Prayer of Faith

Firstly, my week long study (approximately an hour or more each day- not timed- could be less or more) on possession by evil, unclean spirits, demons, devils has truly not revealed any outright answers about figuring out if someone is possessed.  There are facts-

1. Unclean spirits, evil spirits, demons and devils are all names for the evil angels that chose to align with Lucifer when he chose to separate himself from God. One third of all the angels in existence decided to separate themselves from God -the Heavenly Father, God- the declared Son of the Father, Jesus Christ, and God- the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

2. All evil spirits (under any name used for them) are Satan's to control and use for the sole purpose of influencing human beings to separate from, or keep from ever aligning themselves to God ( all three of them- Father, Son, & Holy Spirit).

3. Evil spirits can take possession of a human being.

4. Evil spirit possession can be exhibited by different kinds of possession. Examples: deaf and dumb spirits, talkative spirits, a whole legion of spirits in one person, spirits that cause sicknesses that don't have to solely be caused by them, but can be. Spirits can cause rage, fighting, beating up others, hurting the human they possess, trying to kill the human they possess, and more.

5. Evil spirits have been cast out of human beings by Jesus Christ Himself, by the Apostles Jesus left behind, by disciples of Jesus and by those called to be healers.

6. Evil spirits sometimes won't leave a person unless the healer has prayed extensively and fasted while praying- the time limit on how long is unknown.

7. When Jesus returns for His people to take them to heaven many people are going to say to Him that they cast out evil spirits in His name- and Jesus is going to tell them to get away from Him, that He never knew them.  This leaves us the conclusion that there will be many who think they are doing Jesus' will but are really doing Satan's bidding. They will seemingly cast out evil spirits from people- the people will appear cured after their casting out- using Jesus' name- and yet it is Satan who has called the evil spirit to leave the person in order to deceive the person casting out who believes they are doing Jesus' work when they are not.

8. In the last days as Satan's days of deceiving grow shorter he will be working harder and will even do miracles attributed to Jesus by others. Miracles will be performed so wonderfully all but the VERY elect will be deceived.

9. Not all evil spirit possession occurs through inviting the evil spirits to take possession as some do when they choose a life void of God. Possession can be allowed for reasons we cannot comprehend, but ultimately for the glory of God to be revealed.

10. This life no matter how torturous in any aspect from birth to death is a temporary life compared to eternity's life for those who choose Jesus Christ as their Savior, no longer allowing themselves to be separated from God, by His grace.

11. God allows much tribulation to befall those who love Him and those tribulations are equated to gold being tried in fire- purifying, refining fires.

12. We who believe in God know the following to be truth- that ALL things will work together for GOOD to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  We TRUST that even the horrors of our life or the lives of our loved ones, or anyone else are allowed for reasons beyond our ability to fully comprehend. The secret things belong to God, not us. We are looking through a dark glass right now, but one day will see clearly. Faith, believing in what we cannot see, yet hoping without sight, without all the answers, without all the knowledge - the whys and wherefores of the greatest of life's tragedies- yet always HOPING in Jesus Christ, believing in Him.

These are some of the facts we've come across in this study.

We know we are to pray for the sick, the afflicted-

Jas 5:13  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 

Jas 5:14  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 

Truthfully we could consider anyone who was suspected in the slightest to be possessed of an evil spirit - afflicted, right? We may not know the exact affliction, but we know there is a person troubled and suffering extensively in some manner. 

We are told to pray.

If any are sick… are told call an upstanding member of God's people to pray over that person, to anoint that person with oil in the name of the Lord.

A PRAYER OF FAITH will save the sick.

Does this mean that everyone prayed for will be healed? OR does it mean ultimately they'll be saved in the only way that most truly matters, eternally? We know people pray for their sick loved ones all the time, and even for sick strangers. But we also know they are NOT always healed. However the healing prayer could truly go deeper than temporary healing of our corruptible flesh. Some are healed, others are not, but it is all to God's glory, or His will that goes beyond our comprehension.

