Answering an age old question on Christians and demons

The age old question is and has been “Can Christians have demons?” My answer is “Yes they can.” Christians are not immune to Satan’s attacks or being influenced by demons. My understanding is Christians are their number one victims; they want to snatch every Christian out of the hands of God and destroy their lives. They want the same for non-Christians but non Christians are not a threat to them. All in all they want to take down who ever they can. Now to tell a long time Christian who is established in their walk with God that Christians can have demons will argue the point until yours or their face turns blue. Before I continue I want to bring in a scripture that is always quoted by the Christens to prove their point. First I believe if you’re going to use scripture make sure you are not taking it out of its contexts. When you do take the “text” out of the “context” all you have left is a “con” I believe allot of cons quote this scripture without knowing the true text.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NIV
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

As you read that scripture I have high lighted some facts about this scripture. Their argument is, “Christians can not have demons because Light and Darkness CAN NOT MIX.” Light being God and Darkness being Satan. Or once saved it is immediate deliverance, which it could be but unlikely, God could deliver a person on first onset, but I have not yet come across that since my ministry of deliverance started. It has always been a fighting battle to get a person set free. Why? Because there has to be a renewing of the mind in the persons life that has been deceived. They have been told lies that God didn’t love them, God is no good, You will never get us out of your life, I will kill you, so on and so on. So until they get the truth planted in their head and heart that God does love them and forgive them, the lies become a blockage.
Now for the scripture, if you noticed way at the start of the scripture you will see the verse one says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” right here is the start of taking it out of context. As I said before, they will argue that Light and darkness CAN NOT CO-EXIST. This scripture is talking about relationships. I do not see one time of it speaking about demons. What does light have in common with darkness? They have nothing in common. Can they co-exist with each other? Yes they can. You see marriages where one is a Christian and the other is not. I have been in one of those relationship and let me tell you we might have been married but when it came to God we were separated, didn’t have the freedom to talk about how good God was and such. You also see business where one owner is a Christian and the other is not. So can they co-exist, YES! But what do they have in common? Nothing. What a miserable life not being able to share the good things about God to either your spouse or co-worker. The argument for light and darkness not being able to mix is a “con”. If you notice this is not stating facts about demon possession but is asking question about relationships, as you can see there are question marks at the end of each question. Lets take a look at the word “Fellowship” and see what exactly Paul is talking about.

I found this on line and would like to share it from another webpage By Jon W. Quinn From Expository Files 11.7; July 2004.
Paul's Five Synonyms
"Therefore, do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:7,8).
In our text, Paul uses five synonyms as he talks about the matter which helps us to understand what fellowship is.
a). Partnership (6:14). What partnership does righteousness have with lawlessness. The understood answer is "none!". The child of God must not engage in lawlessness, whether by himself or in partnership with another who will take him in that direction and exercise that kind of control over him (Romans (6:13,19).
b). Fellowship (6:14). What fellowship does light have with darkness? "None!". The two do not mix. We must not involve ourselves in a relationship that will darken our light! (Ephesians 5:5-12; John 3:19-21).
c). Harmony (6:15). What harmony exists between Christ and Belial? "None!". Christ and Satan are as opposed as can be. You'll never find the two harmonizing together.
d). In Common (6:15). What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? "Nothing!". Spiritually speaking, they have different everythings. Purpose, goal, hope, lord, standard, and finally, eternal destiny.
e). Agreement (6:16). What agreement does the temple of God have with idols? "None!". Idolatry, in whatever form, is a horrible insult unto God. Believers are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19,20). We must not be a part of a partnership that would require us to erect an idol in our heart.
Again, not stating fact, but posing questions and backing with scripture.

So what does it mean when God said “17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” Does it mean that I now have to divorce my spouse or quit my job? No, here is the prayer that Jesus was praying over his disciples.
John 17:15-21,
15“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19“For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

How do we come out of the world? Because separating darkness “evil” from our lives has become even more difficult since our homes are used to bringing in what the Lord has forbid into our own living rooms if we are not on guard. One of the most difficult challenges in our lives is to be in the world but not of the world. We Christians must bring a positive out look into the world, yes we are in the world but we spiritually are not of the world.

So separate yourself by being Christ like “Light.” While we are living in the world “darkness” be a positive person towards God and his kingdom.
So the old question is still being asked, “Can a Christian have demons?” I had been asked that question numerous times over and over again. And at the beginning of my ministry I had no answer to give but only “Yes” that did not make a good argument it kind of left me looking a fool. So I did what I always did when I had no answer, I turned to God and asked “Who is deliverance for God.” He quickly gave me an answer.

