I meet with a small group of men on Thursday mornings each week who have a great desire to see lives changed and people set free and healed by the power of the Holy Spirit. On occasion, we discuss the reality that as we pray, some people are healed and some are not. The question of “Why?” always surfaces in those conversations. Is it them or is it us or is it something else?  Of course we recognize that faith has a great part in healing prayer…sometimes it is the faith of those for whom we pray and sometimes it is our own faith as we pray.

A look at the gospels gives no hard and fast formula for prayers that heal and prayers that don’t. We know that Jesus could not heal many in Nazareth because there was such little faith in the people for healing. “Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith” (Lk.6:4-6).

And yet, at other times he healed those who had very little idea, if any, of who he was. The lame man at the pool of Bethesda seemed to have no idea about the healing that was coming his way and yet he stood and walked after being an invalid for 38 years (Jn.5).  The man born blind, who was given sight in John 9, seems also to have had very little information about the man called Jesus. At times, Jesus responded to faith with a miracle and at other times he imparted faith through a miracle.

As we pray for people to be healed we notice that some who are healed have little understanding of healing and a minimal relationship with Jesus while other spiritually mature individuals who love Jesus and believe his power to heal are not healed. There is still a great deal of mystery regarding healing and those who pray for it must be willing to live with that mystery.

But there is another element that seems to affect our prayers for healing as well.  That is the element of compassion for the one who is receiving prayer.  Both the Old and New Testament reveal God as a God of compassion (mercy, pity).  If you chase the word “compassion” through a concordance, the O.T. references to it as a quality of God far outweigh the references to compassion as a quality of men.  It’s almost as if that quality is such a godly quality that it is rare to find among men.

As you track the references about compassion into the New Testament, we often find it attached to Jesus.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Mt.9:35-36)

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Mt.14:14).

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” (Mt.15:32)

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. (Mt.20:34)

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean.” (Mk.1:41).

There are more references, but you get the point.  God – whether Father, Son or Spirit – is often moved to act on behalf of men by the quality of compassion. The word is also translated as mercy, pity, his heart went out to someone, etc.  Suffering is not an academic subject for God.  His heart truly is truly when he sees the suffering of his people. On numerous occasions those who were suffering asked for mercy or pity from Jesus for healing and deliverance and he healed and delivered.

What about our prayers for suffering people who need healing, deliverance, salvation, provision, and so forth?  How often do we actually pray out of duty or approach people as it they were a spiritual project? Sometimes, in one group I’m part of, we each pray to receive a word of knowledge from God about someone he wants to heal and when we get a leading we go into the community to find the person God has directed us to and we pray for their healing – usually at places like Lowes or Wal-Mart or Starbucks (my preferred word of knowledge).  But, if I’m honest, at times I am more concerned about seeing the healing than I am the actual suffering of the person.

I have talked a lot in this blog about power flowing through us as we align ourselves with God. I am convinced that before we pray, we need to spend a minute or two aligning our hearts with the heart of God for that person.  We need to ask the Spirit to give us the compassion of Christ for the individual for whom we are about to pray.  Since compassion is clearly a godly quality, and God is clearly moved by compassion, then it stands to reason that our genuine compassion for another, like faith, will also stir the heart of the Father.

Many of us who pray for a lot of people, including strangers, can pray simply as an expression of obedience or for the Father’s approval or to grow in our willingness to take risks. None of those motives are bad in themselves but the far greater motive is love and out of love flows compassion. I’m certain that matching the Father’s heart is a great key to seeing heaven move in response to our prayers or our commands. In the midst of Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts, including healings and miracles, he drops in a whole chapter about motivations for exercising those gifts.  Of course, the motivation he called for was love (1 Cor.13).  Before I pray, I need to check my heart to discern my motivation for praying.  If it is not love or compassion for the scared or hurting person standing before me, I’m sure I need to realign my heart with the Father’s.

My prayer for today is, “Father give me the eyes of Jesus to see people as you see them and the heart of Jesus to feel what you feel for them. Match my heart to yours and then give me the wisdom of heaven to know how to pray for the people you love so desperately.”

To believe God’s promises we must believe that he is good and good all the time. We must believe that he is merciful and grace-filled as well as faithful.  Anything less puts us on doubtful ground.  If God is not good then we cannot expect him to fulfill his promises or at best to be arbitrary in doing so. If he does not operate out of grace and mercy then we are left to earn his favor or obligate him to give us what we are asking for.  As soon as we step on that ground we are back to earning our own salvation by meritorious works which we know flies in the face of the gospel.

