Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG002909
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00:09 It's been 2,000 years since the glorious light of the cross
00:12 illuminated a world veiled in darkness and confusion 00:15 about the character of God. 00:17 And still today the greatest need of mankind is a revelation 00:20 of God's love as revealed in the life of Christ. 00:23 Amazing Facts presents the 00:28 ...coming to you each week from Sacramento Central Church 00:31 in sunny California. 00:33 Discover hidden treasures in God's Word today. 00:38 When you were young did you ever have fear of the dark 00:47 or something that could be crawling around under your bed, 00:51 or creeping up the hall? 00:53 Come on now! I remember one time, I could get the title 01:00 wrong, but it was a Laurel and Hardy movie called, 01:05 Babes in Toyland, or something, and in the end they took on 01:10 something called Boogie Man. 01:12 Have you ever heard of the Boogie Man? 01:15 And I was young and impressionable, and the idea 01:21 of these, you know they're just actors dressed up 01:23 in hairy suits, but boy it scared me. 01:27 And I remember I couldn't go to sleep at night, 01:31 without worrying about these creatures that once you turn off 01:35 the lights, I imagined that there they were under the bed, 01:38 or in the closet. 01:41 And if you happened to watch something that had to do with 01:47 aliens coming down, little green monsters, it was very easy to 01:51 replace the Boogie Man with aliens, or gremlins, or ghosts. 01:58 But it seems like anywhere you go in the world, 02:02 and just about anybody's life, at some point there are these 02:06 minions of darkness that scare us. 02:09 The Bible has another name for them. 02:14 They're known as demons, devils, or evil spirits. 02:20 And you'd be surprised how much the Word of God has to say 02:26 about this subject. 02:28 First of all, and that's our message for today, 02:37 And before you completely zone out and say, Ah, Pastor Doug 02:42 has gone sensational. 02:44 And why would we want to talk about something so negative? 02:49 Why would you want to talk about something so fantastic? 02:53 There are even those who profess to be Christians that say there 02:56 is no such thing as devils, and evil spirits, or demons. 03:01 They don't believe in them anymore than they 03:03 believe in boogie men. 03:05 But you've got to be careful, if you say you're a Bible 03:09 Christian, because Jesus believed in them, 03:12 and He dealt with them, and He talks about them. 03:17 And you and I are given a work to do in relationship 03:22 with these evil spirits. 03:23 So if you're going to be a Bible Christian, then bear with me, 03:27 and you see if I can't give you Biblical evidence. 03:30 We have a divine mandate from the Lord, and how we ought to 03:36 relate with these forces of evil. 03:38 Mark 6:12, when He sent out the disciples preaching. 03:46 They preached that people should repent. 03:47 How many believe that's still part of our message? 03:50 And they cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil 03:56 who were sick and He healed them. 03:58 How many believe in the teaching about anointing 04:00 with oil and healing? 04:01 So we believe in the repenting part, 04:04 we believe in the anointing part. 04:06 Do we believe in the part that's sandwiched between the two: 04:10 casting out many devils, demons? 04:14 Do we believe all the Word of God? Amen! 04:17 Mark 16:17, Jesus is about to ascend to heaven. 04:23 Part of His great commission, final utterance, And these signs 04:28 will follow those who believe. 04:30 It doesn't say these signs will follow the apostles. 04:33 It says those who believe. 04:37 By the way, isn't that supposed to be all of us who are saved? 04:41 These signs will follow those who believe: 04:44 In My name they will cast out demons. 04:46 It's interesting He would mention that first. 04:49 In My name they will cast out demons. 04:53 Then He goes on, they'll speak with new tongues, 04:55 and there's other signs. 04:56 But I want to emphasize that the last words of Jesus maybe should 05:02 have a first priority among Christians. 05:06 It's something the Bible deals with. 05:08 It's not a pleasant business, and so, you know, we're not sure 05:13 what we're supposed to do. 05:15 And I think we've all seen that the subject of devils 05:18 and evil spirits has been exploited. 05:20 And some preachers have used it to fear monger, 05:22 and take advantage of people, and manipulate people. 05:25 And sometimes it's spooky. 05:27 Whenever you hear about someone who's being delivered from 05:29 evil spirits, we picture somebody who's writhing 05:32 on the ground, their back arched, or they're sitting on 05:36 the floor, or they're whipping their heads back and forth 05:41 so fast their hair cracks like a whip, and their head turns 05:44 around on their shoulders 360 degrees. 05:47 We've got these pictures when you talk about evil spirits, 05:52 and possession that scare us. 05:54 It's a little more comfortable to just say, Well, really in the 05:58 Bible when it talks about demon possession, it was just another 06:01 way of saying depressed, or mentally disturbed. 06:05 That's not what the Bible teaches. 06:08 There's more to it than that. 06:11 Maybe I ought to begin by saying where did 06:19 these powers come from? 06:20 Where did devils and evil spirits come from? 06:23 You know it's interesting in the last few years angels have 06:27 sort of made a comeback. 06:28 You can hear about angels, and read about angels, 06:32 and everyone thinks angels are great. 06:33 And People have little crystals of angels. 06:35 And they've got little angel signs, and angel wings. 06:37 And you say angels, and people just go, Oh! You know. 06:39 It's wonderful, but they forget that about a third of those 06:42 angels are evil, but they can appear good. 06:49 It stands to reason, to me, it says in 2 Corinthians 11, that 06:53 Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 06:57 So it should not surprise us if his angels can also be 07:01 transformed into angels of light; evil angels that 07:04 can appear as good angels. 07:06 God did not make devils. 07:10 God made beautiful angels that fell. 07:12 You can read it in Isaiah 14. 07:13 Satan, who started out as a perfect angel, fell. 07:17 He was cast out of heaven. Isaiah 14:12. 07:25 He was a light bearer. 07:28 And you can read then in Revelation 12:7. 07:30 And I know I'm going quickly. 07:32 You can jot some of these down. 07:34 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought 07:40 with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels. 07:45 Christ has His angels, and the dragon has his angels. 07:49 Fought, but they did not prevail. 07:52 Good news, God and His angels are stronger than the devil 07:56 and his angels. Amen! 07:59 They did not prevail, nor was there place for them 08:01 in heaven any longer. 08:03 Bad news! If they're not in heaven any more, where are they? 08:06 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, for the devil is come 08:09 down unto you having great wrath. 