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Details about Demons :
1 Cor 10:20-22 (NIV) ... 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?
Of the causes mentioned in Scripture of
God, the world, the flesh, the devil, each
Christian sect seems to focus on one and
ignore the others. Some groups have made an
industry of casting out imaginary demons,
while accommodating the flesh and embracing
the world. Other groups deny any real
influence of demons.
We must dwell in the full revelation of
God, and 1) not believe that every problem
is due to the devil, and 2) agree with God
that demons are real forces to be dealt
with.
Poison Candy
Satan offers us instant gratification
with demonic "enhancement": You can be
"spiritual"... You can be "wise"... You can
be "attractive"... You can have "fun"... You
can "cope"... As soon as we've been lured
in, satisfaction becomes ever more elusive,
and death is the sure result. God gives
everlasting power to those who wait upon Him
to perform what He has promised. What we
receive through faith will last forever.
Satan gives temporary power to those who
believe his lies. He becomes their "father",
and they become his possession. Are we
taking the bait, or holding out for the real
thing?
2 Cor 6:14-17 (NIV) ... For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common?
Or what fellowship can light have with
darkness? What harmony is there between
Christ and Belial [Satan]? What does a
believer have in common with an unbeliever?
What agreement is there between the temple
of God and idols? For we are the temple of
the living God. As God has said: "I will
live with them and walk among them, and I
will be their God, and they will be my
people. Therefore come out from them and be
separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean
thing, and I will receive you."
A Sophisticated Ministry?
Mark 6:7 (NIV) Calling the twelve to him,
he sent them out two by two and gave them
authority over evil spirits.
Mat 10:8 (NIV) "Heal the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive
out demons. Freely you have received, freely
give."
Luke 10:17 (NIV) The seventy-two returned
with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons
submit to us in your name."
Mark 1:27 (NIV) The people were all so
amazed that they asked each other, "What
is this? A new teaching--and with
authority! He even gives orders to evil
spirits and they obey him."
Christ spent much of His ministry
casting out demons. This did not go over
well with the religious establishment of the
day (Mark 3:22). Blindness is often
preferred to being "set free indeed". Then,
as now, our naturalistic religious beliefs
are offended. "What evil spirits?"
Had we been there, maybe we could have
pulled Christ aside and said, "This man is
obviously an epileptic. There's no reason to
look for 'spiritual' causes. Let's just send
him to a specialist." Or, "C'mon Jesus, it's
just a habit, an eccentricity--a talent, a
'gift'. There's no need to see a demon in
every tree." Are we wiser than God? Perhaps
we need to repent of our blindness, and gain
real insight into the nature of things.
Satan's power is predicated on human
belief in lies. The Truth will set us free
indeed.
Mark 1:26 (NIV) The evil spirit shook the
man violently and came out of him with a
shriek.
Luke 9:42 (NIV) Even while the boy was
coming, the demon threw him to the ground in
a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil
spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to
his father.
Acts 8:7 (NIV) With shrieks, evil spirits
came out of many...
Luke 4:33,35 (NIV) In the synagogue there
was a man possessed by a demon, an evil
spirit. He cried out at the top of his
voice... "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly.
"Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the
man down before them all and came out
without injuring him.
"Possessed"?
Rom 6:12-13 (Phi) Do not, then, allow sin
to establish any power over your
mortal bodies in making you give way to your
lusts. Nor hand over your bodily parts to
be, as it were, weapons of evil for the
devil's purposes. But, like men rescued from
certain death, put yourselves in God's hands
as weapons of good for his own purposes.
In Scripture, the idea of possession is
used in a wider sense than just demon
possession. Possession has to do with
captivity, mastery, or obedience. We are
spoken of as being "possessed" by God if we
obey Him, and "possessed" by the powers of
darkness if we sin. Advanced cases of being
"taken captive" by Satan result in
involuntary behavior termed
"possession". But this kind of "possession"
is often entered into gradually and
willfully...
Rom 6:16 (Phi) You "belong" to the power
you choose to obey... (Ps 106:39)
For Christians, our souls are
"sealed" until the day of our complete
redemption, but our bodies can be
commandeered by Satan, taken captive to do
his will in a particular moment. To be sure,
it is not the same for us as it is with the
unregenerate, for we have a choice in the
matter. We have the experiential option to
hand our bodies over (Rom 6:12-22)--like
chess pieces--to either God or Satan in
the great cosmic battle.
