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Prophecy and Current Events 3

Bible Study

Healing According to Biblical Principles

Behold, I set thee a Watchman on the Wall” (Isaiah 62:6)

LESSON 3

HEALING ACCORDING TO BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

As taught at Faith Chapel, Syracuse, N.Y.

By: Vince Aquilino

“So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -think of it - for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:16)

Last time we introduced the concept of “legal ground”, which through sin, you can give to the enemy thereby inviting sickness and disease into your life. In this lesson we are going to more fully discuss the role that direct satanic activity can play in bringing sickness and disease in our lives—and teach you the basics on how to deal with it. As seen in the opening scripture, the enemy (Satan) plays a role in bringing sickness and disease into our lives.

Due to the volume of material, this is a difficult lesson to grasp at one sitting. So first pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to make the scriptures contained herein alive and teach you how to apply the scriptural principals contained herein “in setting the captives free” and in “destroying all the works of the devil.”

Our God is a Good God!

We are normally hedged in so the enemy cannot touch us. He can not bring sickness and disease into out lives; unless we allow it.

“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.” (Job 1:10)

In the book of Job we are told that Satan could not get to Job. The Lord has placed a hedge around him for his protection.

But, when we sin, we can break that hedge and give the enemy a foothold in our life.

When the hedge was removed from around Job, Satan attacked Job with sickness and disease. But we also saw that God was in total control and Satan’s attack could only go as far as God’s sovereignty allowed.

 When we sin, we place ourselves under Satan’s dominion.

ROM 6:15-16: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

When we sin, whether we like it or not, we place ourselves under Satan’s dominion, and his purpose for us is total destruction. (John 10:10)

Therefore, we have a choice—to Serve God, or to serve Satan, there is no middle ground.

We are free to choose whom we will serve. IT’S A CHOICE! It’s a choice every day.

“Choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. The choice is to resist the Devil so he will flee from you, or to give into him and become his slave. (Jos 24:15, James 4:7)

Remember, Satan is a roaring lion SEEKING whom he may destroy. If you give Satan permission, he will destroy you. And if you continue in sin, you will become a slave of sin and, even if you are a Christian, you may be destroyed by Satan if you continue to sin:

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles - that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged, as though I were present, concerning him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor 5:1-5)

What will it take for you to stop sinning?

As we discussed last time, Christians are not to continue sinning. If we do, judgment will come.

God’s judgements that were recorded, were examples to teach us not to sin

“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did - and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did - and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did - and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfilment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor 10:1-13)

 Avoid every kind of evil! (1 Thes 5:22)

“Choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the lord”. (Jos 24:15)

When we sin, Satan will attack us with sickness, confusion, etc.

When the hedge is broken, a serpent will bite. (Ecc 10:8)

Ecc. 10:8 is an important scripture. It tells us that if the hedge around us is broken, we will be attacked, bitten if you will, by a serpent (Satan, a demon).

This is why intercession for each other is so important. In Ezekiel we learn that the Lord is looking for someone to stand in the gap (the break in hedgerow caused by sin) so He would not be bound to bring judgement:

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.” (Eze 22:30-31)

The eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the earth looking for someone to stand in the gap. This why James instructs us: “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

If you confess you sins to God, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), but here James instructs us to confess our transgressions to each other and pray for each other so we might be healed. Why?

There are a couple of principals at work in James 5:16. The first is that “God gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud.” (James 4:6). If you are willing to humble yourself to the point of confessing your sins, then a couple of things happen. God will give you grace and the person you confessed to can begin to intercede (pray) for you. If you operate in pride, however, God Himself will oppose you and there will be no one to intercede and stand in the gap for you before God. If God is opposing you, should you expect that He will heal you?

We need to understand that when we sin, the “Accuser of the Brethren”, goes immediately before the throne of God and demands his right to sift us like wheat (as the Devil did with Peter). If there is no one to “counter petition” God (intercede for us), then Satan may well claim position in our lives (legal ground) and possibly bring sickness and disease.

