What do you do when you have prayed for something for an extended period of time and have not seen the answer to your prayers?  I have been asked that question in various forms through the years and I have asked it myself.  It comes most often in connection with healing, relationships, and salvation.  Many of us have prayed about health issues for years – about our own or about someone we love without seeing the healing. Others have prayed for years for a marriage to be healed or for God to send them someone to marry and that has yet to happen.  Still others have prayed hundreds of prayers for loved ones to come to the Lord or be set free from addictions and they continue to live lives absent form Jesus.

When we have prayed for a long time for things that are consistent with God’s will, and have not yet seen a positive outcome what do we make of that? Some decide that God is simply not going to answer that prayer and so they stop praying.  Others think that God must not hear their prayers and so they stop asking.  Others begin to believe that a certain situation is beyond God’s remedy and so they simply put that prayer in the box marked “For Another Time  – if Ever.”

As with many things there are mysteries related to how and when God answer’s prayer. Nowhere in scripture does God guarantee an immediate answer to prayer that looks like what we envisioned as the answer.  We, of course, have become the microwave generation who can hardly stand to wait eight minutes for a hot meal much less weeks, months, or years for answered prayer.  The biblical model contains examples of prayers that were answered in fairly short order while others took years or decades.  The Hebrew people cried out for deliverance from Egypt for several hundred years before God called Moses to be the great deliverer. Abraham and Sara had almost certainly prayed for a child for years before God promised to give them the child they desired.  But even then, another twenty-five years passed before that promise was fulfilled.  Others, according to the book of Hebrews believed God for a prayer that was answered after their deaths.

The promises of the New Testament call us to some extended periods of prayer and waiting as well. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged us to “ask, seek, and knock” and promised us that we will receive what we pray for (Mt.7: 7-8). However, those words in the original language carry the sense of enduring, persistent prayer.  They might be best translated as “keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.”  In Luke 18, Jesus told his disciples a parable about a widow who kept going to the local judge asking for justice in a certain matter.  Although the judge was not a righteous man, he finally granted her request because of her persistence.  Luke prefaced the parable with the statement, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Lk.18:1).  The idea is not that our heavenly Father has to be hounded into answering prayers, but that we should not give up praying until a righteous prayer is answered.

When we find ourselves praying for those things that God has promised or things that are consistent with his will we should not give up.  When we are not seeing heaven move in response to our prayers, we often assume that God is simply not acting on our behalf. Yet Daniel (Daniel 10) prayed and fasted for twenty-one days without evidence that God was responding to his prayer.  And yet, on the twenty-first day an angel appeared and told him that he had been sent in response to Daniel’s prayer as soon as he had uttered it.  For twenty-one days a battle had raged in the “heavenlies” while a demonic prince had resisted the angel of the Lord in his attempt to come to Daniel.  On the twenty-first day of Daniel’s enduring prayer and fasting, Michael the archangel was sent to take up the battle so that the first angel could continue with his mission.  I have often wondered if Michael would have been dispatched if Daniel had given up on his prayer.

My point is that simply because we are not seeing a manifestation of our answered prayer in the natural realm, it does not mean that God is not moving on that prayer in the spiritual realm. But let me offer a couple of thoughts regarding long-term prayers and the question of should we continue to pray.

1. God promises that he will give us whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus that is consistent with his will. By faith, stand on those promises.
2. Be sure that what you are praying for is consistent with God’s will.  Just because something would make us happy in our flesh does not make it consistent with God’s will.  I know many people who have prayed for things that, if granted, would have plunged them into sin or drawn them away from God. A loving Father cannot answer prayers that would place his children in danger. However, a loving Father always wants to provide for his family and alleviate suffering – especially in the area of healing.
3. Ask God if you should keep on praying.  If he says, “Yes,” then keep praying.  If the godly desire still persists in your heart keep on praying. If he says, “No,” then stop praying of if the desire is taken from your heart stop praying.
4. Have others join you in prayer and fasting for the thing you are praying about.
5. Sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything that is blocking your answer to prayer.
6. If the prayer always brings you into a place of despair because of hurtful memories or feelings surrounding the thing you are praying about, ask God to give you hope about it or pray for it once a week instead of daily.
7. Consistently declare God’s promises regarding answered prayer and claim them on behalf of the prayers you are offering.
8. Be sure that you are emotionally healed and spiritually mature enough that you could steward the answer to your prayer well rather than damaging what God entrusts to you.  Many single Christians pray for a relationship that they would damage because they are not healed or mature enough yet to keep from damaging it.  They think that the relationship would be the catalyst for their healing or spiritual growth but, in actuality, their healing and spiritual growth would be the catalyst for God giving them a relationship to care for.
9. Finally, always pray and never give up.

