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In 1986 Frank Peretti published the novel This Present Darkness and I devoured it. As a young teenager, the idea of spiritual warfare was intriguing to say the least and Peretti’s perspective made it downright exciting. Imagine having an impact on angelic battles! Fast-forward now to my late twenties as Twyilla and I experienced some frightening spiritual encounters in our home and the novelty/excitement from my teens was replaced with nervousness and questions. What exactly is the nature of our warfare, and what level of authority do we have over evil spirits? We need to consider spiritual warfare from two perspectives: our daily warfare against temptation from Ephesians 6:10-18 and the more overt spiritual activity from Matthew 8:28-34. Both have a common foundation in the authority of the believer and so we will start here. In Luke 9:1-11 Jesus sends out the 12 disciples, giving them authority to cast out demons and heal diseases. They go out and do so, returning to tell Jesus all that they had done. Then later, in that same chapter, we have nine disciples unable to cast out a demon while Jesus, Peter, James, and John were up on the mountain. Demonic activity seems to be everywhere in the gospels but as you move through the book of Acts it becomes less prominent. Once you get to the epistles it disappears, and there is no teaching on how Christians are to handle exorcisms or oppression. The fact that the disciples could not cast out the demon in Luke 9 challenges the notion that every Christian has automatic authority over demons. Jesus had absolute authority but He is God, we are not. The question of authority is vital to this subject, do Christians have authority over demons or not? I’ve said many times that experience should not form doctrine, but it should compliment doctrine. If experience contradicts doctrine, then it is possible I have faulty doctrine. I’ve heard and read many examples of people who believe they have authority over demons yet they struggle to perform an exorcism. Should this not cause them to reconsider their doctrine? We must also use caution when forming doctrine from the gospels and the book of Acts because they record a unique period of history. I cannot do everything Jesus did, nor am I equal with the disciples in every area. Matthew 10:1 gives a bit more detail than Luke, “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.” We do not believe that we have authority to heal every kind of disease today, so why would we think that we have authority over the unclean spirits? I believe that when we read about the demonic activity in the gospels we should be drawn to Jesus, not the demons. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John do not write in order to obsess over demons, they write to exalt Jesus as Lord over all. Exorcisms prove Jesus’ power over Satan, and the disciples are working to proclaim that the Messiah has come. Any exorcisms or healings they perform are done with that goal in mind. In the book of Acts the apostles perform healings and exorcisms to proclaim the gospel and show their authority as God’s apostles but the office of apostle is expired for today so the same need is not there. My experience in demonic oppression is that I do not have authority over evil spirits, even when using the name of Jesus. Every experience I have had has one common denominator; it always lasts roughly 15-20 minutes. I have tried different approaches and methods, all with the same result, eventually the spirit leaves but it is not quick. I have concluded that the proper approach is to pray to God, not talk to the spirit. I worship God, declaring His attributes and His goodness, thanking Him for His mercy and grace while asking Him to command the spirit to leave. While I have never tried to exorcize a demon, my approach would be the same. Rather than command the spirit to leave I would pray to God, declaring His power over evil and His authority over all creation, and implore Him to cast the spirit out so I could preach the gospel to that person. This then goes to the purpose, for any exorcism which does not result in salvation is of no benefit. If we think demonic possession is the worst thing possible then we have lost perspective of eternal punishment. As God must open my eyes before I can come to salvation it depends upon Him to cast out a demon so a person can hear the gospel. Let’s quickly turn now to our daily battle with temptation, for our authority or lack of it is evident here also. In describing the weapons of our warfare in Ephesians 6, Paul does not instruct his readers how to eliminate temptation, but how to fight against it. In the same way that I do not have the authority to command evil spirits to leave, I do not have the authority to command that a temptation stop. My responsibility is to take up the armor of God to defend against Satan’s attacks and trust that when the time is right God will command him to leave. Even Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness lasted for three rounds. James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” This verse is one continuous thought. As I submit to God I will resist the attacks and temptations of the devil and he will eventually flee by God’s command, but seldom at the first moment of my resistance. Think about this, if Satan had to flee the second you thought he should, how would you grow in resisting him? We strengthen our muscles by working them harder and we build endurance by running longer and farther. God in His sovereignty builds us spiritually by allowing us to suffer under Satan’s attacks for differing lengths of time, never allowing us to be tempted beyond what we can resist with the power of the Holy Spirit, but challenging us, nonetheless. In my own life, these truths have encouraged me and strengthened my faith. Rather than wonder what is wrong with me when attacks and temptations last longer than I want, or becoming too focused on my enemy, I can find rest, assurance and strength for the battle. My life is in God’s hands, and nothing can happen to me without Him first allowing it. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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