POWER STUDY - D36

[Albert Finch]

Satan’s Domain - 4 - The Realm of Darkness
(Read John 14 & Psalm 18)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

(All successful deliverance must begin by first removing that which defends the enemy. In speaking of spiritual warfare the Apostle Paul enlists the word “strongholds” to define the spiritual fortresses where Satan and his legions are protected. These fortresses exist in the thought-patterns and ideas that govern individuals and churches, as well as communities and nations. Before victory can be claimed the strongholds must be pulled down and Satan’s armor removed. Then the mighty weapons of the word and the spirit can effectively plunder Satan’s house. )

1 Samuel 23:14,19 14David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.19Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?

(David hid from King Saul in wilderness strongholds at Horesh. These were physical structures, usually caves high on a mountainside and difficult to assault. In the New Testament strongholds define powerful, vigorously protected spiritual realities.)

Psalm 18:2 2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

(A stronghold can be a protection for us from the devil as in the case when the Lord becomes our stronghold. Conversely, a stronghold can be a source of defense for the devil, where demonic or sinful activity is actually defended within us by our sympathetic thoughts toward evil. A demonic stronghold is any type of thinking that gives the devil a secure place of influence in an individuals thought life.)

1 Samuel 19:9  - "Now there was an evil spirit from the LORD on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand."

(Since it is unlikely that a Christian can be possessed by a demon because that demon will fill their spirit the way the Holy Spirit fills the spirit of a Christian; however, Christians can be oppressed by demons, which can occupy un-regenerated thought systems, especially if those thoughts are defended by self-deception or false doctrines. The thought “I cannot have a demon because I am a Christian” is simply untrue. A demon cannot have you in an internal or possessive sense, but you can have a demon if you refuse to repent from your sympathetic thoughts toward evil.)

John 14:16,17,26 16“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."

(One reason the Spirit of Truth was sent was because we are so easily self-deceived. In fact, the very thought that a Christian cannot be deceived is itself a deception. A number of Christians are tormented by various fears because their mind is not renewed with the Truth of the Word. They have been counseled or prayed over, to little avail. They need more than prayer. They need deliverance, but deliverance will probably be far from them till the spirit of fear is confronted and bound, (through a complete renewal of their mind with the Truth that applies to their problem) and the stronghold of fear is cast down.)

John 14:30 30“I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;

(There were no strongholds or wrong attitudes, no faulty thinking processes in Christ’s mind. Satan had nothing in Jesus; we also want to be able to say that Satan has no secret area inside of us, no “temptation buzzer” he can push that will open the door of our souls to evil.)

Mark 6:11-12 11“"Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.'12They went out and preached that men should repent."

(Regarding the deliverance of spirits that plague the mind, repentance precedes deliverance and deliverance leads to healing in other areas. If the structure of the individuals thoughts have not been changed, his wrong attitude towards sin will welcome the spirit back.)

Luke 2:35 - "and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

(The energies we expend keeping our sins secret are the actual materials of which a stronghold is made. The demon you are fighting is using your thoughts to protect his access to your life.)