The Wrestling of the Spirits (2/12/2023)
Oppression, possession, vexed
Hebrews 4:12
Ephesians 6:11-12
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Christian’s can’t be possessed but they can be oppressed!”
Oppressed— to exercise harsh control over one, to use one's power against one
Possessed— δαιμονίζομαι daimonizomai; middle voice from 1142; to be exercised by a dÏmon: — have a (be vexed with, be possessed with) devil(-s).
AV (13) - possessed with devils 4, possessed with the devil 3, of the devils 2, vexed with a devil 1, possessed with a devil 1, have a devil 1;
Vexed— δαιμονίζομαι daimonizomai; middle voice from 1142; to be exercised by a dÏmon: — have a (be vexed with, be possessed with) devil(-s).
AV (13) - possessed with devils 4, possessed with the devil 3, of the devils 2, vexed with a devil 1, possessed with a devil 1, have a devil 1;
What does that mean? What is possession? What is oppression? Can oppression turn into possession. What does possession look like? What does oppression look like?
Do you remember when you first got saved, how you felt, the cleansing, the burden lifted, do you remember a time not much later where weights started piling up again? What about after the revelation of the finished work of Christ, was there a period unburdened and then slowly weighted down again? What is that? What is the answer to that, will repentance and proper faith fix it? Yes, I believe it will, but what is true repentance?
What makes cross preaching people, cross believing people [victory is in Jesus] who love Jesus and believe the word of God act a certain way? When I mean a certain way, I mean living their lives where they produce lusts of the flesh instead of fruit of the Spirit? For those of us that have been changed by the truth of God’s word, is it possible that after the power of the cross delivered us from the big stuff: drugs, alcohol, pornography, fornication that through the days, weeks and years, we somehow opened up doors (Ephesians 4:27) to other spirits that seem less obvious? Ones like I’ve been talking about— critical, religious, fear, gluttonous, pride, anger, [rebellious—a spirit of rebellion doesn’t seem like a spirit of rebellion if I think I’m right]
Mark 9:26-27 NIV
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
Mark 9:26 KJV
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
Testimony
I don’t believe that it will always be so violent. I believe that there are different levels of oppression, vexation or control, and deliverance can be as violent as “it rent him sore” or as peaceful as “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” and that easily it’s gone. Oddly enough demons in a sense have a human connection before they’re even connected to a human. Where do they come from? They come from the fallen angels commingling with the daughters of men and producing a hybrid race that was part angelic and part human.
So they were spiritual beings because both angels and humans are spiritual beings and when their human aspect died (physical bodies)— [Goliath/Og/Anak/Ishbebenob] their spiritual aspect, the spirit was released. Now, they are demonia [demons], and now as demonia they seek a base of operations [vessel/base of operations]. Think about what I’m saying, they are evil spirits, offspring of fallen angels, that travelled this terrestrial world in some form of earthly/ physical body, and now, being released, they wander in search of a body they can use. They must have permission from the host to utilize the vessel; unfortunately, us as mortal, inferior in intellect creatures are mostly unaware, their devising of methods is so wicked that only the Holy Spirit can help us to even begin to recognize their plans and activities.
They want/ they need a human vessel to work. They have work to do. They have work at every level of society. It is their meat to do their father’s will. Did you just hear what I said? Did that shudder your bones? Because if it didn’t and you’ve been saved for a year or more, shame on you for not reading it yet, shame on me for not teaching it yet, or shame on you again for not coming to church or not watching the video. I don’t know who, but shame on somebody, because we better wake up church, there are souls that need saving, and we are God’s vessels and He works in purity and light, while they work in wickedness and darkness and God is looking for some men and women to partner with Him and engage a spiritual world and win some souls, make some disciples, and reproduce after our own kind— Christian!
Matthew 12:43-44 43 -- When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Now, I want you to think of this: these spirits were revered when they were physical beings, they were worshipped as gods, and they still want to be worshiped. Revelry Bacchus, mosquito sprayer releasing demons. But what about when they attach to the individual, spirits of lust that want attention, spirits of addiction that want attention. They will leave you alone for a little while, some are stronger than others and don’t hide as much they pop their heads up every few hours and demand to be worshipped, the human being that is being controlled by it call it a fix, the demon says, “I’m your god, it’s time to worship me.”
Not just that they want to be worshipped but now that we’re saved, Satan wants to prevent us from being effective for kingdom, so he wants to oppress.
