I keep running into believers who have never given much thought to the reality of demons or the spiritual realm and yet are frequently overcome with emotional pain and addictions for which they have found no lasting solutions. Their view seems to be that we only encounter the spiritual realm after we die and do to heaven. They like the notion of guardian angels but push back against the idea of demons operating in the world. When I bring up the possibility of demonic afflictions, all kinds of questions arise.

• Are demons real or just superstitious echoes from the past when we didn’t understand human psychology and physiology as we do today?
• Is the demonic real or just an emotional, hyper – spiritual response to the normal struggles of life?
• Is demonic affliction real or is it just a rationalization for bad behavior like saying, “The devil made me do it?”
• Is “demon possession,” like we see in the movies, a real thing and can it even happen to believers?
• Why would some people be oppressed by demons but not others?
• Does that stuff still happen today?

Those are questions frequently asked by those new to the arena of spiritual warfare. Serious, Bible-believing Christians are also sometimes uncertain of how far to go with a theology that embraces the activity of demons in the lives of believers. Since these seem to be “standard questions,” which I also had at one time, I think I will take a few blogs to respond to those questions and maybe a few more that come to mind as we consider these topics.

Let me just begin by saying that scripture is very clear about the reality of a spiritual realm in which angels and demons operate. It is an eternal realm that contains more power than anything we experience in the natural realm. Speaking of the spiritual realm, Paul said, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor.4:18). A realm that is eternal is a greater and more powerful reality than that which is temporary.

Paul also declared, “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 powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph.6:11-13). Again, Paul points to a spiritual realm where the real battles take place, where Satan (and those that serve him) scheme against us, where we need to put on spiritual armor, and where we will have to take a stand on days when the enemy launches attacks against us. Some people think that the cross took all power away from the enemy but Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is written decades after the cross.

Scripture isn’t clear about the origin of demons, but is very clear about the reality and activity of demons. Some commentators believe that they are the fallen angels cast down from heaven when they joined Satan in the rebellion. Others say that demons are the spirits of wicked men looking for a body to inhabit so that they can express their wickedness once more. Others say they are something else.

The most common belief seems to be that demons are the fallen angels cast out of heaven with Satan.       “Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth” (Rev.12:3-4).   Many commentators believe that “a third of the stars” refers to a third of the angels and that those angels joined Satan in his rebellion and were cast down to the earth with him. “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev. 12:7-9). Those who hold this view believe that these angels still serve Satan by tempting, oppressing, and afflicting the human race. They will even make some humans a habitation in which they take up residence and constantly afflict those individuals – even through generational lines.

The problem with this view is suggested by the apostle Peter. “…God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment” (2 Pet.2:4). Jude also says, “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day” (Jude 6). If these angels are bound in chains and gloomy dungeons until judgment, then they cannot be wandering around afflicting people. It is possible that chains and dungeons are metaphorical but these verses seem to be fairly straightforward.

The theory that demons are the spirits of wicked men comes from the idea that departed spirits would be uncomfortable without bodies so they seek to enter bodies so that they can satisfy their wickedness once again. Of course, this view must also maintain that spirits wander the earth after death. Word studies in Greek find that the word “daemon” (demon) in Greek culture originally meant the spirits of the dead (righteous or unrighteous) and later took on the meaning of the departed spirits of wicked men.

However, scripture suggests that the dead go to holding or waiting places until Judgment Day – the righteous rest in Paradise, the wicked wait in torment. That view is reflected in Luke 16 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus where Lazarus is in a place of comfort while the rich man is in a place of torment wishing that someone could go back to the earth and warn his brothers about judgment. There are also passages that speak of Jesus preaching to spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago and of, apparently, visiting those “holding places” and moving the righteous souls from a place akin to Hades to Paradise as they await the judgment (See 1 Peter 3:18-20; Eph.4:8-10). These verses suggest that all spirits go to an intermediate waiting place as they wait for judgment rather than wandering the earth.