To have faith in God’s response to our needs and our prayers we must have confidence that he loves us, that he is always faithful to his promises, that he is consistent in answering our prayers, and that he is willing and ready to bless, heal, save, provide for and protect his children every day as any good father is ready to do.

So why is it hard to believe? Often, it is simply that His kind of heart and trustworthiness is simply outside the realm of our personal experience with relationships in this world.  It takes a while to begin to understand that our heavenly Father is not like our earthly father and friends

I think part of our struggle to believe is found in a misunderstanding of God as he is portrayed in the Old Testament.  Let’s face it, in the O.T. God often seems rigid, harsh, and punishing. We see entire tribes being destroyed at his command and seemingly well-meaning folks touching the Ark of the Covenant or making a mistake in rituals and dying for their trouble.  We often feel like the Hebrews who cried out to Moses that they didn’t want any part of the presence of God … he was too terrifying for them.

And yet, scripture tells us that both the Father and the Son and, by implication, the Holy Spirit are unchanging – the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  So how do we understand this God of the O.T. in light of the words of Jesus who clearly said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.”  If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.

We can’t look at every event in the Old Testament to see if we can view Jehovah through different eyes but maybe looking at some broad strokes of the brush can help us develop a different perspective on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

First of all, lets hear God speak about some of those things.

Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’(Ezek.33:11)

You have been concerned about this vine though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.  But Nineveh has more that a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left and many cattle as well.  Should I not be concerned about that great city? (Jonah 4:10-11)

Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:12-13)

These verses reveal that the Lord’s heart was never glad to send destruction or judgment on a nation, even the enemies of Israel. The grace of God established restraints against sin from the very beginning, because without restraints sin itself would destroy the world. The restraints were judgments that would come in the face of persistent, rebellious, unrepented sin. God spelled out to Israel the consequences of rebellion and the blessings of obedience before Israel entered into a covenant with him. They were very clear about what their decisions would produce.

Without restraints (judgment, disasters, etc.) the fallen nature of man would destroy everything so we must see the judgments of God as not only a response of holiness but also of love and mercy.  How often did God send prophets to warn these nations and call them to repentance before judgment was released? At some point, even though is was not his desire, God was forced by the rebellious spirit of man to release the consequences and the judgments that he had held back until he was forced to honor the choices of men and nations.

Secondly, God had to protect the bloodline of the Messiah for the sake of the entire world. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…” But to give his Son, the nation of Israel and the bloodline of Judah had to survive in the face of nations who were committed to wiping out all of Israel. Those nations are still bent on doing so.   The voice of Islam and especially nations such as Iran (ancient Persia) and organizations such as the PLO are still sworn to carry out the absolute destruction of Israel.

Before the cross, there was no remedy for the depraved heart set on destroying the bloodline that would deliver the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Those nations were under the dominion of Satan and there was as yet no payment for sin and no Holy Spirit to grant men a new heart.   For the sake of the world, then, some nations or cities had to be totally destroyed so that they could not be Satan’s weapons to extinguish the salvation of all men.

I believe the Flood that destroyed all but eight souls on Noah’s ark was the same expression of mercy for the thousands of generations to come. Genesis tells us that before the flood, every imagination of men had become wicked all the time. Noah preached repentance for 120 years without one response and, before wicked men either corrupted Noah and his family or murdered him and with him the bloodline of Messiah, judgment had to finally be released.

The coming of Messiah, the sacrifice for the sins of the world, and the coming of the Holy Spirit has given the Father more options for restraining sin in the world.  The bloodline no longer has to be protected at all costs; the gospel of God’s love and the Holy Spirit can enable men and nations to be born again; and the church has been given a clear mandate and power to make disciples of all nations.

This God is the same God yesterday, today and forever and he is good – all the time.  His heart is always to bless, to heal, to protect, and to provide.  He is long suffering and full of grace.  He is still holy and there are still limits that must trigger the restraints to sin God established long ago. But know that if you have seen Jesus you have seen the Father.  Pray with confidence. Pray with expectation. Destroy the works of the devil in the name of Jesus.  Don’t doubt it.  Your God is ready and willing to deliver, heal and set free.  He has always been willing.

I want to recommend a book to you that has just been released – God’s Double Agent by Bob Fu. The book is his autobiography.  Bob lives in Midland, Texas and directs a non-profit called China Aid Association. China Aid is dedicated to exposing human rights violations in China and works hard to advance the cause of religious freedom there.

I have served on China Aid’s board of directors with Bob for a number of years.  I have traveled to China on two occasions to meet and pray with house church pastors and human rights attorneys that Bob encourages and defends on the World stage.  I want you to know that Bob and those Chinese Christians like him are the real deal.

