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411. Demons, Devils, and Satan

The Holy Spirit is the power of God for deliverance in our lives.

Luke 9:42-43a (KJV) says, “And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.”

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is often referred to as the Finger of God. Luke 11:20 says, “But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Jesus made it clear that He drove out demons by the Holy Spirit.

Our spiritual enemies often keep believers from running a successful race with God by spreading lies that they do not affect Christians. So often believers are beset with sin and weights that are put on them by devils and demons. We agree that a believer cannot be demon “possessed,” but I do know that they can be demon oppressed and influenced. It does not matter where the demon resides in the believer’s life, the main issue is that we need to know about them so we can get them out of our lives, wherever they are.

1. What are demons and devils, and who is Satan?

a. Satan was archangel Lucifer. He was in charge of worship for God. According to Ezekiel 28 and other Scriptures, he was highly anointed, and probably had built in musical instruments in his body. He was in Eden with Adam and Eve. He was beautiful. He has a very keen talent for business and merchandising. He probably created the idea of becoming wealthy with slavery. He is very proud, and realizes his own beauty. He is very intelligent and cunning. He is highly organized.

b. Lucifer rebelled against God and took 1/3 of the angels with him. He organized them in military order and counterfeited the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 6).

c. Satan is now the Prince of the World (John 12:31).

d. Some say demons are fallen angels, some say they are disembodied spirits perhaps from a pre-Adamic race, or perhaps even from our ancestors. The Scriptures are not conclusive on this subject. However, angels were never designed to inhabit humans. I believe that there could be both: those who were angels and who now rule with Satan, and those who are disembodied spirits who inhabit humans. I am not sure, that is purely supposition. Nevertheless, that definition is not important. The word for ‘demon’ is ‘daimon’, which literally means ‘to know,’ or ‘the knowing one.’

e. Their character is extremely filthy. Vines Dictionary says, “demons are the spiritual agents acting in all idolatry. The idol itself is nothing, but every idol has a demon associated with it who induces idolatry, with its’ worship and sacrifices (1 Corinthians 10:20-21; Revelation 9:20; Isaiah 13:21). They disseminate errors among men, and seek to seduce believers (1 Timothy 4:1). As seducing spirits they deceive men into the supposition that through mediums they can converse with deceased human beings. Acting under Satan, demons are permitted to afflict with bodily disease (Luke 13:16). Being unclean they tempt human beings with unclean thoughts (Matthew 10:1). They differ in degrees of wickedness (Matthew 12:45). They will instigate the rulers of the nations at the end of this age to make war against God and His Christ (Revelation 16:14).”

2. What do they do?

a. According to John 10:10 they kill, steal, and destroy. Everything that they do falls under these three categories.

b. Kill. Their murder has to do with eternal damnation, and with death in this life as well.

c. Steal. They are thieves. They steal God’s will for you. They steal the Word of God out of your heart. They steal virginity, health, peace, and possessions.

d. Destroy. They destroy lives. They destroy with drugs and sickness. They destroy families. They destroy with violence, sexual abuse, and plagues like AIDS.

3. How do they accomplish their goals?

a. They tempt you (Matthew 4:1). The goal is to separate you from God by acting independent of God.

b. They speak to your mind (2 Corinthians 10:4).

c. They navigate circumstances (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

d. They steal the Word in order to neutralize Christians, to make them unfruitful (Mark 4).

e. They convince people that devils and demons do not exist. Often they use innocent looking people who appear to be nice, sometimes even Christians. I have met people in churches with obvious demons, who have told me that demons and the entire supernatural realm is not real. They claim that evil is just something that humans do.

f. They get you to sin so that they may have more control in your life. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

g. They lie and accuse the innocent (John 8:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). They also accused Jesus of having demons. Matthew 11:18 (KJV) says, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.” Mark 3:22 (KJV) says, “And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.”

h. They take the moral authority of the victim and give it to the perpetrator.

i. They empower people to use their power. Rock music, horoscope, fortune telling, etc.

j. They torment people physically, emotionally, and mentally.

k. They control and manipulate against a person’s will. They take control of a person’s will, mind and emotions, and carry out their work through that person. They cause the person to lie and to believe their own lie.

l. They take inordinate authority, and violate proper authority.

m. Satan has many counterfeits of God’s work. He is not original, he does not create anything, he only copies and perverts what God does.

Some counterfeits that Satan uses:

Satan has the ability to cause supernatural things to occur. He has caused some Christians to admire his supernatural works. He has caused others to be so afraid of the supernatural that they miss the full work of the Holy Spirit.