Rom 6:16 (NEB) ... if you put yourselves
at the disposal of a master, to obey him,
you are slaves of the master whom you obey;
and this is true whether you serve sin, with
death as its result; or obedience, with
righteousness as its result.
2 Pet 2:19 (Jer) ... if anyone lets
himself be dominated by anything, he is a
slave to it...
Been Had?
1 Cor 6:19-20 (TEB) ...You do not belong
to yourselves but to God; he bought you for
a price. So use your bodies for God's glory.
Eph 4:27 (NIV) ... Do not give the devil
a foothold.
Malachi Martin, in Hostage to the
Devil makes the point that what we term
"possessions" are really "partial
possessions". Even in extreme cases such as
the man of the Gadarenes (Luke 8:26-39),
there is still a core soul that has
not been completely subdued, even if the
body is routinely "seized by" demons.
To fit our theology, we can substitute
words like "oppressed" versus "possessed"
and "strongholds", etc., but the issue is a
matter of the heart, a matter of who is
our master, not of words. Do we long
for the thrills that demons can give us
through sin, or is our heart inclined to
obey God?
The Pathology of Captivity
2 Chr 6:36 (NIV) "When they sin against
you [God]--for there is no one who does not
sin--you become angry with them and give
them over to the enemy, who takes them
captive..."
1 Kings 8:46-50 (NRS) "If they sin
against you--for there is no one who does
not sin--... you give them to an enemy, so
that they are carried away captive... yet if
they come to their senses... and repent, and
plead with you in the land of their captors,
saying, 'We have sinned... if they repent
with all their heart and soul... then hear
in heaven... and forgive your people...
Jud 2:14 (NIV) ...The Lord handed them
[His people] over to raiders who plundered
them. He sold them to their enemies all
around, whom they were no longer able to
resist.
Neh 9:27,33,36 (NIV) So you handed them
[the chosen people] over to their enemies,
who oppressed them. But when they were
oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven
you heard them, and in your great compassion
you gave them deliverers, who rescued them
from the hand of their enemies... In all
that has happened to us, you have been just;
you have acted faithfully, while we did
wrong... But see, we are slaves today,
slaves in the land you gave our
forefathers...
Ps 106:40-41 (NIV) Therefore the Lord was
angry with his people... He handed them over
to the nations, and their foes ruled over
them. Their enemies oppressed them and
subjected them to their power.
God has told us that He will give us
over to "captivity" if we continue to sin,
and has given us example after example of
this throughout history. So, when Paul says:
Eph 4:26-27 (Jer) Never let the sun set
on your anger or else you will give the
devil a foothold.
Eph 4:27 (NAS) ...do not give the devil
an opportunity.
Eph 4:27 (NRS) ...do not make room for
the devil.
... he is not stating a new spiritual
principle or insight. Paul is only offering
a specific instance of the general principal
that when God's people continue in sin, He
gives them over to an enemy. Yet many in
today's church completely deny even the
possibility of this biblical, spiritual
dynamic. They are "just sure" this could not
happen, even when it does. There appears to
be a massive POW cover-up campaign going on.
People are "captive to sin" of the most
outrageous sort, and yet few rescue missions
are attempted, and even fewer are welcomed
by the captives.
1 Cor 11:11-12 (Phi) Now these things
which happened to our ancestors are
illustrations of the way in which God works,
and they were written down to be a warning
to us who are living in the final days of
the present order. So let the man who feels
sure of his standing be careful that he does
not fall tomorrow.
1 Tim 4:1 (TEB) The Spirit says clearly
that some men will abandon the faith in
later times; they will obey lying
spirits and follow the teachings of demons.
2 Pet 2:12,19 (RSV) But these, like
irrational animals, creatures of instinct,
born to be caught and killed,
reviling in matters of which they are
ignorant, will be destroyed in the same
corruption with them... They... themselves
are slaves of corruption; for whatever
overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved.
The Parable of The Bear Trap
2 Tim 2:26 (NIV) 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.
Imagine a man caught in a bear trap. He
cannot get the proper angle to separate the
steel jaws himself, he needs help.
