Spiritual Warfare- Lesson 3

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

An introduction to Spiritual Warfare Lesson 3

Demon Possession

Purpose To understand how demon possession can affect Christians in their walk with Jesus. Definition Demons are probably the angels who sinned by following Satan in his rebellion against God. They now oppose the will of God and do the will of Satan. The key thing to remember as you study this topic is that we have authority over these fallen angels in Jesus' name. Use the references listed below to see what is said about fallen angels and their current standing as it relates to us. Is. 14:12–15, Matt. 25:41; Mark 16:17, 18, Rom. 8:38, 39, Eph. 1:20–22, Rev. 12:7–10 “Demon Possession” Our English word “demon” comes from the Greek noun “daimon.” The Greek verb is “daimonizomai” which has been translated to “demon possessed” when it is more accurately “demonized”. In New Testament times the word demon meant “evil spirit.” The Bible teaches that a personal devil [Satan] is assisted by evil spirits in opposition to the work of God, and contrary to the welfare of people (Mark 3:22–26; Rev. 12:9). Some biblical examples of demonic attacks are: afflicting people with evil purposes (1 Tim. 4:1, 2); Mental derangement (Matt. 8:28, 29), and physical illness (Mark 9:17–27). It is important to clarify at this point that not all such illnesses and afflictions are the result of demonic influence.

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1. Why is the term: “demon possession” sometimes misleading?

2. What area of your life do you think that Satan is trying to influence and or control? (See Corinthians 6:19,20) 3. There are often arguments against the possibility of demonization” After the points below that are listed, summarize your thoughts for each one. a) Good and evil cannot dwell together. 2 Corinthians 11:4, Ephesians 4:27. (In this passage, foothold comes from the Greek: topos, which is where we get the word “topography, which means place, region and it is used over 80 times in Scripture. Mt. 7:13 - 29, 2 Cor. 11:3 - 4,13 - 15; 2Thess 2:11, to give a few.)

b) God automatically protects believers. James 4; 7, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 1 John 4:1 - 6

c) Our enemy is external, not internal. Romans 6:13

d) Talking about demons does more harm than good. To reveal Satan’s clandestine operation and discover effective methods for defeating him leads to victorious Christian living. Withholding information for fear of upsetting someone does nothing to relieve his or her troubles as Satan continues then to exist in the dark.

4. Read each of the following verses and indicate how they relate to sin and Satan’s influence in our lives. 1 Jn 1:9; 1 Sam 16:16; Acts 5: 1 - 11; 2 Cor 2:10 - 11; 1 Cor. 5:1 - 7; Gal 3:1; Eph 4:26 - 27; 1 Tim 1:19 - 20; Jam. 3:13 16; 2 Cor. 11:3 5. Read the following passages. What was God’s attitude toward occult practices in the Old Testament? Lev 19:31; Deut 18:10 - 12; 1 Chron. 10:13 14; 2 Kin. 21:6; 23:23; 2 Chron 33:6; Is 8:19; 47:9 - 14

6. Make a list of various occultist activities seen in our world today. Spiritual Warfare | Introduction Lesson 3 Christian Victory © All Rights Reserved -2-

7. In your opinion, is there a difference between sleight of hand magic tricks and the magic that the Bible speaks against?

8. Describe how ancestral sin can be an open door for demonic influence.

9. Do you believe it is possible to suffer the consequences of ancestral sin? Ex. 20:55; Ex. 34:7; Lev. 26:30-43; Jer. 32:18; Lam. 5:7; 1 Kin. 14-16; Jer. 16:10-13; Neh. 9: 33-37; Mt. 23:32-36; Rom. 1:21-32

10. List other possible causes for demonization.

11. Differentiate between the following terms: a) The Flesh b) The World c) Satan 12. Do you believe that Satan is the primary source of every spiritual battle we face? Why or why not? 13. If a problem is not demonic in nature, but a lack of control over the flesh, how does one begin to walk according to the Holy Spirit? Rom. 8:2; Rom. 8:12-13; Rom. 6:12-14; Rom.12:12; Gal. 5 14. Create a plan of action for yielding the members of your body to the control of the Holy Spirit. 15. How does the sinful environment of the world relate to our struggle with the flesh? 16. According to 1: John 5:4-5,how can we overcome this evil world? 17. Faith is used as both a noun and a verb. What does faith mean in each instance? 18. While distinctions between the flesh, the world and Satan are helpful; they can often be mingled together in such a way that makes separation difficult. Provide an example where separation might be easy to discern and when it might be difficult to notice.

Food for thought: In your opinion, do most of our struggles result from the flesh, the devil, the environment, or all three? Spiritual Warfare | Introduction Lesson 3 Christian Victory © All Rights Reserved -3-

Practical Application: Conduct a study of your family tree to determine if any relatives engaged in occultist, cultic or non - Christian experiences. If so, begin a process of personal renunciation from their past involvement. Digging Deeper: Choose one of the erroneous arguments in question and conduct a personal study of the issue. Summarize your findings.

