What does the Bible tell us about curses, demons and spiritual warfare?

Spiritual Warfare: Curses and Demons

Worship: Out of My Way - Jesus Co.

Outline:

Introduction
Defining Wholeness
Seeking the Supernatural
What is a Curse?
Can A Curse Affect A Christian?
The Goal of Spiritual Warfare
Demons
Deliverance Ministry Teachings
Jewish Exorcism
Biblical Based Deliverance
Free From Bondage

Scriptures:

1 Chronicles 10:13-14
Deuteronomy 18:9-14
1 Samuel 2:26
1 Samuel 16:14
Proverbs 26:2
Job 1:10-12
Numbers 23:8
Romans 4:5
Galatians 3:13-14
Ephesians 6:13
Matthew 10:1
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Mark 9:38-41
John 14:27

Introduction

1 Chronicles 10:13-14

13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of her, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. Therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse.

Saul went to a medium to ask her to talk to Samuel who had died

Talking to the dead is just one of the practices we’ll talk about today

There is a rise in popularity of witchcraft and occult practices

We see it in movies

Harry Potter
Dr Strange
Black Panther

Witchcraft used to be illegal

In the Bible
In America
Salem witch hunt 332 years ago

But now it’s common place

There are occult ideas in

Movies
Books
Popular Music
Comic books

Example: “Hey Siri Lumos”

“Hey Siri Nox “

Today we are going to talk about the supernatural

Tonight we’ll talk about people seeking after supernatural powers and abilities.

And we will talk about people being attacked ,harassed, and possessed by supernatural beings

Defining Wholeness

Wholeness is about being _______ healthy

spiritually
emotionally
mentally

Free from oppression of

Our past
Bad thinking
Strongholds
The enemy

We’re talking about

dealing with life’s current stresses
being healed from experiences/wounds of the past

We’re promised eternal life

We’re also supposed to have: joy, peace, patience, and self control here on earth

Through this 4 year series we have identified traits that we defined as the goal for wholeness

Traits of Wholeness

Authenticity
Honesty
Kindness
Behavior not influenced by external approval / validation
Living by values and principles
Setting Boundaries
Taking ownership of your responsibilities
Living with purpose and passion
Optimism
Confidence
Not losing control of your emotions
Free from addictions
Addressing Conflict with truth and love
Vulnerability
Not critical or Judgemental
Not jealous of others
Forgive those who have wronged you in the past
Know that you’re worthy of receiving love
Not afraid to fail
Able to manage irrational fear, worry, and anxiety
Selfless encounters with others
Not manipulating others trying to control their actions
You care about how others feel
Patient
Don’t give into peer/social pressure
Can communicate without antagonizing others
Recognize, manage, and take responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings
Slow to anger
Ability to maturely express your wants, needs and desires
Can listen without reacting
Can respect others without having to change them
Can function well… Alone or with others
Able to take responsibility for our own destiny in life
Able to maintain a non-anxious presence in the midst of anxiety and stress
Able to ask for what they need want or prefer clearly, directly and honestly
Has the capacity to resolve conflict maturely
Being led by the Spirit

Seeking the Supernatural

Deuteronomy 18:9-14

9 “When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, a soothsayer, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who consults the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God is going to drive them out before you. 13 You are to be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations, which you are going to dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.

Detestable things

Passing through the fire - human sacrifice

DIVINATION: the skill or act of saying or discovering what will happen in the future

Palm reading
Tarot cards
Fortune tellers
Ouija boards

SOOTHSAYER: The ability to know and tell what will happen in the future

OMENS: a sign of how a future event will take place

WITCHCRAFT: the activity of performing magic to help or harm other people

MAGIC: seeking to manipulate reality for one’s own purpose

Using higher beings
Manipulating the perception of reality (ML)

Illusion/tricks
Influence/suggestion

SORCERY: The attempt to control or manipulate higher or unseen powers or beings through the use of objects, incantation, and rituals

SPELLS: spoken words which are thought to have magical power

jinxes, hexes, charms, and curses

MEDIUM: a person who receives messages from people who are dead.

A SPIRITIST: a consulter of spirits.

