40. Deliverance - I
A. Our body is intended to be the temple of the Holy Spirit
1Cor. 6:19, 20 - Or do you not know, that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.
The sin, that destroys the temple of the Holy Spirit more than any other, is sexual immorality (1Cor. 6:18). There is no other sin, that destroys the temple of the Holy Spirit and that allows the invasion of demon powers more readily than fornication. Demon powers pass from one person to the other during the act of fornication, and that is why, when people have been involved in such activity and become Christians, they usually need deliverance from the demons of adultery, fornication, lust, etc. God has said in His Word, that He wants our body to be His temple.
B. Satan seeks to invade the body of the believer and the unbeliever
Eph. 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Satan often attacks the believer, particularly after people come to Jesus but fail to open every area of their being to God. We can liken our heart to a house with a number of rooms. In Prov. 20: 30 the heart is referred to as the “rooms of the belly (= the innermost parts, or the “inward parts of the belly”, KJV). The question is: Have we invited Jesus Christ into every room of our heart.
One of the delusions, that has invaded Christendom, is that a Christian cannot have a demon. Many pastors and other men of God have been troubled by driving, compelling or tormenting forces within them for a period of many years. They have tried to crucify the flesh, and yet such a force has not left them. Finally, and many times too late, they have discovered it is a demon, and they need deliverance.
We cannot, of course, be possessed by a demon and by the Holy Spirit at the same time. Possession means ownership. The correct terminology for most instances is to have a demon. Thus, where there is an underlying deep sin in a Christian’s life, and it has never been dealt with, there can be a demon, even though this Christian has received the Holy Spirit. So, do not be afraid to admit you have a problem and need to be set free. Some people are confused. They say: How can I be possess ed by a demon and be possessed by the Holy Spirit? That, of course, would be impossible. If we were totally possessed of the Holy Spirit, it would mean, that every part of our life had been dedicated absolutely to the Lord. If a person is totally possessed by a demon, then he would be totally taken over by that demon. We are speaking here of a person having a demon, and not being totally possessed.
Satan has descending orders of authority in the heavens (Eph. 6:12). He is master over his particular “kingdom” and God has allowed that to continue, for His own reasons. Eph. 6:12 makes it clear, that we are fighting against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. This implies a descending order of authority in principalities (rulers) and powers right down to the demons that walk on the earth.
Satan’s “kingdom” is controlled by fear, God’s kingdom is controlled by His love. God has angelic princes and angelic powers and beings in His kingdom. We are told in Heb.1:14, that angels are sent forth to minister to the believers. Every church should have the protection of angelic beings from God. However, division, dissent, anger, hatred, bitterness and other fleshly manifestations often lead to demonic principalities attacking the church and widening division. . We, therefore, must be aware, that we are in spiritual warfare.
C. Jesus has spoiled Satan’s authority
Col. 2:15 - When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them….. Jesus Christ has defeated Satan. The war has been won. We can liken the situation to that of 1944, when the Allies invaded Normandy. Once they had established their beach-heads in Normandy, the war was won, but the battle was not over for a further fourteen months or so. Now Jesus, through the work on the cross, has defeated Satan: the war has been won, but the battle is still on.
D. Description of demons
Demons are spirits without bodies. Angels can have bodies, but demons do not.
Matt.12: 43-45 - …..when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says: “I will return to my house from which I came”; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.
Gen.19:1, 2 - …..the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said: “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however: “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.”
Thus a demon is seeking a home in which to live.
Demons have personalities, e.g.:
they have a will
Matt.12: 44 - Then it says: “I will return to my house from which I came.”; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept and put in order.
Mc. 5:11-13 - …..there was a big herd of swine feeding there on the mountain side. And they entreated Him, saying “Send us into the swine, so that we may enter them.” And He gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.
they have emotions
James 2:19 - You believe, that God is One. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
In a deliverance session we frequently find, that the person’s body trembles violently as the demon realises it must go.
they have knowledge
Mark 1: 23, 24 - …..there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying: “What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are - the Holy One of God!”
they have self-awareness
they have ability to speak
Mark 1: 24 - …..”What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are - the Holy One of God!”