[Faith-talk] Satan and the Saint, Part 4

[Paul]

Those of you who have been studying the category of demonic powers given by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10-12 realize that there are four specific entities.  We have previously given quite a bit of thought and space to "principalities," and I am certain that the child of God will become more cognizant of this specific demonic power as he studies the Word of God.

The next entities are referred to as "powers." We might define them as the demons who take sudden control of the emotions and mental attitudes of men.  It would appear from the Scriptures that these demons seize quick, unexpected control of the unregenerate heart, and cause some of the hideous, almost unthinkable, crimes which are committed.

A person who is oppressed, or obsessed, or depressed, or even possessed by one of these demons may quickly draw a gun and shoot a fellow being or stab someone with a knife, or perform some other crinimal act, which he himself did not realize he was capable of doing.

I am sure that if we could interview some of the prisoners behind bars today, they would quickly tell us that they would never have dreamed that the hour would come when they would be capable of committing murder, or engaging in armed robbery, wherein they killed a guard or perhaps a policeman in trying to escape.  They did not know the wickedness or the potential for evil that dwelt in their hearts.

Satan, who is the god of this world, can manipulate and control the minds, attitudes and feelings (or emotions) of men by and through these demons, who are referred to as "powers." The range of their activities can be anything from a slight oppression or obsession of the minds of men to a full and complete possession of the human being.

Let me make one thing very clear at this point.  Your author does not believe that any true born again Christian can ever be possessed by any type of demonic power.  I often cringe when I hear some Christian speak of a fellow believer as being "demon-possessed." A true regenerate believer is indwelt by the blessed Holy Spirit and there is no way in which Satan, by any of his wiles, can invade the territory ruled, controlled and governed by the blessed Holy Spirit.  This is why the Apostle John says, "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

You may be certain, dear Christian, that if you have lost your love and desire for the study of God's Word, you are being captivated, not possessed or obsessed, by one of these powers.  It is, therefore, wise for you to rebuff that lethargic feeling as of Satan or one of his emissaries who is trying to keep you from the Word of God.

Likewise, in the area of prayer, they would endeavor to weave a spiritual cobweb over your mind and make you dull and irritable, and most of all, prayerless.  If you find yourself in such a state, by God's grace, take authority over that demonic power and rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ, and come back to vital fellowship with your Lord in prayer.

Morbid thoughts, blasphemous thoughts, evil thoughts, and imaginations, all arise from these demonic powers endeavoring to infiltrate one's mind.  Temptation could not be a reality without one's mental faculties being disturbed by demonic powers.

Right here, we must remember that there is absolutely no sin in temptation.  Temptation is not sinful.  The holiest, most godly men who ever lived upon earth were severely tempted.  Think of the temptation of such men as Joseph, Daniel, and even our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He was sorely tempted of the devil.  However, it is only when one yields to temptation that the end result is sin.

Therefore, dear child of God, be not deceived by the trickery of Satan and these demonic powers.  Do not think that, just because your mind is invaded by some evil or blasphemous thoughts, you are guilty by an act of your own will in producing such thoughts.  No, a thousand times no! They originate and are infiltrated into your consciousness by these demonic powers.  Unless Satan in some way were to attack our minds with wicked or evil thoughts, he would have no access in the area of temptation.

I am frequently amazed to see believers in Christ who have come to a complete standstill in their Christian life, and who feel that they have committed some dreadful, yes, even an unforgivable sin, because this demonic power under Satan's control has suggested to them that they participate in some frightful, nearly unthinkable area of sin.

It is important for us to be wise to Satan's methods and not to be ignorant of his devices.  These powers, who are under the control of their master, the devil, endeavor to do his bidding at the expense and defeat of believers in Jesus Christ.  Let us refuse to give them one inch of access to our thought lives that will bring us into a state of bondage, or into a state of depression.

I am becoming more than ever convinced that depression is one of those states that a child of God is capable of getting into when he permits himself to dwell upon the suggestions and negative thoughts that these powers would endeavor to infiltrate into his mind.

As you read the New Testament, and as you read modern events, you cannot help but conclude that these powers are just as active today as ever before.  I think that we frequently fail to realize that the human population was so much smaller in Bible days compared to these modern times.  There has never been a time in which the world's population has been so numerous as right now.  So our prisons are overcrowded, and our mental institutions are insufficient to hold the many inmates who have been afflicted by these evil spirits.

Today, psychiatrists are greatly puzzled and perplexed in the area of multiple personalities.  They are fully cognizant of the fact that there are human beings who have more than one personality living within them.  It is fascinating, but downright chilling, to hear some of these individuals relating some of the actions and hideous things done by them when under the control of what they designate as "the other person."

I well remember a personal friend, a man of God, who was very intellectual.  He befriended the head psychiatrist of a New York State hospital who treated literally hundreds of patients suffering from varying mental illnesses.  After a discussion in depth, my pastor friend was astonished to hear the psychiatrist frankly admit that he was of the opinion that many of these patients were demon-possessed.  He went on to explain that he just wished he could divide the institution into two sections.  In one, he would use the normal therapy available, but in the other, he would like to use only prayer with godly men who were capable of performing real biblical exorcism.  When my friend asked why he did not do this, he was quick to reply, "I am afraid that, if I even made such a suggestion to many of my colleagues, they would think that I was in need of some form of therapy myself."

One thing is certain.  That psychiatrist was on the right track.  He became cognizant (and remember, this was many years ago) of the reality of multiple personalities.  Knowing the New Testament, it was clear to him that these were demonic powers possessing many of his patients who were confined and isolated from society for their own protection as well as the protection of their fellow men.

As we draw nearer to the end of this age, prior to the rapture of the church, I should not be surprised to see all sorts of uprisings in the form of protests, be it by homosexuals, prostitutes, the criminal element looking for greater civil rights, and only God knows the other areas of insight wherein these who are possessed by demonic powers may formulate any political rights that may sound feasible to the unregenerate world.

I personally feel that much of our so-called "modern" pornography and promiscuity in living stem directly from these powers who are at work to destroy all the moral fiber of our nation, as well as other nations throughout the world.

As we close this message, may I, once again, remind you, and I speak now to true regenerate believers, that you have the authority and ability to triumph over every demonic power because He that dwells within you, the blessed Holy Spirit, is greater than any other entity in all of the universe.  Could it be that we have become so materialistic in our daily activities that we fail to help our fellow men who fall prey to Satan and his emissaries, to the extent that some of them have even been brought to the point of self-destruction as well as to the point of destroying others?

Each time you read about a sniper, or a person who suddenly and inexplicably goes berserk, you may be sure that behind this is none other than Satan and his willing evil spirits.