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We went to war. . . . but we were defeated before we reached the
battlefield. . . . for we did not recognize the enemy.
Nor could we recognize his attack or from whence it would come.
We were at loss where to find him.
Michael
"...in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are
not ignorant of his schemes" (2 Cor 2:11).
The problem with most Christians who are overcome by the devil is this -
they do not know their enemy. They
do not know how to identify him or where to find him.
Once they have found him they do not know how to respond, for they do not
know his strategies or how he will attack.
Once under attack they are at a loss, for they are not sure how to fight
back. Rare are the individuals who
are prepared to wage extensive warfare and emerge victorious.
Satan is very crafty and subtle, and uses
wiles to overcome us (Eph 6:11). The
serpent in the garden, "...was more crafty than any beast of the
field" (Gen 3:1). We must always be on our guard so as to not fall prey to the
subtleness and craftiness of Satan's wiles.
It is in this light that we must "not be ignorant" of the
tricks and schemes of Satan.
 SATAN
OUR ADVERSARY
"...He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth,
for there is no truth in him. When
he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of
lies."
John
8:44b (NIV)
There are numerous lies that Satan has perpetuated upon mankind.
If believed, it becomes very difficult when we find ourselves under
attack to stand firm and fight back. When
our feet are not firmly planted in the truth, we become `sitting ducks awaiting
the next pot-shot'. Let's look at
some of the lies that Satan promotes and analyze how they compare to the truth.
LIES
OF THE DEVIL
The devil's cleverest lie is to lead men into believing that he does not
exist. Large is the percentage of
people who believe this as fact. If Satan can convince us that he does not
exist, then we will not notice him when he attacks, for we will be looking
through rose coloured glasses and be unable to see him.
God has made it abundantly clear in His Word that the devil exists.
There are literally hundreds of references to him or his work found in
Scripture.
There is a wide band of quote
"Christian" people who (deep down) believe that Satan and his kingdom
exist, but do not really take him seriously.
They perceive him to be a little red man, with horns and a tail, who
whispers in one's left ear. He is
someone to be made fun of and blamed for little sinful indiscretions - "the
devil made me do it". How can
anyone take such a picture of the devil seriously?
But, failing to take him seriously is a grave mistake.
Behind the red suit, horns and tail is a vile, wicked, treacherous being
who is bent on our total destruction.
Satan keeps millions of people in bondage
with fear. Fear of his power runs
rampant in occult circles. Satan's
entire hierarchy and kingdom operates under the control of fear and power.
Demons obey their superiors simply out of fear of a more powerful
creature. People that get caught up
in occult activities or wind up in the grasp of malevolent forces can be bound
by fear. A person may hear thoughts
such as, "if you do this or that (which is positive towards God) you will
be hurt or hindered."
It is this type of fear that keeps so many
in bondage. It is fear that keeps so many Christians in the dark -
failing to learn about the "wiles of the devil". Numerous people say to me, "I have always been afraid of
learning about the devil and the deliverance ministry.
I would rather leave that kind of stuff to others."
These people have believed a lie. We
are called not to be ignorant. We
are to pursue knowledge and wisdom. We
are commanded to bathe ourselves in the truth.
It is proper to respect the devil, but never are we to fear him to the
point of ignorance or inaction.
Satan's role before God is to accuse men of
their sin (Rev 12:10), and to prove that he should have rights and access to
them because of this. He also
spends a great deal of time falsely accusing mankind before themselves and each
other. When an individual is struggling with temptation and sin, the
devil will come and say things like, "You are no good. You will never have
victory. Pack it in and give up.
God does not love you any more. You
do not deserve His affection or concern. Go ahead and do yourself in."
Despair and discouragement lead to a life of nominalism and the path of
least resistance. Neutralized
Christians are no threat to the devil, but they are a displeasure to the Lord
(Rev 3:15,16). We are always to
retain the "helmet, which is the hope of salvation" (I Thess 5:8).
We can be confident that there will (ultimately) be deliverance from evil
and that victory will be provided by our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We are on the winning side. We
can lose a skirmish but will not lose the war.
Satan wants us to doubt everything that is
to be held true, so he plants doubts in our minds.
These can later grow and flourish. He
wants us to doubt God and what He has said (Gen 3:1-5).
He wants us to doubt the truths about the spiritual kingdom. He wants us to doubt ourselves and our position as
Christians. "... for the one
who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.... being a
double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:6-8).
It is impossible to be a threat to Satan if we are being tossed to and
fro. It is hard to utilize the
sword of truth if we are uncertain as to what that truth is. Faith comes from God. Where
you find doubt and confusion you can be sure that the kingdom of darkness is
near.
Not only does Satan plant doubt, but he also
plants a whole menagerie of lies, which, if rooted, will blossom into all kinds
of darkness and deception. Some of
these thoughts come quietly and subtly while others come fast and furious.
Often these "fiery darts" come when one is contemplating Bible
reading or prayer. These thought
are unwelcome and must be resisted. Those
that are accepted will take root and lead to bondage. Paul instructs us to destroy "every lofty thing raised
up against the knowledge of God, and we are [to take] every thought captive to
the obedience of Christ" (II Cor 10:5).
The ultimate Satanic planting was when "the devil had already put
into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him [Jesus
Christ]" (John 13:2).
"Then the devil comes and takes away
the word (seed) from their hearts so that they may not believe and be
saved" (Luke 8:12). Satan loves to eat up the seed of the gospel and keep man in
darkness. Paul writes,
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor 4:3,4).
There are those that the devil blesses with riches and contentment,
ultimately leading them into complacency. If
we become too comfortable, we often forget our need for a Saviour.
The history of the Jews portrays that, whenever they got right with God,
they would be blessed and become wealthy. When
they got lazy in their relationship with God, they would fall into the snares of
the devil and soon be in the clutches of their enemies (backed by Satan). It is with this in mind that Christ said "it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God" (Mk 10:25), but "with God, all things are
possible" (vs 27). Satan is
more than happy to give riches to those who can be destroyed by them.
One of his temptations to Christ was to offer Him all the riches of the
world if only Christ would bow down and worship him.
Too many people have fallen for this ploy.
Satan will also do all in his power to steal from those who will use
their riches for the glory of God.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood. . ."(Eph 6:12). There
is a personal hand to hand combat that each believer must wage with negative
spiritual forces. There are
specific individual temptations unique to each person - designed to take
advantage of any weakness. I have
never sat through two identical deliverance sessions.
