Tag Archives: demons

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – FREE TO BE ENSLAVED

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FREE TO BE ENSLAVED

“They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As He stepped out onto land, a madman from town met Him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn’t worn clothes for a long time nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery.

When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before Him and bellowed, ‘What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!’ (The man said this because Jesus was ordering the unclean spirit out of him). Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles but, crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.” Luke 8:26-29.

However familiar this story is, one cannot read it without feeling pity for this tormented man. He was a victim of demons, according to Luke.

A victim of demons? How did they get in there in the first place? Demons don’t just walk in and take over wherever they feel like it. They can only gain access to a life when their lies are believed enough to let them in. It all begins when the unsuspecting person gives in to temptation, begins to do ungodly things that become a habit and then adopts ways of dulling the conscience because he cannot live with his guilt.

A young girl may run away from home, get involved in prostitution to make a living, and then turn to drugs and alcohol to dull the pain of her guilt and shame. It will not be long before she is so enslaved by this way of life that she is a candidate for demon possession. What she believed would be a way of escaping authority at home becomes a nightmare of the kind of control she was not bargaining for.

This man, who once made choices of his own, was now a victim of demonic control. What had led him into a lifestyle of sin so terrible that the demons took over? We don’t know but, once they were in, they were there to stay. He had made his choices to sin, time and again until the lies he had believed so often had opened the door for the demons to come in and take over. Once they were in, they showed their true colours and the real torment began.

How did Jesus know about him? Perhaps He didn’t but He went where the Spirit led Him. He went across the lake at His leading, and when He stepped off the boat, He knew why He had come. Although the man was inhabited by His arch-enemies, he was drawn to Jesus, both falling at His feet and screaming his antagonism. The human in him worshipped; the demons in him resisted.

Strange, isn’t it, that while humans refused to acknowledge who Jesus was, the demons were quick to identify Him as the Son of God. They knew who He was and they knew that their judgment was coming. This man was schizophrenic; there were two voices coming out of his mouth, the voice of a tormented man pleading for help and the voices of both terrified and defiant demons, knowing that their rule was temporary and their doom sure.

This story confronts us with the ugly truth of what happens to people when they venture into the realm of demonic deception, lured on by the promises of pleasure and “freedom”, only to be trapped by the consequences of their choices into a life of slavery far worse than the slavery they were trying to escape

Jesus came to set us free, free to choose a life that leads us to peace and wholeness. The only source of peace is Jesus. His peace comes to us when we choose to believe what He says and follow His way — the way of unselfishness, generosity and love.

“To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31, 32 (NIV).

Freedom is not doing whatever you please. Freedom is taking responsibility for yourself and choosing to live God’s way. Do you know this kind of freedom?

THE BOOK OF ACTS – MESSING WITH DEMONS

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MESSING WITH DEMONS

“Some itinerant Jewish exorcists who happened to be in town at the time tried their hand at what they assumed to be Paul’s “game”. They pronounced the name of the Master Jesus over victims of evil spirits, saying, ‘I command you by the name of the Jesus preached by Paul,’ The seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were trying to do this on a man when the evil spirit talked back: ‘I know Jesus and I’ve heard of Paul, but who are you?’ Then the possessed man went berserk — jumped the exorcists, beat them up and tore off their clothes. Naked and bloody, they got away as best they could.” Acts 19:13-16 (The Message).

Such was the city of Ephesus, a city of idol-worship and a city of witch-craft and demon-possession! Like god, like people! Messing around with demons was okay until they got inside and then it was another story. Idols, demons and exorcists went together. Some let them in and others tried to get them out!

During this time of heightened supernatural activity, demons were making their unwanted presence felt. Paul was God’s instrument for dealing with them, both in the bodies of the sick and in the spirits of the tormented. But there were others who tried to do what Paul was doing without realising that they were on the wrong side!

How do demons get in in the first place? Choices! It’s all about choices. The first choice is to ignore or reject God as the rightful owner of your life. This happens every time you choose to follow the desires and appetites of your sinful nature instead of heeding the warnings of His Word. Until you acknowledge that Jesus is the rightful authority in your life and give over the reins to Him, you will have to go it alone under the influence of the unseen usurper, the devil.

Follow the patterns of sin long enough and the devil begins to make his presence felt. He offers all sorts of perks for following him without revealing the handcuffs that tie you to him. Eventually he sends in his “squatters” to occupy the territory he has illegally claimed and then it’s too late. He has you hooked and you are his slave; and remember, he is a destroyer. Only then will you begin to taste the fruits of his occupation.

