Month: May 2024

Mormons made the “burning in the breast” standard fare for their followers, but now a large cross section of Christendom has been taught to judge everything by similar criteria. Modern Christians are, for the most part, not being taught to submit to the Word of God — but rather to the way they feel emotionally. The phrase “I think” has been replace by the phrase “I feel”. This is partially due to influences from the New Age through movies like Star Wars. But in the last twenty years teachers in the Church have taught a whole generation to rely on their feelings.

Emotions are a part of the realm of the flesh and the mind (soul). Emotions can be used by God, but often they are a way for the enemy to get Christians away from the truths of the Bible and gain a foothold in their lives.

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Jesus made it clear that there are things which defile a man, meaning, they make the man unclean spiritually. Do we dare say that a Christian can do such things, and not have Jesus’ words apply to them?

Matthew 15:18-20, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”

Apparently, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to warn the believers that through bitterness, they can become spiritually defiled:

Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”

When Jesus shed His blood for our spiritual freedom and physical healing, does this apply to believers or those who reject Christ? In Matthew chapter eight, Jesus was demonstrating what was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah when He went about casting out demons. At the same time, He was demonstrating the healing that was purchased for us through His work on the cross. Do we dare say that these things were intended to be received by those who reject Jesus?

Matthew 8:16-17, “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

If casting out demons was only valid while Jesus was here on earth, then why did Jesus appear to His disciples after He rose from the dead, and told them that His children will be casting out demons as well? Also, why did the early church go about casting out demons as well? The fact is that the early church went about casting out demons, long after Jesus went on to be with the Father.

Mark 16:17, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils…”

Acts 8:6-7, “And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.”

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If Jesus could forgive sins while He was here on earth, and if all it took was removal of the demon’s legal grounds in order to send them to flight, then why did Jesus go about casting out demons? The Bible is clear that He had power here on earth to remove the demon’s legal grounds through the forgiveness of sins:

Matthew 9:2-6, “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.”

If all you had to do was get a person saved and their demons went away automatically, then what is the point in casting out demons at all? After all, are we trying to bypass salvation and just apply a patch to that person’s problem or bondage? What is the point of going through a messy deliverance session where you have to confront demons face to face and drive them out, when all you have to do is get the person saved, and all the demons go without a whim?

The truth is that this belief that Christians cannot have demons, completely undermines the whole point of casting out demons. The reason the church today does not practice deliverance is because they don’t really see the purpose of it… they think it all happens automatically, and that’s why most pastors have never cast out a demon in their life!

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This is a good question. Jesus referred to the casting out of demons as Children’s bread, referring to those who are in covenant with God. Those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior, are not children of God, and have no covenant with Him.

Matthew 15:26, “But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

If light cannot dwell with darkness, and all darkness leaves a believer’s life when they become a Christian, then why do we still have evil thoughts, desires, feelings, and bondages to lust, pornography, anger, etc. long after we accept Jesus? This is a very good question. Is there anywhere in the Bible which tells us that some darkness can remain, while other types of darkness is automatically shed at the time of salvation? No, it does not. If light could not dwell with darkness, then Paul couldn’t have had both the Holy Spirit, and evil present in him at the same time, as we can see in this passage:

Romans 7:20,21, “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”

Why is authority required to cast out demons, if they leave on their own the moment their legal rights are removed? It is through our authority in Christ, that we are able to drive out demons. Why did God give us this authority, if what we should really be doing is simply winning souls for Jesus?

Mark 1:27, “And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.”

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If a person comes to you, wishing to remove a demon, but refuses to accept Jesus as their Lord and savior, then the purpose of such a deliverance would be to simply fix a problem in their life. They aren’t interested in Jesus, they just want their problem solved. The truth is that you aren’t really helping them, because the root of their problem has not been addressed, and therefore no lasting results will be achieved. The demon can return before they even get to their car, because it has full rights to that person’s life!

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Signs and wonders are a dime a dozen today and have just as many evidences in false churches the occult as they do in biblical Christianity. Jesus did state that those who saw him perform miracles should have believed, though for the most part they did not. They couldn’t even tell the signs of the times (Matt. 16;1-4). People today love to be able to claim they saw or experienced a wonder or miracle from God. Perhaps this is because they want to feel like they have been touched by God personally, are holy, or simply want to be accepted by their peers. If you are going to claim you have seen or experienced a miracle from God, then that miracle must be held up to biblical criteria to prove it is a biblical Divine healing as opposed to many other forms of healing. I cover this subject later on in the chapter called “Test Everything”. True believers are careful not to use deceptive methods, to lie about experiences and signs, in order to gain converts.