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We must pray- Have mercy on us, Jesus, Son of God, we beseech Thee, needing Your forgiveness for ALL our sins. We do not want to be as those who pray in Your holy name as those who claim You but don't know You and are not known by You.  We are desperately in need of Your help. To the one afflicted- we don't know if it's possession by an evil spirit that afflicts you, or a sickness in your brain, or some other illness. If it is an evil spirit, we command thee in the name of Jesus to come out of the afflicted! In Jesus' name we charge thee, come out of the afflicted and enter no more into the afflicted. We cast out the spirit or spirits with the holy word of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we do this in faith, nothing wavering! Let this be our prayer, for our most precious afflicted one. Bless them and keep them in You all though God the Father, by the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!!

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Good and Evil Spirits.

Evil surrounds all of us. We are living in a world of unseen spirits- evil and good.  Evil spirits are those who sided with Satan and his lies and were cast from heaven. Good spirits are angels and these are God's ministering spirits.  These two opposing forces, no matter how much they've been fictionalize on tv, movie screens, and in books are real.  Not only are they real, they are powerful. The things the evil spirits can do to someone are horrific. Job is well known for Satan bringing down upon him all sorts of evil all in the hopes Job would curse God, that he would lay the blame for all his tribulation upon God. We know that God doesn't want us involved in any way with the evil spirts. The Bible talks of witches, sorcerers, soothsayers and so on- as REALLY EXISTING. This brings me around again to what I started off saying- evil surrounds all of us.

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Eph 6:12  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. 

We WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD.

We WRESTLE AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, POWERS, RULERS OF DARKNESS IN THIS WORLD, SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES.

We wrestle.   We are in a fight, a battle and it's spiritual. 

It's foolish of us to believe that evil spirits leave us alone. They will try everything to get us from the love of Jesus, everything. If they've got us from the love of Jesus they don't need to bother us too much, except maybe to torment us for their amusement, or to use us to influence others away from Jesus.

What is the purpose of spirit possession?  To torment. To viciously, evilly torture the one possessed and those loved ones around them. 

In today's world we watch our loved ones suffer and we seek all sorts of solace for them usually by going to doctor after doctor, trying treatment after treatment. We dare not mentioned demon possession because that's just crazy talk, and maybe we are the ones needing a doctor and treatment. Yet if you are a Christian then you have to believe in possession by evil spirits.

When children are involved in demon possession, as we've studied already, we have to know that they are being tormented and their loved ones are being tormented as well and the reasons why and wherefores are most likely unknown to us. It's surely not the child's fault- to say the child opened the door to an evil spirit willfully would be wrong.  Adults can most assuredly open doors to evil spirits and invite them in, but not young children- this doesn't stop them from being possessed as our Bible tells us.  I have to believe the Bible allows us to realize this for a reason. If it has happened then it has, and Jesus had to cast evil spirits out of children, and his disciples were told they needed to fast and pray (more than a short casting out) for certain spirts that don't readily leave a child.

We need to follow suit.  Seriously, if we as Christians believe someone may be possessed by an evil spirit are we to ignore it and hope it goes away on its own? Maybe we are to pray silently, separately, but if no relief is revealed after a period of time perhaps we need to pray directly to the one possibly possessed- asking our Father in Heaven to guide us every single step of the way, praying for forgiveness of all our sins, seeking spiritual cleansing from the LORD, for only He can take our filthy rags and make them white in His blood.  We may need to command the evil spirit to leave- not asking any names or such things, not seeking any sort of communication whatsoever with the evil spirit, there is no precedence for that. Jesus didn't want to converse with the spirits, He rebuked them. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can release the demon from someone, all through the love of our Savior and the love of our Father God in heaven. Jesus did nothing on earth that wasn't of the Father, and likewise the Holy Spirit does nothing that isn't of the Father and Jesus.

Cast out with the WORD of JESUS.

Matt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him (((JESUS))) many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick

Rebuke the evil through JESUS.

Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and HEALED the child.

Luk 9:42  And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 

Command the evil spirit in the name of JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD to come out.

Paul commanded the spirit to come out, and that same hour he did.

Act 16:18  ...Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour

Cast out.

Rebuked.

Commanded in Jesus' name.

If we do this we must do it with FAITH.

If we do this and the evil spirit remains, if the situation is unchanged then we have to PRAY and FAST seeking the removal of the evil spirit. If the situation still is unchanged then we have to keep praying without ceasing, meaning a constant renewal of our prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving unto GOD.