Why were the sons of Sceva not only impotent to cast the demons out but also victims of their abuse? They were on the devil’s side. Only a radical relocation from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus will break the chains of the devil’s dominion over you. Only Jesus can set prisoners free.

He did it by dying, an innocent man as a criminal, condemned by those who were the devil’s emissaries and who thought they were right. He came back from the dead, not only to prove His innocence, but also to take His rightful place as Lord of the universe He had created and of all those who recognise who He is and bow to Him.

Jesus warned that a house divided against itself will not stand. People on the devil’s side cannot cast out demons. They only set themselves up for a beating. And likewise, believers who make it their business to oppose other believers also set themselves up, and the fellowship to which they belong, for serious damage.

We have to know to whom we belong and to whom we owe our allegiance. If we are God’s children, we belong to Jesus, and we are members of His body. We cannot take up arms against fellow believers and hope to emerge unscathed.

We can be the answer to Jesus’ prayer, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe on me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” John 17:20 (NIV).

THE BOOK OF ACTS – FREED FROLM THE TORMENTOR

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FREED FROM THE TORMENTOR

“One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us. She was a psychic and, with her fortune-telling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her. She started following Paul around, calling everyone’s attention to us by yelling out, ‘These men are working for the Most High God. They’re laying out the road of salvation for you.’  She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, ‘Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!’ And it was gone, just like that.” Acts 16:16-18 (The Message).

So what was the problem? Didn’t this girl give Paul just the sort of publicity he needed to get his message across? Wasn’t she helping him in his ministry?

At face value it seems that his reaction was a bit harsh. He interfered with this girl’s owners’ source of income and he cut short the publicity she gave him by her psychic “insight” into who he was and what he was doing.

Let’s look at the issues a little more closely.

First of all, Jesus had the same problems with demon-possessed people as Paul. The demons in them had no option but to acknowledge who He was but that did not mean that they did it by their own free will. They were enemies of Jesus, aligned with the devil, and knew very well who the real Master was. Jesus refused to accept testimony from them.

Only people who freely and willingly submitted to Him as Lord had reason to testify. Even then, He would not allow then to speak until His work on the cross was complete. Publicity for the wrong reasons hindered rather than helped His ministry.

Paul, likewise, would not accept publicity from someone who did not bow to Jesus as Lord. This girl’s babbling was not a testimony to the salvation she experienced. She was mouthing words she was forced to speak from the “squatters” who dominated her.

Secondly, the girl was not only owned by unscrupulous masters; she was possessed by an even more unscrupulous spirit who controlled her thoughts and actions. She was a slave in every sense of the word, exploited by her human masters for money and by a demonic spirit who drove her to do his bidding day and night. She was doing to Paul what the demon did to her, tormenting him with her words.

Why he did not act immediately is not clear. Perhaps he was preoccupied with the ministry he was engaged in. Perhaps it took him a while to become irritated by the girl’s tailing him and shouting. Perhaps he was reluctant to fall foul of her owners because he was already in enough trouble with antagonistic Jews.

Finally her condition got to him. In the name of Jesus he evicted the squatter and released her from her so-called “gift” which was nothing but a chain around her spirit. We have no idea what happened to her. No doubt her masters took it out on her as well as on Paul and Silas. They could not control the owners’ treatment of the girl, but at least she was free from the inner torment that had enslaved her spirit. Did she perhaps respond in faith to the Most High God she had so mindlessly proclaimed? We would love to think that she did.

Paul was a man who knew who he was in Christ. He was not afraid to engage the enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, not to win the battle already won on the cross but to take the spoils of war which belonged to the winner. No wonder the demons said to the sons of Sceva who were trying to drive them out, “We know Jesus and we know Paul, but who are you?” and beat them up until they fled!

MOLLY AND ME – WARFARE

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Molly is a warrior.

At least she thinks she is! She challenges every dog in the street, no matter how big or small they may be, as we walk by (as long as they are safely behind a secure gate or high wall, of course). All 5 kg of her is pure aggression, despite her being well-socialised as a puppy.

She is also desperate to take on every pair of heels that runs or walks by and, with dedicated hatred, every domestic worker who wields a mop or broom. I have to keep a vigilant eye for potential trouble and a tight hold on her leash so that we arrive home after our walk intact. When it’s cleaning day, Molly is confined to barracks, much to her extreme frustration, lest the cleaning lady go home with a few puncture wounds in her ankles!

She loves to “rumble” with her best friends with fierce growls which makes the play-fighting sound like a serious battle. Watch out if the play gets too rough for her! She loses her temper and devoted owners have to break up a vicious dog-fight.

