Christians casting out demons from Christians

[OneLight]

Fear is not of the Lord

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Spend your time here in Fear and trembling. Fear him who can kill the body and soul in hell. Fear him who can send an evil Spirit to trouble you, as he did Saul, when you are a disobedient believer.

Being sealed by the Holy Spirit only speaks of ownership of the purchased thing that has yet to be redeemed. An obedient Christian has no reason to fear devils as he is regularly practicing being one with the Holy Spirit. To say that light and darkness cannot dwell together is false as even Satan has presented himself before the throne of God with the other angels and God once sought through those in his very presence for one who would be a lying tongue in the mouth of a prophet.

Demonic influence isn't always easily detectable. A disobedient Christian may not realize when an evil spirit has come into him as a lying tongue or poor counsel to direct him into chastening. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, departing from evil is understanding.

In Jesus Name,

Gary

The fear mentioned toward the Lord is that of reverence, not of dismay. Fear has many meanings, depending on how it is used. To fear God is to know He is all powerful, yet this type of fear does not have me cowering away from Him, but draws me to Him in reverence. The fear that is brought upon a Christian thinking they have been possessed by evil spirits is not the same fear toward God.

When a Christian lies, are they possessed by a demon? Absolutely not! When a Christian looks at a person and finds lustful thoughts, are they possessed by a demon? Again, absolutely not! A demon, or evil spirit may oppress a Christian, but they can never possess them.

I would be more then willing to change my mind on this if anyone can provide scripture that states that someone who accepted Christ became possessed by an evil spirit or demon. So people don't waste their time, by following the leading of sin does not prove that they are demon possessed.

OK, help me to understand this. You see:

Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and understanding is departing from evil

And it is all about reverent fear to you? The scripture states that this fear of God causes one to depart from evil. Why would they depart from evil? Because they are 'drawn to him in reverence'? NO. They are terrified of the judgment they know is imminent if they continue being evil. But not for those who believe that Jesus died for them and what they do (evil) has no effect upon the upcoming judgment. To them it is a 'drawing to him in reverence'. They do evil and fear not. They are deluded to believe that their works don't matter.

Fear him who can kill both body and soul in Hell. Depart from evil and do good.

Maybe it would be good for you, Alan, if God would send a couple of evil spirits to give you a workout so that you might understand what it means to fear God? I have had it happen to me. It isn't nice.

Gary

It seems it is a waste of time to carry it further with one light. I have given scripture after scripture, even nailing the matter down with II Corinth. 10:4-5 which proves that the battle is within and not without. How hard is it to grasp that the land of Canaan had STRONGHOLDS that were manned with evil enemies...and that those STRONHOLDS were to be brought down by God's command; so by analogy Christians who have surrendered parts of their heart and/or mind have STRONGHOLDS that are manned by the enemy (devils) and those STRONGHOLDS must be cast down and the enemy eliminated.(?)

Furthermore, I made it clear that demonic invasion of believers is not possession. The devils who manage to enter the lives of believers are squatters...they do not own the believer; Christ does. But just as His temple in the old testament was at times invaded by evil enemies, so can the 'temple' (body, mind, heart) of any believer who sins against God without confession and repentance of sin. Paul made it clear that strongholds he was speaking of were/are in the imagination need to be brought down.

But one cannot persuade someone who doesn't have the will to believe what God's Word plainly says.

How is being a "squatter" different then possessing someone. A squatter lives in the land they squat on, possessing the land until the land owner comes and removes them. That is saying that the Holy Spirit leaves so evil spirits can move in until He returns. Makes no biblical sense at all. In fact, it goes against scripture ... "I will never leave nor forsake you." I see scripture very plainly and understand that a believer cannot be possessed once they have the Holy Spirit.

[OneLight]

Furthermore, I made it clear that demonic invasion of believers is not possession. The devils who manage to enter the lives of believers are squatters...they do not own the believer; Christ does. But just as His temple in the old testament was at times invaded by evil enemies, so can the 'temple' (body, mind, heart) of any believer who sins against God without confession and repentance of sin. Paul made it clear that strongholds he was speaking of were/are in the imagination need to be brought down.

This is the truth. It has been my personal experience and the experience of many I know.

They are being oppressed by evil spirits and I have agreed with oppression all along. I refuse to believe that the Holy Spirit will allow an evil spirit to even "squat" in a believer. If squatting means hanging all over them until they can no longer stand the stench, that is different then possessing a person.

[Floatingaxe]

Furthermore, I made it clear that demonic invasion of believers is not possession. The devils who manage to enter the lives of believers are squatters...they do not own the believer; Christ does. But just as His temple in the old testament was at times invaded by evil enemies, so can the 'temple' (body, mind, heart) of any believer who sins against God without confession and repentance of sin. Paul made it clear that strongholds he was speaking of were/are in the imagination need to be brought down.

