One of the hallmarks of the ministry of Jesus Christ was deliverance from evil spirits. Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him.
Evil spirits seek to either afflict a person which is external or possess a person which is internal. Demonic affliction is the cause of many illnesses, mental oppression, and addictions.
Soul-ties are another bind affecting people particularly those that have lived promiscuous lifestyles. During sexual relations, there is a transfer of the entire being (spirit, soul & body) as the Bible says Genesis 2:24 A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Jesus Christ gave specific commands to His Church to continue to ‘cast out demons’ Mark 6:12-13, Mark 16:17, Luke 9:1, Luke 10:19.
Although any Christian has the authority in Jesus’ name to cast out evil spirits it’s recommended that you seek ministry from a qualified Minister of the Gospel.
WHAT EVIL SPIRITS DO...
1. THEY ENTICE YOU TO DO EVIL It comes like a voice tempting you to sin…like take that money, fornicate with that person, lie to those people.
2. THEY HARASS They can be present all day causing oppression to set you off. It’s like something comes over you. Sometimes people can see something in you.
3. THEY TORMENT Suggestions, fears, symptoms of sickness, confusion, heaviness.
4. THEY ENSLAVE They drive you against your will. Unable to give up a sin like an addiction (alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, gaming) Addictions are demonic they are driven by a spirit of death. An addiction is a harmful dependency you think you can’t live without.
5. THEY DEFILE Make you feel unclean, dirty, giving you unclean thoughts. Perverted thinking and attraction to disgusting and horrible sights.
6. THEY DECEIVE Deception is one of the major areas in which Satan traps people mentally and emotionally through lies. 1 TIMOTHY 4:1 NLT “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.”
7. THEY MAKE PEOPLE WEAK, SICK, TIRED AND TRY TO KILL THEM Always have no energy, always weak, always tired, they can make you go to sleep whenever something Christian is happening like Church, reading the Bible, prayer, etc. Always accident-prone.
Closely associated with affliction from demonic spirits are curses. Curses need to be broken and can come through past generations, unholy prayers, spells, occult activity and most often through negative speech. Proverbs 26:2 So a curse without cause shall not alight.
CURSES…
The best way to describe what a BLESSING or CURSE is they are both vehicles of supernatural power for good or evil.
The vehicle for curses is usually words spoken, written, or pronounced by a person. They can also be pronounced inwardly through your own words and they can also be transferred through objects such as idolatrous idols, books, and amulets.
A curse is like a big long arm from your past that is always holding you back. It can also be described as a dark shadow over your life where nothing ever seems to go well for you. It may also feel like invisible chains wrapped around you or holding you back from total freedom.
Now the 7 Indications of a curse based on Deuteronomy 28 could be as follows.
(This list compiled by Derek Prince)
- Mental and/or emotional breakdown.
- Repeated or chronic sicknesses.
- Barrenness a tendency to miscarry or related male & female fertility problems.
- Breakdown of marriage and family alienation.
- Continual financial insufficiency.
- Being accident-prone.
- A history of suicides and unnatural or untimely deaths.
They can also continue from generation to generation. You may have heard the scientific term for maladies that affect the human body that is seen as a pattern within a family as a HEREDITY DISEASE.
What science calls HEREDITARY the Bible calls a GENERATIONAL CURSE.
You may be struggling with a curse over your life that was released generations ago without your knowledge.
PROVERBS 26:2 NKJV Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.
In other words, there can be NO CURSE WITHOUT A CAUSE. Something a person does in disobedience to God’s Word has the potential to bring a curse upon their lives and upon the lives of their proceeding generations. Now, this is significant because it’s here that we tend to see evidence that a GENERATIONAL CURSE is in operation.
Here are some common examples…
- DEPRESSION that is affecting not only the individual but a parent, grandparent, sister, auntie, etc in others. It’s seen in many members of the same family tree.
- POVERTY that once again is rampant within the household and previous generations. An on-going insufficiency financially. Constant lack and no ownership of any property.
- SICKNESS is something the scientific world calls heredity when it is seen in multiple members of the same family. Something is in the bloodstream or DNA which causes the same symptoms and illness to reoccur in proceeding generations.
- ADDICTIONS such as alcoholism, drug-taking, immorality, adultery, and divorce. It’s amazing how many marriages that end in divorce come from divorced families and so the cycle continues.
HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR DELIVERANCE
Praise God that you have just experienced a time of deliverance. The Bible says in JOHN 8:36 ‘Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed’ Now it’s important that you continue with your freedom in Christ by staying close to the Lord and obeying His Word in your life. The doors that you opened in your life in the past that allowed for demonic affliction must now be closed for good and this will ensure that evil spirits have no access again.
Here are some practical keys that will help you to maintain your deliverance and walk in freedom.
- BE CONSECRATED This means that now that you have Jesus in your life and your body is filled with the Holy Spirit you should remain separated from worldliness and sin. This will require some changes to your habits, people you associate with, things you watch, places you go, and participate in. The Holy Spirit will guide you in this area.
- READ YOUR BIBLE This will keep your mind focused on God’s thoughts and ways of living. It will also renew your mind and encourage you to draw closer to Jesus. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God so make studying the Holy Bible a daily priority in your life. Do a study on Ephesians 6:10-18 and know how to apply the Armour of God.
- PRAY This is a way to stay in direct communication with Jesus. Share your heart with Him. Present your prayer requests to Him and spend quality time praying in tongues as it will help to build your inner-man up and give you strength over temptation.
- RESIST THE DEVIL This will require you to be vigilant and alert against evil spirits that seek to afflict and harass you now that you are free. Whenever you sense something isn’t right begin to take authority over the demons and command them to go from your life in Jesus’ name.
- ATTEND CHURCH This is a powerful way to receive continual ministry each week and to be empowered by God’s anointing. I encourage you to not only attend Church but to be established, contribute, and serve as a Child of God in His House for His glory.
These are just some of the ways in which you can begin to live a life free from demonic influences. Remember demons can not enter your life again unless you give them permission, so DON’T!