I'm not sure we'll know of possession or illness, or if there is a permanent need for whatever ailment has brought about the idea of possession- only God knows and He has lessons for us that go far beyond our comprehension.  The trying of faith can take so many forms. We know that Abraham was called to sacrifice his only son, a son he'd had very, very late in his life and despaired of ever having. God did not take his son, but Abraham's faith was tested to the utmost and so will ours be.  God will NEVER ask us to sacrifice our children on a physical altar, but we may need to offer them to God for His will to be done in their lives and we must do this in faith trusting He will.

God help us, guide us, forgive us, keep us, love us, all through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

The Only Worthy....

Cast out spirits and healed the sick.

Matt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him (((JESUS))) many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick

Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and HEALED the child.

Luk 9:42  And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 

Paul commanded the spirit to come out, and that same hour he did.

Act 16:18  ...Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour

Cast out.

Rebuked.

Commanded in Jesus' name.

For those who know that someone is possessed by an evil spirit perhaps seeking to heal the person is the right course of action. Maybe 'rebuking' the unclean spirit, and 'commanding' the unclean spirit, is what we should do.  But I don’t have the gift of discerning unclean spirits if there is such a gift. Maybe the Holy Spirit reveals to all who need to know, I have to believe this will happen if God wills us to recognize unclean spirit possession.

When we suspect but can't confirm we have to have our reasons for suspecting don't we? There have to be hints of what we imagine possession to be like.

Perhaps fits of pure rage are being exhibited. What caused the rage? Is it inexplicable? Is it triggered by unmet desires of instant gratification? Or is it bizarre behavior of another sort being shown. Maybe there are several actions that cause us to believe something other than mental illness is going on.

Do we dare try to heal someone of demon possession if they aren't possess?

We have to remember this--

Act 19:13  Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 

Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 

Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 

Act 19:16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 

Act 19:17  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 

The following if from a previous study we did--

Vagabond Jews- exorcists.  These men knew what Paul was doing and they- being exorcists wanted the same fame. They went to where there were those filled with evil spirits and this time they used the name of Jesus, the Jesus Paul preached hoping it would cause the evil spirits to leave.

Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 

Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 

The evil spirit ANSWERED. The evil spirit told them it knew Jesus and Paul, but not them.  The evil spirit knew that Jesus and Paul could rebuke it, that they had power, power given to them by the Father God. These men weren't known in that way, they weren't known to have the power of God, the Holy Spirit wasn't working in these men- not even the sons of the chief of the priests, Sceva.

Act 19:16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 

The man filled with the evil spirit attacked them and they ran out of the house naked and injured.  They had no power over the evil spirits, none. If they thought using Jesus' name or Paul's name would work for them they were very wrong. FAITH is the power. TRUE BELIEF is the power.  You cannot fake truth, you cannot fake belief. God knows our hearts and He knows our truth, we may fool others, but God cannot be fooled, not ever!

Act 19:17  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 

Act 19:18  And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 

Act 19:19  Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 

Act 19:20  So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. 

The evil spirits had power over even the sons of the chief of the priests of the Jews.  This knowledge made people realize the truth that Paul preached about Jesus. They believed, they confessed, they let their deeds be brought to light.  Not only that… MANY who used curious arts - EVIL- brought those books and burned them before everyone. They burned these books filled with evil knowledge at the price of fifty thousand pieces of silver!  Today that would be several MILLION dollars' worth of books! Several million dollars of evil knowledge destroyed by those who finally realized the evil it was as they turned their lives over to Christ, to follow Him, to love Him.

Truly the word of God is powerful!  The truth prevailed!

(End of previous study)

No one was surprised there were Jewish exorcists going about to work exorcisms, there was nothing strange about that. What was revealed was these particular exorcists had NO power to CALL OVER THE man possessed by the evil spirit using the name of the LORD JESUS. They said to the evil spirit-  'We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.'

Definition of adjure

adjured; adjuring

transitive verb

1 : to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse

2 : to urge or advise earnestly

From <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjure>

They were commanding the evil spirit solemnly.  All they had to say is they were commanding that evil spirit and the evil spirit stopped them before they could say more.

Casting out demons is a serious thing! If someone tries to cast out evil spirits and they are not known by Jesus, then there is a chance they could be severely attacked.  No, not all false exorcists are attacked, Satan will allow what he will. If it suits him to allow an exorcism to take place falsely, he will allow it.

The point here is that it isn't something to take lightly.

May God help us as we discuss this more tomorrow, seriously contemplating how to go about performing an exorcism. 