Suppose he then sees his friend approaching
through the trees, and feels terribly
embarrassed to have gotten into this
predicament, so he tries to duck down and
hide. But his friend has already seen him,
so the hapless captive decides to straighten
up and to strike a pose as if he were
standing there on purpose. His friend,
approaching, says, "Where have you been?
We've missed you. Is anything wrong?" "Oh,
no. Nothing at all." The captive man smiles
the best he can through the pain and hopes
that his friend will go away, so that he can
get back to the hopeless struggle of trying
to free himself. But the friend has noticed
the trap and is already prying the jaws
open. "You nut!" the friend says, "Why
didn't you call out for help? Why did you
try to hide from me and then to hide the
problem? Come, you are free now--it
was easy for me, and the pain will go away
soon. Be more careful in the future not to
wander into dangerous territory alone... and
learn something about the nutty thoughts
that go through the heads of those who have
stumbled into bear traps."
2 Tim 2:25-26 (Jer) So that they may
recognize the truth and come to their
senses, once out of the trap where the devil
caught them and kept them enslaved.
Col 2:8 (NIV) See to it that no one takes
you captive through hollow and
deceptive philosophy, which depends on human
tradition and the basic principles of this
world rather than on Christ.
Setting The Captives Free
Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) [Jesus] "The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed
me to preach good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight to the
blind, to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Eph 4:8 (Phi) Thus the scripture says:
"When he ascended on high, he led captivity
captive..."
Scott Peck: [with
apologies, but here I think him correct]
"The whole purpose of an exorcism is to
uncover and isolate the demonic within the
patient so that it can be expelled... The
first and usually the longest stage of an
exorcism is the "Pretense"...[where] the
demon hides within and behind the person.
For the exorcism to occur, the Pretense must
be broken; the demonic must be uncovered and
brought out into the open."
Isa 42:7 (NIV) to open eyes that are
blind, to free captives from prison and to
release from the dungeon those who sit in
darkness.
Isa 49:9 (NIV) "... to say to the
captives, 'Come out,' and to those in
darkness 'Be free!'"
Ps 142:7 (NAS) "Bring my soul out of
prison, so that I may give thanks to Thy
name; the righteous will surround me, for
thou wilt deal bountifully with me."
Rambo Versus The Captivity Of 1) Will,
2) Terminology, and 3) Complacency
Imagine Rambo going on a mission behind
enemy lines to rescue a prisoner of war.
After much trouble, he bursts into the
prisoner's cell and says, "I'm here to set
you free from the possession of the enemy.
I'll protect you on the dangerous trip out.
Come on, let's go--quickly!"
Consider the following nutty responses
from the POW:
- "It's O.K., really, I'm not a
captive; I choose to be here."
- "I have a sealed US passport and I
have America in my heart. Just what do
you mean by saying I'm "possessed" by
the enemy? Perhaps I'm merely
"oppressed" and don't need a rescue!"
- "What's with this superior attitude,
Rambo? I was coping fine, and who knows
but what things might get better
gradually. If I go with you, I could be
killed in just a few minutes."
John 8:31-34,36 (NIV) To the Jews who had
believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my
teaching, you are really my disciples. Then
you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free." They answered him,
"We are Abraham's descendants and have never
been slaves of anyone.[???] How can you say
that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied,
"I tell you the truth, anyone who sins is a
slave to sin... So if the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed."
Now imagine that the POW was rescued and
struggled out with Rambo to safety, and then
afterwards willfully returned to
the same bondage, walking right back into
the same captivity. Would not the enemy see
to it that this POW was put to even greater
bondage? (Luke 11:24-26)
Scott Peck: "Ultimately it is the
patient herself or himself who is the
exorcist."
Why Take A Chance With Your Life?
Scripture does not instruct us to ignore
demons, or expect that they will go away
gradually, or to "train" them into
obedience. We are told to cast them out.
It is not enough to have demons temporarily
retreat when they have been noticed: A
sleeping dog may wake up presently and maul
its victim. No negotiations should be made.
No arguments are worthwhile. No distractions
allowed. No delays granted. Demons must be
cast out, repented of and totally
renounced; and they will not go if they
can hide, argue, negotiate, distract, or
deceive. And they won't stay gone if desired
again...