These are the scriptures he gave me.
John 14:6 (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
And that we are being drawn in by the Holy Spirit.
John 16:5-8
5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

Now as a deliverance minister I know that we have free will, so an unsaved possessed person has the right to be possessed if he wishes. He made that choice when he invited them in. If he is not being convicted of his life by the Holy Spirit then I as the minister can not set him free. And if they so happened to leave because Jesus does the deliverance, and if that person at that point does not except Christ in his life then I have done some great damage to him. Those demons that have left will bring back more demons (26"Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself,) and reside. So doing a deliverance on someone who is not being lead by the Holy Spirit and if they do not want to make a change in life will do great damage to him. So deliverance is not for him.

Luke 11: 24-26, 24
"When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' 25"And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26"Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
So then God who is deliverance for? His answer “For the Christians” Here we see the scripture that says “17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” We have to recognize the darkness we have in our life and then separate from it, turn from it, repent from it. We are no longer of the world “darkness.” Okay so while we were of the world we had done things that may have opened doors for the demonic, gave them access into our lives. The more we yielded to them the more they gained ground of our life, and then we realize we are possessed. Now the Holy Spirit has come to convict the sinner to turn their life over to God. Lets say a witch with many demons in side her wants to accept Christ into her life so that person accepts Christ, does that make this person a Christian at that point full of demons and all? Or does God with holds his gift of salvation until the demons are gone and the house is swept clean? I believe she is a Christian as soon as he asks God for forgiveness with demons and all. So yes she is a Christian and now she needs to be delivered from the demons. God does not hold his gift from anyone. He loved us while yet we were in our sins, and that gift was already applied to our sins. Then in turn we needed to accept Christ (the gift) for our salvation.

For the instant deliverance part, I again have not seen instant deliverance when receiving Christ into their life. Demons are not going to be willing to give up their host that has opened the doors for them to enter in to. You ask “then how can God and Satan live in one body?” Remember it is usually only for a time, your spirit is saved, your soul (mind thoughts and emotions) is being transformed and your body or flesh will be redeemed later. Instant deliverance is in your spirit. When accepting Christ demons have to leave your spirit.
Ps 51:10,
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Then we have the battle over the soul and flesh.
Now flesh is part of everyone Christians and non Christians alike. Again how can you say salvation is instant deliverance when you as a godly person have trouble with pornography, anger, lying or gluttony? OUCH!! You say those are only my flesh, well yeah it is, that is also the part where demons influence us to sin. But as for possession that is where they live. So every time you fall for your flesh you are giving in to a demon. The more you give in to your flesh the more grounds you are giving to the demons thus is where oppression turns into possession, even for Christian people if they are not on guard of Satan’s tricks. You are not out of Satan’s eye sight just because you are a Christian; yes you are protected by Jesus blood. But my word says,
1 Peter 5:8,
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

That’s including you and me. So remember this whole scripture,
1Peter 5:7-9,
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
And then my favorite scripture is
Is 54:16-17
16“Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals And brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the destroyer to ruin. 17“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Remember, the battle isn’t over but the victory has been won.
Stay a servant or become a servant of God if your not one already.

Carrieg

It's my concert and I'll sing if I want to.

By CarrieG

Pin It

I was born in a small saw mill town in 1959. At that time the family consisted of Mom, Dad, Grace LaVonne and Margaret Lucille, then me Carolyn something or other (can’t stand my middle name). Five years later mom gave birth to a son named Joseph Kevin and last but not least of us all was Aaron Bruce. Mom said that she and dad always prayed before naming us kids for they wanted God to give us each names that would match our personalities. Now for the rest of the family’s names I’m not sure what the meanings where for them. But my name fits me to a tea. Carolyn (Carol) I love to sing. I remember we would drive 30 miles to church and 30 miles back home. From a young age I would sing my heart out in the back seat of the car. If the music was not playing in the ole 8 tracks you could count on me to bring on the concert.

Now as I seen it, I had a captive audience, the family was stuck in the car right beside me. Man was I ready to sing. You have to have all the air you can get if you were going to belt out a song for the whole world to hear so I would position my self; I would take that deep breath open my mouth wide and let out that beautiful noise. Then the band of voices would follow right after me. “Oh no she is singing again” “Mom tell her not to sing” “Carrie be quite” Me, I ignored them and was going to give them that concert rather they liked it or not. I continued to sing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray” now if I came to a part that I did not know the words I would make something up. To me that’s how you can tell a great singer, If you can’t remember the words, just throw something in there. “You make me happy when skies are gray; you’ll never believe this one I just have to say so please take my sunshine away” Hey it fits. Well my audience disagreed with me, Mom would turn around in the seat and say “Carolyn if you don’t know the words to the song, don’t sing it, sing something you know.” Well that just was not right; I was headed into the big world at the age of 8, writing my own songs and of course singing them the way I wanted. I had seen my future all those rides to and from church.