Please, Heavenly Father, we pray to you and thank you in advance because we know you hear our prayers. Please, guide us, let us be wholly YOURS all through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!!!!!!!!  Forgive us because we are unworthy, the only worth we have is claiming Jesus Christ as the Only worthy!

Some healers....

We are still trying to figure out how you determine whether someone is possessed by an evil spirit. I'm not sure there is an answer. We know they are real. We can't believe in Jesus without knowing there are real entities with spirit being powers. What do I mean by spirit being powers? We know spirit form can be invisible, or take on solid shape. We know spirit form in its invisible form can still interact with human beings and animals. We know spirit forms can actually make people do things- it is at this point it's possession- right? The forced action over chosen action. We can choose to follow a wrong, sinful course of action on our own, or with subtle silent nudging by evil spirits, but that doesn't make it forced. However, when an evil spirit forces a person into actions it has to be because they are possessed by that spirit, they've either yielded control or they've been allowed this possession for reasons beyond our comprehension. We know that things are allowed through no fault of a person in order for the glory of God to be revealed, but that's not always the case. Sometimes we leave ourselves open to possession don't we? Sinning opens the door. Willfully wrong doing makes us vulnerable. Being unrepentant for even our sins of ignorance is risky. When we choose not to trust in the Lord for our lives we are susceptible.

We live in a very scary world, and most people choose believe there is no such thing as evil spirits, and surely not evil spirits who can inhabit the bodies of people.

We are at a crossroads of sorts because where is the line drawn between mental illness and demon possession? How can we tell one from the other? Is it feasible to believe there are people being treated for mental illness when they should be treated for demon possession and vice versa?

If you treat someone for mental illness and they do not recover should you treat them for demon possession? If mental illness is something that needs medication to control for the rest of the person's life, could it be possible there is demon possession? Or are there brain chemicals or damage to the brain itself that make it so lifelong medication is needed? Are there definitive tests that can determine brain damage and chemical malfunctions? So very many questions. Gone are the days that people were thought demon possessed easily, though there was such a time. It had to be awful to have a mental illness and thought demon possessed.

Jesus and the apostles could tell the difference. The disciples of Jesus were given the power of the Spirit to cast out demons could tell the difference as well. We read this….

Mat 17:15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

And this…

Mat 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

In the first instance Jesus healed the son by rebuking a devil from Him. The father of that son said his son was a lunatick, crazy. This same instance relayed in another book of the Bible says this--

Mar 9:17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

Mar 9:18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

Obviously the father knew the son was possessed and that his lunacy was brought on by the evil spirit. Yet, in the second verse above-

Mat 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

Jesus healed those which were possessed with devils AND those which were lunatick. It obviously means that those that were lunatics weren't necessarily possessed by evil spirits, yet those possessed could seem to be lunatics.

So confusing for us, and it shouldn't be, should it? If demon possession still exists and there is no Biblical reason to believe it doesn't, then we need to know how to recognize it, or do we? I say that because there is no reason to believe that everyone of Christ's followers should have this ability any more than all are to have all spiritual gifts.

1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Luk 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

Luk 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Luk 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.

Luk 9:4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.

Luk 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

Luk 9:6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

Clearly there are those who can heal, and by healing that even means from demon possession, but NOT ALL are given this ability.

We know in the last days that Satan will be working a lot of miracles to deceive people-

Mat_24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

We know that and can't let ourselves be deceived, by the grace of God.

So, what have we learned today? Are we any closer to figuring out what we need to know about demon possession? It would be very easy to say that it's got nothing to do with us and leave it at that, but I can't right now for personal reasons.

For now, we'll leave things here and by the grace of God pick this up tomorrow. We need guidance, we need to pray for understanding, for revelation. Please, Father God in heaven whose name is holy, whose kingdom come, whose will is done on earth as it is in heaven, we need our daily nourishment- spiritual and physical, we need forgiveness and help us Lord to forgive others. Please, lead us not into temptation, please deliver us from all evil, Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power, Yours is the glory… forever! Please, we are praying and supplicating - seeking wisdom and knowledge, let Your will be done in us as we seek to comprehend. Help us. All in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever!!!!!!!

Cast Out, Rebuked, Commanded.

Matt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him (((JESUS))) many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick

Luk 9:42  And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 

Act 16:18  ...Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour

Cast out.

