Demonic Understanding Series

ACCORDING TO JESUS THE TASK OF DEALING WITH AND DRIVING OUT DEMONS HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO YOU! WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH THE DEVIL, GOD, THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT, GIVES YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO FIGHT EVIL.

LUKE 9:1, “…JESUS CALLED TOGETHER HIS TWELVE APOSTLES AND GAVE THEM POWER AND AUTHORITY TO CAST OUT DEMONS AND TO HEAL ALL DISEASES.” JESUS FIRST GAVE THIS TASK TO HIS DISCIPLES AND THROUGH THEM IT HAS BEEN PASSED ON TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.

JUST AS IT WAS IN JESUS’ DAY, GETTING RID OF DEMONS IS A NORMAL PART OF THE CHRISTAIN LIFE FOR THOSE WHO WOULD BE HIS DISCIPLES.

UNFORTUNATELY, TOO MANY CHRISTIANS ARE LIVING WITH A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY BY THINKING THAT BECAUSE THE SCRIPTURES SAY THAT SATAN HAS ALREADY BEEN DEFEATED THAT HIS ACTIVITIES CAN’T AFFECT THEM.

BECAUSE OF THIS FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY, THEY HAVE ALSO DEVELOPED THE MIND-SET THAT THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THE DEVIL NOR WORRY ABOUT ANY OF HIS SO-CALLED “DEMONS.”

NOTHING COULD BE MORE DANGEROUS! CHRISTIANS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THE DEVIL’S INTRUSION INTO THEIR LIVES! SATAN IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE AND HE IS AFTER YOU TO NOT ONLY CAUSE HAVOC IN YOUR LIFE, BUT TO DESTROY YOU.

I HOPE THIS MESSAGE TODAY WILL NOT CAUSE ALARM, BUT EASE YOUR FEAR OF CHALLENGING THE ENEMY ON HIS OWN TURF. I HOPE THAT IT WILL INCREASE YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THE AWESOME POWER OF GOD THAT IS AVAILABLE TO YOU.

MAY IT DEVELOP YOUR BOLDNESS SO THAT YOU WILL LAUNCH OUT WITH GOD IN SETTING PEOPLE FREE FROM DEMONS. MAY YOU ALSO BECOME MOTIVATED TO DO ALL THE WORKS JESUS PROMISED HE WOULD DO IN YOU AND THROUGH YOU BY THE AUTHORITY AND POWER HE HAS GIVEN YOU.

BUT MOST OF ALL, IN THE WHOLE PROCESS, MAY YOU BE DRAWN INTO A DEEPER, MORE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND DISCOVER GOD IN HIS FULNESS.

THIS IS WHY WE MUST UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING WE CAN ABOUT SATAN AND HIS DEMONS. ONE OF THE KEY INGREDIENTS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING IS A BALANCED UNDERSTANDING ON EVIL.

ALTHOUGH SATAN IS MORE OF AN ANNOYANCE THAN A GREAT OVERPOWERING FORCE THE THREAT OF DANGER STILL EXISTS AND WE MUST ALWAYS BE ON THE ALERT.

THIS IS WHY TODAY’S MESSAGE IS ENTITLED DEMONIC UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE THERE ARE THREE THINGS WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT SATAN AND HIS DEMONS.

THESE THREE LESSONS ARE: ONE, THE BIBLE TAKES SATAN AND DEMONS SERIOUSLY, TWO, THERE IS SUCH A THING AS THE KINGDOM OF SATAN, AND THREE, THERE IS A DEMONIC BATTLE GOING ON BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL.

THE FIRST LESSON TO LEARN ABOUT SATAN AND HIS DEMONS IS THAT THE BIBLE TAKES THEM BOTH SERIOUSLY. WHEN JESUS STARTED HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, HE AFFIRMED THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN AND HIS DARK ANGELS.

IN LUKE 4:18-19, JESUS QUOTED ISAIAH 61:1-2, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS CHOSEN ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND; TO SET FREE THE OPPRESSED AND ANNOUNCE THAT THE TIMES HAS COME WHEN THE LORD WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE.”

JESUS CAME TO SET CAPTIVES FREE FROM THE BONDAGE IMPOSED ON THEM BY THE ENEMY WHOSE AIM IS TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM EXPERIENCING THE FREEDOM GOD GRANTS TO THOSE WHO GET INTO A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

THE BIBLE DOCUMENTS THIS TRUTH FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IN GENESIS WITH THE GARDEN OF EDEN DOWN TO THE BITTER END IN REVELATION WHEN SATAN IS “LET LOOSE.”

JUST SOME OF THE ACCOUNTS OF SATAN’S EVIL KINGDOM AT WORK IS EVIDENT IN THE LIFE OF JOB, INCITING DAVID TO SIN BY TAKING A CENSUS, ISRAEL’S WARS, AND ISRAEL’S FOLLOWING OF FALSE GODS. THE ENEMY’S ACTIVITIES ARE EVEN MORE EVIDENT IN THE NEW TESTATENT WHEN SATAN PLOTS TO KILL THE BABY JESUS IN MATTHEW 2:16-18.

SATAN ALSO CONFRONTS JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS IN LUKE 4:1-13. HE THEN GETS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN TURNING THE JEWISH LEADERS AGAINT JESUS TO THE POINT OF INSPIRING THE TRIAL AND CRUCIFIXION.

BUT SATAN DOESN’T STOP WITH JESUS BECAUSE WE’LL SEE HIM BEHIND THE EVENTS SURROUNDING ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA (ACTS 5), THE DEMONIZED SLAVE-GIRL (ACTS 16), THE TALBE OF DEMONS (1 CORINTHIANS 10:21), BLINDING THOSE WHO DON’T BELIEVE (2 CORINTHIANS 4:4), AND TEACHING ABOUT DEMONS (1 TIMOTHY 4:1).

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT DESPITE THESE INCIDENTS THAT PROVE THAT SATAN AND DEMONS ARE REAL, NEITHER JESUS NOR ANYONE ELSE IN ALL THE BIBLE SEEMS TO BE ALARMED BY SATAN’S ACTIVITIES!

JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS DEALT WITH SATAN FACE TO FACE BECAUSE HE KNEW WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT GOD’S POWER WAS INFINITELY GREATER THAN THE ENEMY!

BUT ONE THING WE MUST TAKE SERIOUSLY IS THAT ALTHOUGH SCRIPTURE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE DEVIL OR HIS DEMONS THEY STILL TOOK SATAN AND HIS DEMONS VERY SERIOUSLY.