The Ultimate Note Part II - Reflections

The first time I read "The Ultimate Note" I left it with a, "Oh, wasn't that nice" feeling। It didn't have any impact on my thinking or my walk with God. When I read it yesterday, something clicked and I felt the Lord speaking to me.

We can feel when notes create dissonance। My problem, as a bassist, is that I can always tell when notes are not matched, but I never know which way to turn the knobs to make it right. I can't tell whether the mismatched note is too high or too low. That's how I feel now, in the spiritual. I feel restless because my life is not in tune with the Holy Spirit. I should not be disocuraged, but encouraged that I can at least tell I'm not in tune. I may not have "perfect pitch" but at least I have a musical ear.

So many believers are not living in tune with the Holy Spirit। It's like they've heard awful, out of tune, music so much that it sounds good to them. They don't know there's something better, more beautiful.

"The spirit of God testifies to our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then also heirs।" Romans 8:16-१७

This is the perfect note। Being in tune with the fact that we have been adopted as children of God. We are his sons and daughters. We have the right to live as his heirs. We don't have to live in dissonance. We can allow our lives to be tuned perfectly to what the Father has for us. But first, he must open our ears. The badly out of tune guitar will never be tuned if the guitarist doesn't realize how bad it sounds and that there is something much much better. There is SO much more than this.

We must always desire to hit the perfect note। We should not settle for anything less. Just because your badly tuned guitar may not be as bad as those around you doesn't mean that you shouldn't bother to get yours in tune to produce more beautiful music. The best music the guitar was made to produce. An out of tune guitar will never produce music the way it was meant to. Guitars were not made to be played out of tune. We were made to be satisfied with falling short of all that God has for us. Instead, we were created with an inner longing for the fullness of God's kingdom to come.

Prayer: Purify your Bride Jesus! Stir us up out of complacency and lukewarmness so perhaps you will not spit us out of your mouth. May we desire to be one with you. May we cray COME! Maranatha! Come quickly our Lover, our Bridegroom God!

The Ultimate Note

I read a short meditation called "The Ultimate Note" by John G. Lake and was inspired to pray into it. John G. Lake was a man born in 1870 who was blessed with the gift of healing and served as an apostle to Africa. He planted over 100 churches in South Africa and was able to pray for over 100,000 documented miracles and healings while he was there. After his time in Africa, he returned to Spokane, Washington and continued growing in the ministry of healing and deliverance.

Here are his thoughts on "The Ultimate Note" from The Original John G. Lake Devotional. Charisma House. 1997.

Praise ye the Lord, Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Psalm 149:1

Musicians talk of an ultimate note. That is a note you will not find on any keyboards. It is a peculiar note. A man sits down to tune a piano or any fine instrument. He has no guide to the proper key, and yet he has a guide. That guide is the note that he has in his soul. And the nearer he can bring his instrument into harmony with that note in his soul, the nearer perfection he has attained.

There is an ultimate note in the heart of the Christian. It is the note of conscious victory through Jesus Christ. The nearer our life is tuned to that note of conscious victory, the greater the victory that will be evidenced in our life.

Beloved, in the Christian life, in the heart of God, there is an ultimate note. It is that note which is so fine and sweet and true and pure and good that it causes all our nature to respond to it, and rejoices the soul with a joy unspeakable.

All down through the ages some have touched God and heard that ultimate note. I believe that as David sat on the mountainside as a boy, caring for his father's sheep, God by the Spirit taught him the powerand blessing of that ultimate note. I believe that at times that his soul ascended unto God so that many of the Psalms of David are the real soul note of that blessed expression of heavenly music and heaven consciousness which came into the soul of the shepherd boy.

Lord, make of my life a high note, a new song of praise and rejoicing in You. Amen.

Awaken the Watchmen

Here are some promo videos from GDOP 2007 USA. The Awaken the Watchmen video is excellent and a great tool to share with people about the history of the 24-7 prayer movement.

Be inspired and spurred on by the testimony of the power of prayer:

Awaken the Watchmen & Other GDOP videos

Global day of Prayer May 27

As believers gathered in prayer in the upper room for ten days after Jesus' ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the organizers of the global day of prayer are encouraging churches and believers all over the earth to gather in 10 days of night and day prayer leading up to Pentecost and the Global Day of Prayer 2007.

12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk[b] from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14)

1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

All over the earth night and day prayer watches are being established, from majestic cathedrals in France to tin houses in the slums of South Africa, people are gathering in continual prayer.

Isaiah 62:1, 6-7
1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest,
7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.