Without giving the book away, I will just tell you that Bob grew up impoverished in China.  He did not know God and was a student activist in the years of the Tiananmen Square protest.  He became a follower of Jesus after being disillusioned by the failure of student movements in China and the government crackdown on freedom. Eventually he was imprisoned for his faith and escaped to the United States with his wife Heidi after being released.  Since then he has dedicated himself to promoting human rights and freedom of religion in China. The book is his story.

Bob’s story is the story of many believers in China who have risked everything for the kingdom of God and who have paid the price through imprisonment, confiscation of homes and finances, brutal interrogations, house arrests, kidnapping and threats by government representatives, and so forth.

But as you hear their stories, you also hear of the miracles that God has granted them.  Some have experienced supernatural escapes from prison that echo Peter’s escape in the book of Acts when an angel led him out of a Roman prison in the middle of the night. Many have experienced supernatural healings from wounds inflicted by torture and supernatural protection and provision while on the run. If we could detail the stories of the miraculous they would make their own large volume.  Many of those stories cannot be told now because it would put these men and women of faith in the sights of the communist regime again.

Many American Christians remain skeptical about God’s amazing miracles around the world and ask, “If God still moves in miracles like we see in the N.T., why have I never seen one?”  I’ll offer two possibilities.

First of all, perhaps these believers have never really asked for a miracle.  James says, “You have not because you ask not.”  I’ve heard too many prayers asking God to help the doctors do their best to save a loved one.  Why don’t we ask God to save their loved one without the doctors?  So many times we pray for the ordinary and receive it. Doctors are going to do their best with or without the help of Jesus. So many of us have been trained to not believe in the miraculous that we can’t bring ourselves to ask for it even when we are desperate.

A second reason a believer may have never seen a miracle of the “Acts quality” is that they have never put themselves in a place where the power of God was unquestionably needed.  God shows up when his people step out in faith and risk death, imprisonment, failure, or mockery if God doesn’t manifest his power.

In China, simply to be a member of a “non-sanctioned” church places a believer in constant jeopardy.  Most of our brothers and sisters there are helpless before the State.  God has to show up in miraculous form on many occasions for the church to continue to exist and grow.

But even in America, where torture and imprisonment for believing in Jesus is not yet a reality, believers can still step out in faith and put themselves in situations where if God doesn’t come through there will be at least disappointment or embarrassment.

Believe me, it is risky to step into a hospital room full of unbelievers or Christians who don’t believe in miracles and pray for direct, supernatural healing while binding spirits of infirmity at the same time. It is risky to speak to a stranger at Starbucks and tell them you believe God has a word for them and you have a prayer for them.  It is risky to talk to your hell-raising brother-in-law about Jesus.  It is certainly risky to place your faith on the platform when you are running for political office or to speak out against sin in a culture that covers everything with the whitewash of “tolerance.” I know families who have put every penny into a risky business venture because they believed the Lord was directing them to do so.

The list can go one.  But in those moments you need a miracle and when you choose to step into those moments often enough you begin to see God move in power.  Bob Fu and many Chinese believers step into those moments frequently with a kind of reckless abandon. They see miracles.  I personally know many American Christians who will not settle for the ordinary but lay it all on the line by asking for the extraordinary in the presence of unbelievers. They see miracles all the time as well.

If you want to see God move in your life like he moved in the Bible then put yourself in situations where the natural will not get it done. You will desperately need Jesus and he will be faithful to show up.  After all, nobody loves a good miracle more than Jesus.

One of my favorite movies of all time is the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire.  The movie is based on a true story that revolves around two British athletes competing in the 1924 Olympics and is a great study of spiritual motivations.  One of them, Eric Liddell, was a Scottish runner who had a tremendous faith and was destined to die in the mission field in China some years later.  His sister was also a very committed believer who thought that her brother should give up his “foolishness” of running track and get on with the Lord’s work in the mission field. In the movie, she asked him why he ran and he gave a riveting reply.  He said simply, “God made me fast.  And when I run I feel his pleasure.” Liddell believed that if God gave you a talent then you must use it because with every God-given talent there is a divine purpose.

In that one compact statement Liddell offered a profound theology for spiritual gifts in the Christian life. Paul dedicated three chapters to spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14.  He mentions them in other letters as well but in this section he gives us a theological grasp of the “charismata” or gifts and their purpose. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts (capacities or talents) to each believer and each is given to build up the body of Christ.  These are not given randomly by the Spirit but strategically based on the destiny you have been assigned in Christ.  The Psalmist tells us that God was involved in crafting us from the womb.  There he created our inner being and ordained all of our days before one of them came to pass (Ps.139).  In the New Testament, Paul tells us that we are “God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph.2:10).

