Our Authority over Satan

Our struggle is not against our personality but against the
oppression of Satan as he tries to manipulate the disease of our mind.
There is a spirit of heaviness that resides in the mind of every one of
us. This disease is called sin. Like the familiar spirits that haunt our
family’s generation after generation, sin follows suit. It is through the
exercise of scriptural discipline that we rid control over our thoughts,
and it is the helmet of salvation that protects our mind.

This protection has afforded us a power through the Holy Spirit of
the unchanging power of God. It is a hope that anchors us to a future
of relief from our present condition. Thus God, determining to show
more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His
counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in
which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set
before us.1

We are subjected to relentless demonic pressure and torment
whereby their aim is to force us to reconcile our beliefs and turn away
from God. We are infected from birth and we are tormented until
death with unruly behavior and a complete lack of discipline and
control. Before we can help ourselves, we must understand that these
beings have established a long-term relationship with us inside our
mind and body. When we are young and relent to inappropriate
behavior, we enable these creatures to attach roots flourishing inside
us as we are out of control. They don’t leave willingly. Most go out
kicking and screaming for dear life.

The first step in our eradication of familiar spirits is to submit to
God. Resist the devil and he
will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double
minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to
mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of
the Lord, and He will lift you up.2 This is no easy matter to overcome.
It is not for the weak-minded or fledgling Christian. Serious daily
devotion and prayer is required, or your second state could possibly
be worse than your first.

And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of
your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of
uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now
present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.3 “If
you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”4 Stand fast
therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not
be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.5

If we are a slave of sin, we are a slave of Satan but through the
power invested in us by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ we can
overcome the power of Satan. “Behold, I give you the authority to
trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not
rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice
because your names are written in heaven.”6 We are more than
conquerors through Christ because all things work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are the called according
to His purpose.7

Christ says that in His name we shall expel demons and in the
name of Jesus we have the authority to expel them from ourselves. I
see you are conjuring up all types of mental impressions as to how we
achieve such a touchy subject. Most pastors never discuss the problem
and turn a blind eye to the subject. Many of us have imagined in the
past that the expulsion would be from someone else but surely not us.
This is the deception of Satan because if he can convince you that you
are all right, he doesn’t have to worry about you causing him any
trouble. Preachers today gloss over touchy subjects so not to offend
any of their financial base.

Satan’s primary weapon in life against believers is guilt and his
primary weapon on believers in hell is regret. Yes, there are many
believers in hell; remember, even the demons believe and tremble.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren and accuses us before God night
and day. He deceives the whole world with his battalion of lies that
engulfs us on every side. Look at the news media, movies, television,
and books. It is so unrelenting I can hardly bear it. There seems to be
no escape from the torment of these devices.

There are two main deterrents from being delivered from familiar
spirits. The first is repentance. We must call upon the name of the
Lord in prayer because prayer is an attitude of dependence. We must
seek the face of God and turn from our wicked ways. Repentance now
becomes an important part of the message and is an important part of
our personal relationship with God. Repentance will bring the
restoration of our privileges and blessings of the promises He made to
us in His word. It is the only thing that is preventing the kingdom of
God from entering us. As true Christians we show the evidence of
genuine repentance, we are brought into a right relationship with God,
and we are accepted into the Messiah’s kingdom.

The second deterrent is failure to forgive those who have sinned
against us. This is so important because until we forgive others, God
will not forgive us. Many today walk around believing they are saved
but they are not. Through the resentment we hold for others, God
holds us in contempt. We are still carrying the burden of our sins and
we are weighed by its inflictions, empowering the demons that reside
inside our mind. Now is the time to set aside our differences and
forgive those who have sinned against us and free our mind of the
encumbrance of their sin.

We come out of the slavery to sin so we will be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth
pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first
fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly
waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.8 Jesus became
the curse for us so we might inherit the blessings of Abraham whom
God blessed in all things.

Personal deliverance is a ministry unto us whereby we deal
directly with the representatives of Satan. We diagnose our present
condition and cast out demons in the name of Christ. It is one of the
signs of God. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be
saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And
these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast
out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up
serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”9
Where is your faith now? Where is your confidence in Christ?

Few have this message revealed to them because Satan is the
predominate caretaker of the church. He strikes fear into the words of
pastors all over the earth. They become mute because of the reprisal
of parishioners, or of church authorities, or of the wealthy who run the
churches of the world. All that is required is simple faith in Christ’s
name and His word. Do not depend on a church or a pastor to reveal
to you the signs of God. Take it upon yourself to discover our God
given authority over Satan.

The familiar spirit of fear is in all of us and we must learn to
recognize it as a tool of Satan and an abomination of our mind.
I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my
fears.10 Whenever we feel the spirit of fear coming upon us, we have
great faith that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and
of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in
the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has
saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works,
but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in
Christ Jesus.11

This information is for a mature Christian who is disciplined
enough to see to their studies and not neglect their time with God. For
everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of
righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who
are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil.12

Those of us who attempt to obtain perfection: Not that I have
already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may
lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.13

There we go again letting fear enter our mind and rob us of our
birthright. There are many fears we must overcome to serve Christ.
There is the fear of sharing our testimony, the fear of addressing
others in public, and the fear of standing for Christ in front of others.
All these fears are overcome with experience, and the expulsion of
demons is no different, so before you decide this is not for you,
continue reading and I will walk you through the entire subject.

1.) Hebrews 6:17-18
2.) James 4:7-10
3.) Romans 6:18-19
4.) John 8:31-32
5.) Galatians 5:1
6.) Luke 10:18-20
7.) Romans 8:28
8.) Romans 8:21-23
9.) Mark 16:16-18
10.) Psalms 34:4
11.) 2 Timothy 1:7-9
12.) Hebrews 5:13-14
13.) Philippines 3:12-14