While there are common patterns and common traits, there will always be
some different twist designed specifically for that person.
It is therefore critical that we put on the "whole" armour of
God. We must also focus on and
allow Christ to strengthen our specific areas of weakness.
Satan hates the church and the true
believer. He will incite other
people, and the world in general, to persecute us.
We are to be prepared for persecution and to accept it when it comes.
"And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12). Church
history tells us that eleven out of the twelve apostles died as martyrs.
Literally hundreds of thousands have gone the same way since.
Satan will inflict upon us, if God allows
it, sickness and disease. If he can
gain the rights, he will even kill people before their appointed time (Job
22:16; Ecc 7:17). But we are not to
fear him that can destroy the body, but rather fear him who can destroy both
body and soul in hell (Matt 10:28). There
are those who have found that certain physical problems (such as eating
disorders) are always related to strongholds of the devil based on lies.
Others have found that problems such as anorexia can be traced to
ancestral sins. There are times
when sickness is the result of sin, and there are also times when God uses it
for his glory and the personal growth in character of the afflicted (John 9:2;
11:4).
Satan loves to steal from the Christian and
hurt him or her financially. He
wishes to get us in a position where we develop cravings for money.
It is hard not to covet when you are having trouble feeding your family.
Beyond this, though, there is the whole realm of keeping up with the
Joneses. For some, the Joneses have
become very wealthy. The command
"not to covet" is one of the original Ten Commandments, and so many
fall prey to this sin.
"But those that want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare
and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and
destruction" (I Tim 6:9).
HOW
WE GIVE GROUND TO THE DEVIL
There are two different types of conditions that give Satan ground and
access to a person's life. First,
there are active conditions in which the person has actively participated in
sins which have become a stronghold. Second,
there are passive conditions in which the person finds himself opened up to infiltration
or attack because of other people's sin. Satan
operates behind both in expanding his kingdom of darkness.
ACTIVE
CONDITIONS
At the root of all rebellion is the desire to "be like God," to
call one's own shots, and to be a god unto oneself.
Who better to promote this philosophy than the devil himself - he
invented the concept and perpetrated it throughout all creation.
Scripture is full of passages which command us not to rebel (Num 20:24;
Josh 22:19). Rebellion "is as
the sin of witchcraft" (I Sam 15:23).
The basis of witchcraft is the going after of other gods for information
and power. Rebelliousness has the
same consequences (spiritually) as following other gods; it is setting ourselves
up as god. Ground is given by both
witchcraft and rebellion for the demonic to invade and take space.
Satan wishes to tempt us into sin, and then
fuel desire to keep us bound in sin. Demons
tempt us into hypocrisy and lying (Acts 5:3), illicit sex (I Cor 7:5),
dependence on our own wisdom and strength (I Chron 21:1-8; Matt 16:21-23),
overindulgence in and over involvement with the values and pursuits of the world
(I John 2:15-16, 5:19), spiritual pride (I Tim 3:6), and discouragement (I Pet
5:6-10). While falling into most
sins does not give immediate access and ground to the devil, continuing to sin
can result in habitual sin. Habitual
sin will develop into a stronghold. Romans
8:15 states, "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading
to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we
cry out, "Abba! Father!" "It
was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not
be subject again to a yoke of slavery" (Gal 5:1).
Continual participation in sin, eventually
leads to giving ourselves over to complete slavery to that sin.
In order to do this we must quench the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking
to us, thereby grieving Him (Eph 4:30; I Thess 5:19).
Such rebellion opens the doors wide to infiltration and inhabitation.
If Satan cannot get us with the desires of
the flesh, he will attack us with worldly values.
He is eager to give us of his kingdom, if we will prostitute our resolve
of following Christ only. He will
entice us with promises of wealth, power and fame in exchange for our selfish
ambition.
Not totally unlike the pagan witch, the
Christian too makes deals (albeit informally) with Satan when he/she accepts
anything which the demonic kingdom will provide in exchange for compromise.
To accept such compromise allows a foothold and eventual bondage.
"God is opposed to the proud, but gives
grace to the humble" (I Pet 5:5b). " Pride goes before
destruction...." (Pr 16:18). Satan
loves to promote us and encourage a heightened opinion of ourselves because in
doing so, we come into direct opposition to God.
It all comes down to perspective: If
we keep our eyes upon ourselves we will eventually be driven to pride or to
despair. If we are successful in
our own eyes, we will be proud; if unsuccessful, we will be depressed. Rather, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus and by doing so, our
opinion of ourselves is constantly kept in perspective.
Those in positions of leadership are Satan's
primary target for pride. King
David fell into this snare of Satan. He
had just come from great victories and had conquered all his enemies - something
to be proud about. Then "Satan
stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel" (I Chron 21:1). Even when he was warned by Joab not to bring guilt on Israel
(vs 3), David insisted in doing what Satan desired. "And God was displeased with this thing, so He struck
Israel" (vs 7) and 70,000 men died for David's sin (vs 14).
Pride is one of the greatest sins. Each
of us has a choice - to humble ourselves or be humiliated.
Being in opposition to God is a precarious position to find oneself in.
PASSIVE
CONDITIONS
Satan loves to take advantage of crises.
In fact, he thrives on it. Without
actively being involved in sin, a person can come into bondage.
It is often in the moment of trauma that demons will amplify the new
found fear, grief, or loneliness. Properly
energized by the demonic, certain emotions can develop into demonic strongholds.
My experience has been that there must already be indwelling demons
present for Satan to gain power in the area of trauma.
For example, a child may awake and find himself alone in the house.
Not being able to find his parents, he becomes very afraid. Fear can then give way to terror if demons are present to
aggravate and intensify the emotions. This
trauma will lodge in the unconscious producing areas of fear that darkness can
occupy. If there are no demons
present at the traumatic event, there will still be intense experience which can
later result in phobias but, if the child has always been under the protection
of his parents' spiritual umbrella, demons are not allowed access to the areas
of pain. Later in life (after the
age of accountability), if these areas are not dealt with, and the person is not
walking circumspectly, demonic strongholds can develop.
The critical ingredient for parents to be aware of is the importance of
their spiritual protection over their children.
If there is no protection, or if there are latent rights and grounds due
to ancestry, Satan will take full advantage of any crisis situation.
