This week we want to answer the question, ”How do demons gain access to God’s people?”  After all, we are saved and the Holy Spirit lives in us.  In the first chapter of Job, a somewhat disturbing scene is revealed from the heavenlies.  Satan comes before God after “roaming throughout the earth going back and forth” (Job 1:7).  Satan seems to have been diligently searching for something.  God brings up his servant Job as a model of righteousness and Satan immediately begins to accuse him.  We should not be surprised.  Satan actually means “adversary” and his other primary title, the devil, means the “accuser” or “slanderer.”

We also see that scene played out in the book of Revelation.  Speaking of the devil, we are told, “For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down” (Rev. 12:10).  In the gospel of Luke, Jesus speaking to Peter said, “Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Lk.22:31). We see the same scene in Zechariah 3:1 where Satan is standing before the Lord accusing Joshua the high priest.

These texts present us with a court room scene in which Satan brings accusations against God’s people. He is the adversary or prosecuting attorney who brings accusations in order to gain a legal right to afflict God’s people.  He searches the earth to do so. God, being a just God, must allow him some access if there is a legitimate accusation.   It seems that God does set limits on that access, but Satan procures some access all the same. 

The legitimate question arises of how Satan can find cause against us when our sins have been forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ.  One of the nuances of scripture that is often overlooked is that our sins can be forgiven in heaven while we still face consequences in this life.  

King David is an example of this principle.  After David’s adultery with Bathsheba and after setting her husband Uriah up to be killed in battle, Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin.  The text says, “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own…Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die” (2 Sam. 12:19-14). 

Not only did the child die, but David’s son Absalom attempted to take the throne from his Father, had sex with is father’s concubines on the palace roof, and was killed in battle.  Even though David’s sins were forgiven and his relationship with the Lord restored, there were still the consequences of his actions to be faced.  God walked with David through the consequences of his sin, but he still had to endure them.  Paul restates the principle when he says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8). Consequences are God’s great teachers. When I disciplined my children, I was not angry (usually) and my love had not diminished, but I knew negative consequences were needed to turn them from dangerous or destructive behaviors later.

God is a father.  In Deuteronomy 28, he clearly states that if Israel was careful to keep his commandments, then abundant blessings would follow. In parenting terms, he was reinforcing positive behaviors. They would be blessed in the city and in the country.  Their children would be healthy.  Their crops would flourish.  The rains would come at just the right times.  They would have peace on their borders, etc. But, if they were not careful to keep his commandments, abundant curses would come on them.  In parenting terms, he was extinguishing destructive behaviors with war, drought, disease, famine, miscarriages, etc.  These consequences were designed to turn them back to God so he could forgive their sin and bless them again like the prodigal returning to his father.

In addition, the Lord also said that rebellion and idolatry committed by parents would be visited upon their children to the third and fourth generations (Ex. 20:5). In other words, the unrepented sins of parents would have consequences for their children, grandchildren, and so on.   These are generational curses.  Demons assigned to family lines can be passed on to the next generation so that a child may have a demon assigned to him/her from birth.

When Satan is accusing us before God, he is looking for unrepented sin in our own lives as well as sins in our bloodlines that have not been confessed and renounced.  When he finds those sins, he asks for a legal right to enforce a curse that has been assigned to the sin.  Demonization can be a consequence of sin that has not been dealt with.  In my experience, the sins that lead in this area for believers are unforgiveness, judging others, dabbling in witchcraft, unbelief, sexual sins, abortion, materialism, prejudice, compromise with the culture, etc.   These are sin curses.  When sin goes unrepented, because of his righteousness, God may have to lift his hand of protection and give Satan some level off access.  It may lead to demonization.  In any area of our live where we come into agreement with Satan, we give him authority in our lives. 

A second source of demonization can come through word curses…authoritative words that direct demons to afflict or oppress another individual, an organization, or a nation. The reality of this threat is borne out in Numbers 22 when Balaam (I think a prophet gone bad) is hired to declare a curse over Israel. God takes the curse seriously enough to be being willing to kill Balaam to prevent him from declaring the curse.  Satan can prompt someone to speak a curse over another or even over himself.  If he can gain legal access, he can enforce the curse. Curses can be formalized statements made by witches or warlocks, which is far more prevalent today than you might think. But, they can also be informal statements that express harmful outcomes over another person. These are especially potent if someone speaking a curse has spiritual authority over the target…parents over children, husbands over wives, spiritual leaders over those who follow, etc.  Their authority gives Satan authority to enforce the curse. 

It is true that Solomon declared, “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest” (Prov. 26:2).  But Satan is in the business of finding something that can make the curse “deserved.” During Stalin’s reign of terror in Russia, his chief of police famously said, “Show me the man and I will show you the crime.”  In other words, everyone has something if you look hard enough.

Often these curses are spoken in anger or fear or frustration, but they are spoken all the same.  They may be something like, “I wish you were dead!  I wish you had never been born! You will never amount to anything!  No one will ever love you!  I hope you suffer like I have!  You’re  going to end up in prison just like your father! Etc.  We often speak things like that over ourselves.  These statements can function as curses that Satan is glad to enforce.

James spends a great deal of time talking about the tongue and the call on believers to speak life (blessings) over people and situations and not death (curses).  “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21).  Curses are a real thing and demonization of an individual can occur as a result of spoken words.  It’s important to remember that demonization does not cost us our salvation.  It simply hinders our destiny and our ability to become more like Jesus. 

Demonization occurs when a demon(s) gets a permanent assignment on a person.  He may simply attack through people and circumstances from the outside, but most often the unclean spirit attempts to take up residence within the person and a stronghold is established. That stronghold wages war in our thought life so that our thoughts and our feelings are heavily influenced by the enemy.  That influence is designed to move our hearts further and further from God, to undermine our success, and damage our relationships.  They can even mimic diseases in our lives so that we battle sickness and debilitating conditions for years.  They come to us through unrepented sin in our own life, sins in our family line that have not been dealt with and through word curses spoken over us by others or ourselves.  I will also add that some can find entrance through trauma we have endured  – violence, abuse, molestation, rape, etc.

Next Week – Indicators of demonization and how to break free!

Last week, we discussed the prevalence of deliverance or “casting out demons” in the gospels.  Not only did Jesus minister deliverance to many, he also gave power and authority to others to do the same. Luke reported, “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Lk.9:1-2). Then Jesus sent out others.  “After this the Lord appointed seventy–two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go…The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven’“ (Lk. 10:1, 17-20).  Mark tells us, “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mark 16: 15-18). 

