!  It’s all by His grace!

            Therefore we need not fear Satan or his forces (Joshua 1:9; 10:8; 23:9-11; Leviticus 26:8; Exodus 14:13; I Samuel 17:45-47; II Samuel 22:33-35,40-41).  They must have God's approval for all they do (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Luke 4:35).  God protects His people (Luke 10:19; II Thessalonians 3:3; Revelation 9:4; I Samuel 18:10-11; 19:9-10).  Nothing can get us away from God (Romans 8:38; John 10:29).   When we ask, God will put a hedge around us or those we are praying for (Job 1:10; 3:23; Isaiah 5:5).   God's power is greater than Satan's (Exodus 7:12; 8:18; I Jn 4:4).

NO COMPROMISE WITH DEMONS

Like the boy in the checkout line- the more you give in to demonic demands the harder it will be to really say no and mean it.  No one ever 'worked out some sort of deal' with Satan and didn't regret it.  It is motivated by fear and just makes things worse, giving the demons even more power in a person’s life.

Instead. It’s better to have some righteous indignation against what demons are doing.  That is a healthy thing.  Righteous indignation is the kind of anger you feel when a bully is hurting a smaller child.  It's not a self-centered anger but one that says this isn't right! God gives us it to motivate us to take positive action against a wrong done against us or another.

 

B. STEPS TO DELIVERANCE

 

AS JESUS DID IT

            Jesus is our example in casting out demons.  At the start of His ministry He cast out many demons (Matthew 4:23-24; Mark 1:39,34). In the Gadarenes He cast demons out of two men (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-17; Luke 8:20).  He cast demons out of the daughter of a Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21 Mark 7:20), and cured a demonized man (Mark 1:21-28;  Luke 4:31-36). He healed a boy with seizures and demons (Matthew 17:14-20).  He cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene as well as out of other women followers (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9).

 

            How did Jesus cast demons out?  Before casting them out He rebuked them (took their power away) (Matthew 17:18; Luke 9:42). Then He "drove" them out (Mark 1:39). He did it verbally (Matthew 8:16), not by a certain ritualistic procedure.  He didn't let the demons speak (Mark 1:34; Luke 4:41), expect Legion and that was just to give his name so others would know what was happening (Mark 5:9).  He never let them say who He was (Mark 1:25; Luke 4:35; Mark 3:11-12).   He told them to "be quiet and come out" (Luke 4:35; Mark 1:25).  Other times He told them to "go" (Matthew 8;32).  Sometimes He was quite far from the person whom He was delivering (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30).   When He cast them out He forbid them to ever return again (Mark 9:25). 

 

AS THE DISCIPLES DID IT

            We have many examples of the disciples casting out demons, too.  Jesus gave them power and commanded them to use it (Matthew 10:1; Luke 10:17; Mark 6:7; 16:17).  They cast out demons as a regular part of their ministry (Mark 9:38; Luke 10:17).  Paul cast out demons (Acts 16:16-18; 19:12) and so did Philip (Acts 8:7).  When trying to do it in their own strength (without dependence on God) they failed  (Mark 9:18, 28-29). 

 

            How did the apostles cast demons out? Paul brought deliverance by a word, too (verbally).  He said, "In the name of Jesus I command you to come out"  (Acts 16:16-18).  When God was showing that Paul was His spokesman there was a time when just touching a cloth that Paul had used brought deliverance (Acts 19:12).  That was a special event, not a pattern to follow!  When directed by God, Paul defeated the demons in Elymas (an unbeliever) by making him blind so he'd stop interfering with God's word (Acts 13:6-12).

AS WE ARE TO DO IT TODAY

            When one is surrounded the best thing to do is to attack.  That is what God wants us to do, too, when seemingly surrounded by Satan's forces.  We are to follow the example of the apostles. They did what they did following Jesus' example and in His power (Matthew 10:1,8; Mark 3:15; 6:7; Luke 9:1).  We, too, are given power over the enemy (Luke 10:19; Matthew 10:1; Zechariah 3:15).  We have the authority and power to bind demons and loose oppressed believers (Matthew 16:18-19).  This must all be done in the power of Jesus' name (Matthew 8:22; Luke 9:49) for that is the only thing demons will obey.  Always refer to His full name: "The Lord Jesus Christ."  We, however, must be a clean vessel for Him to fill and use for deliverance (Revelation 12:10-11). 

First pray for God's protection around us, our families and our properties as we begin (Job 1:10; 3:23; Isaiah 5:5).  Ask for protection from the enemy’s interference, that all things would be done decently and in order that angels would be present to minister and protect, that the demons would not hide or interfere and that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide in all that will happen.  Claim your authority and power over the place, time and people involved.  Forbid anything to interfere, distract or embarrass as the session continues.  Ask God to take their power and authority away, as Jesus did when He rebuked the demons (Matthew 17:18; Luke 9:42).  Seeing God's power over Satan's forces today brings glory to God (Psalm 149:6-9).   God promises victory, saying we will see Satan crushed under our feet (Romans 16:20).  The very gates of hell cannot prevail against God's work on earth today (Matthew 16:18-19). 

Before anything positive can happen the person must be willing to submit their whole lives to God (Romans 12:1-2) and be willing to deal with any sin in their lives (1 John 1:9).  There can be no known sin they are holding onto, no immorality or pride.  They must be committed to daily Bible reading and prayer as well as regular attendance at a Bible-believing church.  If they are not willing to obey and submit to God they won’t find deliverance.  Ask them to pray confessing any sin that is still in their life and to reaffirm their total submission to Jesus and their willingness to deal with whatever He shows must be dealt with.

It is not in response to our faith that God delivers, but faith in Him is of the utmost importance.  It’s not that if we have enough faith good things will happen and if we fall short they won’t.  God’s deliverance isn’t determined by nor limited to our faith.  Still, faith in God to be able to deliver and trust in Him to bring to light what is necessary are primary ingredients for God to work.

Now it is time to start gathering information.  Before a doctor writes a prescription or gives treatment he first gathers all the facts he can.  He will then know by the symptoms and patterns what to prescribe and how to proceed.  The same is true in spiritual warfare.  These are some of the questions I ask those I am counseling.  Other questions might arise depending on their answers.

Can you briefly tell me what some of your earliest memories are?  (this can shed light into childhood events, trauma, etc., that may havecontributed to the demonizing)

When did your problems and difficulties begin happening?  (going back to the start is very helpful in understanding why they began.  If they’ve always been there then generational spirits can be assumed)

Do you know of any event that may have caused the first one? (this can show an opening that needs to be taken back or a sin that needs to be confessed)

How long have you been a Christian?  (make sure they understand what it means to be a believer and really have trusted Jesus.  Seeing when they became a Christian in relationship to when the demonizing started is helpful as well.)

Does anyone else in your family or any ancestors have/had the same things happening to them?  (this shows generational demonizing)

Where are your parents spiritually?  (this can show if it is generational as well as how the person was influenced)

Are you married? 

Where is your mate at spiritually?  (through the sexual union and through soul bonding demons can claim access to the other person)

Have you ever been sexually involved with anyone outside of marriage?  (through the sexual union and through soul bonding demons can claim access to the other person)

Is there any sin you are allowing to remain in your life? (God will convict them of this.  If they aren’t honest not much good will proceed from here.)

Have you experienced any trauma in life?  (abuse, car accidents, extreme fear can break down a person’s defenses and take control of their lives out of their hands, thus creating an opening for the demonic.)

Do you have a church you attend?  (the Bible commands we are to not forsake the assembling of ourselves.  If this command is being broken it is sin and disobedience and must be changed for God to work in their lives.  Only in very extreme, rare circumstances is it all right to not be attending a church.)

What denomination is it? (this can tell you something about their beliefs and practices.)

Were you ever involved in occult or demonic activities?  (many people have used Ouija boards of something similar in the past and this is a definite opening to demonizing.)

Do you speak or pray in tongues?  (I and many others in spiritual warfare have found that a false tongue, really a demon, is present and entered through one asking for a spirit of tongues)

Did anyone ever lay hands on you to receive the gift of tongues, healing or any other reason?  (when someone lays hands on another and prays for them, anything demonic he or she may be open to can be transferred to the person they are praying for)

At this point I may ask them to fill out the list of symptoms of demonizing (page 20) and or the list of sins that lead to demonizing (page 32-33, 37-38) if I feel more detailed information is needed.  I may have them fill those papers in before we meet or at the very start.  I will use these papers and notes I have taken as I’ve asked them the questions to guide my praying.  Don’t rush this stage, the final product will only be as good as your gathering of this information has been.  Like a doctor, the results depend on this part of the process.

Of course, any sins that come up with will have to be dealt with and confessed (1 John 1:9).  The person themselves must be the one to pray and confess the sin.  You can’t do it for them.  Demons are like rats attracted to garbage, so get rid of the garbage to get rid of the rats.

It is of the utmost importance to make sure that forgiveness of others who have hurt them in the past or present, including parents, ex-    mates, etc.,  is dealt with at this time.   Ask if there is anyone they hold anything against, anyone they are bitter towards or don’t like to see prosper.  You will sense this as they have answered the previous questions but now forgiveness must take place for deliverance to continue.  Unforgiven gives demons a solid stronghold from which to work (Ephesians 4:26).

As to forgiveness, what is forgiveness?  Forgiveness is not forgetting or letting someone off the hook.  Forgiveness is choosing to not desire revenge, to not want to see the other hurt for the hurt they have caused us.  When we hurt we want to hurt back, or see the other hurt for the hurt that caused us.  This desire for justice is normal but forgiveness means we don't expect justice, we will take our hurt and deal with it instead of turning it into anger at another.  Remember, anger is a secondary emotion coming from hurt.  To forgive means giving up any right you might have to see the other suffer for what they did to you.  You can't forget, but whenever the hurt or anger come back, you make that choice again to give up any right to see them suffer.  That's how God forgives us - He gives up any right to see us pay for our sin against Him.  Therefore when we forgive we are being like Him and when we don't we aren't.  If you have trouble forgiving just tell God you are willing but struggling.  As God heals the pain you will better be able to forgive.

 

 

 

When you feel ready to proceed first explain what will be happening so they know what to expect.  People have all kinds of strange ideas of what ‘exorcism’ is.  While this is not exorcism (demons forced out by a religious ritual) but deliverance (free will consent and taking back of access by the person demonized) many may not know the difference.  Tell them you will pray and take back access the demons have claimed as well as commanding them to be gone.  I explain it like opening a door and allowing someone to enter a room, then realize you shouldn’t have done that.  You need to close the door so no one else enters, but you also need to command those who already have entered to leave.  Confessing the sin and taking back the access closes the door.  Rebuking and commanding them to be gone cleans the room.  Both steps must be taken, in that order.  Remind them there is nothing to fear (Luke 10:17-21) and that fear is one of Satan’s biggest tools against them.  Tell them to be sensitive to anything God is telling them in their mind or heart.  If He brings up sins to confess ask them to interrupt the process so the sin can be dealt with at that time.  If God says it needs to be removed then it must be removed to proceed.

As you pray for them start with the oldest problems and accesses first.  Put any claim they make under the blood of Jesus, forbid them to do any more work against the person, and send them immediately and permanently to where ever Jesus wants them to go.  Usually starting with generational spirits first is a good idea.  Make sure there aren’t any of them working and then go from there. 

Next pray about childhood events and experiences: trauma, rejection, etc.  Put them under the blood of Jesus, take back any access demons claim through them and send them to where Jesus would have them go.

Then deal with sins and openings that have come since childhood.  Take your time and be thorough.  There is no hurry and no rush.

As you proceed be sensitive as to who the main ruler (strong man) is.  Sometimes it is best to attack him first for he holds the other demons there.  Other times he is too entrenched and must be weakened by first casting out the lesser demons, the ones creating the symptoms of sin and difficulties in the person’s life.  Ask for wisdom and be sensitive as to how God would lead you in this important step.

            Usually it is best  to bind the main ruler first (Matthew 12:29), then in Jesus name bind up any and all demons involved (Matthew 16:18-19).  Demons never work alone.  Search out the "root" spirits (the rulers) and pray against them. Quite often this will be a demon named ‘Death’ for that is Satan’s ultimate plan against all of us.  Other powerful rulers may be ‘Fear,’ ‘Pride’ or similar works.  Each name describes the work of the demon.  You can know their name by seeing what they do in the person’s life.   Remember, behind every demonic problem lies a flesh problem.  By identifying the flesh problem that is at the root of everything the identity of the main ruler can be discovered.  However that flesh problem must be completely confessed and renounced.   Get rid of the garbage and you’ll get rid of the rats!

You can weaken their structure by breaking up their organization, for they do feed off each other.  Break off her children and claim them in the name of Jesus.  Take back any access through blood line, name, etc., and set them free.  You can separate the power structure in her from that in their mate, parent, or whomever you sense is involved.  Just bind the demons into those people and forbid them to bind together or help each other in any way.  They are often the same demons who share the person but limiting them to one person helps.  Divide and conquer.  Forbid any other spirits to come take their place or help from without.  Satan's tactic is to isolate us, cut us off from other Christians and God, and then when we are weak work against us.  The same strategy works against him, too. 