Rebuked.

Commanded in Jesus' name.

No where do we find in our God's word long drawn out examples of exorcising demons.  We are told this--

Mar 9:17  And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 

Mar 9:18  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 

Mar 9:19  He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 

Mar 9:20  And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 

Mar 9:21  And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 

Mar 9:22  And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 

Mar 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 

Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 

Mar 9:25  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 

Mar 9:26  And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 

Mar 9:27  But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 

Mar 9:28  And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 

Mar 9:29  And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. 

The last two verses here- the disciples wanted to know why they couldn’t cast this particular evil spirit out of the one possessed. This spirit was deaf and dumb- no talking, no speaking and we know for a fact from other passages on demon possession that some who are possessed have the demons speak through the one possessed, but not this one.  This evil spirit tried to kill the one it possessed, not all of them do. The evil spirts, the legion of them in those possessed in another instance inhabited their humans for a long time without attempting to kill them. Yes, the evil spirits caused them harm and gave them great strength and made their lives wretched, but it didn't attempt to kill them or else they would have succeeded, these were men near tombs, not under the protection of a loving father.  The boy brought to Jesus who the evil spirit tried to throw into fire and drown in the water was only saved because he was watched by his loving family and kept as safe as possible.  Evil spirits obviously can be of various sorts- various kinds.  Some are rebuked and cast out instantly, others only by prayer and fasting- the fasting indicating there is a length of time involved.

So, how does one know what kind of demon is possessing someone, if they know at all a demon is possessing someone?

Because we do not HAVE the ability to know concretely, beyond doubt if someone is possessed today due to the many scientific revelations of the numerous mental diseases that a person can have, what are we to do?  It's extremely hard to believe in demon possession over let's say- schizophrenia, or multiple personalities and the like.

We've all, or I should say, some of us have seen movies about demon possession - there is the famed movie classic that seemed to start a slew of copycats- 'The Exorcist'- and the details seeming step by step the discovery of a child possessed by a demon and her eventual release through exorcism in which a person dies as they try to free the child of the demon. It's very sensationalized. Since then there have been numerous movies, some even filmed as documentaries based on supposed true events. The horrors of one possessed, the trail and tribulation of trying to get them free from possession all depicted before cameras allowing people glimpses into something that may or may not be real.

I believe demon possession is a real thing because I believe the Bible, because I believe Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior and He believed in demon possession.

However, I don’t know how to determine true demon possession verses mental illness.

I do know this--

'Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'

When Jesus returns for His people many are going to tell Him that they cast out devils in His name. These many will be told by Jesus that He never knew them, they will be told to depart from Jesus, they will be told they are workers of iniquity.   All the while these workers of iniquity will be under the impression they belong to Jesus, they are living a life of a lie.

Prophesying, casting out demons, doing wonderful works…. These are things we need to be leery of, because Satan would have us caught up in the sensational, caught up in the counterfeit spiritual power.

More on this tomorrow by the will of God, by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, all through HIS love, HIS guiding, HIS truth. Please, Father, keep me from all evil! Guide me, please! I believe, LORD, help thou mine unbelief!

Jesus Alone Overcomes Satan, And We Through Him!

For now let's read of another occurrence of child demon possession-

Luk 9:37  And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. 

Luk 9:38  And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 

Luk 9:39  And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 

Luk 9:40  And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. 

Luk 9:41  And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. 

Luk 9:42  And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. 

This man cried out for Jesus calling Him- Master. Again, this person like the mother in the aforementioned occurrence recognizes that Jesus is a person of prominence, of importance, Jesus is the MASTER, the one with power, no other is the Master but Jesus.  The father cried out- Master! And told Him… I beseech thee!  He was begging Jesus.  Look upon my son. The man begged Jesus to look upon his son, and added that the child was his ONLY child. The child's father was stressing the fact he had no other child, and that this child was that important- it wasn't as if he had others. We all know just how important an only child can be to parents. If you think about it, back in the days of Jesus having a single child was an oddity- there was no birth control back then. After stressing that he wanted Jesus to look upon his only child, his son, the father explained- that a spirit takes his child and he cries out, and the spirit tears at him causing his child to foam at the mouth, the spirit bruises him, and will hardly leave him alone. 

Imagine it- a child suddenly being taken over by an evil spirit that caused him great harm. Imagine it is your child.