I find no theory about the origin of demons to be totally satisfactory. I asked a former satanic priest what he thought about it and he was confident that demons come into existence from the creative force and influence of the wicked thoughts and actions of men. I don’t know but scripture is clear that they exist and have a profound impact on people – even those in a covenant relationship with God. I also know that scripture clearly commands believers to stay away from things that open the door to demonic spirits in our lives: sorcery, mediums, psychics, fortunetellers, séances, and so forth. The demonic realm, like the angelic, is very real and is presented as an ever-present reality in scripture.

More about the demonic in my next blog.

As I was browsing through some chapters in Isaiah, I was reminded of the degree to which Hezekiah is  highlighted in the Old Testament. He is given space in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32 and also in the book of Isaiah, chapters 36-39. That is a significant amount when most of the kings of Israel received only a half column or a chapter to tell their stories. So why Hezekiah?

Hezekiah was installed as king over Judah when he was twenty-five years old. If you are not familiar with Old Testament history, shortly after Solomon’s death a civil had broken out in Israel and the nation was divided. The northern part of the nation was called Israel with Samaria as the capital and the southern part was called Judah with Jerusalem as the capital. Sometimes these two political entities were enemies and at other times they were allies. The kings of Israel built their own altars and high places for worship so that their people would not go to Jerusalem and for the most part fell quickly into idolatry.

Although Judah possessed Jerusalem and the temple, it too fell into idolatry. Ahaz was king prior to Hezekiah. He had no regard for the God of Israel. He worshipped idols and had even sacrificed some of his own sons in the fires of the pagan god Molech. In summary, the text says, “Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and took them away. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and provoked the Lord, the
God of his fathers, to anger” (2 Chr. 28:24-25).   Hezekiah was his son.

If we ever think that a son is destined to follow in the footsteps of a perverse father, Hezekiah is proof to the contrary. At the death of Ahaz, Hezekiah was installed as king. The text in 2 Chronicles says immediately, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.” David is called his father here because he reflected the character of his ancestor David rather than his biological father Ahaz. God tends to assign family trees based on the heart of a person rather than his biology. For instance, we are all sons and daughters of Abraham if we have the faith of Abraham. We too are children of David if we love God as David dud and we are children of God if we have a heart that resonates with our Heavenly Father.

It is amazing to think that within two hundred years of David and Solomon’s rule and the building of the great temple by Solomon that the center of Jewish life and culture would be closed, the priests dismissed, and the temple consigned to a state of neglect and decay. That suggests that Ahaz was not just indifferent to God or religion but actually hated the things of God which strongly suggests a demonic presence in him. His hate for the things of God and his exaltation of the demonic set Judah up for the heavy hand of God’s judgments. Ahaz only ruled for sixteen years and yet brought Judah to the brink of destruction through this godless administration. But God is full of grace for his people and had done a work in the heart of young Hezekiah. My guess his that his mother had something to do with that and probably hated the pagan God’s of Ahaz. After all, she had lost some sons to the fires of those gods.

After becoming king, his immediate responses was to reopen the temple doors, repair and sanctify the temple, restore the priesthood, and restore worship to the God of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob. He also destroyed the high places of idolatrous worship. What followed was years of peace and prosperity for Judah while Israel, the northern kingdom, was destroyed by Assyria because of idolatry with most of the population being carried off into slavery.

We are going to consider several events in the life of Hezekiah in my next few blogs but one thing we see in the opening accounts of his life is the difference that one man can make for a nation for either good or bad. Although the people of Judah had no real political influence in who became king, there must have been many praying in the shelter of their homes for God to raise up a godly king so that God’s name would be honored again in Judah and his blessings restored.