NECROMANCER: One who calls up the dead

Familiar spirit

a spirit or demon that serves or prompts an individual
the spirit of a dead person invoked by a medium to advise or prophesy

idolatry, in Judaism and Christianity, the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God.

These practices have been practiced by nearly every society in human history

Why do people turn to these practices?

We are always seeking ways to overcome our natural limitations. We want to be able to control our future

These practices allow us to control our future
The prosperity doctrine gives us a way to control our future

We want to turn to supernatural powers to get what we want.

The Israelites turned to other gods.

Eve sought after knowledge to make her “like God”.

Reasons

Born into it / family
Relationships / love

overriding the other person’s free will
Revenge

Money / success / Worldly gain
Power
Knowledge
Future

unknown
Control

Talk to deceased loved ones
God doesn’t answer
God said no
Curiosity
Protection
Prevent or alleviate misfortune
To get a sense of belonging
Healing
Culture

Example: Mixed into the culture

we all know our zodiac sign
26% of Christians believe in the zodiac signs
3% of atheist

Bottom line

The main reason people seek other spirits is because they have chosen Mammon over God

They are pursuing the things of the world more than the kingdom

What is a Curse?

a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something

–Oxford dictionary

Most societies on earth are concerned with being cursed

Blessings attract positive

Curses attract negative

God and Men

1 Samuel 2:26

26 And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.

He was blessed with favor

Favor with God and man

Attract people and spirits to treat you positively

2 categories (Spiritual, physical)

What do curses attract harm from:

Demons
Angels
Humans

1 Samuel 16:14

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrified him.

The spirit was “evil” because it was meant to harm him
Not because it was against God

Can A Curse Affect A Christian?

Proverbs 26:2

Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, So a curse without cause does not come to rest.

What is a curse without a cause?

If someone curses you, you have to have done something to deserve it in order for it to work

Hedge of Protection

Job was righteous

Job 1:10-12

10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”

12And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your [k]power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job had a ”hedge of protection” from what?

“God's hedge served as a wall to protect Job against Satan and the wicked.“

–Don Smith (The God of Hedges)

Why did he have it?

Because he was righteous

Based on Your Being Righteous

God could have removed His protection from him if he had sinned

It’s not God punishing you but it’s God removing His protection

God allows it

Your righteousness impacts whether or not God allowed evil spirits to harm you

In the Old Covenant

They need God’s permission

Numbers 23:8

“How am I to put a curse on him upon whom God has not put a curse? And how am I to curse him whom the LORD has not cursed?

Someone could only put a curse on you if God cursed you
You receive curses from God by breaking the law
A human has influence over how bad the consequences are to you based on the curse from God

Curses are God handing you over to the consequences of your actions

Allowing judgment to occur

We Obtain Jesus’ Righteousness

Romans 4:5

5But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Justifies the ungodly

As Christians, we are counted as being righteous regardless of our works

Jesus Took the Curse

Galatians 3:13-14

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written: “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”-- 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Faith is the conduit

The law contained blessings and curses from God

We no longer receive judgment from the law

Jesus redeemed us from the curse of any past or future sin

The Bible tells us that, “like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest” (Proverbs 26:2b). This means that curses made against innocent persons have no effect. The one declaring the curse against the innocent might as well try to dictate where a sparrow in flight should land. God’s children have been justified by God (Romans 5:1) and are therefore undeserving of punishment (Romans 8:1). God does not allow His children to be cursed. No one has the power to curse one whom God has decided to bless. God is the only One able to pronounce judgment.

–GotQuestions.org

This does not mean that Christians won’t experience bad things happening in their life, or attack from the enemy. This means that no one has the ability to put your life into an environment where you attract harm. You can still be the target of a spiritual attack from a person or Satan.

Caveats

The Evil Day: Undeserved attack from Satan

Ephesians 6:13

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

There can be a season in your life when Satan or demons target you for attack and it’s not based on anything you did wrong

This is what we see in the book of Job.

How do we defend ourselves in that “evil day”?

Armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10 - 18)

This is the primary way we fight spiritual warfare

We defeat him with

Living a life of “truthfulness”
Moral righteousness
Believing the gospel of Jesus Christ
Having faith in God
Having the hope of salvation
Reading the bible
Hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit

Led by the Spirit

Psychological Element

Based on you believing that you are cursed

Reticular activating system

You create it

Accidents
Bad luck
Health

Example: Placebo drug

You get healed

You don’t have any contracts with other spirits

The Goal of Spiritual Warfare

What is the goal of our Spiritual Warfare?

Goals

To move towards sanctification

Armor of God
Walk in the Spirit

Resist the devil

Avoid temptation

To know and believe the truth

Not to believe the enemy’s lies
Avoiding deception
Break strongholds

Spread the gospel to the Nations

Make Christians
Disciple them

Fulfill your specific purpose

Demons

Matthew 10:1

1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

Impure spirits

The disciples were given authority to cast out demons

Demonology vs Psychology

What does this have to do with Seeking Wholeness?

There is a lot of overlap between the problems they are trying to solve and the behaviors they try to explain

Casting out demons or counseling

Multiple personalities
Nightmares
Insomnia
Depression

Causes

demon
Childhood trauma
Coping mechanism
Chemical imbalance

Some passages use “evil spirits” to mean sicknesses or mental diseases.

Christian worldview

Supernatural
Spiritual realm

Types of Demons / Spirits in Bible

Different demons have different abilities

Seducing spirits (1 Tim 4:1)

seduce people away from the faith

Spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11)

Cause sickness
They aren’t the sickness

Miracle working (Rev 16:14)

Perform miraculous acts in order to persuade people from the faith

Spirit of divination (Acts 16:16)

Tell the future

The devouring (Malachi 3:11)

Attacks your finances

Spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7)
Spirit of deception ( Isaiah 19:13-15)

Confusion, distortion

Mute ( Matthew 8:32-33)
Deaf and Mute (Mark 1:24)

Demon Possession

People are demon possessed today

Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods.

–Wikipedia

True demonic possession describes a person being taken over by an intruding alien entity which is usually referred to and known as a demon. Almost all of the symptoms of apparent demonic possession, which are often portrayed in highly dramatic ways in films and ‘mockumentaries’ about deliverance and exorcism (including aversion to religious symbols, changes in voice, multiple personalities, and uninhibited rage) can be attributed to factors other than the demonic. In fact, true demonic possession is extremely rare. Most cases of spiritual crises, which are presented and assessed in the context of deliverance ministry, range between spiritual temptation and spiritual oppression.

– Church of England

Can a Christian Be Demon possessed?

It is hotly debated whether or not Christians can be possessed by demons

In Greek, words like “possess“ refer to ownership.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

This was written to sinful believers

The assumption is that you can’t be a temple of the Holy Spirit and house the demon at the same time

While the Bible does not explicitly state whether a Christian can be possessed by a demon, related biblical truths make it abundantly clear that Christians cannot be demon possessed. There is a distinct difference between being possessed by a demon and being oppressed or influenced by a demon. Demon possession involves a demon having direct/complete control over the thoughts and/or actions of a person (Matthew 17:14-18; Luke 4:33-35; 8:27-33). Demon oppression or influence involves a demon or demons attacking a person spiritually and/or encouraging him/her into sinful behavior.

—GotQuestions.org

Possession vs Oppression

Possession is

Own you
Attach themselves to you
Live within you
Control your physical capacities
Enter you

Christians Can Be

Persecuted
Tempted
Harassed
Captivated by false teaching
Enslavement to sin

*We cannot deny the fact that there are people who claim to be Christians who appear to be demon possessed

Most demonic possession is related to occult activities

Michael’s Observation

Where do you see demonic activity?

Countries/people where occult activities are practiced
Churches with Deliverance ministries

Deliverance Ministry Teachings

What is deliverance?

In Christian terms, deliverance is defined as release from evil spiritual influences which oppress a person or hinder the individual’s response to God’s saving grace.