The father went on to tell Jesus that Jesus' disciples couldn't cast the demon out. And Jesusadmonished the disciples and told the man to bring his son to Him.  Right then the devil possessed the child fully throwing him down and tearing him up. 

The child was possessed.  The girl child of the first, and this boy child of the second both mentioned possession. Children whose parents were at their wits end because there was NOTHING they could do to help their children.  They knew they were possessed and that brings us around again to figuring out how we know when a child is possessed as opposed to having afflictions that aren't demon possession.

As I pray and hope for understanding, I continue to study God's word.

 Here is another example of healing possession.

Act 16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 

Act 16:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 

Act 16:18  And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 

Paul was going to prayer and a young girl who was possessed with a spirit of divination- an evil, unclean spirit met them. This girl brought her masters a lot of money by her soothsaying- through the use of the evil spirit possessing her. When she followed Paul and those with Paul, she cried out that Paul and the others were servants of the most high God and they would show everyone the way of salvation. She was speaking truth but to what end?

The possessed girl was used by the evil spirit to tell people their futures, their fortunes, prophesying for them and because she was used this way the people all around there knew her work and approved of her prophesies, her work. These people did not recognize the evil in her, they did not know that an evil spirit was the one giving them their personal prophesies. They only saw a young girl with special powers they attributed to good. She was after all helping them with things they wanted to know and she had to be correct in her dealing for the most part because she made her masters MUCH GAIN, a lot of money! You don't make a lot of money if all you're doing is disappointing those you are offering a service. The evil spirit, as all evil spirits, have powers of spirits and spirits can see things and know things that we think are secret. Evil spirits can influence the future because they can work as principalities and powers unseen by humans. They can work in ways we can't truly fathom. They can use all those who are willingly of the world, those who choose, even unknowingly, to be led by Satan- because they aren't choosing God knowingly. Evil spirits have a very large number of people they can influence and they bring to pass the prophecies they predict.  This young girl was well known and having her constantly pestering Paul and the others with him by calling out truth was offensive to Paul because she was corrupting the truth with the evil in her. When an evil source speaks truth it deceives. The evil spirits within her were trying to add credit to their own work by speaking truth through the young girl and Paul knew this and his heart was grieved by the fact the evil spirit was using this girl for its own ends. The evil spirit wouldn't let the girl accept salvation by the mere fact it held fast to her.  Paul saw right through the evil spirit's deceiving and had enough.

Act 16:18  ... But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 

All these evil spirits, these demons in possession of the young were recognize for what they were by Jesus and by the Apostles.   The parents recognized the possession as well.

Today we do NOT recognize demon possession easily. It is because there is less demon possession or the demons have been so fictionalized we've made it impossible to recognize reality? Perhaps when confronted with someone we think might be demon possessed we need to pray and fast. Our prayer for enlightenment, for guidance from God and only God, our prayer to comprehend what is needed.

By the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!!  Now and forever!!!!!!!  More on this tomorrow.

Possessed.

Mat 15:21  Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 

Mat 15:22  And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

Mat 15:23  But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 

Mat 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

Mat 15:25  Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 

Mat 15:26  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 

Mat 15:27  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 

Mat 15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. 

This woman's daughter grievously vexed with a devil.

This mother, a Canaanite who was not an Israelite came out to where Jesus and the disciples had just arrived and cried out to Him. First she asked for something - 'HAVE MERCY ON ME' she said this before she even acknowledged His authority.  She needed MERCY. She needed- compassion and forbearance. She KNEW she didn't deserve to be talking with Jesus. She knew she had no right whatsoever to come to Jesus. She was unclean to those of Jesus' religion, she was a Gentile. Maybe those of His own faith had a certain right to Jesus' attention, but not her. Before she could ever think about Jesus listening to her, she KNEW she needed His mercy, His compassion, His forbearing of her very presence. After crying out for mercy

she recognized Jesus as the Son of David. Being a non-Israelite she had heard of Jesus' fame, His ability to cast out demons and heal people. She didn't call out Jesus' name, she called Him the Son of David. 

Why did she call Him the Son of David, this woman who wasn't even from the Israelite lineage?

Samuel is given a message for David from the LORD--

2Sa 7:8  Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: 

2Sa 7:9  And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. 