When we sin, we give the Devil legal ground in our life

It was Satan who DEMANDED HIS RIGHT to “sift” Peter because of his sin:

“Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matt 16:22-23)

In Luke, Jesus informs Peter that “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” (Luke 22:31)

However, the term translated “asked” is much stronger in the Greek. It is the Greek word: exaiteomai, which means “to demand.”

ASKED:

Strongs Reference Number: 1809

Derivation: Derived from 1537 154

Transliteration and Definition:

exaiteomai

to demand

When we sin, we give the devil a legal right to be in our lives (Rom 6:16, etc.)

But James tells us clearly that if we will confess to one another and pray (intercede) for one another, it is an important ingredient in bringing healing. He underscores the point by telling us that “effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” It is left as an exercise for the reader to research what is “effective and fervent” prayer. Please send me your research via email.

Sin breaks the hedgerow of protection—this is also why Paul warns in Ephesians 4:27: “Do not give the devil a Foothold.”

The word “foothold” is an interesting Greek Word. It is the word transliterated: “topos.”. “Topos” means “a spot—generally in space, but of limited occupancy.”

Therefore, through sin you can give the devil a foothold in your life (legal ground - a legal right to be there), but it is limited access. You can open yourself up to tormenting spirits (demons), but they cannot kill you without permission of God (read Job) because only Jesus holds the keys to (has the authority over) Death and Hades:

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Rev 1:18)

Therefore, even as a Christian you can be oppressed by demons, but can never be totally possessed, because your spirit is already inhabited by the Holy Spirit.

Even Paul was oppressed and tormented by a Messenger (Aggelos) from Satan

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:7-10)

Paul, had been given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment him.

The Greek word translated “thorn” is “skolops.” It means “withered at the front, i.e. a point or prickle (fig. a bodily annoyance or disability)”

The Greek word translated “flesh” is “sarx.” It means “flesh, the body—as opposed to the soul or spirit)

The Greek word translated “messenger” is “aggelos.” It means “to bring tidings; a messenger; esp. an “angel”)

The Greek word translated “Satan” is “Satanas.” It means “the accuser, i.e. the devil.”

The Greek word “to torment me” is “kolaphizo.” It means “to rap with the fist.” It is derived from “kolazo”, which means to “chastise (or reserve for infliction).”

So we now understand, that for Paul, the domain of torment is limited to the flesh and not the spirit, although it can include the realm of the soul—our mind and emotions.

Paul was tormented in the flesh by a demon. Why?

Paul gives a possible clue in his cause-and-effect analysis of the situation in verse 7:

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” (2 Cor 12:7)

He implies pride may have played a role. We’ll discuss the sin of pride in a later lesson.

But the point is, when we sin we break the hedge of protection and the result might be sickness and disease, which is demonically rooted.

In such cases, it is true that God can use this sickness for our good, although Satan intends it for our destruction. But do not make the mistake of thinking God brought it on us, Satan is the author of destruction, and if we yield to him through sin, we give him dominion (a foothold) in our life. (Eph 4:27, Rom 6:16)

For God’s people all things work for good for those who know and love Him and have been called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). However, it may well be a time of testing and refining. When we sin, we will be tested, refined, and disciplined, because God has no choice:

“Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty says: “See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?” (Jer 9:7)

Furthermore, this discipline may be painful, but it will yield a harvest of righteousness if we allow ourselves to be trained up by it:

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Heb 12:11)

We must recognize that God’s perspective is an eternal one. God’s goal is our eternal salvation, but Satan’s goal is our eternal damnation. Therefore, God will allow Satan to bring sickness or disease into our lives, BUT ONLY IF WE MERIT IT THROUGH OUR SIN, and only under His strict limits, but the Choice is ours.