Also be sensitive as you proceed to sins that the counselee needs to confess.  If God pricks your thoughts go along with this and make sure you stop to deal with any sins that come up.  Sins of attitude must be dealt with as well: fear, unforgiven, guilt, pride, revenge, jealousy, etc.

            How can you know if the force against you is demonic or not?  We are commanded to "test the spirits" to see their source (I John 4:1).  Challenge them with the deity  (I John 4:11), Lordship (I Corinthians 12:3) and blood of Jesus (I John 5:6-7).  Be sensitive to the response in the other person or in your own spirit.  Angels do not indwell people, nor do they communicate through people as demons do.  Remember that demons always lie and deceive, they may even claim to be God or the Holy Spirit.  Be sensitive to thoughts put in your mind or the mind of the one you are counseling.  If God supplies someone with the gift of discernment as part of their spiritual gift mix (or if you have that yourself) that can be very helpful (Acts 13:9-10; I Corinthians 12:10).

            Remember the things covered earlier:  we are safe in Jesus and aren't to run from the enemy.  We are to use our power and authority.  Make sure all opening  are confessed and access taken back. 

            Command the demons to be gone in Jesus name (Matthew 10:1; Luke 9;49; 10:17; Mark 8:22).  Do it in faith in Jesus (Matthew 17:18-27; John 5:4), not fear (Joshua 1:9; 10:8; 23:9-11; Leviticus 26:8; Exodus 14:13; I Samuel 17:45-47; II Samuel 22:33-35,40-41).  Be in an attitude of prayer (communication with and sensitive to God - Mark 9:29).  Don't be proud, stay humble and submissive to Christ (Luke 10:10; II Peter 2:11; Acts 19:12-16).  When cast out commit the demons to Jesus' authority in where He would have them go, that He would carry out His sentence against them (Psalm 149:6-9; Romans 16:20; Job 30:3-8). Remember the "house" must be filled with God's Holy Spirit when the demons are removed or things could be worse than before (Matthew 12:43-45).

            Sometimes God may lead you to lay hands on the person you are praying for, and on occasion Jesus Himself did this (Luke 4:29; 13:11-23; Matthew 8:15) as did the early church (I Corinthians 1:14f; 12:4; II Corinthians 1:21f; James 5:13-16).  Be sensitive to God's leading in this area and do whichever it is He leads you to do.  One way is not better then the other.  Being obedient to what God would have you do is the determining factor.

            Quote Scripture as much as possible (Matthew 4:1-10).  God's word is more powerful than and words we may use (Hebrews 4:12) and carry much more weight with Satan's forces.  Our authority is God's Word (I Jn. 2:14).  Our sword of the Word is our only offensive weapon.

            Playing Christian music during deliverance or at other times in your home is often very helpful for demons don't like to hear Jesus praised (I Samuel 16:23).  There is power in praise (Psalm 22:3), so use praise in your warfare praying.  You can praise God in prayer or in song during deliverance or afterwards.  Use this whenever attacked.

            Do not converse with demons, either by having them give messages to a person's mind or to speak verbally through a person's vocal cords.  The object in deliverance is not to get in contact with demons but to remove them.  Communication with them makes you a medium and God's words forbids that (Deuteronomy 18:9-13).  There are good reasons to not communicate with them.  Neither Jesus (Mark 1:25) nor Paul would (Acts 16:17).  They are liars and deceivers (John 8:44) and you can't believe what they say.  God wants you only to be in touch with Him (Deuteronomy 4:24).  Through the Holy Spirit we have access to all truth and power (John 8:31-32; I Corinthians 12:7-11).  By communicating with them you give them recognition, allow them to stall, make things much harder on all people involved, and open yourself up to pride.  Besides, they are total liars and deceivers so nothing positive will come from it. 

            What about when deliverance is slow or not at all?  Remember sometimes God has a greater purpose than casting out every demon as soon as we pray.  Sometimes there is delay.  Jesus even had times when He had to persevere for awhile (Luke 8:31 Greek).  Usually deliverance is a process.  Its like peeling the layers off an onion.  As new sin is revealed and removed, more ground is taken back from Satan's forces.  This gradual process allows the person to better fill the ground which has been reclaimed with God's Holy Spirit and gives him time to grow spiritually (Psalm 59:11; 119:50,67,71) before the next 'layer' is removed. That's why the Jews under Joshua only conquered the Promised Land bit by bit instead of all at once.  If they would have driven out the Canaanites immediately then lions would have come in and harmed them. There is a learning process involved that can be used to help others, too (II Corinthians 1:3-4).  Other times complete deliverance never comes.  Paul's thorn in the flesh is an example (II Corinthians 12:7).  Paul testifies God then provides the grace needed to withstand.  God wants us to learn to depend on Him (Psalm 119:59,92). Of course if the opening is allowed to continue then the demonizing will continue, too (Psalm 94:12-16; 81:11-14). 

            When you start sensing that as much as will take place has taken place you can begin changing the direction you are going.  Ask the counselee if he has had any thoughts of impressions that he should share.  Deal with whatever these may be.  Ask if there is anything they would like to talk about or pray about.

            Pray again for wisdom, asking God if there is anything else to be dealt with at this time and for His continued leading and guidance.  Ask God what else needs to be done.  Some times there is lots of spiritual growth and maturity needed.  Other times it is consequences of sin that need to be faced.  Faith gets tested.  Quite often there are other demons or rulers (which are demons, but the leaders) that will need to be dealt with later.

            Make sure they understand what has happened and what to expect in the next few hours and days.  Doubt, unbelief, guilt are quite common tactics of the enemy.  Encourage them to stay faithful, pray, read the Bible, memorize and use verses when attacked and write down any questions they might have.  If they don’t fill the vacated spaces in their lives then the demons will return in even greater number (Luke 11:24-26; Matthew 12:43-45). 

Encourage them to call for prayer whenever needed.  That very act on their part can be humbling and work against their pride, thus it can be very freeing.  If demons know they will be calling for prayer help they will be more hesitant to attack than if they know the person will try dealing with them alone.

            Remind them that this is a process, not a once-and-done procedure.  It's not that clear cut and dried.  Remember Paul's thorn in the flesh?  Ultimately God has the final say, not the demons.  Remember Job?  So when demons remain after we think they should be gone the first thing we must do is ask God what He is trying to teach us, what He wants to show us.  He uses it all for our growth.  Do we need to learn perseverance?  Patience? Dig deeper for a root sin?  Humble ourselves more?  Trust?  Are we an example to others (as Job was)?  The ultimate answer to the questions you are asking lie in God's will, not in a demon's power.

            Close with a prayer of thanksgiving and praise for what God has done.  Ask God to continue the good work He has started in the person.  Pray for their protection and growth.  Ask for their memories to be healed and the parts that have been emptied to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Forbid any demons to return or others to do the same work.  Ask God to bless them and use them for His honor and glory.

 

 

C. SPECIFICS ABOUT DELIVERANCE

 

PHYSICAL HEALING

 

            There is often a strong relationship between spiritual deliverance and physical healing.   Often physical problems are also gone when the demons leave. That is because the demons were causing the physical problems.  Examples of these in the Bible include: crippled limbs (Luke 13:11), Paul's thorn in the flesh (eye disease? - II Corinthians 12:7), muteness (sometimes dumbness, too - Matthew  9:32-33; 12:22; Mark 9:17-18,24-25), blindness (Matthew 12:22), seizures (Mark 1:26; 9:17-18,20,22,25; Matthew 17:15,18; Luke 9:39), deafness (Mark 9:17-18,20,25), sores (skin cancer?) (Job 2:7), boils and other painful afflictions (Psalm 78:49 - the plagues in Egypt were demon-caused), and physical torments of all kinds (Revelation 9:5,10). The Bible states that Satan can cause illness (Job2:7-8), even death (Job 1:19).

Physical healing can be a result of deliverance.  If any of the demons were causing physical problems those problems will be resolved when the demons are removed.  Generational spirits can cause the same ailments from generation to generation.  Physical problems are usually not God’s main concern, rather He is more concerned for the spiritual condition of the heart.  We often pray for the symptom (physical problem) to be removed while God wants us to seek Him and what He is trying to teach us through it.  Paul’s thorn in the flesh is a clear example.  It wasn’t God’s will for that demon to be removed, but for Paul to be spiritually strengthened through the experience.

If a physical problem is present it can be good to find out when it first started and what else was going on at that time.  Instead of focusing on removing the physical symptom, look for the root cause, be it demonic, spiritual or whatever else it may be.

            It must be noted that not all illness is demonic in origin.  Jesus healed physical ills that weren't demonic (Matthew 4:23-24; 8:16-17 fulfilled Isaiah 53:4; Mark 1:34; Acts 10:34; etc.).   The Bible clearly talks about illnesses that are not demonic: severe pain (Matthew 4:24), seizures (Matthew 4:24), paralysis (Matthew 4:24; Acts 8:7), leprosy (Matthew 10:8), blindness (Luke 7:21), crippled limbs (Acts 8:7) and many other various diseases (Matthew 4:24).  The fact that some physical ailments are on both lists (like seizures) shows that many ailments may have demonic or natural causes.  They could be from one source or the other. 

            Jesus often cast out demons and cured illness at the same time.  Jesus said he would do this (Luke 13:32).  He did this at the start of His ministry (Matthew 4:23-24; 8:16; Mark 1:34; Luke 4:41), around Tyre and Sidon (Mark 3:10-12; Luke 6:18-19), and in the middle of His ministry (Luke 7:21).  Many female followers of Jesus were cured of both (Luke 8:2).

            Even more precise are the accounts of when Jesus both cast out demons and healed illness in a person at the same time (Mark 6:13; Acts 5:16).  Philip did this in Samaria (Acts 8:7) and Paul did it in Ephesus (Acts 19:12). 

            Thus it is obvious that some, but not all illness is demonic.  There are no certain illness that are exclusively demonic, nor others that aren't.  Any physical ill can be demonic, but no one ill is always demonic.  In our day and age we err by seeing too little illness as being demonic.  Thus we often miss the cure.  How can we tell if an illness or physical problem is demonic or not?  Some clues to look for are:  medical doctors aren't able to bring relief or cure; there is a pattern of it running in the family; it seems strange or doesn't follow the regular pattern of symptoms (comes and goes for no particular reason, etc.); or you feel in your spirit that it should be prayed about and looked into as possibly being demonic.

            Again, our pattern for bringing about this removal of physical ills by deliverance should follow Jesus' example.  He rebuked a fever and it left immediately and strength instantly returned (Luke 4:39).  On at least one occasion power came from within Jesus to heal (Luke 6:19).  He often laid hands on a person to bring both deliverance and healing (Luke 4:40; 13:13; 4:29; Matthew 8:15; Luke 13:1-13). 

            As to us doing this today, again it must be done in God's strength and power.  If He chooses to bring healing through deliverance that is His will.  We must never demand it or make it dependent on having enough faith.  No one today has a gift to heal anyone and everyone.  It is right for us to pray for healing when doing deliverance and leave the results to God.  It is also necessary to deal with any demons who may be causing the illness (physical or mental, see page 7).  Often demons affect our health in indirect ways, such as working in us so we eat or do things that are unhealthy for us in the long run and undermine our health.  All of these, too, must be dealt with in Jesus' name (Matthew 10:1).  Sometimes God may lead you to anoint with oil as a symbol of the Holy Spirit who does the healing (Mark 6:13).  Do NOT put any faith in the oil or any ritual in using it, it is simply an audio-visual.  For more on healing see pages 116-117

            Therefore, be aware that often illness is demonic, especially when doctors are unable to bring a cure.  Even diseases they can cure can still be demonic, especially if there are other signs of demonizing active in the person's life.  Keep this in mind when praying and seeking wisdom.  Don't accept any illness as "incurable."  Always make sure it isn't demonic (by asking God for wisdom and commanding any demons involved in that ailment to be gone in Jesus' name). Remember, when dealing with emotional and spiritual ills in your warfare praying, don't let out physical ills!  Never fear, demons can only cause ills with God's approval (Job 1:6-12).

            One word of warning: since demons can cause illness, they can also bring counterfeit 'healings' by stopping the physical ills they themselves cause (Matthew 12:24; 24:24; II Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 16:14).  This explains miraculous healings that aren't done in accordance with God's will and Word.

 

FASTING

            Fasting is often neglected today, but when done out of a right motive it can be a real help in spiritual warfare.  Jesus fasted often (Matthew  4:1-11, etc.).  Jesus assumed His disciples would fast (note the "when," not "if" in Matthew 6:16).  Fasting is a spiritual exercise distinct from prayer, although often done in connection with prayer.  It is still something for us to do today (Matthew 9:15).  Usually fasting is done from food (all or a certain food group, like sweets, or a certain meal a day, or no food all day).  Sometimes drink is abstained from, other times not.  Sometimes sleep (II Corinthians 6:5; 11:27) and/or sex (I Corinthians 7:3-5) are included.  Be sensitive to how and when God leads you to fast.