08:11 I'll get to that in just a minute. 08:12 And it says, their place was not found in heaven. 08:17 So that great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, 08:20 called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: 08:23 he was cast to the earth, and his angels were 08:28 cast out with him. 08:30 Now how many angels are there? 08:32 We don't know, but we can get some kind of round figures here. 08:36 We know there's at least one guardian angel for every human, 08:40 and there's six billion people, plus, in the world today. 08:43 It's possible every person has at least two. 08:48 Some scriptures seem to indicate people not only have guardian 08:51 angels, but they've got a recording angel. 08:53 I think angels could probably do both, but God may have 08:56 plenty, and maybe they work in two's, 08:59 as Jesus sent out the disciples. 09:00 Don't know, but let's suppose that there's at least 12 billion 09:04 angels, because, after all the population keeps growing. 09:07 And that would be the good ones. 09:09 And angels are ministering spirits of God. 09:12 They don't just work here on Earth. 09:14 Before the world fell, God had angels. 09:17 They were His ministering spirits through all 09:19 of the eternal cosmos. 09:21 So there are probably billions, and billions of angels. 09:25 The Bible says 10,000 times 10,000. 09:27 And when you think of about the temple of God, these angels were 09:30 engraved in the walls of the sanctuary, symbolizing that the 09:33 presence of God is surrounded with walls of 09:36 ministering spirits. 09:38 Billions of them! 09:39 One third of that number, whatever that number is, 09:42 followed Lucifer from heaven to this world. 09:48 And often in the Bible, when it talks about what the Devil did, 09:53 the Devil does this and the Devil does that, 09:55 and the Devil is the enemy who sows the bad seed among the good 09:57 seed. It's not Satan himself, but Satan's operating 10:01 through his angels. 10:03 And there's often times when you almost have a car accident, 10:06 and then you're delivered, and you say, Jesus saved me. 10:09 Well, Jesus saved you through His angels. 10:12 So a lot of times we give the credit to the big characters, 10:16 the generals, but He's operating through His soldiers, 10:19 and these are the angels. 10:22 Now today, more specifically, we're talking about being 10:25 on guard, and understanding how to deal with, and combat 10:30 the fallen angels, better known as devils. 10:33 They've got names. 10:34 Sometimes they're called devils. 10:37 Take off the d and you've got evils. 10:41 They're demons, evil or wicked spirits, fallen angels. 10:49 Some people think they've seen gremlins, and goblins, 10:54 and ghosts, and aliens, and boogie men. 10:56 I don't know, you know they probably manifest themselves 10:59 a thousand different ways. 11:00 But these are fallen angels that are out there to try to tempt 11:07 and to discourage, to try to distract 11:11 from the purposes of God. 11:15 I believe in them. 11:17 I'm in good company. 11:19 Jesus believed in them, too. 11:21 Believing in them does not mean I endorse, or approve them, 11:25 but it means I believe they exist. 11:26 Christ plainly says they exist. 11:30 The Bible teaches they exist. 11:32 I see evidence of their work everywhere. 11:35 And the great scholars of the Christian church over the ages 11:39 have all almost unanimously agreed that they exist. 11:44 So if you're going to take on an enemy, it's a good idea to start 11:50 with finding out if he even exists. 11:52 Some people are having problems dealing with the Devil, 11:55 because they don't even recognize his existence. 11:57 Now before I go any farther, I want to make a few things clear. 12:02 I'm not going to ask for a show of hands to say who 12:06 here is demon possessed. 12:07 But just as a test for my own benefit, how many here will 12:16 admit that you are demon harassed? 12:20 Every hand ought to go up because if you say, 12:26 I'm not demon harassed, maybe you're afraid the person next 12:28 to you is going to think, Well, you're demon harassed. 12:29 I'm moving over! 12:30 I don't want to sit next to someone who's demon harassed, 12:33 because I might catch it! 12:34 It doesn't work that way. 12:36 You could put on a surgical mask, and you can still get it. 12:39 It has nothing to do with who you're sitting next to. 12:42 If you are alive, you are demon harassed, especially if you're 12:50 a Christian. You're demon harassed. 12:53 You're in good company. 12:54 Jesus was demon harassed. 12:56 It means being tempted. 12:58 And it's not something that may happen once or twice 13:01 in your life. Every day we're doing battle with the Devil. 13:05 It's a wonderful thing when you experience those spells, 13:10 as when Christ fought with the Devil in the wilderness, 13:12 and it said Satan left Him for a season. 13:15 All that the Devil did is he left to regroup, 13:18 figure out what the next plan was. 13:20 And most of us live with little spells of peace 13:24 between the battles. 13:26 And once you recognize it, you accept it and it makes it easier 13:30 to understand what's going on, and how to deal with it. 13:33 And because we're all harassed by the devil, all of us, 13:39 you need to realize that we need help. 13:43 Because, we just read it in Ephesians, We don't wrestle 13:48 against flesh and blood. 13:49 And, by the way, while I'm on the subject, Psalm 8:4, 13:53 What is man, that you are mindful of him? 13:56 and the son of man, that you visit him? 13:57 Verse 5, For you have made him a little lower than the angels, 14:02 and you've crowned him with glory and honor. 14:05 Man has been made in some ways inferior, in strength, 14:11 and intellect, to angels. 14:14 So if you think you're going to take on these fallen angels 14:17 in your own power, well, you're pretty arrogant. 14:19 It takes the Holy Spirit, and God's power to defeat them. 14:25 The most perfect specimen of humanity that ever existed 14:30 was Adam and his wife Eve. 14:33 They, with their superior bodies and minds, were overcome 14:37 by the Devil. So you're pretty arrogant if you think, 14:41 I don't need God's help to fight against the devils. 14:44 We do need help. We cannot do it without Him. 14:47 We can do nothing. 14:48 We are powerless. We are simply play things and toys 14:53 in the hands of the Devil. 14:54 If you think you're going to take him on 14:56 without divine assistance. 14:57 You're done for. It's like going against Goliath without a sling. 15:04 Alright, so we found out where they came from. 15:09 We understand something about their names. 15:11 Now there's a story in the Bible I'd like to direct 15:13 your attention to. 15:14 You're going to find this in Mark 1, and it will 15:17 begin with verse 21. 15:19 If I were to ask you, What is the first miracle of Jesus? 15:23 What's the first miracle of Jesus? 15:24 Water into wine, water into wine. That's right. 