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deut 30:19)

If we do not sin, God promises He will not bring (or allow) any of the diseases he put upon the Egyptians ( throughout Scripture a symbol of the sinful world) upon us. “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (Exo 15:26)

strong>Spiritual  Principal - Law of Sowing and Reaping</strong>

We must recognize that when we sin, there is a penalty. God does not overlook sin, but we do have a choice, we can choose not to sin. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor 10:13)

However, if we break spiritual laws (sin) and put God to the test, we will find out that we will reap a penalty, for God is not mocked:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Gal 6:7-9)

This portion of the scripture tells us that if we sow to the flesh, for example commit sexual sins, we will reap corruption (sickness) in our flesh. If, for example, someone commits a sexual sin out side of marriage and, God forbid, gets AIDS, they will most likely die. They can be saved eternally, but without a miracle of God, they will surely die.

Paul instructs us: “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles - that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged, as though I were present, concerning him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor 5:1-5)

If you do not stop sinning, you may be turned over to Satan for the destruction of your flesh so that your spirit may be saved.

Can a Christian be Demon Possessed?

We have already touched on this earlier in this lesson, but let’s look at it a little more in depth. The question, “can persistent un-repented-of sin lead to demon possession?” is a really important one. If you are convinced that Satan could never have dominion over a Christian’s life, you may never get to the place of dealing with a demonic root that is potentially the source of sickness or disease in a Christian’s life.

We have probably all heard testimonies  by Christians who experienced deliverance from direct demonic activity in their  life. They were not “possessed” in the sense they were totally under Satan’s  control, but they were severely oppressed and needed to have demons ejected  from their lives. 

You might ask how can someone who is a born-again spirit-filled Christian have a demon, since the scripture teaches that Light has no part with Darkness.

1JO 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

So if we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Living God, how can a Christian also have demons? -- which has been the testimony of many Christians who have experienced deliverance.

One hypothesis might be that they were never really born again spirit-filled Christians, they just thought that they were. But, in earlier lessons, we learned that healing and deliverance was “God’s children’s bread.”

MAT 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Matt 15:22-18)

If they were in fact delivered from demons, does this mean they were in fact God’s children - “born again into the family of God?”

The answer is yes, but some might also argue that these “Christians” who experienced deliverance, were not delivered by God but were in fact delivered by the Devil. Jesus speaks to this in Luke 11:17-20.

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” (John 11:17-20)

Jesus tells us that Satan will not drive out demons because his kingdom would be divided against itself and not stand.

So how can a born again spirit-filled Christian possibly have demons? The answer is in the Bible.

First of all, recognize that ALL scripture is God-breathed

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Tim:16-17)

Secondly, recognize that everything that was written in the past was written to teach us:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom 15:4) We will look to the Old Testament a little later.

The next step in understanding how a Christian can be oppressed by demons, is to recognize that we are a Triune Creation:

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Tim 5:23)

We are a triune creation. We are made in the image of God. We have body, soul and spirit. By definition, a person is “demon possessed” when all three are under Satan’s control. This is why a

 Christian can never be possessed and under Satan’s complete control, because a  Christian’s spirit is indwelt by the Spirit of the Living God - The Holy  Spirit. 

But what about the flesh and the soul. Is demonic activity in these areas possible when we sin? The answer lies in our understanding that we “are the temple of the Holy Spirit” ( 1 Cor 6:19) and in the recognition that if we defile that temple (through sin), God will destroy us (or allow us to be destroyed):

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

 You  are not your own.” (1 Co 6:19)

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Co 3:16)

This is a somber warning to Christians, if we defile the temple of God (meaning born again, spirit filled Christians), God will destroy us. If it were not possible to defile the temple, then this verse of scripture would not be in the Bible.

For example, if you engage in pre-marital, extra-marital or homosexual relations and contract AIDS, your temple may well be destroyed. There are, in fact, many temple-defiling sins. Consider Lev. 19:31: “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.”