Be blessed today!

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.     He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (Jn.1:3-13)

I wanted to spend a little more time on John’s theology of Jesus in chapter one of his gospel.  I love the phrase, “In him was life and that life was the light of men.”  In the writings of John, the term “life” or “eternal life” speaks more about quality than duration.  For him, eternal life is the quality of life a man has in connection with the Father rather than eternal existence.  Those who find themselves in torment will have a never-ending existence but John would not call that “life.”

When he looked at Jesus, he saw something that he had never seen before.  He saw a quality of life that he had never imagined. It was a life in close and intimate fellowship with the Father.  There were qualities evident in the life of Jesus that had not been seen since Adam walked in the Garden.  Think of the things people saw in Jesus that arrested their attention.

The most obvious was the power available to him because of his relationship with Jehovah. As Jesus touched the lame, the blind, the lepers, and even the dead they were instantly returned to health and life. Demons were driven from their victims with a single command. Jesus tore at a few fish and a handful of bread and fed thousands. He commanded storms, walked on water, and changed water into the best wine at the wedding.

He also taught as no one had ever taught before.  He taught with the authority of one who knows, rather than one who speculates. Instead of quoting great Rabbi’s he spoke what the Father was giving him at the moment.

He exuded a security and a peace that is available only to those who know the heart of the Father and know the love the Father has for them. Jesus himself said that he gave peace, but it was not like the peace the world gives. Jesus had three years to save the world but never seems in a hurry, never worried about his next meal, and never spent a moment concerned about the approval of men.

He prayed in such a way that his disciples, who had heard thousands of Jewish prayers while growing up, felt like they had never heard anyone pray before.  They asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Jesus also dispensed love and grace in ways that no one had seen before either. Moved with compassion, he touched broken lives with his love and grace in a way that invited people to trade in their old way of life, full of sin and brokenness, for a new life where grace and forgiveness ran deeper than the river of sin that had been gushing through their lives.

Those who saw Jesus saw that life and that life was the light of men.  If you’ve ever been lost in the dark you know how welcome a light is.  Suddenly, that light gives direction and hope. Suddenly you know in which direction you should be walking or driving and the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness are chased away.

The life Jesus modeled shows us that there is something else, something more, something worth pursuing with all of our hearts. It also gives us hope that there is a heart in heaven from which all of that flows.  The life we see in Jesus echoes the atmosphere of heaven.  In that life we sense that there truly is a place filled with love, peace, and security.  A city where sickness, death, and the demonic have no power and no place.

The life people saw in Jesus was a light directing them, calling them, and filling them with hope.  The amazing thing is that his life is available to us. As the Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ, our lives should begin to emit that same life and hope to those still walking in darkness.  Paul said that, as believers, we should shine like stars in a dark sky.  I marvel at the men and women who centuries ago ventured out on seemingly endless seas in tiny boats with only a hand-held sextant and a basic compass to tell them where they were and where they were going. Sometimes they were driven by storms for days never seeing land or a single star to give them a heading.  When the clouds broke and the night sky was clear, they found hope and direction from those lights shining in the darkness.

My hope is that we (myself included) will pray harder and press-in harder to know the life that John saw in Christ so that others may see Jesus in us and that life, then, can be a light for them giving direction and hope. Remember, you are the light of the world.

Well, it’s about that time again.  Halloween is about eight days away and cable channels are gearing up for Friday the Thirteenth specials, zombies, vampires, and witches.  I just checked Amazon to see how many books on witchcraft and casting spells they were posting and found quite a few – especially casting spells for beginners.  The Walking Dead series seems to be a huge favorite in America and, of course, Ghost Hunters, is always good for a few goose bumps.

For a culture that celebrates men who argue against the existence of God, question the historical reality of Jesus, and write the Bible off as fiction, we have a strange obsession with the spiritual.  We are especially obsessed with the dark side of the spiritual realm and the resurrection of grotesque entities along with those who look good but have no body temperature and suck blood.  Maybe these are all metaphors for politicians but I really think it goes deeper than that.

