Our greatest need is to. have the revelation of the. Introduction

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3 Introduction We live in a world that s increasingly becoming more dangerous and more challenging on so many fronts. The Bible makes it clear that our enemy, Satan, is the dark force on the earth - both he and his demons. However, the Bible is our reality. It tells us the way things really are. Yes, there are demonic forces arrayed against humanity and especially the church of Jesus Christ, but we have a position through the Lord Jesus that puts us far above the work of the enemy. Our greatest need is to have the Our greatest need is to revelation of the Word in us, that we KNOW and act upon the reality of God s have the revelation of the Word regarding our position in Christ, Word in us which is total victory; as well as the complete subjugation of all demons under the foot of every believer. One of the key elements is not to focus too much on the devil, because we must stay focused on Jesus, but at the same time we cannot ignore the reality of our foe. Often in Jesus ministry, he had to come face to face with demonic powers and He addressed them in different ways. We must learn about our enemy. We must learn how to confront him and overcome him through the Holy Spirit s help and the power of the Word of God. As we enter this series, we do so to come to a new understanding of our place of victory through Christ, and to enforce the defeat of the enemy in our lives completely. We must come to realize there is an invisible war and that we ve been ordained by God to walk in dominion over the works of darkness. May the Holy Spirit give us insight and revelation as we study the Word and may we act upon it in faith and obedience, ensured of our strong position or complete authority and dominion over our enemy.

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5 CHAPTER ONE THE REAL WAR For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

6 CHAPTER 1 Introduction The Bible clearly sets the stage for where the struggle lies in our lives. It s not a natural struggle. It s not a climate struggle. It s not a political struggle. The struggle on this earth is ultimately a spiritual struggle. We live in two worlds. We live in a We live in two worlds natural world. And we live in a spiritual world. The spiritual world is the real, eternal world. The natural world is created by God who is a Spirit. The natural world is upheld by the power of God s Word. Everything we see touch and feel was made by Him. But this is natural. And this natural will one day be changed. It is temporary. The spiritual world is permanent. It s forever. It s eternal. All human beings are spiritual beings first. They all have souls and they all live in bodies. In this study over the next few weeks, we will see what scripture has to say about this war, and about our position in this war, and the total victory that Jesus has given us through His death, burial and resurrection. We will learn how to change our status from being dominated by the evil powers of this earth to walk in complete liberation and freedom. We will also discover that we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, and that all the forces of hell are beneath us. Even though this is true, the powers of hell have access to this earth, hold it in its sway, and impact our lives through our souls and bodies. We are free, but we must learn to exercise the authority given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ and learn to rule and reign in a world that is filled with the enemy s opposition. This study will give joy to you. It will bring freedom to you, because you must identify your true enemy and not beat the air as Paul described. No, we must understand the rules of engagement, the purpose of our enemy and the complete position of authority that we ve been given through Jesus Christ. Yes, this is the time to become spiritually aware and rise up and take our position as a conqueror and victor. 6 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

7 THE REAL WAR We are in a War Whether you like it or not, when your were born into this earth, you were born into a battlefield. Yes, there might be beautiful trees, a blue sky and a pleasant breeze but there s also a real war with real casualties. The devil has what s known as a doctrine of devils. The Bible talks about it. One of the devil s favorite doctrines is that he is not here. In our westernized minds, to talk about demons and hell is to be someone who is not very scientific nor very intellectual. But the Bible is the We must understand our foe final truth and has the real story. The real story is that you re in a real war. The real story is that you walk on a battlefield that Jesus Christ came and won for you already. Still, we must understand our foe The flesh is no match for these spiritual forces. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3, Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal or of the flesh but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. Paul was an educated and impressive man but he understood that when dealing with the enemy, his intelligence and education could not cut it. No matter how impressive your flesh is, there s no match for the spiritual enemy we face. The good news is that we ve been given spiritual weapons. He lists them out in Ephesians 6: We have all the weapons we need to defeat the enemy. But unless we know how to work them and exercise them, we can lose in the battlefield of life. We ve been told to put on the whole armor of God and stand. The devil s pressure is to get you to lie over, quit and play dead. We ve been given weapons by God s Holy Spirit to completely enforce the defeat of the enemy. But we must take a stand. It must be a stand on the Word. It must be a stand on revelation. It must be a stand of faith. Otherwise, the enemy will take advantage of us causing us to live far below the authority that s been given us through Jesus Christ. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 7

8 CHAPTER 1 Satan s Kingdom In the opening scripture at the beginning of this chapter, we see in the book of Ephesians that Paul talks about the different levels of the demonic realm. He also said in 2 Corinthians 12:2, I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago - whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body, I do not know, God knows - was caught up to the third heaven. The first heaven right above us is what s known as the atmospheric heaven. You go past the atmospheric heaven and we have space, the stars in the universe in their galactic orbits. This would be known as the second heaven. Beyond that is the third heaven - the heaven of all heavens - where God s throne resides. The wicked spirits above us are in the heavenlies. There are spiritual powers in the second heaven that control what goes on in this earth through men given over to Satan. In the book of Ezekiel 28, verses 1-10, the Bible talks about Tyre. The prince of Tyre was a man, but going further in the chapter in verses 11-19, we re introduced to the king of Tyre - the spiritual power of the dark power behind this natural Kingdom. Ezekiel 28:11, Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying Son of man take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering, The sardius, topaz and diamond, Beryl, onyx and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes were prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in all your ways until iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane 8 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

9 THE REAL WAR thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you o covering cherub from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and turned you to ashes upon the earth. In the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever. In this section of scripture, God is referring to Satan...Lucifer. When He said, You were in Eden, the garden of God, He was referring to the devil. This couldn t have been the prince of Tyre - the man - no this had to be the king of Tyre, who was not a man. So these two beings, the prince of Tyre (the man) and the king of Tyre (a spirit) gives us a clear idea of what the natural kingdom is on earth and how this natural kingdom is dominated and controlled by the spiritual kingdom (and of the same name). Therefore, everything on this earth, every human being not born again, is dominated, ruled or influenced by this unseen world. The Origin of Satan Where did these spirits come from originally? The origin of all devils and demons begins with Satan (or Lucifer). We read in verse 15, You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created. Lucifer was created by God. When God first created him, he was beautiful, perfect and submitted to God. But now, he is not the same created being he was back when God first made him. If you go to the book of Isaiah, chapter 14, there s another description SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 9

10 CHAPTER 1 of Satan. In verse 12 it says How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Satan wanted to exalt his throne above God. He wanted to ascend above the clouds and be like God. This gives us insight into the origin of Satan, and how he was lifted up in pride to even try to unseat God Himself and yet He was cast down to the ground. In the book of Revelation, chapter 12, we get another picture of what happened in Heaven. In verse 7 it says And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon (the devil); and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was there a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, the serpent of old called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. In the garden of Eden in Genesis 3, we see Satan coming as a serpent to tempt Eve. His goal was to gain access to God through man, so he deceived Eve through the power of suggestion. (He still uses the same tactics today.) He got Eve to believe that God was withholding from them. That God was not giving them everything that was really theirs, so she disobeyed God s command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, partook of it and then gave it to her husband. After this, they became spiritually dead, changed gods and changed kingdoms. That was the day Satan began to reign on the earth and reign over the human beings that God had created in His own image. The devil and demons are evil spirits They are fallen heavenly beings who have lost their status in heaven and are now on the earth seeking to rule men through their evil ways. Lucifer (the Devil) is a real being. The devil s not an influence, he s not an idea, he s not an abstract design. He s real. He has names and titles given to him. His names include the following: Lucifer which means 10 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

11 THE REAL WAR morning star (Isaiah 14:12), ruler of demons (Matthew 12:24), the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), the accuser (Matthew 4:1), the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), the dragon (Revelations 12:9), the adversary (Job 1), Beelzebub or lord of the flies (Matthew 12:24), the wicked one (Matthew 13:19), apollyon (angel of the abyss). Jesus dealt with the devil as a person (Matthew 4:1-11) and waged war against him as a person (Luke 13:6). What are demons? Demons are angels What are demons? fallen with Satan. These are unclean spirits and their name comes from the Latin word daemon meaning evil spirit. These demons are ageless and they do not die. They have been with the world since the beginning of time. These demons have personalities without bodies and they re highly organized. The highest levels are wicked spirits in heavenly places. This is followed by rulers of darkness. Rulers of darkness are the strongest spirits on the earth. This is followed by powers and finally principalities. They have order, rank, rules and lines of authority. These demons are therefore in power and have the ability to influence human beings. These demons have will power because they can oppose the saints, they have doctrines and they re full of lies. Their ruler is a liar and has no truth in him. The demons want to embody human beings. They want to indwell bodies because they need a body to find full expression in the physical world. If they can t take a human then they ll take an animal. All human beings who are not born again are subjected to the control of the devil. It says this so plainly in Ephesians 2:2 You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Therefore, human beings if they are not born again of the Holy Spirit, are controlled and influenced in some way by the demonic realm. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 11