            The motive in fasting is not to punish self for sin or prove sincerity to God so He will smile with more favor in a certain situation.  Hunger pictures humility (Psalm 69:10; Deuteronomy 8:2-3,11-14; Hosea 13:6).  Enduring hunger teaches self-discipline and works against pride (Ezra 8:21; Isaiah 58:3).  It provides an attitude of submission.  Fasting also opens up more time to be available to pray and seek God.  It shows a willingness to sacrifice anything to get closer to God.  It serves notice to demonic forces that you are serious in your pursuit of God's will and glory (Jeremiah 29:13-14).  A side benefit of fasting is that one can learn to depend on God for self-control and thus better control their appetite (I Corinthians 6:12-13; II Peter 2:19).  This also helps with self-control over sexual sins as well. 

While we usually think of fasting as going without any food, there are various forms fasting can take.  Partial fasts can involve eliminating certain foods or meals.  Even with a complete elimination of food healthy drinks can be consumed.

Fasting is not a way to force God’s hand or get our prayer answered quickly.  It must be done for the right motive or there is no benefit (Matthew 6:6-18; Isaiah 58; Luke 8:11-12).  Fasting can provide an attitude of submission (desire to please God and not self).  It can free up extra time for prayer.  The accompanying hunger can be a reminder to pray without ceasing and the hunger itself can be offered as a sacrificial gift to God. 

It is best to begin fasting gradually and not embark on an extended period of fasting the first time.  Many good books and articles are available helping one learn what is best to eat before and after a fast.  Just remember that the focus is on God, not the faster.  The enemy can use it as a source of pride and this negates the whole purpose of fasting. 

 

 

CHILDREN

            As we saw, children can be demonized.  In fact, there is much more of this going on that we are aware of.  The form the demonic attacks take could be anything from causing an infant to scream a lot at night to bed-wetting by an older child or to overt rebellion and disobedience.  Anything that seems to defeat you or the child is suspect.  God's deliverance is for them, too. 

            The Bible records demons afflicting children with physical illness (Matthew 17:15; Mark 9:18, 25).  They prevent children from being able to control their own emotions (Mark 9:17, 22).  They physically try to harm children (Mark 9:20-22).  They defile children by satisfying their own evil natures through them (Mark 1:24, 34; 5:9; Luke 4:41).  They make them perform or show off (Mark 9:20, 25) and defy the person trying to free the child from their control (Mark 9:19, 23).  They may even induce symptoms of death when forced to leave (Mark 9:26-27). 

A very, very common pattern is for the first-born male to be affect first and most by generational attacks. The first-born Jews were dedicated to God and so Satan tries to attack and claim them first, too.  Often it is the first-born male in a family that is attacked spiritually. 

            Make sure the child knows that he is not the problem but that he has a problem.  Often children are more aware of these things than we think.  They may be so used to hearing voices in their heads, seeing manifestations in their room at night, or being controlled by feelings/emotions beyond their control that they don't realize these are unusual.  Spend some unrushed time letting them talk.  Ask  lots of questions and listen carefully to the answers.    Try to put yourself in their place, with their limited vocabulary.  Gently probe all areas (voices, manifestations, too-real imaginary friends, etc.).  Don't assume things.  Take everything they says seriously.  Make notes of things to pray about or talk about later.  Be sensitive to God's leading.  Go with your impulses and thoughts, they are from God at a time like this.  Pray for wisdom from God (James 1) about these things and what the openings may be.

            Children are often more sensitive to the spiritual realm.  Many have a story from their younger years of seeing an angel.   They are also more sensitive to evil.  It isn't unusual for a house to have had certain parts (or all) of it opened to demonic forces by things said or done there in the past.  If a certain area of your home seems to cause problems (especially fear, but it could be anything) go to that area and in Jesus name take back any access Satan's forces claim to it.  We've used oil to form crosses on the walls, left a light on (symbol of light over darkness) and played Christian music which is something demons hate.  Ask your child if there is a certain place in the house where he feels afraid or funny, or where he thinks ghosts or other things may be.  They are usually more sensitive to these things than adults.

            When too young to understand (below 5 or 6) children don't even have to be present when you pray for their deliverance.  As a parent you can pray for your children with authority, the same as you pray for yourself.  When they are older (about 5 to 10) they should be included for the purpose of educating them about these things.  They can pray for themselves, and they can start learning about spiritual warfare, too.  Of course when there is specific sin in their lives they should confess it.  The older they are the more responsible they become (especially from about 8 years old on) and the more they should be involved.  A lot depends on the openings, too.  Free will sin needs their confession while ancestral oppression is something a parent can do for them when they are  young.  Adopted children especially should have all ancestral openings put under the blood of Jesus.  The father as the spiritual leader should pray for the children.  Each morning he should pray specifically for each one by name.  If for whatever reason the father isn't filling this role as he should the mother can and should take over.

            As for praying for deliverance for children just follow Jesus' example.  He administered deliverance to children the same as He did to adults (Mark 7:24-30; 9:14-25).  Demons are the same and work the same, so go about it the same.

            Pray regularly and specifically for your child.  Satan has a plan and purpose for their life.  Be sensitive to what it might be and break it in Jesus' name.  Some of the time pray out loud with them so they can learn how to pray for themselves and so they know they are committed to God's care and protection.  Pray that Jesus be formed in the child (Galatians 4:19), that they be delivered from Satan (Matthew 6:13; Proverbs 11:21), that they will be taught by God and experience His peace (Isaiah 54:13), that they will learn to discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:14; I Peter 3:21), that God's principles will be in their minds and on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10), that they will choose friends who are wise and a good influence (Proverbs 13:20; I Corinthians 5:11), that they will remain sexually pure (Ephesians 5:3,31-33), that they will trust and honor their parents (Ephesians 6:1-3), that they will find as well as be the right mate and that their marriage will last their whole life, and that they will know the career of God's choosing.

 

For more information about children and deliverance see page 27.

HUSBAND AND WIFE

            It is clear today that a large part of Satan's plan for the downfall of our country starts with a downfall of the family.  He works in Christian marriages to undermine them, cause misunderstandings, develop selfish thoughts in the partners, bring focus on the other's weakness', set up little bickerings and negative feelings, fuel grudges, keep partners from forgiveness and restoration, builds resentment, inclines each one put their needs first, causing disagreements over money or raising children, brings unfavorable comparing of your mate with others, incites to keep secrets from each other, and just causes drifting apart in general.    Be sensitive to what Satan's plan is for your marriage (how he is working to destroy or  neutralize it).  Think about lies of his you believe that make his plan work.  Put it all under the blood of Jesus.

            When one mate is demonized the other must pick up the slack in patience, love, leadership, and prayer.  Depend on God's strength to do this.  Apply all that has been said about forgiveness, bitterness, anger, pride, etc., to marriage relationships as well. 

            Keep God's authority pattern: husband as leader and wife submissive (Ephesians 5).  Husbands and wives should pray together, out loud, for their marriage and family.  The husband should take the lead in this. 

When the man or spiritual leader in the family is going away on a trip demons can take that as a weakness and attack that family.  The man should pray and declare to all the spirits that he, the high priest in the family, states that when away his wife is in authority.  Let them know the children are dedicated to God and Satan’s forces do not have permission to disturb them.  Reaffirm that any spirits to attack the family still must come through the head of the family, and then forbid any of them to attack you. 

 

 

PARENT AND CHILD

            Demons often use children to cause problems in the family for the parents or vice versa.  For years we have battled demons named "Frustration" and "Misery" whose work was just what  their names suggested.  They would cause strife among the children, and it would spread to the whole house.  Their plan was to make things miserable and they quite often succeeded.  We have learned to pray against that at the start of each day and as soon as we sense ourselves feeling it happen.  More recently there is a spirit of "Argumentativeness" that rears its ugly head.  When we notice a lot of picking at each other in the children we pray against that.   We deal with the children, too, but include spiritual warfare also. That really helps improve things!  Quite often demons incite children to behavior that will affect others in the family. 

            We've seen several cases of children being motivated to do things to get into trouble so they would get scolded a lot.  That developed an inferiority feeling in them, an image of always being bad or not pleasing their parents.  Unless reversed that sets a pattern for life that is all too common!  We've also seen several cases of children being afflicted at night (bed-wetting, crying, etc.) to interrupt the parent's sleep and make the parent have a harder time during the day.  Impatient parents then scold more and the child also feels rejected.

            Demons often set up things to cause a long-range cause-effect relationship, like dominoes in a row falling down.  David's sin with Bathsheba, for example, was set up many years earlier when he indulged his lust for women (more than one wife).  Satan patiently waited for the right time to pull the trap.  Its important we raise our children correctly for Jesus and not let any openings develop which Satan can take advantage of. 

 

THE CHURCH'S ROLE

            Jesus' promise that Satan and his forces cannot destroy the church are what I base my church  ministry on (Matthew 16:18).  Churches have demonic forces assigned to defeat and destroy them.  As in other cases, there is a ruling spirit (strong man) with other demons under him whose sole purpose it is to undermine a church's ministry (unless that church is already going the way Satan wants it to go).  Each church as a whole should be aware of Satan's work against it so they can pray specifically against that.  Pray for your church and its community, binding up the powers of any demons assigned to work against it.

            Pray especially for your leaders, for Satan attacks the leaders first and most since they are so influential in a church (Luke 22:31-32; I Peter 5:1,8).  Pray for your church to be protected from false teachers and teachings which are so, so prevalent and subtle today. 

            Churches are to discipline sinning members so they will see the need to repent and also so they will not mislead others.  Churches, too, can have openings to demonizing and often it is through those in the Body who are willingly allowing themselves to be demonized and/or are allowing known sin in their lives.  This must be put under the blood of Jesus.  Discipline means removing them from fellowship in the local church and putting them instead in Satan's kingdom, the world.  There they are under his influence (Matthew 18:15-18).  In effect it is putting the person in a place to follow their sin without restrictions.  This way they will clearly see the consequences of their choice and repent  (I Corinthians 5:5 talks about this). 

            The local Body can be very helpful in deliverance from demonizing, too.   God puts Christians in a local body to help each other in many ways, and spiritual warfare is certainly one such way.  He gives spiritual gifts to some that are quite helpful in spiritual warfare.  The purpose of all spiritual gifts is to serve others.  God gives a person gifts to use for others in the Body, not for him or herself.  Some gifts which are particularly useful in spiritual warfare are:

WISDOM: the special ability to know the mind of God in such a way as to receive insight into how certain knowledge may be best applied to specific needs arising in the Body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:8

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS: the special ability God gives which enables some to know with certainty and assurance whether certain behavior supposed to be of God is in reality divine, human, or Satanic. Acts 5:1-10; 8:23

INTERCESSION: the special ability to pray for extended of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to prayers to a degree much greater than that which is expected of the average Christian.  I Timothy 2:1-2; Colossians 1:9-12; 4:12-13; Acts 12:12; James 5:14-16; Luke 22:41-44

EXORCISM: the special ability to command demons to leave people and have them respond and by Gone. Acts 16:16-19

            BEWARE: Satan can counterfeit these gifts and even do miracles today.  Make sure you know the source (II Thessalonians 2:8; Matthew 24:24 ; Revelation 13:13-14; 19:20; Acts 13:8).  Demons can speak through people, a kind of demonic 'gift of tongues' (Isaiah 8:19; 29:4; Isaiah 24:8) and they can perform miracles (Matthew 7:22-23).  Don't be impressed by something supernatural unless you know the source of the power, for Satan is a GREAT counterfeiter!

 

V. CONTINUING ON

 

A. PROBLEM: ONGOING BATTLE

            As  stated before, deliverance isn't a once-and-done thing.  It is a process, like peeling layers off of an onion.  Sometimes progress is very slow.  It may seem no progress is being made at all.  Then, too, it is certainly possible to loose what you have gained (through sin allowing the openings to be used again).  Satan's forces don't quit easily, and just because they are defeated or weakened once doesn't mean it is all over.  Often the battle gets worse for awhile.  The more they tried to obey and stay close to God, the more opposition and battles the Jews faced when conquering the land.  Paul's thorn in the flesh is an example of this (II Corinthians 12:7-10).

            Another example is Nehemiah.  When the walls of Jerusalem were in disrepair and no one was making any effort to rebuild them there was calm.  But when Nehemiah started encouraging the people to rebuild there was much opposition.  Some was external, other internal.  Externally Nehemiah faced ridicule (2:19), anger (4:1), criticism (4:2), mockery (4:3), threat of war (4:8), compromise (6:2), and lies being told about him (6:6).  The stronger attacks were internal.  Satan attacked him within with discouragement (4:10), wanting to quit (4:10), greed (5:1,3,5), and fear (6:10).  Nehemiah persevered despite it all and finally the work was completed (6:15) and the enemies of God defeated (6:16).