So, deliverance became one of the marks of the New Testament church.  It was ministered by many or even most believers rather than just by Jesus and his apostles. There were two motivations for this deliverance.  One was simply the compassion of Christ and his followers who encountered people in torment.  Out of compassion, they set them free.   Secondly, there was a need to demonstrate the power of Christ over the enemy. In a world of pagan gods, there was no need to convince people of the spiritual realm or the existence of gods. What they wanted to know was whose god was the most powerful. Deliverance demonstrated that Jesus had power and authority over every demon that stood behind the idols they worshipped.  Many people on earth still live in cultures where “gods” abound and they ask the same question.  Deliverance in the name of Jesus answers that question.

However, you might ask if such a demonstration is even needed in a modern, technological world where science is seen as our ultimate savior. The answer is “Yes.” Regardless of bowing the knee to science in America and the west, millions still seek after spiritual experiences outside the Christian faith.  Some pursue New Age enlightenment while others are seeking power in witch’s covens and satanic cults.  Many adopt eastern religions and Eastern practices for healing and meditation that have spiritual components.  Others seek to know the unknown through psychics, mediums, and tarot card readings.  Even Christians dabble in these things looking for something they have not yet found in Christ because the church has not taught them how to hear from God and operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. They seek these experiences because science and sometimes their church is not adequate to answer their personal need or crisis. 

According to scripture, whenever we seek contact in the spiritual realm, outside the covering of Jesus, we invite demonic involvement.  Many who dabble in the occult end up demonized so that part of their life is out of their control and under the control of the enemy.  Many did so before coming to Jesus and bring demonic spirits into the kingdom with them.  They also need to know that Jesus has absolute power over the enemy.

Several years ago, I met a woman who was a Satanic ritual abuse survivor.  At five years old, she was subjected to an incredibly traumatic satanic ritual in the basement of a building that looked like a church.  She knew about Jesus because she had been to Sunday school with her grandmother on many occasions and so in terror she cried out to Jesus.  But that day she was not rescued. After hours of abuse, she was released to go home to her mother with a threat of death if she ever told anyone what had happened to her.  As a teen, she lived a life of drug abuse and promiscuity. As an adult, she battled severe depression and suicidal thoughts.  She still believed in Jesus and even served in her church.  But she also lived a life of fear, believing that Satan was more powerful than God since he had not rescued her rescue that day.  When her depressive episodes became extreme and more frequent, I suggested deliverance to her.  She wanted no part of that because she was terrified of what the demons might do to her or her family. 

Finally, she came to a point of total desperation. She agreed to deliverance.  After an hour or so she had been set free from multiple spirits in the name of Jesus.  This “power encounter” demonstrated the authority of Jesus over the demonic and allowed her to trust God to protect her. That demonstration of power changed her life. I have also talked to and seen interviews with former witches and satanists who had come to Christ because their spells and incantations could not touch true followers of Jesus.  They felt powerless against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So they abandoned the weaker “god” to serve the greater God.  Even today, people need to see and experience the power of Jesus to set them free.  Our idols today may not be made of silver and gold but we have them all the same and behind our idols of power, wealth, fame, and sex, lie demons waiting to take their place in the lives of those who seek these things.

That may be true for satanists and drug addicts and for those who seek dark things, but what about Christians?  Can they be afflicted by demons since they belong to Jesus and the Holy Spirit lives in them?  Many say Christians can’t be demon possessed and so it is a topic of little relevance for the church.  I agree that Christians can’t be possessed because possession implies ownership.  We have been purchased by the blood of Christ, so he possesses us.  But demonization is not possession.  It is oppression, affliction, and even torment but not possession. Most people oppressed or tormented by demons function well in most parts of their lives.  They work, they have families, they go to church, and even lead churches. They seem normal and even happy to those who don’t know their inner life.

But there is a slice of their life they can’t control and that nothing seems to make better.  Counseling, more prayer, more Bible reading, and even medications only seem to make these struggles manageable…but it takes lots of energy and they often succumb to depression, anxiety, fits of rage, pornography, suicidal thoughts, unbelief, persistent feelings of rejection or shame, etc.  When they try to resist their shameful or compulsive thoughts, those thoughts press in even harder.  That is where a demon or demons are operating and injecting thoughts that stir up these harmful emotions. They typically enter through places of emotional brokenness or trauma and then amplify those things.  These are the strongholds” Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 10.  Their goal is to keep believers from fulfilling their destiny in Christ. They hinder, limit, derail, and undermine relationships, success, emotional health and even physical health.  Often these “conditions” have been part of us since childhood so we think they are normal and just our lot in life. These spirits often work in very subtle ways so that no one thinks to look outside the natural realm for solutions.  But spiritual oppressors need spiritual weapons to overcome them.

Scripture does not directly state that believers can be demonized.  Neither does it say they cannot.  However, Paul issues a number of warnings about the enemy’s ability to derail our faith and our destiny and each of those warnings is directed at believers.  See Eph. 6:10-12; 2 Cor. 10:2-5; Rom. 6:15-16; 1 Cor. 10:18-22; Eph. 4:26-27, etc.)  If demons can’t afflict us, then the warnings would be unwarranted. In addition, we have cast out hundreds of demons over the past 20 years and nearly all of those who were delivered were church going believers who had one element in their life that was out of control.  We need churches todays who minister deliverance in healthy and biblical ways because Satan is still active on planet earth and is even more active now as he senses the end is near.

Next Week…What gives demons access to God’s people and how do we remove that access?

Lately, I’ve been feeling led to write a multi-part series on deliverance (casting out demons).  Some believers are very familiar with the theology and practical application of deliverance.  However, the majority of believers in America grew up in church environments where deliverance was never talked about, spiritual warfare only got an honorable mention, and demons were considered essentially fictional in our technological age.  Others may have grown up in churches that believed in deliverance, but they never were trained to minister deliverance or even given a biblical basis for this biblical theme. Still others question whether it is something that is even relevant in the contemporary church or whether Christians could ever be subject to demonic control.  Considering all the differing views and experiences in the American church, I want to present a clear and biblical case for deliverance. I think the topic is not only relevant but essential to the church being all it can be in this season of spiritual warfare.  So…I want to address some questions and some practical considerations for this subject in a multi-part blog over the next few weeks.

As many of you know, I became a follower of Jesus in my college years.  I came into the kingdom through the influence of cessationist churches. What that means is the church I was part of and was discipled by did not believe the Holy Spirit still works in the same way he did in the first century.  They believe that the Holy Spirit still takes up residence in every believe and works to bear his fruit – love, joy, peace, etc. –  but, he no longer imparts supernatural, spiritual gifts to his people – healing, prophecy, tongues, miracles, spiritual discernment, etc. 