2 Corinthians 4:2  Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

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After another pause, Judah said, “But you know, at least I hadn’t blown my inheritance and ruined my reputation, right? That was something! Maybe I wasn’t as godly as Dad, but I was still better than you! Or so I thought . . . till you came home. Then Dad threw you your big party and invited everyone, and everybody was celebrating the dead brother who came back to life. Everybody except me. I was angry — at you, at Dad, at God, at everyone at the party. I knew my anger wasn’t righteous, and I didn’t care. When Dad came out and pleaded with me to join the party, I lashed out at him. I was mean. No way was I going into that house. I wasn’t happy to see you. And I wanted to make Dad feel bad.”

Ben couldn’t help but cringe at these words. They were hard to hear. But they were harder for Judah to say.

Judah went on. “It wasn’t until Dad had gone back in the house and I was alone with myself that I saw the whole ugly truth: all my efforts over the years to please Dad, all my hard work, all the time I was pouring into everything I did — none of it was really for Dad’s sake. Or for God’s sake. It was all for my sake. My anger toward you and toward Dad, it was all about me — me not getting the recognition I craved and me having my shameful selfishness exposed. And it suddenly hit me: I was as much a prodigal as you had been. I was blowing my inheritance on myself as I chased my heart’s desires. I was doing it in more socially commendable ways, but they were just as selfish at the core. And I was as distant from Dad as you had been.”

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There are a lot of misunderstandings about whom the deliverance ministry is meant for. This teaching rises some very important questions that cannot be realistically overlooked. I want you to consider these questions and keep in mind that Jesus referred to deliverance ministry as children’s bread.

Matthew 15:26, “But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

How are you supposed to cast a demon out of somebody who is spiritually defiled? When a person involves themselves in evil practices, it defiles them spiritually and makes them vulnerable to receive unclean spirits. When removing demons, it is vital to first remove their legal rights, then preceed to drive out the demons. The truth is that unless a person has accepted Christ and repented of their sins, they are spiritually defiled and the demons have a right to be there. This is why Jesus said that if we cast demons out of the wicked generation, they will return with 7 more even worse evil spirits. The Bible tells us clearly that it is through the forgiveness of sins that our legal grounds are removed and the demons are disarmed. Of course this also means that if a person does not receive that forgiveness, then the demons are not disarmed. You are going into a situation where the enemy has a right to operate in their life.

Colossians 2:13-15, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

Why would you cast a demon out of somebody, who will receive 7 more even worse demons when it returns? When we cast demons out of non-believers, we are setting them up for disaster because the demons have a right to be there. They can freely return as they please, because the person is still defiled. Why would you ever want to set somebody up for something like this?

Luke 11:24-26, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

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To discover the root of your addiction, you need to get real honest with yourself. Many times we are in denial about the pain we are feeling. Figuring out what is the root of a bondage is all about asking the right questions, and that is especially important when it comes to uprooting an addiction. Why don’t we feel loved? Do we feel unlovable? (Let’s stop right there; if we feel unlovable, then you’ve just discovered a self-worth issue that will need to be addressed.) Are you passionate about Jesus? If not, then something in hindering you from realizing how much you are loved by Him who died for you. Do you see yourself as forgiven and loved by the Father because of what Jesus did for you?

As you discover emotional wounds, you’ll need to forgive (others, yourself, and God) and invite Jesus to come and heal the damage in your heart. If you don’t realize how much God loves you, then you’ll need to spend some time learning about what Jesus did for you on the cross, and what a terrible price He paid because He loved you so very much. Often breaking out of an addiction is a combination of emotional healing, learning about who you are in Christ, forgiving (yourself, others, and God), overcoming self-worth issues by changing how you see yourself (in light of how God sees and loves you), and casting out any spirits that came in and are enforcing the addictive behavior. Spirits behind guilt, condemnation, etc. also need to be driven out, as they seek to keep us from fully seeing what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Dealing with the issues underlying an addiction is key to uprooting it permanently. If you want lasting freedom and wholeness in this area of your life, you will have to deal with the issues that have limited your capacity to receive love, especially the love that God has for you.

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