12 CHAPTER 1 These demons not only seek to embody men but they also want to attack some people physically. They can attack your body and make it sick. In Acts 10:38 we are told that Peter spoke to Cornelius in his household about Jesus who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, but God was with him. Peter called sickness and disease a satanic oppression. The word of God tells us that when Jesus was dealing with a blind person, He was dealing with a blind spirit (Matthew 12:22). The spirit caused the man to be blind. The word of God also speaks of a deaf spirit. This means that the spirit who s present must be dealt with before the oppressed person can hear. Satan comes to indirectly or directly bring trouble to the human race. Even if you re born again and your spirit s made brand new, the devil can still attack your emotions, your mind and your physical body. He seeks to control your actions and bring hell into your life. Our Triumph The good news is that Jesus had complete dominion over Satan while He was on earth because He was a man without sin. Therefore Satan had no control or mastery over Him. But when Jesus went to the cross on our behalf, died and carried the sins of mankind with Him to hell, paid the price for sin and rose again from the dead; He forever defeated hell, Satan and demons. The scripture says in 1 Peter 3:22 (Jesus) has gone into Heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. It also says in Ephesians 1:20-21 that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God in heavenly places FAR ABOVE all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come. If it stopped there it would be great; but it goes on in verse 22 which makes it even more tremendous. He put all things under His feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church. This means that we, as the body of Christ, are seated with Him. We died with Him. But, we also rose with Him. We are made to sit together with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6) Therefore we 12 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

13 THE REAL WAR have authority, power, and dominion over every single demon and devil that hell belches out. We can operate in total freedom from his power. We don t have to live oppressed, depressed, in fear, intimidated, sick, broke down, disgusted and sad. We can live victoriously, as conquerors, with the power of the Holy Spirit ruling and We can follow the plan of God for our lives guiding our lives, with the Word of God being a light to our path and strength to our spirits. Our minds can be renewed and we can follow the plan of God for our lives and walk in the victory Jesus has given us. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 13

14 CHAPTER ONE Let s Discuss It! 1. Why is it so easy for us to only give attention to the natural world we live in? 2. Many Christians do not believe that we are in a war. They just take whatever is thrown at them as the natural course of life. From the scriptures quoted in this chapter, discuss why this is not the way to view our lives. 3. Using Ezekiel 28, and the description of the prince and the king of Tyre, discuss how this revelation fits into the leaders and nations of our present day. 4. How does our position in Christ affect the way you look at your current circumstances?

15 CHAPTER TWO OUR TOTAL DOMINION OVER THE ENEMY and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, power, might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:19-23

16 CHAPTER TWO Introduction We must approach the subject of spiritual warfare based upon the word of God and not upon human reasoning or church traditions. It must be firmly placed in our minds of the authority we ve been given through the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in this chapter of Ephesians that we need to know the tremendous power that s been given to us through Jesus when He was raised from the dead. Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. Jesus is far above (note the words far above ) all, not some, but all principality, all power, all might and all dominion, and every name that s named not only in this age but also in the one which is to come. He has put ALL things under His feet. Then the Bible goes on to say in Ephesians 2:6 that we ve been raised up together with Jesus, and He s made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is either true or it s just theory. The Bible is true. Jesus defeated the enemy. 1 John 3:8 says that for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. The work of God through Jesus was the destruction of the enemy s power. When Jesus rose again, it states in Revelation 1:18 I am He who lives and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Then He went on to say in Matthew 28:18 before His ascension to Heaven, that All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth. All authority has All authority has been given to been given to Him in Heaven and on Him in Heaven and on earth! earth! If He has been given all power, then there s none left to give away. He has it all. The place from which we must approach the demonic world and deliverance from demonic powers MUST BE one of complete triumph, complete victory and complete subjugation of the devil under our feet. Jesus made in plain in Luke 10:19 that He gives us power to walk on serpents and scorpions and over ALL the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt us. 16 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

17 OUR TOTAL DOMINION OVER THE ENEMY Therefore the fight is not a fight in the physical, or a wrestling in the natural or even in any kind of wrestling; but it s truly a fight of faith. It is a fight to stay in the Word, walk with the Word and agree with the Word and act on it. It truly is, as Paul said, a fight of faith. He says fight the good fight of faith and lay hold of eternal life. That s what we endeavor to do in these lessons is to get a new revelation of what we have through Christ and how we have total dominion over the works of darkness. Our Mighty Weapons Paul tells us to put on the armor of God. God s armor is powerful. God has no problem with the devil and never did. When the devil rose up in rebellion, God threw him out. Jesus didn t come to the Earth to defeat the devil, because he was already defeated. But Jesus stripped Himself of all His heavenly powers, became a man and walked this earth as one. As a man, He was unique in the fact that He was never born with sin in Him. He was sinless. Spotless. One hundred percent pure. One hundred percent holy. Righteous. Therefore Satan has no hold on Him. Jesus said of the devil in John 14:30 the ruler of this world (the devil) is coming and he has no claim on Me. Meaning that the devil has no place to get access to Jesus life because Jesus was pure, and so therefore, untouchable. These weapons are powerful. In 2 Corinthians 10:4, Paul says the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly or carnal but are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. He says they re for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. We don t have weak, fleshly weapons. We have powerful spiritual weapons. When Jesus went to hell, He whipped the devil. Colossians 2:15 says He spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it (through the cross). When Jesus went to Hell, He whipped the Devil SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 17

18 CHAPTER TWO We battle against principalities and powers that Jesus has ALREADY DEFEATED in His death, burial and resurrection. He went on to say in Luke 10:20 that we re not to rejoice over our authority over the devil, but we are to rejoice in our relationship with God and the fact that our names are written in the Book of Life in Heaven. Let s focus not on the battle with our defeated enemy, but in our relationship with a mighty, living God! The Powers of Hell are Broken The fact that we are in Christ and raised up with Him in heavenly places must burn into our spirit man in a big way. It s a mighty power that we have. When Jesus rose again from the dead, He basically broke the chains of hell off the human race. Jesus purchased for us redemption. What does redemption mean? When man fell in the Garden of Eden, he became a slave of Satan. All human beings are slaves of Satan until they re born again. Satan fills their nature with violence and destruction. When Jesus was born into this earth two thousand years ago, the whole world was under the devil s captivity. Paul says Therefore just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, so death spread to all men, for all have sinned. (Romans 5:12) Paul goes on to say that we are sold under sin Romans 7:14. The word sold is from the Greek word piprasko which literally means the transfer of property. Therefore, he s telling us that mankind had been transferred from the hands of God into a new owner - Satan. Just as slaves in the slave market were sold and abused, the devil slapped our lives around, hit us, kicked us, spat upon us and abused us. He damaged our self image, killed our bodies with various sins, vices and diseases, and marred us emotionally. When one cycle of bondage or death was finished, we were placed on a trading block to be auctioned off again. Soon another form of bondage or destruction took us over. The devil plans a hellish life for every human being. The Bible says in Romans 6:17 and 20, that we were slaves of sin. 18 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

19 OUR TOTAL DOMINION OVER THE ENEMY Slave is taken from the word doulous which means one whose will is completely swallowed up into the will of another. This means that prior to our salvation experience, we were swallowed up in the will of Satan. Though we intelligently thought we were in charge of our lives and though we thought we were calling the shots, in reality, we were abject slaves to sin; and our destinies were being temporarily masked by the unseen, diabolical spirit who wanted to destroy us. Because of our partnership with Satan, rebellion against God ran deep in our blood and became ingrained in our human disposition. Therefore we became alienated and enemies in our minds by wicked works against God. (Colossians 1:21) The pervading demonic presence was so absolute and supreme that Paul writes in Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. According to the course of this world means a dominating, forceful, subjugation to this world. We re not just influenced by the course of this world but we are dominated, manipulated and controlled by it. Dominated by the popular thinking of our day which is created by the prince of the power of the air. He s a master manipulator. This is the one that s calling the shots. The scripture tells us three things about Satan: 1. He is a prince. 2. He has genuine authority. 3. His power is based in the lower regions of the air. Demonically Energized As we read before, Paul told us that Satan is the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).This is amazing! Before we had our life in Christ, we were demonically energized by the power of Satan himself. This is what the scripture says. The spirit that now works. The word works is from the word nergeo and it denotes that which is operative or energizing. Before our salvation, we were SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 19

