Deliverance
Any Greek or Hebrew translations are quoted from
New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D.
Thomas Nelson Publishers 1990 edition
Some Christians believe when they commit ‘works of the flesh’ it is not because of evil spirits. They will try to tell you it is ‘just their flesh’. The truth is these fleshly acts are influenced by Satan’s evil spirits. Christians are being influenced through their mind, will, and emotions (their soul) by an evil source. In Galatians 5:19-21 it tells exactly what this evil influence can lead to: “Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings”. Whether the person committing the sinful acts is a Christian, or not, the acts are inspired by evil spirits! Satan and his evil spirits are the inspiration behind evil and negative thoughts, yet many Christians (including leaders) tell us that Satan is not responsible for the bad things we do. It seems as though many Christians are taking up for Satan, but I for one am not letting him off the hook that easy! Many Christians are in bondage to Satan’s devices and are not coming to the church for help because the church is not teaching the truth of God’s Word.
Directed by Satan, evil spirits make suggestions to people – including Christians. These evil suggestions may be sinful thoughts that we have not dealt with in a long time (i.e. hatred, wrath, envyings, etc.). Or, we may start entertaining thoughts we have never had before. Due to a lack of knowledge about God’s Word many Christians are repeatedly acting out on evil thoughts, or suggestions. Many Christians do not know that evil spirits are the source of their sinful action. They only know that they cannot seem to stop sinning. They can be set free! However, many Christians do not believe an evil spirit can even affect – bind or oppress – them. They prefer to believe that would be putting too much focus on evil spirits so they ignorantly (or unknowingly) live in bondage to them. The fact is many Christians aresinning on a regular basis due to evil bondage. Some Christians try to ignore (or excuse) repeated sin in their life, but God’s grace does not mean a Christian has a license to sin. Titus 2:11-12: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Whether Christians believe evil spirits are inspiring their sin, or not, they still need to stop repeatedly sinningfor this is what God’s grace teaches us. Many Christians need to ask God’s grace for deliverance from their repeated sins – because Christians who are under grace are to live a higher standard!
I have many documents on all different subjects and they include prayers of deliverance for those who need prayer. Visit my website at: http://www.msnusers.com/TruthMinistry/_whatsnew.msnw
Some Christians do not ignore their repeated sins and sincerely want to stop sinning but do not understand why they continue. They do not know that Christians can be bound by evil spirits because many pastors, Christian counselors, and other church leaders are not telling them the truth. So Christians who are bound and afflicted by evil spirits believe they have either backslidden or were never truly saved. This is not true – the fact is just the opposite. It is when Christians (newly saved, or saved for years) start to truly seek after the deep things of God that Satan heightens his attack. The more we try to move closer to God the more that evil spirits come against us. Emotions we did not realize were there start to surface – internal emotions that we did not totally give to God when we were born again (saved). It is during these attacks that we begin to face buried or repressed issues and feelings. For many Christians during this time they realize that although they are saved something is wrong spiritually. They are still in bondage to wicked thoughts, emotions, and actions. Many Christians repeatedly give in to temptation(s) as a temporary source of relief – all the while Satan is reinforcing his hold on certain areas of their mind, will, and emotions. Whether temptation or trial, we must surrender everything in our life to God so that we can follow Him completely. Many Christians realize something is wrong and that they need freedom, however, most of the time they are being told by other Christians that if they are saved they are already free. They are told that maybe they are not praying or reading the Bible enough, or are perhaps doing something wrong. They are not told about deliverance, only that they were set free at salvation. It is hard for a Christian who knows they are in bondage – not knowing how or why – to understand what is happening to them. Or why it is unusually hard for them to pray and read their Bible. It is because they need deliverance. I do not mean the screaming hit ‘em on the head with the Bible kind of deliverance. I mean prayer, real Bible study about the truth of God’s Word, and discipleship! Many new Christians are being told they were completely set free at salvation but do not understand why they are not free – and for this reason many new converts turn away from God. They are not being toldthat they can receive deliverance, or that they may have certain items in their home contributing to their bondage! They are only being told that they are not bound – but the truth is they are.