Why take the risk? If you suspect
demonic activity what could it hurt
to ask someone to pray with you to be
completely set free. Christ granted
us nothing less than this power. Why wait?
It is no shame to be delivered, but it
is a shame to remain in bondage.
The Last Will Be First
Luke 8:2 (NIV) and also some women who
had been cured of evil spirits and diseases:
Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven
demons had come out;
Mark 16:9 (NIV) When Jesus rose early on
the first day of the week, he appeared first
to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven
seven demons.
THE STORY OF THE LITTLE RED
LIZARD by C.S. Lewis from The
Great Divorce:
[A dream where
residents of hell (sort of) have taken a
bus ride into the foothills of heaven
(or something close to it) to "check it
out", criticize, argue, return--or
perhaps stay and become like "angels".
Our narrator stumbles onto the following
scene.]
... I saw coming towards us a Ghost [a
visitor from "hell"] who carried
something on his shoulder. Like all the
Ghosts, he was insubstantial, but they
differed from one another as smokes differ.
Some had been whitish; this one was dark and
oily.
What sat on his shoulder was a little
red lizard, and it was twitching its
tail like a whip and whispering things in
his ear. As we caught site of him he turned
his head to the reptile with a snarl of
impatience.
"Shut up, I tell you!" he said. It wagged
its tail and continued to whisper to him. He
ceased snarling, and presently began to
smile. Then he turned and started to limp
westward, away from the mountains
["heaven"].
"Off so soon?" said a voice. The speaker
was more or less human in shape but larger
than a man, and so bright that I could
hardly look at him. His presence smote on my
eyes and on my body too (for there was heat
coming from him as well as light) like the
morning sun at the beginning of a tyrannous
summer day.
"Yes. I'm off," said the Ghost. "Thanks
for all your hospitality. But it's no good,
you see. I told this little chap," (here he
indicated the lizard), "that he'd have to be
quiet if he came--which he insisted on
doing. Of course his stuff won't do here: I
realize that. But he won't stop. I shall
just have to go home."
"Would you like me to make him quiet?"
said the flaming Spirit--an angel, as I now
understood.
"Of course I would," said the Ghost.
"Then I will kill him," said the Angel,
taking a step forward.
"Oh--ah--look out! You're burning me.
Keep away," said the Ghost, retreating.
"Don't you want him killed?"
"You didn't say anything about
killing him at first. I hardly meant to
bother you with anything so drastic as
that."
"It's the only way," said the Angel,
whose burning hands were now very close to
the lizard. "Shall I kill it?"
"Well, that's a further question. I'm
quite open to consider it, but it's a new
point, isn't it? I mean, for the moment I
was only thinking about silencing it because
up here--well, it's so damned embarrassing."
"May I kill it?"
"Well, there is time to discuss that
later."
"There is no time. May I kill it?"
"Please, I never meant to be such a
nuisance. Please--really--don't bother.
Look! It's gone to sleep of it's own accord.
I'm sure it'll be all right now. Thanks ever
so much."
"May I kill it?"
"Honestly, I don't think there's the
slightest necessity for that. I'm sure I
shall be able to keep it in order now. I
think the gradual process would be far
better than killing it."
"The gradual process is of no use at
all."
"Don't you think so? Well, I'll think
over what you've said very carefully. I
honestly will. In fact I'd let you kill it
now, but as a matter of fact I'm not feeling
frightfully well today. It would be silly to
do it now. I'd need to be in good
health for the operation. Some other day,
perhaps."
"There is no other day. All days are
present now."
"Get back! You're burning me. How can I
tell you to kill it? You'd kill me
if you did."
"It is not so."
"Why, you're hurting me now."
"I never said it wouldn't hurt you, I
said it wouldn't kill you."
"Oh, I know. You think I'm a coward. But
it isn't that. Really it isn't. I say! Let
me run back by tonight's bus and get an
opinion from my own doctor. I'll come again
the first moment I can."
"This moment contains all moments."
"Why are you torturing me? You are
jeering at me. How can I let you
tear me to pieces? If you wanted to help me,
why didn't you kill the damned thing without
asking me--before I knew? It would be all
over by now if you had."
"I cannot kill it against your will. It
is impossible. Have I your permission?"