20 CHAPTER TWO energized by demon spirits. Our Redemption 1 Corinthians 6:20 says that you and I are bought with a price. That word bought is the word agoridzo. This word has to do with redemption. 1 Corinthians 7:23 says that you were bought with a price, do not become slaves of men. Meaning that Jesus paid the price which delivers us from bondage and slavery to Satan, so don t go around making yourselves slaves to people. Another word for redemption in the New Testament is the Greek word lutroo. The word lutroo means to set captives free by payment of ransom. In order to secure the slave of your choice, a very high price had to be paid. If you truly desired a certain slave, then the seller could demand a high ransom. What was the ransom that Jesus paid in order to procure our freedom from Satan s ownership?...his own blood! Ephesians 1:7 - In whom we have In whom we have redemption redemption through His blood. through His blood Colossians 1:20 - Having made peace through the blood of His cross. Hebrews 9:12 - But by His own blood He entered once fall all into the holy place that He could obtain eternal redemption for us. 1 Peter 1:18 and 19 - For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with perishable things such as gold and silver...but by the precious blood of Jesus. It was the shedding of Jesus own blood that guaranteed our deliverance and lasting freedom from demonic powers which held us captive. The word lutroo unmistakably means that Jesus paid the ransom that set you and I free! He bought us with His own blood. Restored to Full Status as Children of God Another Greek word for redemption is the word apolutrosis. It means pay the ransom in order to return us to the condition we were before 20 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

21 OUR TOTAL DOMINION OVER THE ENEMY our captivity began. Hallelujah! This means that Jesus paid the price to permanently set us free and restore us to the full status of sons. He says this in Ephesians 1:7, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. In this word, apolutrosis, Paul said that we re forever delivered from Satan s power. We were removed from that dreadful place of slavery and have been fully restored by the blood of Christ and placed back into the right state of being with God. We re fully restored. We re completely set free from Satan s grip over us. That s why Galatians 4:7 says Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Romans 8:17 proclaims that we are so entirely restored through the blood of Christ that now we ve even become joint heirs with Jesus Christ Himself! Translated out of Satan s Kingdom God s Word regarding redemption means everything to us when it comes to spiritual warfare. It tells us that the real purpose of spiritual warfare is not to fight for freedom from Satan s control over us, because this has already been completed by Jesus Christ at His death on the cross and His resurrection. By His resurrection, we are already free. Ephesians 2:6 states that we are not under Satan s power but rather above it. Because God has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. In Colossians 1:13, it says that we are delivered from the power of darkness and have been transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love. We are seated in heavenly places. We are far above all principalities. We are far above all powers. We are far above all might. We are far above all dominion and we are far above every name that s named not only in this world but in that which is to come. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 21

22 CHAPTER TWO Satan has absolutely no legal right to control us Therefore, Satan has absolutely no legal right to control us or control our minds, bodies, families, business or money. We once belonged to him (Ephesians 2:2) but we are no longer his. The Mind is the Strategic Center for Spiritual Warfare So why do we still have to wrestle and fight against demonic forces? Because the enemy attacks us in our minds, and therefore through our emotions, and then even into our bodies. The strategic center for spiritual warfare is your mind. By nature, the condition of our minds are hostile towards God. Our minds are bent on destruction. The Bible says in Romans 8:7 that a carnal mind is enmity against God ; meaning the natural mind. Colossians 1:21 says that prior to our salvation, we were enemies in our minds doing evil deeds. Ephesians 4:17-18 says unbelievers walk in the vanity of their minds, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that the enemy of this world has blinded the minds of them which believed not. Before we were born again, we were bent on self annihilation. We had strongholds in our natural thinking. Therefore, Paul says in Ephesians 2:3, we were fulfilling the desires of our flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath. Our spirits have been reborn when we received Christ. Yet, we must seek to renew our minds, wills and emotions with the truth of God s word; and if not, the illusion of bondage will continue to dominate our lives. It s usually through the unrenewed areas of thinking that the devil continues to exert his foul influence upon us. He knows if your mind is not renewed to the truth, he can wage war successfully against you. That s why the Bible says it s so critical that we be renewed by the transforming of our minds. (Romans 12:2) Ephesians 4:23 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Ephesians 4:24 Put on the new man. And 22 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

23 OUR TOTAL DOMINION OVER THE ENEMY Colossians 3:10, Put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. 1 Peter 1:13-14 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind. Beware. If you allow wrong thinking and wrong believing to continue in your life, you ll impair your ability to enjoy redemption. Gird up the loins of your mind means that you ve got to tighten up all your thoughts that are hanging loose (like a runner), and tighten up those areas so the devil can t grab them and pull you down. Therefore, true success in spiritual warfare is not a momentary thing. It s a lifetime commitment. We must have a lifetime of committing ourselves to meditating on the Word of God until it gets deep in our heart and soul and renews our mind; and begin to live a holy life unto God Day to day, walking it out seeking to conform to the image of Christ. This is day to day, walking it out and growing in this area. Real spiritual warfare requires a life of commitment to purity and consecration. Be Strong in the Lord Therefore the Bible tells us to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might Ephesians 6:10. We need to stand so that we can withstand the wiles of the devil in the evil day. Ephesians 6:13. The evil day is when Satan comes to test us, try us and tempt us, causing us to fall down in doubt, unbelief and fear. But you can stand strong in the Lord because you ve got spiritual armor to put on. You can have a knowledge of who you are in Him and walk over the demonic powers. A believer s battle stance is to stand. Having done all to stand. We don t fall, but we stand. How do we stand? We stand resting on the promises of God. We stand against You can stand strong in the Lord the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11. We stand having our loins girded about with truth. We stand against the enemy based on our faith in SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 23

24 CHAPTER TWO God s Word. 1 Corinthians 16:30 says Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. To stand means to be stationary, to persevere. To stand fast means to be firmly fixed, stable and unyielded. Your position against the devil is to stand firmly fixed and stable on the fixed promises of God s Word for your life. You are standing in a position of complete victory over him and God would ask you, through His Word to take your place of full dominion. Let s Discuss It! 1. We were once a slave to sin. Using this comparison, a slave to sin, describe what that means in the life of the average person. 2. When you were born again, did you experience a lifting or freedom from the darkness in your life? Please describe. 3. Why do we sometimes still experience that slave feeling, or feeling you do not have control over your life, even though you are free? 4. Discuss 1 Corinthians 16:30 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave,be strong. Share with one another practical ways that you accomplish these in your life.

25 CHAPTER THREE FLESH OR DEMONS? For the flesh lusts against Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:17, 19-21

26 CHAPTER THREE Introduction Flesh or demons? Flesh or demons? Am I facing the work of the flesh or the work of demons? The devil is behind either directly or indirectly everything that s evil in this world. To illustrate... Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. This describes the time of a thousand year reign where God s love and peace covers the whole earth, and the demons and the devil are locked up, where there is no bondage, fear or death. After a thousand years, he s released and people once again attack the city of God. Once forces of evil are released, men once again go back to being influenced by the devil and demons. But on the other hand, your flesh can still be your flesh, and that carnal nature can rise up and we can falsely attribute everything to the devil, as if it s not our responsibility. There was a comedian that was well known in the past whose famous line was the devil made me do it. Well, the devil can t make you do anything against your will. Your will has to be involved; so that s a misnomer. We re going to learn what is the flesh and what is the devil and make a delineation, because it s important that we understand the playing field, so that we can effectively win in the challenges in our lives. The Effect of Sin is Universal The Bible says that all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. Sin has defiled the entire human race as a whole, as well as in every area of each personality of individuals. When man turned from God in rebellion, he was subjugated to two main spiritual evils: sin and demons. Even though our spirit has been made brand new and we are born again of the Spirit of God and we are new creatures in Christ, our flesh, will, mind, emotions and body have not been 26 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

27 FLESH OR DEMONS? redeemed. We have to understand that your will, emotions and mind can war against your spirit and bring your body under their subjection as well. The Works of the Flesh So many times we call things the works of the devil, when really they are the works of the flesh. Paul lists the traits of the old man. He also describes the traits of the new man which is truthfulness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness and love. The new man has to bring the flesh under control. All the evil tendencies of the flesh must be brought under the dominion of the recreated spirit. We are to put off the deeds of the flesh. Ephesians 4:22 and 24 That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. YOU are to put off the old man. God s not going to put it off for you. You have to do it. The things of your old man include: envy, bitterness, wrath, anger and evil speaking. The Bible doesn t say these are evil spirits. It says you re dealing with your flesh! However, evil spirits can attach themselves to the doors that you open up through your flesh and empower your flesh to overcome your spirit. It s too easy to blame everything on demons when we need to take responsibility. Satan is not responsible for everything! We have to understand that there are some things that we have to deal with ourselves. Renewing Your Mind The only way you can bring the old man under is by renewing your mind with the Word of God. Putting off the old man and putting on the new man is part of your reasonable service or spiritual worship according to Romans 12: 1 and 2. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 27