If we connect those texts, we discover that God has established a destiny for each of us that he calls “good works which he prepared in advance.” He has intentionally crafted you with talents, temperament, and spiritual gifts designed to perfectly match that destiny.  We are each born with a personality or temperament unique to our calling.  We all have talents or abilities in the natural realm that can be used for God’s purposes like Eric Liddell’s ability to run.  Once an individual has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, he receives the Holy Spirit and the Spirit then gives that believer a spiritual gift or gifts that completes his equipping so ta the can fulfill his destiny.

God equips you with gifts and ordains opportunities for you through which you can make an impact for the kingdom of God.  These gifts are typically granted in seed form and must be nurtured and developed to accomplish all that God has ordained for you.  Each time you encounter your ordained opportunities, you have the freedom to step into that opportunity or turn it down.  You can bear fruit or remain barren.

We are told that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within each of us. Much of the power will be expressed through our spiritual gifts. The question most often asked at this point is, “How do I know what my spiritual gifts are?”  Eric Liddell gave us two great indicators.  What are you good at and do you feel God’s pleasure as you do it?  Another facet of feeling God’s pleasure is simply being aware of any desires for spiritual gifts that he has deposited in your heart.

Paul tells us that we are to “eagerly desire” spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1).  It stands to reason that the Holy Spirit will create a hunger or desire in your heart for gifts that you have been destined to receive.  As the hunger rises, you will begin to think about that gift.  You will begin to ask God for that gift.   You will begin to read about the gift you desire and search out others who have that gift.  You will ask them to help you understand the gift, develop it, and even how to receive it.  Then you will begin to receive opportunities to use that gift and in doing so you will develop that capacity so that it bears fruit.  Then as you use it, you will experience a profound sense of fulfillment – God’s pleasure.

There are all kinds of spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Romans 12 and a few other places in the N.T.  There are many spiritual gifts not even listed in scripture.  Some spiritual gifts have been deposited in you and you eventually notice that something has developed in you that is bearing fruit in the kingdom of God. Others will come as you hunger after them and ask God for a specific gift. Some come through impartation and the laying on of hands by someone who already possesses the gift.  As we eagerly desire gifts, God is willing to give.

Spiritual gifts bear fruit in the spiritual realm.  That realm is eternal so the fruit is eternal.  Some gifts are given for one season of your life and other gifts show up during different seasons.  These spiritual gifts are talents that have been entrusted to you for your destiny.  The “parable of the talents” teaches us that if we are faithful to develop and use these gifts in whatever “good work” God sets before us, God will grant us greater gifts and greater opportunities later.

There is power in these gifts. Not just the gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, etc. but in all the gifts.  Exercise the ones you already have faithfully while you pray and wait for other gifts you also desire. Make sure your motive for the gift is not power or notoriety for you, but rather a desire to be effective in the kingdom of God.

Don’t be afraid to step out as you develop new gifts. Like everything, it takes time and experience to excel in your gifts.  In one form or another, God made us all fast.  And when we run, we will feel his pleasure.

Once demonic oppression is indicated in the life of a believer, dealing with the demonic is fairly straightforward.

Deliverance is based on a few essential beliefs and principles.

1.  The kingdom of heaven has power and authority much greater than anything in the kingdom of darkness.  Satan was cast down.
2. Jesus demonstrated that authority over demons again and again while on the earth as the Son of Man.
3. Satan, death, and the grave could not hold the resurrected Savior who died for our sins to take away Satan’s legal claims against us.
4. Positionally, we are sons and daughters in the house of God, kings and priests on the earth, and the representatives of Jesus Christ who carry his delegated power and authority over the enemy.
5.  The only power Satan has over believers is the power we give him when we choose to live unaligned with God in all or part of our life. Others to whom we are connected may also have given him that right (sins of the fathers, curses, etc.).
6.  Our misalignment gives Satan a legal right to “rent a room,” i.e. afflict or oppress us.
7. Re-aligning ourselves with the Father removes the enemy’s legal right to afflict us.
9.  Having removed that right, we can command demons to leave us by the authority of Jesus Christ who has all authority in heaven and on earth.

Basic Process for Finding Freedom from the Demonic

Make all declarations or statements verbally because you are declaring these things to the spiritual realm.