Their view is that God no longer intervenes in his people’s lives in supernatural ways but works only through the natural order of things.  In these churches, believers pray for God to influence the surgeon to do his best in some way, but would not pray for direct healing in a person’s body.  They would pray for chemo to be effective, but would never command cancer to leave a person’s body. They believe all the miracles in scripture did happen, but God no longer operates in those ways.  In their view, New Testament miracles were allowed in the first century as evidence that Jesus was the Son of God and that his apostles wrote the New Testament under the inspiration of the Spirit.  Once enough miracles were recorded, those should be sufficient for belief and continuing miracles are not required.  This view, of course does not explain all the miracles in the Old Testament or why believers other than the apostles and those who wrote the New Testament, such as Stephen and Philip, also performed great signs and wonders. It would also not explain why supernatural gifts were given to ordinary members of the church as Paul discussed in 1 Corinthians 12-14. None of these were the Son of God nor did they write any part of the New Testament.

As an adjunct to the cessationist view, they tend to downplay the supernatural all together.  They really don’t talk about demons as a reality in the 21^st century.  If someone reported an angelic visitation, they would be highly skeptical. They believe that God only speaks to his people through the written word and no longer speaks to them directly, so that rules out prophecy and words of knowledge, and so forth.  Those are the things I was taught when I first became a Christian.  God might heal someone directly in response to prayer on very rare occasions, but no one possessed the gift of healing. Miraculous healings were given no credibility.  Prophecy was seen as a deception by the enemy and tongues were simply emotionalism unleashed. Deliverance was simply theater.  These are churches full of great people who love the Lord, but their theological lens keeps them from accessing the power of the Holy Spirit in many circumstances where it is needed.

For most of my ministry years, I was the staff member to whom most people came for counseling. My God-given temperament was wired for counseling and I had a degree in sociology which leaned in that direction.  I went to as many workshops on counseling as possible and did graduate work in that field, but still felt inadequate.  Even Christian counseling conferences taught secular approaches to counseling.  They might add a prayer or some scripture reading to their approach, but they never dipped into the spiritual realm and its influence on us.  I brought my best counseling skills to the table but saw very little dramatic life change in my church.  People did their best to live a moral life and manage their addictions, compulsions, depression, anger, shame, etc. and most made some progress…at least for a while. But many defaulted back to their previous state after a few months or as soon as they found themselves in a crisis or under stress,

I assumed the relapses were because of my inadequate counseling, which I’m sure contributed.  But there was something else that was lacking.  When I read through the New Testament, it seemed that dramatic life change was the expectation not the exception.  Afterall, we are new creations in Christ and are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-12).

Paul speaks of an expectation of change, of putting those lifestyles behind them relatively soon after coming to Jesus, rather than struggling for years to get free from their conditions.  There is no indication that their transformation required professional counseling, the newest drug therapies, or years of twelve-step programs.  I’m not saying those things can’t be helpful. They can. But they tend to help us manage issues rather than getting complete victory over those issues. 

I finally realized what we were lacking was power.  What we were lacking was the ability to deal with not only addictions on a physiological and emotional level, but with spiritual bondage that kept God’s people stuck in the same struggles for years.  According to the gospels, the thing that kept people stuck in torment and bondage, was demonic affliction.

In Isaiah 61, the prophet foretold that Messiah would come to preach good news to the poor, heal broken hearts, and set captives free. When Jesus began his public ministry, he preached good news to the poor, healed broken hearts, and set captives free.  The freedom part came through deliverance which, according to the gospels, was considered a form of healing. In essence, Jesus and his followers preached the good news of the kingdom and then demonstrated it though the power of the Spirit.  That was the New Testament approach to evangelism…not just for Jesus but also for the twelve, the seventy he sent out, and all the other believers empowered by the Spirit.

When God drew me into the ministry of emotional healing and deliverance, I began to see people set free from the things that had kept them in bondage for years.  They were set free in hours or weeks, not decades.  Although I anticipated they would default back to their old conditions after a few weeks or months, they did not. People who had been subject to fear, depression, suicidal thoughts, pornography, shame, even homosexuality for years, were set free and transformed. 

Without the power of the Spirit and the ministry of deliverance, these men and women would still be in bondage to those things that had robbed them of joy and fruitfulness for decades.  Is every issue caused by demonic affliction?  Of course not.  But much more is than we realize.  Paul emphatically stated that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly or spiritual realms ((Eph. 6:12).  He also declared that we cannot wage war as the world wages war but we must fight with divine weapons (2 Cor. 10:4).  Those divine weapons are embodied by the supernatural gifts of the Spirit.

In the gospel of John, Jesus clearly stated, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (Jn. 14:11-12). What had he been doing?  He had been preaching, healing, and casting out demons.  His statement carries an expectation that those who have faith In Jesus will continue his ministry as he had been doing it. It did not seem to give that expectation and shelf-life of a few decades but spoke to those who have faith until he returns.

To fail to do so, is to depart from the New Testament pattern of ministry for the church.  It weakens our ability to evangelize and often leaves our own people in bondage.  I have visited with several people who had gotten involved in witches covens.  They had left the covens because the coven was “going too far.”  I asked them what had prompted them to get involved in witchcraft.  They said their lives had been in turmoil and they had gone to the church for help, but the church could not help them because it had no power.  Witchcraft offered power so they gave themselves to that.  Paul said the kingdom is not a matter of talk, but of power (1 Cor. 4:20).  We owe the world power to overcome the enemy. Deliverance is a primary manifestation of God’s power and his kingdom on this earth.  It is essential to the life of the church.

More next week….

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Rev. 12:11)

In Revelation 12, John spoke of those whose names were written in the book of life. He spoke of the devil, who accuses the brethren both day and night before our God, finally having been cast down. Speaking of the believers around the throne of heaven, he declared they overcame this accuser by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

The Greek word translated as “testimony” is “martyria.”  In this context, it is translated as “testimony,” but in other texts it is translated as “witness.”  Our word martyr is usually associated with those who have died for their faith like Stephen in Acts 6-7.  They did not die because they lived quiet lives of peace and good deeds.  They died because they testified about the truth revealed in God’s word and about righteousness and judgment.  They also declared that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins, was raised on the third day, and ascended to heaven where he now sits at the right hand of the Father as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

“Testimony” is defined as the verbal (or written) evidence of a witness (usually an eyewitness) that something is true. Speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  The word witnesses in this text is also “martyria.” 

