| SPIRITUAL WARFARE: How To Protect Yourself H.A. Maxwell Whyte HIS GLORY REIGNS B. Childress Aug 8 2008 08:00AM Continually Cleansed Many Christians are offended by the idea that they might have a "spirit of infirmity" or be oppressed by some other demon. Some people get infuriated when we tell them that Satan may deceive them, visit sickness on them, entice them to backslide, or seduce them. They reply, "Satan cannot bother me. I'm a Christian." So many refuse to believe that Satan can worry, afflict, oppress, suppress, depress, frustrate, speak to, or lie to a child of God. If Christians cannot be afflicted by Satan and his demonic hordes, why did several New Testament writers warn the early church about the enemy's deceptive tactics? We need to read these admonitions carefully and put them into practice in our daily lives:
devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." I Peter 5:8-9
The apostles Paul, Peter, and James addressed Holy Spirit-baptized Christians who had opened their lives, minds, and hearts to the Holy Spirit. Once they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, they could expect Satan to try to afflict or hinder them from doing God's will. A Hole in the Hedge? We are all familiar with the Book of Job. This righteous man, Job, had a nice, protective hedge around him. Satan used to prowl around this hedge day and night waiting for a hole to appear. And one day a hole did appear. How did that happen? Job's fear tore down God's defenses. Remember what Job said? "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" Job 3:25 God had not torn down the hedge. But Job had created a hole in the hedge by his own fear. God's protection could no longer operate because faith cannot exist where fear is present. Satan caused Job great distress and nearly destroyed his life. Realizing these truths will help us to understand why some Christians get sick in body and mind. Why are some Christians in mental homes? This is not the fault of the gospel, for Jesus came to "preach deliverance to the captives" and to "set at liberty those who are oppressed" Luke 4:18. Whose fault is it that Christians succumb to physical and mental afflictions? Could it be that those who have received Christ by faith begin to listen to the temptations of Satan and fall into his snare, thereby ignoring God's clear commands? There is nothing automatic about salvation or any of the promises of God. They must be embraced by faith continually; we must resist the devil daily. If we do not, it is not God's fault that our protective hedge crumbles to give the destroyer access to our lives. No Guarantee The classic case of demon possession involves Judas Iscariot, whom Jesus had chosen as an apostle and disciple. It seems unthinkable that Jesus would have chosen a wicked man to heal the sick and cast out devils! Judas must have been sincere in his faith at one time, even as many in the church are today. In John 13:2, we read of how Satan tempted Judas to do his foul deed:
[Jesus];" The first act of the devil was to speak to Judas and put the thought into his heart, the innermost seat of his affections. Judas decided to obey Satan, and therefore turned his back on God and His Word. Judas, the disciple, was first oppressed, but finally he was possessed! "And after the sop Satan entered into him...." John 13:27. If Judas Iscariot could end up being possessed of the devil, how much more can we today? Satan knows that his time is short, and he is working harder than ever to destroy the work of God that is transforming lives today. Being saved and filled with God's Spirit is not an automatic guarantee that you will continue in the faith. Many sincere Christians maintain the unscriptural attitude that once they are born again and washed in the blood of Christ, Satan can never again touch them. Unfortunately, this teaching works in reverse: instead of providing protection makes many believers vulnerable to attack. Why? Because God's protection is not automatic! Protected by the Blood In the same way that a child needs to wash daily with soap and water, we need the continual cleansing of the blood of Christ. We do not take the Lord's supper once after conversion and then never come together to take it again, do we? Then why should we regard the cleansing of the blood of Christ in this way? We need continual cleansing. What do the Scriptures say?