There are situations, unfortunately, in
which a child is in a position to be infiltrated no matter what the extent of
the spiritual protection of the parents. Such
situations would include rape and ritualistic satanic abuse.
In the case of rape or sexual activity - wherever there is a "one
flesh" union, there is an automatic transference of demonic entities.
In ritualistic abuse, the whole process is designed to transfer demonic
entities into the victim - by a variety of means.
(We will deal with these issues as well as discuss how to provide proper
spiritual protection later on in this book.)
Closely related to the experiences of
trauma, are experiences in which the individuals involved are out of control.
Being in this state will likely result in a state of anxiety. The word "anxiety" means "to divide".
By being anxious, we are not able to fully trust God.
Our attention goes in two directions at once.
Satan takes full advantage of the situation by projecting all sorts of
images of threat and ruin into our minds. At
the root of anxiety is the mistaken belief that we are ultimately responsible
for the outcome of all that transpires in our lives.
In reality, God is in control of all that can and may transpire.
Failure to appropriate this truth can give ground to the enemy.
Our current culture constantly bombards us
with television, radio, billboards, newspapers, magazines, books, video games
etc., etc., etc. Satan is able to
use all these aspects of his world for his own benefit: both to entice us into
sin and also to dull our conscience to the sinful nature of what goes on around
us. Probably the most powerful tool
has been television - with its proponence of violence, sensuality, and
"pleasure where you find it" doctrine.
When our conscience is dulled, it is far easier for Satan to get us
involved in, (or to continue to be involved in) activities which go beyond the
realm of appropriate and acceptable Christian behaviour. In this way sin can sneak up on us and slowly wrap its
tentacles around us. Eventually, we
find ourselves in bondage.
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND HEREDITARY GROUNDS
There are certain situations in which grounds are given to the dark
kingdom although the inflicted person was not at all actively involved.
Demons can inflict upon us simply because of "who" we are in
relation to our parents and ancestors. At
other times, we can become the victim of curses and succumb to their power.
One does not have to be in the deliverance
ministry long to realize that, by and large, the majority of demonic problems
encountered are the result of demonic heritage being passed from generation to
generation. Of all demonic contamination, this process is the most
malignant. If anything in life does
not seem fair, this is it. How and
why does this happen? The question
can best be answered by following the reasoning and explanation of how we are
all born in sin. We all inherited
spiritual death from our parents (Rom 5:12; Eph 2:1; I Cor 15:21,22). We were not given a choice.
The choice of one man was made for all of us. Spiritually we were "in" Adam when he sinned.
(In discussing spiritual matters it must be kept in mind that the spirit
can operate outside of time and space, therefore it is possible that all of
humanity was contained in the loins of Adam.)
Is it fair that, because of one man, sin was passed to all?
Apparently God thought so, yet He provided a provision for us to receive
a new spirit through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
The sins of our ancestry also have a tremendous bearing on our current
lives. God said, "Thou shalt
have no other gods before Me. Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is
in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth. Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for
I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me" (Ex
20:3-5 KJV; compare Duet 4:16-19; Lev 26:39-42).
The sins that are passed on to the
"third and fourth" generation are also passed on with the accompanying
demonic strongholds. If one's grandparents were satanists, it is understood that
demonic rights and grounds were given in their lives. These rights and grounds are passed on to the next three or
four generations. Time after time,
as we counsel people who have come for deliverance, we find that there is no
known sin left in their lives - some even have been practicing/repenting
Christians from very young ages - but there are still demonic inroads.
These inroads relate, specifically, to things that their ancestry were
involved in, and have nothing to do with what these people are involved in.
This is one of the reasons why you will see the same sin traits passed on
from grandfather, to father, to son. The
demons that pressure one to sin will pressure the next to sin.
Over time, the same demons may have access to a multitude of people and
will move from family member to family member.
So often I have seen how one person in a family will have major spiritual
battles and fall away, to later come back in repentance to God, while another
family member begins the same process
of being pulled into bondage. Demons
cannot be everywhere at once but can transfer back and forth at will.
Often they will reside in one `host' until they feel their work there is
done, then they will move to another more promising host.
If there is access provided, they will move back and forth at will.
Curses, as understood from the standpoint of
deliverance, could be defined as such: "A
condition or situation that is put in place so that demons can attack or be
involved in a person, place or object."
There are different ways in which these conditions are put in place.
Primarily a curse is put upon a person or place by an individual
who wishes malevolent intent towards the cursed `object'.
Either God or a god will be invoked to bring the evil or harm.
By wishing the evil, and invoking a deity, the conditions are put in
place for demons to attack the object of the curse. When a witch puts a curse on
a person, there is both a flow of hatred and creative energy from the witch (who
is made in the image of God). There is also the cooperation of the demonic to
carry out the intention or command. The
average person can curse another person by simply wishing ill will upon the
other individual. The power of that
curse will be based on the spiritual power of the cursing individual and the
amount of demonic activity available to or residing in the person issuing the
curse. In the case of God putting a curse on a person, there are creative and
destructive forces at the disposal of God which are not at all, to the same
degree, available to men or angels. Whether
or not a curse will stick to the individual
being cursed is dependant upon the spiritual condition of the object
(person or group of people) of the curse. Proverbs
26:2 states, "Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
so a curse without cause does not alight."
There must be some sin or weakness somewhere in the person's life for the
curse to stick. If there is nothing
there, the curse will bounce off and go back to its source.
In Numbers 23:8 Baalam was not able to curse the Israelites: "How
shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And
how can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?"
CURSED
OBJECTS
Objects that are either dedicated to Satan or other demonic gods become
Satan's property to be used as he wills. These
are known as `familial' objects. Demons
will be attached to these objects and will remain with these objects until they
are destroyed. Such objects include
idols, statues of demons, articles of worship, secret books, etc.
These objects are usually for religious purposes and to be used by and
for Satan and his kingdom. In Acts
19:19 the Ephesians "who practiced magic brought their books together and
began burning them in the sight of all...."
"The graven images of their gods you
are to burn with fire; you shall
not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest
you be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.
And you shall not bring an abomination into your house, and become a
devoted thing like it; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor
it, for it is a devoted thing" (Duet 7:25-26).
"What do I mean then? That a thing
sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they
sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in
demons"(1 Cor. 10:19-20).