From this account of Hezekiah’s beginnings we see that judgment does not always come when it is deserved. Regarding a nation, if godly leaders are in the pipeline because of the prayers of godly people, then God can restrain judgment because he longs to extend mercy and blessings whenever his people give him the opportunity through personal repentance and prayers for godliness to rule once again in a nation. In the life of an individual, the same principles apply even when that life is presently in shambles.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray and never give up (Lk.18:1) because God’s responses are not based solely on the present but also on the future and the future of God’s people rests not on present circumstances but faith and prayer for the future. So…if you are discouraged take heart and pray for the future. Even while many of the Jews were in exile in Babylon, God had the prophet Jeremiah send them a letter in which he stated, “ For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer.29:11). That is always God’s heart for his people or for nations. So, if you are discouraged or afraid…take heart and pray.

In my last blog I quoted extensively from Dr. Caroline Leaf’s recent book, Switch On Your Brain (Baker Books), from a chapter in which she talked about the myth of genetic determinism in our choices. In another section, she raised an interesting question about the intergenerational dysfunctions (or sin) in families.

There has always been a challenging scripture in Exodus that this may speak to. “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Ex.20:5-6, emphasis added).

I have always puzzled somewhat about the meaning of “punishing the children to third and fourth generation” – especially when God says in another place, “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him…The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son” (Ezek.18:18-20). So…in light of this passage what does Exodus 20 mean?

I have always understood Exodus 20 to mean that the consequences of the Father’s sins will effect the children through four generations if they are not dealt with spiritually. For instance, unrepented sin by a father (especially idolatry) might give Satan a legal right to afflict a family and that right will continue through four generations unless it is dealt with by the children acknowledging and renouncing those sins and serving God. Also, we know that unrepented sins establish behavioral patterns in families that can be passed on from generation to generation.

In her recent book, Dr. Leaf says, “Science has demonstrated how the thought networks pass through the sperm and the ova via DNA to the next four generations” (p.57). That got my attention. She went on to describe the scientific explanation for that but essentially science is discovering that the thought patterns we choose to follow are written in our very DNA like a program on a computer chip. Those may be uploaded into the mind of the next four generations as genetic tendencies or predispositions that can be turned on and become operative if the mind of that generation comes into agreement with the predisposition. Leaf says, “the sins of the parents create a predisposition not a destiny” (p.59). Free will is always at play.

That agreement turns on the program and so the program may be duplicated, along with the consequences, generation after generation. That “genetic expression” can pass on, at a DNA level, both positive and negative results. However our mind (thought patterns that we choose) can turn on that genetic tendency or turn it off. We have power over the genes, not the genes over us. She sums it up this way, “Our choices (the epigenetic signals) alter the expression of genes (the epigenetic markers) which can then be passed on to our children and grandchildren, ready to predispose them before they are even conceived. So our bad choices become their predispositions.”

This reality does not negate the spiritual dimension but adds a dimension to it and gives us even more reason to make good choices – not just for us but also for generations to come. This presents an additional dimension of cursing ourselves and our children when we ignore the truths of God’s word about guarding our hearts, taking every thought captive to Christ, and being those who speak blessings rather than curses. The thought patterns we choose that are contrary to the word of God get written into our very DNA and effect us spiritually, emotionally and physically in very negative ways. Aligning our thoughts and words to God’s truth, however, writes blessings into our very DNA and can be passed on to generations. Think and speak the good things of God today.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. James 3:10

When we speak of cursing today we usually think of swearing or cussing or simply saying hateful things to someone with whom we are angry. In our minds we limit the damage to hurt feelings or broken relationships. The Bible views curses as much more serious because they have a spiritual dimension to them.

In Numbers 22, we find an interesting account. Israel had moved into the region of Moab. Balak, the king of Moab, felt threatened by their presence. He went to a man named Balaam and declared, “Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed” (Num.22:6) But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (Num.22:12).

Balak had seen the power of Balaam’s words over people and situations. Those over whom he spoke blessings seemed to be blessed and those over whom he had spoken curses seemed to be cursed. The interesting thing is that God took him seriously and instructed him to speak a curse over those whom God had blessed. How do we make sense of that in our world?

