Hi & welcome back, reader! I pray you're having a blessed day, and may the Jesus Christ be your Perfect Peace!
Today, I'm gonna talk about sin being the gateway for demons, & focus specifically on the following:
[You can now click the subtitles above to take you directly to the specific topic, if you want!]
Like I mentioned in the previous post, a disciple's #1 resource should be the Bible, and of course, I will show you these specifics in the Bible.
You may also view the individual pictures on the blog's IG (@tamarstestimony).
Let's begin!
The Demonic Kingdom
As a disciple of Christ, I am aware of the demonic kingdom. I know Fallen Angels are real. I know Nephilim are real. Demons are real. Satan is real. Demon possession is real.
If you don't believe any of these things are real, then you are in trouble. You are easy prey for them. You are blinded by the god of this world: Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Let's read Ephesians 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." KJV Version.
What are principalities? According to Blue Letter Bible, the fifth definition in the "outline of Biblical usage", you'll see,
"V. the first place, principality, rule, magistracy of angels and demons" (blueletterbible.org).
What are powers?
"ii. one who possesses authority
b. the leading and more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates." (blueletterbible.org).
What are rulers? According to Blue Letter Bible, the definition in the "outline of Biblical usage", you'll see,
" I. lord of the world, prince of this age
A. the devil and his demons" (blueletterbible.org)
What is spiritual wickedness? In the Blue Letter Bible, spiritual is defined as,
"ll. belonging to a spirit, or a being higher than man but inferior to God" (blueletterbible.org)
And wickedness is defined as,
"l. depravity, iniquity, wickedness
ll. malice
lll. evil purposes and desires" (blueletterbible.org)
So "spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12) means beings HIGHER than man but INFERIOR to God (who are depraved and have evil purposes and desires) that are in high places.
Which describes the demonic kingdom.
***You see how easy it was to break down ONE scripture? When you do not understand a scripture, don't read over it. Use the Blue Letter Bible (blueletterbible.org) as a resource, when studying The Word of God. I find it very beneficial.***
Pay attention to this: If there are angels in heaven with authority & power (like Michael and Gabriel), what makes you think there aren't unclean spirits with authority & power? Everything The Most High does, Satan has his own perverse copy.
The Most High's Laws Are Your Protection
In the first part of this series, I explained what sin is. According to 1 John 3:4, "Whosoever committeth sin trangresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." KJV Version.
Sin is to disobey The Most High. Sin is to go against His laws and commandments.
Think about laws in today's society. I went to The Judicial Learning Center's website, and this is what it says about laws,
"Laws protect our general safety...We have laws to help provide for our general safety." (judiciallearningcenter.org)
For example, speed limits and traffic laws. We have them to avoid accidents. If you DON'T follow those laws, you are at RISK of an accident, or even a potential death.
The same is with The Most High.
His laws are in place to protect you. When you sin, you are exiting the protection and covering of Jesus Christ. But the thing is,
"What is He protecting us from?!"
The very demonic kingdom I mentioned before this segment. His laws are YOUR protection from the principalities, powers, rulers of darkness in this world, and the spiritual wickedness in high places.
I challenge people to change their perspective of The Most High's laws; however, I know it will be a hard shift for mankind because of one of the two reasons:
1. Man views The Most High's laws as, "He just doesn't want us to have fun!"
When a father tells his daughter, "I do not want you hanging out with that boy!" or "No, you cannot go to that party!" To the daughter, hanging out with a boy and going to parties are fun, and dad is just being "strict" and a
"party-pooper".
No, dad is trying to protect you.
He is trying to prevent a young boy or even multiple boys from taking advantage of you and raping you. He is worried about your safety.
The same is with The I AM. He is our Protector.
We should view The Most High as our Father because that's exactly who He is! HELLO, "Our Father which art in heaven..."? His Prayer in Matthew 6?
A father protects his children and Jesus protects His children.