28 CHAPTER THREE You have to keep the evil tendencies and attitudes of your soul and unregenerated mind under the dominion of your spirit - the real you on Allow the new creature in you to dominate your flesh the inside, and allow the new creature in you to dominate your flesh. As you do so, you ll be able to walk in the Spirit of God and the flesh will not be a target of Satan. Our flesh is part of who we are. We live in a natural body. Our soul, mind, will and emotions have to come under the Word of God. There s a nature in the flesh that wants to get even with others; that wants to be put ahead of others. But our spirit man is to take dominion over our flesh. Close Connection There s a close connection between sin and demons. The more we open up to the flesh, we open up to the carnal nature of our flesh allowing ourselves to go down a dark road; this will cause us to come under the power of demons. There s a close connection between sin and demons. If mankind never sinned, we d never have been vulnerable to demons. Jesus never sinned. Therefore, He had total authority over the devil and his schemes. Our sin brings us under the dominion of the devil. They say that a human body is attacked by cancer cells on a regular basis. When the body is healthy, the immune system identifies and attacks the cells and they re unable to harm the body. But when the body has been weakened by illness or some kind of stress, the immune system is unable to do its job effectively, and some form of cancer can develop in the body. That s how it works with demons. Demons are often attempting to invade and gain access to your personal space. But when a person is spiritually healthy and their spiritual immune system is strong, it can identify demonic attacks before they re able to take control. But any kind of thing that causes us to become spiritually unhealthy or we get off the Word, makes us vulnerable to a demonic attack. 28 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

29 FLESH OR DEMONS? How to be Free In the spiritual realm, correct diagnosis is essential. It s important to know in confronting our own problems or those of other people, what exactly we are dealing with. Is it the flesh? Or is it demons? This question is of vital importance because the remedies are quite different. The remedy for the flesh is crucifixion. By Jesus sacrificial death on the cross, He canceled the claim sin has in our fleshly nature. Paul states the fact that Our old man has been crucified with Christ. Romans 6:6. Each of us has to make a personal application of the cross to our fleshly nature. Paul says in Galatians 5:24 And those who are Christ s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Crucifixion is the remedy for our fleshly nature. Jesus Remedy for Flesh Problems Jesus gave instructions on how to deal with the flesh just as Paul did. In Matthew 5:29 and 30 He says If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. He says It s more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and cast it from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Jesus wasn t literally saying to pull your eye out or cut your hand off. He s just saying that there are some things that stem from your fleshly lusts and appetites, that will be painful to remove from your life; comparing it to the pain of cutting off your bodily member. It will be painful to your flesh to put these cravings away, that s why the Bible uses the words crucify and mortify. It s not pleasant. It hurts. Paul says that we are to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts. Galatians 5:24. As in Colossians 3:5, we are to mortify or put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and covetousness which is idolatry. We have to understand SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 29

30 CHAPTER THREE who has to do the crucifying and mortifying. It s you. God can t do that for you. Your husband, wife or Pastor can t mortify the deeds of the flesh for you. You ve got to kill it. You have to put it to death. The remedy for the flesh is to crucify it. By The remedy for the flesh the help of the Holy Spirit, as we yield to is to crucify it Him, we can say no to the flesh. And the more we say no, the voice of the flesh will get softer and softer and the voice of our spirit will get louder and louder, and we ll be able to take control of our lives. The remedy for demons on the other hand is to cast them out. We don t pet devils. We can t council them. We have to identify them, confront them and cast them out. These two remedies are not interchangeable. It s not possible to cast out the flesh and it s not possible to crucify a demon. We have to know what we re dealing with. Sometimes we just want the demon cast out because it takes more work to crucify the flesh. Sometimes, we just want a quick fix. But even though crucifixion is painful, it is the gateway to a new life. We also need to keep the balance because some things are truly demonic. We need to know what we re dealing with. The Work of Demons On the other hand, demons are real and are attacking people all the time, even Christians. Can a Christian have a demon? A Christian can have whatever he wants. A demon can t access your spirit but he can access your emotions or even your body. We understand that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him. Acts 10:38. In this scripture, we understand that sickness can sometimes be the direct result of a demonic presence. Or it can be an indirect result of the fallen nature of man and the disease processes that are loosed in the earth, and only healing is necessary. Not every sickness is a demon. However, I m sure if we took all the demons out of the earth, there would be no sickness. 30 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

31 FLESH OR DEMONS? When Jesus was ministering to a woman in Israel, He called her a daughter of Abraham (Luke 13:16) and stated that Satan had bound her for thirteen years and that she should be loosed from this bondage. He declared her loosed from her infirmity and laid His hands on her. The devil left her and she was completely healed. Know that demons can attach themselves to human bodies. They can also attach themselves to someone s emotions. Your emotions are fed by your thoughts. So ultimately, the demon works by suggesting things to your mind and if you think about them long enough, they will impact the way your feel. Demons can get involved and cause true spiritual bondage. Brother Kenneth E. Hagin shared about a man who had majored in psychology and specialized in the behavior of sexual criminals. At that time, he was not a Christian. But after he got saved and was baptized by the Holy Spirit, he retired from psychology and for two years didn t have any problems because he didn t read those books. Then, he began to read them again. When he did, the perverted spirit began to take hold of him and as he read about child molestation, he had this desire to molest a child. It was unnatural. So he came to Brother Hagin for help. Brother Hagin, through the discerning of spirits, saw that he had three demons. He was informed that he had to do three things: 1. Burn all the books 2. Make a commitment that he d never read those books again. 3. Read the word and pray in the spirit daily. Then, Brother Hagin cast the devils out (all three) and the evil spirits left him in the mighty name of Jesus. He was completely freed from that desire! Two years later, he met him again and the man and his wife (who at the time, were going to get divorced over this) were walking hand in hand, smiling. He said he had no more trouble and no more temptation in that area. Yes, we truly fight demonic powers. They can come in when we open ourselves up to sinful activities. That s why you have to guard your SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 31

32 CHAPTER THREE mind. You can t just watch any movie or read just any book. You can t go to the Internet and watch anything that you want to watch. It will impact you. The demons will use anything they can. They re looking for a portal, a reason to come in. Never forget, they are rulers of darkness. When You just can t watch any a Christian steps into darkness, they re movie or read any book stepping into the region of demons. They rule the darkness. Thus, when you step into darkness, you re allowing them to come in. It is very real. Our carnal nature has not been redeemed and if we indulge the devil by indulging our flesh, these spirits can get a hold of a believer; but if you know you re authority in Christ, you can repent immediately, cast the devils out and walk free. We must also be aware that we do no service to someone by casting out a demon if they don t adhere to the Word, truly repent and turn from their wicked lifestyle. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 12:43-45 When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest and finds none. Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; in the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation. You need to understand that when you cast demons out of someone else or even yourself, you need to make a stand on the Word. This brings up another point. You can t cast out the demon of someone who doesn t want to be delivered. Some people want their lifestyle. They have to want to be free. They need a willing heart. Then they have to make a decision that they will walk free by adhering to the Word, following its commandments and running from every part of darkness. If you re not filled up with the Word or filled with the Spirit, the demons can come back and it will be worse for that person - or you - if you don t follow through with what God s told you to do. When we yield to the flesh, we can give access to demons. Yes, they truly can come in and start driving your flesh to do even unnatural 32 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

33 FLESH OR DEMONS? things that are not of God. We need to be quick to repent and completely turn away from all wrongdoing if we re going to get help. We must repent, renounce the evil and rebuke the devil commanding him to go from our lives. Then, we must make a stand on the Word. There is a place in our walk of faith that we need to take authority over demons and cast them out. But there s also a place for us to crucify the flesh and bring it under. You cannot crucify the devil and cast out the flesh. You have to bring the flesh under and that takes discipline; going to God and walking it out, line by line and day by day. With demons, you need to learn to identify them and confront them. The ultimate goal of every believer is to walk free. Jesus said those who are His disciples would know the truth and the truth would make them free. God s Word is truth. Freedom is your inheritance. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 33

34 CHAPTER THREE Let s Discuss It! 1. How common is it for a believer to wonder if what they are fighting is a demon or their own flesh? Do you have an example from your own life to share? 2. The old man must be dealt with. Using Ephesians 4:22-24, discuss how this can be done and the expected outcome? 3. What does it mean to crucify the flesh? 4. Pastor Mirek stated that you can t crucify a demon, or cast out the flesh. Discuss what this means and how we need to endeavor to discern the difference.