It is not that words have power in themselves but they have authority to set things in motion in the spiritual realm. A curse releases forces in the spiritual realm to come against a man, a family, or a nation to work for negative outcomes in the natural realm. Before you write that notion off, think of a curse as a kind of prayer. We pray to God and ask him to set forces in motion to bring blessings and positive outcomes to ourselves, our families, and people we care about. We pray for health, provision, protection, direction and all kinds of things and expect God to mobilize his angels or to work through his Spirit to create positive outcomes for those we bless.

A curse is a kind of a prayer than mobilizes forces in the spiritual realm to hinder blessings and bring about negative outcomes in the life of the individual over which it has been spoken and Satan is very eager to take the curse as his authority to come against those who have been cursed. Satan is always poised to kill, steal and destroy and he is simply looking for the legal right to do so. A curse may give him that right.

If you are reading this blog, you probably already believe in the God-given authority of believers to command, declare, and pray for kingdom outcomes in lives, situations and nations. If our words have authority, how much more should we guard our words so that we do not release a curse over others either purposely or carelessly. We should always speak blessings because our words can set demonic forces in motion to enforce any curse we speak over others. As I have already said in this series, we may not take our words seriously but the spiritual realm does.

Our words don’t have to be formal curses. They can simply be expressions of ill will or judgments over others: Your worthless! You’ll never amount to anything! I wish you were dead! You’re going to end up in prison just like your worthless father! Etc. We can even speak curse over ourselves in the same tone. I don’t believe every careless word is enforced as a curse by demons but I do believe that if we say it often enough or with enough venom, the demonic realm may answer. I also know that there are man and women today who do pronounce formal curses over God’s work and God’s people. Maybe someone has even spoken a curse over you or your family even in past generations. I will discuss that in our next blog. Until then, be a constant source of blessing even toward your enemies (see Luke 6:27-28).

We just concluded a season of what we call Free Indeed at our church in Midland, Texas. Free Indeed consists of eight weeks of study and small group interaction related to finding healing and freedom in Christ. We conclude the eight weeks with a weekend (Freedom Weekend) of inner healing and deliverance. This past weekend we had 60-65 in attendance and when the weekend had concluded about 95% reported that they had received significant healing or deliverance over the weekend. Some of these were new to the faith while others had been believers for decades.

One of our new leadership couples is from South Africa. After experiencing their first Freedom Weekend, I asked them about their observations since they would have seen what we do with fresh, non-American eyes. Both of them were very surprised at the amount of brokenness and bondage (demonization) among so many Christians. What they saw was our typical weekend comprised of people who love the Lord, attend church regularly, and who serve in the church. By the way, a number of participants also come from mainline churches in our area where they attend regularly and serve.

Our South African friends have a legitimate question. Why are there so many broken and demonized believers? I believe it is because the church in America has majored in getting people saved but not sanctified. We have been great at getting people to pray “the sinner’s prayer” but we have not taught them how to wage spiritual war and how to be transformed by the Spirit of Christ.

Over the years, even believing families have accumulated a lot of spiritual baggage that has been passed down from generation to generation. Those who have come to us from the world have typically been abused, molested, involved in sexual sin, and in occult practices – all of which give the enemy an open door into their lives. Very few of these have been taught how to deal with their past, their shame, their secret bondage, or the parts of their lives that are out of control. They have been taught to attend church, give, and serve in the children’s ministry but they have not been taught how to drive the enemy out of the promised land of a transformed life. Many pastors don’t even know how to drive the enemy out of their own lives or marriages so they certainly can’t teach their congregations how to wage war with divine weapons.

As I mentioned earlier, we have a number of believers from other churches who attend Free Indeed – a significant number being pastors, former pastors, or family member of pastors from other churches. They consistently report that they have never received teaching or heard a sermon on the basics of spiritual warfare. In their churches, the demonic realm goes unnoticed and uncommented on so that their people are poorly armed against the assaults and schemes of the enemy. The idea of believers walking in real authority is vague at best. The lack is not intentional. We simply pass on what others have passed on to us. But when you look at the American church something is missing. The lives of many, many Christians don’t stand out all that much when compared to the lives and families of unbelievers. That is evidence of a people who are saved but not sanctified.