Shortly after Jesus ascended, Peter was speaking to the disciples in Jerusalem about another man taking the place of Judas as an apostle.  He said, “Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22). Notice the emphasis on this man being one who personally saw and heard everything from the time Jesus was baptized by John to the resurrection.  The strongest witness is an eyewitness. In Luke’s gospel. He assures us that what he wrote came from eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2).

So how does our testimony enable us to overcome Satan, the accuser of the brethren?  First of all, our personal testimony legally aligns us with Jesus.  When we speak God’s truth and God’s truth about Jesus, we align ourselves with God in the spiritual realm.  Satan is constantly accusing us of missing the mark, rebelling against God, unbelief, and agreeing with Satan.  He takes his accusations into the courts of heaven, seeking a legal right to attack us.  We know we still sin, even as believers, but as we continue to acknowledge Jesus in our lives and declare who he is, his blood continually covers our sin. 

John announced, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). Walking in the light does not mean perfection, but that we are still continuing to seek Jesus, even when we stumble from time to time.  It means our heart is still turned towards him. The word purifies in this passage is a present tense verb which denotes continuous action.  As we seek Jesus, even imperfectly, his blood continually washes away our sins.  Our testimony affirms that we are still seeking Jesus and following him.

Our testimony enables Jesus to intercede for us whenever Satan launches his accusations. Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven” (Mt. 10:32) and John tells us our goal is not to sin, but if any believer does sin, we have an advocate with the father – Jesus Christ the righteous one “ (1 Jn. 2:1). An advocate is one who speaks on our behalf.  Our testimony, then, that Jesus is Lord and Savior, is a powerful weapon in the spiritual realm that disarms the accuser because it enables Jesus to speak on our behalf in the courts of heaven.

Our testimony, however, also requires a personal witness to the truth of who Jesus is.  What is our eyewitness testimony?  What is our personal evidence that what scripture says about Jesus is true?  Not only should we declare what scripture says about Jesus, but we should also be able to share our personal experiences that demonstrate the truth of what scripture declares.

In other words, how have I personally experienced the resurrection, the love of God, the life changing power of Jesus, the freedom I have experienced in Christ, healings I have received, powerfully answered prayers, unexpected provision, prophetic words coming true, the hand of God in my life, supernatural moments of protection, etc.  If you think about scripture, it is filled with stories of God’s provision, protection, and deliverance. The stories are testimonies of how God’s people experienced him and knew he was the true and living God who fulfills every promise.

In addition, our testimonies increase our own faith in God and his son Jesus and contribute to the faith of others.  Paul told the church at Rome, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Rom. 10:9-10). God has designed us so that the more we speak something, the more deeply that truth is written on our hearts.  Not only is it a declaration to men and to the spiritual realm about what we believe and where we stand with Jesus, but it is a declaration to own hearts. 

Personal testimony is essential to a renewed mind.  Our memories, beliefs, emotions, attitudes, perspectives, etc. are stored up in neural pathways in our brains.  These pathways, when stimulated by people, events, and other experiences in our lives, produce our “automatic response” to what is going on.  When the word of God and our experiences with God dominate our neural pathways, then faith, forgiveness, compassion, etc. are our first response to our circumstances.  That is a renewed mind and one of the most powerful ways to establish these neural pathways that possess our first thoughts and feelings is speaking the belief, the truth, the insight, or the experience verbally, as well as writing it and sharing it with others.

In other words, the more we express who God is and our personal experiences with him, the more that truth becomes part of us and Satan’s lies have a diminishing effect. We should give more thought to our testimonies that affirm what scripture says about God is true and that Jesus is alive and at work within us. To do so keeps us aligned with Jesus, enables him to acknowledge us before the Father so his blood can be continually applied to our sin, and deepens our own faith.  It also contributes to the faith of others since what God did for one, he will do for another. And, perhaps, most importantly, our testimonies glorify God which is ultimately the highest calling of man. 

Giving consistent thought to our own testimony about the reality of Jesus helps us see his hand in our lives in all the obvious and not so obvious ways.  I once led a small group in which our opening question was always, “How did you experience God in your life this week?  When we first started, half the group could not identify God’s activity in their lives.  Within weeks, however, they began to notice the hand of God in both big and little ways.  Their faith grew, their joy grew, and their testimony grew.  Remember, we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. Keep your testimony fresh and share it.

In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me. (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

Many people see this passage as primarily a directive for marriage.  Certainly, in the Old Testament, God was very clear that his people were not to marry Gentiles because they would inevitably be drawn into the idolatry and pagan culture of the unbeliever. In fact, that very thing happened on numerous occasions and Israel always suffered for turning their back on Yahweh end embracing other Gods.  Often, they still maintained their temple worship, but intermingled their worship and their sacrifices with pagan Gods.  In Deuteronomy 32:14, the writer clearly says that behind each of these idols and these “false gods” were demons who personally desired worship but also worked night and day to draw God’s people away from Him.

God also commanded his people to avoid making treaties or entering into other kinds of covenants with unbelievers. Moses wrote. “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same” (Ex.34:15-16).

Paul warned the church at Corinth against the same kind of yoking.  Corinth was a city full of idolatry. It housed numerous temples for the worship of Apollo, Aphrodite, Asklepieion, etc. Many of the believers had grown up immersed in idolatry and many still had friends and family that worshipped the pagan gods.  In response to that circumstance, Paul wrote, “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” (1 Cor. 10:18-23)?

The principal is that we are not to enter into covenants, agreements, treaties or, remain in relationships that influence us with those who belong to Satan.  That agreement opens us up not only to his influence but his presence.  We tend to think that the people who belong to Satan are the witches, warlocks, and satanists who actively pursue and serve the enemy.  But according to 2 Corinthians 6, whoever does not have the Spirit of God in them, belongs to the enemy and Satan’s  spirit operates in them.  “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature” (Eph. 2:1-3).

We think in terms of behaviors to determine whether a person is good person or evil.  Behaviors are important, but the best we can offer God still leaves us as wretched sinners when we are compared to his righteousness.  Our righteousness falls far short of any merited salvation (See Isa. 64:6).  Only the righteousness of Christ allows us to stand before God.  The seal of that righteousness is the Holy Spirit living in us.  When that happens, a great gulf is created between us and those who are not in Christ.

Paul compares that difference as light and darkness, Christ and Belial (Satan), the temple of God or the temple of idols, and believers versus unbelievers.  His point is that because of Jesus, we are essentially and vastly different from those who have not named Jesus as Lord. We see the differences in people as a matter of degree, but in the spiritual realm there is a marked, black and white, difference between the two.  You are either a child of God or a child of the devil.  You are either a citizen of the kingdom of God or you belong to the kingdom of darkness.  You are either alive in Christ or dead in your trespasses.  You are saved or lost, forgiven or unforgiven. You have the Spirit of Christ or the spirit of disobedience.

