Knowing Your Enemies Series

INTRODUCTION

When we speak of spiritual warfare Christians seem to basically divide into two extreme camps: The Ostrich camp and the Flip Wilson camp.

• The Ostrich Camp. I know more than one mother who wept over their wayward child because they ignored the power of demonic forces that was in work in their child’s life. They stick their heads in the sand and hope either he really does not exist or that he will just leave them alone.

• The Flip Wilson Camp. Flip Wilson was a 1960’s era comic who had his own TV show. One of his characters was Geraldine and her trademark line was “the devil made me do it!”

Actually both extremes are wrong and the devil is happy if you follow either one of them. In the first case he can run around unabated causing havoc and in the second people don’t really have to deal with anything because it is not their fault.

THE GREAT DEMONOLOGY HOAX

So we can understand this I will repeat it: not everything is a demon. We will be dealing with demonic forces and their influences on the lives of Christians and non-Christians, how they are defeated but we need to realize a great deal of our troubles are not demon related.

• Most health issues are not demonic, but as a result of the entrance of sin into the world. After Adam sinned in the garden one of the curses was death, and at that point sickness entered into the world. Just look at the miracles Jesus did, He cast out demons and he healed the sick, but they were separate incidents.

Matt 9:27-30

And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

Matt 9:32-33

As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

• Point 2: a saved person cannot be possessed by the devil or and demon. I have diabetes, if there is a “demon of diabetes” then I am possessed by a devil and cannot be saved, but I am saved. Diabetes is not a demon but a sickness. God can heal me from it but He won’t unless I am willing to do what it takes to stay healthy.

• There are strongholds placed by our own flesh by our own wills. These are not demons either. Nicotine is a chemical found in a plant, alcohol is a fermentation process where fruits or grains are decomposed to make an alcoholic liquid with yeast and sugars. While alcohol consumption is a sin, it is not a demon. While smoking a cigarette or cigar can make you sick, it is not a demon. We will cover how to deal with sickness and strongholds in another lesson, today we will deal with demons.

THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SATAN

1. Satan is real and powerful.

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. So we have a vicious, powerful enemy who wants to see us fail. Fail in not finding Jesus as saviour, and if saved fail in filling God’s purpose for our lives.

2 Satan is a fallen angel. Sometime during the long ago past, between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 3:15 that there was an archangel named Lucifer who sinned in heaven and fell, taking 1/3 of the angelic host with him to become his demonic hoard.

Isa 14:12-15

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Satan by the sin of pride lifted himself up and God will bring him low. He is the prince of the power of the air but he is on a leash and that leash is held by God.