NOT WRESTLING HUMANS

Tuesday 8 April

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. Ephesians 6:12 KJV

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ Matthew 12:43-44 (NKJV)

Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. Luke 22:3 (NIV)

There are times in our experience of life that we need to be reminded that our fight is not against other people. This is why we can’t take attacks that seem to come from human beings personally. So who are we wrestling? There are four rankings of demonic spirits as Apostle Paul classifies for us by the Spirit. Principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and wicked spirits in high places. In actual fact there is no word for places in the original text, just high. It denotes hierarchy and not geographical location.

Many believe that these spirits operate independently of man but that is not what the Bible teaches. These demons which means without a body, find their expression through people with varying degrees of influence in the world. Once we understand this concept we can see why it is important to seperate the evil spirit from the person. Unbelievers are like the man Jesus described in Matthew 11:43-44. Believers cannot be influenced or controlled from the outside by a demonic entity. We’ll come back to that later. Judas also had Satan enter into him. This is very instructive.

So how does this all work on a practical level and how can we prevail over these demons? These are the questions that we will answer.

For example, you are interviewing for a position at a company. When your resume was being perused there was something you wrote that the person didn’t like. Later on while it is happening, a demon can enter into the interviewer and cause them to strongly dislike you and as a result you don’t end up getting the job despite your qualifications. Remember life is spiritual. This is assuming that the interviewer is an unbeliever. How did this happen? There has to be a vulnerability for the demon to exploit in that person. Perhaps it is a hatred of Christians because of a bad experience with one. That’s enough to give legal grounds as hatred is demonic by nature.

How then are we to stop these kind of things from happening? The answer is simple. Through the agency of prayer. Without taking authority in advance there is no other way to keep demons at bay in every circumstance that concerns you. Some say oh well, it mustn’t have been God’s will or the right position for me but a lot of that talk is just nonsense. The truth is, had you prepared the ground and prevailed in the place of prayer first, there could have been a vastly different outcome. Anything you decide that is in the parameters of God’s word is God’s will.

Do you see how you could be tricked into thinking it was a personality clash rather than wrestling the spirit that is acting behind the person? Unsaved people are easily susceptible to demons and many times do their bidding without even realising it. Jesus isn’t in the house so it is able to be used temporarily or permanently as required. This is why people undergo torment from evil spirits. These days they are usually medicated and rarely cast out as Jesus told us to do.

Those in Christ have received deliverance from demons at the point of salvation but can be influenced through things like fear and deception which is all Satan can use on believers to try to control them through the flesh. This is why we are told to reject the works of the flesh and to put to death the deeds of the flesh.

The purpose of this devotion is to highlight the activities of Satan that he uses to frustrate the believer and to reinforce the idea of our need to be intentionally prayerful with every part of our lives and endeavours.

The good news is we have all the authority and ability to thwart every plan of Satan in our own lives and we can even persist and prevail in prayer and supplicate for others to bring their circumstances into alignment with God’s will for their lives.

When we keep the finished work of Christ in full view we are able to see people on the other side of the glorious work of His grace. So know who your enemy is. Satan and his demons; not human beings.

APPLICATION

Don’t waste your time arguing with people. Recognise that there is more than meets the eye to every situation and make sure you are prepared in prayer beforehand to enforce the victory that is yours in Christ Jesus.