Will you and your church join in this worldwide movement to seek God in repentance, intercession and praise? God is setting watchmen on the walls in all nations of the earth. He is calling his people to see Him in radical obedience. Will you call your brothers and sisters to gather in a solemn assembly and cry out to Lord to heal your Lord? Will you ask God to show you His heart for the world and be willing to be broken as He reveals it to you? Will you keep watch?

35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:35-36

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. (2 Chron 7:14-15)

14 Declare a holy fast;

call a sacred assembly.

Summon the elders

and all who live in the land

to the house of the LORD your God,

and cry out to the LORD.

(Joel 1:14)

Global Day of Prayer

http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/

Mobilize ten days of Prayer -May 17-26

http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/10days.php

Demons in the New Testament Part I

Here's the first part of a study through the NT about demons and evil spirits. The more I study, the more I realize that casting out demons was meant to be an integral part of ministering to the lost and sharing the message of the gospel. When people are set free, they give glory to God. This is what I've learned so far by going through Matthew & Mark.

A. Demons can oppress people

23And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. (Matthew 4:23-25)

15He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases." (Matthew 8:15-17)

22And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." (Matthew 15:22)

25But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. (Mark 7:25-26)

32That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. (Mark 1:32)

B. Demons can be cast out in the name of the Lord

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' (Matthew 7:21-23)

C. Demonized people can display violent behavior/cause harm to themselves

28And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,[e] two demon-possessed[f] men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" 30Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs." 32And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. (Matthew 8:28-24)

1They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.[a] 2And when Jesus[b] had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. 6And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." 8For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" 9And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." 10And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them." 13So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea. (Mark 5:1-12)

D. Demons can be the cause of physical problems

32As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." (Matthew 9:32-33)

22Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. (Matthew 12:22)

14And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." 17And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." 18And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.[b] 19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:14-20)

E. Jesus commands his disciples to cast out demons as part of their ministry

7And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,[a] cast out demons. (Matthew 10:7-8)

14And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15and have authority to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)

F. Demons know who Jesus is and His authority

34And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. (Mark 1:31)

G. People who were not part of the 12 apostles can cast out demons

38John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,[f] and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 39But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40For the one who is not against us is for us. 41For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. (Mark 9:38-41)

16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:16-18)

H. More than one demon can be with one person

9[a] [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons (Mark 16:9)

Demonic Strategy - Jack Deere

I listened to another session from the Morning Star Conference by Jack Deere on Demonic Strategy.

Here is Jack Deere's website if you're interested in more material from him
http://jackdeere.com/

Here are my notes from the session and all the Bible references:

Why is it important to know about demonic inroads? Because people have areas of agreement with evil that allow spirits to hold influence in their lives. Demons must have a legal or spiritual right to be there.

The following are inroads for demons to gain influence in our lives.

1. LUST, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, PERVERSION

A. Man living in sexual immorality "handed over to Satan"

1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5hand this man over to Satan, so that the flesh may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)

B. There is sin that leads to death

16If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God[a] will give him life--to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. (1 John 5:16)


C. Adultery can lead to death
1My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3For the lips of a forbidden[a] woman drip honey, and her speech[b] is smoother than oil, 4but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to[c] Sheol; 6she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. (Proverbs 5:1-5)

D. Comments from Deere on Sexual Immorality
- Sexual immorality weakens the church
- It causes shame which cripples us
- The annunal revenue of the pornography industry is more than professional , basketball, and football combined.
- 1 out of 4 Americans look at porn every week
- 50% of ministers in a survey admitted to struggling with porn
- Goal of porn is to lead us to be disatisfied with our spouse or future spouse
- Porn leads us into experimentation
- Think of Revelation where the Harlot makes the earth drink the maddening wine of her adulteries
- Porn is as addictive as cocaine
- It works to change the chemistry of your brain
- As long as we believe we can control any addiction it has power over us and we won't be free

2. ANGER, HATRED, VIOLENCE

A. Disciples rebuked for anger against the Samaritans

54And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"[a] 55But he turned and rebuked them.[b] 56And they went on to another village. (Luke 9:54-56)

B. Anger gives the devil a foothold

26Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

3. ENVY, JEALOUSY, SELFISH AMBITION

A. Jealousy is more severe than anger

4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy? (Proverbs 27:4 NIV)

Anger = an evil anointing to cause pain
Fury = carried away by anger
Jealousy = the feeling of "they don't deserve it," the hope that other people lose their blessings

Jealousy is sneaky. People are not prone to admit jealousy. Jealousy is a higher form of anger. Jealousy is the opposite of grace.