Because of that, God commands us to come out from among them. He is not saying we should isolate ourselves like monks in the desert, or we could never bring people to Jesus or be salt and light in the world.  But we are not to be yoked, tied, or bound to unbelievers. Moses commanded, “Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled. Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together. Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together” (Dt. 22:9-11).

In our culture, Christians frequently marry unbelievers. Sometimes those unbelievers present themselves as Christians because they attend church once in a while, but they have not truly made Jesus Lord of their lives and do not have the Spirit of God in them. In addition, believers often go into business with those who don’t belong to the Lord.  They spend more time with friends of the world than with Christian friends. These binding relationships can not only influence us and draw us away from the Lord but give Satan a legal right to afflict us because we have tied ourselves to those who belong to him. Because God takes unequal yoking seriously so should we.

Jesus declared we should be in the world but not of the world.   We should influence the world for good, but not join with the world in its sinful ways.  Too many times, believers join with unbelievers or casual believers as they partake in the things the world values and promotes. Amos 3:3 says that when we walk together with someone, we have come into agreement with them. Agreement with the enemy also gives him a legal right to afflict us. When Adam and Eve came into agreement with the serpent, they fell under his authority. 

This is a serious enough issue that we need to pray and seek God before entering into covenants, contracts, agreements or influential friendships with others.  The fruit of their lives should clearly display their active relationship with the Lord.  On a practical level, we should also be aware of their maturity in the Lord.  Unequal yoking, even among believers, can also hinder spiritual life. So often I see mature Christian women marry men who are believers, but whose spiritual maturity is far behind theirs and a hunger for God is not really evident. When married, she is forced to be the spiritual leader, not him.  That is not God’s design for marriage. Or a spiritually mature man might marry a lukewarm woman.  If he continues to grow and she does not, they will grow apart and the marriage will suffer. 

Satan attacks us through these unequally yoked relationships so be prayerful and wise before tying yourself to someone else. Even when our heart is to bring an unbeliever to Jesus, be sure you are evangelizing them, rather than them evangelizing you.

In the first century, the synagogue and the Rabbi’s were central to Jewish culture.  I want to quote from an article by Tim Kelly entitled The Dust of the Rabbi regarding those Rabbi’s and their disciples:

According to Ray Vander Laan, Jewish children – both boys and girls – begin their formal study of the Bible at age 5 by attending a Beit Sefer (house of the Book)  that was associated with the local synagogue and taught by a ‘rabbi’ – which was the respectful way of addressing the teacher. 

The teaching focused on the Torah, emphasizing reading, writing, and memorization.  Large portions of the text were memorized, and some students memorized the entire Torah by the time he or she reached the conclusion of their primary education at age 12 or 13.

At this point, a male child was allowed to go to the Temple and participate in the sacrifice of his family’s Passover lamb.  Though he was now expected to learn the family trade, boys who showed exceptional study skills were also allowed to continue their biblical studies in what was called “Beit Midrash”, which roughly means ‘the house of searching’, as in searching for the meaning of the scriptures.

In the Beit Midrash they would continue to memorize scripture while studying the prophets and the writings.  This would continue until about age 18 which is the age when young men were encouraged to begin a family.

Though 18 was the age for marriage, some gifted students were allowed to postpone marriage and continue their studies under a rabbi.  Most students sought to learn under rabbis with an exceptional reputation and whom they believed had a good understanding of the scripture.  Once they found that particular rabbi, they would ask if they could ‘follow’ him.  If the rabbi believed the student would be successful in learning and understanding what would be taught, he agreed to let that student ‘follow’ him and the student would become his disciple.

What we need to understand is that disciples of these Rabbi’s sought out the teacher and, having been evaluated and accepted by the teacher, essentially began to live with him.  They were not just interested in what the Rabbi knew, but actually wanted to learn how he lived. They emulated his dress, his habits, his daily routines, his approach to scripture. the way he prayed, etc.  Typically, this discipleship lasted about twelve years.  If he began at age 18, then by 30 he himself could become a Rabbi.  If the Rabbi was located in a town, his disciples spent as much time with him as possible each day.  If he were an itinerant Rabbi travelling from place to place, they travelled with him. We see that pattern clearly with Jesus.

Here is what was different about Jesus.  He did not establish a school and wait for the best and brightest to come to him.  He actually went after those he wanted to follow him and called them to come.  Clearly, he did not pick the best and brightest scholars from the synagogues.  He picked men from Galilee which was reputed to be the most Torah-illiterate district in Israel.  These were men who had not pursued studies after their initial schooling but had gone on to be fisherman and tax collectors.  They did not follow Jesus for twelve years but only for three.  At many times, they did not seem like promising disciples and on many occasions were sources of great frustration for Jesus.  But that should be a point of great encouragement for us.

In John 15:16, Jesus told his followers, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” We do not have to approach Jesus with a resume, hoping he will accept us.  We do not have to be Bible scholars with well-developed theology. We simply have to be responsive to the call of Jesus and trust him to develop us as he sees fit. We don’t even have to believe in our own potential, because God believes in our potential.  These unlikely disciples of Rabbi Yeshua did not need twelve years of teaching from him because the Holy Spirit would be their teacher.  In many ways, they did not need to be experts in the Law and the prophets because Jesus said the Law and the Prophets were summed up by two things -love God and love your neighbor.  That is what we need to master

Satan loves to make us feel unqualified to be followers of Jesus.  But Jesus has qualified us and he has chosen us.  He sees great things in us that we do not perceive.  He has given us a teacher who will lives with us forever – His Holy Spirit.  Of course, he has given us the written word of God, but he continues to explain it to us by his Spirit.  Our part is to follow Jesus, our Rabbi, daily and to do the things he did which we see on the pages of the gospels.  Our part is to be teachable and obedient.  Our part is to spend time with him in prayer, contemplation, doing his will. and spending time with other believers. When we are 3with other believers he is in our midst (Mt. 18:20).  Our part is to have faith that Jesus has called us to be his disciple…that he wanted us, that he calls us his friend, that we are his workmanship, and we are not accidental or inferior followers. He has a destiny for each of us and will complete the work he has begun in us…if we continue to follow.

Being the disciple of a great Rabbi was a great privilege.  Being called to be a disciple of the greatest Rabbi is the greatest privilege.