Any dealing with the occult will break our hedge of protection and open our temple up to defilement by demons. If you get involved with the occult, through ignorance or not, you have opened yourself up for demonic activity in your life.

Ignorance is no excuse, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hos 4:6)

If you reject the full council of God regarding the potential for Demonic strongholds and activity in the lives of believers, you cannot be set free.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

God does not look the other way when you sin. He is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but He will judge sin. This is why we are admonished in 2 Co 7:1 to purify ourselves:

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Cor 7:1)

If cleansing were not necessary, then Paul would not have given this directive to the Corinthian Church.

To understand the defilement of our temple that occur through “inheritance” (to be discussed later) or when we engage in unlawful sexual behavior, the occult, or other temple-defiling sins, we must go to the Old Testament and examine the physical temple of God.

As we are triune creations of body, soul and spirit, the Temple of God was also in three sections. There was the Outer Court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Spirit of God only resided in the Holy of Holies between the Cherubim above the mercy seat. After Solomon’s death, the evil king Mannasah set up altars to demons inside the temple of god:

“In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger. He took the carved image he had made and put it in God’s temple.” (2 Chron 33:5-7)

You will notice that the defilement of God’s temple was in both courts, but not the Holy of Holies.

We must recognize that idols are associated with demons. When you sacrifice to an idol, you are really sacrificing to demons; which means demons were present in the temple:

“Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. (1 Cor 10:19-20)

Clearly, it is not the idol that is anything, it is the demons behind the idol; when you sacrifice to idols, you are not only sacrificing to demons, but you become participants (demonically bound) to the demons.

“In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came upon me there. I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy. And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing - the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.” Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there. And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.”

So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel. In front of them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’” Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”

Then he brought me to the entrance to the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz. He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.” He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east. (Eze 8:1-16)

Let’s look at this text.

Verse 5 - We see an Idol by the brazen altar (demons are associated with all idols)

Verse 10 - Occultic drawings (In witchcraft, demons are placed at the spot of a drawing)

Verse 14 - Weeping for Tammuz. This was for the purpose of bringing Nimrod, and the demon worshipped by that name, back to earth to be present with the people performing the ceremony.

Verse 16 - Worshipping the sun toward the east is a form of Egyptian demon worship - the Egyptian sun god Osiris which was the Egyptian name for Nimrod.

There is no question that there were demons in the temple of God, but not in the Holy of Holies.

From that time forward, the Spirit of God tarried nearly 100 years with prolonged periods of defilement in His house before removing His presence from the Temple.

This is why a Christian can never be totally demon possessed while they still have the Spirit of the Living God, the

 Holy Spirit, within their human spirit—but the rest of their house, the temple  of God, can be defiled. This is why I say Christians can be severely demon  oppressed.

There can be demonic strongholds in the body and soul and they can only be removed throug the application of spiritual weapons of our warfare.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to

 Christ.” (2 Cor 10:3-5)

The word translated “strongholds”, is the Greek word transliterated “ochuroma. It means “a castle (fig. argument)”

The word translated “arguments”, is the Greek word transliterated “logismos.” It means “computation ie (fig) reasoning (conscience, conciet) - human wisdom”

The word translated “pretension” is the Greek word transliterated “hupsoma.” It means an elevated place, lofty thing, proud thing - human pride.”

If we let pride stop us from dealing with these strongholds or if we apply human reasoning or wisdom, we will never be totally free. We will constantly be battling with demonic forces whose sole intention is to destroy us or at the very least prevent us from furthering the kingdom of God and will not gain the victory promised us and won by Jesus atCalvary. This is why the devil does not want you to be aware of this dimension of spiritual warfare that is so critical to setting the captives free. The Bible warns us not to lean on our own understanding:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Pro 3:5-6)

We heard the testimony of James Robinson, an evangelist with a huge following, who struggled for years with unhealthy thoughts of lust, impure thoughts, etc. As a result of this battle and his seeming helplessness to overcome it in his own strength he gave “legal” ground to a spirit of depression and then to a spirit of suicide. He no longer wanted to live, but James humbled himself and received deliverance before it was too late. He had continued to let pride rule, he might have well been destoyed.