Jesus and his followers preached the good news of the kingdom of God and then demonstrated its power through healing, deliverance, raising the dead, and radically changed lives. We should be doing the same. My hope is that more and more believers will soon discover the power of Jesus Christ to not only save them from an eternal hell but also from a hell on earth that many believers experience daily believing that nothing more is available to them until after the funeral. Not so. Jesus is so ready and able to heal and set free now and has done so for many. May we assist him in doing the same for many more.

The 1992 book entitled Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend has become a classic among counselors and therapists.  In a nutshell, the book directs us to maintain healthy boundaries in our lives and relationships that let in good things and keep out bad things. Boundaries are important and biblical.

If you think about it, God has always been big on boundaries. He clearly defined sin and said stay away.  He clearly established a principal that believers should not marry unbelievers.  He even marked off boundaries for nations, the tribes of Israel and the nation of Israel.  Boundaries set limits.  They mark what belongs to you and what does not belong to you; what is safe and what is unsafe; what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. What is sinful and destructive and what is righteous and life giving.  They establish responsibilities and freedom from responsibility.

The key is knowing what boundaries God has established and actually believing that those “No Trespassing” signs are not there to restrict you but to keep you from disaster. In the area of spiritual warfare boundaries are especially critical.  As I said in my last blog we have just finished one of our healing and freedom weekends where dozens of believers discovered that they were being afflicted or oppressed by demons at some level.  It may surprise you to discover that believers can be oppressed by demons and that so many are.  Part of the problem is that the church in America has neglected to teach biblical principles about demons and deliverance for decades.  The result is that a large inventory of the “critters” has accumulated in believers and their families undetected and undisturbed.

Many of these demonic spirits have attached themselves to Christians because we have not observed God’s boundaries.  If you walk through a field of grass burrs you are going to pick up a few.  If you do that in West Texas you will find them attached to your jeans and your shoelaces when you immerge form the field.  You will also discover that they will inflict some pain as you try to remove them and that they hold on with some tenacity.  Demons are much the same.  If you play in Satan’s playgrounds you are likely to bring some unwelcome friends home with you.

Those “playgrounds” take many forms.  Ungodly relationships are probably at the top of the list.  It is a rare believer who makes it through high school and college and into marriage without being involved in several relationships where God was an after thought if he was thought of at all.  Most believers enter marriage having had several sexual partners beforehand.  Many have lived through seasons of alcohol and drugs.  Pornography is often an issue and many have had abortions.  Some have dabbled in eastern religions, immersed themselves in movies and literature that are sexual or occult in nature. All of those “playgrounds” open the door to demonic oppression.   After those “prodigal” seasons they thankfully return but often they return with serious “grass burrs” attached.

Something in our fallen nature always believes that we will be the exception to the rule.  We are often aware of God’s boundaries and the “No Trespassing” signs but we think that somehow we can violate those boundaries without consequence.  But according to Paul, God will not be mocked. Whatever a man sows he will reap. (See Gal. 5).  Seasons of unrepented sin, unforgiveness, curses we have spoken over ourselves, sinful and especially sexual relationships, occult dabbling’s, and emotional trauma seem to be open doors through which the enemy enters – even for Christians.  A great deal of pain and work would be avoided if we honored God’s boundaries and if we taught our children of the spiritual consequences of walking through fields that God has told us to avoid.

Too often we warn our children of consequences in the natural realm– pregnancy, STD’s, addictions, etc. but don’t warn them of consequences in the spiritual realm.  Out children then believe that birth control, antibiotics, condoms, and recreational use of drugs and alcohol will keep them from the consequences so why no play in that playground. They need to understand that sin has real consequences – spiritual torment and bondage – in the spiritual realm that birth control and support groups can’t resolve.  Boundaries are good.  We should honor them and teach them.  Taking and eating in the face of God’s clear commands is not a good idea.  Be blessed today and a blessing to others.