35 CHAPTER FOUR CLOSING THE DOOR ON THE ENEMY For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6

36 CHAPTER FOUR Introduction We must learn to close the door on our enemy - Satan. The devil works through open doors. There is law that governs sin and death as well as a law that governs the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The things we do in our lives can activate Satan. There are other things we can do in our lives that activate God. When we act upon the Word of God, we activate Him to move on our behalf. There are things that we can do in our lives that are not in the Word and they will activate the powers of darkness. It s so important that we close every door to the enemy so that we can walk in the freedom God has given us. Close the Door of Your Thought Life Satan will try to enter into a person s life (saved or unsaved) through the person s thoughts. Your thought life is the battleground. If a person will yield and listen to the devil, he ll have access to their life. Thoughts may come and go, you can t always keep them from coming, but you can stop them from becoming a part of your thought pattern. You can t help who comes and knocks on your front door, but you don t have to let them in. Thoughts that are not put into action will die Thoughts that are not put into action will die. But thoughts that are meditated on will become activated by our actions and produce fruit. Taking Responsibility Paul had to take responsibility for his own life. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, he said I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lest when I preach to others, I myself should be disqualified. Paul had to keep his body under subjection. You might ask, but wasn t Paul an apostle? Weren t there signs and wonders following his ministry? Of course there were. But Paul s flesh was not born again and was not redeemed. 36 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

37 CLOSING THE DOOR ON THE ENEMY He had to do something with his flesh. We must keep our body under subjection to our recreated spirit. If you will do this, Satan won t have a door of access which would allow him into your life so that he can bring his problems and bondages. The most important thing is to keep your mind renewed, and you ll be less likely to yield to Satan s thoughts and suggestions. The Bible talks about girding up the loins of your mind. What you do with the Word of God in your mind will affect how you resist the works of the devil. You need to watch your mind. The Bible says to guard our minds. Someone said that the mind is the gateway to the soul. That s why it s so vitally important that you allow your mind to dwell on the good things of the Word of God. When your mind drifts toward the things of the world and the darkness that the world has in it, it will pollute your mind, and therefore eventually, pollute your life. The Importance of a Holy Life It s so important that we live a holy life. The Bible talks about sanctification. That means to put yourself aside for God s use. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-4 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.... For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. In order to please God, we need to walk in holiness before Him. The devil will use various doors to come and gain footholds. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:27 Give no place to the devil. That s a powerful statement. It tells us that we can give place to the devil. That he can gain access into our lives. Paul in 2 Timothy 2:26 says and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. He s talking about Christians. Christians SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 37

38 CHAPTER FOUR that have allowed their flesh to open the door to the work of the devil. Devils have access to us when we step into the area of sin. We need to understand this. The Spirit of Uncleanness The Bible talks about uncleanness, especially in regard to sexuality. As we read in 1 Thessalonians 4, we need to learn how to possess our vessel, which is our body, in sanctification and honor. In Romans 6:19, he says But just as you have presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and of lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. Uncleanness is linked to the words of fornication and lasciviousness. Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 12:21 lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication and lewdness which they have practiced. James has lasciviousness for lewdness but it means impurity, sexual vice and sexuality. This message is a message to bring about purity from inordinate affection and sexual immorality. Sex is approved by God in marriage but anything outside of that brings a curse. Satan in this world loves to use sex as a way of access into people s lives. We are called to put to death our members upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5. So to put to death is to stop it by not allowing it to be fed anymore. The truth is, people don t like to mortify or to put to death their flesh. They want to live in the flesh with the pleasures and lusts that it provides. The Greatest War That really brings us to what the greatest war is about. Sometimes we think it s against the devil but really it s a war between the flesh and the spirit. Galatians 5:16-17 I say then: walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that 38 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

39 CLOSING THE DOOR ON THE ENEMY you do not do the things that you wish. Really the capital S should be a small S, because he s talking about the human spirit and not the Holy Spirit. The flesh lusts against the spirit and our spirit lusts against the flesh. A lot of times we re talking about spiritual warfare but the greatest warfare is between the flesh and the spirit. We have to deal with spiritual forces, but once the war between our flesh and spirit settles, we won t have to contend with Satan as much because we won t be leaving a door open to him. We need to understand the conflict between the flesh and the recreated human spirit, and how to crucify the flesh so that we can possess our vessel in sanctification and honor. The Spirit of the World You must beware of the spirit of the world. It s an attitude that does not see holiness as a goal, but rather the goal would be to fit in. The world should not be a part of our lives with its standards and attitudes. We need to reflect separation from the world. Sanctification means separation to God. We have to be careful to not allow worldly attitudes into our lives, our family or our church. Paul talked about the sexual sin tolerated in the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). We must understand that the standards of today are immoral. That spirit has crept into the church. We re living in the same day of sexual immorality. We have to put off everything that stinks of the world, especially in terms of sexuality. We must live pure, holy lives. In addition, we have to watch our mouths. Colossians 3:8 says But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. There s too much dirty talk among believers. You open yourself up to darkness with your own mouth. We have to watch our tongues. The Spirit of life is governed by our tongues. When we speak the Word in faith, we allow the Holy Spirit to have greater access to our lives. But with that same mouth, we can use words contrary to the Word and will literally bring the law of sin and SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 39

40 CHAPTER FOUR death into our lives. Repentance The way we break the power of sin in our life is to first repent. We must confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. We need to step aside, get alone with God and break the hold of the world upon our lives. We must call sin what it is - sin. We cannot excuse ourselves in the same way the world does, because this opens the door to the devil. Closing the Door We close the door by living a life of holiness separated unto God. The devil cannot have access to you if you shut down everything that gives him access into your life! As believers, we now know what to do with the devil, and we can learn to grow in our authority in Christ. We must also know how to put down the old man with its lusts and pleasures, and how to put on Christ. As we sanctify our vessels, we become vessels of honor who can be used by God to bring Him glory and bring freedom to a world who so desperately needs the liberating power of our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Let s Discuss It! 1. The battlefield is the mind. This is the greatest door to the enemy. How does the enemy bring bondage into our lives simply with thoughts? 2. The battlefield moves to our actions. Allowing our flesh to do anything it wants is also a major door for the enemy. Discuss how discipline can bring holiness into our lives. 3. What areas do you struggle with in discipline? For example, prayer, Bible reading, controlling your mouth, controlling what you look at, etc. 4. Discuss how we can increase our desire to live holy and crucify our undisciplined fleshly nature.

41 CHAPTER FIVE EXERCISING OUR AUTHORITY which He worked in Christ when he raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Ephesians 1:20-21 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6

42 CHAPTER FIVE Introduction Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father far above all the realm of Satan s power. The Bible says that God has raised us up together. We ve not only been made to sit, but have been made to sit with Jesus. In the mind of God, we were raised when Christ was raised. When Christ sat down, we sat down. That s where we are now, positionally speaking. All authority that s been given to Christ belongs to us through Him and we may exercise it. We help Him by carrying out His work upon the earth. He needs us to act upon His Word and partner with Him. Jesus Christ is the head but the head needs a body. He needs His body to do His work for Him. We must keep in mind that in the battle against the enemy and his forces, we have authority over them because we are seated far above them. Our job is to enforce the victory of Jesus Christ. His victory belongs to you and I but we must carry it out on the earth. We must exercise authority over the devil. The victory Jesus gained over the devil, has been given to us. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Jesus received His power through conquest when He rose again from the dead. Jesus took the authority that He received and delegated it to the church. He told them to go into all the world with His gospel. In Mark 16: 15-17, Jesus said Go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature...and these signs shall follow...in my name they will CAST OUT DEVILS. That s the very first sign Rise up and stand against that s to follow believers. In the name of him with the Word Jesus, they will cast out devils. Believers couldn t cast out devils if they didn t have authority over them. Jesus gave the church authority that in the name of Jesus every believer has the power to exercise authority over devils. We may wonder about why things are happening in our lives that are bad. God s waiting for us to exercise authority and do something about the devil. His word stands behind 42 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

43 EXERCISING OUR AUTHORITY the authority that He has given us. Too many times, we ll bow down and let the devil run over us, waiting for God to do something about it. We just need to rise up and stand against him with the Word which causes him to flee from us. We must do something about our adversary. We must do something about the adverse circumstances in our lives by taking authority over Satan and standing against him with the Word, claiming what belongs to us. Resist the Devil Jesus has given us the power to resist the devil. James wrote to the church and to all believers when he told them to resist the devil. (James 4:7) James didn t say get the Pastors to resist the devil for you. James didn t say get other Christians to resist the devil for you. No, James said that YOU are to resist the devil. You could not resist the devil if you didn t have authority over him. God s not going to resist the devil for you and Jesus won t do it either. You have to resist the devil. If you don t do it, he s going to stick around and bring other tormenting spirits with him. The Bible says when we resist him, he will flee. To flee is to run away from as with terror. Demons and evil spirits are afraid of us. They re afraid of Jesus. Therefore, because we are in Christ, they will run from us as we take our authority over them in the mighty name of Jesus. Always remember, Satan can t take authority in your life unless you give it to him. If you don t exercise authority over him, then he ll exercise authority over you. Resist Steadfast in the Faith In 1 Peter 5:8-9, he says to Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith. Why is Satan walking around as a SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 43

44 CHAPTER FIVE roaring lion? Because he s seeking whom he may devour. He isn t trying to devour sinners because they already belong to him. He s seeking to devour Christians and those who will let him devour them. What are you going to do about the devil? Are you going to stick your head in the sand and hope he just goes away? Are you going to let him devour you? No, no, no. Stand your ground with the mighty Word of God. Take the sword of the Spirit and the name of Jesus, resist the Stand your ground with devil and cause him to flee. We must the mighty Word of God take authority of our own lives. This includes all our domain which would include our families. We need to take authority where our children are concerned. Spirits attack our children, our wives, husbands and loved ones. Always remember, Jesus would not tell us to resist the devil if it was impossible for us to do so. Again, Peter says to resist the devil, steadfast in the faith. This all comes back to you. Only you can resist the devil by your faith in what God has said to you in His Word. Once, brother Hagin has a vision of Jesus and He was sharing with him truths about the devil and demons. While He was doing this a demon jumped in between him and Jesus and began to cause a dark cloud to rise between the two of them, and started making all kinds of noises which stopped brother Hagin from hearing what Jesus was saying. Brother Hagin could not believe what was going on because he said to himself Jesus must know what s going on so why doesn t He fix it? Finally, brother Hagin had all that he could stand and told the devil to shut up in the name of Jesus, and when he did, the demon dropped to the ground and the cloud went away. When brother Hagin asked Jesus why he didn t stop the demon, Jesus said he couldn t. Brother Hagin began to say No, you mean you wouldn t? And Jesus said No, I couldn t. This went back and forth three times until finally Jesus said to brother Hagin, if you didn t stop the devil, there s nothing I could have done because I ve given all the authority to you. This is an amazing, powerful truth. If we don t act against the devil, then the devil will take advantage of us. We must rise up and exercise 44 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

