|
     
 |
“Spiritual Warfare”
Most all professing Christians believe
in a literal devil and demons that war against us, with the exception
of a few. But the bible does teach that we will battle in this life
against demonic forces. But because we live in a physical world, our
focus is mostly on the physical things around us rather than the spiritual.
Because of this ignorance, many Christians have been oppressed by demonic
forces, ripped off of spiritual blessings and power, or confused about
their walk as a Christian. It is only when we understand the war we
will have to fight, and that we do not have a choice if we want to serve
God, that we will remain disciplined enough in our lives to
receive spiritual power. I want to cover a few different things in this
chapter that many Christians know, but also too many other Christians
are ignorant of: The reality of demon spirits and their activity around
us or in people; the strategy of the devil and his demons; and the power
we have as Christians over these evil spirits. The Reality of demons
Whenever we talk about the devil or demons
many people will automatically think of a few movies they have seen
over the years. Although The Fall of Satan
Ezekiel 28:11-19 “Moreover
the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation
upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy
covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond,
the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and
the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets
and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast
created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;
and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the
holy Isaiah 14:12-15
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the
nations! For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides
of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will
be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought
down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
Although these scriptures do describe what
had happened to Satan, there is debate amongst bible scholars of who
this scripture is speaking of. Many bible reference books will say that
this is talking about King Nebuchadnezzar, who was the King of Babylon
in the Old Testament. Others will say that it is referring to an Ancient
Canaanite myth. But in this scripture, which is the only place in the
bible where the name Lucifer is used, the name Lucifer is referring
to coming king of the new The name Lucifer is used only the one time in the bible, in this scripture. But the name Satan is used 55 times throughout the bible, and “the devil” is used 43 times in the New Testament only. The name Satan is always mispronounced by most all people. The name and definition of this name is given by Vines as follows; Satan (saw-tawn'); an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good: KJV - adversary, Satan, withstand. Although it may not be of the greatest importance what we call him or how we pronounce his name, it is important that we know that he does exist and has a purpose in this world. We not only need to know that we have an adversary that is out to destroy us, but also need to know how to defeat him. Any army that ever goes to war understands the importance of learning all about the enemy. If they learn their enemies strategies then they have much better chances of defending themselves and defeating them. So because we are in a spiritual warfare and Satan has many strategies to pull down God’s people and destroy them, it is of great importance that we learn about this enemy and his strategies against us. Revelation 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” In this scripture we
can see that the enemy is called the great dragon, Satan, the devil,
and that old serpent. We see here the working of the enemy with mankind
from the beginning of creation until the last days of this earth. He
was there in the garden to deceive Eve and caused Adam to fall into
sin also as that old Serpent. Throughout time and the scriptures he
is known as Satan or the Devil. And then in the last days during the
tribulation period he is called the great dragon. He is also called
names such as Beelzebub. Luke Revelation 9:11 “And they had a king
over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the
Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek
tongue hath his name Apollyon.” As Satan has the purpose
to destroy mankind upon the earth, he has many strategies to accomplish
his goals. Paul called him an Angel of light, because he has deceived
many people to believe a lie through many false religions, false doctrines,
while having the appearance of righteousness, yet being full of evil.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel
of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed
as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their
works.” Because Satan is out to deceive and destroy all those who belong to Jesus, the Apostles warn us in the following scriptures of his goal to destroy us. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour:” John Satan’s whole purpose is to
find someone who has been delivered once already and to get them back
into the bondage of sin again. Once he finds that person he was seeking
for he will steal every ounce of joy, peace, spiritual strength and
anything else he can from that person. The person he is looking for
are those who may be weak in faith with little spiritual strength, whether
they are new converts or Christians that do not pray, read the Word,
go to Church, fellowship with other Christians, etc. If he can steal
all the blessings of God, mainly because these people have laid them
down and turned away, then he will kill them, spiritually. And if he
can keep them in a state of Spiritual death, then he will eventually
be able to devour or destroy them in hell. But as Christians we should
be determined to not allow such a thing to happen. God promises to keep
us and give us all that we need to fight the devil if we will seek him.