1.  Begin your re-alignment by declaring your faith in and allegiance to Jesus Christ.
2.  Renounce sin and all the works of Satan.
3.  Acknowledge the areas in your life that are unaligned with the Father. These may be areas of persistent unrepented sin, unbelief, or unforgiveness. As King David prayed, “Search my heart O God and show me if there is any offensive way in me,” you should also pray and ask God to show you any hidden sins or rebellion in your life. Do not rationalize, minimize or blame others for your sin and do not accuse God of having unjust standards.
4.  Confess and repent of your sins by declaring God’s standards to be righteous and agreeing with him about his standards and your failure to keep them. Ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus based on his sacrifice for you and nothing else.  Be as specific as possible. Thank God for forgiving you. (See 1 Jn. 1:9).
5.  Confess the sins of your Fathers if you know them specifically.  If not, confess the wickedness, known and unknown, of your ancestors and renounce their sins and wickedness. Ask God to break the affects of their sins in your life and thank him for doing so.
6.  Forgive all those whom you have not forgiven.  This is an act of the will not your emotions. Biblical forgiveness is choosing to no longer require payment for a wrong done to you.  It is turning judgment of the matter over to God.  It is a decision to no longer act in any way designed to make someone pay for the wrong he/she did to you.  Jesus then instructs us to bless them and pray for them.  We must forgive those who sin against us because Jesus forgives our sins. It is not because they deserve it, but because Jesus deserves it.

Having re-aligned yourself with the Father, you may….

• Declare that Jesus became a curse for you so that you might blessed (Gal. 3:13-14).  Because of that you may ask Jesus to sever, make null and void, and cancel any curses that have ever been established against you by words or sins. Thank him for doing so.
• Declare that you are a son/daughter of the king. God’s representative on the earth, and that you serve in the power and authority of Jesus Christ.
• Renounce any sin, emotions or thoughts contrary to God’s truth that you believe demonic spirits have prompted or produced in you.  It may be something like … In the Name of Jesus I renounce fear, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bitterness, pornography, unbelief, gossip, apathy, etc.
• Then in the name and the authority of Jesus Christ and by his blood that was shed for you, you can command those spirits to leave you immediately and never return.

That is the basic process and scriptural principles for breaking the power of the enemy in your life or someone else’s life based on whom Jesus is, what he has done and who you are in him.

For more details about this process and for suggested commands and declarations over the enemy I would recommend reading my book Born to Be Free. It is also important that you learn how to walk out your freedom so that the enemy cannot return. The book will give you a more thorough theological base, a more thorough understanding of who you are in Christ, and lead you through a thorough assessment of your life to discover entry points for the enemy.  It will also walk you through a systematic process for deliverance and maintaining your freedom.

All I have trued to do in this blog is to give you a sense of how the demonic operates and a basic framework for understanding deliverance.  Faith in Jesus is still the key in all of this.  I hope this eight part series has been helpful.

When dealing with the demonic, attitude and perspective is important. Regardless of their origins, demons (unclean spirits) are woven into the fabric of scripture throughout both the Old and New Testaments. We should never obsess about the demonic, however, but instead learn to fix our eyes on Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth. If you decide to walk through the woods on a cool fall afternoon, you want to be aware of poison ivy but not focus on it to the extend that you never notice the brilliant fall colors all around you or deer drinking out of a nearby stream. We need to simply keep an eye out for it as we walk through wooded areas, recognize it, stay clear of it when possible, eradicate it if it shows up on our property, and treat it if we feel its sting.  The demonic is the same.

Peter compares Satan to a roaring lion going about looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8-9).  However, he tells us to be self-controlled and alert, not to be afraid.  He tells is to resist him and stand firm in the faith, not to run away. James tells us that when we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Our response to the demonic is faith rather than fear, wisdom rather than carelessness, and boldness rather than retreat when encounters occur.

We need to carry with us a strong sense of authority when we encounter the enemy because the one we represent is far greater that any demonic spirit. Roman consuls understood their authority.  In 168 BC, Antiochus IV, a Seleucid king, was laying siege to Egypt that, at the time, was an ally of Rome.  A Roman Consul named Gaius Popillius Laenas was sent to persuade Antiochus to withdraw from Egypt and return home.  The arrogant Antiochus responded that he would “think about it.” The Roman consul took his sword, drew a circle in the sand around the king and said, “Fine.  But before you step out of that circle, I want you to give me an answer for the Roman Senate.”   The implication was that Antiochus would face the legions of Rome if he stepped out of the circle without a decision to leave Egypt immediately. Weighing his options, Antiochus decided to withdraw. The consul understood the power that backed his authority and so he displayed boldness in the face of the enemy.