Some common familial objects include:
occult articles used for occult practices; certain Rock and Roll records
and tapes; materials from occultic role playing fantasy games; articles used in
Eastern religions or the Western traditions such as Masonry or Rosicrucian; and
certain books on the occult that carry specific curses or dedications upon them.
There are also objects that are specifically
cursed by those in the occult so as to transfer demons to them.
These articles do not belong to Satan and are not used by him other than
for the purpose of the curse. For
example, a witch could curse your car so that it would not start, and demons
would attach themselves to your car for that purpose.
Whether or not this type of curse sticks is dependant upon the amount of
angelic protection God has provided
around you and your possessions. (We
must remember that Satan can do nothing to us outside of God's consent).
Objects that have been cursed in such a manner do not need to be
destroyed but rather prayed over - breaking the curses and sending the demons to
where the Lord would have them go. A
person may wish to anoint the objects with oil and dedicate them to the Lord as
well (Ex 40).
CURSED
PLACES
Demonic entities also will attack a person who is in the wrong place at
the wrong time. Numerous case
histories could be given wherein a person was in a place that was being used for
a séance, satanic ritual, or a religious shrine, and was followed out by demonic
creatures. There are also cases in
which demonic entities are picked up at rock concerts, bars, and pagan religious
ceremonies. Any place where immoral
activity runs rampant, or worship of the devil occurs, can become accursed, and
those involved there can pick up on those curses.
"But were mingling among the heathen,
and learned their works. And they
served their idols; which were a snare unto them."
(Psalm 106:35-36)
FALSE
DOCTRINES AND MINISTRIES
Twisting truth so that it still appears true but, is a lie is Satan's
specialty. This was seen in his
deception of Eve (Gen 3:1-6); and it is also seen in his temptation of Christ in
the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11). Satan
knows the Bible through and through and he also knows how gullible mankind can
become. By simply taking a few
scriptures out of context, or misinterpreting them, he can lead a person into
falsehood and error. By coming as
an angel of light, quoting Scripture, he has led many astray and even starting a
number of cults.
His ability to deliver false religious
experiences and convince people that they are coming from God is one of Satan's
grandest tricks. Demons have an
incredible ability to influence the feelings and emotions of an individual.
The Holy Spirit never overpowers us against
our will. When He fills us with Himself it is not like any of the
experiential ways described above. Let's
look at some of the manifestations people have had that they believe to be
indications of the filling of the Holy Spirit.
FALSE
TONGUES
Tongues have probably been one of the most controversial subjects in
church circles during the last century. I
wish not to get into a major discussion of the issue, but rather to speak about
it as it relates to the deliverance ministry.
I do believe that there is a place for tongues in the church and in the
individual Christian's life, however, in deliverance ministry we encounter a lot
of counterfeit tongues.
False tongues are usually received by the
laying on of hands, or subsequent to reading books on the subject.
The main way the counterfeit gift is acquired, is by receiving the false
tongue from someone else who has a false tongue.
There are documented cases of witches
were given demons of false tongues and then instructed in how to
infiltrate charismatic church services and lay hands on people so that false
tongue gifts would be imparted. Laying
on of hands is a very dangerous activity if practiced incorrectly.
FALSE
PROPHECY
There are four possible sources of prophecy:
1. Legitimately from the
Holy Spirit.
2. Illegitimately from an
evil spirit.
3. Legitimately
from the person's own spirit.
4. Fantasies
and visions conjured up in the mind.
First, there is a legitimate gift from the Holy Spirit. A true prophet's words will be evangelistic in nature.
The Lord God states: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who
are prophesying to you.... I did
not send these prophets, but they ran. I
did not speak to them, but they prophesied.
But if they had stood in my council, then they would have announced My
words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and
from the evil of their deeds" (Jer. 23:16,21,22).
Second, there is the demonic counterfeit of the legitimate gift.
The criterion for recognizing a prophet who speaks from an evil source is
to see whether the prophetic words draw people toward God or move them away.
Another check is to see if the prophecies come true.
If the prophet is wrong in one instance, we know that he/she is not
always prophesying of the Holy Spirit. Such
prophets should not be trusted or feared (Duet 18:22).
Realize that demonic induced prophecy may come true, but will never be
100%.
The third source of prophecy is to be tested
in the same way as the first. If
the prophet is not 100% accurate, you can be sure that they are not being led of
the Holy Spirit. Just like those
who are influenced by the evil spirit, these people can be right often, but
never 100%. Because we are
spiritual beings, we have the ability to step outside of time and space and
foresee the future (Ecc. 3:11). But
we must realize that God controls and shapes the future and nothing is 'set in
stone'. The Lord God states to
Jeremiah: "I have heard what
the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, 'I had a dream,
I had a dream'... The prophet who
has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in
truth. What does straw have in
common with grain?" (Jer 23:25-28). Straw
and grain come from the same field (of the spirit), but only God can give the
true picture. If you have a vision
or a dream, say that you have had such, but do not declare that it is of the
Lord unless you have had His council. "If
a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a
wonder, and the sign or wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you,
saying, `Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us worship
them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of
dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Duet 13:1-3; see also
Matt 24:4-11; Rev 13:11-14). Everything
is to be tested with the revealed word of God.
Anything or anyone who does not match up is to be ignored.
Fourth, there are those who fantasize and create
prophecies in their minds. Usually
these are of the inconsequential type that could be labeled `warm and fuzzy'.
God's word is never a warm fuzzy, but is "'like fire' declares the
Lord, 'and like a hammer which shatters a rock'" (Jer 23:29).
Prophecy should move people to repentance and righteousness. "But if you all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an
ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the
secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship
God, declaring that God is certainly among you" (I Cor 15:24,25).
SLAYING
IN THE SPIRIT
Another of the supposed manifestations of being "filled with the
Spirit" is that of being slain in the Spirit.
Like false tongues, false spirits are also passed on through the laying
on of hands. The times I have seen
`slaying in the Spirit', what I saw was actually `slaying in the spirit' (small
"s"). For some it
involves demons; for others it is a `psych' job - they expect it so much it
happens. When watching these
activities, I have become extremely uneasy in my spirit and have even left or
stopped watching (on TV.). In
Acts, when the Spirit came in power, there was no indication that people swooned
over backward. In fact, there is no
indication of this occurring in the Bible.
The references to people being overcome by the power of the Spirit
resulted in them falling prostrate on their face before the Lord.