his Son cleanseth us from all sin." I John 1:7 Notice that "cleanses" is in the present tense. This means that is continually cleanses - not once in the past, but progressively now and in the future. Evey child of God must keep himself consciously covered and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ every moment of every day. The blood of Jesus Christ is our greatest safeguard. Those involved in the ministry of deliverance should use the blood in faith to test all that they receive from the spiritual realm. Evil spirits are greatly agitated at the mention of the blood of Jesus. We do not speak enough of the blood of Jesus in our worship, our praying, and our attacks on Satan's strongholds. I am sure that if Christian assemblies everywhere would magnify the blood of Jesus, we would see carnal members stirred up and tremendous blessings poured out in new life for the church. Power of the Blood Medical science teaches that germs cause many sicknesses. Small parasitic creatures can breed in a portion of the body, multiply, and cause great distress. Other sicknesses, however, do not appear to be caused by germs. Does God have some way of protecting His people from these germs? God is omnipotent, and nothing is beyond His power. Certainly, He can send His ministering spirits to protect us and to prevent evil spirits from putting germs into our bodies, if we pray for protection and keep God's laws. Remember that nothing happens by "chance" or luck, but all is ordered by God. Germs are part of the curse that will be destroyed at the coming of Jesus Christ, and demons are merely agents in the hands of Satan to do his work at his bidding in the same way that soldiers obey their officers. In our experience (H.A. Maxwell Whyte) we have positively proved this fact. When boiling water spilled on a man's arm, we immediately prayed, acknowledging the power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ over the injury. Amazingly, no inflammation occurred. This shows clearly that demons cannot visit the injured part of the body with germs when we recognize and use the blood of Jesus. The same is true of cuts or scratches. We (H.A. Maxwell Whyte) recently rebuked the flow of blood from a deep scratch in a child's forehead, and it immediately stopped. The wound was pinched together, and the next day the child was running around as if nothing had happened. The finest disinfectant in the world is the blood of Jesus Christ, applied by faith, because it keeps all unclean spirits away. The only way we can protect our selves from these terrible powers is by constantly keeping ourselves covered by faith in the blood of Jesus, which speaks defeat to these demon spirits. This is the blessed position of dwelling "in the secret place of the Most High" and abiding "under the shadow of the Almighty" Psalm 91:1. We can trust no other protection or "shadow" than the covering of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Angelic Protection God's angels also protect us from the small mishaps of life that are directly caused by demon spirits. Let's look at a tremendous promise in the Word of God:
befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Psalm 91:9-12 Isn't it wonderful to think that God's children, by faith in Jesus Christ, are the object of angelic care? God's angels also bring answers to prayer. A spiritual battle in the heavens hindered the answer to Daniel's prayer and fasting.
to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." Daniel 10:12-13 The demonic forces over that geographic area opposed God's messenger during the three weeks that Daniel fasted and prayed. When Michael joined the battle, the forces of God prevailed. Take Your Authority Some of the experiences I (H.A. Maxwell Whyte) have been describing may scare the timid soul from entering fully into his inheritance. But I would like to remind you that Jesus' promise still stands:
nothing shall by any means hurt you." Luke 10:19 Satan's great weapon is fear. We must not succumb to dread or be paralyzed by fear. We must be bold in the strength of our Savior, who has told us to fear nothing. There is nothing to fear. Satan is a defeated foe. Remember that some demons long ago said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Acts 19:15. Demons recognize that the man of God bears the same authority as Jesus - if he exercises the power and authority that Jesus has given him. In Acts 1:8 we read that power comes upon us when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people today are looking in vain for a demonstration of the power of God. No car goes forward until it is put into gear. In like manner, no Holy Spirit filled Christian will produce any power until faith is exercised - until we determine that we are going to put an end to this evil oppression right now through Christ. Christians who take action get results. The praying Christian who battles on his knees can attack the devil's stronghold with great effect, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you..." Joshua 1:3. We must place our foot on Satan's neck, take him by the tail, and cast him out. What Should We Do? The more a nation departs from God and His love as shown in Jesus Christ, the more that nation opens itself to control by demonic powers. This same principle holds true for individuals. A drunken man opens himself to demon possession because of his lack of control. One who loses his temper is also similarly exposed. Unregenerate sick people who are weakened by suffering are also vulnerable unless someone prays for them by faith. And anyone who has anything to do with spiritism, occult sciences, or bloodless cults is almost certain to be affected. How should we respond to the demonic forces that surround us? God's Word gives us the answer:
Resistance involves being on guard, being covered with the blood of Christ, and keeping ourselves under control. The apostle Paul wrote about spiritual warfare being necessary to change situations in the natural realm.
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12 These demon powers control the rulers of darkness and live in the first heaven of the earth's atmosphere. They do not live in heaven, for it was from there they were ejected. The apostle Paul also listed the spiritual armor that Christians need to resist and fight the true enemy who opposes our interests on earth. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Ephesians 6:13-18 If we do not follow his advice, then we are exposed to demon powers and we must not blame God. He has made every provision for our protection. Source: Demons & Deliverance, by H.A. Maxwell Whyte, Copyright 1989, Whitaker House. |
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