There are many such “temple defiling sins” that can give Satan legal ground in your life.

Inheritance

This is a source of demonic activity in our lives which seems contrary to human wisdom. But if we rely “on our own understanding”, we may never be free. It is only through knowledge of the truth and the application of spiritual authority that we will be free. Do not be deceived.

The scriptural basis for this “doorway” of demonic activity is found in several scriptures, which speak for themselves:

“And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

 God is merciful, gracious,  longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, but He will visit the  iniquity of our ancestors to three and four generations. This, I believe, is  meant as a strong deterrent to us to be involved in the occult and other  temple-defiling sins. It is not God’s heart to bring judgement in this way, but  it is meant as a strong deterrent and it is a spiritual principal that must be  understood when dealing with those who are experiencing sickness and disease in  their lives. 

The principal in underscored in both Exodus 20:3-6, Numbers 14:18, Deut 5:7-9:

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exo 20:3-6)

Numbers 14:18 also teaches us that ‘The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ (Num 14:18)

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” (Deut 5:7-9)

God will by no means clear the guilty. If we sow to the wind, we will reap the whirlwind. The Israelites understood this principal of “inheritance.” Whenever there was a major revival in Israel, the people came together in prayer and fasting not only to confess their sins, but the sins of the Fathers also:

“Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.” (Neh 9:1-2) See also: II Chron 29:1-11, II Chron 34:19-21

We also need to confess the sins of our Fathers and break any curse of inheritance by the blood of the Lamb.

Testimony - Page 157-“He came to set the captives free”, Read page 146 (Demonic Inheritance) He Came to set the captives free)

2. Sexual Sins

Sex with the opposite sex outside marriage

Sex with the same sex

Incest

Sex with Children

Sex with Animals

Sex with Demons

Sado-masochism

Pornography - Testimony by Bill Banks

3. Any involvement with the Occult

Recognise THAT ANY INVOLVEMENT with the occult brings a curse that can be passed down from generation to generation.

Note the warning in Lev 19:31: “Regard not them that have familiar spirits,  neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” Do  not read horoscopes or call “psychic hot lines.” These are not innocent  activities, but dangerous door-opening sins that can allow demonic activity  into our lives.

Divination

Fortune Telling

Palm Reading

Water Witching

Tarot Cards or similar

Tea leaf reading

Astrology (Horo-scopes)

Wizard, necromancer, or sorcery (witchcraft)

Consulter of Familiar spirits (seances - calling up spirits of the dead)

Ouija Board

Bloody Mary - game children play where a demon appears in a mirror

Meditation (consult spirit guides as in Silva Mind Control)

Calling upon “saints” for help

Occultic games or toys (Dungeons and Dragons)

Yoga

Eastern Meditation

Visualisation & guided imagery

Heavy Metal Rock Music

Use of Crystals

ESP

Astral-Projection

Sacrifices

Blood contacts like becoming blood-brothers

Idols of any kind

Chants of any kind

q. Drugs

4. Other

a. Unforgivness

 As a result of sin and the resultant demonic activity, many cannot even understand the Gospel Message. This is why many whom we witness to can not seem to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before you witness to such a person, bind the demons that are blinding the eyes of their understanding.

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Cor 4:3-4) 

I read pages 148-151 (He came to set the captives free)

Steps in Deliverance

Get the person saved.

If a non-Christian person is delivered from demonic influence, their final condition will be worst then their former condition. This is an important principal. Sometimes, once we grasp the truth of the spiritual authority that Jesus has vested in us, our tendency is to go around like so many spiritual Rambos kicking the devil out of believers and non-believers alike. This is a great danger, Jesus warns:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says,‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ “And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. “Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:24-26)

 We must exercise wisdom and restraint and carefully seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit before proceeding. It may be that as a result of the deliverance, the unsaved person will be able to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour for the first time in their lives. However, we have no way of knowing that, therefore ask the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth.

