Demons are spirit beings without a physical body but seek a body to live in. Demons are fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God and are now evil spirits under the control of Satan. They help Satan tempt people to sin and have great destructive powers. They are called:
1. Unclean spirits: This is the spirit of impurity. Demons are usually unclean. 25 times in the Scripture, demons are called “unclean spirits.”
In Zechariah 13:2-3 God said, “It shall be in that day that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land.”
In Matthew 12:43-44 Jesus said, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.”
In Mark 1:23-24 the Bible says, “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.”
Mark 1:26 says, “And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.”
Mark 3:30 says, “Because they said, "He has an unclean spirit.” Mark 5:2 says, “And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” In Mark 5:8-9 the Scriptures say, for He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"
Mark 7:25-26 says, “For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.”
Mark 9:25-26 says, “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"
Luke 8:29 says, “For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.”
Luke 9:42 says, “And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.”
In Luke 11:24 Jesus said, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.”
In Matthew 10:1 the Bible says, “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.”
Acts 5:16 says, “Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”
Acts 8:7 says, ‘For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.”
In Revelations 16:13 the Bible says, “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.”
2. Foul spirits: “Foul” means disgusting, dirty, extremely unpleasant, evil.
Mark 9:25 says, “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.”
In Revelations 18:2 the Bible says, “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!”
3. Evil spirits: This causes ill will in its victim.
In Acts 19:15-17, the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
In Judges 9:23 the Bible says, “Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.”
Mark 1:26 says that the evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shrill scream. Mark 5:8 says, “For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"
In Luke 4:33 the Bible says, “In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice.”
4. Distressing spirits: 1 Samuel 16:14-15 says, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.”
5. Devils: Mark 6:13 says, “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.”
Matthew 8:16 says, “When evening 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.”
6. Spirit of jealousy. This causes feelings of jealousy in its victim. Numbers 5:14 says, “And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled.”
7. Lying or deceiving spirits. In 1 Kings 22:22 the LORD said unto him, “Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.”
8. Perverse, distortion, or dizziness spirits: Isaiah 19:14 says, “The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.”
9. Spirit of deep sleep: Isaiah 29:10 says, “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath He covered.”
10 Spirit of heaviness: This is the spirit of fainting or despair.
Isaiah 61:3 says, “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
11. The spirit of harlotry: This is the spirit of whoredom or prostitution.
In Hosea 4:12 God said, “My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.”
12. Mute or dumb spirit: This spirit robs its victim of the ability to speak probably by ceasing or distorting the vocal cord.
Mark 9:17 says, “And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit.”
13. Deaf spirit: This spirit robs its victim the ability to hear probably by affecting the ear drum(s).
Mark 9:25 says, “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.”
14. Sprit of infirmity: This spirit causes sickness.
Luke 13:11 says, “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.”
15. Spirit of divination: This spirit helps its victim to predict the future.
Acts 16:16 says, “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:”
16. Spirit of deception or seducing spirits: Seducing spirits deceive.
1 Timothy 4:1 says, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”
17. Spirit of fear: This is the spirit of timidity. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
18. Spirit of error: This is the spirit of falsehood.
1 John 4:6 says, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
A possessed person could become refreshed and well through the playing of praise or worship songs. Praise and worship bring down the presence of God because He indwells the praises of His people. And no demon can survive in His presence.
In 1 Samuel 16:23 it is written, “When the evil spirits from the Lord was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
Why are the demons so keen to afflict man? Demons are determined to afflict man because of their hatred for God and because of God’s love for you. The devil cannot get at God, so he tries to get at you whom God loves.
In John 3:16 Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
1 John 3:1-3 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
• Your friend, I.I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor) Nov. 23, 2019 @ the HQ’s
Promise from God: “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you” (Josh 5:9).
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