“In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,       “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” (Luke 4:34-36).

This account of Jesus ministering deliverance to a person has several common elements with many other “deliverance” accounts in the gospels. First of all, we notice that demons often attend church with those they are oppressing. Most demonic oppression does not entirely control a person but rather influences them. These individuals will function normally most of the time and in most areas of their lives.  They will go to work, go home, play with their kids, have friends, and go to church. However, there will be a small but significant part of their life over which they feel little to no control.

This demonic influence will manifest as moments of rage that are always blamed on other people, hidden pornography addictions, persistent and powerful feelings of rejection, jealousy, bitterness, envy or self-loathing.  They may be experienced as fear, anxiety, or bouts of depression and illness.  Most demonic affliction does not look like the Gadarene demoniac who lived among the tombs, cutting himself and crying out. Most demonic manifestations mimic emotional brokenness and illness that occurs in the natural realm and so we seek treatment from the natural realm. Since there is a spiritual force fueling these issues in a person’s life, therapies offered by the world will not solve the issue.  At best a person may learn to manage his rage, his anxiety, his depression or his addictions but will never feel totally free of them.

Many of us who are afflicted by demons have experienced that affliction so long that we think every human being must be dealing with the same issues and so we try out best to manage our feelings and dark thoughts and believe it is just our lot in life to do so. Our secret hope is that those thoughts and feelings we try so hard to repress will never get out of hand.  However, the enemy wears us down and sets us up and those thoughts and feeling so get out of hand usually with very hurtful consequences.

The second thing we notice in this account that is common to other accounts of deliverance is that demonic spirits know exactly who Jesus is and recognize his authority over them. They often cry out in despair and fear and ask if he is going to destroy them or send them to the Abyss (See Luke 8:31).  I’ve always found it interesting that Jesus didn’t destroy them or send them to the pit of hell but cast them out of a person with the possibility that they would simply go and afflict others.  The primary point however is that demons were subject to the authority of Christ even before the cross.  How much more are they subject now after he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth?  I also know that demons become very uncomfortable in the presence of God. Those who are demonized and make it to church will often feel agitated or fearful in worship or as people pray over them.  They are not feeling their own agitation, fear or even hate but they are experiencing what the demons are feeling.  Unfortunately, there are times and places where the presence of God is hardly evident in church services so that demons will be quite comfortable in those places.  We also know that Satan loves to steal the word of God from a heart before it can take root and so the demonic is often present in church services doing just that. How often are we distracted during worship or a sermon or have random thoughts of envy or lust or judgment toward someone we notice in the crowd or on the platform?  The enemy is stealing the word.

Finally we notice that it requires power and authority to cast out the enemy.  Power is defined as the force with which one can impose his will on another.  When Michael warred against Satan and his angels in the rebellion, Satan and those who had joined him were cast down to the earth.  That demonstrated that the power of heaven is superior to that of hell.  Jesus walked the earth with power and authority over the demonic, disease, and even death.  He had power because the power of heaven backed up his commands. Jesus said that the Father had put more than twelve legions of angels at his disposal (See Mt.26:53). Authority is not power but is what directs power.  When an artillery officer gives the command to fire, his words don’t have the ability to destroy the target but his word’s have authority to direct and release the power that can destroy the enemy. Jesus carried the authority of heaven with him and his commands directed the power of heaven.  It takes both to cast out the enemy, heal the sick. or raise the dead.