In all cases of "slaying" that I have seen, the person has
fallen over backwards or sideways, not prostrate before the Lord.
I do not wish to categorically state that all slayings in the spirit are
demonic, but each should be tested later by its fruits and by those with
discernment. Check also to see if
proper procedures were taken when the `laying on of hands' was involved.
OCCULT
ACCESS
Participation in the occult is by far the most dangerous game played out
on earth between man and the devil. It
is basically through occult activities that most demons gain access to man;
either through personal involvement or ancestral involvement.
God is a jealous God and does not want anyone looking elsewhere but to
Himself for wisdom, direction, or power. "There
shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass
through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one
who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a
spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For
whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these
detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you" (Duet
18:10-12). Let's look at some of
the main occultic practices through which people sell themselves to the devil.
Man has always had a craving to be able to
know the future. By knowing the
future, he would be able to prosper greatly and keep one step ahead of everyone
else. Because demons have a better
view of time and space than man does, they are able to see into the future
better than man can. Man has
therefore, since time began, craved this information and turned to demons to get
it. Astrology, Crystal Gazing, Palm
Reading, the Tarot, I Ching, and the Ouija board are just a few of the methods
used to contact the spirits. The
consequences of turning to such activities, whether innocently or intentionally,
is severe. To do so is to incur the
curse of the Almighty; opening oneself to demonic attack.
Within each of us is a natural bent toward
wanting power - power over ourselves, over others, and over nature.
It is to this desire that Satan tempts us with witchcraft,
Wicca, love and hate magic (white and black), devil worship, god and
goddess worship, and the power of curses and spells. Again, the consequences are the same - participation produces
susceptibility to attack and infiltration from the kingdom of darkness.
If you have ever experienced the death of a
loved one, you will understand the grief and loss involved, as well as the
desire to see that person again and talk to them.
To exploit this desire the kingdom of darkness brings spiritism, with its
séances and mediumship. Here you
also find the promise of supernatural powers involving clairvoyance, telepathy,
trances, astral projection, and automatic writing.
While some of these powers are innately neutral to the individual (such
as certain types of telepathy among family members and close friends), the bulk
of it falls within Satan's `little black bag of horrors'.
Participation in such activities, or trying to develop these powers, is
dynamite.
PASSIVITY
AND ENLIGHTENMENT
We have all heard the phrase, "An
idle mind is the devil's workshop!" This
phrase is not too far off the mark. Satan wishes us to have a passive mind - one that he can fill
like a garbage dump. Here we find
another of Lucifer's favourite phrases, "Let
go and let God." Under no
circumstances are we to let our minds be passive or to be controlled by any
other spirit - not even the Spirit of God.
He never controls us, but fills us and empowers us, so that (by our will)
we can ongoingly obey Him.
Another concept that is closely related to
the idea of "letting go" is the idea that, if we can become still
enough and centered enough, we will be able to get in touch with God within.
This can be done through meditations, music, drugs, trances, mysticism,
TM etc. In these states there are
experiences of ecstasy and bliss - but one is no closer to God in these
experiences than one is outside these experiences.
Satan uses the whole process of striving for `enlightenment' to connect
the disciple to demonic entities and experiences.
Mantras are given to a person to repeat over and over again in order to
produce a trance-like condition. A
mantra is usually the name of a demon god that is being called upon - when they
are called upon, they will come.
There are certain psycho-physiological states that make one receptive to
invasion by evil spirits. There
seems to be certain states of consciousness in which one's guard and protective
shield are completely down. Drugs
are probably the most dangerous means for reaching that state.
Alcohol can have the same effect if consumed in excess.
The state produced briefly at orgasm could also be ranked here as could
`out of control' emotional states like panic or rage.
Anesthesia, and other drug induced states which can occur at a hospital,
also open a person up. Sometimes
fainting will produce the required state. Some
of these events naturally happen to us and there is nothing we can do about
them. This should not cause severe
worry. If demonic entities gain
access, they still must find some right and ground to dwell in.
If the light is too intense, they will leave. If a person knows he/she is going to be anesthetized, simply
pray and ask the Lord for protection until a state of clear consciousness is
regained. In the case of orgasm
during sex, there is nothing to worry about if you are with your marriage
partner. If you are masturbating to
certain cursed magazines, any demons attached to the magazine will have access
at the time of orgasm - to see if they can find ground in which to hide.
(There are certain magazines that are specifically sent out with curses,
to strengthen their pornographic grip. Most
black market magazines fit this category. This
is not to say that looking at pictures of naked people is always going to lead
to demonic bondage, but extreme caution is advised.
"Better safe than sorry.")
"Be of sober spirit, be on
the alert. Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour." (I Peter
5:8)
ATTACKS
ON THE CHURCH
The church is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ;
we are his representatives here on Earth in organized form.
He is the head over all the church (Eph 1:22;5:23;Col 1:18).
There is no other person in all heaven and earth that Satan hates more
than the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
has received all the glory that Satan ever coveted.
God has "highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who
are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,.."(Phil 2:9-10).
Is this not the identical position that Lucifer coveted for himself?
Satan tried to seduce Christ and cause His fall.
He tried to kill Christ and get rid of him - only to find that he had
sealed his own fate. God raised
Christ from the dead and gave Him the keys of life and death.
He would never be down again! (Mt 4:1-11).
Satan knows that the only way he can hurt
Christ is to hurt what Christ loves: His
church and His creation. I am
continually amazed that the Lord still treats Satan with justice and patience
when daily the Lord's heart is broken over His church.
Such love, I cannot comprehend. On
the other hand I have seen the vengeance of the Lord at work in spiritual
reality - when He is dealing with the forces of darkness.
It is awesome and it is scary to see the Lord, dressed for battle,
subduing the satanic kingdom with a word. Satan
trembles in fear at the presence of the Almighty Lord; his minions are
petrified. But even so, the kingdom
of darkness continues to attack the church of God. The Satanic kingdom takes tremendous pleasure in any
victories that it can attain. Whenever
demons can strike a damaging blow to the church, they taunt Almighty God -
spewing out their venom and hatred. They
are poor despicable creatures, vainly fighting a losing battle, sure of their
own defeat, mocking God to the last.
"And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be
able to stand" (Mk 3:25). Satan
wishes to destroy the unity of the church body.
If he can do so, he greatly weakens the body's ability to function and
provide nourishment to its members.