15:28 That's if you're reading the gospel of John, 15:31 but that's not the gospel of Mark. 15:36 The gospel of Mark says the first miracle of Jesus was 15:41 delivering someone from an evil spirit. 15:43 Now John, when he talked about miracles, he was thinking about 15:48 something where you supernaturally transform 15:51 something from one thing to another. 15:53 You know, maybe his definition was different. 15:55 Based on that definition, turning water to wine, 15:57 that's an inanimate thing. It's out here. 15:59 And spiritual battle. 16:00 He may not have qualified it that way. 16:02 But if you want to go by the first supernatural engagement, 16:07 it was actually where Jesus, when He began preaching, 16:09 cast the devil out of someone. 16:11 We're going to read about this. 16:12 What did I say? Mark 1:21. 16:19 Then they went to Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath 16:24 he entered the synagogue, and taught. 16:25 This is right after Christ begins His preaching ministry. 16:28 He's just called Peter, James, John, and Andrew to follow Him. 16:33 Small ensemble of Apostles. 16:36 And they were astonished at His teaching: for He taught them as 16:40 one having authority, and not as the scribes. 16:43 By the way, that's repeated in Matthew 7:28. 16:45 Jesus taught with authority. 16:47 Now what's the evidence of His authority? 16:49 Notice here, Now there was a man in the synagogue with an unclean 16:54 spirit, and he cried out saying, Let us alone;... 16:59 It sounds like he might have more than one spirit: us? 17:04 Let us alone; what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? 17:09 Did you come to destroy us? 17:11 I know who you are, the Holy One of God. 17:15 Well, it seems like the man, first of all he's got his plural 17:19 and singular all scrambled up here, which is often the case 17:23 with a person demon possessed. 17:24 Sometimes you don't know if you're talking to one 17:25 person or ten, or if you're dealing with a demoniac there 17:29 on the beach of Gaddarah. 17:31 He had legions of demons; meaning that more than one 17:36 demon can possess a person. 17:38 Mary Magdalene, out of whom Christ cast seven devils. 17:43 Jesus tells a parable about a man who has a devil cast out, 17:49 and he cleans his house, and sweeps it. 17:51 But he doesn't replace it with anything better. 17:53 So that devil roams around in desolate places for awhile, 17:56 and he comes back again, and he finds his former dwelling 17:59 cleaned and swept. 18:00 And he brings seven other devils worse than himself, 18:03 and they all move in together and have a fraternity party 18:05 in that persons life. 18:08 And if you can have a person with multiple devils, 18:13 and you've got a man who's got 5,000 devils, 18:15 or a legion of devils, and sure, he can break chains, 18:19 and he's running around naked, and dirty, and cutting himself 18:22 with stones, and screaming, and living in a cemetery surrounded 18:25 by pigs. That's the man who had the legion of devils. 18:28 If you cut that number in half, and he only had half as many, 18:32 it might have looked a little better. 18:34 Quarter that number, maybe he's only got a 100 devils, 18:37 he might have been able to walk up and down the streets 18:40 without being arrested. 18:41 Get him down to 50 devils, and you might even 18:46 hire him and not know. 18:49 See where I'm going with this? 18:51 Which means that people can have varying degrees 18:56 of demon possession. 18:57 And, once again, take a look at the person sitting next to you. 19:00 I shouldn't tease, because, you know what? It really is true. 19:07 There are some people who are possessed, and they're able to 19:11 conduct themselves in a civilized way. 19:13 But the Devil's got his claws in them, and they need deliverance. 19:19 There's some area in their life where they're 19:22 owned by the enemy. 19:23 This is getting pretty real, isn't it? 19:27 This is what the Bible teaches. 19:29 So here's this man, and I want to read the whole story to you. 19:33 Let us alone; what have we to do with you, Jesus? 19:39 Did they know who Jesus was? 19:40 Why? They knew, they're eternal. 19:43 They lived before Lucifer fell. 19:44 These were once holy angels that used to worship Jesus. 19:47 They know who He is. 19:48 It's amazing that there's some people that don't think Christ 19:53 was God become a man. 19:54 Even the devils admitted it. 19:56 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be quiet and come out of him. 20:04 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him, 20:09 and cried out with a loud voice, he came out. 20:12 Why did he convulse first? 20:14 Please, don't anyone have a convulsion now. 20:17 But that often happens. 20:21 Do you know what it illustrates? 20:22 The Devil doesn't let go easily. 20:27 There is a convulsion, because there's a battle. 20:31 There's a resistance that's happening. 20:34 When the children of Israel were coming out of Egypt, 20:38 did the Pharaoh write them all farewell cards, and send them 20:42 down the road, and wave his hankie, 20:44 and say, Have a nice trip? 20:45 Or when Moses said, Let my people go, did the Pharaoh 20:48 tighten his grip? He made their labor harder. 20:53 He guarded the borders. 20:55 He refused to let them go. 20:57 And when they finally were starting to extricate from 20:59 Egypt, he chased after them. 21:01 The whole nation went through a convulsion of deliverance 21:06 before they were born. 21:07 Have you noticed that there's sometimes contraction 21:09 pains before a birth? 21:11 A woman might just walk around glowing during pregnancy, 21:15 and say, Oh, this is wonderful! 21:16 But wait until the labor pains begin, 21:20 and that little baby's going to be delivered. 21:22 Sometimes there's a convulsion before deliverance. 21:26 And that's what happened often when Christ cast out devils. 21:29 You'll see that there was some physical criteria. 21:33 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed, and cried out, 21:36 and he came out with a loud voice. 21:40 He cried out with a loud voice. 21:42 He came out of him. 21:43 They were all amazed, and they questioned among themselves, 21:46 saying, What is this? what new doctrine is this? 21:49 for with authority... 21:50 Notice how we started out? 21:52 It says they were amazed at His authority. 21:54 And at the end of the experience of this exorcism it says, 21:58 For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, 22:02 and they obey Him. 22:03 And immediately His fame spread throughout 22:05 the region of Galilee. 22:07 When you begin to tell the truth about the spiritual warfare 22:13 that is going on out there, the Devil does not want people 22:17 to take him seriously. 22:18 How many of you want the Holy Spirit, 22:21 and believe He's a real person that will move into your hearts? 22:23 If you don't have the Holy Spirit, 22:25 there's only one other alternative. 22:26 You are demon harassed, or demon possesed. 22:29 There's no neutral ground. 22:32 Well, I'm not ready for God's Spirit, and I'm not 22:35 going to let the Devil bother me. 22:36 I'm in charge of my own life. 22:37 You're kidding yourself! 