In some way I think our culture is locked into a paradox, a fleshly spirituality.  Paul reminds us in Romans 7 that our flesh (the natural man) wars against our spirit (the redeemed or spiritual man). This flesh is focused on self, earthly things, power, immediate gratification, possessions, etc. and is fueled or amplified by demonic spirits.  On one hand you would think the flesh would deny the spirit and the spiritual realm because it represents competition. But in the last few decades it and the demonic realm seem to have changed strategies.

Now the flesh pushes everyone toward the spiritual or the supernatural realm but in ways that continue to draw us away from Christ.  The emphasis isn’t new.  Sorcerers have practiced their craft for millennia. But, the volume and cultural acceptance is what has changed. If you think about it, witchcraft and notions of the undead are simply cries for power and immortality.  Actually, both are offered by Christ to those who follow him but there is a difference.

The flesh wants the perks of power and immortality but doesn’t want to answer to anyone or submit to any God.  Christians are promised power, authority and eternal life but only as those things are directed and submitted to Jesus and his righteousness.  Dante suggested that Satan would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven because he did not want to submit to anyone. Willing submission is a quality of heaven but won’t be found in hell.

I think the spirit of anti-Christ is really at work here because there are no debates about the existence of Satan, just about the existence of God and the reality of Christ. In a twisted way, Satan is offering eternal life without the Lordship of Jesus. Vampire romances abound in movies and books. Witches cavort with demons and, of course, there are now good witches and good demons to be had. Zombies are ugly and dumb but they still live forever and answer to no one.

In part, my simple theory comes from counseling sessions with people who had recently been involved in witches covens and satanic groups.  Each one confessed that they had gotten involved in these covens because their lives felt powerless and out of control. Each one had met a person who suggested that they might be able to find that power and control by being part of a group that could get what they wanted out of life through spells and “prayers”. At first, curiosity drove them to the meetings. Later they began to believe in the power of spells and incantations to control demonic forces to do their bidding. But later, the power they had been promised to them was being exercised over them by the very demons they thought they could control.

The occult is like drugs. It promises much, gives pleasure in the beginning and can even be governed at first. Eventually, however, it begins to rule everything in the cult member’s life. Power and control is an illusion. Satan takes orders from no man and he will rule over the life of anyone who walks onto his playground.

The other demonic aspect of our culture is this fascination and romance with death that is displayed in books and movies. Even Christians are participating in zombie walks and heading for the theaters to see Twilight sequels. But our God is a God of life not death.  He is the God of the living not the dead and death is portrayed in the book of Revelation as the last enemy. Of course, if we die in Christ we are immediately in the presence of Jesus which is a wonderful thing. But death, by God’s standards, is not the way we were supposed to come into his presence. Death is a result of a curse and us not something God celebrates. In fact, death is one of the things that Christ died to destroy.

In all of this cultural shift, Christ and the truth about spiritual realities is being marginalized.  People begin to identify with these characters of darkness rather than identifying with the Son of God.  These vampires and witches are painted as having greater power than the King of Kings. In the old movies, when the vampire hunters produced a cross, the vampire cowered and ran.  Now the vampire just laughs as if the cross has no more power against evil.

I’m not a person who thinks every Harry Potter book should be stacked and burned or that watching old episodes of Bewitched will send you to hell.  But I do believe that our culture is under a great assault by demonic forces and that Satan is orchestrating something very sinister with this onslaught of fleshly spirituality and the romance of death. I know that Satan is real and demons afflict more people than you think. But I also know that Jesus has defeated Satan and his troops and that we as believers operate in that victory with his authority.  But I also know that Satan is the consummate liar who draws people away from God and into destruction with half-truths and fictions. We are surrounded by those now.

So this Halloween, I want to invite you not to participate in the Zombie Run or watch Romance of the Vampires or whatever and especially with your children. I believe we can tell stories about witches and magic and trolls and dwarves and keep those stories in the realm of fiction while we teach our children about the reality of Christ, his angels and demons in this real world. But there is something more going on here and I encourage you to be wise and not lose perspective on good and evil because Satan loves to blur the lines. They will be blurred a lot in the next two weeks.

I live in conservative West Texas.  We don’t have three hundred year old homes here or ghost walks for folks visiting our part of the world. We don’t have famous haunted hotels or paranormal researchers down the street.  But interestingly, our church does get calls requesting house cleansings from demonic spirits on a fairly regular basis.  Since we get these calls I thought I would do one very practical blog on the topic of demons manifesting in homes and the practice “charismatic” Christians refer to as “cleansings.”