The Angel's hands were almost closed on
the Lizard, but not quite. Then the Lizard
began chattering to the Ghost so loud that
even I could hear what it was saying.
"Be careful," it said. "He can do what he
says. He can kill me. One fatal word from
you and he will! Then you'll be
without me for ever and ever. It's not
natural. How could you live? You'd only be a
sort of ghost, not a real man as you are
now. He doesn't understand. It may be
natural for him, but it isn't for us. Yes,
yes. I know there are no real pleasures now,
only dreams. But aren't they better than
nothing? And I'll be so good. I admit I've
sometimes gone too far in the past, but I
promise I won't do it again. I'll give you
nothing but really nice dreams--all sweet
and fresh and almost innocent..."
"Have I your permission?" said the Angel
to the Ghost.
"I know it will kill me."
"It won't. But supposing it did?"
"You're right. It would be better to be
dead than to live with this creature."
"Then I may?"
"Damn and blast you! Go on, can't you?
Get it over. Do what you like," bellowed the
Ghost: but ended, whimpering, "God help me.
God help me."
Next moment the Ghost gave a scream of
agony such as I never heard on Earth. The
Burning One closed his crimson grip on the
reptile: twisted it, while it bit and
writhed, and then flung it, broken backed,
on the turf.
"Ow! That's done for me," gasped the
Ghost, reeling backwards.
For a moment I could make out nothing
distinctly. Then I saw, between me and the
nearest bush, unmistakably solid but growing
every moment solider, the upper arm and the
shoulder of a man. Then, brighter and still
stronger, the legs and hands. The neck and
golden head materialized while I watched...
the actual completing of a man--an immense
man, naked, not much smaller than the
Angel...
While I still watched, I noticed that the
whole plain and forest were shaking with a
sound which in our world would be to large
to hear, but there I could take it with joy.
I know it was not the Solid People who were
singing. It was the voice of that earth,
those woods and those waters. A strange
archaic, inorganic noise, that came from all
directions at once... It sang,
"The Master says to our master, Come
up. Share my rest and splendor till all
natures that were your enemies become slaves
to dance before you... "
"From beyond all place and time, out of
the very Place, authority will be given you:
the strengths that once opposed you shall be
obedient fire in your blood and heavenly
thunder in your voice."
"Overcome us that, so overcome, we may be
ourselves: we desire the beginning of your
reign as we desire dawn and dew, wetness at
the birth of light."
Reflection and Repentance Worksheet
This worksheet will not be used in any
formal exercise later in the study, and
is simply meant to assist you in thinking
about areas of your life that you may have
been "taken captive" by the forces of
darkness. What you do with it is up to you.
Please remember that not all problems
can be attributed to demons. But until
the day when the church is discerning enough
to confidently and correctly identify demons
in people like Jesus did, the best judge of
demonic activity in your life... is probably
you.
If you suspect you may have been "had" by
demons, it is recommended that you: 1) seek
prayer on your own initiative, 2) confess
and renounce all activity that led to such a
state, and 3) repent and turn to God--do not
dream of how "good the food was in Egypt"
(Num 11:4-6), but partake of the heavenly
bread and wait upon the Lord by faith.
1 Cor 10:20b (RSV) I do not want you to
be partners with demons.
1) Are there any serious,
predominant moral problems in your
family line? (Things like:
substance abuse, infidelity, suicide,
bigotry, violence, perversion, pride, lying,
etc.)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2) In the past, have you ever felt "superhuman"
talent or capability that led you
away from God? (Things like:
seductiveness, manipulation, brilliance,
ability to lie, witchcraft, spiritual
guides, etc.)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
3) Are there recurring, destructive
modes you go into,
way beyond normal temptation, that
you cannot pull out of? (Things such as:
fits of rage, bitterness, paranoia,
self-pity, sexual lust, gossiping, spending
binges, etc.)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2 Cor 6:17 (NIV) ... Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.
Rom 12:1-2 (Wey) I plead with you
therefore, brethren, by the compassions of
God, to present all your faculties to Him as
a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to
Him. This with you will be an act of
reasonable worship. And do not follow the
customs of the present age, but be
transformed by the entire renewal of your
minds, so that you may learn by experience
what God's will is--that will which is good
and beautiful and perfect.
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