22:38 You belong to the Devil. 22:39 There's only two powers in this life, if you believe the Bible. 22:47 Jesus said, If you're not with Me, you're against Me; 22:50 right along with the Devil, who's against Him. 22:53 And so I advise you to join the winning team, friends. 22:56 There's only one. You know something else we learned 23:00 from this story? When Jesus cast the Devil out of that man, 23:03 it says Christ went into the synagogue 23:06 on the Sabbath to teach. 23:07 What was that man doing there? 23:11 He must have been a church member! 23:13 Am I stretching it? 23:17 He didn't start crying out, and wigging out until Jesus 23:22 came in. Then there was a battle. 23:24 I've seen it happen before. 23:27 When I'm teaching, or preaching, it seems like it's more 23:29 predominate in some of the third world countries 23:33 where there was so much spiritualism, 23:35 and Satanic worship, that a lot of these people came out of that 23:38 lifestyle. And you start preaching the Word, 23:40 and some people are hearing the gospel, and all of a sudden 23:42 in the middle of the service, someone shrieks. 23:45 I've had it happen in Africa and India, South America. 23:48 And the pastors recognize it, and they take the person, 23:52 sometimes out into a room, and they pray over them, 23:54 and we've seen devil's just come out of people. 23:57 And the Lord sets them free. 23:59 We're more sophisticated. 24:01 We've learned how to internalize our demonic frustrations. 24:06 Frankly, I prefer it that way, but it's just as real. 24:11 People feel the battles. 24:13 I'm not fishing for an exorcism today friends. 24:16 Have I made that clear? 24:17 But I want to preach this message. 24:19 So, yeah, the Devil comes to church. 24:23 James 2:19, You believe there's one God; you do well: 24:29 even the devils believe and tremble. 24:31 Have you ever noticed that if there is anything good or holy 24:38 the Devil hates that. 24:39 The Devil hates when we sing the praises of God. 24:42 The Devil hates the Sabbath day, because it's the day 24:45 commemorated for the Lord. 24:48 And the Devil will always try to schedule his 24:53 attacks before church, because he doesn't want you 25:00 to go in the right spirit. 25:01 And you'd be surprised how many people come to church 25:04 and they're coming out of a sense of obligation 25:06 that may have nothing to do with the Spirit guiding them. 25:13 They've just been raised with a sense of obligation. 25:14 They're supposed to be here, but they're in such a bad spirit. 25:19 They've been living in sin through the week, 25:20 and they come and they're not coming because they're seeking 25:22 deliverance, they're coming because, I ought to be here. 25:24 Or, I won't ask for a show of hands, but in families getting 25:33 ready for church, the Devil loves to bring in some kind of 25:38 strife; contention between Mom and Dad, and between the kids, 25:42 and each other, and just anything that will just destroy 25:46 the atmosphere and the Spirit. 25:48 You know, that's why the Preparation Day is so important. 25:52 Because one of the most important things you could do on 25:55 the Preparation Day is to pray that God will set a hedge 25:58 of good angels about you, and protect you from these attacks. 26:02 And God will! You can enter into the Sabbath with peace, 26:04 and protection. And the Lord will shield you against those 26:08 attacks. You ought to be praying for that. 26:10 It's not just making sure you've got your casserole ready. 26:13 I mean, what good is it if you've got your casserole ready, 26:16 if your heart is just not prepared? 26:18 And so one of the best things you could do in preparation for 26:21 the Sabbath is just pray, Lord I want you to shield our family. 26:25 We want to receive the blessing you've promised in this day. 26:27 Hold back the Devil and his minions that would like to come 26:31 in and rob us of our blessing by bringing in strife, 26:34 or causing some kind of problem: the pipes will break, 26:36 the plumbing backs up, or something. 26:38 The Devil loves to do those things as you're preparing 26:42 to go to church and get a blessing. 26:43 How many of you know what I'm talking about? 26:45 Okay, so I've got a witness here that he does like to do it 26:51 just at those critical... 26:53 Or you're on your way to a Bible study, 26:54 or you want to have your morning devotions. 26:57 Sometimes I'm studying something very important, or I'm praying, 27:03 and I'll get a phone call. 27:05 Early in the morning, and I'm praying during my devotions, 27:10 and it is the most frivolous thing. 27:14 And I get off the phone and I say, That was from the Devil. 27:20 And he might have used a perfectly nice person that had 27:24 no idea that they're calling to ask me, you know, 27:28 whatever it was. I won't even say what it was, 27:31 because probably it was some of you, too. 27:33 They just brought in a distraction at a crucial moment. 27:38 It's like when the pastor is making an altar call, 27:42 and the Holy Spirit's wrestling with people. 27:44 The Devil's wrestling with those same people. 27:45 And they're praying about what to do. 27:47 And the pastor's getting ready to give a scripture, 27:49 and it's just the scripture that person needs 27:51 right at that moment. 27:52 Someone will catch a baby, a demon usually, 27:56 and it'll scream, and everybody will look. 27:59 Or you know what happens? 28:00 I remember one time I was making this alter call. 28:02 It was such an important time. 28:03 And I held my microphone down, and I pointed it at the monitor. 28:07 And it made that screaming noise. 28:10 Have you ever heard that feedback noise? 28:12 Everybody jumps out of their chairs, babies started crying, 28:15 and boy, I just lost the moment. 28:18 I mean that's one of a thousand things that devil's 28:22 concoct to try to prevent us from hearing what 28:25 the Holy Spirit is saying. 28:26 Now I know you're thinking, Pastor Doug, I had no idea 28:29 you were so superstitious. 28:30 You've known me long enough to know that I don't go around 28:35 looking for boogie men everywhere. 28:36 But I know they're there; talk about devils, evil spirits. 28:42 I know there's a war going on. 28:43 I don't even like preaching a sermon like this, 28:45 because I almost feel like I'm directing your attention 28:47 towards the negative. 28:48 But Jesus does, and you need to know it's real. 28:52 You need to be aware, because sometimes we poo poo, 28:56 and play it down so much. 28:57 We're so sophisticated we forget that we are 29:00 in a spiritual battle. 29:01 So this was the first miracle of Jesus in Mark 1 29:08 to cast out a devil. 29:10 You can also find this in Luke 4:33. 29:14 It says there was a man who had an unclean demon. 29:18 That doesn't mean the man was dirty. 29:20 The word unclean there would be like you've got 29:22 an unclean animal. 29:23 It means it was a fallen angel. 29:25 Something else we learned from just a cursory view of this 29:30 story is that sometimes devils speak through people. 