One of Satan’s primary strategies against God’s people is accusation.  In fact, he is called “the accuser of the brethren” in Revelation 12.  He is shown to accuse us before God at every opportunity.  He also accuses us through hurtful people in our lives and he accuses us to ourselves in our thought life.

He accuses us in the sense that we often have thoughts that we are not worthy or not qualified for the things God is calling us to.  Perhaps, we have thought of volunteering for some ministry role but have quickly decided we didn’t know enough, weren’t gifted enough, weren’t spiritual enough, or whatever.  We quickly talked ourselves out of saying “yes” to an invitation to serve in an important role or of saying yes to a role that we simply knew was needing to be filled.

Churches often need people to step up and serve in roles they have not served in before – camp counselors, marriage mentors, small group leaders, coordinators, table leaders, etc., but no one steps up because they don’t feel qualified.  At other times, we may feel prompted to talk to someone about Jesus, but that little voice tells us we don’t know enough Bible or we won’t know what to say, or we will embarrass ourselves and Jesus.  At other times, we feel prompted to talk to someone about the destructive direction of their life, but then the voice convinces us that our own life is such a mess, who are we to talk to them about their bad decisions?

The voice of the accuser constantly insists we are not enough, we don’t know enough, we aren’t spiritual enough, and are doomed to fail.  His goal is to limit us, discourage us, and disempower us.   But God has always called the weak, the unlikely, the inexperienced, and the reluctant to greatness. One of my favorites is Gideon.

In Judges 6, Israel was under the boot of Midian.  Because of their rebellion and idolatry, God had lifted his hand of protection and left them to the oppression of their enemies. Because of their suffering, Israel called out to God for deliverance.  God answered and the text says:

“Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:11-13). Then the Lord said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”

The angel of the Lord called Gideon a mighty warrior.  As we read the text, it is clear that is how God saw him, not how Gideon saw himself. In response to God’s call, Gideon described himself as a man whose clan was the weakest in Manasseh and he was the least in his family.  In other words, ”I’m not qualified to be a warrior or a leader.  I’m a nobody.”  There is no indication that Gideon was a leader among his people or that he had any training in warfare.  God just showed up and told him to go deliver Israel from Midian.

It’s important to note that he told Gideon to go “in the strength he had.”  He didn’t tell him to wait until he was ready or until he had years of leadership training.  In essence, he was telling Gideon to go as he was and God would make up for whatever he lacked. 

God most often picks the inexperienced and the uncertain because those men and women are forced to depend on God, not on themselves.  They will listen to him and often use God’s unorthodox methods because they don’t already have their own way of doing what God is calling them to do. In our weakness, God gets the glory.

Another important point this text reveals is that we don’t always have to be full of faith to be used by God. Gideon was cautious. He was uncertain…not about God, but about himself.  He asked for signs to confirm it was God who was talking to him rather than Satan or his own imaginations.  In the same chapter, the angel who had brought the word of the Lord to Gideon, touched an offering Gideon has placed before him with the tip of his staff and it burst into flame as the angel disappeared.  Gideon cried out that he had seen the face of the Lord.  He apparently expected to die, because God immediately spoke to him saying, “Peace. Do not be afraid. You are not going to die” (Jgs. 6:23). 

God’s first command was for Gideon to tear down a nearby altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that was next to it, build a proper altar, and sacrifice a bull to the Lord.   Gideon took some men and went to do as the Lord commanded, but did so at night because “he was afraid of his father and the townspeople.”  So he obeyed the Lord, but he did so in the face of his own fear.  God did not rebuke him.  Gideon was going in the strength he had.  When we feel nervous and insecure as we try to follow God’s leading and his call, the enemy will rush into to rebuke us for a lack of faith.  But God was pleased with is obedience, even though his faith was not fully formed.

After that incident, Gideon asked for another sign that God was truly going to use him to deliver Israel from Midian.  He determined to place a wool fleece on the threshing floor at night.  He asked God to see to it that in the morning the fleece would be soaked with dew and the ground would be dry.  In fact, that is what God did.  But, just to prove this was not meteorological anomaly, he asked God to reverse the procedure the next night.  In the morning the fleece was dry and the ground was soaked. 

Then, as Midian and Israel camped across from one another and the first battle loomed, God said to Gideon, “If you are afraid to attack, go down to their camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying.  Then you will be encouraged.” Again, God took note of Gideon’s insecurity and met his need for encouragement.  As you read Judges 7, you will see the unorthodox strategy that God used to defeat the Midianites. Gideon goes on to be a judge of Israel and grew in confidence as God gave him future victories.

My point is this.  When we sense God’s call on or lives or feel his prompting to let him use us in some way, we need to recall that, in most cases, willingness, even when coupled with fear and insecurity, is all God is asking.  Then he steps in and makes up for our lack.  The adventure of faith is seeing God come through, but we will never see it if we never place ourselves in uncertain situations. 

Don’t let the accusations from the enemy keep you from saying “yes.”  Ask for some kind of confirmation, if you like, that God is calling you to that moment or to that ministry.  God will not be offended because we want to be sure we are following his leading not the leading of the flesh. But don’t let the devil talk you out of your destiny that God established for you before the creation of the world.  Make up your mind.  The next time God calls and we feel totally unqualified, say “yes” anyway.  You will be saying “yes” to God and “no” to Satan.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” Ephesians 3:20

I have served as an associate pastor in conservative, Bible-believing churches for over forty years. Much of my ministry has been devoted to counseling individuals and married couples from my congregation and community. In the first twenty years of ministry, I consistently struggled with two issues in the life of my church and my own life: the level of brokenness in the Body of Christ, even among longtime believers, and the powerlessness I felt on too many occasions to truly help. In counseling sessions, I could accurately identify the issues and give people insights into their struggles, but I had no tools or techniques to reachthe deeply wounded places from which all their destructive behaviors continued to spring. Many of the people I worked with were sincere believers who had been in and out of counselors’ offices for years but had never truly gained victory over their “issues.” Even the Word and prayer could not seem to overcome the brokenness in these individuals, which eventually seeped like toxic waste into their relationships…especially marriages.

Deep inside, I sensed a huge disconnect between what I saw on the pages of the New Testament and what I witnessed in my church. What I saw in Scripture were radically changed lives. I saw the Apostle Paul, miraculously transformed himself, writing to once profoundly broken people in Corinth who then seemed to have been truly set free to grow in Christ.