Some church leaders neglect to teach that Christians (newly saved or saved a long time) can be in bondage to evil spirits. Several leaders are not teaching deliverance because they do not know about it. Some leaders willfully reject it because they do not know or understand the truth of God’s Word. While many other church leaders are not teaching deliverance for fear that Christians will not take responsibility for their actions and will blame everything they do on evil spirits. Nevertheless, the truth is that many Christians are oppressed, and in bondage, because of evil spirits. They try very hard to follow God but when they go to church, or get around other Christians, they are being told that if they were truly following God evil spirits could not affect, or oppress them. Because they are told this by other Christians, a Christian who is in bondage feels hopeless and believes they were never truly saved; or have backslidden, or that they are just different than other people – that something is wrong with them personally. They are told, by people who are supposed to have Biblical authority, that as Christians they cannot be bound by evil spirits. Many come to church for help but leave without any hope. Church leaders are supposed to help people find freedom and deliverance from oppression caused by evil spirits. Instead many are helping Satan continue to keep Christians bound. Isaiah 9:16: For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. By ignoring or denying that Christians can be bound and oppressed leaders are reinforcing Satan’s attack against God’s people. Jesus Christ never denied freedom to anyone who sought it, and as leaders and Christians, we are to follow His example.
Christians are in bondage to evil spirits; yet, the religious world continues to deny it – living a comfortable ‘religious’ life surrounded by an environment they do not realize is spiritually unclean. It is only when we are willing to get rid of everything that has been spiritually negative and holding us back that our eyes can be opened to Satan’s attacks. A ‘clean environment’ will help our ‘Spiritual focus’ and give us the ability to recognize Satan’s devices, increasing our discernment. Having a clean environment will not put an end to all attack from Satan’s evil spirits, but it will eliminate many unnecessary battles. Many Christians are fighting unnecessary battles because the spiritually unclean decoration they have in their home is un-Godly and pagan. There is detailed information on this unclean décor in my book called “Truth or Tradition”. Ask for a copy.
As Christians, we do not realize that spiritually unclean doorways in our homes allow Satan to attack and keep us bound. Satan just waits for us to try to walk close to God then intensifies his attack. Because of our lack of scriptural knowledge about the unclean items in our home we allowand also encourage the attacks. Hosea 4:6: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. We do not realize that we are disobeying God Word (which is His law) by having unclean abominations in our house. Deuteronomy 7:26: Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shall utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
When we do not obey God’s Word then God’s hands are virtually tied; God will stand back when we have given Satan the right to attack us. God stands back not because He wants to but because there is a scriptural order that He expects us to follow. Just as parents expect their children to obey their rules – for their child’s own safety!
When people are merely comfortable religious lukewarmChristians not pursuing after God – Satan does not care to bother them much, because he knows that he already has them. The following scripture is God’s warning to lukewarm Christians. Revelation 3:15-16: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. This scripture shows us that God will not keep us if we are just comfortable lukewarm Christians.