I guess the first questions would be whether demons are assigned to locations since we typically see them trying to establish a place within a person or at least attach themselves to a person.  However, we also know that demons spend a great deal of their time simply tempting believers to serve sin in some part of their lives so that they can establish a legal right to “take up residence” with that individual.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus addresses the church of Pergamum and says, “I know where you dwell; where Satan’s throne is.”   There was a huge altar in that city dedicated to Zeus and many commentators assume Jesus is referring to that pagan temple and it’s altar. He may have been referencing that temple but remember demonic spirits are behind idols and false worship.  Where there is great demonic influence there is great demonic presence and in this case it was a city.  Undoubtedly Sodom and Gomorrah had a vast demonic presence.  The area of Rome around the Coliseum where Christians were tortured and killed must have had that feel.  Most of us have been in cities or parts of cities where the atmosphere feels dark and oppressive and where sunlight doesn’t seem as bright even though there are no clouds. Those are the parts of those cities sold out to sin and those physical locations have a strong demonic presence.

If demons are active in cities and have strongholds that could be referred to as thrones, then they can certainly be attached to other physical locations. It’s not uncommon then for people to begin to notice unexplained manifestations around their homes. Many people think of these manifestations as evidence of haunting by ghosts but these are demonic spirits.  These demonic manifestations can be experienced as demons appearing in the house, voices in the night when no one is speaking, doors being slammed or opened, objects levitating off of tables or fireplace mantles, unexplained footsteps in the house, shadows darting across a room, putrid smells, feelings of fear or terror, a sinister presence, unexplained anger and violence, or any number of other manifestations that harass and torment.

Sometimes these demonic spirits were given access to the location through people practicing occult arts in the home, committing suicide there, through violence, abuse, through acts of sexual immorality or the practice of false religions, etc.  When the inhabitants move on, the spirit stays to afflict whoever comes into the home next.  There are other individuals who seem to carry demonic spirits with them or bring them into the home while visiting.  When these individuals leave, demons may stay. We have had that experience in our own home when people from other parts of the world had stayed with us and worshipped their gods in private in the room where they stayed. When they left, we had to deal with manifestations in our own home that ceased after cleansing it. Members of our church have done many cleansings and without exception the manifestations have ceased and the atmosphere of the home has changed drastically.

Let me list a few simple steps in the process. It’s very much like deliverance for an individual.

1. Determine if the people in the house are under the Lordship of Jesus. If not, the demons will return when you leave.
2. Determine if there is any persistent, unrepented sin being practiced by family members – especially in the home and ask them to confess and repent. Otherwise their sins, including unforgiveness, gives the enemy legal access to them and all those in the house.  Children are especially vulnerable.
3. Ask those who have authority over the house and family to verbally declare their allegiance to Jesus Christ and renounce Satan and the works of Satan.
4. Ask those who have authority over the house to dedicate and consecrate the home and everything it to Jesus and place it all under his lordship.
5. Then, in the name and authority of Jesus command any and every unclean spirit to leave the house immediately and never return. We command them to go to the feet of Jesus and receive orders from him.
6. We then simply go through the house anointing doors and windows with oil and quietly but firmly commanding any spirits in that part of the house to leave and never return.
7. As we go, we ask the Holy Spirit to show us anything in the house that might give the enemy a right to be there.  Sometimes he highlights souvenirs from overseas that are actually idols or representations of foreign gods.  Books related to false religions or cults, artifacts from ancient tribes that were prayed over in the name of their gods,  etc. Sometimes they are part of the decor – statues of  budah, etc. ) that look sophisticated but  honor false gods.   These types of objects may give demons access to the house. They can be “dumpsterized” or prayed over.  The dumpster is preferable.
8. We pray for God’s peace to be upon the house and for his angels to keep the enemy away and anything else the Spirit puts on our hearts and we leave.

In essence, we bring everything in the home into alignment with God’s will and declare his Lordship over the house and the property the house rests on. Ultimately, what protects us from Satan is the blood of Christ and the power of his Name that covers us when we are submitted to him.  It is always sufficient for homes or hearts.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him. (Psm.34:7)

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.