There was no mention of professional counselors or even “trained therapists” in the church or any expectation that people would need to “manage their issues” over decades. There was no suggestion that addictions required residential programs in mental health facilities followed by years of support group involvement. There was no hint that homosexuals were hopelessly locked into an identity shaped by genetics or that a myriad of psychological and emotional struggles could only be managed with drug therapies. What I saw in Scripture was the Body of Christ and the Holy Spirit doing life together and people being truly set free and transformed.

Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:9–10).

Here Paul lists the same issues that torment us today: sexual immorality, gender confusion, substance abuse, perversions, materialism, criminality, and more. But he declares that through Christ, lives had been changed and identities transformed. Brokenness was relegated to the past, and those believers now walked in newness of life. They were, indeed, new creations. Ragtag fishermen stood before governors as ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven, sleazy tax collectors became radical philanthropists overnight, and the Mary Magdalenes, once demon-possessed, were now fully possessed by God.

For me, there was a great gulf between what I read and what I saw. In my heart, there was always a longing for more. But I had been trained not to expect “more” and if I did see “more,” I was taught to be suspicious. My church’s theology presented a gospel in which God, in an orderly universe, had ceased dispensing miracles and radical-life-change long ago. The pages of the New Testament were full of promises and stories that truly did happen, but only in the days of Jesus and the apostles. I sensed, however, that if you jettison the miracles, you also jettison the power and in doing so, you quench the Holy Spirit and neuter His ministry. I needed that power in my own life just as much as the wounded people I served.

Eventually, God called me out of that fellowship of believers.  These were good people who loved Jesus and loved his word.  But they had essentially been taught to love God, lead a moral life, and do the best they could until Jesus called them home.  But in many cases, they were in bondage to something they couldn’t shake and yearned for “more,” but were not certain what that was.  Numbers of good people left that fellowship as well looking for whatever the “more” was.

I found “the more” when I found the supernatural power of Jesus displayed through his Spirit. I saw people transformed in a few weeks or even in a few hours – truly set free from whatever bondage they had been shackled to…anger, pornography, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and more.  What’s more is that they did not relapse into their old conditions as many do after secular counseling.

Scripture is clear that there is a supernatural realm surrounding us that intersects with our lives every day.  That realm operates on power and authority. Paul declared emphatically that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).  The gospels illustrate encounters not only with angels but also demons.  These unclean spirits torment people in all kinds of ways.  Scripture names many…a spirit of fear, a spirit of heaviness (depression), a spirit of divination (witchcraft), deaf and dumb spirits, spirits of sexual immorality, a spirit of bondage, and more.

Many churches send their members to secular counselors or counselors who are Christians but who have not been trained to deal with the spiritual realm in their counseling.  If an issue has a spiritual root but they do not deal with the spiritual forces of evil, the best they can do is help people manage or cope with their issues, but they will never get real freedom.  I have counseled several believers who were once members of witch’s covens.  When I asked them what drew them to witchcraft, they said their lives were out of control and the church could not help them…so they were drawn to the power they saw in witchcraft.  If they had seen Christ’s power in the church, they would not have run to Satan.

Many believers are looking for “more” in their walk with Jesus.  They don’t know what it is, but they sense something critical is missing.  That missing component is the power and authority of Jesus displayed through his people! Paul said, “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power (1 Cor. 4:20).  In these end times, Satan is and will be ramping up his activities in ways we have never seen before.  Believers who try to withstand the enemy without the power of the Holy Spirit and divine weapons for spiritual warfare, may well be overwhelmed.  If you are looking for “more,” let me encourage you to find a church that believes in and walks in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Be sure there is a good balance of Word and Spirit.  Word without the Spirit is powerless and Spirit without the Word tends to get weird.  But pray and ask God to lead you to that church.  You are going to need it.

During the days when David and his men and were hiding from King Saul, David had been hiding among the Philistines and pretending to be an ally with them against Israel. As the Philistines prepared to go into battle against Saul and his troops, many of the Philistine rulers did not want David to join them for fear that he would actually fight for Israel. So, David and his men were told to return to Ziklag, where their families were waiting.  After a three-day journey, David and his men came home to find disaster waiting for them. 

Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. (1 Sam. 30:1-6).

David and his men were undoubtedly exhausted by the time they reached Ziklag.  They had to be wondering what was happening between the Philistine armies and Israel.  Much of their future seemed to hang on the outcome. If victorious, Saul would still hunt David and his men and would surely have found out David had been with the Philistines.  He and his men would then be branded as traitors along with being marked as outlaws.  If the Philistines won the day, David might find himself out of favor with them and would then be caught in between the two rival nations.  

Exhausted and uncertain about their future, they arrived home to find their city burned and their wives and children gone. In their condition, they felt hopeless and betrayed by David who had led them away from their families, exposing them, and placing them in an intolerable position.  In their exhaustion, fear, hopelessness, and bitterness, they even spoke of stoning David. David was distraught himself, but now also faced the wrath of his men.

The text, however, says that David “strengthened himself in the Lord.”  Satan never shows up when we are fresh, full of faith, and ready for a fight.  He shows up when we are tired, uncertain, and perhaps, feeling betrayed by someone in our lives.  Then he always piles on one more thing that seems crushing in the moment…that “one-thing-after-another” scenario.  Even the best of us can crumble in those moments.

Remember Elijah after facing all the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel.  He had seen God send down fire and in the strength of the Spirit, had killed hundreds of the false prophets. Immediately after his amazing, miraculous victory, he received a message from Jezebel that she would have his head by the next day. This “one-more-thing” sent Elijah into a fit of despair and defeat.  This great man of faith who had just seen God do miracles, crumbled under the weight of her threat.  Even after great victories, we can be spiritually depleted and vulnerable to the threats of the enemy. Elijah needed rest and David needed strength.

So, David strengthened himself in the Lord.  What did that look like for him? I can only speculate, but I think he had to remember that God has assured him of a future that would not end in that moment.  The prophet had declared he would be king.  He was not king yet, so his time was not yet up.  He also must have remembered the victories God had given him before, that seemed impossible…the lion, the bear, the Philistine champion Goliath, the impossible escapes from the hand of Saul, and so on. 

There will be times for all of us that we need to strengthen ourselves in the Lord because Satan will show up when our strength is depleted.  In those moments, when life feels impossible to face, we need to go to God.  We need to remember what he has done for us in the past, remember prophetic words we have received, and refresh ourselves in his promises in the Word and claim them by faith.  We need to call on spiritual family to stand with us and encourage us.  Sometimes we need to rest.  And most importantly, we need to hear from God. 