B. Envy and selfish ambition are of the devil

13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:13-18 NIV)

C. Saul's jealousy leads to an evil spirit coming on him

6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. 7 As they danced, they sang:
"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."

8 Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" 9 And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

10 The next day an evil [b] spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.
(1 Samuel 18:6-11)

Notice it says, "an evil spirit from God." God is sovereign. He is above all rule and authority. God uses Satan to accomplish his purposes. He tests us, strengthens us, and causes us to rely on him.

D. God sends Paul a messenger of Satan

7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:1-10)

4. OCCULT PRACTICE

5. IDOLATRY

A. Sacrifices to idols are sacrifices to demons

20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. (1 Corinthians 10:20)

B. Greed is a form of idolatry

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. (Colossians 3:5-6)

Materialism is a form of idolatry. If you think, "I'll be happy when I get a new car." "I'll be happy when I get married." "I'll be happy when we move into our new house." "I'll be happy when ___________"

Whatever is in that blank for you is most likely an idol. We are stuck in a trap of deferred joy in our material culture.

Time magazine did a study on happiness and found that the level of income and the level of education do not have any effect on happiness. The #1 factor was personal relationships.

6. BLASPHEMY

7. DRUGS
*There is no scriptural support for this claim but a lot of support from experience

8. INVOLUNTARY WAY

A. There are different kinds of spirits

14And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16And he asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" 17And someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." 19And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." 20And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." 23And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes." 24Immediately the father of the child cried out[d] and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer." (Mark 9:14-29 ESV)

Other translations say "This kind cannot be driven out by anything by prayer and fasting."

Jesus refers to "this kind" meaning that there are different kinds of spirits.

The kind of spirit which is attached to a young child, since before the age of accountability, seems to be the kind that is involuntary on behalf of the child. Many people suffer from traumas at a very young age (rape, sexual abuse, etc.). In these cases a demon can become attached to a young child. The longer it stays the more it will become part of that person's personality and character. The evil spirit will try to pull the person into whatever evil was done to them. If they were sexually abused the spirit will pull them into abusive relationships or sexual immorality. Many young girls who are raped end up as prostitutes.

B. There are different ranks of spirits

43"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation." (Matthew 12:43-45)

______________________________________

How do you break the power of addictions?

3But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not associate with them; 8for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:3-14)

Let there be no obscenities
coarse words
pornographic addiction
phone sex
prostitution
adultery/ illegal heart attachment
chemical dependence
hatred/jealousy

If you struggle with any of the things mentioned in this session, make a confession to God.
Share it with at least one other person that you can trust.

________________________________________________________________

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1)

How do we gain ground in our cities?

Today I read the following article by John Dawson about "Taking Our Cities for God." I was hit by the realization that God has a purpose for our cities and that we must focus on the potential and the good qualities of our cities as we engage in spiritual warfare. We must not only pray against the sins and the principalities which are in control over our cities, but we must see our cities for what the Lord would have them be. Dawson offers a prayer based model of how we can be more effective intercessors for the city, town, or area that we live in. He talks about not only how to take ground, but to keep ground.

http://www.lastdaysministries.org/articles/takingourcitiesforgod.html

I was prompted to search for essays concerning spiritual warfare after listening to Rick Joyner's message, "Discerning Principalities and Powers" from the most recent Spirtual Warfare & Deliverance Conference at Morning Star. I learned a lot from that talk as well and I'll be posting the notes later this week.

May we be willing to stand in the gap for our cities, and may the Lord open our eyes as he shows us how to do so.

Demystifying Demonology - Doris Wagner

I just read an excerpt from Doris Wagner's book on the Global Harvest website.

It's about basics in deliverance and spiritual warfare and was quite insightful. If you're interested to read it click here
http://www.globalharvest.org/index.asp?action=demonology

Doris Wagner will be speaking on "Basics in Deliverance" in Rochester, NY May 18-19

Click here to register
http://www.wli-rochester.org/

Casting Out Demons

I’ve been listening to the Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Conference from Morning Star Ministries and found the session on “Casting Out Demons” by Jack Deere to be particularly useful. I’ve typed up some basic notes from the session in order to share what I’m learning about spiritual warfare. At the end are some of my reflections.

CASTING OUT DEMONS
Morning Star Conference – Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare April 2006
Jack Deere

First of all, there are three things we must know about Satan before we can move forward.

1) Never fear Satan or the demons
-One of Satan’s #1 tools is fear
-We should fear only God
-Fear is meant to defile us
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control.”

