Satan, our adversary is roaming around seeing who he can devour. This he has been doing since Adam and Eve and he is at work, even now. At the bottom of this post are some examples of how satan and his demons afflicted the people at the time of Jesus and the Apostles.
A review of these cases show:
- Children can be demon-possessed (Case 1)
- People in the church (synagogue) can have demons (Case 5)
- Affliction by demons can result in physical manifestations like seizures, blindness and mutism. (Cases 1 & 3)
- One person can be possessed by many demons (Case 5)
- Fortune telling is demonic (Case 6).
- Demons can destroy relationships and families (Case 5).
- Lives are turned around when people are delivered from demons (Case 2).
This is the instruction Jesus gave his disciples when he sent them out: "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, CAST OUT DEMONS" (Matt.10:8). The question we should ask ourselves is whether this instruction is relevant for us today. And if it is - then why do we not see more of this today? Is it perhaps that the deceiver has got us to believe that demons no longer exist?
In my opinion this instruction is as relevant today as it has been at the time of the Apostles. Although this is a topic we choose not to think about, we have to recognise that demons are afflicting people today in a number of ways. Let us therefore be brave and courageous and embrace this instruction Jesus gave us to cast out demons.
My Prayer
Father Yahuah, our people are sorely afflicted by the enemy today. Please help us to embrace the instruction Jesus gave us to cast out demons. Please equip us to deliver those who are bound. Please train our hands for war and our fingers for battle. We pray in Jesus' name. Aman.
Biblical cases of demon-possession:
- 14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. (Matt.17:14-18).
- After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out. (Luke 8:1-2)
- 22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" (Matt. 12:22-23)
- 33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 "Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" 35 "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. (Luke 4:33-35).
- 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. 30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. (Luke 8:27-31)
- 16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. (Acts 16:16-18)