It will also do little long-term good to “deliver” a Christian from an oppressing spirit, if the Christian has not repented and is earnestly seeking the Lord for deliverance and cleansing. If the sin persists, the legal ground persists and the enemy has a “right” to possess the ground that was given over to it through the temple-defiling sin. In other words, if I am delivered from demonic oppression that was a result of consulting spiritualists and then I turn around and consult them once again, the doorway will be reopened.

One final warning. Once you become spiritually aware of the activity of demons in the affairs of mankind, there is a danger is to fall into the trap of “seeing” demons under every rock. These individuals can do great harm to the Body of Christ, by attributing everything to demons. They may tell other brother’s and sisters that they have demons and that is why they are sick or having emotional problems, with no direct revelatory enlightenment from the Holy Spirit.

If you believe that God has given you gifts of healings, then earnestly desire the gift of “discernment of spirit.” This is why God gives this gift, so demonic activity can be supernaturally discerned.

However, there may be times, as you pray for someone, the Holy Spirit may cause demonic activity to manifest, so it can be dealt with. There may also be times when you “suspect” a demonic root. The suspicion may be a result of understanding what has been going on in a person’s life, such as direct activity with the occult. In such cases you may suspect tat depression, mental anguish, sickness or disease is directly attributable to demonic activity that is the result of participating in these temple-defiling, “door opening” sins.

In these cases a simple prayer like the following is acceptable: “...and Lord, if there be any darkness here manipulating this pain, depression, etc., I pray that you would make it leave.” If the demon then starts to manifest, perhaps through uncontrolled wailing, shaking of the head, or whatever, you must then deal with it. But we must deal with it in love. Such a situation may be very embarrassing to the person, so if at all possible, command the demons to be at peace—to be silent --(I command you to be at peace, I bind you in the Name of Jesus and by His blood, and command you to be silent.) Then you can take the individual to a private place and deal with the enemy in their life. All ministry must be done in love, or your ministry amounts to nothing more then a clanging gong or a sounding cymbal.

 2) Define the doorways or “temple-defiling sins”

It is important to work with a person to identify what sin gave the enemy legal ground. Once it is identified, then, the legal right for the enemy to be there can be eliminated by:

Repent and confess those temple-defiling sins (and all sin).

Ask God for forgiveness and cleansing. Consciously give God back dominion over any area of our life that we have given dominion over to Satan.

Once this is done, “break the chains that bind the demon to the individual and then command the demons that came into your life through those sins to get out of your life forever. Ask God to close the “doorways” forever through which Satan gained a foothold or stronghold in your life.

It is important to accept by faith that God always performs His Word. If a person truly repents for his/her sin, God will cleanse, and the demons will have to leave. There be absolutely no physical manifestations. Once confession of sin and commanding the demons to leave is accomplished, the person accepts by faith that they are gone.

Stop Sinning and saturate your life with God’s Word.

You do not necessarily need to go to another Christian to gain deliverance. You can do it yourself through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If you are a born-again believer in Jesus, you can follow these steps for yourself, because Jesus gave you the authority:

Meditate on these scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth:

John 8:34 - “Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

Romans 3:23 - “The wages of sin is death”. But Jesus came to give life and life abundantly.”

March 16:17 - “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues”

Luke 10:19 - “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

We can have confidence that Jesus will perform His word.

1John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

 Pray a Prayer such as the following:

 “Father, I confess to you my involvement in ________. I recognise that such a thing is an abomination to you and detestable in your sight. I humbly ask your forgiveness for my sin in this area. I ask you to lift out any demonic entrance into my life as the result of my actions and to cleanse me from my sins and close the doorway forever with the precious blood of Jesus. I ask you to break the chains that have bound me to these demons. I ask you for this and thank you for it, in Jesus’ name.”