Christians are comfortably living under the same roof with evil spirits – due to a spiritually unclean environment – and are not aware of it. They are not aware that they are surrounded by evil negative influence. Not to think that being a Christian means you will never sin, however, the reason many Christians repeatedlyact out sinful thoughts is because they are not taught that these thoughts are inspired by evil seducing unclean spirits. Christians are deceived when they think that evil spirits cannot affect them. Because of thoughts and suggestions, inspired by evil seducing spirits, many Christians are in bondage to sin. The leadership in many of our churchesis afraid to admit that evil spirits are the source of this bondage. As Christians we need to know that evil spirits are behind the temptations we have been falling for. Christians need to know the truth of God’s Word and how to apply it – commanding these evil spirits to leave in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. John 8:31-32: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. When we call upon the Lord He will help us. Knowing and applying the truth of God’s Word is what will protect us against attack from evil spirits – but just ignoring the attacks will not make them go away. Psalm 145:18: The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. John 17:17: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. God gave us His Word, the Bible, and we need to start applying it to our lives. Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. James 4:7-8: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
God loves us and His desire is for us to bear His fruits, the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. It is God’s desire that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance. II Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God does not want us to walk in the ‘works of the flesh’, which will keep us from inheriting the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Mark 7:21-23: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
It is time for Christians to stop debating whether we can be in bondage to evil spirits and simply learn the truth about God’s Word. Because we have not been following His commandments many of God’s people are in bondage! Our salvation and Spiritual freedom means more than arguing over a choice of words. We need to get Satan’s seducing lures and doorways out of our lives, our homes, and our churches. There is hope, we can be free!
If you do not believe God’s people are in bondage, and oppression then:
· Why are there just as many Christians on anti-depressants, and other drugs, as the people who are lost?
· Why are so many Christians feeling depressed, and hopeless, and afraid that something is wrong with them?
· Why are so many Christians caught up in the things of the world, when God says to come apart from the world?
· Why are so many Christians bound by alcohol?
· Why are so many Christians caught up in pornography?
· Why are so many Christians committing adultery?
· Why are so many Christians, and especially our youth, committing fornication?
· Why are so many Christians lying?
· Why are so many Christians stealing?
· Why are so many Christians committing suicide?
· Why are so many Christians watching movies with Satanic content, and every form of lust imaginable?
· Why are so many Christians sinning and thinking they are hiding it?
· Why are so many Christians going to church and not feeling convicted for their sins?
· Why have people in the Church lost the power to overcome sin?
If Satan cannot oppress a Christian then why are so many continually participating in the same sins as the world – and are not even convicted? We have just as much sin in the church as is in the world. We, as Christians, have been under the influence of evil spirits. We have been enticed by evil spirits to cross over the protective bloodline of Jesus Christ!
God warns us in scripture to abstain from Satan’s lusts, but instead we are allowing ourselves to be enticed by his temptations. I Peter 2:11: Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. The Hebrew word for ‘soul’ in the Old Testament is “nephesh, neh’-fesh; …sense… appetite… breath… desire… greedy… heart… life… lust… mind… pleasure… will”. The Greek word for ‘soul’ in the New Testament is “psuche, psoo-khay’; …breath… heart… mind”. The Greek terms “exactly correspond respectively” to the Hebrew. Why would God warn His people about Satan if Satan could not influence them? I Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
When Christians have possession of, or participate in, evil things they are operating outside of the realm of God’s protection. They are opening their flesh and their soul (mind, will, and emotions)to an evil spiritual realm.
Although we are supposed to be feeding our minds spiritually, unfortunately, we have been feeding our minds by filling them with the wrong spiritual things. We have been feeding our minds and our hearts with spiritually evil things, ignorantly or unknowingly. We will become spiritual slaves, bad or good, to whatever we put in our minds and our hearts. With which one are you feeding your soul and spirit? Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalm and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
I would like to share several scriptures with you about the importance God places on striving to maintain a clean ‘heart, mind, soul, and spirit’. Psalm 51:10: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Joshua 22:5: But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29: But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 6:5: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 10:12: And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 11:13: And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. II Chronicles 15:12: And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. Jeremiah 24:7: And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. Jeremiah 32:39: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them. Isaiah 51:7: Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. Ezekiel 11:19: And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 18:31: Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 36:26: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Matthew 22:37-38: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. Mark 12:30, 33: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Luke 10:27: And he answering said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Ephesians 3:16-17: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. I John 4:13: Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Psalm 139:23-24: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. The Hebrew word for ‘soul’ in the Old Testament is “nephesh, neh’-fesh; …sense… appetite… breath… desire… greedy… heart… life… lust… mind… pleasure… will”. The Greek word for ‘soul’ in the New Testament is “psuche, psoo-khay’; …breath… heart… mind”. The Greek terms “exactly correspond respectively” to the Hebrew. When referring to spirit the Hebrew word for ‘spirit’ in the Old Testament is “ruwach, roo’-akh; …by resemblance breath… exhalation… life… by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being… air… blast… mind… wind”. The Greek word for ‘spirit’ in the New Testament is “pneuma, pnyoo’-mah; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze… a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul… life… mind”. Notice our heart (which is our emotion) is listed above in both the Hebrew and Greek translation under soul; not spirit. Our emotions play an important part in our life and Satan knows if he can entice us, as Christians, through our emotions (soul) he can take our mind off of God! When our mind is off of God, and His Word, then we will follow the way of our flesh.