45 EXERCISING OUR AUTHORITY our authority in order for us to have the victory Jesus has given us. Nor Give Place to the Devil Ephesians 4:27 - Don t give the devil any place in your life is what Paul was saying. If the Bible says don t give place to the devil, it stands to reason that you can give the devil a place in your life. On the other hand, you can also keep him from having any place in you by taking authority over him. Actually, the devil can t have any place in you unless you give it to him by permission, ignorance or failure to exercise the authority that belongs to you. How are you going to stop the devil from taking a place in you? You re going to have to submit to God first. Only then will you be in a position to resist the devil. You will resist the devil and he will flee. James 4:7. Let s not miss it any longer. Let s quit praying to God to take the devil off our lives, finances and families. We need to rise up in our own authority and Resist the devil and he will flee exercise it over the devil, otherwise, nothing will happen. We ve been praying to God for something we need to be doing ourselves. Without exercising our authority, nothing will be done. God has already done all that He s ever going to do about the devil in our lives, because God sent Jesus to dethrone Satan! If we allow Satan to run over us, it s because we re not taking a stand against him with the Word. Sin shall not have dominion over you. (Romans 6:14). Another translation says sin shall not be lorded over you. When anything has dominion over you,it s lording over you. You could equally say that Satan has dominion over you because Satan is the source of all sin. But Satan is not your lord. Jesus is your Lord. Satan shall not lord it over you! SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 45

46 CHAPTER FIVE Take Your Place We need to take our place and stand our ground in God s Word. Be careful of keeping company with people who always talk about the devil and who magnify the devil above the Word of God. No, it s the devil who s subjected to the Lordship of Jesus Christ; and you are seated with Him. You don t have to go looking for the devil or focus on him. Focus on the Word and lift up Jesus. But, when the devil comes for our lives, we need to confront him and take authority over him. We need to take our rightful position so that he can no longer dominate us. Exercising Authority Over Others Even though we have authority over the devil in our own lives, we have to realize that there are limits to this authority when it comes to other people s lives. You have authority when it comes to your life and your household. But spiritual authority is much like natural authority. For instance, you don t have authority over my money. You can t tell me what to do with my money unless I let you. And neither do you have any authority over my children. We Reign as Kings God turned all the work of His hands over to the first Adam. Now, God has turned all the work of Christ (the second Adam) over to the church. We have now been given dominion to rule and reign in this earth once again! He did this so that the church could benefit. We have victory over all satanic forces, thanks be to God, because we have been raised with Christ (2 Corinthians 4:14). Because of all this our attitude towards We have victory over all the devil should be the attitude of Jesus. satanic forces 1 John 3:8 says that Jesus was manifested so that He might destroy the works of the devil. We ve taken Jesus place on earth. He s the head and we re the body. He destroyed the adversary and we should follow in His steps. It 46 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

47 EXERCISING OUR AUTHORITY is the fullness of God s plan of redemption that we, who are fully based in the good news of the gospel, become believers who are masters in Jesus name over all satanic forces. Take your place. Exercise your authority. Reign as a conqueror and a king in this life! SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 47

48 CHAPTER FIVE Let s Discuss It! 1. Let s start with a fun question. Have you ever cast out a devil or witnessed a devil being cast out? 2. Have you ever come against what you believed to be a demon tormenting you and saw an immediate change? 3. In addition to casting out, how do we resist the enemy steadfast in the faith? 4. Discuss how we have authority over our own lives and not the lives of others. Have you ever made that mistake in prayer, thinking that you could control someone else s actions and thoughts simply by praying for them?

49 WEEK SIX OVERCOMING THE SPIRIT OF OPPRESSION The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. Luke 4:18 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

50 CHAPTER SIX Introduction - The Devil is an Oppressor God never intended us to be slaves of oppression. The definition of oppressed is a prolonged, cruel or unjust control. It includes the exercise of cruel authority or power over your life. It weighs you down in body and spirit causing depression, despondency and down-heartedness. The scriptures talk about the spirit of heaviness in Isaiah 61:3, that He would give us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. The children of Israel were oppressed in Egypt. They were treated cruelly, beaten unmercifully and crushed down until they could carry the burdens no longer. But God the Father sent Jesus to this earth to heal all who were oppressed by the devil. Acts 10:38. This suggests that oppression can be in the realm of disease. Many are oppressed around the world. Disease is not God s will, any more than a beautiful tree that is covered with bugs and diseases is the will of God. It s unnatural to be unhealthy. Disease is one of Satan s tools. Millions of people are oppressed by fear. Some worry about going out of their minds and the devil wants them to think that they will. God s Word says Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He wants to torment you, bring you down and hurt you; and he wants to mock God while he does it. God s people don t have to suffer this terrible fear. One of the great blessings of Christianity is a strong mind which is capable of rejecting unreasonable demons of fear. There are many oppressive spirits loosed on the earth today, oppressing people and bringing people s spirits down with heaviness, dejection and even sorrow. These spirits zap the joy out of life. Today we live in the age of suicide and euthanasia. People are looking to get out of this life. God never intends for us to be slaves of oppression. Never forget that Satan wants to use anything to try and destroy you. He wants to crush your spirit. He wants to overpower you with a display of demonic power that hurts you. 50 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

51 OVERCOMING THE SPIRIT OF OPPRESSION Satan tries to gain access to people through their minds and bodies. The degree to which a person yields to Satan in these areas determines how much he is able to influence them. Since man is a spirit, has a soul and lives in a body, demons can affect his body and soul. And yet, not be present in his spirit. We can also be affected by people around us who are yielding themselves to these oppressive forces. Degrees of Oppression Obviously, there are degrees of oppression. In other words, a person can be more oppressed or less oppressed. We ve probably all experienced oppression in our lives one time or another. For example, sometimes oppression can manifest as a bad mood that tries to come over us. This is a type of satanic oppression. People have come to me saying Please pray for me, there seems to be a black cloud hanging over my head. That s satanic oppression. But, as we rebuke that oppression in the name of Jesus, stand against it and Believers don t have to live under the oppression of the enemy! resist it, the devil has to flee from us. (James 4:7 and Luke 10:19) Believers don t have to live under the oppression of the enemy! Often when oppression leaves a person, it feels just like a weight lifted off their shoulders. Fear as a Form of Oppression Fear holds many Christians in bondage and causes them to stumble. Fear can dominate the mind of a believer and cause them not to function as they should. Fear can open up the doors to despair and despondency. But the Bible says that we have not been given a spirit of fear, (2 Timothy 1:7) so we need to take authority over it. We need to stand against fear and tell it to go. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 51

52 CHAPTER SIX We must use the Word of God to stand and fight the enemy. You have to fight the good fight of faith, standing in faith in God s Word (1 Timothy 6:12). Always remember, fear is not your friend, it s your enemy. It is not to be accepted or tolerated. Stand against fear and throw it out of your life. Declare God s Word over fear and take authority over it in Jesus name. Physical oppression,or sickness, can also be the result of an evil spirit inflicting a body. There s a story of brother Smith Wigglesworth who was in bed dying from appendicitis. A prayer warrior came with her 14 year old son to pray for him. Smith was a little alarmed because he knew they believed that everything was of the devil. Sure enough, that young boy jumped on top of his body in the bed and punched his fist into Brother Smith s stomach and yelled Come out of him devil, and just as Smith was saying, Here we go with this devil business, suddenly all symptoms of appendicitis left! The doctor who visited him prior to the woman and her son coming to pray for him, had told Smith that he didn t have long to live. After the prayer, Smith jumped out of bed completely healed! He changed his mind. That sickness was the devil and it did come out! Not every sickness is directly related to a demon, but many times it is. Peter preached in Acts 10:38 that Jesus healed all who were oppressed of the devil, so there is a direct correlation between sickness and demonic oppression. Therefore, sometimes we can only attain success in physical healing by dealing with the spirit that s causing that condition. Unless you deal with the spirit causing the condition, healing will not come. Remember that Satan, not God, is the author of sickness and disease. Satan is indirectly the cause of all sin, sickness and disease. Sometimes, there is literally the presence of a demon in the person s body that brings the sickness and disease. Open Doors We can allow open doors which allow demons in We can allow open doors which allow demons in. We can open doors through fear or disobedience. When you disobey 52 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