This is the truth. It has been my personal experience and the experience of many I know.

They are being oppressed by evil spirits and I have agreed with oppression all along. I refuse to believe that the Holy Spirit will allow an evil spirit to even "squat" in a believer. If squatting means hanging all over them until they can no longer stand the stench, that is different then possessing a person.

Those in the deliverance ministry no longer make the distinction between the conventional terms of 'possession' or 'oppression'. When the enemy sets up a stronghold in the life of anyone, the torment is equally painful, and it needs dealing with the same way.

I myself, after having been a born again Christian for about 16 years, was delivered of a strong demon that I had allowed in my life when I went through a period of rebellion. I know a dear young woman who accepted the Lord at age seven and at age twenty was delivered of four demons, each who gave their names and said they had been there since she was ten. The gateway was a major rejection she experienced in her young life. It was no surprise that one of the demons' names was given as 'Rejection'. I was present in worship at church when a young woman with two children who had known Jesus Christ for a few years began to act out in a bizarre way and eventually had to undergo deliverance. These are only three examples of Christians who have had to undergo deliverance. They are everywhere. Christians, out of ignorance and/or rebellion, can allow demons to invade their lives. Hence the many warnings in scripture to live circumspectly and to flee immorality and submit to God and resist the devil!

[gdemoss]

Fear is not of the Lord

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Spend your time here in Fear and trembling. Fear him who can kill the body and soul in hell. Fear him who can send an evil Spirit to trouble you, as he did Saul, when you are a disobedient believer.

Being sealed by the Holy Spirit only speaks of ownership of the purchased thing that has yet to be redeemed. An obedient Christian has no reason to fear devils as he is regularly practicing being one with the Holy Spirit. To say that light and darkness cannot dwell together is false as even Satan has presented himself before the throne of God with the other angels and God once sought through those in his very presence for one who would be a lying tongue in the mouth of a prophet.

Demonic influence isn't always easily detectable. A disobedient Christian may not realize when an evil spirit has come into him as a lying tongue or poor counsel to direct him into chastening. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, departing from evil is understanding.

In Jesus Name,

Gary

The fear mentioned toward the Lord is that of reverence, not of dismay. Fear has many meanings, depending on how it is used. To fear God is to know He is all powerful, yet this type of fear does not have me cowering away from Him, but draws me to Him in reverence. The fear that is brought upon a Christian thinking they have been possessed by evil spirits is not the same fear toward God.

When a Christian lies, are they possessed by a demon? Absolutely not! When a Christian looks at a person and finds lustful thoughts, are they possessed by a demon? Again, absolutely not! A demon, or evil spirit may oppress a Christian, but they can never possess them.

I would be more then willing to change my mind on this if anyone can provide scripture that states that someone who accepted Christ became possessed by an evil spirit or demon. So people don't waste their time, by following the leading of sin does not prove that they are demon possessed.

OK, help me to understand this. You see:

Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and understanding is departing from evil

And it is all about reverent fear to you? The scripture states that this fear of God causes one to depart from evil. Why would they depart from evil? Because they are 'drawn to him in reverence'? NO. They are terrified of the judgment they know is imminent if they continue being evil. But not for those who believe that Jesus died for them and what they do (evil) has no effect upon the upcoming judgment. To them it is a 'drawing to him in reverence'. They do evil and fear not. They are deluded to believe that their works don't matter.

Fear him who can kill both body and soul in Hell. Depart from evil and do good.

Maybe it would be good for you, Alan, if God would send a couple of evil spirits to give you a workout so that you might understand what it means to fear God? I have had it happen to me. It isn't nice.

Gary

How many different definitions does the word fear have? Fear is not always shaking in your boots. Fear is also respect and reverence. I did not turn to God because I feared God, I came to Him because He loved me. What kind of a relationship is based on fear? Compare that to what kind of a relationship is based on love.

Gary, you have no idea of my past and what I have come through. Please never wish on anyone that God sends them an evil spirit. That is the most unloving thing anyone has said to me in years.

You are correct. I have no idea of your past or what you have came through. It seems obvious that you have not known the Fear of God and I do wish that God would give you a healthy dose that you might have a true relationship with him. The modern lovey dovey idea about God where God is love and therefore love is God is false. God is love but love is not God. Moses was a man who had the least amount of reason to be afraid of God yet he did exceedingly fear and tremble. Adam hid behind a tree because of his fear of God. Jesus cried out to God with strong crying and tears because he needed to be saved from death and was heard because he feared. Noah moved by fear built an ark. Rahab feared God and hid the messengers because of it. Poor Job, who was perfect and upright in all his ways, suffered tremendously at the hand of God, yet you won't fear him.