One of the ways Satan is able to divide the church is through our own
carnal, fleshly natures. For out of the flesh come "...enmities, strife,
jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
envying..."(Gal 5:20-21). Where
there are such works of the flesh, the devil is involved:
"But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart,
do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly,
natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is
disorder and every evil thing" (Jam 3:14-16). Wherever there are people working together, there is a
natural selfish bent to have one's own way, to be jealous of other people's
success and to want to be in positions of power and influence. Whenever you find these traits manifested in a church you
know that, unless there is a mighty work of the Spirit and repentance in the
heart of the people, there will soon be some form of church split.
We must constantly be on the alert so that such fleshly evils do not get
out of hand. Paul writes, "Now
I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all
agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same
mind and in the same judgment" (I Cor 1:10).
Another area that has caused divisions in
the church, from its inception almost 2000 years ago, is that of doctrinal
discrepancies and interpretation of scripture.
Paul asks, "Has Christ been divided?" (I Cor 1:13).
The Corinthians were experiencing divisions regarding who they were
following: Apollos, or Paul, or Cephas, or Christ.
Today we do the same. We
say, "I am Apostolic, or I am Pentecostal, or I am Baptist, I am Alliance,
I am Lutheran...." To the
degree that Satan can keep us intolerant of each other, he gains a measure of
victory.
GOD'S
HAND IN THE WAR
GOD'S
INTERVENTION
It is plain to see that Satan has a huge arsenal of weapons with which to
attack the individual Christian and the church.
But we need not fear for God has provided us with all that we need to
fight back and stand firm.
Immediately
after Satan fell, taking a third of heaven with him and then assisting
man in his fall, God put His redemptive plan in operation.
This plan involves a number of stages:
First, God provided a way of escape and
redemption through His only begotten Son so that whoever would believe in Him
would have eternal life restored to him (Jn 3:16).
The initial stage of preparing a lineage for His son began with the
children of Israel. God started
with Abraham to begin calling for himself a chosen people.
The nation Israel was to be a lighthouse to the other nations of the
world, pointing them towards the Almighty Father.
Second, our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ
was born, lived, and died to win a decisive victory over the devil - providing a
sacrifice atoning for the sins of all mankind.
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their
humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who hold the power of death -
that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by
their fear of death" (Heb 2:14-15). During
Christ's life He won decisive victories over Satan.
He had come "to destroy the works of the devil" (I Jn 3:8). He
took authority over Satan and in turn gave authority to the disciples "over
all the power of the enemy" (Lk 10:19).
He commissioned them also to be the initial builders with Him of the
church (Mt 16:13-19). By the time
the Lord Jesus left this earth, Satan's future was sealed.
Third, beginning with the church age, an
extended war began in which power over the evil one was given into the hands of
the church body. We received the keys to the kingdom of heaven, along with the
power to bind and loose on earth what we see God already having bound or loosed
in heaven (Matt 16:18). We are now
in an offensive position to loose people from their bondage to Satan and to bind
the kingdom of darkness from interfering with our churchly duties.
We also have the responsibility as pronounced by David: "To execute
vengeance on the nations, and punishment on the peoples; to bind their kings
with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the
judgment written" (Ps 149:7-9). I
believe that the church, with Christ as the head, will be instrumental in
bringing about the casting of Satan (and the kingdom of darkness) into the pit
for 1000 years (Rev 20:1,2).
Finally, Christ and His angels will wage war
upon Satan for the last time, and the balance of the kingdom of darkness will be
thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where "they will be tormented
day and night forever and ever" (Rev 20:10).
And we shall live with Him forever and ever, Amen!
GOD'S
PROTECTION
Once we have come into the kingdom of light, God provides protection for
us in ways that go beyond the protection that He has provided to all mankind in
general. As Christians, God has
given us a new spirit and a new heart. His
spirit has come to indwell us - to give us power and to bring about His good
pleasure (Phil 2:13). We are new creatures, with new abilities to stand against
the onslaught of sin via the world, the flesh and the devil.
Our requirements for protection are obedience and the removal of sin from
ourselves.
We can be confident that Satan can do
nothing to us outside of the consent of God.
Like Job, we too have a hedge of protection around us that is provided by
God - keeping Satan at bay. "He
is a shield to those who take refuge in him" (Pr 30:5).
We also know that blessings are passed on for a thousand generations (Dt
7:9) and that such blessings provide protection from demonic forces.
Besides these, we also have an advocate with the Father, as Peter did, in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan wished
to have Peter (Luke 22:31-32) but Christ prayed for him so that his faith would
not fail. So too He prays for us,
as our high priest before the Father (Heb 5:5).
God "will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope.
And He will yet deliver us,..." (2 Cor 1:10).
We are, though, to expect persecution (Mk
10:30). In this persecution we are
always to realize that God uses persecution for our own good and the good of
others (Lk 21:12,13). He allows
satanic opposition to keep us on the straight and narrow.
Christ says, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be
zealous therefore and repent" (Rev 3:19).
Persecution is also a test to see if we can overcome.
Jesus says, "he who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with
Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His
throne" (vs 21).
OUR
WEAPON
God has provided us with armour (Eph 6:10-18) to protect us
from the enemy. He has also given
us weapons with which to wage war. "And they overcame him because of the blood
of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did
not love their life even to death" (Rev 12:11).
Jesus also has given us both power (dunamis) and authority
(exousia) over evil spirits and all the power of the enemy (Matt 10:1; Mk 6:7,
Lk 9:1). While we will get into a
more detailed description of the armour later, let us look briefly at some of
the weapons that God provides.
1. "Word
of God." The word of God
is a sword which we quote to the devil to drive him away.
Christ was the master at using God's word to resist Satan in the
wilderness (Mt 4:1-11).
2. "Power
of the Holy Spirit." Power
which we have received by the Holy Spirit is the same power with which Christ
cast out demons (Matt 12:28).
3. "Blood
of Jesus." There is
nothing that Satan hates more than the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
We can always remind Satan that he is defeated because of Christ's blood,
and that we therefore are released from bondage to him.
Pleading the blood over ourselves for protection will also drive the
demons, who would wish to torment us, into retreat.
4. "Word
of Our Testimony." The
confession that we belong to Jesus Christ carries much weight in spiritual
reality. When we confess that we belong to him, Satan is forced to
relinquish all ground that he may previously have taken for it no longer belongs
to him.
