DEALING WITH STRONG DEMONIC INFLUENCES 1
Mark 8:33" But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."
In a parallel scripture in (Matthew 16:17) Peter had earlier been eulogized for his acknowledgment of the divinity of Jesus Christ . Ironically, a few chapters later, Peter rebuked Jesus for saying it was necessary for Him to be sacrificed as an atonement for sins . Unknown to him, Peter was speaking under Satan's influence that very moment. His carnal reasoning exposed him to the devil's antics and he soon became Satan's mouthpiece.
Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, none of the disciples were born again. Salvation requires believing in the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom.10 :9) and since that had not taken place, they were vulnerable to Satan's manipulation: an example is the case of Judas, John 13:26 says "Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly."This underscores how swift Satan can take over a person if given the slightest opportunity.
It also shows how subtle the enemy could be , sometimes he speaks to us through persons who seem to show care for our well-being . This is why we need the spirit of discernment at all times to know who's voice it is that's speaking.
From these two cases it is possible for a renowned preacher to be led by Satan ( Matthew 7:22-23). Prior to the bodily death and resurrection of Christ, Peter practiced religion and was motivated by a personal agenda . Religion is worship according man's standard and it places the burden of salvation upon man while the born again experience is man becoming one with God through Christ's redemptive work on the cross and by it salvation is a gift from God obtained by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). No man can be saved by human effort.
A person can be religious, a worker of miracles and professing to know the way of salvation with a large following and yet be led by Satan ( Acts16:16-18) .True salvation experience is characterized by a life of righteousness, peace and joy through the Holy Ghost , on the other hand religion defines righteousness in the lines of how much money and material wealth a person possesses (1Tim 6:10,Acts 16:19a )with activities centered on divination -foretelling the past and future events (Acts 16:16-18.)this is the driving force behind corruption (Matthew 7:16-17) We are not ignorant of Satan’s strategies (2Cor.2:11) A healthy church is one where followers are encouraged to develop the fruits and gifts of the Holy Ghost through a personal relationship with Christ and an uncompromising approach to biblical doctrine(Gal.5:22-23,1Cor12:1-11).
In dealing with the devil we must realize that he is a creation of God ( Prov.16:4,Isaiah 45:7,Jn1:3,Ezek.28:14,15) and he is under God’s control ( Job.1:6-7,2:1-7) and can only go as God permits (Jer.27:5,Lk 4:5,6) .Satan is in charge of evil spirits (Matthew 12:24,Rev.12:3,4,7-9) .
The born again christian is more powerful than the devil (1Jn4:4,Luke10:17) he trembles whenever we mention the name of Jesus Christ ( James.2:19,phil2:9-11) He was stripped of his power over humanity through the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb2:14,Col 2:15).
The born again christian has been given power to cast out devils (Mark 16:17,1Jn 2:14b) .We are engaged in a spiritual warfare with Satan whether we like it or not (2Cor.10:3-5, Eph 6:12-13) it is a battle that takes place in the mind. Satan seeks control over the minds of men and we are to stop him through the power of the gospel. We are expected to be on the alert for his antics by being committed to prayer and fasting as often as possible (Mark 9:13-17)and avoid being religious (Acts 19:13-17) .Praying with other Christians is an advantage ,we should not avoid fellowships (Matthew 18:19-20,Heb.10:25) and encourage those who have been liberated from demonic forces to get filled with the Holy Ghost and the Word of God in other to avoid falling into a worse situation than the first (Luke 11:24-26) .
As soldiers of Christ we are to put on our spiritual amour and weaponry in order to defeat the devil (Ephesians 6:11,13), they include :the shield of faith (Eph.6:16, Psalm 91:4) the breastplate of righteousness ,faith and love (Eph.6:14,1Thes 5:8) the sword of the Spirit (6:17,Heb 4:12) The helmet of salvation (Eph.6:17,1Thess5:8) our salvation must not be in doubt for us to appropriate these very valuable spiritual assets. God has given us power over the forces of darkness (luke10:19) and He isn't trying to deliver us from Satan, we are already delivered and no more under the influence of the devil's kingdom ( col.1:12-13) therefore we should not accept teachings that magnify Satan above the church, we are blessed with all blessings (Eph1:3) and dwell in God's kingdom far from the control of evil spirits (Col.3:3, Gal.3:27)
Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, none of the disciples were born again. Salvation requires believing in the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom.10 :9) and since that had not taken place, they were vulnerable to Satan's manipulation: an example is the case of Judas, John 13:26 says "Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly."This underscores how swift Satan can take over a person if given the slightest opportunity.