As Christians, God’s Spirit dwells in our spirit so why do we keep allowing Satan’s filthy spirits into our eyes, and our mind? Luke 11:34-35: The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. DO WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL ALLOW HIS HOLY SPIRIT (WHICH DWELLS IN US) TO SIT AND WATCH SATAN’S GARBAGE WITH US? Romans 6:12-13: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. I Corinthians 6:19-20: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. Romans 12:1: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. The question we must ask ourselves, as Christians, is not whether evil spirits are able to dwell in the same place the Holy Spirit resides, but will God’s Holy Spirit continue to stay if we keep encouraging Satan’s evil spirits to take up residence? Christians must live every moment with the knowledge that God will judge everything we do – whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
The Old Testament temple had an area called the “Most Holy Place” where God’s Spirit dwelt, the same way He dwells in our spirit. John 3:6: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of Spirit is spirit. There were two other areas of the temple one had to pass through first in order to get to the Most Holy Place. These areas were called the Holy Place and the Court. For temple description see I Kings Chapter 6-9; II Chronicles Chapter 3-7; Ezekiel Chapter 40-44. God refers to His people as His temple in I Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19, II Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:22. As Christians, though evil spirits cannot enter into our spirit (our Most Holy Place) we have allowedthem passage to our flesh (our court) and our soul (our Holy Place). If we – by our own will – do not stop allowing Satan entrance to our mind, emotions, and flesh (our Holy Place and our Court) then God’s Spirit will no longer dwell in our spirit and we will lose our salvation. The Hebrew word for ‘soul’ in the Old Testament is “nephesh, neh’-fesh; …sense… appetite… breath… desire… greedy… heart… life… lust… mind… pleasure… will”. The Greek word for ‘soul’ in the New Testament is “psuche, psoo-khay’; …breath… heart… mind”. The Greek terms “exactly correspond respectively” to the Hebrew. We must give God our whole temple. I Thessalonians 5:23: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 51:6: Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. I Corinthians 6:19-20: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Satan can, and does, try to affect the mind, will, and emotions of a Christian through our soul and flesh. As Christians, we must not be deceived into thinking because we are ‘saved’ that we are spiritually above all attack from evil spirits. When we receive ‘salvation’ through Jesus Christ it is just the beginning of our walk with God. Acts 2:21: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 4:12: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, wherby we must be saved. After we are ‘saved’ it does not stop there, a Christian must learn to walk the narrow way (narrow path) towards God by learning His Word. Matthew 7:14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. We enter the straight gate when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, but to walk the narrow path we must learn God’s Word the Bible. When we receive ‘salvation’ this does not mean we automatically receive (or understand) the mind of God. After we are ‘saved’ we must continually strive to put our mind on the things of God – this is done by reading our Bible, and praying. Reading the Bible will help us understand what God’s purpose is. We must know God’s Word in order to understand what God’s plan is for our life. Joshua 1:8: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success. Psalm 1:2: But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. We must read God’s Word daily to wash the memory of a lifetime of past sins out of our mind. Ephesians 5:26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. It is the memory of past sins that Satan uses to entice us into repeating these same sins. Without reading and praying daily, it will only be a matter of time before Satan pulls us away from God and His plan for our life. Deuteronomy 17:19-20: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Satan makes every effort, trying everything in his power, to get a Christian’s mind and understanding off God. If we do not read and pray, eventually Satan will be successful with his attack against our mind. If we are having trouble understanding, or difficulty reading the Bible we should not stop trying. We must make the effort. We should pray for God’s help by asking Him to show us how to pray and stop any evil spirits that may be blocking us from reading and comprehending God’s Word. Removing spiritually unclean items from our homes will close evil doorways and will make it easier for us to concentrate on our Bible. Though Satan does not have our spirit after we are saved, he will still attack our soul by trying to get us to remember the things we did before we were saved – and watching sinful things will encourage our remembrance. I Peter 2:11: Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Satan will continually try to draw a Christian’s flesh back into sin – by tempting our mind, our will, and our emotions (our soul). If Satan is successful in his efforts, or in getting us to not read our Bible and pray, we will be led into repeating our same sins; which may eventually cause the Holy Spirit to leave our spirit. In other words, we could lose our salvation.