2. Man does not believe, or man is not aware of the demonic kingdom, so they don't feel the need to be protected.
I mean it's simple. If you don't believe you're in danger, you won't see the need for protection.
As a result, people continue to sin. Ignorantly or willingly, opening gateways for demons and evil spirits to oppress and posses them.
Man CANNOT Fight Evil Spirits Alone
We simply cannot. Evil spirits have had the ability to oppress and possess mankind, since The Fall of Man. Do you know how LONG ago that event was?
Now, I am 20 years old. Let's say I'm not a Christian. I am habitually living in sin. Therefore, exiting the protection and covering of Jesus Christ.
Now, picture a 2000+ year old evil spirit. The spirit has studied Man's behavior since The Fall of Man. The spirit has 2000+ years of knowledge and I have 20 (well, really 17 because I don't think we grasp stuff until the age 3). The evil spirit is very skilled. The demon has power, but what do I have? What power does man have alone?
Do you see what I'm getting at? Think about this.
I don't think we fully understand how WEAK & fragile mankind is. For example, I can cut my finger. It can get infected, and I can die next week. A simple cut can kill me.
I can only go a limited number of days without food or water before I die. Let me reiterate: WE CAN DIE! Evil spirits cannot die. They are spirits. Evil spirits will spend eternity in the lake of fire being tortured, but they won't die. Only flesh can die. So we... Mankind... FLESH, can die.
Back to the topic at hand,
What in MY weak & fragile being can I use to fight a 2000+ year old evil spirit? What do I have to defend myself? A 20 year old woman against a 2000+ year old evil spirit. Who will win? Verdict says 2000+ year old demon.
If you are NOT covered in the blood of Jesus Christ, you cannot go up against a demon. If you do NOT have the full armor of God on (Ephesians 6:13-18), you cannot go up against a demon.
If you are living a sinful life, you CANNOT go up against a demon. Because like we have already addressed, sin is to transgress against the laws of The Most High. And what happens when you transgress against His laws? You are exiting the covering and protection of Jesus Christ. You are opening a door--a gateway for evil spirits to come into your life.
Let's go over a bible story about man's "power" versus demon's power, shall we?
The 7 Sons of Sceva
This story is found in Acts 19:13-16. I'm going to type it in the Amplified Version, so you can have a better understanding.
(13) "Then some of the traveling Jewish Exorcists also attempted to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I implore you and solemnly command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches!"
(14) "Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this."
(15) "But the evil spirit retorted, "I know and recognize and acknowledge Jesus, and I know about Paul, but as for you, who are you?"
(16) "Then the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so they ran out of that house [in terror, stripped] naked and wounded."
Them boys got whooped! The seven sons of Sceva saw Paul casting out demons and wanted to do the exact same thing, but here's the difference:
Paul was under the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul was a born-again believer. Paul had The Holy Spirit dwelling inside his temple. Paul followed the laws of The Most High. Paul RECEIVED authority, FROM JESUS CHRIST, to cast out demons. The 7 sons of Sceva were trying to operate on THEIR OWN POWER. The demon showed them what man can do on "their own power": nothing.
The only thing that can protect you from the demonic kingdom is Jesus Christ, Himself. Notice how the demon said, "I know and recognize and acknowledge Jesus, and I know about Paul, but as for you, who are you?". Evil spirits are not afraid of men. Evil spirits do not go by what man says. HOLY-SPIRIT filled Christians are branded as sons of God (Romans 8:14). We are a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). We are the property of Jesus Christ. The demonic kingdom have to respect the name of Jesus, but if you are not labeled a son of God, YOU. ARE. FREE. GAME. If there is no light in you, YOU. ARE. FREE. GAME.
If you are exiting the protection and covering of The Most High by HABITUALLY walking in sin, YOU. ARE. FREE. GAME!