In Luke 9:1, we are told that Jesus gave that same power and authority to the twelve. They immediately went out to preach the gospel and as they went they healed and cast out demons. In Luke 10, Jesus sent out seventy-two others with the same power and authority.  The effects were stunning. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!”  My guess is that the first time they healed or cast out a demon they were just as surprised as the crowds were who witnessed it.  We struggle to believe the same thing.  We have no doubts that Jesus can heal or deliver or that heaven is more powerful than hell.  What we struggle to believe is that Jesus has delegated his authority to us and that our commands will actually direct the power of heaven into a certain situation. But Jesus promised that those who believed in him would do even greater things than he did when he walked the earth.

We’re told by the writer of Hebrews, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Heb.1:3).  Jesus is the exact representation of the Father.  In other words, Jesus re-presents the Father. He does exactly what the Father does in exactly the same ways the Father does it.  We are the body of Christ and his ambassadors on the earth.  We are called to re-present Jesus just as Jesus represents the Father – not just in actions but also in character. Character comes through the Spirit but action comes by faith.  In the context of healing and deliverance, faith believes that Jesus will honor our prayers and commands in his name and back them up with the power of heaven because we act in his authority.  The demons know his authority over them. We are the ones who sometimes doubt it.

If the enemy cannot blind us to the authority of Christ working through his church today, his fallback position is to convince us that only a few select people in the church can command demons.  Then we all wait around hoping one of those guys shows up.  Every believer is an ambassador of Christ and walks in his authority. I believe Jesus sent out the seventy-two so that we would know his authority was not going to be given to just a select circle of men but to all who follow him.  My hope is that we will all walk in that authority today believing that when we pray or command with the authority of Christ, heaven will train its gun on the target we have selected.  Be blessed.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor.10:3-6)

As we continue to look at Paul’s concept of “divine weapons” in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, I want to remind us that Paul begins this text with the assumption that followers of Jesus live in a state of war with the enemy – like it or not.  Since we live in a state of war we must cover ourselves with armor and wield weapons or be defeated and, perhaps, destroyed.  However, Paul is clear that we should put on the armor of God (divine armor) and carry weapons that are unlike the weapons of the world and that actually go beyond the reach of worldly weapons.

Paul states that in contrast to weapons of the world, we fight with weapons that are fueled by divine power so that they have the capacity to demolish strongholds.  So … what are these strongholds that can only be decimated by the power of God? I’m going to quote Dutch Sheets regarding the meaning of the word.

The word is “ochuroma,” coming from the root word “echo,” which means to “have” or “hold.” This word for “stronghold” (KJV) or “fortress” (NASB) is literally a place from which to hold something strongly. It is also the word for fort, a castle, or a prison… In essence, Satan has a place of strength within unbelievers from which he can hold onto them strongly.  (Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer, p.183)

Sheets says that a stronghold is a place within unbelievers but strongholds can also exist within believers. Notice the nature of strongholds from the rest of this text.  Paul speaks about arguments, pretensions, knowledge, and thoughts. All of these are related to belief systems within us that argue or “push back” against God’s truth.  They are belief systems that bring us (or part of us) into agreement with Satan and out of alignment with God. When we agree with Satan we give him legal access to at least part of our life.

I like to compare Satan’s presence in the life of a believer to a house in which the manager of the house has rented out a room to the enemy.  Jesus is the owner of the home but he has made us stewards or managers over the house. We have the right to decide who visits the house and even who lives in the house.  As we come into agreement with Satan about certain areas of our life, in effect, we have rented out a room to him.  He doesn’t own the house but with a presence within the house, he can harass us and affect the entire environment or health within the home.

Satan’s great weapon has always been “the lie.”  His lies, if uncorrected, can create a belief system, a perspective, or a view of ourselves, God and others that lead us astray and that can keep us from experiencing freedom, healing, and effectiveness in the kingdom of God.  Most strongholds are beliefs that are rooted in experiences from our past rather than something that was taught to us … especially traumatic experiences.