Satan will continue trying to get a Christian away from the Lord until we take our last breath on this earth. The Bible says that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Bible also says in Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave, nor forsake thee”. However, if you will notice these scriptures do not mention a person’s own will. After salvation we can make the choice to be separated from God by continually sinning against him, by our own will – which is part of our soul. The Hebrew word for ‘soul’ in the Old Testament is “nephesh, neh’-fesh; …sense… appetite… breath… desire… greedy… heart… life… lust… mind… pleasure… will”. The Greek word for ‘soul’ in the New Testament is “psuche, psoo-khay’; …breath… heart… mind”. The Greek terms “exactly correspond respectively” to the Hebrew.
Satan is an evil driving force behind our sinful decisions. This is why, as Christians, we need to commit everything in our life to God’s care, including our own will. The following scripture shows us that God will keep us. Jude verse 24: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. We must give the Lord all our love – giving Him our mind, our understanding, our heart, our emotions, our actions, our desires, and even our family. Mark 12:33: And to love him will all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. How much do we really want to give to God – including time reading and praying – and, are we willing to give Him every part of our life?
The only way the devil can claim a Christian’s spirit is by tempting them to break their commitment to God. We must pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, asking God to allow His Holy Spirit to safely direct us according to His will – teaching us to live and walk in the Spirit daily crucifying the flesh. Galatians 5:24-25: And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. In the Bible when the word ‘spirit’ begins with a capital ‘S’, it means the Holy Spirit. A Christian can crucify their flesh by reading the Bible, praying, and when God leads, fasting. We can renew our mind daily through God’s Word and prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us. Romans 12:2: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
When the Bible says; “walking in the Spirit”, it means to be directed by God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, not just any spirit. We must confirm everything through God’s Word, the Bible, and by prayer – testing every spirit. I John 4:1: BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Note: People in Satanism and New-Age, another false belief, see into the spirit realm continually; but it is an evil spirit world.
At times God does move on a Christian supernaturally through signs, wonders, and miracles – allowing HIS Spirit (the Holy Spirit) to work through them. Sometimes God will simply move on a Christian going through difficulties by letting them know He is there, and that everything is going to be all right. It is impossible, however, for Christians to walk in the supernatural spiritual world continually because people cannot control the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit moves on a Christian supernaturally as our comforter and teacher and also through signs, wonders, and miracles, but only as God wills! Hebrews 2:4: God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. Mark 16:17-18: And these signs shall follow them that believe, in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. John 14:16-18: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. As Christians, we are under God’s direction, never the other way. This is the difference between God’s Spiritual world and Satan’s – some Christians do not even know the difference. It is a shame, but some Christians will follow anything or any person as long as it appears supernatural (and especially if it uses the label ‘Christian’)never testing it with God’s Word the Bible!
