SPIRITUAL WARFARE SERIES

(Deliverance is the children’s bread)





This series on spiritual warfare has been long overdue, hasn’t it? The fact that most churches do not preach or teach on this subject anymore does not mean it isn’t important. You see, church, everything in the Bible is important and should be preached.

Let me make something clear to you. I do not see demons behind every bush. I actually do not even dwell on the subject that much. But, I am not and will not be ignorant of all that God has done for us. I find it to be a high priority to understand why Jesus died on that cross for us. I want to know and understand the tools and concepts Jesus taught us in the New Testament. Certainly Jesus taught us who our enemy is. And he, through his apostles and followers in the New Testament, has shown us how to resist the devil so he will flee from us. My pastor in Michigan used to say “The devil would flee from us as in terror.” And, that is exactly how I want it for you and for me.

Let me welcome you and let me stress once again, everyone is welcome in this service. This 24/7, week long, online church is designed to lead you to Jesus so you may have a victorious life on this earth and eternal life with God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Please turn with me to James 4:7 and let’s read it together.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

The interesting thing about this is James was talking to believers. So, the advice he gave to them would also apply to us, wouldn’t it? In today’s terms, submitting yourselves to God would mean reading his Word (the Bible), and choosing to follow God’s instructions for living. The truth is, you can only do this by faith in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross. The first thing James says, resist the devil and he will flee from you – so what does that say to us? To be blunt, it tells us that even though we are saved by the grace of God, the devil is still hell bound on destroying us and drawing us away from God. Well, how do you see it?

My friends, Satan deploys his evil spirits, which we know commonly as demons, to attack us in every way possible. This brings us to the question people, including many preachers, like to ignore. Can Christians have demons? I have a good pastor friend in Tennessee who says “Christians can have anything they want.” Unfortunately, they can
also have things they may not want, such as oppression from evil spirits.

Now, before you close your mind to this teaching, let’s look at the Bible and see what God’s Word has to say on this subject. Who is deliverance for? Who should devils be cast out of? Believers or nonbelievers? You want the truth don’t you? Mark 7:24-27, talking about Jesus here, states:

“And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into a house, and would have no man know it: But, he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation: And she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, let the children first be filled: For it is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it unto dogs.”

Basically what this scripture is saying, is that deliverance and healing are the children’s bread. Deliverance and the casting out of devils are not for the unbeliever, but is for God’s children, which believers in the saving grace of Jesus Christ are. Do you get this, church? It is very important!! Simply put, deliverance is the children’s bread. That is the reason when Paul was talking to the church of Ephesus, he stated, as we have pointed out in every segment of this series, in Ephesians 6:12, which was a message to believers:

“For we (believers) 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.”

So let us repeat ourselves. Deliverance and the casting out of devils is the children’s bread. It is only one tool to resist the devil so he has to flee out of us and not be able to return to harm us. Why? Because we will fill our hearts and spirits with the protection that God’s Word provides for us. That, my friends, is what the unbeliever or you might say, non Christian, would not do. The very reason when Jesus says in Mark 16:17:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.”

Jesus is not talking here about casting devils out of nonbelievers. Let me prove it to you. Turn with me to Matthew 12:43-45. Please, pay real good attention here, Jesus is speaking:

“When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he sayeth, I will return into mine house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: And the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”

How much clearer could it be said? Demons consider your bodies as their house. My friends, the worst thing you could ever do to a nonbelieving friend, relative or stranger, would be to cast evil spirits out of them. You would be condemning them to a fate seven times worse than whatever state they were when you began this. You want to cast the devil out of them, get them saved. Then cast the devil out and fill their heart up with the Word of God.

Now you see why deliverance is only the children’s bread. Wow, we have covered a lot of ground this week, haven’t we? You know, church, I very rarely recommend books to you. But I am going to make an exception this week. There is a book based entirely on the Bible entitled “Pigs in the Parlor” by Frank and Ida Hammond. This is a great basic book on spiritual warfare, which of course includes deliverance and the casting out of evil spirits. The premise is this: If you were a farmer and you left the front door open and the pigs walked through your door into your parlor, would you let them stay there? Of course you wouldn’t!! Then as believers, if evil spirits enter into you would you not kick them out just as quickly? Pigs in the Parlor can be found in most Christian bookstores. You may have to order it as it was written quite a number of years ago. But the truth it reveals is still valid today. You may find it in the spiritual warfare section of your Bible book store. I urge you to read this book and read every scripture it refers you to. You will become well informed and will be blessed.

Next week we will conclude this series on spiritual warfare by revealing how demons enter in. But, most importantly, how they can be blocked from entering in. You see, my friends, God is revealing these things to you because he loves you. Let’s leave you this week with a special scripture. II Timothy 1:7:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

In other words, church, if you sense a spirit of fear while digesting this message, it is not of God. So cast it out, in Jesus name.

God Bless You,
Bro. Bob

Urgent Prayer Requests: Please pray for Regina Hidley. Regina is a mother of small children and she has lost her job. She needs finances to pay her bills and to care for her children. Please pray that God will lead her to good employment that pays well, has good benefits, and safe working conditions.

We have a prayer request for Brenda. We ask the Church to pray for her personal needs.