2) Never allow yourself to be fascinated with the devil
-Blessed are the ones who do not know the deep things of Satan
-We should only be fascinated with God
-Being fascinated with Satan and evil gives glory to Satan, don’t give glory to him but only to God
-It is tempting to read or hear all about the most vile things during under Satan’s power but this creates a fascination with evil and defiles our minds

3) Never mock the devil or demons
Jude 1:8-10 “8In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 9But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them.”
-Even Jesus treated the devil with respect, he did not mock him but used the Word of God to counter Satan’s attacks
-If you mock the devil you’ll lose some protection

Now that we know these three principles we can go on:

I. How do you know someone is under demonic influence?
(We will skip the discussion of whether the demon is in, on or around the person. In all cases the person is under the influence of a demon.)

A) Something supernatural happens
B) Spiritual gift of discernment (more commonly)

How do we get the gift of discernment?
- pray for it
- practice it! Hebrews 5:14 “14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
- Ask God’s opinion about something at least once a day, you’ll grow in discernment

II. What do you do if someone is demonized?
A) Ask the spirit to leave in the name of Jesus
B) If it doesn’t leave, get a team together (minimum of three people)
- Do not do this alone!
- Have one person leading, one person constantly praying, and one person taking notes
- You need the extra discernment and protection
- Evil can capitalize on weakness
- Demonized people should be expected to act in a disciplined and responsible way
- Recognize that you are not their saviors
- The devil will make you think you are their saviors and tire you out
- You can lose your life to someone else’s sickness
C) Don’t do the following:
- stay up all night
- demons love to wear you out!
- After an hour make another appointment
- Restrain anyone physically
- The demon’s trap is to manifest as long as possible in order to tire you out
- Get into discussions with demons
- The devil is a liar!
D) Do an interview with the person
- ask about sexual abuse/trauma/bondage
- alcohol/drug addiction
- promise them confidentiality
E) Ask the person to repent of sin (an area of agreement with evil)
F) Continue in prayer and fasting if the demon(s) are not yet cast out
*Warning – some people are sent to “steal the children’s bread.” Spend the majority of your time with your best people in order to train up leaders. Don’t allow demonized people to monopolize your time, effort, and energy.

III. After an hour of prayer/manifestation
A) Send the person away
B) Debrief your team
C) Come clean – talk about what you felt during the prayer
D) Don’t leave with a secret
E) Pray over each person on the team


Reflections from OneThing274:

I’ve had several encounters with evil or with people under demonic influence and I’ve never really been confident about what to do. I knew that I should use the name of Jesus and that I had authority in Christ, but my attempts at seeing people set free usually involved me laying hands and speaking in tongues. I didn’t even know how to pray! Going through the verses in this session and hearing Jack Deere’s practical advice and experience is really helping me to understand how to interact with demons.

His warnings are good ones as I realized in listening to the session that I have feared demons and could easily be prone to fascination with evil. Something inside of us wants to hear that horrific story of ritual abuse just to prove the evil that lurks in men’s hearts, but God wants our hearts and minds to be undefiled. Unless it’s necessary for someone else’s salvation there should be no need to know about the grotesque activities of evil.

I also realized that every time I encountered a demon possessed person I was tricked into exerting all my energy to the point of exhaustion. Even though the demons may have been there for years, I would always have the idea that the demons MUST be cast out on that very day or night. Demons would manifest for long periods of time where I would be praying loudly (as if demons are scared off by my booming voice) and become exhausted easily. Instead of seeing the manifestation of evil as a rare, supernatural occurrence I should treat it as passé and focus on recognizing my authority as a follower of Jesus. I should not be impressed or intimidated by Satan’s power or the strange things that he does. Instead I should focus on the greatness of God and the fact the HE is above all power, all dominion and all authority. Everything is under His feet! Amen.

The session also helped me to realize that demonized people should be expected to act in a disciplined way. We should not just allow them to do whatever because they “have a demon.” In the name of Jesus we should ask them to behave appropriately. The person needs to realize that he or she is in control and that the demon only has power when the person grants it control of his or her body.

Deere said that a demonized person should never be restrained. I wonder, if a person is about to cause harm to himself or others around him, should that person be restrained? What can we do? I have seen people rolling through flames or thrashing violently. In Mark 9 we see a demon that has tried to kill the boy it is possessing:
20So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From childhood," he answered. 22"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
In cases like this I would think that the parents or whoever was around would try to save the boy when he is thrown into the fire or the water. Can our strength match the strength of a demon? What should we do in cases like this where the person is about to cause harm (or even death) to himself or others?

I’d love to hear what you thought about the notes from Jack Deere’s talk. If you’ve had experiences involving demonic powers and can offer any practical advice OR have questions, please post on the blog!