There are several tests we can use to discern the work of the Holy Spirit from the work of devils and demons. 1 Corinthians 14:33 talks about the spirit of confusion. The Holy Spirit does not perform a circus. He is here to make Jesus real to us. The work of the Holy Spirit always conforms to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will always exalt the real Jesus, not “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4). Cults and occults will not admit that Jesus was born of a virgin, that He was God incarnate, and the one and only Son of God and that He was raised from the dead. This is usually the dividing line (1 John 4:2-3).

4. Some examples of deliverance and how demons act.

a. Jesus cast out a devil by a mother’s faith (Mark 7:29).

b. The demon-possessed man in Gadarenes was delivered, and the devils went to the hogs (Mark 5:1-20).

c. In Matthew 9:32-33 the dumb spoke after the demon was cast out.

d. In Matthew 10:1-8 Jesus empowered His disciples to cast out devils.

e. In Mark 9:17-29 the dumb spirit was in the boy from his youth.

f. The Old Testament has types and shadows of how demons operate. Look at Psalms 10, 56, 59, 64 and many others. Other good examples are Old Testament wars, tribes and people, like Jezebel and Balaam. Read these stories and put demons in the roles of Israel’s enemies.

5. How do they get a foothold in your life?

a. Your sin. All sins give demons a foothold, but one of the worst is sexual sin. Sexual acts bind two people together spiritually in a very unique way.

b. Generational sin. Demons follow families for generations, and have the right to put the same disease and curses on them (the law of inheritance). Demonic religions are based upon worship of ancestral spirits in order to perpetuate curses and control over families. They convince people, even Christians, that they must pay a price to a witch doctor for protection. Some even purchase items and drinks as a way to receive protection and blessings. These people believe that by contacting and being in touch with the spirit of their ancestors that they will be blessed and have protection from evil. Actually, just the opposite happens. They become prisoners to the enemy of their soul, Satan!

Most festivals like Mardi Gras in America are designed to perpetuate curses over regions. Sometimes even family reunions can be used by demons to perpetuate family curses. Voodoo and other occults all have festivals. Generational curses are the primary and most powerful way that demons attach themselves. Generational spirits often attempt to captivate young members of a family during the teenage years. This is the time when rebellion is most evident. If they cannot succeed, they will try again later in life.

c. Sin in the world. This world is full of sin which promotes demon activity.

d. Weights, or oppression you might receive from someone else. A very common tactic used by demons is to sexually abuse a young person and thus gain entry for the rest of his/her life. A weight is not a sin you performed, rather it is oppression against you by someone else’s sin.

e. Through an idol in your life. An idol can be anything that you make more important than God. It can be a person, a habit, a custom, even a denomination.

f. Rebellion against authority. If a person does not submit to Jesus as Lord, that person, by default, will be under the control of some other being. Eve was deceived by Satan, and she deceived Adam. Adam should have taken dominion over Satan but he did not. Eve, in effect, took inordinate authority and Adam did not exercise his ordained authority. The original sin demonstrates how authority and sin are so tied together. Obviously, they both should have submitted to the authority of God’s Word (the Tree of Life).

g. Christians can be vulnerable (some people disagree with this). If we have demons before coming to Jesus, there could be a period of time before we receive deliverance. Some never do receive deliverance based upon the fact that they do not wish to totally yield. Obviously a Christian cannot be “possessed” by a demon, but they sure can be influenced. It does not matter if we use the term possessed, influenced, oppressed or whatever. What matters is that we know how to get rid of their activities in our lives.

These Scriptures show that we are still vulnerable even after we believe. 1 Timothy 4:1 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”

1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 says, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted – you may well put up with it!”

Some say that the blood of Jesus protects Christians. Yes and no. The blood only protects when we are obedient Christians. 1 Peter 1:2 says, “…elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.” Christians do need deliverance.

6. What can you do?

When Satan convinced Adam and Eve to sin, he gained dominion over them and the human race. He is more powerful than mere humans. As long as sin is not dealt with, Satan is in charge. Jesus bore our sin at the Cross and paid the final penalty. If we know that truth and practice obedience to it, we will be free from Satan and demons.

Deliverance does not always mean some violent casting out with someone laying hands on us, although that is possible and happens often. There are other ways. We can be delivered ourselves.

a. Be honest. Confess your sin. Practice honesty and truth at all cost. When you lie you make Satan your father.

b. Renounce any contact you have had with anything demonic: music, porno, TV, movies, drugs, alcohol, occult, horoscope, Quija boards, fortune telling, card games, etc.

c. Renounce any relationship to family ties that may be used to pass down curses. We can be courteous to family without receiving their curses.

d. Stay close to Jesus through prayer, His Word, selective friends and church groups. Keep your mind filled with Godly things. The mind is the battlefield.

e. Be open to however God wants to deliver you. Desire to be free and don’t limit God. He has many ways to set you free. His mission is to set you free (Luke 4).

f. Sometimes people get rid of demons and they do not fill themselves up with the Word of God and a holy lifestyle. In many such cases the demons come back in seven times worse. It is important to have Godly counseling after deliverance. Luke 11:24-26 says, “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.”