5. "Name
of Jesus." "In my
name they will cast out demons" (Mk 16:17).
When we are in God's will and operating under His direction, we have
authority and power over all the power of the enemy.
6. "The
Truth." "You shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn 8:32).
All that Satan does is based on lies and deception, for there is no truth
in him. Our weapon therefore is
truth. Christ said, "My prayer
is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the
evil one .... Sanctify them by the
truth; Your word is truth" (Jn
17:15-17NIV). God has provided us
with The Bible - His word of truth.
GOD
USES SATAN FOR OUR GOOD
While we know that God is sovereign and in control,
we may feel sometimes that he has left us out in the cold to face the
world and the devil on our own. In
reality, we must never lose sight of the fact that "all things work
together for good to those who love God, to those whose who are called according
to His purpose" (Rom 8:28). Satan
is, in reality, just one of the chess pieces in the game of life.
God uses Satan for His own purposes.
Let's look at some of the purposes that are accomplished by our trials
and testing.
1. Chastisement.
One reason we fall into trials and distress is personal sin.
The writer of Hebrews exhorts us: "My
son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are
reproved by Him; for those whom the
Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.
It is for discipline that you endure;
God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father
does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become
partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected
them; shall we not much rather be
subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He
disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet
to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness" (Heb 12:5-11).
The discipline we receive from the Lord is
not punishment. All punishment for
our sins was born on the cross by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Discipline is designed for our growth into the future, punishment is for
repaying the past. Our sin has been
paid for - past, present and future. "He
does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for
those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed
our transgressions from us" (Ps 103:10-12).
There are, however, natural consequences of
the sins that we find ourselves entangled in.
Paul writes: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a
man sows this he will also reap" (Gal 6:7).
It is for this reason that Satan petitions God for the right to attack us
and hinder us. God allows Satan to
do so, giving guidelines as to how and what Satan can do to us.
The end result, is that we are disciplined for growth and repentance.
Satan's goal, while we are going through
discipline, is to discourage us and to cause us to become bitter against God and
against life. Hebrews 12:15 states: "See to it that no one comes short
of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and
by it many be defiled." A
"root of bitterness" can become a foothold for Satan.
Therefore, we are to welcome discipline.
James writes: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into
our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us" (Rom 5:3-5).
2. Fiery
ordeals. "Beloved, do not
be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your
testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you" (I Pet 4:12).
"In this [salvation] you greatly
rejoice; even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been
distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more
precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire may be found
to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ"
(I Pet 1:6-7). God is interested in proving us to be sincere and true.
The word "dokime" which is translated "proof" means
putting something to the test to determine its genuineness.
God wants to test how genuine we really are.
3. Suffering. Christ neither had to be chastised for disobedience nor
proved by fiery trials, but He too went through suffering at the hands of the
satanic kingdom. "Although He
was a Son [of God], He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the
source of eternal salvation" (Heb 5:8,9).
So here we see that suffering teaches obedience.
Peter writes: "Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh,
arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the
flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no
longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God" (I Per 4:1,2).
While we are learning obedience, we are also putting to death the desires
of the flesh so that later on we will not be led astray by them.
4. Afflictions.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and God of all comfort; Who
comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who
are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by
God" (2 Cor 1:3-4). After we
have gone through pain and struggle, we can then become the ears, and heart of
God extended to others who are in the midst of their own pain.
How encouraging to realize that whenever the satanic kingdom takes great
pleasure in afflicting us, in reality they are building us up for the kingdom of
light. Every time they fire at us,
the enemy, the enemy gets stronger. God's
tactics are unanswerable.
5. Thorns
in the flesh. Paul writes:
"And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this
reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the
flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me - to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it
might depart from me. And He has
said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in
weakness" (2 Cor 12:7-9). This
has to be one of the most difficult passages in scripture to get a comfortable
handle on and interpret. Satan had
no legal ground in Paul's life. Paul
should have had the right to command that this demon leave and not return - he
may have even tried to do so. But
this evil creature "did have a right" - a right that was given by God.
By allowing this evil spirit to attack Paul and dwell in Paul's flesh,
God kept Paul from being conceited and from falling into sin.
This would have given demons access to greater attack in Paul's life.
We must always remember that it is God who sets the rules pertaining to
what are legal rights and grounds. Our
righteousness is not the deciding factor. God
always has a purpose in allowing our struggles with the kingdom of darkness.
He does allow sickness and other fleshly problems to come into our lives
to keep us pure and in line with Him.
If there are ever times when God keeps us
weak, for humility's sake, let us "boast all the more gladly about the
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on us....
For when we are weak, then we are truly strong" (2 Cor 12:7-10
personal adaptations).
When
Satan comes to devour us - and this he does through suffering - we have two
choices: we can fight against and
become bitter toward God, or we can respond in joy that God has chosen to
glorify and build us up for His calling. The
choice for those who wish to be proven true and to endure to the end is obvious:
"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been
approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to
those who love Him" (James 1:12).
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under
the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting
all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour. But resist him,
firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being
accomplished by your brethren who are in the world" (I Pet 5:6-9).
OUR
RESPONSIBILITY BEFORE GOD
Our responsibility before God in spiritual warfare can be summarized as
such:
To expose the unfruitful
deeds of darkness (Eph 5:11)
To
stand strong in the armour of His protection (Eph 6:10-18)
To
attack back with the weapons of our warfare (2 Cor 10:3-4)
To
overcome the evil one (Rev 2:26-28)
To
reveal the wisdom of God to the spirit world (Eph 3:10,11)
To
comfort and strengthen those Satan attacks (2 Cor 1:3-4)
To
proclaim freedom to the captives (John 8:36)
Do
not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21)
Let us hold true to our calling as warriors
with Christ - proving the kingdom of light.
THREE
CHANNELS OF TEMPTATION
There are also three basic channels through which temptations come at us.
Each one specifically relates to breaking down one of the components of
our makeup (body/soul/spirit):
"Do not love the world, nor the things
in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life,
is not from the Father but is from the world.
And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does
the will of God abides forever" (I Jn 2:15-17).
"Lust of the Flesh."
This lust is specifically directed to the bodily and fleshly mind. Contained in the lusts of the flesh are all the fleshly,
animalistic like cravings and appetites; the
passions for food, sex and physical pleasures.
