When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him ~ Mark 9:25.
Introduction:
The ministry of casting out demons is a present day ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is a kingdom normal, so to speak. Jesus vigorously engaged Himself in it, and He also commanded His disciples to do so (Matthew 10:1, 8).
You cannot counsel or medicate demons. When an issue is demonic, deliverance is the only solution. Jesus knew this! That was why He forcefully evicted demons everywhere He went.
Today, there are many people who had been in Church all their lives, praying, fasting, giving and doing all necessary things while waiting to be disentangled from certain stubborn issues of life, but nothing worked until Jesus made them free through the deliverance process.
The reality is that, in most instances, the ministry of healing must be combined with the deliverance ministry to bring expected results to the oppressed (Psalms 107:20).
Brethren, we must realize that not all wolves are dead! Paul recognized this through revelation and by his personal experiences, hence he called out for spiritual arms and induction amidst the believers (Ephesians 6:10-18).
The Origin and Works of Satan
God made a Lucifer; however, pride and disloyalty made the devil (Isaiah 14:12-15)! Ever since, Satan has been the Chief Adversary of God and man. He always opposes God, and does everything possible to equally oppose the destinies of the present day believers in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 5:8-9).
In 1 Thessalonians 2:18, the Apostle relayed his personal experience of a temporary setback occasioned by Satan at a time on his missionary journey: “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us”.
Satan hindered Paul? Yes, but that was not an anti-climax! It was a part of his history, but certainly not the end of the story. Paul still won the war in the end!
The verb, hinder, means to cut in a road, to make it impassable. This was like the form of spiritual resistance that Joshua the High Priest also faced at one point in his ministry (Zechariah 3:1-2).
Satan will do all he can to obstruct gospel activities. It is not improper, therefore, to suspect his nefarious hands in any obstacles we face in the performance of our duties, and the hindrances we experience on our paths to joy and comfort in the Holy Ghost. However, we have a very amazing reassurance from the Lord: “…they shall proceed no further…” (2 Timothy 3:8-9).
The truth is, every opposition carries an expiry date! This was why, in spite of all odds, Paul still finished strong, and had glowing passing testimonies at last (2 Timothy 4:7-8). I pray Satan won’t succeed in his attempts to delay your testimony any longer, in Jesus name.
Casting Demons Out of Our Ways
Jesus dealt with demons in a very straightforward manner (Matthew 8:17). No religious ceremonies, no mystical chants, no esoteric formulas; He simply commanded demons to leave the victims, and they had no choice but to obey.
In Mark 9:17-27, we have a beautiful account of the deliverance of a boy afflicted by a deaf and dumb spirit. Prior to Jesus’ intervention, three underlying issues — wrong spiritual diagnosis, doubt and unbelief — stood in the way of this boy’s deliverance. Interestingly, one Word from the Master was enough to settle it all!
Observably, when the disciples followed the same simple pattern, they also had lively testimonies (Luke 10:17). Yes indeed, at the name of Jesus Christ, every knee should bow (Philippians 2:9-11).
The children of God can always defeat the adversary now, for we have fought him before and won him through Christ on the Cross (Colossians 2:14-15; Revelation 12:9-11). In fact, we can actually put a bar on him, today (Galatians 6:17).
Possible Events Just Prior to Dislodging Demons
Demons are afraid of the power of God, and when they come in contact with someone who flows in that power, they often panic in fear (James 2:19). Sometimes, even the victims might feel this fear through some unusual agitations experienced in their physical bodies.
However, Satan is not an outright fool. He doesn’t want to be cast out, but he also knows that he is no match for the power of God. Therefore, he will try everything he can to keep the victim away from the benefits of the deliverance ministry.
The first trick Satan uses is to convince the victim that the problem is not demonic. If this does not work, and the demons are challenged directly through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they sometimes pretend they are not there, in the hope that the deliverance minister will get discouraged and stop the challenge.
Where this fails, Satan may decide to generate a bunch of distractions through painful feelings, wrong philosophies, pride and negative attitudes of shame. Oftentimes, the devil looks for some hooks to hold unto, thus he instigates acts of disobedience to God (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).
If you are suffering from demonic assaults, and you have been skillfully ministered to by an anointed vessel and the demons refuse to go, prayerfully check your spiritual life.
Are you holding on to some sinful habits, strange beliefs, weird practices, unholy relationships or forbidden artifacts like jewelries, clothing, book, etc? You must truly hate the idols in your heart, repent and believe the gospel!
No amount of shouting at the devil will ever take the place of true repentance. False repentance will produce nothing but a frustrated Christian. You cannot escape the darkness of hell by turning on a flashlight. You must leave the premises!
Friends, God will settle for nothing but a complete divorce from evil attachments. He absolutely demands that all ties to false gods be broken. If you hold the slightest regard for that which God hates, you have inadvertently opened the door for Satan.
Meanwhile, Satan has no audacity to overrule the victory of the Cross. All those who will draw benefits from the gospel plans of deliverance must push through in faith, believing that Satan cannot stop the operation of God in their lives. This was the winning streak for the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34).
Whenever pure faith pressure is sustained in any given situation, the virtue of the Lord will swallow the issue! It is your time to fight and win the fight of faith (1Timothy 6:12). Remember, from the days of John the Baptist until now, only the violent access the treasures of faith (Matthew 11:12). You will soon testify, in Jesus Name. Amen. Happy Sunday!
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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