How to Rid Your “House” of Unwanted Guests:  Identifying the Problem

Not everything is demonic. We have to deal with the appetites of the flesh and learn to say “No” to our fallen nature. You can’t cast out the flesh. You must crucify it.  Sometimes, in a fallen world, illness is simply illness; depression is caused by chemical imbalances, and broken relationships are created by our own negative choices.  However, many things do have demonic dimensions that must be dealt with before freedom and healing can occur.

Demons attach themselves to believers because someone has given them a legal right to do so.  We may have opened that door through persistent, unrepented sin in our lives, refusal to forgive those who have wounded us, or long-standing unbelief related to God’s truth.  It is possible that demons have come down through family lines as a consequence of “the sins of our fathers” or that someone with authority over us spoke curses that created “legal” assignments for the enemy.  Perhaps, we ourselves spoke those words. It is also possible that demons entered in through wounds inflicted by trauma, abuse, or rejection.

There are several common experiences or doorways that make individuals vulnerable to demonic affliction or that indicate or suggest demonic activity within a person.  If you recognize these “doorways” or manifestations in your life, it raises the probability that you may be struggling with demonic oppression.

Sins of the Fathers – This demonic door is opened when ancestors (especially males) rebelled against God and lived in unrepented sin.  This is especially true in the areas of sexual immorality, occult activity, violence, or addictions.

Child Abuse – Child abuse opens the door for the enemy in many ways.  Often the abuser has some authority over the child or the enemy can enter later through the child’s residual anger, resentment, unforgiveness and shame.

Sexual Sins – For some reason, our sexuality is a place the enemy has targeted in man to produce all kinds of destructive behaviors that alienate us from God, others, and ourselves. Sexual sin of all kinds is a place where Satan gains tremendous access to individuals and families.

Gender Confusion  – Scripture says that God “made them male and female.”   Although our fallen nature contributes to damaged genes and chemical imbalances in our bodies, it is not God’s will that His children be confused about their sexual identity.  If gender confusion is an issue, it may have demonic components.

Anger – Emotions of rage, anger, bitterness, etc. are usually established in childhood after a wounding experience, a painful wrong, or a perceived betrayal.  These thoughts and emotions are natural reactions to those “wrongs,” but if nurtured or kept alive by subsequent wounding, they can open the door for demonic spirits to come in and fuel these destructive emotions and mindsets.  They then become strongholds and may be experienced as rage, hatred, thoughts of revenge, or bitterness.

Abandonment through death, divorce, sickness, or neglect may open the door to spirits of sorrow, fear, and distrust.

Occult Involvement – Christian and non-Christian occult groups throw the door wide open to demons as they invite their presence, pray to them, or serve them.

Curses – Demonic spirits may be commissioned to enforce curses in the lives of individuals or families that are attached to sins or word curses. If you feel trapped in patterns of abuse, destructive relationships, poverty, crisis, etc. a curse may be operating.

You Conspire Against You by persistently engaging in sinful or destructive behaviors and thought patterns, even though you want to be free from those things.  You may say and do things frequently that “aren’t you.”   You may have tried prayer, the Word, accountability, counseling, etc., without victory over the issue. The demonic is indicated when the more you resist a sinful or destructive thought or feeling, the more it presses in on you.  It feels obsessive, compulsive and addictive.

If you struggle with any of the above issues, you may have unwanted guests that have harassed and tormented you for a short time or as long as you can remember. Many demon-afflicted individuals have struggled with sinful or destructive thought patterns so long that they believe it is normal and that everyone must fight those thoughts every day.  That isn’t the case. When the demonic is involved, deliverance makes an unbelievable difference in managing temptation and condemnation. Sometimes you may not be certain whether demonic activity is involved.  I recommend treating it like a spirit and if it isn’t you haven’t lost anything. If it is, you have gained your freedom.

The first step after identifying demonic activity in your “house” is taking away the issue that has given Satan a legal right to camp in your life.  Having done that, you can command those spirits to leave by the power and authority of Jesus Christ who has delegated that power and authority to every believer. If there is sin, you need to repent.  If there is unforgiveness, you must forgive. If there are generational sins you must acknowledge those and renounce them.  If there are curses you must nullify those in the name of Jesus.

In Part 8 of Dealing with the Demonic, we will explore those steps in more detail.