2Sa 7:10  Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, 

2Sa 7:11  And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 

2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

There would come from David a descendent that would be God's Son. God's Son would establish a kingdom. This was the prophesized Messiah to come. The Canaanite woman knew of this prophecy of a Messiah to come. The promise of a Messiah was NO secret. This was a huge part of the Israelite religion- the coming Messiah. Being such a prominent aspect of this religion it wasn't surprising a non-Israelite would know of the prophecy.  Surely the woman had to have heard of all the wonderful miracles Jesus and His disciples were doing, how else would she have known that He could help her? She KNEW and she BELIEVED from what she'd heard. Maybe she had a relative who had been healed, or a friend, we just don't know. What we do know is she recognize immediately that Jesus was the promised Messiah from the lineage of David. She didn't call out to Him as a teacher,  or even by His name, she called out His authority, His title. 

After calling out to the Messiah of a religion, of a people that she didn't belong to, the Canaanite woman then told Him why she was talking to Him at all.  '…my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil!' She didn't just say her daughter was vexed with a devil, rather she emphasized this fact. Her daughter was GRIEVIOUSLY vexed with a devil.   What did she mean by this statement?

The Greek word-

G1139

δαιμονίζομαι

daimonizomai

Thayer Definition:

1) to be under the power of a demon.

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: middle voice from G1142

G1142

δαίμων

daimōn

Thayer Definition:

1) a god, a goddess

1a) an inferior deity, whether good or bad

2) in the NT, an evil spirit

The word is used 25 times in the New Testament-

G1139

δαιμονίζομαι

daimonizomai

Total KJV Occurrences: 25

possessed, 11

Mat_4:24, Mat_8:16, Mat_8:28, Mat_8:33, Mat_9:32, Mat_12:22, Mar_1:32, Mar_5:15-16 (2), Mar_5:18, Luk_8:36

devil, 7

Mat_9:32, Mat_15:22 (2), Mar_5:15-16 (2), Mar_5:18, Joh_10:21

devils, 6

Mat_4:24, Mat_8:16, Mat_8:28, Mat_8:33, Mar_1:32, Luk_8:36

vexed, 1

Mat_15:22

This word - this statement 'vexed with a devil'.G1139 - is associated with demon possession- 11 times the word is used for being possessed, it is used for the word devil 7 times, devils 6 times.  Clearly the woman believed her daughter to be horribly possessed by a devil.  We are going to look up the other references of possession before we continue--

Possessed-

1. Matt 4:24  And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 

2. Matt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick

3. Matt 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 

4. Matt 8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 

5. Matt 9:32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

6. Matt 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

7. Mark 1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 

8 & 9 Mark 5:15-16  And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 

 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 

10. Mark 5:18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 

11. Luke 8:36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.

Devil-

1.  Mat_9:32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 

2&3  Mat_15:22 (2) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

4 & 5 Mar_5:15-16 (2) And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 

And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 

6. Mar_5:18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 

7. Joh_10:21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? 

Devils-

1. Mat_4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

2. Mat_8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick

3. Mat_8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

4.  Mat_8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.

5. Mar_1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 

6. Luk_8:36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed

Vexed-

1. Mat_15:22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

Clearly there is a distinction between those sick, diseased, lunatic, and those possessed by devils. Not all who are sick, diseased, lunatic are possessed by devils. There was this--

Joh 9:1  And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 

Joh 9:2  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 

Joh 9:4  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 

Who did sin - this man or his parents, whose sin caused him to be blind from birth?

Jesus told them NEITHER! Neither the parents nor their son's sins caused the blindness. To assume health afflictions are all caused by personal sin, or the sins of the parents is wrong! We know that sin in and of itself brought into existence by Satan is the root cause of all evil- all sickness, yet here we are told by Jesus Himself that the man was ALLOWED blindness so that the miracle of God could be performed.

Not all are afflicted are possessed by demons any more than all who are sick are sick because of their personal sins or sins of others. These things are allowed for reasons known to God and through faith we trust that His will be done- whether that means healing, or suffering, or even death.

Someone can be lunatic- mentally afflicted without being possessed by a demon. So how do we know which is which. How did that mother know her daughter was afflicted with demon possession? How did others throughout the land during all of Jesus' ministry and even afterwards, know who was possessed?

I don't have that answer just yet, I pray God reveals it to me.

More tomorrow by the grace and mercy, the will of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and forever!!!!!!!