You represent the King of Kings and Lord of Lords whose everlasting kingdom took down Rome and overcame the kingdom of darkness. Our attitude against the enemy is not arrogance but confidence – confidence not in ourselves but in the one who gave us our commission to set captives free. Remember that a commission is a co-mission.  Jesus is there working with us when we face the enemy.

Having said that, demons are spiritual entities that roam the earth with a mission to harass, torment, derail people and oppose the will of God on the earth.  Jesus compared Satan to a thief who only comes to kill, steal and destroy (Jn.10:10).  Just as our mission is to impart life and peace because that is what our Lord does, demons come to kill, steal and destroy because that is what their lord does.

In scripture, we see a number of manifestations of these demonic missions. In the Old Testament we clearly see them promoting false worship in the form of idolatry.  That worship included sacrificing children on altars and in fire and all kinds of sexual perversions meant to arouse “the gods” in fertility rites. We also see warfare in spiritual realms as demonic princes fought to prevent angels from completing their tasks on behalf of God’s people. Demons are also evident in the dark arts of Pharaoh’s magicians, in Pharaoh’s edict to kill all Hebrew boys to prevent a “deliverer” from being provided by God to free his people, and in the unrelenting hatred held by surrounding tribes toward the Hebrews.

In the New Testament, demons tormented individuals such as the Garazene demoniac who lived among the tombs (Mk.5) and the boy who often fell into water and fire in seizure-like episodes (Mk.9).  They afflicted many individuals with physical conditions such as back pain, deaf and dumbness, blindness, etc.  They also continued the demonic tradition of “temptation” as they would draw people into sin and the consequences of that sin. We are told that Mary Magdalene had seven demons cast out of her. There is a strong tradition that she was a prostitute before coming to Jesus and being set free. The demonic clearly had a hand in her brokenness.

I believe that every sin or tormenting condition listed in the bible has a corresponding spirit whose assignment is to produce that condition or sin in the individual, family, organization, or nation to whom it is assigned. I also believe there are spirits not named in scripture that also harass the human race. Demonic spirits rarely produce an “exorcist moment” though I have seen some extreme manifestations.  Typically, they torment and harass by mimicking physical and psychological conditions that are experienced in the natural realm.  By doing so they remain undetected for years and, perhaps, generations. Their first goal is to keep people from accepting Jesus as Lord so that these individuals continue to be trapped in the kingdom of darkness. Failing that, the next goal is to cause fresh faith to wither and fail by orchestrating trials in a believer’s life.  Later these spirits will attempt to choke out the seed of God planted in believers by creating cares and worries in their lives or even by directing riches and pleasure their way (see Lk.8).

My experience and the experience of those who minister with me is that demonic oppression is far more prevalent than we think – even among believers. In a rational/technical culture demonic activity isn’t even on the radar screen and within the church generations have passed with no teaching or training in spiritual warfare.  We believe we are seeing the accumulation of demonic activity that has gone unchallenged for decades or centuries. In Part 6 of this series we will discuss how demons gain access to individuals, including believers, and how authority plays a significant role in that process.

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.

In his book, The Days of His Presence, Francis Fragipane has a thought provoking section on the nature of times and seasons in the Bible.  This particular section discusses the kind of period that the Greeks referred to as a kairos.  According to Frangipane, this kind of season followed long, flat periods of history where very little changed in the world but suddenly the world was overtaken by incredible shifts and transformations in nations, knowledge, and faith which often included sweeping religious reforms and spiritual activity.

For instance, between Malachi and Matthew, there were approximately three hundred years of silence when little or no revelation occurred in Israel. But suddenly the coming of Messiah that had been foretold since the Days of Adam swept in and the power of God rocked the world of those who witnessed it.  Paul tells us that in the “fullness of time (kairos) God sent forth his Son.”  The idea of a “fullness of time” suggests that God had been storing up events to be released on the earth that would alter the course of nations and individuals.

Kairos seasons do not always happen in days or weeks or even months.  Sometimes they happen over a period of years or decades.   But relative to history, these events seem to catch us off guard and explode onto the scene.  Noah preached for 120 years while God was putting everything in place to release a cataclysmic kairos when in the fullness of time he released the flood.  For those who had not heard God, it seemed to come out of nowhere.  Israel was in Egypt for 450 years while God arranged the chessboard so that in the fullness of time Moses would arise, plagues would be released, and a nation of over a million people would walk into the wilderness.  After that, world empires would arise, seem invulnerable for centuries, and then suddenly fall in a matter of hours or days as God had shown his prophets.