Taken from Websters 1828:

reverence

REV'ERENCE, n. [L. reverentia.]

1. Fear mingled with respect and esteem; veneration.

When quarrels and factions are carried openly, it is a sign that the reverence of government is lost.

The fear acceptable to God, is a filial fear, an awful reverence of the divine nature, proceeding from a just esteem of his perfections, which produces in us an inclination to his service and an unwillingness to offend him.

Reverence is nearly equivalent to veneration, but expresses something less of the same emotion. It differs from awe, which is an emotion compounded of fear, dread or terror, with admiration of something great, but not necessarily implying love or affection. We feel reverence for a parent, and for an upright magistrate, but we stand in awe of a tyrant. This distinction may not always be observed.

Webster explained that a 'fear acceptable to God' is the fear a child would have toward a parent. He goes on to say that this acceptable fear would be an 'awful reverence' not just a reverence. An awful reverence would include a certain amount of dread and terror. My children have this fear toward me because I love them enough to use a biblical parenting model with them. They know that what I say is law and that they are expected to abide in my law or face judgment for their actions. My laws are not grievous as they are modeled after my Fathers who is in heaven. True awful reverence wasn't observed in my children until they fell into judgment once or twice for being considered unrighteous and received a just reward for their error.

God chastens those he loves and scourges every son he receives. If you are receiving chastening at the hand of the Lord, you are going to understand 'awful reverence' of him as well. If your not then your not really his child but only fooling yourself and it would be unloving of me to leave you in that condition without challenging your belief. I have been taken out to the woodshed by God the Father on a couple of occasions and he put the Fear of God in my heart permanently. I understand that when he shows me something in his word he expects that I will preform it without murmur or complaint. Although he is patient, his patience has an end and its end is justice.

Maybe, it could be, that you are just so submissive in your relationship with the Father and preforming his will in your life to an excellence that far exceeds anything worthy of correction and therefore never put in a place of serious correction that would cause God to instill the fear of God within you. That just doesn't wash. Everyone is put to the test by God for the purpose of proving their loyalty unto him. He scourges every son he receives, not just those who falter or fail. He proves everyone like one would prove a yoke of oxen. Everyone learns obedience to God the Father through the things which he allows them to suffer.

The fear of God is clean. I suggest a word study on strongs 5401 fear. You will find that all 3 of the occurances of the phrase 'fear of God' in the new testament refer to a 'trembling and dread' based fear that can clearly be seen in the use of the word in the new testament. In truth, one does not need to fear the judgment of God if they have lived in fear of him here and that fear has driven them to understanding him and the truth of his word. The word then doing its work of sanctification as it washes the man and matures him in Christ and perfects him in the love of God for others and therefore casts out fear and the torment that fear brings.

In Jesus Name,

Gary

[OneLight]

You are correct. I have no idea of your past or what you have came through. It seems obvious that you have not known the Fear of God and I do wish that God would give you a healthy dose that you might have a true relationship with him.

You could not be further from the truth. Besides your lack of discernment about a brother, allow me to remind you of the Terms of Service you agreed to.

Abuse of other posters is not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, name calling, insulting, harassing, threatening or in any way invading the privacy of another poster.

Debate the subject, not the person. It is possible to disagree about a doctrine or subject under discussion without insulting the person with whom you are debating. Also remember that the fact that a person disagrees with you does not mean they are attacking you as a person. Respect each other in the love of God! This is the main reason that threads get stopped, shut down, and even deleted! Users that cannot respect others will be banned. (Lev. 19:18)

This applies to everyone.

[OneLight]

The fear of God is clean. I suggest a word study on strongs 5401 fear. You will find that all 3 of the occurances of the phrase 'fear of God' in the new testament refer to a 'trembling and dread' based fear that can clearly be seen in the use of the word in the new testament. In truth, one does not need to fear the judgment of God if they have lived in fear of him here and that fear has driven them to understanding him and the truth of his word. The word then doing its work of sanctification as it washes the man and matures him in Christ and perfects him in the love of God for others and therefore casts out fear and the torment that fear brings.

In Jesus Name,

Gary

Now, if you are really as up on what fear is, you may also review more then just G5401. You mentioned that the fear found in Proverbs 1. That is H3374. Tell you what, look here and start from the beginning and run through until the end so you can have a better grasp on the word fear. I would also suggest a Complete Word Dictionary for bother Hebrew and Greek for a much deeper understanding then just a Strong's Concordance, if that is what you were referring to.

[other one]

Maybe it would be good for you, Alan, if God would send a couple of evil spirits to give you a workout so that you might understand what it means to fear God? I have had it happen to me. It isn't nice.

Gary

How can you say that to someone? If you've had that happen to you, you certainly didn't have the experiences with it that I did or you could never say that to another person for any reason whatsoever...... as for me it was myself that got involved with them and what learned was the love of God and not fear.