            We, too, will face much opposition, and continuing opposition.  When we fight against Satan's kingdom by being true to God's kingdom, we must realize the enemy will fight back.    What are we to do about it?  Satan's plan is for us to be discouraged, to quit, to not persevere, to stay where we are or to lose ground to him.  Here's how to make sure that doesn't happen:

When the Jews crossed the Red Sea God opened the waters and they walked through on dried land, but after they matured in the faith things changed.  When they got to the Jordan they had to rush down the hill and step into the water while it was still there, trusting God would move it when their feet hit the water.  He did and again they walked through on dry land.  You are no longer at the Red Sea.  You’ve grown beyond that.  Now God wants you to commit to obedience no matter what, to step into the rushing water trusting He’ll be with you.  If you wait for the waters to part first you’ll never move.  Commit to stop no matter what – even if it kills you.  Decide you’d rather be dead than to continue to disobey.  Now I don’t’ think it’s a live or death matter, but still you need to be willing to pay any price you may feel will come.  I know God will take care of you through it.  It will be more of a struggle than you’ve had with some of the other victories, for God increases the pressure so our faith muscles grown.  I like the story of the old lady who was known for her faith.  Someone said to her once, “I bet if God told you to run and jump into a wall you’d do it!”  The lady said, “Yes, If he told me to do so I would.  It’s my job to run into the wall and it’s His job to take care of the wall.”

 

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW THE BATTLE TO CONTINUE?

That’s the age-old question.  Why does God allow people to suffer and struggle?  How can a God of love allow so much evil to continue?  God doesn’t defend Himself or explain what He allows.  He gives us a free will choice and sin and the resulting evil are the natural consequences or turning from Him.  Still, innocent people suffer.  We can’t try to evaluate God’s person and character by these things for He has proven His character and love by leaving heaven, becoming a man, living on earth, then going to cross to take on the punishment for every sin we would ever commit.  That proves His love for us beyond a shadow of a doubt.  If it weren’t for that we would all deserve eternity in hell from this moment on.  So anything less than hell from now on is His grace and mercy.  Why He seems to show more to some than others is not up to us to judge.  God isn’t accountable to us.  We cannot stand in judgment of Him until we know all the facts as He knows them and see everything as good or better than He sees it.  Many things seem unfair to little children but they must trust their parents.  Getting an injection from a doctor, having a pretty shiny knife taken way, many things seem to a child that a parent doesn’t love them but a child doesn’t have the perspective to truly view what is happening and we don’t have God’s perspective on life either.  We do know that facing things we don’t understand gives us an opportunity to trust.  Our faith is stretched and we grow.  God is glorified as we see Him deliver and as others watch us patiently trust Him.  Spiritual warfare is just one of many forms of suffering God uses for our good and for His glory.  That’s another reason why deliverance often isn’t instantaneous but a drawn-out process.

 

B. SOLUTION: ONGOING BATTLE

             After trying to convince you that the deliverance you've gone through didn't really happen (unbelief), Satan's next weapon is the lie that you won't have victory, you won't change, things won't get better, etc.  That's not true!  If you follow God's principles you will have continuing progress and victory.  How soon and how complete is only up to God.

 

RETAINING DELIVERANCE:

l. Put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)

2. Confess any sin immediately, but don't dwell on it (I John 1:9)

3. Stay in the Scriptures (Psalm 1:1-3).  The Word is a mirror (James 1:22-25) a lamp (Psalm 119:105) a cleanser (Ephesians 5;25-26) a sword (Hebrews 4:12) and food (I Peter 2:2;  Matthew 4:4). Use it for all these,.

4. Break old patterns, habits, and sins or Satan will return (Matthew 12:43-45: Luke 11:24-26).  Fill the void with God's Spirit and His fruit (Galatians 5:9-24; John 15:3). Clean your house of unclean books and things that shouldn't be there (Deuteronomy 14:7-19).  Dedicate your home and life to God.

5. Develop a life of continuous praise & prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17).

6. Stay in close fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 13:5).

7. Commit yourself to totally follow God (Ephesians 6:16).

 

GROW SPIRITUALLY

            We all are either moving ahead or moving back.  We cannot be dead still at the same place.  If you aren't growing spiritually then you are fading.  Continue to grow spiritually.  Focus on the basics of the Christian life: prayer, Bible study, fellowship, worship, witnessing, etc.  Sometimes growth comes in spurts, other times there doesn't seem to be much outer change (it is during these times that your spiritual roots are going deeper, getting you ready for the next growth spurt).  The same is true in nature, there isn't always sustained growth, things grow in spurts. 

            Do NOT focus on Satan or demons, always thinking about them or fearing what they will do.  Do not look for "a demon behind every bush." They love this attention, even if it is negative.  It keeps your eyes off Jesus and on them, and that’s what they want.  It is important to have balance in this area of spiritual warfare.  Keep it in balance.  It is one of many important spiritual tools for growth.  Don't neglect the others for this one.

 

SUBMIT TO HOLY SPIRIT

            Remember, when demons are gone the area must be filled with God's Spirit or it will be an invitation for them to come back -- more and worse than before (Matthew 12:43-45).  Casting them out is one thing, keeping them out is another.  Close the opening (by confession and covering with the blood of Jesus) and fill the space they occupied in your life with the Holy Spirit. 

            It isn't my purpose here to go into detail about being filled with the Holy Spirit for many fine books cover that subject quite well.  Suffice it to say that immediately at salvation each person receives the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; I Corinthians 12:13).  He never leaves (Ephesians 4:30).  Each believer has the Holy Spirit indwelling him, but not each one has the Holy Spirit "filling" (literally "controlling") him (Ephesians 5:18).  Allowing Him to fill/control us is a moment-by-moment responsibility.  It means we must be 100% yielded to God in all areas of life (I Thessalonians 5:19), not allow any known sin in life (Ephesians 4:30), and to depend on Him and His strength in every area of life (Galatians 5:16).  This way there will be no strongholds (openings) reestablished (II Corinthians 10:3-5). 

 

 

WEAR THE ARMOR

Satan does not trouble those who aren't committed believers.  They are his subjects  (Col. 1:13) and serve him (Eph. 2:2).  Only when one wants to turn from that path, having accepted Jesus as his Savior and wanting to make Him Lord of his life, does Satan oppose the person.  Satan will not give up one of his subjects easily and will do all he can to gain that person back.  He can't take his salvation, but can have him live the same kind of life as before (one of service to Satan and sin).  God does not want that for His children, however.  He has defeated Satan and has made provision for us to share in that victory.  As a good commander He provides the equipment we need to defeat Satan and to protect ourselves (Eph. 6:10-17, II Cor. 10:35, Mt. 12:29).  The following is based on Ephesians 6:10-17.  Open your Bible as your read the following.

 

I. ARMOR PROVIDED  Ephesians 6:10-12

 

"FINALLY" (10): Paul builds to this throughout the whole Epistle.

 

"BE STRONG" (10): "Be continually strengthened"  This is a command, not an option.  It is passive, something we receive from outside ourselves.  A soldier receives (passive) equipment from his commander, the commander is responsible to provide it, he must use it. The battle is between God & Satan, we are just privates and only get attacked  because of joining God's army, it's not our personal battle but our commander who will make sure we can win it.

            What makes a soldier strong so he can use his equipment? (1. Proper      nourishment (food & drink) - for us the Word of God.  (2. Regular exercise to stay fit - not spiritually fat or lazy.  (3. Proper rest, meditation, relaxation, worship & praise times.

 

"IN THE LORD" (10): not "FROM" the Lord for He doesn't just give us a portion of His strength (as great as that would be) to fight in our own strength and to add to our strength. We are actually "IN Christ" (a phrase used over 40 times just in Ephesians).  This refers to total dependence, like a baby IN a womb.  We are one, we share His foe and His victory.  We must stay as close to Christ as possible or we will never have victory.

 

"HIS mighty power" (10): Never look at Satan's power, or your own, just and only at Christ's!

 

"MIGHTY" (10): The word means a special endowment of power and strength.  It is inherent strength, ability, and authority that comes from being "in Christ."

 

"POWER" (10): This word refers to manifested power, HIS power shown through us.  The previous word would be used of the muscular ability a person naturally has, this word of that power shown in use.  This power, by the way, comes through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).  God is the sovereign general, we are "in Christ," and the Holy Spirit is the power source given to us.  What an unbeatable combination!

 

"PUT ON" (11):  This verse tells HOW to be strong in Jesus.  This, too, is a command - it is not an option.,  In the original language this speaks of a once-for-all action.  The commander provides the armor, but the soldier must put it on-and then he must NEVER take it off for the warfare is continual.  Each morning check out your armor to make sure it is well maintained, never take it off.

 

"FULL ARMOR" (11): If missing even just one piece Satan will attack there.

 

"TAKE YOUR STAND" (11): This same word is translated "resist" in James 4:7 and I Peter 5:8-9.  We are NOT to run, fall back in fear or panic, surrender, sit, or fall asleep.  We are to stand alert BEFORE attacked so we are ready to defend ourselves and beat it off.

 

"DEVIL" (11) "Devil" means "Slanderer," and that is what he does.  He slanders God to man (as to Eve in Eden) and man to God (as with Job).

 

"SCHEMES" (11): The picture behind this word is of a cunning, deceitful animal full of tricks and deceit.  Paul commands us to not be ignorant of these tricks and traps (II Corinthians 2:11).

 

"STRUGGLE" (12):  This word-picture of wrestlers shows the life-and-death struggle we are in with Satan. Wrestlers back then tried to pin each other's neck to the ground.  This is no innocent misunderstanding or friendly competition!

 

"NOT AGAINST FLESH & BLOOD" (12): Our main enemy is not other people, or even our own sin nature.  We know how those operate from firsthand knowledge.  Satan is in another realm that we are often unaware of, and have no idea how to fight.

 

"RULERS" (12):  These are the demons on top of Satan's organizational systems, the generals under him as the commanding officer.  They have vast oversight responsibilities, some over geographical areas, others over philosophies or works, etc.

 

"AUTHORITIES" (12): These very powerful demons are like colonels.  They are given authority (thus the name) over certain countries, areas, churches, groups of persons, etc.  They don't do the work but, like the Rulers, oversee and coordinate the activity of demons under them.  They give power & authority to these lesser demons.

 

"POWERS OF THIS DARK WORLD" (12): These numerous, workhorse demons function on the command level, like lieutenants and sergeants.  They oversee and work with small forces of demons assigned by 'Authorities' to a certain person, church, cult, location, idea, philosophy, etc.  They receive their orders and power through the chain of command above them.

 

"SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS" (12):  These very numerous demons are the daily working demons that carry out the work assigned to them by the above chain of command.  These are the privates of Satan's army, the ones we do battle with each day.  They are not as smart or clever as the ones  higher in the command, they simply carry out orders given them.  They have a great variety in their intelligence level, abilities, etc.  They each  function in one main area of expertise, and are named accordingly (Greed, Listlessness, Self-Destruction, Fear, etc.)

 

"HEAVENLY REALMS" (12): In the atmosphere is where Satan sets up his kingdom, between this earth and the third heaven where God is.  That is why Michael needed to help the other angels get past the Prince of Persia in Daniel (Daniel 10:13).  Satan is the "ruler of the kingdom of the air."

 

II ARMOR DESCRIBED  Eph. 6:13-18

 

            A. BELT OF TRUTH 14a

 

"BELT":  The belt was the KEY piece of equipment for a soldier because it held his other clothing and equipment in place.  Clothing was tucked back out of the way to allow freedom of movement to fight, and it was the belt that gave them freedom.  The belt held their valuables and personal possessions, too.  It also held the sword, thus the close connection between the truth and God's Word (sword).

 

"TRUTH" : As the belt allowed the soldier's hands freedom, so the truth makes us free.  Jesus is the "way, TRUTH and life" (Jn. 14:6) and only in Him ("IN CHRIST") is truth found.  He said "I am the truth" (Jn. 14:6; 1:14).  When we put on Christ and are strong in Him we take the truth that comes from Him as revealed in His Word, the Bible (II Tim. 2:15, James 1:18, Ps. 119:41-43).  It is through the Holy Spirit that this truth is applied to our hearts and lives, for He is called the "Spirit of Truth" (I Cor. 1:6-15).

            By contrast Satan is a liar (Jn. 8:44).  He works in deceit and counterfeits to get us to fear and be defeated.  He tries to get us to be untruthful (Acts 5:3) and uses any untruth in us to gain access to us.  Therefore  we are to "stand firm" against anything not 100% honest and truthful in us or others.

 

            B. BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS 14b

 

"BREASTPLATE" : This vital piece of equipment covered the vulnerable organs of the upper body.  Enemy soldiers would grasp each other's left forearms and with the right start stabbing each other in the breastplate.  The first one to find or make an opening won!

            Satan, too, first attacks our vulnerable areas.  He knows where our weak and open spots are.  That is why we are defeated over and over by the same besetting sin. Just as a soldier would make sure his breastplate was sound and perfect  before the battle began, so we must make sure there are no areas in our life, thoughts, priorities or motives where Satan can defeat us.  It doesn't matter how small, he will use it.  All openings must be closed and covered with the blood of Jesus.

