"Spiritually Aware, Alert, Armed and Aggressive" Pt 4
REVIEW
I. Be Aware
A. Aware of God and His purposes
B. Aware of our Worth and position in Christ
C. Aware of the battlefields
1. Fight with the WORLD -- separation
2. Fight with the FLESH – live by the direction and power of the Spirit
3. Battle with DEVIL and his angels – resist the devil
When we become entangled in the world and loose the battle with the flesh we open ourselves up to even greater control by Satan.
Not only does he influence us from the outside but anytime we choose to walk according to the flesh we give him opportunity to more intense control from the inside.
At this point we now have an intensified battle.
Not only do we have the battle in the area of the soul, but now we have an intensified battle due to demonic influence. (Fist and hand illustration)
We must continually fight against an external foe who desires to establish an operating beachhead in our body and soul from which to bind us and bully us to do according to his will.
This battle cannot be fought or won by yielding or separating.
This battle is waged through direct hand to hand, face to face resisting and confrontation.
D. Be aware of the enemy
Satan was an angel created along with all the other angels to serve and worship God but became proud and ambitious and rebelled against God.
He and his well-organized unseen angel army are thoroughly and eternally corrupted.
They have ungodly personalities and character
Satan is out to prevent or pervert followers of Jesus Christ.
Even though he may win a battle or two in the present, his doom is sure along with any who agree to follow him.
We must be aware that there is a battle that wages around us whether we like it or not.
Those in Iraq may deny there is a war but such denial does not prevent a car bomb from destroying their family.
II. Be Alert
The Scripture instructs us to be continually aware that things are not what they seem.
There is an unseen war against a formidable foe.
A foe that is unbeatable apart from our standing in Christ.
We must also be alert to points of vulnerability and his method of attack.
The bible calls us to be sober and alert.
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
We are at war and there is no real rest on the front lines of war.
It is when we lay back and try to carve out a comfortable niche in this life down here that we become open targets and susceptible to the subtle schemes of the evil one.
We must live this life alert and sober not asleep and numbed out.
We develop alertness through the Word and prayer.
A. Alert to broken down walls of protection
God established certain spiritual laws as real and unshakable as the natural laws of physics.
When we violate these laws, we open ourselves up to greater opportunity for Satan’s influence.
Similar to the laws of physics, these consequences come upon believer and unbeliever alike.
You violate the law, you suffer the consequences.
Ignorance of gravity will not protect you when you violate the laws of gravity.
God established natural protection through various means.
1. Living according to the Ways of God (Biblical Morality)
2. Protection of a Strong Family Line
3. Protection of the Church
4. Protection of Government
We live in a culture today where all of these natural protections are fading away.
B. Alert to Avenues of Invasion (Influence)
Before proceeding it would be advantageous to briefly address the issue of demons and Christians.
Main objections to demonic influence in saints
• Light (God) and darkness (evil) can’t dwell in the same place.
• The Bible does not clearly indicate those influenced by demons were Christian or not.
• How can someone be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and an evil spirit at the same time?
Basic Thoughts
• God’s presence is everywhere. Even Satan had access to God’s presence to accuse the saints. The sin we commit and the sin which indwells the flesh is evil in God’s sight and yet He still chooses by His grace to fellowship with us.
• The Bible does not indicate the saved or unsaved state of the person because demonic influence takes place when spiritual principles are violated by believer and unbeliever alike.
Willfully walking in front of an oncoming vehicle will result in my death or great injury regardless of whether I am a believer or not.
• The Holy Spirit and demons do not dwell in the same place and demons more attach than indwell.
• Demons do not have ownership of the Christian. When given permission however they can exercise a degree of control.
The biblical term should be translated “demonized” indicating one under the influence (not ownership) of a demon. The common translation “Demon-possessed” is misleading and freighted with emotional baggage. The term “demonize” can be used to indicate demonic influence in any range from slight (Jewish worshipper in the synagogue on the Sabbath) to severe (uncontrollable man in the tombs breaking chains.)
The issue comes down to the fact believer and unbeliever alike can be influenced either slightly or severely by the soldiers of Satan’s army when given the opportunity.
