Questions Concerning Demons Demons - First and foremost we must realize that Jesus has given us authority to drive out demons o Mark 16:17; Luke 10:19 - Jesus has done all that He is going to do about the devil in this dispensation - He s left it up to us to deal with the devil & enforce his defeat until we are taken out of here - We don t pray or ask for things we already have received from Christ in redemption - When it comes to dealing with the devil, we already know what God s will is- under our feet o Whether its sickness & disease, oppression, addictions, fear, worry or anxiety- resist it! James 4:6-7 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 1 Peter 5:8-9, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith - Jesus paralyzed the devil, took the keys, disarmed the principalities, Name above all names o Illustration: 300lb biker dude sitting in a chair cursing you out; oh wait he s paralyzed! - I love the imagery the Holy Scriptures provides in dealing with demons Lk 11:20, But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. - Please Read: Luke 8:27-31 synoptic gospels shed light on differences o Mark 5:5, In the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones - sadomasochism - Can a person be possessed by more than one demon? No, but can invite more to join it - Demons appear to have intelligence and emotions, but are different than fallen angels - They are disembodied spirits that seek a home: first choice a person, next an animal - Appear to be the minions of the kingdom of darkness- doing all the ugly grunt work - Satan and fallen angels, are wicked spirits in the earth s atmosphere looking down Let s look at a few classifications of demonic spirits is Scripture 1) Unclean spirit (sexual sins): As we just read in Mark- naked and cutting himself with stones
2) Deaf and mute spirit: Please Read: Mark 9:14-29 3) Spirit of infirmity: Luke 13:10-16- causing sickness o Not every physical aliment is the direct result of an evil spirit- discerning of spirits Luke 13:10-16 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath." The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?" 4) Idolatry & Occult demon worship- Psm. 106:34-38; 1 Cor. 10:18-22; Rev. 9:20-21; 16:13-14 1 Corinthians 10:18-22, Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 5) Deceiving or religious spirits: promote false doctrines and division 1 Timothy 4:1-2 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Promoting division, schisms, slandering false hoods 6) Familiar spirits so called predictors of the future mediums o Revelation 2:24, Jesus said and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets. Acts 16:16-18, Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
7) Buffeting spirits 2 Thessalonians 1:4, Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. - So who is behind all those lovely trials, tests and temptations that we are to count as joy? Luke 22:31-32 AMP, Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has asked excessively that [all of] you be given up to him [out of the power and keeping of God], that he might sift [all of] you like grain, [Job 1:6-12; Amos 9:9.] But I have prayed especially for you [Peter], that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren. Revelation 2:10, Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. - Why does Satan come with trials, tests and temptations? John 10:10- kill, steal & destroy - Make it so hard to be a Christian that we would want to quit- that s way we need the power - We can have 10 miles of this stuff and not grow an inch unless we overcome it with the Word - Otherwise we become victims, door mats and ripped off in life- that s not God s will for us 2 Timothy 3:12, In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. - Persecution, Trials, Tests and Temptations i.e. Paul s thorn: o Please Read: 2 Corinthians 11:22-12:10 - We may have authority over demons, but we don t have authority over people s wills - However, we can bind demons who are energizing people who oppose us - So yes there will be persecution, but let s not get a martyrs complex over it Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. Psalms 5:12 For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Weapons of Our Warfare Ephesians 6:10-12, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12)- It is written - Understanding the blood of Jesus, redemption and the authority of the believer - Power of Prayer and Praise - Living in holiness, walking in love and humility be willing and obedient 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - The battle ground is in the mind o What we hear is what we think on o What we think on is what we will eventually believe o What we believe in our heart is what comes to pass, forms our destiny Luke 8:11-15, This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. - What Satan is after is the incorruptible seed of the Word of God - All his strategies revolve around keeping the Word from us o Either water down the message in churches with the traditions of men o Use the World system to distract us and preoccupy all our time on earthly pursuits o Come against us with trials, tests and temptations; slip back into lukewarm state
Most of this bonus material on demons was taken primarily from Kenneth E. Hagin s Bible Answers to Man s Questions on Demons : Question: Can a Christian have a demon? Answer: There is no such thing as a Christian being demon possessed. To be demon possessed means to be completely taken over spirit, soul, and body by the devil. This was the case with the madman at Gadara in Mark chapter 5. A Christian, on the other hand, can be oppressed. Demon activity concerning Christians will either be in the body or the mind. The Holy Spirit is in our spirit- a demon can t be there - Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and of us- we are spirit beings - A house can have termites in it, but the termites are not in you - Folks have read Matthew 12:43, but this is referring to what happens to unbelievers Matthew 12:43-45, "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." - Moral of the story, get the unbeliever saved or he/she will be 7 times worse off - Yes, Christians can yield unconscientiously to the enemy and be used by him Mark 8:31-33, He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 2 Timothy 2:24-26, And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Question: What are the most important qualifications for success in dealing with devils? Answer: If we know God has planned to use us in a certain way, we can prepare ourselves so we ll be more efficient in that area. We prepare ourselves by fasting and praying, by waiting on God. By meditating in the Word, and by living right. There are two things that are important if we re going to deal with devils: (l) we ve got to live right. If we don t live right, we won t have any confidence and the devil will laugh at us. (2) We have to have boldness, and we can t be bold unless we know our rights and privileges in Christ Jesus. Question: Is alcoholism a demon? Answer: There s no doubt in my mind that alcoholism is a demon. I ve had any number of people tell me, Brother Hagin. When you laid hands on me, an anointing came into me and I was delivered from alcoholism. Robin Williams while in rehab confessed of voices tempting him to drink- just one Question: How do you help someone receive deliverance from smoking? Answer: A man came to me in tears after a night service. He said, Brother Hagin, you haven t condemned me, but my own heart condemns me. I m 63 years old. I ve smoked cigarettes since I was 12. I want to be free. Can you help me? I said, I certainly can. All you have to do is give me permission to do it. He said, I give you permission. I want to be helped. I laid my hand on his shoulder and said, In the Name of Jesus, I break the power of nicotine over your life. And I am going to say this by faith: The next cigarette you smoke will make you sick. Praise God that is just what had happened! Question: Once you ve been delivered, how can you make sure you keep that deliverance? Answer: After a person gets delivered, he needs to change his ways his lifestyle his thinking. Even Christians need to change a lot of times. If you keep on thinking like you were thinking, the devil will come right back. This may sound strange to you, but it s absolutely the truth. Sometimes after people are healed or delivered. I know they will wind up worse than they were to begin with. How do I know? They are still speaking negatively or thinking wrongly. They will wind up in the same mess they were to begin with, or worse. It is a fact that the devil will try to come back. He s here, that s his job. I wish we could get Christians to be as faithful on their jobs as the devil is on his. To stay delivered. People need to read the Bible. They need to depart from evil and do good. They need to walk in close fellowship with God through the Word and through daily prayer. Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.