 

"RIGHTEOUSNESS":  In contrast to our righteousness, which is like "filthy rags", God is pure righteousness (Ps. 48:;10; 119:137; 145:17).  One of His names is YHWH-TSIDEK ("The LORD Our Righteousness" Jer. 23:6).  At the moment of salvation our sins are transferred to Jesus and His perfect righteousness is transferred to us.  We must put faith in HIS provision, not our own good works/righteousness.  We need to allow His righteousness to shine through us, and to accept His holiness (another word for righteousness) as ours "In Christ".  It is in this area we can't have sin or Satan will use that to defeat us.

            Note that our back isn't covered, just our front.  A soldier of Christ cannot retreat or run but must move ahead in victory!

 

            C. SANDALS OF PEACE

 

"FEET": On their feet soldiers wore sandals which were VERY important.  They had to be sturdy, dependable and tough.  The soldier went everywhere on his feet, and was usually attacked on rough, rocky ground where getting a good footing would be very hard.  Failure of his sandals to protect his feet or give him good stability would result in his defeat.  Our standing, too, must be sure and ready.

 

"READINESS": This word has the idea of establishment, a firm foundation.

 

"PEACE": "Christ is our peace" (Eph. 2:13-14), and we only have peace "in Christ."  He provides peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and peace of God (Phil 4:6-9; Rom. 16:20; Prov. 16:7). Jesus is peace (Jn. 14:27) and we are to live in peace with God, self and others.  This is our support, our foundation.

            Satan tries to produce turmoil, chaos, and lack of peace in our lives.  Then he comes along and offers false peace through drugs, alcohol, sex, compromise, etc.

 

            D. SHIELD OF FAITH 16

 

"IN ADDITION": Literally "above all," meaning this is of the greatest importance. Faith, the helmet of salvation, and prayer, the next  three, are even more important than the ones already described.  The first 3 pieces of equipment are worn as part of the body, affixed to it. They are always to be there.  These next ones are to be "taken up" to use when  battle was near.  The first we receive (passive), these we take up ourselves (active).  These are our outer wall of defense.

 

"SHIELD": The shield was 2 foot by 4 foot.  Soldiers would gather behind a wall of shields side-by-side and use it for an outer wall of protection..  They would NOT go into battle without a shield!

 

"FAITH": This is the substance of our shield.  We, together with others of like faith, are to throw up a wall against Satan.  We  can still hear his roaring attacks, but faith keeps us from being defeated by them.  It is not just 'faith' that protects, for faith must be in the right object - God.

 

"FLAMING ARROWS": Burning pitch and arrows tipped with burning pitch would be hurled against soldiers, and only a shield could protect them from it.  Satan shoots arrows of pride, temptation, fear, worry, guilt, suffering, etc, at us and only faith in God will get us through those times.

 

"YOU CAN EXTINGUISH ALL":  Some arrows get very close to us (like with Job), but God determines just how close they will fall (also like with Job.)  Sometimes it seems like some of them even pierce our shield of faith.  However when that happens they are no longer Satan's flaming arrows but God's refining and purifying messengers of love, as Paul's thorn in the flesh (see also I Cor. 10:13; Rom. 8:28 etc.)  If we keep our shield up the fire refines us.  It is only when our faith is down that the fire harms us.

 

            E. HELMET OF SALVATION 17a

 

"HELMET":  The helmet protected soldier's heads from the broad sword their enemies carried.  This sword was 3 to 4 feet long.  The enemy held it with two hands and brought it straight down with all his might  right on the soldier's head.  Thus the helmet was very important.

 

"SALVATION" : Our mind is very important, and Satan attacks that in a deadly and vigorous way.  Therefore it is very important to protect our mind:  its thoughts, ideas, goals, motives, priorities, values, decisions, etc. (Rom. 12:1-2; James 1:8; II Tim. 2:25-26).  This is where Satan attacked Eve (Gen. 3:1-7, II Cor. 11:3) and he attacks us there through our pride, selfishness & self-centeredness, as well as through the influence of the world.  It is only through salvation that we can have the "mind of Christ" and thus do His will.  Being Christ-like starts in our mind, so it must be protected and filled with God's word (studied and memorized).

 

            F. SWORD OF THE WORD 17b

 

"SWORD": The only offensive weapon (prayer, next verse, is the other weapon we have but that isn't listed as a weapon the way the sword is in this soldier analogy).  All the other pieces of equipment are defensive and for protection.  It is only through the offensive weapons, Bible study and prayer, that we can forge ahead and defeat Satan.  These weapons don't work until the previous ones are taken care of, though, because if we have a way to be defeated Satan will seize the initiative and we will be driven back instead of driving him  back.

 

"OF THE SPIRIT":  ANY weapon used in the flesh will not prosper.  Peter used the sword of his flesh and cut Malchus' ear, but on Pentecost he used the sword of the Spirit and thousands of ears were won and opened for Christ.  The best defense is a good offense.

 

"WORD OF GOD": Jesus, the living Word (John 1:1-14), is behind the Bible, the written Word.  You need to know God's Word in detail, with much of it memorized, so you can really use this weapon.  Jesus won His battles when Satan tempted Him by quoting Scriptures.  That is how we are to win, too.

            G. PRAYER 18

 

"AND PRAY":  This is our other offensive weapon, equal in importance to knowing God's Word.  God doesn't fully pour His Spirit into us in power until we fully pour our spirit out to him in prayer.  In our military analogy, communication with the commander is key to receiving orders, help, strength, additional resources, support, etc.

 

"IN THE SPIRIT": Our prayer must be directed by the Holy Spirit just as our Bible study is ("sword  OF THE SPIRIT").  The Holy Spirit directs our praying when we let Him (Rom. 8:26).  Prayer in our own strength and wisdom brings no answer (James 4:3).  We must be sensitive to the Spirit as He leads us in how to pray and just what to pray for.

 

"ON ALL OCCASIONS": "Without ceasing."  (Prov. 3:5-6).  If you feel like it or not, are busy or not, know what to say or not - still pray.  Prayer must be consistent and persistent (II Cor. 10:3-5).

           

 

USE THE WORD OF GOD

            Knowing and using God's Word, the sword of the Spirit, is key for victory (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 77:12; I Chronicles 28:9; Matthew 22:37-38; I Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 4:8).  That's how Jesus defeated Satan (Matthew 4:1-11).  Satan tries to plant doubts about God's word in man's mind.  This is how he got to Eve.  She misquoted God's Word to Satan and when he added to God's Word (making God seem like He was keeping something good from her) she didn't pick it up.  Satan was undermining God's Word, and he won!  We must be skillful in the use of our sword to win.  Below are some verses to memorize and use.

When Jesus was tempted He quoted Scripture to have victory over Satan's temptations.  Paul says our only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  Psalm 119:9,11 tell us that it's through God's Word that we have victory.  When you have these thoughts and attacks use Scripture to have victory.  Ask God to give you some verses that will help against these things, write them down and memorize them.  Say them over and over when these thoughts attack you.  That is the only way to victory, and God guarantees it will work!

 

BIBLE MEMORY VERSES

 

GOD'S LOVE & ACCEPTANCE  The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  Psalm 103:8

THE BIBLE, GOD'S WORD  The Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

GOD'S TRUTH FREES  "If you hold to my teaching, you are really My disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  John 8:32

LIVE IN HOLINESS  Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship.  Rom. 12:1

SUBMIT TO GOD, RESIST SATAN  God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you.  James 4:6-8

GOD IS GREATER THAN SATAN  The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  I John 4:4

GOD WILL MEET ALL OUR NEEDS  My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

RENEW YOUR MIND WITH CHRIST  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- His good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2

PRAYER  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  James 5:16

AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS  Jesus replied: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."  Luke 10:18-19

RESISTING SATAN  Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."  Matthew 16:23

SIN AS OPENINGS TO DEMONIZING  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.  Psalm 139:23-24

CURSES  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."  Galatians 3:13

ANCESTRAL & CHILDHOOD OPENINGS  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  II Corinthians 5:17

OCCULT OPENINGS  Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.  I am the Lord your God.  Leviticus 19:31

NEW AGE OPENINGS  Such men (who preach a Jesus other than the Jesus I preached) are false prophets, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  II Corinthians 11:13-15

DELIVERANCE FROM DEMONIZING  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God  ... This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. I John 4:1-2

DELAYED DELIVERANCE  The Lord said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  ... For when I am weak, then I am strong.      II Corinthians 12:9-10

CONTINUING VICTORY  Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith. I Peter 5:8-9

 

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF VERSES FOR ANY NEED SEE APPENDIX 6, pages 95-100.

 

RESIST, STAND FIRM

KEYS TO FREEDOM & VICTORY

There are 2 keys to attaining and keeping spiritual victory:  1. You have to want it so bad you are willing to pay any price to get it.  You must be 100% committed to sticking it out no matter what.   2. The other key is that, as soon as you fail, you get right back up and start again. Don't lay there in defeat but start over.  It's taken a lifetime to get into this, it'll take awhile to get out.  Gradually you will log more and more time 'sober' and less and less 'under the influence.'  That's how it works.

PERSEVERE, AS BAD AS IT GETS

Persevere no matter what. God can and will set you free from this.  Deliverance is a process He uses to teach us things about Himself and ourselves.  He wants us to persevere in faithfulness to Him no matter what for that helps us learn to depend on Him and trust Him.  It’s also part of the way He works to make us more like Jesus. 

I know God is greater and will give the victory.  I know the victory comes gradually, as we learn to fight and take back ground that was given to the enemy.  When the Jews entered the promised land under Joshua God gave them victory, but one battle at a time, even one generation at a time.  He didn't give it all to them at once.  He wanted them to learn to fight, to need to keep trusting Him, to develop patience and perseverance.  What was true of them physically is true of us spiritually.  So don't give up.  Persevere.  It may be hard to see progress but remember - there is improvement.  Look back at your life and you'll see improvement in the past to the present.  You certainly wouldn't want to go back!  Progress is slow but steady, like the story of the tortoise and the hare.  Also be encouraged because it's obvious the enemy is now throwing everything at you he can.  That means this is as bad as it gets, this is all he can do.  If he could do more he would.  While this is bad, knowing it is as bad as it gets and that it will gradually but certainly get better helps.  It takes time.  God is interested in the process you are going through as you grow, not just the final product.  You do the same thing with your children.

            We are told over and over again in the Bible to resist Satan (in Jesus' strength), to stand firm and not give in.  "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7-8) is a promise to claim.  The conditions for the promise to work, though, are that we are to submit to God (total commitment to God after salvation), draw near to God (quality and quantity time in prayer and meditation) and be pure (life a holy life, confessing all known sin).  The key is keeping our eyes on Jesus.

            Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devout.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith.  (I Peter 5:8-9). Alert means literally to "be sleepless," it implies a purposeful and active state of awareness.  It implies being active and watching out for anything that would tone down our alertness (like being seduced by the world's pleasures).  Resist is a strong word meaning to oppose.  We aren't to hide in fear, hoping he'll leave us alone.  Each must wage his own fight, you cannot expect a parent, mate, pastor or friend to resist for you.  Stand firm means to stand solid, hard, unbending in the faith.  Jesus prayed Peter would stand when attacked by Satan (Luke 22:32).  Satan is like a bully.  When he or his forces find someone who will give in they push them around.  Taking a stand may mean a fight for awhile, but then the promise comes that he will flee.  We are to be courageous and not fearful, taking our stand in the Lord (Joshua 1:9; 10:8; 23:9-11; Leviticus 26:8; Exodus 14:13; I Samuel 17:45-47; II Samuel 22:33-35,40-41). 

            Since Satan works through getting us to believe his lies, we must really resist and stand fast in this area.  By knowing which lies Satan trips you up with you can better be prepared for them.  Here are some common ones to look out for.

 

PRAY

            Prayer is powerful (John 14:13-14; 15:7,16; Mark 11:24; 11:22-24; Luke 11:9-10; I John 5:14; Jeremiah 33:3).  There should be six parts to your prayer life, all equally well developed.  These are:

1. CONFESSION  (I John 1:9; Psalm 66:18; 51:1).  To confess means to agree with God that the issue at hand is sin (not a mistake, someone else's fault, etc.) .  Use the lists on page 15-17 to help in this.  After you confess your sin make sure you accept God's forgiveness (Daniel 9:9,19; Psalm 130:4; 86:5; 78:30; 99:8; 103:3; Amos 7:2).  Only God can forgive sin (Mark 2:7; 11:25; Luke 23:24; 5:24; Matthew 6:14; Colossians 3:13).  God doesn't over look sin, he forgives because it was paid for with the blood of Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 9:22; Ephesians 4:32; 1:7; I Peter 2:24; 3:18; Luke 24:46-47; Colossians 1:14; John 19:30).  This forgiveness is available to all (Isaiah 53:6; Colossians 2:13; Romans 8:1).  When you confess/admit your sin God forgives it.  This means He blots it out (Isaiah 43:25; 1:18; 44:22; Acts 3:19; Colossians 2:14; Psalm 32), casts it behind His back (a place He can't see it - Isaiah 38:17; Jeremiah 31:34), forgets it (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17; Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34), makes it disappear where it will never be found (Jeremiah 50:20), has it vanish like the morning mist at noon (Isaiah 44:22; John 20:31; Matthew 27:51), and casts it into the deepest part of the sea (Micah 7:19) which will then be gone forever (Revelation 21:1). 