Cat deliverance

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClUsUATuhx2/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Common Deliverance Practices

Cast demons out by

Name of Jesus
Bind and rebuking
Plead the blood of Jesus
Getting the demon’s name
Olive oil
Fasting
Praying

hedges of thorns of protection around things and people

Renounce your involvement in any witchcraft/occult activity
Holy Water

Criticisms Against Deliverance Ministry Methods

Blaming everything on demons denies our fallen nature
Methods not from the Bible
Sources of the information

Ex-satanists
Interviewing demons
Special revelation

Can lead to bondage and fear of demons

Always worrying about and focusing on demons versus God

Denies the need for God

Jewish Exorcism

Tools commonly used for exorcism in Jesus’ time

Incense
Potions
Rings
Balls of water
Amulets
Ashes
Various spices

Example: The Chosen

Exorcisms existed before Jesus was born

Biblical Based Deliverance

Biblical Deliverance Details

In biblical deliverance we see

Jesus drove demonic beings out instantly
Demons addressing the exorcist (Mark 1:24;5:7)
Verbal demands made of demons (Mark 1:25; 5:9;9:25)
“Come out of him!”; “What is your name?”
Demons sent from person to another living being
Anointing oil used
Casting out demons cured sickness
Jesus/apostles didn’t pray to cast out demons
Demons said the name “Jesus” (Mark 1:23-27)

How to Test the Authenticity

How to Test If Biblical Method

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx-gXcR4kl3mYbhRK4dcB4uUHMy4w_ezk_

He didn’t say do everything Jesus and the apostles did

A test is

Did you see Jesus do it or teach it?
Did you see the apostles do it or teach it?

Authority

Name of Jesus

Mark 9:38-41

38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.

“In my name”

In my power
In my authority
In my stead
By my will

7 Sons of Sceva

Authority doesn’t come just by saying the phrase “in the name of Jesus“

How to cast out demons - only authority

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkxUIKej80e/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Free From Bondage

John 14:27

“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.

Story: 7 years ago

I studied deliverance / demonology
Always binding demons and satan
Put quotes over my doors
Threw out books and statues
Was afraid I needed to study the right prayers and words to say
I need a special prayer for

Dream protection
Breaking Soul ties
Finances
Demonic attack
Anger
Witches / sorcery
Occult ties
Ancestors sin
Removing curses from objects in my house
Places I went that day
Websites visited
Renounce everything

Experienced supernatural demonic activity

My faith was in saying the right words

Less peace than before I knew about demons

I envisioned demons saying

“Oh he didn’t plead the blood of Jesus, so we’re good”
“He forgot to bind me first”

Afraid to teach about deliverance

When I taught about it, I experienced lots of demonic interference

Now I don’t have bizarre attacks

Distraction
Temptation

If your doctrine leaves you living in fear that

Didn’t say the right words
forget to rebuke something

It’s putting you in bondage

If we have Jesus’ authority then we have Jesus authority

Our authority is by faith alone
Satan wants to make you doubt

We don’t have to have the “magic words”

That’s what the occult teaches

If you have the authority of Jesus you are operating in the “name of Jesus”

It’s not based on saying the right sequence of words
It is not based on you remembering and renouncing things of the past

If your theology is making you afraid… there’s a problem

Your faith shouldn’t be in your words

Your faith shouldn’t be in your works

Your faith should be in Jesus Christ alone

Be free…in the name of Jesus

Instructor: Michael Leadon

Extra

Witchcraft Was an Unforgivable Sin

Witchcraft and sorcery were unforgivable sins in the Old Testament

Exodus 22:18

18 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

Leviticus 20:27

27 ‘Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist must be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; they have brought their own deaths upon themselves.’”

Mercy

What system is in place in the kingdom to exempt you?

Isaiah 38: 1 - 6

1 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 and said, “Please, LORD, just remember how I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept profusely.

4Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, 5“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David says: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city.”’

Every time God changed his will it was because of Mercy

The mercy of God can change any negative prophecy that was given over anyone’s life

The mercy of God can

Reverse any curse … whether or not you deserve it
Cancel out the judgment you deserve

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve

Mercy is not getting what you deserve

Mercy isn’t just about salvation

Defense against curses

Righteous living
Prayer
Mercy

Pages

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Seeking Wholeness Summary 14 - Curses and Demons