These kairos moments are orchestrated by God for centuries while he puts every piece in place until the fullness of time. When that time comes, the changes are so sweeping and so universal that it seems that the whole world has tipped off its axis. God often speaks of “shaking the world” or “shaking a nation.”  That is the feeling when kairos is released.  To those in the center of the storm, everything feels like chaos, but to the director of the storm everything is being realigned for his purposes. Those who are closest to the Lord in such times can fall asleep in the boat even while water is breaking over the bow.

Frangipane makes the case that we have been in a kairos season for a century. Technology and knowledge has exploded across the globe. Two world wars have come and gone. The nuclear age has been ushered in and great nations have risen and fallen – some seemingly overnight like the USSR.  The Holy Spirit has always given revelation to man and manifested in miracles but now the church is moving in evangelism, healing, miracles, and revelation in ways not seen since the book of Acts.

This is consistent with biblical history.  In each kairos, God revealed himself in new ways and manifested his power through his people. The enemy too rose up in unprecedented ways in response. Of course, God always wins but during these kairos events spiritual activity seems to ramp up exponentially as it did in the gospels.

As you view the activity of God around the globe, we see millions of Chinese coming to faith in an avowed atheist nation.  Million have come to faith in Africa in the past few decades. Korean churches are bursting at the seams. Every mission report or campaign outlines miracles from radical conversions to radical healings (including raising people from the dead), along with miracles of protection and provision, dreams and visions, and thousands coming to Jesus in a day.

Of course, the cynical among us can reject the reports and videos and write it all off as demonic deception or emotionalism.  But the same believers will proclaim that we are certainly in the last days.  If we are finally coming to the end of the last days, then this is certainly a kairos and God is moving in the fullness of time. In those seasons God had always moved in power and done epic things through his people.

I believe today is no different.  I have personally seen the healings, deliverance, radical conversions, and miracles of provision and protection.  I have been told on numerous occasions by trustworthy people who have been eyewitnesses to Jesus appearing to Muslims and entire families renouncing Islam and coming to faith.  I have heard from trustworthy people who have seen with their own eyes the dead being raised in the name of Jesus and entire villages coming to faith as a result.  All of this sounds amazing and almost beyond belief but did it not happen in the book of Acts in the fullness of time?  Why must we doubt that God would use the miraculous power of heaven to bring in a great harvest now at the end of this season?

If you have been taught to reject or doubt the gifts of the Spirit and the power of God, I hope you will not sit cynically on the sideline while God is inviting you to play in the greatest game ever played.  If you can’t bring yourself to trust believers who talk about such things, then honestly ask God to show you his power if he is indeed manifesting in such ways today.  But when you see it, don’t return to the bench. Get in the game with all your heart.

Think about it, in these kairos moments, doctrines and orthodoxy never won the day. They were important and faithfulness and truth were keys to God moving on behalf of his people.  But power won the day. Pharaoh did not surrender to doctrine but to manifest power. The Torah never convinced Nebuchadnezzar, but three men emerging from a fiery furnace and another walking out of a lion’s den convinced him that there was one God. Even Jesus said, “If you don’t believe me, believe the works I do.”  This is a time, a kairos, when we must not be suspicious of the move of God but embrace it because the miracles themselves reveal God to us and to those who need him desperately.  Remember, to reject what God is doing, is, in part, to reject him.

One of the great hindrances to healing and freedom in the body of Christ is a view of God that defines his sovereignty as “his will being done in every situation of life”. He is certainly sovereign but in that sovereignty he has chosen to exercise limited control of his creation.  That limit is called free will and it opens both God and man up to the possibility of tragedy.  It was that limit that sent Jesus to the cross and it is that limit that allows drug dealers to prosper and drunk drivers to take out the innocent.

Our ability to choose love and righteousness also grants us the ability to choose sin and a destructive lifestyle – both for ourselves and others.  Unfortunately, many believers who have experienced the destructive side of free will have taken offense at God and have blamed him for their hurt or pain.  Their anger at God keeps them at arms length and prevents them from trusting him enough to discover the love, the healing and the freedom that are ours in Jesus.

There seem to be two basic categories of offense.  One is found in experiences where people feel as if justice has not been served. The offense is expressed in the statement that if God were just, bad things would not happen to good people and good things would not happen to bad people.  That struggle is not new to the hearts of righteous men.  Note a few excerpts from Ps. 73 below.

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

This is what the wicked are like — always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. (Psm.73:1-17).

This was a cry for justice from a man who served the Lord and struggled in life while those who gave God no thought seemed to prosper. In the end, the man realized that justice would be served when these men stood before the judgment seat of God. There are times when God’s kindness calls the wicked to repentance and times when the prince of this world grants success to those who serve him. Ultimately, however, every cry for justice by the people of God will be met for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.