However, there is a safe and practical way to be delivered. The word of Jesus cast out a devil in Matthew 8:16. It can do the same for you. I can personally testify to this method. If you fill up a container before you empty it, there is no danger of having an empty space that can be inhabited with another substance. So also, if you fill yourself up with the Word of God, not only will the demons come out, but also there will be no empty place left for them to return.

Matthew 8:16 says, “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.” Soaking in the Word will drive demons out of your life.

Now I would like to invite every reader to determine to subscribe to this method. Even if you do not believe that you have any problems, you never really know for sure.

Just do this. Determine in your heart to fill yourself with the Word of God that it would overflow. Pour the Word in anyway you can do it. Read the Scriptures, listen to tapes, memorize the Word, keep it on your lips, meditate on it day and night. Obey the Word. Do what it says. The Word will cast out every spirit in your life that is not holy.

g. Be filled with the Holy Spirit so you can have power to overcome (Acts 1:8).

h. Jesus gave us the power and authority to cast out demons (Mark 16:17).

i. We can detect demons in our lives if we stay close to Jesus. Not all evil and sickness is from demons. Sickness can be caused by physical problems or lifestyle issues. Evil conduct can be our “flesh.” However, if any of these problems are left unresolved they can be entry for demons. We should be on the watch for compulsive behavior, habits that we cannot overcome, lusts, fear and oppressive feelings. Do not allow depression to go on without getting help. Do not tolerate feelings of suicide, destruction or murder. Do not hide feelings of homosexuality and inordinate sex, even sex with yourself. Get some help!

7. God destroyed the devil.

What does it mean that God destroyed the devil? How does the blood of Jesus give us power?

Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

Romans 6:8-11 says, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

These verses say that Satan was “destroyed.” What does that actually mean? He seems to be running around doing a job of destroying others.

‘Destroy’ means ‘to render his power ineffective’. How did Jesus do that? The devil is still running around destroying others. When Jesus was resurrected, He was the first born of a brand new race. Jesus put a new nature into you when you were born again. This nature is higher than demons and devils. They have already killed the first race of Adam, in Jesus on the Cross. Satan and demons have absolutely no authority over this new race, all they can do is lie to us. When Jesus was resurrected, demons had no more power over Him. He put that life into you.

The word ‘destroy’ is defined in Strong’s Concordance as:

1) to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative.

1a) to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency.

1b) to deprive of force, influence, power.

Here is a very absurd example that may help us to remember and picture what “destroyed” actually means.

Let’s pretend that you are a cat. A big dog, representing Satan, is harassing you, keeping you on the run, and making you hide. He is stealing your food and even tearing at your hide. Finally, this dog kills you.

Then all of the sudden, by some supernatural miracle, you, the cat, are raised from the dead. This time you are no longer a cat, but a lion! Now this same dog comes and looks at you and he runs because he knows you can kill him! The dog has been destroyed (to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency, to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative, to deprive of force, influence, power)!

Just imagine now that this dog comes up with a plan. He comes to you and convinces you that you are still a cat and not really a lion. What if the dog could get you to actually act like a cat? That is what the dog Satan does to many Christians.

Just imagine that Jesus was this “cat” that died. Just before He died, however, He became “pregnant” with you and me in the Garden of Gethsemane. When He died and was resurrected, He became the firstborn from the dead. When we are born again, we are also lions.

Colossians 1:18 says, “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

We need to stay in the Word and stay focused on Jesus so that we will keep these truths in our hearts. If we get away from that focus, we will quickly be swept away by the lies of the world and we will become vulnerable.

8. Knowing Jesus is what is important.

Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Prayer for deliverance.

Almighty God, in the name of Your son Jesus, I renounce all the works of the devil, Satan and other evil spirits. I confess and renounce all my occult practices and sins as abominations before You, a Holy and righteous God. (Now list them and confess them.) I renounce any occult influence from my forefathers and I ask, Lord God, that you now break any hold Satan may have in my life because of them.

I pray that any evil power or ability I may possess, or which have oppressed or possessed me, be completely destroyed or removed from me, for I want nothing that is not from You. I commit myself, my body, my mind, my personality, my emotions, my whole being to the Lord Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus, believing I am delivered.