It also shows how subtle the enemy could be , sometimes he speaks to us through persons who seem to show care for our well-being . This is why we need the spirit of discernment at all times to know who's voice it is that's speaking.
From these two cases it is possible for a renowned preacher to be led by Satan ( Matthew 7:22-23). Prior to the bodily death and resurrection of Christ, Peter practiced religion and was motivated by a personal agenda . Religion is worship according man's standard and it places the burden of salvation upon man while the born again experience is man becoming one with God through Christ's redemptive work on the cross and by it salvation is a gift from God obtained by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). No man can be saved by human effort.
A person can be religious, a worker of miracles and professing to know the way of salvation with a large following and yet be led by Satan ( Acts16:16-18) .True salvation experience is characterized by a life of righteousness, peace and joy through the Holy Ghost , on the other hand religion defines righteousness in the lines of how much money and material wealth a person possesses (1Tim 6:10,Acts 16:19a )with activities centered on divination -foretelling the past and future events (Acts 16:16-18.)this is the driving force behind corruption (Matthew 7:16-17) We are not ignorant of Satan’s strategies (2Cor.2:11) A healthy church is one where followers are encouraged to develop the fruits and gifts of the Holy Ghost through a personal relationship with Christ and an uncompromising approach to biblical doctrine(Gal.5:22-23,1Cor12:1-11).
In dealing with the devil we must realize that he is a creation of God ( Prov.16:4,Isaiah 45:7,Jn1:3,Ezek.28:14,15) and he is under God’s control ( Job.1:6-7,2:1-7) and can only go as God permits (Jer.27:5,Lk 4:5,6) .Satan is in charge of evil spirits (Matthew 12:24,Rev.12:3,4,7-9) .
The born again christian is more powerful than the devil (1Jn4:4,Luke10:17) he trembles whenever we mention the name of Jesus Christ ( James.2:19,phil2:9-11) He was stripped of his power over humanity through the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb2:14,Col 2:15).
The born again christian has been given power to cast out devils (Mark 16:17,1Jn 2:14b) .We are engaged in a spiritual warfare with Satan whether we like it or not (2Cor.10:3-5, Eph 6:12-13) it is a battle that takes place in the mind. Satan seeks control over the minds of men and we are to stop him through the power of the gospel. We are expected to be on the alert for his antics by being committed to prayer and fasting as often as possible (Mark 9:13-17)and avoid being religious (Acts 19:13-17) .Praying with other Christians is an advantage ,we should not avoid fellowships (Matthew 18:19-20,Heb.10:25) and encourage those who have been liberated from demonic forces to get filled with the Holy Ghost and the Word of God in other to avoid falling into a worse situation than the first (Luke 11:24-26) .
As soldiers of Christ we are to put on our spiritual amour and weaponry in order to defeat the devil (Ephesians 6:11,13), they include :the shield of faith (Eph.6:16, Psalm 91:4) the breastplate of righteousness ,faith and love (Eph.6:14,1Thes 5:8) the sword of the Spirit (6:17,Heb 4:12) The helmet of salvation (Eph.6:17,1Thess5:8) our salvation must not be in doubt for us to appropriate these very valuable spiritual assets. God has given us power over the forces of darkness (luke10:19) and He isn't trying to deliver us from Satan, we are already delivered and no more under the influence of the devil's kingdom ( col.1:12-13) therefore we should not accept teachings that magnify Satan above the church, we are blessed with all blessings (Eph1:3) and dwell in God's kingdom far from the control of evil spirits (Col.3:3, Gal.3:27)
Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins against you .I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation and I receive him as lord and saviour and receive the Holy Ghost and power and authority over the kingdom of darkness in Jesus name.
Prayer/ counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911 Email :Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
Prayer/ counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911 Email :Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
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