When Elijah heard Jezebel’s threat, he ran away (1 Kings 19).  God did not rebuke him for his lack of faith but sent angels to minister to him as he hid.  God knows our weakness but works to renew us not to rebuke us.  David sought out the priest and a fresh word from God.  God assured him that if he pursued the Amalekites, God would give him victory. He and his men took strength and encouragement from that word, pursued the Amalekites, and rescued all their wives and children without a single loss.

When Satan shows up, sometimes we need rest and sometimes we need to take action, but both come from pressing into the Lord, hearing his voice, remembering his faithfulness in the past, and standing on a prophetic word he has given us. It comes from finding people of faith who will encourage us so we can borrow a “cup of faith” from them.

Let me encourage you.  When the enemy shows up on your worst day and adds one more thing to your crisis, strengthen yourself in the Lord.  If you are wise, you will already have journaled, underlined, highlighted, and written out your prophetic words to stand on as you lean into the Lord.  We are always encouraged to have a plan when crisis comes…a fire, a blizzard, a tornado, etc. We are told to store up supplies to see us through the emergency…food, blankets, a flashlight, a first aid kit. 

Perhaps, we should do so spiritually.  We should already have in place the very things we will need when trouble comes our way. We will already have a plan of what to remember, his promises to stand on, and people of faith we can call.  God will be there for us to furnish rest or strength to take action.  But, we will need to seek him rather than feeling abandoned by him. That is the promise of scripture.

Not too long ago, I received an email from a mother that speaks to a lot of issues many parents are facing in our culture.  I thought I would share a response that might be helpful to those reading this blog or someone they know. She wrote…

Pastor Tom….My son is a young teenager, and he’s dealing with a lot of things. He’s been depressed, had more than one suicide attempts, he’s doing drugs, he’s very angry. He’s seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist and they’re throwing around some diagnoses that don’t seem to be affective or on target. I believe the issue is 100% spiritual warfare, demonic oppression… all that stuff. He was telling me that at one point not too long ago he had made a decision to actually follow Satan. I know that that can bring a lot of things spiritually into his life. He isn’t able to say, Jesus is Lord and Savior even though in the past, he’s told me that was the case. He says when he reads the Bible, he just gets angry and it makes him want to do things like cutting and doing self-destructive things. I definitely believe that mental illness is real, but I also believe that there’s a spiritual component here. My question is because, he’s not really willing to participate in any kind of like deliverance, how do I do that for my kid?

First, let me say that we have had many parents over the years express concerns that their children were being demonized and wondered what to so since the children were too young to make their own declarations or were unwilling to do so.  Demonization of children is not new.  

Mark tells us, “A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So, they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:17-23). 

Demons can enter children several ways.  They may come in through bloodlines from ancestors who have lived and died in sin without repentance.  This seems to be especially true when those ancestors were involved in sexual immorality, witchcraft and false worship, violence and severe trauma.  We see depression, anger, self-destructive behaviors including suicide attempts, etc. that often have come down through bloodlines. “Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children down to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 20:5).

They can also enter older children and especially teens when they have participated in witchcraft…psychic readings, video games with elements of witchcraft, pornography, seances at sleepovers, Ouija boards, etc. or when they have been exposed to their own trauma through abuse, the death of a parent or sibling, violence, or even scary movies. It is not uncommon that friends have introduced them to these things.

If you suspect or know that your child is under the influence of demons, here are a few responses to that situation.

As the parent, you have spiritual authority over your children.  Therefore, you can command demons to leave without your child having to make the declarations for themselves.  You can do so as they sleep which is best for small children. Authority does not have to be loud.  It simply needs to be firm and spoken by someone who knows they have authority.

You can do so with your older children and teens if they are open to it. You can do so in your teens room when they are not present, if that is necessary.  Be sure to anoint their rooms with oil and command any spirits in the room to leave and never return. 

Take an inventory of your child’s room and iphone or ipad.  Are there any objects, games, videos, magazines, music, posters, websites, etc., that glorify violence, witchcraft, new age activities, eastern religions, and so forth? These invite demonic spirits into your child’s space and, perhaps, into your child.  Take note of gifts that may have come from friends or family members who dabble in the occult or new age activities.  Sometimes demons come attached to objects that have been prayed over or blessed by those who serve false gods.  If you find them, you may need to remove them from the house.

If you are aware of generational sin that may have come through you to your child, you must acknowledge the sins of your ancestors, repent of the sin on behalf of your bloodline, and renounce them before commanding any spirits to leave. Always tell them to leave immediately and never return. 

If a child or teen has entered into some promise or covenant with Satan or some spirit other than the Holy Spirit, that covenant needs to be nullified. That covenant will give the enemy entrance to your child as long as it is allowed. However, in the same way that a twelve-year-old cannot legally enter into a contract without your involvement, that child cannot enter into a covenant with Satan without your involvement.  Therefore, by your authority as a parent and as a follower of Jesus, you can renounce the covenant and nullify it by the authority of Jesus and your authority as a parent.

Here is a sample declaration of how you might break any covenants made by your child with the enemy either because they were upset, angry or thought they were simply playing games. 

On behalf of my child, over whom God has given me spiritual authority, and in the name of Jesus, I declare that Elohim – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is the only true and living God and I totally surrender myself and my child to his Lordship. I renounce Satan and all the works of Satan.  I renounce all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God and the evil powers of this world that corrupt and destroy those God has created. I repent of and renounce all sinful desires that draw me and my child away from God. In the name of Jesus, I repent of and renounce any promises, covenants, agreements, dedications, or allegiances with Satan that were established by my child or spoken over my child by someone else. 

I plead the blood of Jesus over my bloodline and my child for forgiveness and repent of and renounce any agreements with Satan on his/her behalf. In the name of Jesus and by his authority, I declare all promises, covenants, agreements, dedications, and allegiances nullified and made void by the all-encompassing authority of Jesus Christ. By the authority of Christ and the sword of the Spirit, I sever myself and my child from all such covenants, agreements, or dedications and declare he/she is set free to serve Jesus alone.

In the name of Jesus, I also break and remove any and every seal of Satan that may have been established over him and declare that he is set free from these seals by the blood of Christ and the sword of the Spirit.  Amen.

You will need to make this declaration before you command any spirits of witchcraft to leave.  You may have to do all this several times over a period of days to break these demonic strongholds.   

Ultimately, our children need to know the dangers of crossing into enemy territory in the spiritual realm, but need to know more the power and authority that Jesus wields on behalf of his people. Children rarely can measure the consequences of their actions and will do and say and participate in things that seem fun or risky simply for the excitement or novelty.  That is part of immaturity, but we still need to teach and model spiritual awareness and the power and love of Jesus Christ in our lives.  From their earliest years they simply need to know…Jesus good.  Satan bad.