As Christians, we are unique in the universe.  We live under grace while everyone and everything else exists under law.  Law operates on the basis of authority and legalities. When Jesus died on the cross he redeemed us from the dominion of darkness (Col.1:13-14) and in doing so revoked Satan’s legal right to lay claim to us or treat us as slaves. For those who enter the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus Christ, Satan’s access is limited.  Temptation and persecution from the outside seem to be permitted in the spiritual realm.  Otherwise, we would not need divine weapons (2 Cor. 10:3), the armor of God (Eph.6:10-11), or an awareness of Satan’s schemes contrived against us.  We are told, however, that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond that which we are able to bear (1 Cor.10:13). Therefore, God has set limits on the extent to which Satan can attack or harass those who belong to Jesus.   The book of Job reflects those kind of spiritual boundaries.  As Satan came before God wanting to target Job, God set definite limits on Satan’s access to Job with each round of temptations.

For unbelievers, Satan seems to have very few limitations. The evil, brokenness, and perversion that is so prevalent in our world attests to that. That condition is not necessarily confined to the 21^st Century. The man who lived among the tombs in Mark 5 who had a “legion” of demons resident within him attests to that.  The question is, “Can Christians be afflicted with demonic spirits so that deliverance is needed to set them free?” and, if so, “How does Satan gain access to them since they have been delivered from his dominion?”  Great questions!  I’m glad you asked.

Many will argue that demons cannot possess believers because we belong to Christ and his Spirit lives within us.  I fully agree because possession implies ownership and we have certainly been purchased by the blood of Christ.  I do not believe Christians can be possessed by Satan (owned), but I believe they can be harassed and afflicted by spirits who are attached or residing within the person.

Jesus speaks about an unclean spirit being cast out of a man and then returning to that “house” to find it “unoccupied, swept clean, and put in order.” The spirit returns and brings other demonic spirits with him. (Mt.12:43-45).  Think of your body as a house. Suppose you decide to rent out a room in your house to generate some extra income. A young man knocks on your door and tells you that a friend told him about your room for rent.  He tells you that he goes to school all day and studies at night, is quiet, has few friends and you will hardly know he is there. You shake hands, write out a brief lease with the monthly amount you agree on and rent out the room.

In a week or two, however, you begin to notice loud music, friends coming to his room at all hours, and horrid smells drifting through the house.  You confront your renter and tell him that he is making your life miserable and he will need to move. He laughs, says he will stay as long as he likes and shows you the lease that you signed without written stipulations regarding noise, friends, or smells.  He has not taken possession of your house.  Except for the one room, the rest of your house still belongs to you, functions well, and is neat and clean.  However, because he was given a legal right to establish a dwelling in one room of your house, he can harass you from that position and eventually make your life miserable.  You will need to find a way to void his lease and then you can have him and his friends removed.

Although Jesus has removed Satan’s legal right to access believers, in general, an individual believer can give the enemy the right to rent a room “in their house” which can lead to a great deal of torment and chaos in that believer’s life.  So, how can Satan gain legal access to set up a stronghold in a believer’s life?  It happens through the process of coming into agreement with Satan in part of your life.  As you agree with him you walk with him (Amos 3:3).  If you walk with someone long enough, it is only a matter of time until they come home with you.

1. When Christians refuse to submit an area of their life to the lordship of Jesus and persist in unrepented sin, the enemy has open access to any area that is not under the Lordship of Jesus.
2. A refusal to forgive those who have wronged us gives Satan a legal right to invade a believer’s life because our refusal to forgive keeps God’s forgiveness from covering our sins.
3. “Sins of the Father’s” can give the enemy access. Scripture declares that certain sins will be passed down to the children to the 3^rd and 4^th generations. That means that the consequences of that sin will be inherited by the children which may include demonic assignments.
4. Curses that are attached to sins or that have been spoken over an individual may have demons assigned to enforce the curse and that curse will give the enemy a legal right to invade a believer’s life.
5. Many people come to Christ demonized and, like the promised land, the enemy still must be driven out even after entering into their salvation.
6. Unbelief can also be an open door to the enemy. Unbelief in God or the Word of God is actually coming into agreement with Satan.  Paul tells us that strongholds are belief systems within us that oppose God’s truth. When we fail to believe God about who we are in Christ, who Christ is, God’s standards for living, etc. we open a door to the demonic.
7. Experience also tells us that the demonic can gain entrance to our hearts through trauma  – especially violent or sexual trauma.  The wounds seem to create an opening for the enemy’s lies and the lies create an agreement with Satan.  Sometime the bitterness and unforgiveness attached to wounds opens the door as well.