Several other books are very helpful in studying this subject further. They are listed below. Know What You Believe, Paul Little Angels: God's Secret Messengers, Billy Graham Spiritual Warfare, Ray Stedman

Spiritual Warfare | Introduction Lesson 3 Christian Victory © All Rights Reserved -4-

1. Why is the term: “demon possession” sometimes misleading? The term implies ownership by demons.

2. What area of your life do you think that Satan is trying to influence and or control? (See Corinthians 6:19-20)

3. There are often arguments against the possibility of demonization” After the points below that are listed, summarize your thoughts for each one. a) Good and evil cannot dwell together. 2 Corinthians 11:4, Ephesians 4:27. (In this passage, foothold comes from the Greek: topos, which is where we get the word “topography, which means place, region and it is used over 80 times in Scripture. (Mt. 7:13-29, 2 Cor. 11:3-4, 13-15; 2Thess 2:1-17 to give a few.) The answer is made clear by remembering that "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" I Cor. 6:19. The Temple in Jerusalem had three parts: Outer Court, Holy Place and Holy of Holies. The presence of God dwelt solely in the Holy of Holies. The three compartments in the Temple correspond to man's tripartite being: body, soul and spirit. For the Christian, the human spirit corresponds to the Holy of Holies, which is the dwelling place of The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit desires us to submit every area of our "temple" to His control. Other temple areas include the mind, the emotions, the will and the physical body .

b) God automatically protects believers. James 4; 7, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 1 John 4:16 c) Our enemy is external, not internal. Romans 6:13

d) Talking about demons does more harm than good. To reveal Satan’s clandestine operation and discover effective methods for defeating him leads to victorious Christian living. Withholding information for fear of upsetting someone does nothing to relieve his or her troubles as Satan continues then to exist in the dark. 4. Read each of the following verses and indicate how they relate to sin and Satan’s influence in our lives. 1 Jn 1:9; 1 Sam 16:16; Acts 5: 1-11; 2 Cor 2:10-11; 1 Cor. 5:17; Gal 3:1; Eph 4:26-27; 1 Tim 1:19-20; Jam. 3:13-16; 2 Cor. 11:3

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5. Read the following passages. Lev 19:31; Deut 18:10-12; 1 Chron. 10:13-14; 2 Kin. 21:6; 23:23; 2 Chron 33:6; Is 8:19; 47:9-14. What was God’s attitude toward occult practices in the Old Testament?

6. Make a list of various occultist activities seen in our world today.

7. In your opinion is there a difference between sleight of hand magic tricks and the magic the Bible speaks against?

8. Describe how ancestral sin can be an open door for demonic influence.

9. Do you believe it is possible to suffer the consequences of ancestral sin? Ex. 20:55; Ex. 34:7; Lev. 26:30-43; Jer. 32:18; Lam. 5:7; 1 Kin. 14-16; Jer. 16:10-13; Neh. 9: 33-37; Mt. 23:32-36; Rom. 1:21-32

10. List other possible causes for demonization.

11. Differentiate between the following terms: a) The Flesh Romans 6:1214 b) The World Satan works to create a world to appeal to and to corrupt our flesh. 1John 2:16 c) Satan

12. Do you believe that Satan is the primary source of every spiritual battle we face? Why or why not?

13. If a problem is not demonic in nature, but a lack of control over the flesh, how does one begin to walk according to the Holy Spirit? Rom. 8:2; Rom. 8:12-13; Rom. 6:12-14; Rom. 12:12; Gal. 5

14. Create a plan of action for yielding the members of your body to the control of the Holy Spirit.

15. How does the sinful environment of the world relate to our struggle with the flesh? Spiritual Warfare | Introduction Lesson 3 Christian Victory © All Rights Reserved -6-

16. According to 1: John 5:4-5, how can we overcome this evil world?

17. Faith is used as both a noun and a verb. What does faith mean in each instance? As a noun, it refers to the whole body of revealed truth, which has come to us by the revelation of God. As verb, it refers to practical application and appropriation of our Victory through Jesus. 18. While distinctions between the flesh, the world and Satan are helpful; they can often be mingled together in such a way that makes separation difficult. Provide an example where separation might be easy to discern and when it might be difficult to notice.

Food for thought: In your opinion, do most of our struggles result from the flesh, the devil, the environment, or all three?

Practical Application: Conduct a study of your family tree to determine if any relatives engaged in occultist, cultic or non – Christian experiences. If so, begin a process of personal renunciation from their past involvement. Digging Deeper: Choose one of the erroneous arguments in question and conduct a personal study of the issue. Summarize your findings.

Several other books are very helpful in studying this subject further. They are listed below. Know What You Believe, Paul Little Angels: God's Secret Messengers, Billy Graham Spiritual Warfare, Ray Stedman

Spiritual Warfare | Introduction Lesson 3 Christian Victory © All Rights Reserved -7-