Five twelve-minute teachings (60 minutes total) on the dangers of the occult and related subjects:
Here are the Facebook videos:
Teaching #1 – The Dangers of the Occult - 10/11/2022
Teaching #2 – Christians Should Abstain fromHalloween - 10/12/2022
Teaching #3 – Divination, Witchcraft and NatureWorship - 10/13/2022
TODAY's Teaching #4 – Demonic Influences on Sinners and Saints - 10/14/2022
Teaching #5 – Spiritual Warfare in the 21st Century - 10/15/2022
Teaching #4 – Demonic Influences on Sinners and Saints
Demons in our ultra-modern, technologically sophisticated world? Isn’t such a belief rather medieval?
Well instead of thinking of a bunch of pesky red suited gremlins with pitchforks and pointed tails, how about some non-corporeal hyper intelligent entities composed of pure mind?
There are those that believe fallen angels and demons or unclean spirits are synonyms, just different names to describe the same sort of beings.
Others believe that demons and fallen angels are related, but different. I tend to agree with the latter.
The union between fallen angels and human females produced giants or nephilim (“fallen ones”) and they all died at the Flood Judgment. Since they are neither fully angelic nor are they fully human (they weren’t at all intended by the Creator to exist), they were not consigned to hades or the abyss.
Their spirits were doomed to roam the Earth, disembodied, unable to satiate their fleshly desires as they could when they possessed bodies.
This makes sense then, why demons crave possession of bodies (either animal or human, preferably the latter) and are extremely reluctant to leave their hosts.
Since these creatures are wholly vile, taking after their evil angel patronage, they despise humanity and Christians most especially.
With these insights, we can understand why they are so motivated in indwelling people, and why they vehemently come against Christians.
Dr. Scofield did a competent job in his exposition on demons.
Kurt Koch wrote a few excellent books on demonology.
Demons are used to influence people and direct them to do the bidding of the ruler of this present age (Satan; 2 COR 4:4), they inhabit people and use them as channels to display their powers in an effort to sidetrack souls from the truth (ACTS 16:17), to snare and enslave them (2 TIM 2:26). They offer occult powers as an attraction that acts as a kind of human fly strip.
One powerful means of demon possession is through the use of hallucinogenic or psychedelic drugs (the word in the Greek for witchcraft used in GAL 5:20; is pharmakeia, the word we use for pharmaceuticals; witches in Medieval days used belladonna, a powerful hallucinogen) that shifts the mind to an altered state of consciousness, conducive for these evil spirits moving in and taking over.
Another is various forms of meditation – transcendental, contemplative, kundalini yoga and other forms; these prove to be even more powerful than drugs as gateways for demons.
Obviously as has been mentioned before, any participation in occult activities and, or disciplines, particularly the Ouija board is one of the most powerful means of demon possession.
Scriptures make a distinction between demon possession and physical sicknesses (though demons can cause sickness) and cerebral issues:
MATTHEW 4:24
Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
Demonic influence may be passed down from generation to generation; these are known as familiar spirits. Transference most often occurs upon the decease of the occult practitioner or when they suffer significant trauma that renders their bodies as nonviable for the demons use.
Charged objects – those material objects, be they charms, amulets, bracelets, books, statues, icons, etc., can operate as a gateway that will allow demonic influences in a household. I have a cousin who had strange things going on in her house, and it was determined she had a Ouija board (a gift that she never used) in the house. When removed and the house was prayed over, the activities stopped.
Those possessed of a demonic spirit may manifest in many different ways: affecting their environment with sudden, sharp changes in temperature, a heaviness or electrified sensation, terrible odors; objects may appear to move by themselves, manifestation of shadows or glowing orbs. The afflicted may speak in languages they never learned, be aware of events and information they would not be able to know normally (the act of divining). They may be able to exert influence over others and exhibit supernatural strength.
Ritual cleansing, the burning of sage, blessing the house or person with various oils and holy water; employing the use of psychic healers or paranormal investigators are all spurious and ineffective at getting rid of demons; only the Almighty Name of Jesus Christ, wielded by children of GOD is the most effective way at freeing people of such tormenting spirits (ACTS 16:18), and more often than not, those who don’t know the LORD Jesus personally will fail at casting out demons, even when they invoke His Holy Name (ACTS 19:13-17).
Because of the fact that we are bought with a price (1 COR 6:20) – the very blood of Jesus Christ, we belong to GOD; His Spirit indwells us (1 COR 3:16), seals us (2 COR 1:22) and sanctifies us (ROM 15:16). For these reasons I don’t believe a born again Christian can be possessed (or some prefer the term demonized) in their inner most being, which is the “new heart” (where the Spirit of GOD abides).
I do however believe that a genuine Christian can be heavily influenced in their mind/soul to the point where a demonic spirit can gain a stronghold; this is only possible (not necessarily a given) when a Christian is given over to a besetting sin, or even more so, when they are dabbling in things that they ought not to.
Besides this, a true believer can be attacked from outside – which would be oppression, and resulting in depression, physical ailments, inability to focus (brain fog), disorientation, feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, irrational fears, paranoia; a Christian may struggle to read the Word or pray and may begin to avoid other Christians – preferring to be left alone. These same symptoms may suggest possession in an unbeliever.
For a Christian, any involvement or even a desire for involvement in occult activities (even something as harmless as leaving a tape recorder on overnight to see if it can pick up any psychic or spiritual impressions) must be confessed and repented of, seeking for the LORD to cover them in His blood is a must.
The expression, “to plead the blood” has been unduly criticized in recent years; it’s rightly pointed out that this phrase occurs nowhere in Scripture, however the concept is quite apparent as early as EXODUS (even in GENESIS actually) where the blood of a lamb was applied to the doorposts of Hebrews in Egypt (the Passover).
Essentially, the blood testifies of protection and even ownership; as mentioned previously, the LORD purchased us with His own blood. So if a believer is walking uprightly, not given to carnality, or forbidden practices, and is nevertheless being attacked (when no legal claim can be made by a demonic spirit), pleading the blood is a proclamation that the demon is trespassing on privately owned property – the life of a child of GOD and must leave by the authority of the LAMB of GOD!
Check out THROUGH The BLACK channel with Thomas Dunn speaking with pastor Shawn Carter, and another video with pastor Shawn and Collene James on the Supernatural Saturday program where they discuss some of these vital issues!
Additionally, you might find this article relevant from REAL DARK NEWS: The EMERGENT PROTOCOLS of LUCIFERIANISM – a REAL DARK NEWS/TTUF article
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