Molly reminds me of many believers who have been taught or feel the need to flush out and attack demons behind every bush. They love the idea of “spiritual warfare” and engage in it as often as possible. I am acquainted with a Christian lady who is so enthusiastic about her “warfare” that she verbally attacks any unsuspecting person, believer or unbeliever, who happens to say something that does not agree with her theology.

To people like these, addictions and habits, and even character traits are demonic and the poor “victim” needs to be delivered, and particularly through the person who has a “deliverance ministry”. Many of these people flock to gatherings where some well-known exorcist works on them to “cast out” the demon or demons oppressing them.

I have no doubt that there is huge demonic activity in the world today. Satan knows that his time is short and he still wields his most potent weapons, fear and deception, to ensnare as many as he can, including believers who have not grasped the significance of the cross.

When Jesus cried out His final words of victory, “It is finished!”, He meant it with every fibre of His being, He whipped the devil, once and for all, exposing his as the lying imposter he is for claiming the lordship which belongs to Jesus alone.

The war we, as Jesus’ followers, are engaged in is not with the devil. Jesus overcame him once and for all time at the cross. The Apostle Paul counselled us to stand – not fight – with the weapon of truth, the Word of God. The war is in our own hearts, the battle against everything that would challenge our knowledge and experience of faith in Jesus. Paul admonished his son in the faith, Timothy, to “fight the good fight of faith”.

Our flesh is at war with our spirits and our spirits with the flesh. Whatever takes away from our faith in Jesus for the grace to meet every situation and need through His strength, must be ruthlessly challenged by the truth of God’s Word. Satan still tries to sow his lies into our minds so that we worry and fear instead of steadfastly believing the Word and trusting the Holy Spirit for the power to overcome.

No, my brothers and sisters, we do not need deliverance. Jesus delivered us from the dominion of darkness through His death – once for all. We need transformation by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12: 1-3). Don’t waste your time engaging demons. They, and their master, are finished.

Instead, fill your minds with the truth of who Jesus is, the Son of the living God, and who you are, a beloved, forgiven and blood-washed son or daughter of God, filled with His Spirit and given the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

From Hothead To Beloved

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FROM HOTHEAD TO BELOVED

‘Teacher,’ said John, ‘we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he was not one of us.’

‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said. ‘For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah, will not lose his reward (Mark 9: 38-41).  

John – Boanerges. Son of thunder! Hothead! Together with his brother James, John certainly earned the nickname. Without consulting the Master he, together with the other disciples, poured cold water on a would-be disciple of Jesus who was casting out demons in His name. John was not going to have any Tom, Dick or Harry do what they, the disciples exclusively were appointed to do! After all, they were the chosen ones. They were “in” and everyone else was “out” and they were not about to let any outsider in on their privileges.

How one earth did John change from being a hothead to calling himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved”? Did Jesus love him more than the other disciples? Was he the favourite out of all the others? That’s not what he claimed. By using this description of himself, he did not say that Jesus loved him more than the others. All he knew was that Jesus loved him.

What was even more amazing was that not only did John’s nickname change but also his disposition. From hothead, he became the disciple of love. One only has to read his letters to realise that this was no hothead speaking. In his years with Jesus something profound happened inside him. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent on the Day of Pentecost to be His own presence in His people, radically changed John. How is it possible that a person’s character and disposition, inborn and formed during his childhood, could be so transformed the he was no longer the same person?

There is only one answer – the power of God working within. People can change for a little while if they have a mind to, but it is usually only cosmetic. They will revert to their old disposition when the pressure is on. But not John. And not anyone who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and is determined to follow Jesus.

God created the first man in His image. He put His stamp of ownership on him by making him like Himself. Humans are the only creatures who have the capacity to be one with Him by choice because that’s how He made them to be. The rest of creation was also created to be one. However, unlike man, it functions by instinct, not by choice. Natural creation was also affected by the Fall and is out of harmony because of sin.

God has promised that all of creation will be restored to its original purpose when Jesus returns. In the meantime, He is at work in those who believe in Him, who have His Spirit in them and who are submitted to Him.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (Rom. 8: 28-29).

How does this happen? It will happen to us as it happened to John and to the other disciples.

And we all who, with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3: 18).

John could not watch, listen to and follow Jesus for three years and be loved by Him, and then be invaded by the Holy Spirit without being changed by His love. Neither can we. The secret of transformation lies in our contemplation of the Master. That is the purpose of worship. We become like the thing we worship. Gaze at the world and what the world says and does and we will embrace the world’s standards and behave like the world. Keep gazing at Jesus and we will become like Him.

John was transformed from Boanerges to “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” When we realise in the depth of our hearts how great is the love of God for us, we will be transformed, just as he was into those who know that we are deeply loved by God. .

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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