Although saved and in Christ, we know that many Christians live in bondage to addictions; are tormented by fears and deep depression; live for decades with “secret sins;” and carry deep emotional wounds for years that destroy one relationship after another.  If believers can carry that kind of bondage and darkness within of them – even though they are saved – why would we doubt that they can be afflicted by demons as well?

Tomorrow, how to rid “your house” of the demonic in Part 7.

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.

We’ve been looking at theories regarding the origin of demons.  These are each theories or speculations because scripture does not specifically speak to the issue.   Each view has strengths and weaknesses and you will need to decide which seems most plausible if you need to adopt one.  The good news is that we have what we need in Christ to deal with the demonic without knowing their origins, but because so many believers ask the question, we’ll continue.

The Nephilim Theory

In Genesis 6 and Numbers 13 there are small sections of scripture that grab your attention because they are so unusual while at the same time causing you to wonder what those verses are all about.

After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth. When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Gen.5:32-6:4).

They gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Num.13:32-33).

This theory suggests that the “sons of God” who were attracted to the daughters of men were angels.  That phrase seems to apply to angels in Job 1:6 when the “son’s of God” came to present themselves before God and Satan also came with them.  Some translations use the word “angels” in place of “sons of God.”

This view of demons states that angels (not necessarily those cast down with Satan) were so taken by the daughters of men that they essentially abandoned their nature as angels and married them.  The children from those unions were extraordinary, large, and powerful. They were the Nephilim and their descendants were seen as giants by the Israeli spies who went into Canaan in the Numbers passage. Remember Goliath was seen as a “giant” and he was approximately nine feet tall so you don’t have to think of “Jack and the Bean Stalk giants” here.

The theory states that these half-human, half-angelic beings were destroyed in the flood but their spirits remained on the earth and are the demons that now serve Satan and attempt to enter human bodies to satisfy their desires – especially sexual desire since that was what tempted them to abandon their angelic nature in the first place. Certainly, Satan was a tempter of angels as well as men or a third of the angelic population would not have joined him in the rebellion spoken of in Revelation 12.

Another interesting twist of this theory is that the Nephilim were said to be on the earth “in those days and also afterward.”  That phrase suggests that they were on the earth before the flood and after the flood so that their descendants were living in Canaan at the time of the Exodus – descendants of Anak.  Of course, you see the problem immediately.  How could these Nephilim have descendants after the flood if all flesh, other than Noah and his family, was destroyed by the flood?  This view responds that their spirits remained on the earth after the flood and are the demonic spirits spoken of in scripture.

The objections to this view revolve mostly around the notion of angels producing offspring with humans.   In response to a question about a man being married multiple times and which previous wife would be his at the resurrection, Jesus responded, “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven” (Mt. 12;25). Many scholars take the view that this passage indicates that angels are not sexual since we have no scriptural record of them reproducing nor marrying.  If angels are not sexual then how could they reproduce with women?  However, in Luke 20:36 which is a parallel passage to this, Jesus seems to say that in the resurrection, the righteous do not marry but are like the angels in that they are not subject to death.

The objection still stands, however, that we have no clear passages suggesting that angels are sexual nor do we have any passages suggesting that angels can give up their “angelness” (for lack of a better term) to become human or superhuman.  Many scholars are convinced that the “son’s of God marrying the daughters of men” refers to those who worshipped Jehovah marrying those who were not worshippers.  That would be consistent with the drumbeat of Judaism forbidding marriage outside the faith and taking foreign wives. Adam himself was referred to as a “son of God” in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus and he was not an angel. Lastly, if the Nephilim where on the earth after the flood simply as spirits, how did they reproduce so that their descendants were in Canaan?  I think these are significant objections to this view, although this may be the most interesting theory.

There is one final view of demons that I will mention. Some believe that there was a world created by God before Adam that was thrown into darkness and chaos when Satan was cast down from heaven.  That explains why the world outside the Garden needed to be subdued.  This view suggests that the Genesis account of creation was actually a re-creation.  Demons, according to this view are the wicked spirits of this pre-Adamic race. Again, we have to speculate a great deal about the origin of demons.

So, choose one of these or construct your own view of the origin of demons.  As I said in the beginning, none are completely satisfying and the speculation sometimes raises more questions than it answers.  Tomorrow, we will move into more practical and constructive areas when it comes to dealing with the demonic.