“Satan and you demons, I have asked my heavenly Father for forgiveness for participating in ___________ and have received it. I now give back any ground I gave to the enemy through my sin to you God. I ask you to have dominion in this area of my life and by faith, I ask you to close the doorway of that area of my life to the enemy forever through the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross for me. In the name of Jesus I command you to leave me and never return!”

 After deliverance, if an illness is involved, lay hands on the person and pray for their healing in Jesus’ name. If healing is not immediate, remind them that sometimes it takes time for healing to take place (it is not like the gift of miracles which is an instantaneous result, although it could be instantaneous) and that they should continue to trust God and not waiver or give up.

 If their healing manifests immediately, they should be taught that Satan may again test them and they should take their stand and resist the devil.

1PE 5:8 - “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith….”

JAM 4:7 - “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Never listen to the enemy who will try to convince you that you were not delivered or that the illness or malady will come back. Take your stand on the Word of God, submit yourselves, then, to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.

 If do not teach those who have been delivered how to resist, they might not be able to stay free.

 Many people like to quote the part of James 4:7 which says “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”, but they overlook the prerequisite: “submit yourselves, then, to God.” If you do not submit yourself to God, the devil will not flee from you. You must submit your will to God’s will, you must be obedient to His voice and keep His commandments (stop sinning), and then the devil will flee from you.

 In taking our daily stand against the devil, we must be prepared. It is important to daily put on the full armour of God:

 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when (not if) the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Eph 6:10-18)

In the class I showed three Video Clips -

Bent over man - The person praying for him was moved with compassion first, this is our proper position in Christ. All ministry must be done in love. The man was healed, just like the woman in the opening scripture.

Stronghold - Pat Robertson - Unforgiveness. Pat shared how unforgiveness due to some unfair dealings during his Presidential run caused him spiritual problems. Unforgiveness is only one of the many reasons why healing does not occur

Woman Healed, but sickness tried to come back. This woman gives testimony how she was healed, but Satan tried to bring the sickness back on her. She resisted in faith and kept her healing.

Next time we will deal with some common strongholds and discuss how to break them. We will also discuss the “Blood of the Lamb” in spiritual warfare.

Do not “play” with sin and “put God to the Test.” If you never sin, you do not need to be concerned about potential demonic activity in your life.

 Our God is a God of Love, but He is also a God of Justice and His judgements are righteous. God does not break

 His Laws. If we jump off a building, the Law of gravity will operate. Do not  put the Lord your God to the test by sinning. God will judge sin and the  instrument of that judgement may be Satan. There is only one place we are  allowed to put God to the test and that’s in the area of tithing. (Mal 3:10ff). 

 When Jesus was tempted (to sin) by the Devil, one of the ploys of Satan was to get Jesus to put God to the test.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” (Mat 4:1-11)

 Stop sinning! If there is an area of your life which you just cannot get victory, submit it to God, He never fails.

THEREFORE, REPENT AND TRUST JESUS. HE NEVER FAILS!

Would you like to receive Jesus into your life and thereby become a son or daughter of God? Hen you must ask Jesus to save you from your sins, to come into your heart, to be the master of your life, and to not only take you to heaven when you die, but give you abundant life here on earth. So if you are not sure of your salvation today, and the desire of your heart is for Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Lord and Saviour, make this your prayer:

Dear Lord, I am a sinner. I confess my sins to you and right now ask you to forgive my every sin. I invite you right now to come into my life, to be my Lord and my Saviour. Thank you for coming into my life. May I never be the same again. Make me a new person in Jesus Christ. I thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer, please let us know by EMAIL. It would be a real blessing to us.



“Watch and pray, therefore, that you would be counted worthy to escape the judgment that is coming upon the earth and be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

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