The demonic is a spiritual reality that the church is commanded to deal with through the authority of Jesus Christ.  By the church, I mean every believer.  Christ, through his death and resurrection, has disarmed the enemy but we are still left to enforce the victory.  My father served in the Pacific during World War II.  He fought in the Philippines and New Guinea. Long after the Japanese signed the papers of surrender, Japanese forces on islands throughout the Pacific continued to fight.  Some fought because they were not aware of their nation’s surrender.  Others fought because they wouldn’t accept the surrender. The victory was won, but still had to be enforced.

When Jehovah brought Israel to the brink of entering Canaan, God told Joshua to get the people ready to cross the Jordan into the land he was about to give them.  He promised that he would give them every place where they set their feet and that no would be able to stand against them as long as they were faithful to God. But…Israel would have to arm themselves, cross the river and engage the enemy in battle.  In heaven the victory was already won, God had already given the land to Israel, and he promised that by the power of God, they would overcome all opposition to their taking possession of the land.  But, there were enemy forces in the land and God expected his people to partner with him in driving out the enemy.

The question could be asked, “Why didn’t God just drive out the hostile tribes with plagues or angelic armies before Israel arrived? Why fight battles that have already been won?  Experiencing the power of God to deliver is a much greater lesson than simply hearing about the power of God to deliver.  It is in the battle that you grow strong and in the victories that your faith increases.  That is true in dealing with the demonic as well.  The victory is settled. The power of God goes before us. But we are called to enter into the battle with full assurance of victory.  To experience the authority of Jesus Christ and the transformation of lives as you command demons makes the reality of the spiritual realm and the power of Jesus Christ undeniable. Every promise of Christ is established that much more firmly in your heart because you have experienced what once you only read about.

Let me list some promises and precedents to underline the victory that believers are called to enforce on the earth today:

Jesus was commissioned by the Father to not only preach the good news but to set captives free.

 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 release for the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed. (Lk. 4:18)

 Jesus has authority over the demonic:

 That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick.  (Mt.8:16)

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto me.  (Mt.28:18)

The Kingdom on earth is manifested by authority over the demonic.

 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. (Mt.12:28)

The Apostles were given authority over the demonic.

 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: … As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.  (Mt. 10:5-8)

Seventy ordinary believers were given authority over the demonic.

 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”  He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.  See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Lk. 10:17-20)

All believers are given authority over the demonic.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; (Mk.16:17)

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.14:12)

We have received the same commission that Jesus was given to preach the gospel and set captives free.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (Jn.20:21)

Having firmed up the promises and precedents for believers having authority, our next Blog will begin to discuss the work of demons and how the believer exercises the authority that has been given to all who follow Jesus.

I would much rather talk about the power and glory of Jesus and the advancing kingdom of God than the kingdom of darkness, but demons are still a spiritual reality that must be dealt with.  I have decided to do a series on the demonic because each of us will face them in our lives and I believe there is a great deal of demonic activity in America and the world today.  The only question is whether we will recognize what we are looking at and will we know what to do if we recognize that demonic spirits are in the mix.

A study of demons is both intriguing and frustrating.  They are simply a given in scripture with little or no explanation of their origins.  They are referenced in both the Old and New Testaments.  The first reference to demons is found in Deuteronomy.

Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God— gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear. (Dt.32:15-17). [Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel who had begun to sacrifice to idols behind which were demonic spirits].

The Psalmist also declared, “But they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols,which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.”  (Ps.106:35-38).

In both references demonic spirits are attached to idol worship.  If we understand prophetic sections of the Old Testament correctly, Satan became proud and jealous and determined that he should be on the throne of heaven rather than Jehovah. It makes sense, then, that demons pose as gods and solicit worship.  Not only would their assignment include drawing people and nations away from the one true God, but surely they would also share the character of the one they serve and desire to be worshipped as he does.

The Old Testament refers to a number of spirits that are also demonic in nature – a lying spirit (2 Chr.18:22), a spirit of jealousy (Num.5:14 ESV), a haughty spirit (Prov.16:18-19), a spirit of heaviness or despair (Isa.61:3), a spirit of prostitution or spiritual adultery (Hos.4:12), and a spirit of perverseness (Isa. 19:14).

In Daniel 10, the curtain is drawn back on the spiritual realm and we see the angel sent in response to Daniel’s prayer engaged in cosmic warfare with the Prince of Persia who is resisting the plans of God.  This demonic spirit is so formidable that Michael, the arc angel, is released into the battle so that the first angel can deliver his message to Daniel. Later in the chapter the Prince of Greece is referenced which seems to be a demonic spirit as well.