I am 50 now and I still sing that way, don’t know the words, make it up, if they have never heard the song then they won’t know the difference. Many times I find my self standing up in church to sing a solo, as I gear up to take that deep breath, get my stomach full of air open my mouth wide, waiting for the first words of the song to come to memory, and as I stand there nothing comes. I think to my self with that blank look on my face “can they tell I have forgotten the words?” the music shows no sympathy it continues to play. Okay what in the world just happened? I have found that in these times I could once again at the age of 9 break out in tears or just laugh it off and let God cover the flaws.
I was asked to sing at our church one night, they were having a special service for people who had talent or no talent to show what gift God had given them. We had a full house that night over 100 or so people. So I picked my song, practice it, memorized the words and memorized them some more. I knew I was ready. The music started and I began the song. The words were coming to memory, all was going well, I was on to the second verse, started singing the verse, out came the wrong words, “Moses was fight the lions in the lions den, and David was leading the children in the wilderness”

Oh my! How in the world was I going to cover that one up. I stopped singing and just started laughing, tears were coming to my eyes, I could not stop laughing. The congregation started laughing with me. Did I finish the song, No, But God was in control. You ask “how?” In my blaze of glory a mother leaned over to her daughter and said, “See there is no need to worry about messing up, even the professionals mess up from time to time.” That night was the daughters first time to do a public performance on the piano. In her nervousness she went up and played that piano perfect. The service was over the mother come up to me and said “Thank you for showing my daughter even the professionals sometimes mess up and that it is okay” she added “that was the best performance besides their daughter that night.

What did I learn from that? I learned that if I would have gotten embarrassed and started crying and running off the stage, because in my flesh I wanted to be perfect in my singing, I could have caused that fear in the teen age girl to rob her of the gift that God had given her. And in her fear of messing up she might not have gotten up that night and played the piano.
So being used of God is not always wonderful and perfect in our eyes and we might not always understand why God does what he does and it’s not for us to understand. It’s our job to be humble before God and be the vessel that he intends on using. And then in the end as we put the puzzle together we can see that God has everything covered.

The Battle is not yours, but Gods,

Pin ItPin It

          If only we could take these words, “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” and apply it to our lives, how much richer (Not wealth) would life be for us. For those of you who do not know what this chapter is about let me give you a brief run down.

 

Jehoshaphat was the King over Judah; He took the throne at the age of thirty-five and reigned for twenty-five years. Jehoshaphat spent the first years of his reign making his kingdom strong and destroying the idols of Baal and cult images. The author of 2 Chronicles praises his reign, stating that the kingdom enjoyed a great measure of peace and prosperity, the blessing of God resting on the people "in their basket and their store."

 

The last important event of his reign occurred when the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war and march against Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20). The enemy forces were encamped at Ein Gedi. King Jehoshaphat and his people were filled with fear because they did not have the mighty army to fight against those that were coming against them, being the godly man he was, he and his people went to God in prayer. Here is his prayer:

 

2 Chronicles 20:5-13

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard. 6 and said: "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.7 O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.' 10 "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.

After hearing the prayer the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel and gave him these words for the people: 15 He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' " 18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

Before the battle Jehoshaphat went out among the people and the priest and assigned them worship duties. So as they went towards the battlefield they went in singing and praising.

 

2 Chronicles 20:21-22 (New King James Version)

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

So they did as they were instructed to do and the next day the battle was between the Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, for they quarreled among themselves, and killed one another, leaving to the people of Judah only to gather the rich spoils of the slain. This was recognized as a great deliverance fought for them by God. Soon after this victory Jehoshaphat died after a reign of twenty-five years at the age of sixty (1 Kings 22:50).

 

WOW, now that’s the way I would love to go through a battle in my life. Picture this with me, It would be like me (You) to be sitting in my (your) lazy boy, reclined back with my (your) praise music playing and me (you) singing praises to God with no concerns for the battle knowing the enemy it’s on it’s way to try to kill me (you) and with total trust in God and knowing God is going to do all the work. And then at the end of the battle to go and gather the blessing that God had promised me (you) for simply trusting him and giving the battle to him. They are his battles in the first place, he says they are “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” I wish I could go into my storms, my battles and not worry thinking I have to be strong and fight a good fight, and defeat the enemy. In my flesh I guess it is easier for me to worry, cry, loose sleep, and stress out and perhaps I loose some unwanted weight, my hair falling out, and being miserable for how ever long the storm is. I find my self choosing the latter part. Oh my goodness, we stupid people. Oh wait…let me rephrase that, how stupid I am. Maybe I am the only one that has a hard time in my storms. It’s okay because God isn’t finish with me. And Satan will never be finished with me. So I am sure there will be plenty of times I will have to master this situation.