53 OVERCOMING THE SPIRIT OF OPPRESSION God, your conscience will hurt you. If you knowingly disobey God, you can walk around with a guilty conscience. This can become a door through which demons may enter. Mental Oppression Sometimes evil spirits get a hold of Christians minds. They can be so nervous that they can t sleep or are always under a dark cloud. It s as if the demon is wrapping their hands around your head trying to steal your very mind. Devils can oppress the body and they can oppress the mind. We could even unwillingly yield to Satan by listening to his lies. In Matthew 16: 20-23, Peter at one moment was given revelation by the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the son of God. However, in the very next moment he was used by Satan to rebuke Jesus. There s a difference between yielding to an evil spirit and being possessed by an evil spirit. The more a person yields to the spirits of darkness who try to control him - oppression can grow and grow. A person could be partially yielded to the Holy Spirit but also partially yielded to evil spirits. Or, he can fully yield to one or the other. Brother Hagin told the story of his son in law, Buddy Harrison, who at times was fickle in his pursuit of God. In prayer one day, the Lord gave him a mini vision about Buddy. He saw three spirits following him like little dogs. There was one on his left side, one on his right side and one in the middle that followed him. He saw that at times, Buddy would yield to one of these three spirits. So sometimes he d be walking with God and everything was great; but then next thing you know, he would yield to another spirit and he was once again inconsistent as a Christian. Brother Hagin asked the Lord, What do I do about this? He was told, Speak to the spirits who are operating against him. Even though someone is in another location (Buddy was in another state) when you use the name of Jesus, they have to obey you. You don t have to be there in person. Then the Lord told him what to say. In the name of Jesus Christ, I command all three of you foul spirits that are SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 53

54 CHAPTER SIX following Buddy around to desist in your maneuvers and stop in your operation against him. He said once he did that, Buddy became a very solid, strong Christian and became a leader in the Kingdom of God. The Devil, The Flesh and The World Believers can yield to the devil s wiles and let them dominate them anytime they want. They can also yield to the flesh with its lusts and appetites and let the flesh dominate them. They could also yield to the influence of the world and let the world dominate them. The Bible says if we re born again, anyone who s born again can overcome the world because we re in Christ. We can overcome the world and we don t have to be defeated by the world, the flesh or the devil. Oppression can lead to obsession. You can be oppressed by the devil s thoughts but the more that you yield, you become more obsessed with those thoughts. They become all that you think about. If you allow yourself to brood and become emotionally upset and increasingly disturbed about issues, those thoughts can open up doors for the devil who will come in to not only oppress you, but bombard you with worry, until you become obsessed with the thoughts. It s so so important to renew your Renew your mind to the mind to the Word and to think God s Word thoughts and not what the enemy tells you to think. We re not subjected to the devil, we have authority over him in Jesus name. We can resist him. Take Your Stand We cannot play around when the devil assaults us with spirits of heaviness and oppression. These things lead to further and further 54 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

55 OVERCOMING THE SPIRIT OF OPPRESSION bondage if we don t address them. It s so important that we seek the help of God through His Word and by His Spirit. It s also important to be in the house of God where you get strength and encouragement and are surrounded by brothers and sisters who will pray for you. You need to understand that the devil hates you. He seeks to destroy you and he will not let up until your spirit leaves your body and you go to Heaven. We need to arm ourselves with the scriptures, and stand and fight. We understand in Matthew 12:43-45, When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest and finds none. Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when he has come, he finds it empty, swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Devils want to inhabit houses - their houses are human beings. Devils have will and intelligence because he said, I will return to my house. Devils have rank and division because he takes those more wicked than himself. Once you ve been delivered, know that the devil will try and get back in; but we need to resist him and shut the door. I remember when I was in recovering from cancer and the devil attacked me more than once after my healing. I had to shut the door and resist that foul spirit. Sometimes, the attack comes in the form of sickness. Sometimes, it comes with evil thoughts that bring oppression. Therefore, it s not enough to cast the devil out of someone; but we also need to teach that person the Word of God and how to stand against the devil and live free. It s one thing to be set free but it s another thing to stay free. We must teach believers how to get free and stay free. It s so important when dealing with the lives of Christians that are attacked by demonic influence to get them in the Word of God. We must as Christians know who we are in Christ and the authority we have in Jesus name. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 55

56 CHAPTER SIX Don t Tolerate the Devil We don t need to keep running from the devil or his harassment of our minds and bodies. We don t need to tolerate the devil. We don t need to tolerate sickness. We don t We are in a victorious need to tolerate heaviness. We don t position as children of God need to tolerate a blue Monday or a gray Tuesday. We are in a victorious position as children of God. We have to deal with them from our position of authority in Christ over the devil and all of his works against us. We must come to a place in our lives when we do not tolerate demonic influences, or our flesh, or the world. We must decide that we re going to live as an overcomer. That we re going to exercise the authority given to us by Jesus Christ. We have to learn to rise up, say no to the devil and resist him every single day. We don t only focus on demons, because our main focus is on Jesus Christ and His victory. But, there are times we must address them and take authority. Don t allow the spirit of oppression to be on your life anymore. Deal with it now. Don t let it build up. Allow God s power to set you free and keep you free. Let s Discuss It! 1. Fear is a major oppression of the devil. Talk about what fear looks and feels like, and how it changes the way you think and live. 2. Why do you think suicide is on the rise in our lifetime? Discuss how oppressing spirits could drive a person to consider it and how we can overcome and teach others to overcome this terrible temptation. 3. After a devil or his oppression has left a person, what must they do to fill their house to prevent a re-entry? 4. Share an example from your life or the life of a loved one who experienced victory over an oppressive time in their lives through the Word.

57 CHAPTER SEVEN WALKING IN COMPLETE VICTORY If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32

58 CHAPTER SEVEN Introduction The most powerful force that will set you free is the Word of God. When we teach people the Word, there is an anointing upon it. Teaching them the Word must be first in everything we do to bring deliverance to ourselves and others. We need to be scripturally based when it comes to deliverance. Demons are real and we really have to deal with them. Sometimes, we need to cast them out, but at the same time we need to be led by the Holy Spirit in how we do this and never forget that it s the Word of God, and the power of that Word, that will force demons out. The Word and the Anointing Jesus ministered healing and deliverance to the people who were sick and had evil spirits. He did not always cast out devils specifically in dealing with these evil spirits. Luke 13:11-13 and 16 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. He laid his hands on her and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. So ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound - think of it - for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath? Jesus said it was Satan who had bound her. So Satan s power was being shown through the evil spirit causing Woman, you are loosed her physical condition. If you notice, Jesus ministered to her by the command from your infirmity of faith. Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. As He said this, she was delivered and healed. The power of the Holy Spirit came upon this woman and she was loosed from her spirit of infirmity. So yes, demons can be directly involved in physical ailments, but Jesus didn t cast out the spirit of infirmity. He simply laid hands on her and the anointing broke the yoke. 58 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

59 WALKING IN COMPLETE VICTORY In other situations, Jesus did cast evil spirits out of people. How did He do it? With His Word. Matthew 8:16 - When evening had come, they brought to him many who were demon possessed. And he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. In some cases, sickness and disease are the result of natural causes but indirectly it s still satanic oppression. If the sickness is a result of natural causes, then the person needs to be healed and he doesn t need evil spirits cast out of him. On the other hand, sometimes an evil spirit s presence causes the disease or infirmity. The Holy Spirit will show you the root of what s happening. But the bottom line is that the Word of God (which brings the anointing of God) can deliver people without anyone ever having to cast out a devil or calling demons out. We have to be very balanced in approaching deliverance. For our own selves, we can take authority in our own lives. Yes, we can take authority over the devil and break his power. But when ministering to others we need to be aware that we need the Holy Spirit s direction and with His help we can set them free. But, if we don t have a specific word or revelation from the Holy Spirit, we can always minister the Word. It s the anointing that destroys the yoke. It s the power of the Word of God that will bring freedom. I ve personally witnessed that the teaching of the Word of God will work in peoples lives without them ever being prayed for. If you get under the Word, healing will come to you because the Bible says that He sent His Word to heal them and deliver them from all of their oppression. Psalms 107:20. I ve even watched the Word work in people whose minds have been taken over. Sitting under the Word will bring healing to their minds, but each case is different and there s not one formula that fits all. The bottom line is that the power of the Word will let you rise up in triumph and victory in every situation. Finally, my brethren be strong in the Lord. Ephesians 6:10. Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus the stand that we need to take as soldiers in God s army. In Ephesians he s covered redemption, the seal of the spirit, God s mercy and grace, the eternal plan of God, renewing your mind, putting on the new man and being filled with the Spirit. Then, he gets to this word Finally. Really what he s saying in this word Finally is... I ve saved the most important part of this letter till the end, so if you remember nothing else, remember this...be strong in the Lord. We are to be SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 59