So, throughout the Old Testament we see the move of demonic spirits who are opposing the people of God and pushing back against God’s will being done on the earth.  Some seem to be posing spirits who are not of great consequence while others seem to have power and authority in the kingdom of darkness. All of this lines up with Paul’s declaration in Ephesians 6 that the real battle is being waged in spiritual realms.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph.6:12)

Old Testament references to demons are somewhat scattered and vague but in the New Testament, the people of Israel seem to be quite familiar with the demonic.  Jesus, the twelve, the seventy-two and the church engaged in deliverance on a regular (almost daily) basis.  The pattern given to the followers of Jesus to announce the kingdom of heaven was to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse lepers and raise the dead. Many times, those who came to Jesus seemed quite clear about whether a person had a physiological condition or a demon.  Demons manifested in torment, physical conditions that looked like an illness, demonic doctrines taught by men without conscience (1 Tim.4:1-2), and, of course, all kinds of temptation to draw men away from the Father.

In general then, we see that demonic spirits are present throughout scripture.  They are indicated before the flood since every imagination of man was evil all the time (Gen.6:5), as Moses faced the occult practices of Pharaoh’s magicians (Ex. 7:11), during the time of the Law and the Exile and most certainly in the New Testament. We will talk more about how these spirits manifest in men later, but tomorrow we will examine a few of the theories about the origin of these spiritual beings.

As I close the beginning of this study, I want to emphasize that however we understand the demonic, the bottom lines is always, “He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world” (1 Jn.4:4).  Believers who understand who they are in Christ should not fear the demonic; rather the demonic should fear those believers.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Pet. 2:9-10)

We are continuing to look at who we are in Christ and using Peter’s text above as a launching pad.  The Psalmist declares, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. “ Another way of expressing that thought is, “a man lives up (or down) to his view of himself.”  Knowing who you are matters.

Peter says by the inspiration of the Spirit that we are a holy nation.  Those who are in Christ make up a nation whose primary quality is holiness. Holiness comes from the Greek word hagios and is the word from which “saints” or “holy ones” comes in the New Testament.  Although it carries the idea of moral purity it also speaks of something set apart for service unto God.  God has always longed for a people he could call his own who had a heart for him.  He used the same language as he was calling Israel out of Egypt.

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” (Ex.19:5-6)

God communicated his heart for his people with the phrase, “treasured possession.” What we discover from the Old Testament is that a covenant based on law rather than grace is not sufficient to establish the kind of relationship God has always longed for.  God always knew that.  He just wanted us to know that. And so, he called you and me and every Jewish believer into that relationship through a covenant of grace based on the blood of Jesus.

What he wants each of us to know is that we are holy in his eyes. We have been chosen out of the world and set apart for a very special relationship with the Father.  He wants you to know that in his mind, you are very separate from the people of the world who have not accepted Jesus.  It’s not that God doesn’t love those individuals but he chose you and you responded to his call so that you are in a unique relationship with the Father by covenant.  You are his treasured possession. You are viewed by the Father as his personal and very special treasure.  Treasure is interesting.  We seek it, value it, and protect it.  That is what God has done for you.  But we also put treasure on display.   That is also what God does with you.

God’s word says that you are the light of the world. You are a city set on a hill.  You are the salt of the earth. You are a star shining in a dark sky. You are the apple of God’s eye.  We don’t always want to be put on display because we are not sure we want to be seen or inspected by the world.  But…that’s who you are. That’s why we have been encouraged to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.  We are to reflect the Father’s glory to those who see us and he will enable us to do so if that is our heart’s desire.

Let me be a little transparent with you.  I used to think that we, as believers, were loves and treasured as a group rather than as individuals.  I saw myself as just a face in the crowd like fans at an NFL football game when the head coach stepped to the microphone and said, “We love you guys!” Well, I never received that personally and I often thought God loved me in the same way… as a fairly anonymous face in the nation or the church that he loved.  But, a verse in Hebrews 12 changed my mind.

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. (Heb.12:22-23).

In this verse I discovered that “firstborn” is plural.  It could be interpreted “the church of the first born ones.” What the Lord showed me was that each of us has the standing of being a firstborn to the Father. In a sense, each one of us is his favorite.  He knows us, delights in us, and plans great things for us, as any Jewish father would do for his firstborn son.  That’s why we are told that we are co-heirs with Christ. We are not a face in the crowd but we are each a well-worn photo in our Father’s billfold that has been shown to others time after time.  In Isaiah 49, Jehovah tells Zion, his people, that they are “inscribed on the palms of his hands” and that he “delights in his people” (Ps.149:4).