29:34 Remember that devil said, What have you come to do with us? 29:39 You find this also in Luke 8:30. 29:41 Jesus asked him saying, What is your name? 29:44 And he said, Legion: because many devils had entered him. 29:47 And they begged him that he might not command them 29:50 to go out into the abyss. 29:51 And here they've having a conversation. 29:53 Now I want to pause. 29:54 Well, let me give you one more verse, and then I'll pause. 29:56 Acts 16:16, Now it happened that he, Paul, went to prayer. 30:01 When does the Devil want to bother him? 30:04 on the way to prayer. 30:06 That a certain slave girl possessed with the spirit 30:08 of divination met us, who brought much profit 30:12 to her masters by fortune telling. 30:14 And the girl followed Paul, and us, Luke is speaking, 30:18 and cried out saying, These men are servants of the 30:20 Most High God, who proclaimed the way of God. 30:22 She was just creating a diversion. 30:24 She was almost like saying, I endorse what they're doing, 30:27 so that it would give her credibility for the work 30:29 of Paul, and Luke, and the others. 30:31 And it was creating great confusion. 30:33 And Paul was going, No, we did not work together. 30:35 You are into astrology, you are spirit possessed, 30:37 you are devil possessed. 30:38 We have nothing in common in our ministries. 30:41 And, you notice, it's on his way to prayer that the Devil started 30:47 to speak through this girl. 30:48 And so he cast that devil out of her, and caused a great ruckus, 30:53 and ended up in jail for doing it. 30:54 It made the Devil very mad. 30:55 Paul and Silas got beaten because of that. 30:59 So it's not an easy thing when you take on the Devil. 31:02 Ultimately, many were converted in that city. 31:04 And you've got a book in your Bible called 31:06 the book of Philippians. 31:07 That's there because of this incident where he cast devils 31:11 out of that young girl. 31:12 But the devils were speaking through her. 31:15 Now when we talk about the devils speaking, 31:19 it doesn't necessarily mean that all of a sudden a person's going 31:24 to be talking to you, and their voice changes and gets 31:26 really weird and guttural. 31:28 If I were in here, and that would be, Oh, 31:33 that's the devil speaking. 31:34 And you've heard stories of people with these multiple 31:36 personalities, that all of a sudden the girls talk, 31:38 and all of a sudden a boy's voice comes out. 31:40 Some devil is speaking! 31:42 It was a different voice I heard. 31:44 Most of the time in the Bible when devil's speak, 31:47 It'll sound just like that person. 31:49 As a matter of fact, I've got a theory that when a person 31:53 loses their temper, and they begin to rant and rave, 31:59 they are, at least temporarily demon possessed. 32:03 And that's what it means when it says you lose your temper. 32:08 It's like you lost it, and someone else found it, 32:10 and they're using it. 32:11 An even temper means you're under control. 32:15 You lose your temper, it means someone else got control. 32:18 And a lot of people in a fit of anger, when they're out of 32:22 control, and devils have gotten a hold of their tongue, 32:25 and their mind, they say mean, cruel, biting, harsh things 32:29 to their spouse, or to their children, or to their employees, 32:34 or their boss, or whoever it might be, 32:36 and painful, ugly things. 32:39 You think, Where did that come from? 32:40 Well, it came from the Devil, but he used you. 32:42 And the Devil will use things that you've got in your mind. 32:45 Now I want to talk about that real quick, and I may go 32:48 back to the speaking part. 32:49 The Devil cannot read your mind. 32:52 But in the same way that God can place impressions in your mind, 32:56 evil spirits can put impressions in your mind. 32:57 That's what happens every time you're tempted. 32:59 Just before Sabbath, as I'm preparing for this message, 33:04 I got a letter yesterday that was a very disturbing letter. 33:09 And I thought, Doug, don't think about that. 33:13 I kept trying to figure out how to solve this problem. 33:15 And somebody was doing something terrible. 33:18 And I thought, you know, I can't deal with it now. 33:20 Sabbath's coming. I don't want to be distracted by that. 33:22 Doug don't think about it. 33:23 Get ready for the sermon. 33:24 But it kept coming back! 33:27 And every time it came back I realized, Hey look, 33:29 it's not that big a problem. 33:31 But somebody's trying to make it a big problem, 33:35 and make me think about it when I don't want to think about it. 33:38 And, you know, I finally had to pray and put it out of my mind. 33:43 And again, even today, it kept popping back into my mind. 33:46 Sometimes on your knees, you're praying, you know, and you're 33:49 talking to God, and all of a sudden this terrible thought 33:51 goes through your mind. 33:53 Lord forgive me! Why am I thinking that? 33:54 I'm on my knees praying. 33:55 This thought that no Christian should ever think, 33:58 and I'm on my knees praying! 33:59 And where did that come from? 34:02 Well, now you've got someone to blame it on. 34:04 The Devil put things in your mind trying to tempt you. 34:08 They can't read your mind. 34:10 Sometimes they can look at your expressions. 34:13 I mean even your spouse can sometimes tell what you're 34:16 thinking by body language, right? 34:18 Look at your expressions, but God and God only knows 34:23 the thoughts of men's hearts. 34:24 By the way, don't be afraid to pray out loud thinking, 34:26 I don't want the devils to hear my prayer. 34:28 Let them hear your prayers! 34:29 Many Bible heroes prayed out loud. 34:32 The Devil trembles when God's people pray. 34:33 Don't be afraid to pray out loud. 34:35 But, yeah, sometimes the devils can speak through people, 34:40 and do some ugly things. 34:44 They can cause physical reactions. 34:48 We just read a minute ago when He said, Come out of that young 34:51 man. The boy convulsed, or the young man convulsed. 34:57 When Jesus went to this father who had a boy that was possessed 35:01 with a dumb and a mute spirit. 35:03 It says sometimes the Devil had Him going into these 35:05 convulsions, and he fell into the water, and sometimes he 35:08 fell into the fire, and the Devil was trying to kill him. 35:11 And Jesus identified it was a devil. 35:13 Now I want to pause. 35:14 Pastor Doug, how do you know where to draw the line between 35:21 what we would today call a medical condition, 35:23 but for the days of Christ they used the word evil spirit. 35:27 But all they needed was a simple surgical procedure, 35:31 or some medicine, or there was a chemical imbalance. 35:33 And we know today that a pill will solve that problem. 35:36 How do you explain that? 35:39 Well, I do think that there's some people that might have 35:43 a chemical, or a physiological problem that makes it easy 35:50 for devils to manipulate them, and to torment them. 35:55 And, yes, medical treatment or medicine might take away the 36:00 advantage of the Devil to use that. 36:02 A person might have a problem with epileptic fits. 36:07 But you know something? 