The scripture says that the angels of God peer through heaven’s portals to look into this thing called salvation. It’s as though they are intrigued with God’s interaction with man. Angels are not us, not terrestrial (earthly). They can’t fully understand humanity because they are not of this world. This world was created for Adam, he was to co-regent with God— whatever that all means/ entails, Adam was not supposed to do what he did, and when he did, it caused a shift and gave power to fallen angels to usurp Adam’s authority and that is why
First and last Adam
1 Corinthians 15:42-58
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The fallen angels deceived God’s earthly creation into disobeying God and obeying them, which resulted in God’s creation having a sinful nature. Then they took it a step further and somehow commingled with the daughters of men. It seems so weird that we don’t want to talk about it [not here to build a popular you tube channel/ I’m here to tell the truth]
but the Bible talks about it. and this is the book that I want to live my life by, and if God put it in here for my benefit. Besides, I don’t have that luxury. People may want to push me away, but He told me to present His word for the way that it is written…
God wants to help me to thrive in the world that I’m living in, so He gave me His word and sent me His Spirit!
In His word He teaches me that there are evil spirits that want to destroy me. In His word, He teaches me that Jesus defeated them and that when I’m in Christ, Jesus’s victory over evil flows through me on earth. We have authority over evil in Christ— aren’t you excited about that! Amen, be more excited that your names are written in the book of life. Obviously, God does not want evil spirits attached to His people, because then, His people will be moonlighting for them, when they’re supposed to be working for Him.
But in order for it to go, a couple things must happen: 1) I have to know something is there and believe it’s a problem— wiles 2) I have to want it to go 3) I have to believe that Jesus has power to set me free 4) there must be repentance and what does that look like?
Repentance and confession are closely aligned:
Confession— ὁμολογέω homologeō/ homo :: logeō say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent
Repentance— a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose [mindset] he has formed or of something he has done
So the idea is that I come to the realization that I was wrong. If I’m an unbeliever, no matter how long I’ve been in rebellion towards God’s plan for me to accept the sacrifice of Jesus for my sin, the moment that my mind agrees with His word, and I line up and agree with Him, turn from myself and turn to His truth, it happens— I become a new creation in Christ.
It doesn’t matter how smart you are, how many degrees that you have, how right you think you are, if you are resistant in your mind and heart towards God and His word, you are in rebellion towards God! I didn’t say if you are in rebellion towards my teaching or position— that won’t cause you trouble, it’s if you or I are in rebellion in any way against His word, it will cause us trouble some way. The problem is in effect when a person is believing wrong towards God’s word.
I do not want to be told by God that I harmed His people by teaching something wrong and not properly preparing them spiritually for whatever He asked me to teach and prepare them for…
You do understand that if I, as a teacher of the word, could be wrong in an interpretation, other preachers can also be wrong in various areas? I mean there aren’t really infallible men are there? Is that why the word says “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling?” Is that why the word says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”?
Okay, so now let’s take this new thought and ponder it. Now, I’m a believer. I’m introduced with a new biblical thought, and it’s different than what I’ve been taught before. It’s different than what other preachers say, so I don’t like it, but I don’t study it out for myself. Let’s just pretend for a second that some minister that I like is wrong about something, but I like him, and I trust him. Sometimes people put a minister in an elevated position where that person’s interpretation becomes the standard. But God’s word is the standard and the Holy Spirit is the interpreter. This is very sobering that preachers can get things wrong and it may result in a whole congregation being wrong. Nobody did this on purpose, or at least I hope not, but it still results in the same bondage instead of freedom. I used to quote that very line to point out that everyone else was wrong, and now, I’m sobered with the reverence, Lord please protect me that I not cause your children to stumble. At this point, am I much different than the person who refuses to believe that Jesus died for their sin and that they need to bow their knee to Him, but in rebellion they say no? Well, yeah, it is different because I’m saved and their not, but let’s continue with the believer…
So I’ve been presented with Biblical information that is contrary to my previous Biblical view points, but the new view point is actually true, and my previous understanding requires correction, but I refuse to allow myself to be aligned under the authority of God, and instead, I demand to remain in my current position and belief. If I am doing that, and I’m not saying right now that anyone is, I’m saying that we all need to hear this message and deal with it, but if I am doing that, then I am in rebellion towards God and His word [period]!
Now, is a transition point, if I am in rebellion against God and His word, is it rebellion in me from the fall and an aspect of my sinful nature that I received in my physical birth in Adam, and if so where did Adam receive that spirit of rebellion from? Where did that spirit of pride that resulted in rebellion in Adam’s life come from? I think we know the answer to that.
Galatians 2:1-14– Paul was right here and corrected Peter, but does that mean that Paul could not be wrong?
1 Corinthians 4:1-4