2. PRAISE  (Psalm 34:1-3; 48:1; Hebrews 13:15).  Praise is glorifying God for Who and What He is.  It is different than thanking Him for things He has done.  We will be praising God for all eternity, so we should start now!  God is pleased with our praise (Psalm 22:3; Hebrews 13:5). 

            The Bible says there is power in praise (Psalm 22:3).  Praise can be done by word or song.  Make sure you develop a strong praise life (Philippians 4:4; Hebrews 13:15).  Read the following passages and turn them into praise prayers: Exodus 15:1-2; Deuteronomy 10:21; 32:3-4,43; I Samuel 2:1-2; II Samuel 22:4, 50; I Chronicles 16:9,25,31; 29:10-12; II Chronicles 5:12-14; 20:21-22,27; Psalm 8:1-2; 9:1-3; 31:21; 44:8; 40:16; 47:1-3; 68:3-4; 72:18-19; 86:12-13; 104:33; 108:3; 117:1-2; 119:108,175; 138:1-4; 142:7; 149:1,3,6-9; 150:1-6; Isaiah 25:1,9; 38:18-19; 60:18; Daniel 2:20-23; Jeremiah 20:13; Habakkuk 3:17-19; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 1:46-47; Luke 10:21; John 4:23024; Ephesians 1:3; Jude 25; Revelation 4:10-11; 5:5,12-13; 15:3-4.

3. THANKSGIVING   (Psalm 116:12; Philippians 4:6; I Thessalonians 5:18).  Thanksgiving is thanking God for what He has done, is doing and is going to do in your life (as well as the lives of others).  We all appreciate being thanked for things we do, and so does God.  Be specific in your thanksgiving.  Remember, everything comes from Him and is for our good (Romans 8:28) so we should thank Him for everything!

4. INTERCESSION (Psalm 28:9; James 5:14-20; I Timothy 2:1-4; I Samuel 12:23).  Intercession is prayer for others.  Often it is good to keep a list of prayer requests so you remember to pray for them and so you can mark down the answer, too.   Then thank God for the answer.  Remember God answers EVERY prayer.  The answer is either yes (now), wait (later) or no (never).  Every prayer gets one of these answers.  God is able to do anything, but He isn't always willing to do what it is we think He should do to bail us out (Daniel 3:17).  Therefore when you pray for others first be sensitive to how God would have you pray.   Don't be so quick to come up with a solution and make that your prayer.  God may have another solution (better than ours).  Don't pray solutions to God, pray problems and let Him come up with His own solution.  You'll find prayers answered more often when you let Him figure out how to take care of something.  Often instead of removing something He gives us grace to endure it (II Corinthians 12:7-10).  Include that option in your prayers for others

CONFESSING THE SINS OF ANOTHER  Praying for another person is important.  Confessing the sins of another person can help free them from demonic oppression.  Sin, especially certain sins, is like opening a door for demons to work in a person’s life.  These sins can be an open invitation.  Depression (self-pity), for example, can be almost a ‘prayer’ to Satan because one is so negative and sees everything from a very self-centered viewpoint  about how it may affect them.  It’s almost like they enjoy wallowing in this, so demons just help them move in that direction by putting thoughts in their mind and the person accepts and feeds on these thoughts.  When that person tells God they are sorry for opening the door and confess (admit) that as sin, He forgives them and the sin no longer blocks fellowship between the person and God.  However the door is still open and demons, who can get very technical and never want to give up access they have, will continue to use it.  When you enter the picture and put the sins of that person under the blood of Jesus and state that demons can no longer use that sin as an access to the person you are closing the door.  If the person hasn’t confessed the sin themselves that still blocks their relationship with God, but by interceding for them we can slow down or stop (at least temporarily) the demonic impact so the person can be free from that influence and be better able to turn to God for themselves.  Now if they continue in the sin they keep opening the door.  All you can do is keep trying to close it by putting the sin under the blood until the person does so themselves or it becomes evident they don’t want to and won’t do it. 

5. PETITION  (James 4:2; Hebrews 4:15-16; John 15:7).  Petition means asking God for things for yourself.  This is legitimate.  We shouldn't always pray just for ourselves, nor should we feel unworthy to ever pray for ourselves.  Much of what I said under "Intercession" above fits in here.  There are some things the Bible says we should ask for: an understanding heart (I Kings 3:7,9), fellowship with other believers (Philemon 4-6), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11,18,20), guidance (Psalm 25:4-5; 27:11), holiness (I Thessalonians 5:23), love (Philippians 1:9-11), mercy (Psalm 6:1-6), power (Ephesians 3:16), spiritual growth (Ephesians 1:17-19) and to know and do God's will (Colossians 4:12).  As you pray for yourself think of a Bible promise to claim for it.  God promises He will not forget us (Isaiah 49:15), not fail us (Joshua 1:5), will show us what to do (I Samuel 16:3), will help us (Isaiah 41:10) and will strengthen us (Isaiah 41:10). 

            Remember, its always good to pray the problem, not the solution.  Let God come up with His own solution.  Often we miss it because He answers a different way then we expected.  He is God.  He can answer any way He wants.  Just think of the ultimate result: God being glorified and you growing.  Pray for that – God to be glorified in the situation no matter what.

6. LISTEN  (I Samuel 3:10; Hebrews 1:1-2; 3:15; Psalm 62:5; 46:10)  Good communication is a two-way street.  Pause a few minutes and listen to God talk to you.  You should do that throughout your day.  After all, which is more important: you passing on information to God or Him passing on information to you?  Be still in your mind, let Him put in thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc., that you need.  Be sensitive to His leading.  As with any relationship, the better you know the person the better the communication.  Good, deep communication is difficult with a stranger, but the more time you spend with a person the better you can 'hear' them, and that's true with God, too.  This is an art that takes time to develop, but won't happen if you don't work on it!  For more information on this important art read Appendixes 7 & 8, pages 101-108.

 

 

HELPING OTHERS

            Once you get involved in deliverance, you'll start to see how it can help those around you.  You'll want to share with others what you've found.  That's great!  Remember, though, there is a cost of your time (Mark 7:24), energy (Mark 6:31) and patience (Matthew 17:17).  Count the cost first (Mark 3:8-15).  Getting involved in spiritual warfare for others may bring attacks against you but do not fear such a thing (Matthew 10:24-27).  Often the worse part, though, is the criticism and rejection you get from others, believers and unbelievers alike (Matthew 9:32-34); Matthew 10:24-27).  Don't fear that, either (Luke 13:31-32). 

            One danger to watch out for is thoughts popping into your mind of how spiritual you are, or feelings of pride because of having power over demons.  Others may see you as more spiritual, too.  This is a real danger.  Jesus makes it clear that being able to administer deliverance is no sign of spirituality or even salvation (Matthew 7:21-23). 

            Keep in mind, too, that others minister deliverance in different ways.  I feel strongly that what I have written here is what God has for me according to His Word.  However I am not to judge or reject those who do it differently (Mark 9:38-40). 

            Follow the steps for deliverance outlined in this book on pages 48-54.

            When you find yourself in a situation where you feel God wants you to talk or pray about deliverance just go ahead!  Don't worry about your lack of knowledge or experience (that's a lie from the demons to silence you).  It's God's power and He will give you the right words and wisdom at the right time.  Nothing is worse than not doing anything and allowing the demons to continue their work.  Just do your best, trusting God for each step of the way.  There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way, no magic formula.  God is greater, so just bring His power against the evil forces.

            One thing to be careful of, though, is your own time and schedule.  Don't allow yourself to be a crutch to anyone, for that isn't helping them.  Wean them from you and onto God quickly.  Don't become too involved with the one you are ministering too.  It can become too draining on you and make it hard for you to be objective, plus harder to wean them.  At first feeling needed can be very nice, but it is God they should need, not you. 

            Always consider the big picture when praying for deliverance. Keep deliverance in balance.   Should they see a counselor?  Would a physical from a doctor be helpful?  Are they perhaps not giving you the complete, total picture, but just what they want you to know?  Do they REALLY want to be free or are they more interested in having your attention?  Is their any sin they aren't willing to get rid of? 

 

OUR ROLE IN HELPING OTHERS (What God Expects)

I see myself as a quarterback (football) who throws passes to his receivers.  The quarterback must throw the best pass he can – a nice, tight spiral right into the hands of the receiver.  But ones the quarterback lets go of the ball it is no longer up to him if it is caught or not.  Some receivers drop excellent passes, others make miraculous catches of poorly thrown balls.  I used to be very concerned about the results but had to realize that isn’t up to me.  Now there must almost be callousness over my heart to some extent or I would get burnt out quickly.  I give the best advice I can, with God’s help, and know that is all God holds me accountable for – but He doesn’t hold me accountable to do my best, to throw the best pass I can.  If it is caught or not is not up to me but between the persona and God.  Many times I don’t if the pass is dropped or caught, but I keep throwing them anyway.  And the more one practices the better he gets at it.  I keep a list of all the people who wrote me and the emails beck and forth.  There are hundreds and hundreds of names and almost all have more than one or two emails.  Some I’ve been in touch with for years.  They have become a core group to whom I send prayer requests, especially about my India trip.  They are the ones I ask to pray for me when special needs come up.  They keep me updated, sometimes every few months, and we write more regularly when things get difficult.  Jesus spoke to millions, thousands liked what He said, hundreds believed, a dozen gave up everything to follow Him (and one of those turned back), three became His inner core and one His best friend (John).  That’s about how it goes.  In the parable of the sower and the seed Jesus points out that only about one fourth of the seed sown grows, so if that’s true of Jesus I can’t expect better!  One more factor is that I know I am only the servant and Jesus expects me to be faithful.  He doesn’t look at numbers. 

I throw the best pass I can and then pray for them.  For the most part that bit of callous self-protection that all people in the service ministries have to have takes care of it.  Now when it’s a person I know well, a really bad situation, especially a relative, then it can get to me more.  But that motivates me to be the more faithful in prayer and ministry.  Even Jesus had Judas.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THOSE STRUGGLING:

PRAY continually and regularly for them.  Exercise your authority as a believer.

LOVE them unconditionally and let them know that over and over.  Unconditional love conveys God’s love.  That is very, very important to do.

PROTECT them from unwise decisions if you are in a position to do so.  Protect them from others, even from themselves.

LOWER your expectations of them.  Give them time to understand, grow, act.  Be patient, as patient as God has been with you.  Don’t baby them or keep bailing them out of situations, but accept them as they are and let God work in them at His pace.

 

IN CLOSING

 

If you've made it to this point in this handbook you must be serious about learning to win your battles.  God's blessing to you!  Just remember to be patient with yourself.  One doesn't become an experienced, top-notch fighter overnight.  It takes time.  It takes  practice.  And it takes failures as well.  That's how we all learn.  For the Christian, though, none of our failures are fatal, and neither are their final.  Victory will come, in this life and the next. 

 

When I first heard the story of the tortoise and the hare as a young boy I know I found a piece of wisdom I could build on, and that story has helped motivate and shape who I have become.  I want to pass it on to you as well.  Persevere!  Don't quit!  Keep going!  You don't have to be moving fast.  In fact, you probably won't be moving very fast at all.  But don't let that bother you.  Slow and steady does it.  Stay faithful to God.  Keep your eyes on Him, not on Satan and his forces.  Spend time in the Word and in prayer each day.  Fight each battle as it comes.  Don't quit, run or give in.  When you lose a battle, and you will (we all do) get up and keep going.  Remember, the race is not to the swift but to those who keep on running! 

 

You've a race before you.  It's called the Christian life.  One of the tools God has provided to help us through to the end is spiritual warfare.  Prayer, worship, sharing the gospel, helping others, learning the Word, all these and many more are other tools He has given us as well. Keep all your tools sharp and use the correct one for the job at hand.  But when the job is spiritual warfare, make sure you use your weapon to the best of you ability.  Each battle will sharpen your skills for the next battle.

 

It's my prayer that you are found faithful by the One Who has called you and Who works in you to conform you to the image of His Son!

 

 

I'd love to hear from you.  If you have questions, comments, suggestions, experiences you can share or anything you'd like to write about I'd truly love to hear from you.  I’ve experienced what I have written about.  I am 61 and pastor a Baptist church in Doylestown, PA.  My theological training includes a ThM and DMin from Dallas Theological Seminary.  I have an online spiritual warfare website for information and counsel.  If I can help you in any way you can contact me at jerry@schmoyer.net.

 

May God bless you and use you for the glory of His Kingdom.  If we never meet in this life we'll meet in heaven and share stories of the victories our Savior and Lord have given us!