So it is therefore of the greatest importance that we know and understand
what is available to us as Christians to fight the enemy of our souls. The Spiritual FightEphesians 6:11-13
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate
of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Whenever people have a hardship,
trial, temptation, etc. in their lives, many will refer to the devil
as the one behind it all. Although it may very well be true that our
enemy is involved, we should also realize that Satan cannot be at more
than one place at a time, as God can. But Satan has the help of many
other fallen Angels much like himself and demon spirits that may torment,
tempt, afflict, or even possess different people. In the scripture just
mentioned we can see that Satan has an Army of many evil spirits to
help him in his goal. In the Chapter called “Balances and Extremes”,
under the doctrine of Creation, I had discussed what is known as the
“Gap theory”. This theory teaches the belief that there was life on
earth before Adam and Eve, which caused a first flood of God’s judgment
upon the earth. This is believed to have taken place between verse one
and two of Genesis 1. But this theory makes a lot of sense when explaining
the artifacts and many other discoveries by scientist’s that appear
to be older than 6000 years at the creation of man. If this theory is
true then it would give a good balance to combat the evolution theory,
without taken away from the fact of creation, and also could explain
the existence of demon spirits today. The gap theory teaches that these
creatures that lived on earth before the creation of mankind were judged
by God with a flood upon the earth, and left without bodies. After their
disembodiment, these creatures later became the followers of Satan and
his angels, joining the army of evil. Since they had been rejected by
God in judgment, they followed evil, being evil themselves already.
This is why the Apostle spoke of principalities, powers, rulers of darkness,
and spiritual wickedness in high places. The Greek word for principalities
is arche (ar-khay'); (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely)
chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank): This is showing the rank of
a fallen Arch-angel as Chief over demon spirits, as one who left their
first estate and fell from their place with God. The Greek word for
“high” places is epouranios (ep-oo-ran'-ee-os); above the sky: KJV - celestial, (in) heaven
(-ly), high. This shows that these fallen
angels rule from the heavenlies, going from
earth where they direct the demons to deceive men, to heavenly places
toward heaven where they may fight with Gods Angels. Our prayers may
give strength to Gods Angels to defeat Satan’s angels. 2 Corinthians
10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strong holds;” Satan also rules from
these heavenly places. When Satan went before God in the book of Job
the bible says tha God asked Satan in Job
1:7-8 “And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"
So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth,
and from walking back and forth on it." Satan spent time on
earth, but also spent time in heaven. Things have not changed since
that time, but they will soon. Satan still goes before the throne of
God to accuse God’s people. But the bible says that the devil and his
Angels will soon be cast to the earth and no longer allowed in the heavenlies. Revelation
12:9-10 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying
in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is
cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” The Greek word for powers
is exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah); (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively)
force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely,
magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence: KJV - authority, jurisdiction,
liberty, power, right, strength. These are the demon spirits,
the disembodied spirits, who Satan and the fallen angels have delegated
authority to, in order to destroy mankind. They have the ability to
possess the human body of whoever would open themselves to their wicked
influences. Satan has an organized army with many strategies so that
he can be most effective. These demons and angels are also called the
rulers of darkness of this world. They work together as an army to accomplish
their goal to deceive mankind, ruling the world of darkness and evil. Paul had instructed
all Christians everywhere to put on the whole armor of God so that we
could stand up against the enemy and fight. Just as Satan has a plan
and a strategy to destroy, God has a plan and a strategy to save, deliver,
and heal. But his plan involves the believer’s willingness to follow
him, put on the armor, and go forth in the power of his name with his
angels at our side. The Apostle Paul describes what the armor is. 1.
Having your loins girt about
with truth. 2.
And having on the breastplate
of righteousness; 3.
And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace; 4.
Above all, taking the shield
of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. 5.
And take the helmet of salvation. 6.
And the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God: 7.
Praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” Demon
Possession and Oppression There
are no doubt many people in the world today who are possessed
with evil spirits. Jesus and the Apostles had cast out many demons from
people during their ministries. I have seen many demon possessed people
over the years, many demons cast out in the name of Jesus, and have
prayed for many people to be delivered from their control in their lives.