60 CHAPTER SEVEN strong in the Lord. Power can be found in only one place and that s... in the Lord. There is a divine flow of power for the believer. The word strong in Ephesians 6:10 is taken from the word endunamoo which describes the power whose purpose is to infuse the believer with excessive strength. This particular type of endunamoo power is so strong that you can withstand any attack and oppose any type of force. Paul also says in the power of His might. This word power is kratus which means demonstrated power. This is the power that s demonstrated and tangible and is shown by the outward manifestation. This is not hypothetical power, but this is real power. This is same word that was used to describe the mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead. It shook the ground and rolled the stone away when Jesus stepped out of that grave, and every Roman soldier fell to the ground. It s demonstrated power, the strongest power that s known to God or man. Therefore, when Paul says, My brethren, be strong in the Lord (kratus) - that s the power that you ve been given supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. It s divine empowerment. Then Paul uses the words the power of His might. Might is the word eschuos which conveys a picture of a very, very strong man with great muscular capabilities. When we talk about God s power and God s might, we talk about the strength of God s arm which was strong enough to crush Egypt and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. It was strong enough to release the flood in Noah s day and take out Hell when it delivered Jesus from principalities and powers. It s strong enough to bring a rushing, mighty wind into the upper room and fill men with the Be strong in the Lord and Holy Spirit and power. The question is, where does this mighty, powerful ability of God work today? In you and me! in the power of His might Paul says My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The Armor of God Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God and we can stand against the wiles of every devil. (Ephesians 6:11). The whole armor refers to the armor the Roman soldiers used when they were dressed in armor from 60 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

61 WALKING IN COMPLETE VICTORY head to toe. We are to put on the armor of God. Whose armor is it? Its God s! It has its origin in God and it s connected to us through unbroken fellowship with God. In order to withstand the wiles of the devil, we need to be clothed in His armor. We need the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, our loins girded about with truth (the belt), the gospel shoes of peace on our feet, the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith. God has established a vital relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. He wants us to use this armor and withstand every attack of the devil. The armor is to put us in a winning position. There is no place for our lives to be slumped over in defeat. We are equipped to beat the living daylights out of anything that dares to assault us. Therefore, we must walk boldly and confidently with our shoulders back and heads held high, because we wear the armor of God. Bless the Lord! The most important battlefield of life is your mind. Spiritual warfare is a matter of the mind. As long as the mind is in check and renewed to right thinking with the Word of God, the majority of spiritual attacks will fail. But, when your mind is left open, then it becomes a battlefield the devil uses to destroy your life, money, business, marriage, and emotions. Eyeball to Eyeball Paul goes on to say we stand against. The word against is derived from the Greek word pros - forward position or a face to face encounter. By employing the word pros in this verse, Paul is painting the picture of a soldier looking his enemies directly in the face - eyeball to eyeball. This soldier is standing tall, shoulders back, head high, bold, courageous and fearless. The devil, on the other hand, is into mind games. He likes to manipulate our emotions. He s a deceiver. The devil assaults you by repeatedly telling you that you re a failure. If you resist those allegations, he has no power over you. The devil can tempt you with seducing spirits and thoughts. When you believe the lies the devil creates - you ll come under his control. SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 61

62 CHAPTER SEVEN When Goliath taunted Israel, it was his words that sent Israel s troops running from him. When David went to him, the devil used Goliath through words that were meant to put fear in David s heart. He said I defy the armies of Israel. That s the devil saying that. He defies you to live a life of victory. David comes to fight this Goliath. In the natural, David is no match for Goliath, which says to us that our flesh is no match for the devil. You cannot fight the demons in the power and strength of your flesh, but only in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. But David stood his ground. No devil, you will not have our country, and you will not have our lives. We need to stand our ground. No devil, you will not have this ministry. You will not have our money. You will not have our health or strength. You will not have our children. David stood and made strong declarations against Goliath. He picked up a sling and ran towards him throwing the stone, killing the Philistine. Are you sick and tired of the Philistines in your life? Are you tired of being mentally harassed and emotionally tormented by the lying devils and his accusations? Paul said put on the whole armor of God and stand against these demonic attacks. We are to face him eyeball to eyeball. Then he says we re facing powers, principalities and rulers of darkness. Satan desires to control the spirit world and control every institution on earth. He is called the prince of this world. The prince of demons. Satan is the master of mind manipulation. He s our adversary. But, the key part of all the armor is the girdle or belt of truth. You have to take the Word of God and permanently affix it to your life, giving it a central place and a dominant role in your life. The belt held the shield and the sword when they were at rest. The Bible must govern our life, rule our life and have full sway in our life. If you want to defeat the enemy and be spiritually equipped then understand that the power of God is in the Word, and we can be fully furnished in the Word, completely out- 62 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

63 WALKING IN COMPLETE VICTORY fitted to do good works. We can learn how to walk in righteousness, we can learn how to walk in peace, we can learn how to walk in strong faith. We can take our helmets and our swords of the Spirit, but it all begins with the Word. Of all the pieces of armor, the one that s non defensive and is offensive is the two edged sword. The loin belt is like the logos, the written Word of God. But the sword of the Spirit is the spoken Word that the Spirit wields. It is a quickened word. A rhema word. It s that verse that leaps off the page when you re reading it and God speaks to you through it. The sword of the Spirit that Paul referred to in Ephesians 6:17 is a two edged sword. In Revelation 1:16 a two-edged sword came out of the mouth of Jesus. The phrase two-edged came from the Greek word distomos. It s a compound word meaning di (two) and stomos (which is the Greek word for one s mouth). Thus, the two words describe something that is two mouthed. In the battlefield there were two swords the Romans used. One was a single-sided sword and the other was double-sided sword. This was called the gladius sword. It was very sharp and pointy at the tip. If it cut into someone s body and was twisted as it was pulled out it would leave the enemy in a pool of blood. The word of God is just like that. It s a sharp, two-edged sword. One proceeds out of the mouth of God and the other proceeds out of your own mouth. Hence, it s a two-mouthed sword. We need to understand that we need to take the Word of God and meditate on it;but we also need to speak it out of our mouths. Then, we can be changed inwardly and use it against our enemies. When Jesus was on earth, He had to use the Word of God against the devil. In Matthew 4, he had to repel the devil three different times with the phrase It is written. Rise up in the battlefield of life. You have not only a defensive armor, but you also have offensive armor. God has given you the sword of the Spirit, but it won t work until you get the written Word down in your heart. Once you allow it to become Walk in the power of His anointing a part of your life, you ll be able to speak out the Word and a mighty blade of the Spirit will take the enemy out. You will walk in the power SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 63

64 CHAPTER SEVEN of the Holy Spirit. You ll walk in the power of His anointing! We are the Winners Whether you are ministering deliverance, praying for the sick or just taking a stand against the devil in your own life - keep in mind, the devil is a defeated foe. You are a believer and you are seated with Christ in heavenly places right now. Where does the authority of darkness lie? In Satan! But, we ve been delivered from the authority of Satan. We need to remember that he s been defeated and dethroned. That s why I m not going to fight the devil, but I m just going to walk over and put him in his place, because that s a part of the victory Jesus Christ gave me. Since we ve already been delivered from the authority of Satan, he has no authority in the body of Christ in any way, shape or form. But, we have authority over him in Christ. Yes, we have to deal with evil forces but we have authority over them. Don t allow the powers of hell, which have been dethroned, to rule over you, but rather rule over them. You are absolutely, positively the victor in every situation. You have the armor of God, the mighty name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit within you and every promise of God that says Yes, amen, you can do it, you ve won and the power is within You have been made a your hands. Don t allow the enemy to champion push you around any longer. You need to stand, face the enemy and get him off of your life, your house, your money and your body. These aren t days of self pity and weakness. These are days of victory and power. You have been made a victor. You have been made a champion. You ve been made more than a conqueror, so rise up by the power of the Word and walk boldly in the victory that Jesus Christ has given you! 64 DELIVERED FROM EVIL

65 WALKING IN COMPLETE VICTORY Let s Discuss It! 1. This is our last session for this study. What is the main thing that you have learned during this time? 2. Have you seen a change in the way that you view your life and struggles? Have you changed the way do pray and/or deal with oppression, etc.? 3. Discuss how above all, the Word of God is the prominent weapon that we use out of our armory. 4. In what ways are you going to increase the Word level in your life? How are you going to grow in the use of your sword of the Spirit? SMALL GROUPS BOOKLET 65

66 Acknowledgments The Origin and Operation of Demons, by Kenneth E. Hagin Demons and How to Deal With Them, Volume Two, by Kenneth E. Hagin Ministering to the Oppressed, Volume Three, by Kenneth E. Hagin The Bible s Answers to Man s Questions on Demons, by Kenneth E. Hagin The Victorious Church, by Kenneth E. Hagin They Shall Expel Demons, by Derek Prince Dressed to Kill, by Rick Renner Authority of the Believer, by Kenneth E. Hagin Exorcism, by Dr. Lester Sumrall Everyone s Guide to Demons and Spiritual Warfare, by Ron Phillips

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