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 1                                               HOW DO WE KNOW GOD EXISTS

 

            “If we have full employment and growth--if we have cities of gold and alabaster--but our children have not learned to walk in goodness, justice and mercy, then the American experiment, no matter how gilded, will have failed.  In modernity, nothing has been more consequential, or more public in its consequences, than large segments of American society privately turning away from God, or considering Him irrelevant, or declaring Him dead.  Dostoyevsky reminded us in Brothers Karamazov that ‘if God does not exist, everything is permissible.’   We are now seeing ‘everything.’  And much of it is not good to get used to.”  -- William J. Bennett, The Washington Times Pulpit Helps, March 1996, p. 10.

 

            When people discount the fact that there is a God, the repercussions of that affect every area of their life.  Without God there are no moral absolutes, no ultimate accountability, nothing beyond ourselves.  Man becomes his own God and anything goes.  In fact, many deny the existence of God just so they won’t have to be accountable to a higher power or submit to His will.  They want to live their own lives the way they want, totally unhindered.  They say the idea of ‘God’ is just something emotional cripples use for a crutch to escape reality.  Is this so? How can we be sure there is a God?  What ‘proof’ do we have that God exists?  How can well answer sincere doubters (I Peter 3:15), or still our own unbelief?

 

NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF  In the last article we saw proof that the Bible is indeed God’s inspired Word.  The Bible does claim the existence of God (assumes it, never tries to prove it).  Still, to use God to prove the Bible and the Bible to prove God is circular reasoning.  What proof is there beyond the Bible?  First of all, you can’t prove God by a scientific method any more than you can prove Napoleon by the scientific method.  Neither can be seen, touched or contacted with our senses.  They can’t be put under a microscope to be analyzed.  They each are accepted on the basis of dependable evidence.  There is rational proof for God, though.  We do have much dependable evidence, if we choose to accept it.

 

1. THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Cause & Effect) 

            Cause:  There must be an uncaused  cause or necessary being for each effect.  No effect can be produced without a cause.  When you see a tennis ball lying on the floor you assume (and rightly so) that someone created it and someone placed it there.  It didn’t just appear on its own out of nowhere.  The same is true of the universe, us, love, hate, etc. -- each of these effects had to have a cause behind it equal to or greater than it.

            Motion:  If you would see that tennis ball rolling across the floor, you would then assume (and rightly so), that some power outside the ball and greater than it started it moving.  The universe is full of motion.  Something cannot start and sustain itself.  An external agent or force is required.  There must be a being that is the ultimate source of all motion.

            Interrelationships:  Now our tennis balls hang in a large circle by string, each one swinging and hitting the one next to it.  The motion keeps going around and around the circle.  Each ball is dependent on the others for the system to work.  There must be a final being or force who is above these and independent of them to cause it to start.  While some evolutionists might have said that the ‘big bang’ caused the motion and interrelationships, this is being less and less accepted as the answer even among atheistic evolutionists. 

            Perfection:  There is a pyramid of beings, from insects to men, in an ever-increasing degree of perfection.  There must be a final being who is absolutely perfect, the source of all perfection.  This ultimate perfection is the start, not the finish produce, of all else.  Things don’t build from less to greater, as the second law of thermodynamics states.  It says that everything is winding down (entropy) and points back to a starting time.  It shows that things now are moving away from perfection, not toward it as evolutionists would say.

 

2. THE TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Order & Design)  Look at your wrist watch.  The order and design there causes you to assume that some intelligent being was behind its creation.  If God isn’t behind everything, than ‘chance’ is.  If God didn’t create this world, then ‘chance’ did.  If God isn’t in control of everything, ‘chance’ is.  It takes more faith to believe in chance than in God!  What ‘chance’ is there of finding a watch just naturally formed of the materials in ground?  What chance is there of the Gettysburg Address resulting from an explosion in a print shop?  What chance is there that all the universe and life in it would just come about by chance?  What chance is there for a liver, or heart, or reproduction system to just come about by chance (and it would have to be completely formed, for a species could not continue if any of these were only partly evolved)?  What are the chances of everything working out so perfectly: gravity, the tilt of the earth, freezing temperature of water, rotation of the earth, proportion of water to land, distance from the sun, etc., just working out?  All that is in the universe, the human body, or an individual cell tells us there is order and design.  The ‘chance’ of it all happening is too great to even be considered!  God created nature to show that He exists (Psalm 19:1).

 

3. THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Moral)   Suppose our tennis balls, or our wrist watch, all of a sudden developed a moral nature when nothing else around it did, what would this signify?  Man, and man alone, has a moral nature.  All peoples in all times and places have had moral standards of right and wrong.  While they haven’t been the same, they have all know there were such standards and that was such a thing as right and wrong (Romans 2:14-15).  All people have an innate understanding of these.  There is something built into everyone which cries out for justice, for reward for good and punishment for evil.  We naturally look forward to a future time when this is so.  Where does this come from?  Many naturally looks to an afterlife to have these settled.  We all know there must be something more to life than existing for one’s self then dying and being buried like a dog or a leaf.  A restless is built into man showing there must be something more to life, something from without to live for.  All of this points to God.  All of this also shows there is a God who built it into all men.  Where else could it have come from?  How could something like love and hate evolve?  If so, why just in man?  These strong emotions had to be created be a greater being than man, then passed on to man.  They couldn’t come from ‘chance.’

 

4. THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT   Man everywhere and in all time has naturally known there is a power greater than and outside himself that he has worshipped.  Satan usually counterfeited and took the worship, but it is naturally in man to believe God and seek Him.  Those today who deny God’s existence often have to shout so loud and long that one wonders if it isn’t the voices inside they are fighting against. When the infidel Robert G. Ingersoll was delivering his lectures against Christ and the Bible, his oratorical ability usually assured him of a large crowd.  One night after an inflammatory speech in which he severely attacked man's faith in the Savior, he dramatically took out his watch and said, "I'll give God a chance to prove that He exists and is almighty.  I challenge Him to strike me dead within 5 minutes!"  First there was silence, then people became uneasy.  Some left the hall, unable to take the nervous strain of the occasion, and one woman fainted.  At the end of the allocated time, the atheist exclaimed derisively, "See!  There is no God.  I am still very much alive!"   After the lecture a young fellow said to a Christian lady, "Well, Ingersoll certainly proved something tonight!"  Her reply was memorable.  "Yes, he did," she said.  "He demonstrated that even the most defiant sinner cannot exhaust the patience of the Lord in just 5 minutes!"  Another man added, " As I was coming downtown today, a belligerent little fellow came running out of an alley, daring me to hit him.  Do you suppose I actually struck him, just because he challenged me to do so?  In the same way, our Lord will not strike everyone dead who defies Him.  We should be thankful that in this age He is still operating in grace and desires to show His love rather than His wrath."  (Romans 9:22)

 

5. SUBJECTIVE INNER AWARENESS  Inside each one of God’s people there is an inner voice that says “Yes!” when the question of God’s existence comes up.  Demons try to flash thoughts of doubt through our mind, but whenever those questions pop up realize it isn’t our minds but Satan’s trick to take away our peace.  When a Christian praises God in song or worship or prayer, something inside says “YES!”  When we talk to others about Jesus there is that “YES!” in our spirit.  When we heard a godly speaker or read a special passage in the Bible the “YES!” is clearly there.  That is God’s Spirit confirming the truth of God’s existence (Galatians 4:6).

 

WHY DOES MAN DENY THE EXISTENCE OF GOD?  Man doesn’t want to be accountable to God.  Man is basically self-centered and prideful, and like Satan, wants to be independent of God.  Man wants to be his or her own God with no other higher power to be accountable to.  Thus man must convince himself that there is no God in order to accomplish this.  The fact of the matter is that God does exist and will reveal Himself to any and all who are open to seriously seek Him (Heb. 11:6).

 

ANSWERING DOUBTERS   There is no answer for those who aren’t open to consider the possibility of a God.  Arguments won’t force anyone to believe something they don’t want to believe.  But for serious seekers the above answers should help.  Actually, against this evidence it is up to them to prove to you that there is no God.  They are going against the majority opinion for all the ages.  Point out to them that if they are right and you are wrong, you have not lost anything, for your believe has at least given you a more peaceful and humane existence.  But if you are right and they are wrong, then not only is their quality of life in this existence at stake, but so is their eternal destiny.  Are they so sure there is no God they that they are willing to bet eternity in hell on it if they are wrong? 

 

SO WHAT?  This is more than an academic exercise for us Christians, too.  Have you ever thought how your life would be different if there was no God?  What if this life was all there was, everything happened by chance, and there was no God (and therefore no Jesus or Bible)?  Thinking about this for even a short time should help us feel compassion for those who face life this way, and also cause us to thank and praise God all the more for His existence and His so clearly revealing Himself to us!  That is certainly reason to thank and praise Him! 

 

APPENDIX 2                          HOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD?

 

            Roy Whetstine purchased a stone "from an amateur collector at an Arizona mineral show for $10,000," according to Newsweek, Nov. 24, 1986.  It has since been "valued at as high as $2.28 million" and declared to be the world's largest sapphire.

            Western-world Christians have in their possession a precious gem of far greater value which many treat just as cheaply.  They fail to avail themselves of the joy such wealth could bring them, fail to share it with their own families, and even fail to carry it with them to the house of God.  They leave it lying wherever it happened to be the last time the furniture was dusted under newspapers and magazines. If it were stolen, they probably would not miss it for a month.

            There are multitudes in many parts of the world who would gladly give a month's salary, go for days without food, and walk great distances to get one copy of the Bible to share with their entire fellowship. Let's not be too quick to cast aspersions upon the intelligence of the amateur gem collector. Often we are just as bad in attributing the true worth to the Bible. 

GOD REVEALS HIMSELF  God has revealed Himself to man in a general way in nature (Romans 1; Psalm 19) but in a very specific way in the Bible.  The Bible (which means “book” in Greek) is composed of 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.  The Old Testament focuses on the Jews and the law.  The New Testament focuses on Jesus and grace.

POSSIBLE & NECESSARY  While some doubt God could or would reveal Himself to man, it is entirely possible that God would reach out and contact man in this way.  Since He is sovereign He can certainly do this if He so chose.  Not only is this possible, it is also necessary, for if God had not contacted man, then man would not know God.  Thus a revelation from God, like the Bible, is possible and necessary.

INSPIRATION  The Bible claims to be God’s Word (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21).  Jesus considered and spoke of the Old Testament as inspired by God (Mt. 22:29; 24:37; Mk. 7:13; Lk. 24:44).  “Inspiration,” meaning “God-breathed” in Greek, refers to God working through the 40 men who wrote the Bible (over 1500 years) to insure that what they wrote is without error.  Without taking away their individual personality and its contributions to their writing, God showed them what to include, what to omit, and made sure all was accurate.  God revealed some parts of the Bible, things man wouldn’t have known on their own (creation, Revelation, etc.).  Now God illuminates the Bible for us, showing us the truth of His Word as we read it. 

MULTIPLE AUTHOR THEORY  It isn’t uncommon today to hear someone say that Genesis is composed of material from 5 different writers or that two men wrote Isaiah.  That isn’t true.  It just undermines inspiration, and makes the books younger than they really were.  Thus prophecies in the books can be said to be written after the event.  This takes away from the greatness of the Bible.  Liberal scholars for years said Daniel had to have been written after the fantastic events described in it, for they could not have been prophesied.  The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has contradicted this.  It isn’t surprising that, despite the discovery in 1947, Daniel still hasn’t been released to the public!  Scientific study shows the books weren’t written by different authors. 

            Researchers in Israel, after subjecting the first five books of the Bible to exhaustive computer analysis, came to a different conclusion than expected. The Torah, or Books of Moses, had long been assumed by skeptics to be the work of multiple authors.  But Scripture scholar Moshe Katz and computer expert Menachem Wiener of the Israel Institute of Technology analyzed the book's material through sophisticated computer analysis. They discovered an intricate pattern of significant words concealed in the canon, spelled by letters separated at fixed intervals.  Mr. Katz says that the statistical possibilities of such patterns happening by chance would be one to three million.  The material suggests a single, inspired author -- in fact it could not have been put together by human capabilities at all.  Adds Mr. Wiener, "So we need a non- rational explanation.  And ours is that the (Torah) was written by God through the hand of Moses."

OLD TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS  Some are quick to point out that no Old Testament manuscripts from before the Massoretic text in AD 900 exist, and that leaves open the possibility of errors in transcribing the Bible from generation to generation.  The truth is, though, that the Jews were very careful in copying the Bible.  They would count each letter in each line, even in each column, total them up, and make sure every letter was exact.  If not the whole page would be burned.  Also, comparing the Massoretic text with translations in Latin, Greek, Syrian, etc., which have been passed down from generation to generation in their own countries and languages, and which have not been influenced by other translations, show that they all say the same thing.  This shows there haven’t been errors from when they were originally translated hundreds and hundreds of years earlier. 