The second category of offense seems to lie in the arena of those who were victimized by hurtful or evil people.  Their cry is “If God is good, where was God when all that was being done to me?” Scripture also speaks to that question,

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Ps.34:18)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Ps.147:3)

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. (Isa. 61:1)

You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry. (Ps.10:17)

God is not indifferent to the pain and victimization of his children. When hearts are broken and people are afflicted he is close and his purpose is to heal the hurts of those who have felt the sting of free will.  God did not introduce pain to this world. Man introduced pain when he said “yes” to Satan’s lies. Because of free will, God must stand aside in many cases while hurt and wrongs are inflicted.  But immediately, his heart is to bring healing and eventually justice.

Remember, Satan accused God in the Garden of Eden of withholding good from Adam and Eve when God was actually restraining sin and the inevitable consequences of rebellion.  Now Satan still accuses God of being the source of all pain and evil in the world even though Satan is that true source.  John tells us that Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil.”  Jesus came to forgive and deliver us from eternal suffering.  He came to heal broken hearts and set captives free.  He came to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast our demons, grant peace to the tormented, and call for social justice.  The things he came to remedy are the works of the devil not the Father.

The key to finding healing and freedom in this life is a resolute commitment to the truth that God is good, he is good all the time, and his heart is to always bring about good for his children even when they have been afflicted and wounded by the enemy and those who serve him.

To believe that God is indifferent or that he visits disease and torment on the children he loves for some “sanctifying” motive takes the heart and faith out of our prayers. How can we pray for healing, deliverance from suffering, or release from a Chinese Re-education Camp if we think God may have willed that for our lives?

For those who have been angry with God and have kept their distance for a hurt or a loss they once experienced in this fallen world, I hope you will reconsider the source of that pain. Your Father in heaven is not that source and so wants to hold you close and heal your broken heart.  My hope is that you will soon lay down the anger and the offense you have felt and surrender to the love of God.

In the spiritual realm, authority is paramount. Those of us in Christ live under grace but the rest of creation, seen and unseen, operates under law.  Law operates on the basis of authority and the power to enforce that authority.  That is one of the reasons that the Spirit has gone to such great links to assure us of the authority of Christ.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations … (Mt.28:18-19)

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. (Eph.1:20-21)

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. (Rev.12:10)

While Jesus has all authority we often forget that the Word of God has authority as well. The Bible not only contains truth and principles for living but edicts from the King.  Prophetic statements and commands are not just insights into the future or words to live by but they must come to pass because the King has declared them.  Those who stand in opposition to the word of God stand in opposition to the power and authority of heaven.

The phrase “It is written” is repeated throughout scripture and it carries the weight of “this is what the king has declared so it must be carried our or fulfilled.” When the Hebrew writer declares that the Word of God is “living and active” (Heb.4:12) he is saying that the word of God is not just ink on a page but that the Spirit of God and the powers of heaven move to activate that word in our lives and in the earth.  Paul says that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit and is part of the armor God has given us to stand against the enemy (Eph.6).  Most of the armor named is defensive and protective but the sword is an offensive weapon as well.  The Word of God is to be used as a weapon to not only protect us against the enemy but to take ground from the enemy as well.

When Satan confronted Jesus in the wilderness at the end of his forty-day fast, Jesus rebuffed each temptation with scripture and began each response with,“It is written. “  Jesus not only was aligning himself with the Father but was activating the word of God by declaring it against the enemy.  Jesus did not get into a dialogue with the devil but simply declared the word of God over the temptation and the situation. Matthew ends the account by telling us that the devil left and angels came and ministered to Jesus.  Remember, Jesus was operating as Son of Man rather than Son of God. When we declare the word with authority over the enemy or a work of the enemy, we can expect the enemy to leave and angels to minister.

I believe deliverance is more effective when our commands for the enemy to leave are prefaced with the word of God.  “It is written, ‘I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you’”(Lk.10:18).  “It is written, ‘Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord’” (Phil.2:10).  “ It is written, ‘these signs will accompany those who have believed: in my Name they will cast out demons’” (Mt.16:17) and so forth.

The word of God has authority.  Heaven will move to backup the edicts of the King with his power.  As you read through the gospels, Jesus spoke God’s word from the Old Testament over and over with authority.  You can sense from the passages that Jesus was absolutely convinced that if it was written it would surely come to pass and if it was written that was the place to take your stand. His example challenges us to know the Word and believe the Word as well. It is on the Word that we can stand and by the Word that we take ground, for it is written, “Man does not live by bread alone but be every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  Every command, every directive, every promise that we stand has come from the Kings mouth and that word will surely fulfill its purpose.