Paul warned the Ephesian believers to properly deal with anger so as not to give a “place” to the devil.
This is more than an opportunity.
The Greek word is “topos” from which we get our word topography.
It literally means a place.
Freedom from such demonic influence or pressure (deliverance) is the privilege of the people of God.
The authority of Jesus over demons completely astounded the people of his day.
They had been subject to there in the city is influence for centuries.
Matthew 15:21-28 And Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region, and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demonized." 23But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying, "Send her away, for she is shouting out after us." 24But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; be it done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.
Evil spirits must obtain permission to set up a base of operation in the flesh.
External harassment is normal operation for every Christian seeking to live for Christ in a devil-directed world.
In order to gain a foothold, or establish fortresses they must get specific permission.
Satan and his sorry soldiers will work through anyone that will give them that permission.
Evil spirits obtain permission by various methods.
1. Direct permission from God
God may grant permission to Satan for the accomplishment of His ultimate purposes as in the case of Job or the Apostle Paul.
2. Ancestral permission
The Scriptures are clear that ancestral sin may grant certain avenues of harassment to subsequent generations.
3. Permission granted by our own willful sin
Ephesians 4 instructs us to not to give “place” to the devil through our anger and continual sin.
Violation of God’s moral standard gives ground to Satan.
4. Permission gained through some traumatic experience
5. Deception
Satan gets us to believe some lie about ourselves, God, others, himself.
6. Intimate association with a demonized individual
Gal 6 indicates "Bad company corrupts good morals".
Operating in the enemy’s camp without a redemptive purpose or without adequate armor may open us up to stronger influence.
7. Untested "spiritual" or religious experiences
I.e. Tongues testing, spiritual high, voices, dreams, contradicting Scripture
8. Participation in or association with a cult group
9. Participation in any prohibited witchcraft activity
Games, people, sorcery
Permission or ground as some call it must be reclaimed before victory is gained.
Demons are like rats.
They try to stay hidden but eventually their presence becomes evident.
They are destructive.
They multiply
Unconfessed sin is like garbage to rats.
You can chase the rats away but until you deal with the garbage that attracted them, the rats will be back and multiply.
C. Alert to the specific arenas of attack
1. Operate in and through the thoughts
2. Operate in and through the emotions
3. Operate in and through the will
4. Operate in the body
5. Operate through other people
D. Alert to specific schemes
1. Empty promises of Eden without God
"Be like God"
2. Subtle lies
3. Extremes
4. Threat and intimidation
E. Alert to symptoms of bondage
1. Areas where I have lost the ability to choose
2. Areas of plaguing compulsion
3. Plaguing thoughts of evil that cause me repulsion
4. Uncontrolled feelings of anger and bitterness
5. Plaguing fear that keeps me from doing what I ought.
6. Unexplainable physical symptoms with no apparent cause
7. Strange events or sense of another presence
8. Uncontrollable emotions with no apparent cause
9. Hearing condemning, evil voices
10. Sudden attitude change
These symptoms connected with a number of broken-down walls described above may warrant a closer look.
Given our lack of the awareness and our lack of alertness and the deteriorating culture in which we live, it is my opinion that a great number of believers suffer from demonic influence to some degree.
Jesus said you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Sometimes the truth has to do with fighting the right battle in the right way.
There is good news.
Through Christ there is victory.
It is not an easy fix.
This is war and it won’t go away until Jesus returns.
This is an all-out war for families.
It is a war that cannot be fought alone.
Paul encouraged the believers at Ephesus to put on the full armor of God after which he instructed them to pray diligently and continually for each other.
I would encourage you to ask God to reveal any possible areas where you might have given Satan a foothold in your life.
It is time to take out the garbage.
It is time to clean house.
It is time to stop yielding out members as weapons for the enemy to use.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:12-14
Satan’s influence can be recognized by behavior.
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 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. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:13-18
We want to be a church family where God’s wisdom is embraced and demonstrated among us.
His wisdom is recognized by purity, peace, gentleness, teachability, mercy, good fruits, unwavering conviction, authenticity, righteousness, and peacemaking.
The signs of Satan’s influence revolve around jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder and every evil thing.
These are the things that destroy relationships, marriage, ministry.
