Garwood Presbyterian Church

Deliver Us From Evil

God's Way to Health, Healing, and Wholeness

"May God Himself sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless." I Thes. 5:23

Introduction: Unwanted spirits are one of the ways spiritually sinful, medically harmful, and soulfully damaging emotions can get into our life.

1. The Bible Teaches That There Are Evil, Unclean Spirits That Can Effect Christians
   1. Ephesians 6:12 says that there are "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" that have rule, authority and power on earth.
      1. In II Chr. 18:18-22 a spirit leaves heaven to go to false prophets so that they will lie, and this is what happens.
      2. In Job 4:12-19 a spirit visits Eliphaz and speaks to him.
      3. II Cor. 11:4 says that a Christian can receive a different spirit from the Holy Spirit.
      4. We pray "deliver us from evil" in the Lord's prayer, Mat. 6:13. This tells us that evil can ef-fect us, but we can pray for and God can deliver us from it.
   2. Many times in the Gospels, Jesus cast out unclean, evil spirits from people.
      1. Including from a man from the Gerasenes who had a legion of them cast out, Mark 5:1-20.
   3. Evil spirits, unclean spirits, and demons are synonyms for the same thing.
      1. The words "unclean spirits" indicate that they are ungodly, non-material living beings.
      2. Sometimes we experience them as an ungodly desire, thought, or emotion that does not want to leave us alone. Inwardly, we fight with something that seems to have a life of its own.
2. These Spirits Can Effect Us In a Number of Ways
   1. They can influence us, but can not control us. They can bother us, but can not possess us.
   2. They can effect our thoughts.
      1. II Cor. 10:3-5 says that arguments and thoughts can be spiritual strongholds, and that as Christians we should demolish those that are against the knowledge of God, and that we should also make every thought obedient to Christ.
      2. In Mat. 16:21-23 Jesus call Peter "Satan" because the thoughts he expresses are so evil.
   3. They can effect our emotions.
      1. Ephesians 4:26-27 says that it is sinful if we stay angry, and that it also gives the devil a foothold in our life.
   4. They can effect us through our disobedience.
      1. Ephesians 2:1-2 talks about "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" = the devil as "the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient".
      2. I John 3:8 says that "The one who does what is sinful is of the devil". But "the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work".
      3. This is especially true if our disobedience was or is with the occult, because this puts us in direct contact with evil spirits.
         1. The occult includes astrology, horoscopes, zodiac signs, tarot cards, fortune telling, ouija boards, psychics, mediums, spiritual guides, seances, superstitions, magic and witchcraft.
   5. They can negatively effect our physical health.
      1. Luke 13:10-13 says that "a woman had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all." before Jesus healed her.
      2. In Mark 9:14-29 Jesus heals a boy possessed by a spirit that causes him to foam at the mouth, gnash his teeth, have his body become rigid and go into convulsions.
      3. Pleasant Valley Church in Georgia teaches that evil, unclean spirits can cause the follow-ing diseases: epilepsy, sciatica, scoliosis, multiple personality disorder, and diseases caused by viruses. Also, they are a part of what causes attention deficit disorder.
3. What We Need to Do About This
   1. Repent
      1. When we repent, then we don't need deliverance, because repentance is self-deliverance.
         1. Because we are removing the evil influences and spirits in our life ourself.
      2. Therefore, we need to repent from ungodly thoughts, sinful emotions, and disobedient ac-tions, especially with the occult, by using the 9 R's to health, healing, and wholeness.
         1. Recognize - that it is sinful.
         2. Responsibility - take, that you have it in your life.
         3. Repent - and tell God that you are wrong to have it.
         4. Renounce - it by saying that you don't want it in your life any more.
         5. Remove - it by telling it in Jesus' name to get out of your life.
         6. Replace - it with what is from God in that area.
         7. Resist - it from coming back into your life.
         8. Rejoice - that it is getting out of your life.
         9. Restore - others like you have been restored.
   2. We can also have another Christian cast unclean, evil spirits out of us
      1. This is what Jesus did.
      2. This is what the first Christians did.
         1. The 12 disciples did this, Mat. 10:1-8.
         2. The 72 followers of Jesus did this, Luke 10:1-17.
         3. Paul did this, Acts 16:16-18.
      3. This is what we are to do as Christians too.
         1. Mark 16:17 says "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons ...".
         2. Jesus said in Luke 10:19-20, "I have given you authority to overcome all the power of the enemy. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."