What About Casting Out Demons?
The Bible speaks of Satan and demons, and about how we as Christians shall face them. However, the THREE main things that we need to know about the devil are these:
FIRSTLY:
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (at the Cross).” Col 2:15
-The Lord Jesus Christ has defeated and disarmed Satan and his demons, through His death upon the Cross of Calvary. Satan is an already-defeated enemy.
SECONDLY:
"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Lk 10:19
-The Lord Jesus Christ has given us power over Satan, over all demons, and over all their power. They cannot hurt us.
THIRDLY:
"In my name shall they cast out devils." Mark 16:17
-The Lord Jesus Christ has given us the power to cast out devils by using His mighty Name when we face them.
Casting demons out of demonized people is an integral part of Pentecostal ministry. However, we must be careful so that we do not major in devils and demons. Our focus should always be on our Lord Jesus and upon Him alone.
There are people who focus too much on the devil and talk more about the devil than they do about Jesus. They end up magnifying the devil and they see Satan in every little thing. To them, everything is a demon. These are people who I call "self-appointed demonology experts." They talk and write books about demons, deliverance, and curses, eventually ending up teaching things that are not even found in the Bible.
These people teach out of stories and examples from their own and others’ experiences. The truth is that we cannot base our beliefs and doctrines upon stories of other people's experiences, or even upon our own experiences. We can ONLY believe, preach, and practice that which the Bible teaches. If there is no chapter or verse for it, just ignore it. Reading books that talk more about the devil than about Jesus will ultimately mess you up and mess up your mind. It can be counterproductive and very dangerous for your mind and for your faith.
When it comes to spiritual things, you do not need knowledge outside of that which is found in the Bible.
In our overseas crusades we have seen that when we preach about Jesus and His blood, about the cross, and about His name, demons often begin to manifest. When this happens, we immediately cast the demons out in the mighty Name of our Lord Jesus. When we do this, demonized people are set free. Over the years we have seen thousands of people who have been delivered - without our majoring on devils and only majoring on Jesus.
The basic principle is this: We major on Jesus, and not the devil; but if he shows up, we cast him out by the Name of our Lord Jesus.Remember that even the biggest and “baddest” of devils is subject to the Name of our Lord Jesus.
It is as simple as that. This is what we have been doing for years, without reading books by "demonology experts."
The Bible is very clear about all this, and it is simple, without man complicating it with his theories. We should just remember the following things:
· Our Lord Jesus has already defeated the devil.
· We should be aware of our position in Christ, that we are seated with Christ at the Father's right hand (The exercise of spiritual authority is always positional!)
· Walk pure and holy before God. Be quick to repent if you mess up.
· Stay full of the Holy Ghost.
· Do not converse with the devil or ask him anything. He is a liar.
· Use the name of Jesus with boldness. It is the name that is above every name. Devils flee at the very mention of the name of our Lord Jesus.
Originally posted on Facebook by Pastor Christopher Alam