36:09 Even those who are struggling with epilepsy, or some kind of 36:13 convulsion, they don't know when it's going to happen. 36:15 They can't always time when will my next seizure be? 36:19 The Devil sometimes can influence those things. 36:22 Do you see what I'm saying friends? 36:24 A person might have a chemical imbalance, and it could give 36:28 them a little sense of melancholy, but the Devil 36:30 can turn that into a suicidal depression. 36:32 And so, you see what I'm saying? 36:35 There's a mixture of these things. 36:36 But just because of modern medicine and science, 36:39 it doesn't mean that the Devil doesn't know how to exploit 36:42 these things and really make it a demonic possession. 36:45 Did that make sense? 36:47 It did to me. I hope that you were able to grasp 36:51 what I'm saying there. 36:52 So sometimes it causes physical reactions. 36:56 Mark 9:26, This boy who was having these seizures, Jesus 37:01 said to the father, How long has this happened? 37:04 And later the disciples said, Why couldn't we 37:07 cast out that devil? 37:08 And Jesus said, These kind of devils don't come out except 37:11 by prayer and fasting. 37:12 Christ said it was a demonic problem. 37:15 Mark 9:26, Then the spirit cried out and convulsed him greatly, 37:19 and came out of him, and he became as one dead. 37:22 So many said, He's dead. 37:23 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose. 37:26 There was no more problem anymore. 37:33 Well, they've got a pretty broad job description. 37:37 One thing I want you to know is that deception is one of the 37:42 top tools in their box. 37:44 They deceive about what they're doing. 37:46 They'd like to blame it on anybody or anything else. 37:49 Revelation 16:14, For they are the spirits of devils. 37:57 What is the work of demons? 37:58 The spirits of devils working miracles. 38:01 Can devils work miracles? Can they? 38:05 Can they make it appear that it's a miracle of God, 38:08 and it's really a miracle from the devil? 38:10 When Moses went before the Pharaoh and he 38:13 threw his serpent down. 38:14 No, he threw his rod down and it became a serpent. 38:16 And the Pharaoh's magicians came in and they counterfeited 38:22 the miracles of God. 38:24 The devil can do that. 38:26 The devil can make a person sick and then miraculously 38:30 appear to remove that sickness. 38:32 So someone says, Oh, that faith healer must be of God, 38:35 because look, they got better. 38:36 Well, they never would have been sick if wasn't for the devil. 38:39 He just temporarily withdrew the affliction to give the illusion 38:43 that this person has the power of healing. 38:45 So you can't even use miracles or healings as a sign 38:48 for who's really from God. 38:49 The devil can counterfeit these things. 38:51 And some people might go to a diabolical faith healer. 38:57 They'll experience some relief, and it could be genuine relief, 39:02 because Jesus said, Your faith has made you whole. 39:05 The person might go with a genuine sincere faith, 39:07 and they're healed by their own faith. 39:09 It's called the placebo effect. 39:11 And so the devil will use that to his advantage. 39:16 You remember King Saul? 39:17 1 Samuel 16:14, But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, 39:23 and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. 39:26 Meaning that when God's angels, and God's Spirit withdrew their 39:30 protection, that allowed an evil spirit to come and torment him. 39:34 Saul would go through great spells of depression 39:37 where he was bordering on homicide and suicide. 39:40 And one time depressed he'd throw the spear at David. 39:43 David would come in and play soothing music for him, 39:46 and it would actually alleviate the problem, 39:49 at least temporarily, telling us that there were practical things 39:52 that a person could do to relieve the demonic harassment. 39:55 Did you get that? Listening to the right kind of music. 39:58 I think some people open themselves up to demonic 40:03 depression and influence by listening to the wrong thing. 40:07 Now we know what listening to the Word of God will do. 40:11 The opposite of that, of course, is listening to the 40:15 words of the devil. 40:16 And based on what I've seen, based on what I've heard, 40:24 boy some of that music these young people are listening to, 40:27 if you don't find the words diabolical enough, 40:30 there is such a thing as diabolical music, 40:33 even without any words, that would just put a person's mind 40:37 in a state where they're open to all kinds of evil suggestion. 40:40 And so you've got to be careful about what you listen to. 40:43 Now in a minute we're going to get some of the ways to be free 40:49 of those harassments. 40:52 I want to jump to something else. 40:54 What is the final fate of these fallen angels? 40:56 Jude, first chapter, there's only one, verse 6. 41:03 And the angels that kept not their proper domain, 41:06 the fallen angels, they left their own abode. 41:09 He is reserved in everlasting chains under darkness 41:13 for the judgment of the great day. 41:15 2 Peter 2:4 says almost the same thing. 41:19 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, 41:22 but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains 41:25 of darkness to be reserved for judgment. 41:27 The Bible says these angels are held in this dark world 41:30 waiting their judgment. 41:32 That's why when Jesus came, many times the angel would say, 41:35 Have you come to torment us before the time? 41:36 They said to Jesus! 41:38 They know that their punishment is coming. 41:41 As a matter of fact, they're really hyperactive right now 41:44 because you can read in Revelation 12, Woe to the 41:47 inhabitants of the earth for Satan has come down unto you 41:49 having great wrath, for he knows his time is short. 41:53 And so they're kind of in a frenzy now, because they know 41:56 they're running out of time, and they just love it that the 41:59 church doesn't even act like they exist. 42:01 Because they're able to cause all kinds of problems 42:05 in churches, and all kinds of problems in families. 42:07 I think there's one devil and his specialty is pride. 42:12 So many arguments, and so much dissention is because people 42:16 have this God of pride, this tumor of pride inside of them. 42:24 There's another demon out there, probably, called lust. 42:29 The Bible talks about the lusts of the flesh, 42:32 and the lusts of the eyes. 42:34 And I think there's a demon out there that specializes 42:37 in credit cards. All different manifestations of demons 42:45 out there. What's their fate? 42:48 The Devil knows he has a short time. 42:51 John Milton, the one who wrote that book, Paradise Lost. 42:55 The strongest and fiercest spirit that fought in heaven 42:59 is now fiercer still by despair. 43:02 He knows his time is short. 43:05 Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:41, Then He will say 43:09 to those on the left hand, 43:12 There's only two people: the saved and the lost, 43:13 the blessed and the cursed. 