Great Bible Study & Teachings

Top spiritual warfare and deliverance questions

Over the years, we keep getting asked the same questions. These are good questions that we need to address! These are a few of the top questions that are asked today about spiritual warfare and deliverance:

Can a Christian have a demon? Yes! Otherwise, it would be pointless to cast out demons, period. If all we had to do was get people saved so that their demons go away, then what is the point in casting them out?

What does it mean to be possessed with a devil? This is confusing, but you must realize that the NT Greek tells us that to be possessed does not refer to ownership, but rather means to have a demon, or to be vexed or tormented by one. You can be completely sane and yet have a spirit of infirmity like the woman in Luke 13.

Who can cast out demons? Anybody who is a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ. In Mark 16:15,17, we are told that those who believe will be casting out demons. All Christians have the authority necessary to drive out demons!

What are the symptoms of having a demon? There are many physical and mental symptoms that we may experience as a result of having a demon. Ongoing bondages to fear, depression, rejection, and so forth are usually good indicators. Many physical infirmities such as cancer or arthritis are also things to look for.

The Monthly Brief
August 2009: Two types of fear of the Lord

We read in the Bible that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We also see people fear-stricken of God to the point that they want to run away and have nothing to do with Him. Then the other day, I was driving down the road listening to a sermon on the fear of the Lord, when the Holy Spirit spoke to me and showed me some things about the fear of the Lord. Did you know that there are two completely different types of fear of the Lord? There's the fear of the Lord that is an awe and respect, love and reverence, which leads us closer to Him, and leaves us in awe over His awesomeness. Such fear of the Lord is the kind that the Lord speaks of when He says that fear of Him is the beginning of wisdom. When this fear sweeps over us, our faith soars, and there is a holy respect for God and His ways. Such a fear causes us to run from and want nothing to do with sin in our lives. This type of fear changes and transforms us into the image and likeness of Christ.

The other kind of fear of God is destructive and evil. It is the type that we see in deliverance sessions where people are paranoid over God being angry with them. It is seen in people who are afraid to get close to God and develop their relationship with Him. Such fear drives us away from God instead of to Him. This is the type of fear that Satan set Adam and Eve for in the garden after they sinned.

To further prove this point, I want to point that scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord leads to a long life, among other good things. It is really clear that those who are paranoid over God, as if He were angry with them, often have serious health problems (both mental and physical) if the problem is not addressed. Many end up in mental hospitals as a direct result of their spiritual bondage. Is that the fruit of the fear that God wants us to have? Not at all!

Of course, we can also turn the the Hebrew language to find that there are indeed more than one type of fear, and they do not mean the same thing. In Psalms 34:4, David talks about the Lord delivering him from all his fears (the bad kind of course), but the Hebrew word there is mgurah which means fright. There is your afraid type of fear. Now if we turn to Psalms 115:13, where it speaks of the fear of the Lord, we find a different meaning. This time the word fear has a root Hebrew word of yare, which means to be morally reverent.

Do you have the fear of the Lord? If so, what kind is it? Does it leave you in awe over the goodness of God, and transform you into His image? Or does it cause you to slack off on spending time with Him, because you're afraid to get too close? Does it cause you to be afraid and scared that God is somehow angry with you? Remember, not all types of fear are the same, and that's why it's so important for us to be discerning about what type of fear that we have for God. Is it good and yields good fruit? Or is it driving us further away from God?

Blessings in Christ,
Robert

Looking for previous monthly briefs? Be sure to check out our archives.

Have you checked out Robert's Blog?

I don't know how many of you visit the blog on a regular bases, but there are some really dynamic truths that the Holy Spirit gives me, and the blog allows me to quickly share little hints of insight that I don't have the time to put in a teaching. Here is a sample article that I just added this morning:

Why are you doing what you're doing?

Did you know that a person who does the right things, may not always do them for the right reasons? Let's take three people, who all do the right things, but are doing them for three distinct reasons:

Person A) does what is right because he fears that at the slightest mistake, God will be angry with him. He does what is right, but out of fear that God is a strict taskmaster, tapping His foot, waiting for a slip up.

Person B) does what is right, because he feels that he's earning his good status with God. He is not relying on the mercy and goodness of God, but rather his own acts of righteousness. This is legalism.

Person C) does what is right because they have came to know God in a genuine relationship with Him. He knows that God truly loves and cares for him, and is merciful towards him in spite of his failures. Therefore he WANTS to do what is right, because he has been conformed to the image and likeness of Christ. He hates the things God hates, and loves the things God loves.

Person C is the only one who's life (and heart) has been transformed by the love and power of Christ. The other two have not been transformed on the inside (their heart), and if you take away the fear and brownie points, where would their heart be? Would it be Christ-like?

Which person are you? I believe that God wants to take us to a place where we WANT to do what's right. That only comes from a genuine relationship with Him! We have to KNOW of His goodness, before we can truly repent in our hearts for our failures. God's Word tells us that it is His goodness (mercy, lovingkindness, forgiveness, love, etc.) that leads a person to true repentance:

Romans 2:4, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

You can read more brief articles of insight and revelation in my spiritual warfare and deliverance blog on the MinisteringDeliverance.com website.

Looking for ON-FIRE anointed sermons?

If you want to be fed with the Word of God through anointed sermons, you will want to check out Pastor James Brandt's audio sermons. Pastor James is a personal friend of mine, and a dynamic pastor that is full of the Holy Spirit! He has signs and wonders following his ministry, and the testimonials to prove it! You can listen to his sermons online or download them in MP3 format. Whether you are looking to establish a solid understanding of the Word of God or diligently seeking to tear down strongholds, these sermons are life-changing.

Often when I am working with somebody who is in spiritual warfare, and needs to desperately tear down strongholds, I send them to Pastor James' sermons because it is just what they need... it renews your mind and changes the way you think when you hear the Word of God being preached with an anointing from the Holy Spirit. I highly recommend James' sermons to anybody without hesitation!

Click the link below for more information:

Anointed streaming sermons!

I cannot recommend these sermons enough!

Spiritual warfare as the Bible presents it

Greetings!

You guessed it! We are in spiritual warfare. The Bible is clear that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness... let just say our struggle is against various demonic powers that are in the world today!

Ephesians 6:12, "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."

The goal of this Web site is to equip you to do spiritual warfare using the principals laid fourth in the Bible. You can fight and win spiritual warfare and come out completely free, but if you go about it without considering what the Bible has to say, you might as well resign right now! Through waging Biblical spiritual warfare, you can overcome and break free from the strongholds in your life and live in freedom!

Believe it or not, many times a person's bondage needs more than just applying the spiritual warfare tactics presented in the Bible, but also the Biblical process of driving out evil spirits. If you are vexed (which means to be harassed, tormented or troubled), oppressed, or controlled by them, then you likely need more than just spiritual warfare to break free... you may need to have the intruders driven out in Jesus' name!

The purpose of spiritual warfare and deliverance is not to fight the devil, but to learn what we have in Christ, and use the weapons Jesus gave us to experience victory in every area of our lives. The purpose of confronting the devil is so we can remove the obstacles in our lives that are hindering us from experiencing the best that God has for us! If you want to live in spiritual freedom, peace, joy and love without constantly facing blockages and walls ahead of you, then you need to learn what the Bible has to say about spiritual warfare, and begin to apply those principals in your life today!

Praise God for spiritual warfare and deliverance!

May the Lord bless and keep you! †

Robert L.

"Presenting spiritual warfare the way that
spiritual warfare is presented in the Bible"