When Paul was casting out demons, the demons had to leave because they saw the authority of Jesus Christ in Paul. They saw that Paul actually KNEW Jesus and followed Jesus because he had an intimate relationship with Jesus. They saw that Paul was a son of God. Sons of God receive the power and authority to cast out demons, not mankind. The Demonic Kingdom can sense if you're Jesus' child or not. You cannot deceive them because it's a spiritual mark.
The Demonic Kingdom ONLY Fear The Most High
Evil spirits ONLY respect the authority of Jesus Christ. We are shown this in Matthew 8:28-34. Notice what the demon-possessed men said,
"What do you want with us, Son of God?' they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Matthew 8:29, AMP Version.
Did the demon-possessed men beat Jesus liked the 7 sons of Sceva? Uh-uhn! They know the POWER that resides in Jesus Christ. They respect the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ. The demons clearly stated who can torture them: Jesus Christ. My Savior has THE power to do so. He is just that mighty, AMEN?! Amen! Demons fear Jesus Christ. But what Demons DON'T fear? Is man. May I point you back to the 7 sons of Sceva...
Jesus, so graciously, has given Holy-Spirit led Christians power against unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1). You may wonder why I put an emphasis on "Holy-Spirit led", it is because a lot of people can say, "I'm a Christian" but won't let the Holy Spirit have His way with them and fulfill their duties as a disciple of Christ.
Since we know demons are spiritual, they are looking at your spirit. Say for instance, I wanted to cast out a demon but the light in me is dull. I haven't prayed in like 3 weeks. I'm slacking with my faith, but I still accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Do you think I would have the power to cast a demon out of somebody? No. The light in me is dull. My lamp oil is running dry. I am salt but I have lost my savor (Matthew 5:13).
Demons are looking at the light inside of you. How bright it is. How dull it is. If you're light is dull, you won't have the power to cast them out.
This is why we have to stay in the presence of The Most High daily. Stay in the Word daily. Pray daily. Worship Him daily, so our light can so shine. We want to be on fire for Jesus Christ, daily.
What I like to say to Jesus is, "I wanna be so on fire for you that I can walk into a public vicinity and right off the bat, someone can tell I am a son of God."
How much oil are you putting in your lamp? Is your candle blazing or suppressed? Have you lost your savor or are you still salty? I'm asking these questions based off of Matthew 5:13-16. And the questions VERY much apply to me too. I am NOT special.
Reflection + Insight For My Brothers & Sisters in Christ
Well, this is the end!
I hope you understand how Sin Is The Gateway For Demons. The demonic kingdom is real. Keeping the I AM's laws are for YOUR protection. When you sin, you are exiting the protection and covering of Jesus Christ. You CANNOT fight demons by yourself. Demons are not afraid of mankind because we are weak and fragile beings with no power of our own. They are only afraid of Jesus Christ. However, Holy-Spirit filled Christians can use Christ's authority to fight demons. You have to keep you lamp filled with oil. Your candle needs to be burning. Don't lose your saltiness. Stay in the presence of The Most High daily. Stay in the Word of God daily. Pray daily. Worship daily.
Satan fears the light in Christians, so what does he do? He tries his best to distract us. He wants us to keep our lights dim, so we can't be used against his works. OH! OH how he hates when we pray. PRAY. PRAYER IS A CHRISTIAN'S #1 FIGHTING TOOL. PRAY! Cultivate that consistent and persistent prayer life.
Develop that One-on-one communication with Jesus Christ, and watch how your walk of faith is refined!
Eliminate ANY and EVERY distraction that is interfering an intimate relationship with you and Jesus Christ. We have to die to the flesh daily (Romans 12:1). This applies to me too, believe me! Like I said before, I am NOT special. I know it's hard, but we still have to fight!
Closing
I thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I pray you use this information for the edification of yourself and others. Even though I provided scripture and you're not sure what I said was accurate, ALWAYS go before The Most High in prayer about what I said.
Never take my words for it that's why I try my best to provide scripture.
For further information, you can always contact me through the blog's email
(tamarstestimony @gmail.com) or the blog's IG (@tamarstestimony). Bye-bye!