43:22 So they share in the fate of their leader. 43:26 The devil who, and this is Revelation 20:10, 43:30 The devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire 43:34 and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, 43:37 and they're tormented there day and night forever and ever. 43:39 Now that word day and night forever and ever indicates 43:42 that they are going to be burned up according to what 43:45 they deserve, and they never ever will exist again. 43:47 They're gone forever and ever. 43:49 And when you translate it from one language to another, 43:53 if you're wondering what happens to the devil also 43:56 happens to his angels. 43:57 Ezekiel 28:18. Therefore I will bring forth a fire from 44:01 the midst of thee, it will devour thee, and I will bring 44:05 thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all 44:07 them that behold thee. 44:08 It says, Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt 44:11 thou be any more. 44:13 He is going be consumed, burned up, perished. 44:17 God is not going to immortalize gremlins, and boogie men, 44:21 and devils in the lake of fire. 44:24 They'll be punished, probably, more than anyone else 44:26 for what they have done. 44:28 Now I'm going to venture in the last few minutes to talk about 44:35 You know I just even enter into this subject carefully for fear 44:41 that people might misunderstand what I'm saying. 44:44 Because when I talk to you about casting out devils, 44:47 how many of you have seen ministers and pastors who claim 44:51 to have a specialty in this. 44:52 And you see it happening in churches where folks are lined 44:54 up, and just one by one they're getting hit, 44:56 and they're writhing around, and it just looks like cattle 45:01 being branded or something. 45:03 We've all got these different concepts so what does that mean? 45:06 Where you've got fourteen people holding somebody down, 45:09 and, you know, I've seen that before. 45:13 If you read about that man in Mark 5, Luke 8, often they would 45:21 bind them with shackles and chains, and he'd break them, 45:24 and he was... Keep in mind he had a whole legion of devils. 45:26 It usually doesn't happen in that way. 45:28 So it takes more than just a few words spoken over the phone. 45:35 And so what do you do to cast out devils? 45:41 How does it happen? 45:43 What does the Bible say? 45:44 Mark 1:34, Evicting demons. 45:51 He healed many who were sick with various diseases, 45:55 and cast out many demons. 45:57 Now I want to pause here for a minute. 45:58 Do you see the Bible making a distinction between a physical 46:01 sickness, and spiritual sickness? Yeah! 46:04 He healed those who were sick with various diseases, 46:07 and cast out many devils. 46:11 And He did not allow the devils to speak, because they knew Him. 46:15 I always worry about these folks that... 46:17 I've run into folks that have these exorcism ministries, 46:22 and they say, Yeah, I was talking to this devil 46:24 right here, and I identified him. 46:26 He was a devil of hay fever. 46:28 You sneeze out, you devil of hay fever. 46:30 And they start... They talk to them! 46:32 Don't! You don't want to engage the devils to talk! 46:35 I mean, Jesus said, Be quiet! 46:37 He always told them to be quiet. 46:39 Only one time He said to that one, What is your name? 46:42 And He did that for our benefit so we'd know how many 46:44 demons had possessed that man. 46:46 But He didn't want to enter into dialogue. 46:49 Even the devil, when he came to get the body of Moses, 46:52 and Michael came to resurrect Moses. 46:54 The devil said, You can't have him. 46:57 He's mine. He sinned. 46:58 And Jesus said, No, I've forgiven him. And He said... 47:01 As a matter of fact, Jesus didn't even say that. 47:03 He didn't enter into a conversation with him. 47:05 He said, The Lord rebuke thee. 47:07 And He took Moses to heaven. 47:09 So you don't want to get into a dialogue with the devil. 47:13 By the way, we're all in trouble today because Eve 47:15 got into a discussion with the devil. 47:16 And if you've heard about a silver tongued devil, 47:20 he's the one that started with it. 47:22 You don't want to think you're going to out talk him. 47:24 The only thing you want to quote to the devil is scripture, 47:27 and the name of Jesus. 47:29 Jesus said, Matthew 10:8, when He sent out the apostles. 47:36 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, 47:39 cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 47:44 Mark 1:27, 28. They were all amazed, and they said, 47:50 What is this new doctrine? 47:51 For with authority He commands unclean 47:54 spirits, and they obey Him. 47:55 So who's authority do we have? 47:57 Ours? We don't have any authority. 47:59 Does He have authority? 48:00 Do you really believe that Jesus has authority over the devil? 48:03 Then if you enter into prayer with that in mind, 48:09 and you believe, you're going to see results. 48:11 Let me share this with you real quick. 48:13 Some of the principles in the Bible for casting out devils. 48:16 First of all, prepare your own heart. 48:19 If you're going to be praying for somebody that you really 48:22 believe is more than just demon harassed, and we should always 48:24 pray for each other, because we're all tempted. 48:26 Make sure that you are in a position to pray. 48:30 Ask God to forgive your sins. 48:33 Ask God to hear your prayers, not because you are righteous, 48:36 but for the sake of Christ's righteousness. 48:38 The Bible tells us, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any 48:42 trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit 48:46 of gentleness, humbleness, considering yourself lest you 48:51 also be tempted. 48:52 You'd hate to go to someone to cast out the devil, 48:57 and you catch what they've got. 48:58 So do it in an attitude of humility. 49:02 By the way, you know why I said that? 49:05 When you enter into this activity, you want to pray, 49:12 and make sure that you're sent of God. 49:13 Acts 19:13, Some of the itinerate Jewish exorcists 49:19 took it upon themselves to call on the name of the Lord Jesus 49:23 over those who had evil spirits, saying, We will exercise you 49:27 by Jesus whom Paul preaches. 49:28 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, 49:33 who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, 49:39 and Paul I know; but who are you? 49:42 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, 49:46 and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, 49:49 so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 49:52 You want to make sure that you know Jesus. 49:56 What did that devil say? 49:57 I know Paul, and I know Jesus, but I don't know you. 50:00 So if you're going to enter into prayer that someone else 50:03 is delivered, then you make sure you've got that relationship 50:05 with Him. 2. Pray and fast. 50:11 Point 2. You remember that father; 50:14 brought his son to Jesus. 50:16 The disciples tried to cast out the devil and they couldn't. 50:18 Don't be discouraged if you are unsuccessful. 