Most of these beliefs are also rooted in our childhood.  Without being formally taught, we simply drew conclusions about ourselves, God, and life in general as a result of experiences.  For instance, an abused child will often come to the conclusion that there must be something terribly wrong or unacceptable about him/her for parents to treat them in such a way. Molested children carry a deep sense of shame or defectiveness about themselves because of the experiences they have had that were hidden in darkness. A child who experiences a traumatic loss or losses may come to believe that he/she will eventually lose everyone he/she loves.  Some abused children also come to the conclusion that even God doesn’t love them since he “allowed those things to happen” or that he may love them but he is powerless to protect them.  Children who grow up in homes where love is conditional may come to believe that all love is conditional and must be earned – even God’s love.

You can see how each of these belief systems oppose God’s truth and can get in the way of trusting God, believing his promises, loving others, or getting hold of grace.  Satan then reinforces these beliefs at every opportunity and may assign demonic spirits to continually reinforce and magnify those lies.  Beliefs established by experiences in our childhood, have typically been with us so long that we are unaware of the power they exert over us.  These beliefs or strongholds reside deep within us and “push back” against God’s truth.

When we believe one thing in our head and another in our hearts, we experience the presence of strongholds.  When out intellect argues against the truth of God’s word because it is not “rational” or “logical” we are experiencing strongholds. When demons are active in maintaining these false beliefs then we are dealing with spiritual strongholds.

Since there is a spiritual dimension that works to maintain the lies that Satan has crafted or reinforced, then only “weapons” that can touch the spiritual realm can be effective.  Weapons of the world don’t touch the spiritual realm and so must eventually fail.  Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”  If truth sets us free, lies keep us in bondage. Strongholds (false belief systems) keep us in bondage in some part of our life and in some way affect every other part of our life. To demolish these belief systems that argue against God’s truth and that even pretend to be the truth requires the exercise of divine power.  We’ll talk about that tomorrow.  Be blessed.

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.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Cor. 10:-4-5

When the Apostle Paul spoke of divine weapons, he said that they had power to demolish or tear down strongholds. He goes on to say that with God’s power we demolish arguments and pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. He then counsels us to take our thoughts captive, submitting them wholly to Christ. Paul’s emphasis in this passage is on our thought life.

Somewhere deep within us lay powerful belief systems. Some are aligned with God’s truth and others are contrary to God’s truth. These belief systems shape the way we perceive reality. They are about the stuff that life is made of. Is there a God? What is he like? Can God be trusted? Does he care about me? Who am I? Do I matter? Why do I exist?

These core beliefs are usually established through life experiences rather than teaching.  We believe many things that have been deposited in our intellect through teaching.  But we also believe things in a deeper part of our being that scripture calls “the heart.” Those beliefs in our heart that align with God’s truth got there by revelation.  Those beliefs contrary to God’s truth were usually planted as we drew some conclusion about life, God,  or ourselves because of a traumatic experience.  These beliefs usually trump the things we have been taught.

Strongholds, then, are belief systems deep within us that are contrary to God’s truth. Satan works to establish and reinforce beliefs that are not aligned with God. Notice that these strongholds are active – arguing against God’s revealed truth and making arrogant, deceptive claims (pretension) that deny the sovereignty and the goodness of God.  As demons are assigned to reinforce these lies, these belief systems become spiritual strongholds.

God’s divine weapons have power to demolish these strongholds and to bring our thoughts into a surrendered relationship to Jesus, who is truth. Secular tools and techniques for interior alteration and healing, by their very nature, fall short of tearing down these strongholds that limit our ability to fully experience God. It takes spiritual power to penetrate spiritual fortifications. Paul clearly states that our real battles are not fought against flesh and blood but waged in the spiritual realm, with God’s power and his weapons.

When the church depends on the strategies of the world for healing and transformation, it fails God’s people. The power of God expressed through revelation, prayer, declarations, spiritual authority, deliverance and a host of spiritual gifts have divine power to bring down the enemy and the fortifications he has built.  Too often believers run to the world first for help and turn to God only as a last resort.  We must take Paul’s teaching to heart.  We must always run to God and his arsenal of divine weapons first because that is where real power, healing and freedom truly reside for every need of man.