These lusts include: carousing and drunkenness, sensuality and sexual
promiscuity, strife and jealousy, immorality, impurity, idolatry, sorcery,
uncontrolled anger, disputes, dissensions, faction, envying, etc. (Rom 13:13-14;
Gal 5:16-21). Fleshly lust wars
against the soul (I Pet 2:11).
"Lust of the Eyes."
This lust is concerned with our own selfish, self-centered ambitions -
"I want it for me", and I "will do it for me".
Also included here is the desire to possess beauty at the expense of
holding to truth. Eve saw the fruit
"that it was a delight to the eyes..." The eyes are the windows of the soul. It is through these eyes, that we let in light or darkness.
If the eyes of our soul are clear, our whole being will be full of light,
but if our eyes are bad we will be full of darkness (Matt 6:21-22). It is with
our eyes that we determine what is right for us to do.
Throughout the Bible people are doing what is right in their own eyes (I
Chr. 13:4). The eyes of man are
never satisfied (Pr 27:20). It is
our eyes that are deceived by that which appears pleasant and delightful (Gen
3:6). It is the eyes of the soul
that "see not" spiritual truths (Mk 8:18) and are opened by the Spirit
for understanding (Eph 1:18).
The lusts of the eye are also the lusts that go after the evils in the
heart of man, to draw them out; "evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders" (Matt 15:19). We see it and want to have it, and then set out to get it for
ourselves, sinning as we go.
"Pride of Life."
The pride of life is aimed at our spirit.
There is a very close connection between the soul of man, and the spirit
of man. It is likened to
"joints and marrow" (Heb 4:12). What
gets intensified in our hearts will affect our spirits. "When the heart is sad the spirit is broken" (Pr
15:13b). If our hearts are puffed
up with pride our spirits too will become arrogant (Dan 5:20).
Pride is responsible for hardening of the heart so that it becomes
insensitive to spiritual truth. God
is opposed to the proud, and hates pride (Pr 8:13).
Satan wishes to make us "self sufficient - gods unto our own
selves." In doing so we will
become proud and arrogant. Wealth,
riches and power, all play into the hands of the pride of life, when our focus
is taken off of the One who owns it all.
"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been
approved he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those
who love Him. Let no one say when
he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted
by evil, and He Himself does not tempt any one.
But each one is tempted when he is carries away and enticed by his own
lust. Then when lust has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth
death" (James 1:12-15)
PROCESS
OF GROWTH
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good
and acceptable" (Rom 12:2).
If we are to grow in the Christian life, we
are called to renew our minds. We
are to take our minds off of the flesh, and put them onto the things of the
spirit. Our focus has to be totally
on the spirit, for if we are looking both ways, to the flesh and to the spirit,
we will be double minded, unstable in all our ways (Jas 1:8).
Our new spirits are created in the image and likeness of Christ, and we
are therefore to put on this mind (1 Cor 2:16), for it is sound (2 Tim 1:7). We are to set our minds on the spirit, where our mind can be
renewed (Eph 4:23).
You may be thinking now, "All this talk
is fine and dandy, but how, specifically, can we turn our minds to the
spirit?" Let me offer some
suggestions:
First, the Word of God is powerful, dividing
the barriers that block between the soul and the spirit.
We need to immerse ourselves in the Word, studying the things of God. We must understand all the basic doctrines and catechisms of
the church, those things that are called the milk of the word (I Pet 2:2), so
that we may grow with respect to sanctification.
We must then also, once having mastered the fundamentals of our faith,
move on to studying the deeper things of God - that which is called the meat
(Heb 5:12-14; I Cor 3:1-3) and trains us to discern good and evil.
Second, we must train the mind of the soul
to commune with the mind of the spirit; for it is in continual communion with
the Spirit of God. There are ways to develop this communion that are only for
the spiritually mature to learn. I
agonized over whether or not I would include information about this in this
book; but feel led of the Lord not to. Those
who wish to pursue this can write the address given in the appendix.
This is one of those things that we can get into, only when we are ready
and able to "lay aside the elementary teaching about Christ.... of
repentance ... of faith towards God, of instructions about washings, and laying
on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
And this we shall do if God permits" (Heb 6:1-3). There are certain people who must be firmly grounded in the
faith before they are ready to walk out into the spiritual world.
Premature venturing can lead one to shipwreck; of oneself as well as
others.
Let me say, though, that
God always speaks to us in a still, small, gentle voice - never loud,
demanding, or accusing. He will
never direct us in a manner which goes beyond our ability to choose and respond.
Seeing into spiritual reality involves developing our imagination so that
we can clearly see, in our mind's eye, that which is going on in the spirit
realm. It is critical that we be
grounded first before engaging in such activity.
It is for this reason that games such as Dungeons and Dragons are so
dangerous: They teach us to use this ability, but for the wrong reasons,
under the wrong circumstances, and in relation to the wrong power.
Third, we can intensify the vibrations in
each of the three areas - increasing their receptivity to the pure light which
comes from God dispelling the darkness. Sin
blocks the ability of the light to permeate our entire being.
As sin is removed and the light permeates our being, our essence begins
to vibrate closer and closer to the vibrations of the light. The purer the vibration, the closer we become experientially to perfection and the better becomes our ability to function as we were created.
There are ways in which we can purify ourselves and increase our ability
to become like the light:
a) In the area of the mind,
we develop pure vibration through truth, and the study of truth. Here the Word of God is critical. Proper theology and philosophy based on the Word are also
extremely useful.
b) In the area of the
emotions, the critical element is degree of clarity and purity of emotion. The problem is that most of us carry large wounded areas in
our souls relating to pain from past emotional hurts. These need to be cleaned up through inner healing, (which we
will discuss later) and forgiveness. Once
there are no blocks in the emotional area, we are free to show the full depths
of emotion, from both love to anger. There
are no commands in scripture to "feel not," but rather to "sin
not" regarding our emotions. Christ
clearly showed us the full range of emotion in His life.
c) In the sexual area,
we can develop this pure vibration with proper sexual activity and restraint.
Strong sexual drives are healthy, but must be kept in control and within
one's marital relationship. This is
the area in which we develop our will - choosing to control ourselves.
Restraining from sexual activity and fasting will increase spiritual
receptivity, but is to only be done for awhile, so that we don't fall into
temptation (I Cor 7:5).
Christ came to give us life, and to give it to us in fullness.
 
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