So, then, this is who you are.  You are holy and set apart from the entire world in a covenant relationship with a heavenly Father who views you as his treasured possession.  You are loved as a firstborn son by one who writes your name on the palms of his hands.  You are pursued, valued, protected and often put on display because he delights in you.  You wonder how he could delight in you?  Because he sees the end from the beginning and knows who you will be when he has finished crafting you for you are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus (Eph.2:10). So rejoice today because your Father in heaven is rejoicing over you.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.  Matt.4:23-24

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.  Matt.10:5-8

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. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ 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.”   Luke 10:1, 17-20

Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.   Jn.14:12-14

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.  1 Cor. 12:7-11

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power.  1 Cor.4:20

Notice a pattern.  It is a pattern of power.  Jesus displayed it first.  Preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse lepers, raise the dead. Jesus then delegated power and authority to his twelve apostles. He told them to preach, heal, deliver, cleanse, and raise the dead.  Then he sent out seventy-two ordinary disciples who were told to do the same.  They came back triumphant.

Then Jesus promised that anyone who believes on him would do the works he had been doing and in fact they would do even greater things.  Then the Holy Spirit descended on the church and distributed spiritual gifts to every believer which included gifts that display miraculous power. The power of the kingdom of God was not reserved for Jesus or even for the twelve. It was given to seventy-two others and then to the whole church so that the church might continue to do the works Jesus did and even greater things.

There is no hint in these passages that the power and authority distributed first by Jesus and then by his Spirit would fade to a whimper within a few decades of their inauguration.  Power has always been at the core of the gospel: preach it, then demonstrate it.  That is the pattern. Destroy the works of the devil.  Heal broken hearts.  Return health to diseased bodies. Set people free from every form of bondage.

Why would we ever want less or settle for less? Instead, press in, cry out for more, risk asking for and declaring the miraculous works of God.  Bring Jesus everyone he died for by using every bit of the power and authority he paid for.  For the kingdom is not a matter of words but of power.

Why do some things seem to tumble into place as soon as we pray and others take months or decades or a lifetime?  Is it our intensity in prayer, our faith for God to move mountains, or our personal intimacy with God that makes the difference? At times, each of those elements may factor in.  But often, the same person with the same intensity, the same faith, and the same intimacy finds that some prayers seem to be answered quickly while others take time – sometimes a great deal of time.

Dutch Sheets, in his book Intercessory Prayer (a great read ), suggests one possibility for your consideration.  He speculates that prayer releases the power of the Holy Spirit into situations and that some simply take more power to accomplish than others. I know I could object immediately to that notion since God has all power and he dispenses that power as he chooses. But God only acts in concert with his people on a great number of spiritual playing fields. There are many things God wants to do but holds back until his people pray so that we are “partnering with him” in the work of the kingdom.

I don’t think there is just one answer to our questions about prayer but I think we should consider the possibility that strongholds exist in spiritual realms like walled cities standing against siege weapons.  Some walls are higher and thicker than others.  Some are made of timber like forts on the frontier. Others are made of dirt piled high and others of great stones. Think of prayers as spiritual catapults where we continue to hurl stones at the wall of the enemy where he has established a stronghold in a person’s life, in generations of a family, or in a community.

As we press in and pray, is it possible that we are firing shots at the wall and must continue to bombard the enemy’s stronghold until the wall cracks, then begins to crumble, and then finally collapses sending the enemy scattering into the night? We don’t always know how high or thick the wall is or how long it has been in place when we begin to pray.  We don’t know how skilled and experienced those are who man the walls for the enemy.

Another way to think of this is that prayer is like an energy weapon. We carry power generated by the Holy Spirit. He is responsible for the energy that powers our weapons. But we are responsible to track down the enemy, point, and shoot.  As we point our faith toward a situation and pull the trigger of prayer, the Holy Spirit releases energy into the situation that our heart and prayers are focused on.

So, when we pray, we are assaulting enemy strongholds and when we and the others praying with us have released the power of the Holy Spirit into that situation long enough with faith and fervor, the wall must eventually fall and when it does…we will see the kingdom established quickly in that place and the enemy in wild retreat.  Undoubtedly, many things related to prayer are still a mystery.  However,  we do know that the one in us is greater than the one that is behind the wall.  We do know that the power that overcame hell and raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us.

So, in those moments when you are weary and you wonder if you should continue to pray because you have seen no change – pray again.  Perhaps, the wall is already beginning to crack and crumble.  Perhaps, the next volley will see its collapse and hearts will be opened, bodies healed, and cities transformed.  Remember, Jesus told us that the gates of hell will not prevail against his church.  In Christ, we have the enemy surrounded. Victory is assured. Just keep firing away in the faith that we are more than conquerors in Christ – every time.  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and never give up (Lk.18:1).