            Archaeological discoveries are disproving those who question the Bible’s accuracy and supporting its inspiration. A recent archaeological report in the science magazine Discovery contained amazing findings about the Old Testament.  Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the oldest Hebrew manuscripts dated about AD 900.  The Dead Sea Scrolls, in startling agreement with the Masoretic text, dated to about 150 BC.  Whole or parts of almost every Old Testament book are present.  When these are compared to the Masoretic text over 1,000 years later, they are both the same!  Perhaps one word per large document differs, and these are small things like spelling changes (like ‘honor’ for ‘honour’).  None affect the meaning of the passages they are in. 

            There is also the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, made in Egypt in 200 BC.  It, too, agrees with the other translations and manuscripts.  Remember, these all were passed down over hundreds of years, in different parts of the world, without being compared to each other until recently.  Yet all say the same thing!

            Now archaeologists have discovered a pair of tiny silver scrolls that date back to about 600 BC!  While digging at the site of a 5th-century church in Jerusalem, researchers found a Roman legionnaires' cemetery. Exploring still deeper, they found a small burial cave containing the scrolls.  Very carefully, less than a hundredth of an inch at a time, the scrolls were unrolled.  On each of them appeared an excerpt from the book of Numbers that included the word Jehovah. These scrolls date back to the days before the exile to Babylon, earlier than liberal scholars said Pentateuch was written.

NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS  There are many more New Testament manuscripts than Old.  There are about 4,000 manuscripts of the New Testament available to use today.  The earliest ones date back to the time of contemporaries of Jesus (early 100’s).  Excellent manuscripts date from the 300’s.  (For more information abut this see # 14 in “18 Reasons From Outside The Bible Proving It Is God’s Word” later in this paper).  In addition, there are hundreds of Bible verses quoted by early writers, and these help support the other manuscripts.  As with the Old Testament, the New Testament was translated into many other languages (Syriac, Egyptian, Latin, etc.). They also were copied and passed on for hundreds of years without comparison to others, and when recently compared all support each other. There are minor changes (spelling, punctuation, etc.) but nothing that affects any doctrine.

THE CANON  The term ‘canon’ is given to the collection of 66 books in our Bible.  How do we know the right books were included?  Could some uninspired books have been included and/or some inspired ones left out?  Again, if it is possible and necessary for God to reach out to man and let His will be known, that it is also possible and necessary that He could make sure the right books are included, and that they come down accurately to us today. 

            The New Testament canon developed over many years and much prayer.  In various locations many godly men found certain books to be helpful and used of God above other books.  Gradually the same group was used in many places and in a series of meetings and councils, after much prayer and seeking God’s leading, it was affirmed that the 27 books we have today were the ones God wanted in the New Testament.  By comparing them to the books not included one can easily see a big difference in literary style, spiritual value and historical accuracy.

CHAPTERS AND VERSES  When originally written, the Bible didn’t have chapters or verses.  Chapters were formed by Stephen Langton in 1228 and verses by Robert Stephanus in 1551.  These were added to make it easier to find and identify places in the Bible.  Because they were added by men, they aren’t always 100% accurate in where they are placed. 

ERRORS AND CONTRADICTIONS  Some say the Bible has contradictions.  It is way beyond the scope of this article to consider each one, but there are well-written books available that consider each seeming contradiction and clearly explain how these passages do not contradict.  .

18 REASONS FROM OUTSIDE THE BIBLE PROVING IT IS GOD'S WORD  Anyone can write a book and claim that it is from God.  Thus to really pin down the authority of the Bible we need to look at supporting evidence from outside the Bible.  These are given below:

            1. The Bible is theocentric (God-centered), not anthropocentric (man-centered).  If man wrote the Bible, he would be the leading character.  In the Bible God is sovereign and absolute authority (I Chronicles 29:11; Isaiah 43:7).  Man's highest good is submission to His will.  The purpose of all we do is for His glory (Revelation 4:11).  All other 'holy' books focus on man and build up man, not God.

            2. The Bible is monothiestic (one God), not polythiestic (more than one god).  'Scholars' say that man started with many gods and eventually evolved to having just one.  The Bible, at the beginning of man, says there was just one.  If man were writing the Bible he would have one God evolve out of many.  Even the fact that the Jews were worshipping the golden calf and other gods at the time the first commandment was written (which say God was the only god, Exodus 20:1-6) show that even they believed there was more than one God. 

            3. The fact of the Trinity helps prove man didn't write the Bible.  Would natural man write about something that he could not understand, something with no parallel or analogy in nature?  No finite mind has ever comprehended how 3 separate persons could form one essence/substance.  If man wrote the Bible he would NOT write about a Triune God.

            4. If man wrote the Bible, would he say that the world was created from nothing (Hebrews 11:3)?  Nothing is a state man has never known.  He would come up with some rational explanation, as evolutionists try to do today.

            5. If man wrote the Bible would he say his basic nature is evil and sinful (Romans 3:23)?  Would man say there was nothing he could do but accept God's cure for sin (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Every religion man has developed or 'holy' book man has written has something man must do to earn/deserve removal of sin, but not the Bible.

            6. The extent of revelation in the Bible shows it is beyond what man could or would write.  How could man write of things beyond his own senses and experiences?  Yet the Bible speaks authoritatively about heaven, hell and eternity without hesitation (I Corinthians 2:9-12; II Corinthians 5:8; Luke 16:19; Revelation 19:20-21).

            7. If man wrote the Bible, its ethics would be based on individual, relative decisions (Judges 17:6) rather than absolutes.  Because man is a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) by nature his ethics would be corrupt (as they are today apart from the Bible) and would end in chaos.  One example:  the Bible tells us to use things (I Cor. 7:31) and love people (Rom. 12:10).  Man's ethics are the opposite.

            8. It is humanly impossible for 44 authors over a period of 1500 years unknown to each other and from vastly different backgrounds and cultures to arrive at 66 books so internally systematic and consistent as the Bible.  It would be like 44 men each tossing a stone on a pile over 1500 years and the finished product being a modern hospital.  There must have been one Author behind it all.

            9. The fantastic number of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible show that it is no book authored by mere man.  Experts in probability give these statistics concerning the following prophecies:

            7 prophecies against Tyre in Ezekiel 26:3-4,7-8,12,14,21 coming true: 1 in 7.5 x 10⁷

            5 prophecies against Samaria in Hosea 13:16 & Micah 1:6 come true: 1 in 4 x 10⁴

            5 prophecies against Gaza & Ashkelon in Amos 1:8, Jer 47:5, Zeph 2:4-7: 1 in 1.2 x 10⁴

            3 prophecies against Moab & Ammon in Ezek 25:3-4, Jer 48:47; 49:6: 1 in 10³

            9 prophecies against Edom in Isa 34:6-15, Jer 49:17-18; Ezek 25:13-14; 35:5-7: 1 in 10⁴

            8 prophecies against Babylon in Isa 13:19-22; 14:23; Jer 51:26,43: 1 in 5 x 10⁹

            9 prophecies about Jerusalem in Jeremiah 31:38-40:  1 in 8 x 10¹⁰

            7 prophecies about Palestine in Lev 26:31-33; Ezek 36:33-35: 1 in 2 x 10⁵

            9 prophecies about Petra & Edom in Isa 34:6-18; Ezek 25:13-14; 35:5-7:1 in 2 x 10⁵

            4 prophecies about Thebes & Memphis in Ezek 30:13-15: 1 in 10³

            4 prophecies about Nineveh in Nahum 1:8,10; 2:6; 3:10,13,19: 1 in 10²

The probability of these 11 prophecies coming true is 1 in 5.76 x 10⁵⁹!  This is almost impossible to visualize.  Suppose this number were silver dollars.  There would be enough to fill 10²⁸ suns!  Or think of it like this.  In the universe there are about 2 trillion galaxies, each containing about 100 million stars.  From our 5 x 10⁵⁹ we could make all of the stars in all of the galaxies 2 x 10⁵  times!  Only one silver dollar in all of these stands for the chance a writer could have guessed all these prophecies correctly!  Even more astounding is the fact that these are only 11 prophecies.  There are literally hundreds and hundreds of others which have already come true.  (For more information about this see "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" by Josh McDowell).

            10. The exceptional literary value of the Bible cannot be attributed to the natural ability of human writers.  How could such unlearned men write such a surpassing piece of literary genius beyond their own ability?  The Bible far exceeds the intellectual and moral qualifications of other books being written in its time such as the Talmud (Jewish), Apocrypha (Christian) and Koran (Islamic).  The living quality of the words, reaching to all ages and social positions of people for century after century show its uniqueness.  The Bible is deep enough for the most gifted scholar to spend a lifetime in one small part of it and never get out all there is, but also simple enough for a young child to read and understand.  One of the greatest truths expressed is just 7 monosyllables, each 3 letters or less: "You in me and I in you" (John 14:20).  The Bible stories are never hurried or cramped, neither are they drawn out and boring.  The Bible does not gloss over the sins of its heroes, neither does it overemphasize them.  The values and opinions of the writers are not the focus, just their.

            11. Another proof for the Bible not being written by man is its enduring freshness.  Voltaire said 150 years ago: "Within 100 years the Bible will be obsolete."  It has not happened, in fact his home now houses a Bible society!  The Bible never grows old.  No other book in the world not only invites but sustains a ceaseless re-reading.  Other books come and go, but the Bible has remained for thousands of years.  It remains a fresh, up-to-date book, not an old book.

            12. If man wrote the Bible would he say to further spiritual ends by love & reliance on divine power or by political force?  The Inquisition and Crusades in Christianity as well as the history of Islam, Shintoism, Nazism, etc., all show man used political force to spread their beliefs.  The Bible commands to do it in a way that is not natural for man, the opposite way.

            13. No human scientist has been able to avoid being obsolete in a later time.  Science is always changing but the Bible is scientifically infallible in all ages.  The Bible spoke accurately of scientific truth thousands of years before man 'discovered' them, while the very writers often believed the opposite of what they were writing.  For example, the Bible says the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) yet until recent times doctors bled people to cure them.  The Bible says the physical world is basically non-physical in its ultimate essence (Hebrews 11:3; Colossians 1:16-17), something no human writer could or would have guessed at.  The Bible has always said the earth was round (Isaiah 40:22), rotates (Job 38:12,14), has gravity (Job 26:7), and the whole solar system orbits in the universe (Psalm 19:16).  Man believed the moon was greater than the earth for many centuries but the Bible says opposite (Genesis 1:16).  Even atomic energy and its results is found in II Peter 3:10-12 (the Greek word means to "loose" or "set free" as what happens when atoms are released).  The laws of thermodynamics are there, too:  #1 (Genesis 2:1-2; Hebrews 4:3,10) and # 2 (Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews 1:10-12; Romans 8:20-22).  There are hundreds of other examples, too.

            14. The number and accuracy of the ancient manuscripts of the Bible that have come down to us today show God's work in giving and keeping the Bible for us.  Of Caesar's "Gallic Wars" we have only 9 manuscripts, the oldest 900 years after the original.  Of the "History of Thucydides" and "History of Herodotus" we have only 8 manuscripts each, from 1300 years after they happened.  Yet of the Old Testament we have 1,700 manuscripts, the oldest 100 years after the original.  The variation percentage between them is one minor difference every 2,000 words!  Evidence for the New Testament is even greater: 13,000 manuscripts with the oldest portion 10 years after the original  and the variation percentage being only one minor difference every 200,000 words!  Manuscripts have come down in many different languages and large portions come to us quoted in the works of hundreds of authors.  The recent discover of the Dead Sea Scrolls pushed back the date of the earliest Old Testament manuscripts 1,000 years, yet there was no difference between them later manuscripts.

            15. The study of archaeology continues to prove there are no historical inaccuracies in the Bible.  William F. Albright, one of the greatest archaeologists ever, said, "The Bible's incredible historical memory has been many times validated by the process of discovery.  No archaeological discovery has contradicted a Biblical reference."  For many years scholars thought the Bible in error about the Hittites for no trace of that vast and great civilization had ever been found.  In recent years, though, much has been found about them, again validating the truth of the Bible.

            16. The preservation and regathering of the nation Israel after 2,000 years is proof of the greatness of the Bible.  It has never happened, nor was it ever thought possible to happen, for a group of people to survive 2,000 without a homeland yet stay a separate cultural unity.  That has happened with the Jews.  Where are the Ammonites?  Philistines? Hittites?  Not only that, but the Jews are now back in their homeland, truly a sociological miracle!

            17. The inner testimony of the Holy Spirit inside His people gives us assurance that the Bible is true.  He gives us peace and assurance within that the Bible indeed is God's book. 

            18. The life and resurrection of Jesus also give validity to the Bible.  If everything about Him, His deity and His resurrection is true, then the Bible is true.  If it is not true the Bible cannot be from God.  This will be considered in the next article about the deity of Jesus. 

BIBLE: A MIRACLE BOOK     

    1.  It is miraculous in its origin -- coming to us by divine inspiration.

   2.  It is miraculous in its durability -- outlasting the opposition of its critics and surviving the attempts of its enemies to exterminate it.

   3.  It is miraculous in its results -- transforming the lives of those who read and believe it.