How can one not underestimate an enemy that he does not believe exists? Contemporary thinking has been deluded into believing that evil can be overcome by human works and kindness. If this could have been possible, the Father would not have sent Jesus. "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."--Luke 4:18-19. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil."—I John 3:8.

OUR WORLD

We live in two worlds: the living, breathing, natural world that we see and feel all around us and the spiritual world that so many Westerners have come to regard as "mythical." The spirit world can be likened unto germs, just because you can't see them with the naked eye, doesn’t mean they can't hurt you. "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies--the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world."--Ephesians 6:12. Unfortunately our sophisticated society tends to minimize such ancient truths as demon possession into "chemical imbalance" or something similarly enlightened.

All evil comes from Satan. Even when it seems to be the fellow at work who is tormenting you, the source is always demonic. God is good, Satan is bad. There is no in-between. Every human behavior is a choice of our free will, but is either influenced by God or Satan. Cleansing Streams ministry teaches that eighty percent of the thoughts we think are negative and not a single one of those comes from God. "For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, un-spiritual, inspired by the devil."--James 3:15. Satan is not God's counter part. Ponder that one for a moment. It was revelation for me. He is a fallen angel. He does not own or rule hell, it was created as a place of punishment for the accuser of the saints. "…Into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons."--Matthew 25:41. Satan does have power, but he didn't gain power when he and his allies were cast from heaven. This passage was addressed to the king of Tyre (clearly Satan), prior to this, God had addressed the prince of Tyre who was described as only a man.

"You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone----ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald---all in beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I appointed you to be the anointed Guardian Angel. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire. You were perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when wrong was found in you. Your great wealth filled you with internal turmoil and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like a common sinner. I destroyed you, O Guardian Angel, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. Therefore I have cast you down to the ground and exposed you helpless before the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your holiness with lust for gain; therefore I brought forth fire from your own actions and let it burn you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those watching you. All who know you are appalled at your fate; you are an example of horror; you are destroyed forever."--Ezekiel 28:12-19.

He has the same power that he had as a holy angelic being, "For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn; he will never go back on his promises."--Romans 11:29, but he chooses to use his power for evil. "And I remind you of those angels who were once pure and holy, but turned to a life of sin.--Jude 1:6 How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground—mighty though you were against the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, "I will ascend to heaven and rule the angels. I will take the highest throne. I will preside on the Mount of Assembly far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High." But instead, you will be brought down to the pit of hell, down to its lowest depths. Everyone there will stare at you and ask, "Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world? Can this be the one who destroyed the world and made it into a shambles and demolished its greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?"—Isaiah 14:12-17.

MURDER, LIAR AND THIEF

About Satan, the Bible says, "He was a murder from the beginning and a hater of truth--there is not a single iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal, for he is the father of lies."--John 8:44. He is a thief. Jesus explains the devil's tactics in the parable of the sower: "The hard path where some seed fell represents the hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing and being saved."--Luke 8:12.

Jesus acknowledged that demons had power over people when he said, "I don't have much more time to talk to you, for the evil prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will freely do what the Father requires of me so that the world will know that I love the Father"--John 14:30-31. People were coming to get Jesus. The Temple police and the priests to be exact, yet Jesus knew that they were driven by Satan.

Jesus went about healing the sick, and although we have had great advances in medical technology, we still have sick people who need to be healed. The Bible says that Jesus went about casting out demons. "So he traveled throughout the province of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and releasing many from the power of demons."--Mark 1:39. If this is true, then the reverse is also true, there are many demons that need to be cast out. Demons haven't gone away! Jesus wasn't confused by His culture into believing that a mentally ill person was demonized. He's God, He would know! He set the captives free. He had results. Not from years of therapy, but by His command. "That evening several demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus; and when he spoke a single word, all the demons fled; and all the sick were healed."--Matthew 8:16. (Please don't get me wrong here, I'm not against therapy and I'm not saying that every mentally-ill person has a demon.)

The reality is that Jesus isn't here casting out demons anymore but as we have just seen, there are still demons and they need to be evicted. Close your eyes and take a deep breath because here's where you and I as moms and dads get commissioned. Be glad for all that God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble and prayerful always. When God's children are in need, you be the one to help them out." --Romans 12:12-13. "One day Jesus called his disciples together and gave them authority over all demons--power to cast them out--and heal the sick."--Luke 9:1. Later, He told the seventy, "And I have given you authority over all the power of the Enemy..."--Luke 10:19. End Sample

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