Any person who is willing
to turn their life over to Jesus and make Him Lord of their life can
find deliverance from these demonic forces. Although most Christians
today understand the possibility of sinners being possessed with a demon
spirit, many will not accept the possibility of a Christian having a
demon. I can understand why they believe this cannot be possible, because
how can a person have the Spirit of God in them and have a demon in
them at the same time? In the mind of most Christians this is not possible
at all, because of the belief that the Spirit of God will not dwell
in the same place as a sinful, corrupt, and unclean spirit. How can
Christ own us and a demon have ownership of at the same time? This is
a very good and important question and should be carefully considered
and examined. The way some preachers
have described demonic control in the lives of Christians is what is
referred to as being “demonized”. This is the idea that a Christian
does not actually have a demon inside them, but instead the demon is
on their back and controls them through oppressions and influences from
outside the body. Although this may be a good example of what happens
to some Christians, I think that others have something happening that
is a bit deeper than oppression or a demon on their back. The
bible says that there are times when the Angels of God go before God
to present themselves, and Satan also will go before God. In Job 1:7
& 2:2 Satan went before God to accuse Job. The bible calls Satan
“The Accuser of the brethren”. Satan also will accuse the saints of
God as he goes before God today. Many people have even been taught or
assumed that Satan and his Angel’s dwell in hell or are bound to the
earth. But they still have the ability to go up to heaven at times,
even into the very presence of God. The bible says in Revelation 12:9&10 that they will be cast out of
heaven, to the earth. They will no longer be able to go into the presence
of God. People will say that God will not be inside the same person
who has a demon spirit. But yet Satan and his Angel’s, the representatives
of all evil on earth go into God’s presence in heaven. I have known
many good Christian people who found that their oppression was due to
a demon spirit in them that needed cast out. This demon did not control
their whole life, but did have a particular area of their life they
controlled. We are sinful creatures,
but yet God’s Spirit still dwells within us. People have manifested demon spirits.
Seducing
spirits 1
Timothy 4:1-2
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed
to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy;
having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” These seducing or deceiving
spirits go around causing people to believe a lie through deception.
It is these demon spirits that will cause many to people to believe
in ghosts, UFO’s, Psychic readings, etc. The imaginations of men go
wild as demon spirits influence them or even appear before them as an
image of one of these or many other deceptions. The Greek word for “seducing”
is planos (plan'-os); roving (as a tramp), i.e. (by implication) an impostor
or misleader. These demon spirits roam about the earth as impostors,
misleading many to believe lies. The definition for “imposter” is; one
that assumes false identity or title for the purpose of deception. This
scripture in 1 Timothy says that people will believe these impostors,
and follow doctrines of devils. We can see these “doctrines of devils”
in many false religions, and very evident in the New Age movement. Many
people have even given themselves to false religions or even the occult
or some other strange spiritual movement. Because they have proof that
that what they are part of is real, they follow after it. It is without
a doubt real! But many do not realize what kind of spirits they are
dealing with; as some will even put the name of Christ on whatever they
are a part of. But Christ is not involved at all! It is for this reason
that we are warned as Christians to test the spirits, to see whether
they are of God or not. 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world.” It is of the uttermost
importance that we as Christians understand what kind of warfare we
are involved in. Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy. He is walking
about as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour. And the fact is,
he is not alone. He has demonic forces behind him to help achieve his
goal. If we are in Christ we need not to fear. But if we put our guard
down, we may be susceptible to his devices. We must put on the whole
armor of God so that we will be able to withstand the evil one. No Christian
can hide anywhere but in Christ. He is our only hope. For this reason
we must build up our most holy faith, put on Christ, and fight the good
fight of faith. If we choose not to do so (which every Christian must
if they want to survive), then we will be devoured by the enemy. If
we will abide in Christ, put on the whole armor of God, and fight the
good fight, we will be victorious and cannot lose.
|
 OTHER IMPORTANT BIBLE STUDIES -Spiritual
Gifts |