Are you so sure it was God that sent the spirit/s to you, or your own doings?

[j102]

i know this is an old topic but i thought i'd put in my 2 cents. there are many people teaching christians can be demon possesed. remember dear christians what jesus said " he died to destory the works of the devil and else where christ said "behold i give you power over the enemy and nothing by any means shall harm you". i was watching the anderson cooper show last week where bob larson was a guest, and it just makes me sick seeing how he is making the poor souls think they are possesed and taking money from them at the same time.

have we as christians started to put more trust in our so called experiences rather than god's word?

can anyone show me in the bible where a christian had a demon cast out of them? and rember context is the key when understanding scripture.

Yes, the 'daughter of Abraham' Jesus spoke of in Luke 13

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, th

ou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

I have had hundreds of counseling sessions in the last 28 yrs and about 95 % of them were/are professing Christians. About 150 times devils manifested through their personality

while I talked to them and after they confessed their sins I cast them out. Most of the time I did nothing to cause the devils to reveal themselves: God forced them up.

There is no scriptural teaching that tells us that believers cannot be invaded by demonic spirits. If they sin...they can open doors to them.

Best wishes.

that happend before jesus went to the cross and god started the new covenant. real christians can be influenced by satan but not possesed. if christians can be possessed then jesus died for nothing plus that's saying satan has more power than god

[gdemoss]

Maybe it would be good for you, Alan, if God would send a couple of evil spirits to give you a workout so that you might understand what it means to fear God? I have had it happen to me. It isn't nice.

Gary

How can you say that to someone? If you've had that happen to you, you certainly didn't have the experiences with it that I did or you could never say that to another person for any reason whatsoever...... as for me it was myself that got involved with them and what learned was the love of God and not fear.

Are you so sure it was God that sent the spirit/s to you, or your own doings?

First, let me say that I did not pray that God would but merely made a suggestion to OneLight. I have prayed to God on the subject but that He would do what is in OneLights best interest as it pertains to his walk with Christ. I trust God knows best.

How could I suggest such a thing? Yes, I had it happen to me. No, I did not invite them or get involved with them. God sent them. It was the most horrific experience of my entire life. I wished for death many times through it. But in the end after God had lifted his heavy hand from upon me and showed unto me the 'why', my life changed permanently and my dependence upon God to lead and show me all things was magnified. God knows what is right for OneLight and that is what I pray he will do for him. Those things were not addressed in my post.

Demons influence over Christians is extremely real to those who have experienced it. I dare say that anyone who would make light of such a thing is tempting the Lord in ignorance and I fear for that person the consequence. The scripture never says that a man cannot be controlled by an evil spirit upon his becoming a believer. Some believe that the seal of the Holy Spirit prevents such a thing and from my own experience I believe this to be error.

With Love in the Lord,

Gary

[OneLight]

Maybe it would be good for you, Alan, if God would send a couple of evil spirits to give you a workout so that you might understand what it means to fear God? I have had it happen to me. It isn't nice.

Gary

How can you say that to someone? If you've had that happen to you, you certainly didn't have the experiences with it that I did or you could never say that to another person for any reason whatsoever...... as for me it was myself that got involved with them and what learned was the love of God and not fear.

Are you so sure it was God that sent the spirit/s to you, or your own doings?

First, let me say that I did not pray that God would but merely made a suggestion to OneLight. I have prayed to God on the subject but that He would do what is in OneLights best interest as it pertains to his walk with Christ. I trust God knows best.

I knew exactly what you meant. But you were communicating with an individual who is fearful of such things and therefore his understanding of scripture is tainted on the subject. I've seen that fear many times in professing Christians and no matter how clear the scrptures are on the truth that devils can and do invade the lives of believers at times, some will never believe it.

But II Corinthians 10:4-5 still stands and nothing could be clearer.

Thank you for that. I know exactly what you are talking about. It happened to two of my own children many years ago and I had to deal with it as their father and pastor. How shocking it was that devils had not only invaded my home but into the minds of my children. One devil had such control over my daughter that when he manifested through her personality and told me how much he hated me, he caused her bottom lip to stretch clear down to her chin and her upper lip curled completely up to her nose. Oh, how he mocked me..."We've been here for a long time, preacher man, and you didn't even know it!"

Best wishes and God bless you.

I can guarantee you that I am not fearful of anything demonic possessing me. Fear like that is not of God. Those who believe in such a lie control people with such fear. You may as well say that Satan has more power then God does.

There is no scripture you can point to that tells us that a demonic spirit can control anyone who has given their life over to God. They can, and I have said this over and over again, oppress them enough so that they begin to listen to them and turn from Christ, but they cannot possess them and control them. That is a lie out of the pit of hell.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.