50:22 You're in good company. 50:23 Sometimes the apostles were unsuccessful. 50:26 Don't give up. They said Lord, why couldn't we do it? 50:29 He said, This kind only comes forth by prayer and fasting. 50:34 You might have some loved ones or children that they're 50:38 addicted to drugs, or something else, 50:40 and you want them to be free. 50:42 Fast and pray for them. 50:44 Recite scripture! And I'm not doing these in the order 50:49 of priority. That might be the first one. 50:51 Use the Word. What did Jesus use when the devil tried 50:55 to tempt Him in the wilderness? 50:56 He used the Word of God. 50:58 The devil's words are what often puts the devil in people. 51:02 It's Christ's Word that expels them. 51:05 When Jesus was battling the devil over and over, 51:08 He said, It is written, it is written. 51:10 Now very simply, I believe the devil's could be cast out 51:15 today from people who are either sitting here, 51:18 who are listening, or watching through TV or tape. 51:21 They might not fall on the ground. 51:23 Their eyes may not roll back in their head. 51:25 Their veins may not stand out in their neck. 51:27 The Word of God might do it quietly. 51:30 The Word of God can set people free without 51:33 some big demonstration. 51:35 And so I think more times than not, when Jesus went out 51:39 preaching, and said, Repent for the kingdom of heaven 51:41 is at hand, casting out devils, it was the preaching 51:44 that cast out the devils. 51:45 The preaching of the Word gives people victory. 51:49 So most of the time that's how it happens. 51:52 Make sure that you're claiming the promises of God, 51:56 and citing the scripture. 51:57 Let me see here, did I read that one? 52:03 He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all 52:06 Galilee, casting out devils. 52:09 Preaching, casting out devils, Mark 1:39. 52:11 It happens through the preaching of the Word. 52:14 Pray for those who are afflicted. 52:17 I know that stands as a basic, but not only fast and pray, 52:23 but you want to be praying on an ongoing basis for them. 52:27 Mark 9:23, Jesus said, If you believe, you want to believe, 52:31 all things are possible to them who believe. 52:35 So when you're fasting and praying, believe that God 52:37 is going to set them free. 52:39 5. You might anoint them and pray. 52:44 Anointing them with oil. 52:46 The Bible is clear that some people physically sick, 52:51 if they're sick, call for the elders to come and to pray 52:54 over him. We don't always know if the sickness is purely 52:58 medical, or maybe it's a combination of medical 53:00 and spiritual. Either way oil is the symbol of what? 53:04 the Holy Spirit. Pray over them and anoint them with oil. 53:08 Now that, of course, is James 5:14, 15. 53:11 Invoke as your authority the name of Jesus. 53:14 Now I've heard pastors abuse that. 53:18 And they almost repeat the name of Jesus in an irreverent way. 53:21 We should take the name of the Son of God with reverence 53:24 upon our lips. There's examples for this in the Bible. 53:28 Paul greatly annoyed when that demon possesed girl was 53:32 following him, turned and said to the spirit, I command you 53:36 in the name of Jesus Christ... 53:38 If you want to know what to say, say what Paul said. 53:41 ...to come out of her. 53:42 And it came out of her that very hour. 53:45 So claim the name of Jesus, and the authority of Jesus. 53:48 Christ said, These signs will follow those who believe. 53:52 In My name they will cast out demons. 53:55 Again, Mark 16:17. 53:58 And then finally, point 7. repeat all of the above 54:01 as often as necessary. 54:03 Mary Magdalene, out of whom He cast seven devils, 54:08 and you read in the book, Desire of Ages, and it makes it sound 54:10 like Mary fell seven times back into her old patterns, 54:13 and Jesus had to deliver her again. 54:16 And it sounds that way. 54:19 Remember, Jesus said, Matthew 12:43, When an unclean spirit 54:25 goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest, 54:29 and he finds none. 54:30 Then he says, I'll return to my house. 54:32 I'll go check back at my old house from which I came. 54:35 And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 54:38 Then he goes and he takes with him seven other spirits, 54:42 more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there: 54:45 and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 54:48 So shall it be with this wicked generation. 54:50 In other words, if you are praying for deliverance from 54:55 some habit, or practice, or way of life, or thinking 54:58 that you know is out of God's will, make sure that you 55:02 overcome evil with good. 55:04 Don't leave a vacuum. 55:05 If you've been reading the wrong kind of materials, 55:09 start reading the right kind of material. 55:10 If you've been... Well, I don't need to give you any more 55:15 examples do I? You get the idea? 55:17 If there's anything in your life, and you say, you know, 55:19 I need to stop this. 55:21 Replace it with something that is good. 55:23 Otherwise you just create a vacuum, and the devil comes 55:26 back and says, They're just stacked where they were 55:27 when I found them in the first place, 55:28 except the house is clean and swept. 55:30 Let's all move in! Make it worse! 55:33 And so sometimes you'll find you pray for deliverance 55:37 in some area, from the devil who's harassing you, 55:40 and you fall. Don't give up! 55:42 Get up again. You know the Bible says, A righteous man falls 55:47 seven times, and rises again. 55:49 You may have to pray many times. 55:53 Many times Jesus had to pray over his own apostles, 55:57 and they fell. But God wants to set us free. 56:00 The good news is, Greater is He that is in you, 56:04 than he that is in the world. 56:05 The way we're going to win is Ephesians 6:11, Put on the whole 56:11 armor of God. In the Word of God, in the spirit 56:15 through prayer. That's these things I'm talking about. 56:17 This is all the armor of God. 56:18 Through that we can be shielded against the 56:21 attacks of the devil. 56:22 And ultimately the Word of God, which is the sword of 56:24 the Spirit, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. 56:27 That's going to give us the power to overcome the enemy. 56:31 So friends, I just wanted to cover this with you. 56:33 This is a Biblical truth. 56:35 And, you know, if they needed this back when Jesus came 56:37 the first time, I think the church needs it as Christ 56:40 is preparing to come the second time. 56:41 The devil has come down with great wrath. 56:44 We need to know we have a very real enemy out there, 56:47 and that God has given us the tools to find victory. 56:50 He wants you to be free. 56:52 You can be free. You can do all things through Christ. 56:58 Greater is He that is in you: Christ's authority, 57:01 Christ's name. He can set you free from whatever those demonic 57:05 harassments are. And in some cases it might be that they move 57:09 into some area of your life, and He wants to set you free. |
Revised 2014-12-17