 

God has been teaching me through the storms of my life how to respond to them. The answer as we found in this chapter is to just place trust and faith in God. Also I received through my own trials is to “Praise” him. Praise him for the storm, I know what your thinking, “whoa back now, Praise him FOR the storms, you’re kidding me right?” Nope, praise him for the storms and this is why, during the storms in our life that’s when we learn to trust God and grow in him, become closer to him. God says in (James 4:8) Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. So if we handle the storms right we will get closer to God and he to us.

 

Okay so praise him for the storms; now praise him “IN” the storms. If we keep our eyes on him and our mouth engaged in praise we will not be looking at the storms and we will not be speaking words of defeat. I have learned to continue with praise and thanking God for the answers or perhaps healings before I receive them, again keeping our thoughts in order so defeat can’t sneak in.

Then of course there’s the “After” praise, being thankful for everything that God has brought you through and keeping you safe. The enemy didn’t defeat you because God was in the front line protecting you. Fighting the battle him self.

 

I have a friend that God gave her a dream one night, she was in the middle of the battle field and the enemy was all around fighting and killing. As she was walking through the battle with her hands raised, her head towards the sky with praises on her lips the battle did not touch her. But as soon as she started to look around at the circumstances, placed her eyes on the enemy and stopped the praising she found herself being attacked. The enemy was closing in on her. She quickly went back to looking up and praising. The enemy withdrew from her. What a great visual to have.

 

Do a search on “Praise” in Biblegateway.com and see just how many times “Praise” is used in the bible.

 

Pastor Carrie

 

It is well with my soul.

 

             Have you ever wondered the meanings behind the old famous Hymns, what were the stories behind them? Was it for tragedy these songs where written about? I have wondered so I invested in a book that gives us the story behind the songs. I would like to share some of the hymns with you that I was touched by and I will promise you that when you sing these hymns you won’t be able to sing the hymn with out thinking about the story. To me knowing the stories behind the hymns makes the song more personal and meaningful. All information I am giving comes from the book “Living Stories of Famous Hymns, by Ernest K. Emurian.”
 

           Let’s start with one of my favorite hymn, “It is well with my soul” The French liner, “S.S. Villa du Havre, was one of the most luxurious ships around. The year was1873 and this ship was sailing from New York to France Mrs. Spafford and her four children, Maggie, Tanetta, Annie and Bessie were passengers. Mr. Spafford was not able to travel with them due to a fire in his company. The fire was the big fire in Chicago in 1873. He was in good spirits knowing his family were among other Christian passengers. As he was placing his family on board he promised to meet them all in France as soon as possible.

 

It was two o’clock in the morning on Nov. 22 1873 and the ship was sailing on a peaceful sea. That ended when the ship was rammed into by the English iron sailing vessel, the “Lochearn” In twelve minutes the “Villa du Havre” settled to the bottom of the ocean. The loss of some two-hundred twenty six lives including the four Spafford children. The survivors landed in Cardiff, Wales and among them was Mrs. Spafford. Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband these two words, “Saved alone.”

 

When Mr. Spafford received the message he said to one of his friends, “I am glad to trust the Lord when it will cost me something.” For him this was the third time of testing coming right after the first, prier to the fire He had lost a son. In the Chicago fire he had lost everything he owned and on the sea he lost his children. As soon as he was able he booked a passage on a ship to Europe to join his wife. On his way over the Captain called him to his cabin and said, “I believe we are now passing over the spot where the Villa du Havre went down.” Can you amazen being the one the captain said that to and knowing your children’s bodies where under you. Needles to say Mr. Spafford did not sleep well that night. But soon his faith conquered his doubt and there, in the med-Atlantic, out of his heart break and pain, Mr. Spafford wrote five stanzas, the first of which contains these lines:

 

“When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea-billows roll,

What ever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, It is well with my soul”

 



When Mr. and Mrs Spafford meet up with each other Mrs. Spafford said, “I have not lost my children; we are only separated for a little time.

 

Phillip Paul Bliss was a song leader and a composer. He and Mr. Spafford both had been associated with Moody and Sankey in several of their evangelistic meetings. One day Mr, Spafford requested that Mr. Bliss would take the poem and put it to music. So he did as Mr Spafford had asked. A few days or months after writing the music to the song Mr Bliss and his wife were killed in their travels on a train. Some of the survivors said that Mr. Bliss could have been one of the survivors but he chooses to hold his wife instead.

 

The song still lives on very strong today.

It is well, It is well, with my soul