Invisible War - Spiritual Warfare 401: How to Gain Deliverance from Demonic Influence, Part 1

Over the past two weeks in the series. The invisible war we've learned a lot about spiritual warfare, who the enemy is this tactics is weapons is power, but today were going to talk about what might be the most powerful weapon that God is given a belief and not only what it is, but how to use not anonymous. Stay with and welcome to this Thursday edition of Living on the Edge with your finger Living on the Edge features the Bible to almost daily discipleship program. If nature continues to series called the invisible, whether or not we know it all.

Sometimes there's a wall battle today finds you on the frontline.

The battle flares up you've come to the right place.

Your strip of this message from Ephesians chapter 6 how to gain deliverance from demonic influence. I want to read a story. It's a true story comes out of the book that sort of a devotional book but I want you to just listen to a missionary was serving as a medic at a small field through a hospital in Africa periodically had to travel by bus bicycle through the jungle to nearby city for supplies.

It was a two day trip, so we had to camp out overnight it made the trip several times without incident.

One day however he arrived at his destination and solve the two men were fighting one was seriously hurt. So he treated him witness to him and went about his business.

Upon arriving in the city again several weeks later he was approached by the man that he treated. He said I know you carry money in medicine, said the man to the missionary.

Some friends and I followed you into the jungle that night after you treated me knowing you would have to camp overnight.

We waited for you to go to sleep and we plan to kill you and take your money and the drugs just as we started moving into the campsite we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards. There were only six of us and we knew we couldn't possibly get near your so we left hearing fifth with Missy Carey left a symbol that that's impossible.

I assure you I was alone that night in the campsite and the young man presses point.

He says no sir. I was not the only one who saw the guards. My friends also saw them and we all counted them and we were all frightened. It was because of those guards. We left you alone. Several months later, the missionary attended a church made presentation in Michigan where he told about his experience in Africa. One of the congregants jumped to his feet, interrupted the missionary and said something that left everyone in the church absolutely stunned. We were there with you in spirit.

The man said missionary look perplexed man continued on that night in Africa. It was morning here. I stop by the church together some materials for an out-of-town trip to go to another parish. But as I put my bags into the trunk. I felt the Lord leading me to pray for you urging was so compelling and so strong. I called the men of the church together to pray for you, then the man stood up and turned around. He said will all of you men who met with me that morning. Please stand up and one by one all 26 men stood up and I would cite intercessory prayer is the pivotal and essential aspect for corporate and individual deliverance. Notice how Paul ends verses 18 to 20 with all prayer and petition, pray at all times. How in the spirit and with this interview be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf and what's he pray that the utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains that is proclaiming it, that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. I want you to look that last paragraph and circle the word all all prayer all times. All the saints, and I want you to underline prayer petition alert, perseverance, petition, pray on my behalf.

Utterance given to me. Is there any doubt that this is talking about a level of prayer that isn't sort of casually talking to God in the car and hoping some good things happen. The summary of verses 18 to 20 is the means by which believers are to withstand and overcome the attacks of the enemy in spiritual warfare is by consistent, intense strategic prayer for one another in conjunction with the personal application of the armor of God. And so what I want to do is give you in our time together an overview of what does consistent strategic intentional and intense prayer look like from this passage and then a bit later on to talk about actual deliverance ministry and at least give an overview of that intercessory prayer is our most powerful strategic corporate weapon in spiritual warfare prayer has a direct impact on spiritual warfare. Mark chapter 9 verses 29 the come down from the Mount of Transfiguration and a man says Jesus help me, your disciples have tried to cast out this demon and it won't. And Jesus says this kind only comes out by prayer and fasting seems to be a direct correlation between a kind of prayer, a level of prayer. Prayer provides and assists in the deliverance of others who are undergoing spiritual attack. Luke 22 Peter Satan has sought to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you power falls where prayer prevails. All I want you to get.

I want you to get that prayer isn't like an add-on or it's a few words here and there.

The Scripture is teaching that this is vital pivotal core to spiritual warfare and victory. I did a study in the book of acts and I put it in front of you. I went through all the key passages in all the breakthroughs and you'll notice where prayer acts one acts 242 31 Chapter 4 Chapter 6 chapter 8 chapter 9 chapter 10 church history is replete the Welsh revival started with a handful of people, people who met together each Saturday night and prayed, God spoke to them and there was a revival there that spread across the world. The layman's prayer revival in the 1800s there wasn't a pastor, there was no preachy it move from city to city to city where baby during the noon hour. A handful of businessmen said let's pray three request. Pray for them to request pray for and then it went Chicago New York all across the country, experts say. Millions of people came to Christ, the great awakening in the United States are history of Living on the Edge.

I was sitting around the table and and we've almost gone out of business once or twice didn't have sufficient funds we've had times where we were taking big steps of faith in either our family members or people on our team. We had like cancer like five different people. It was like all hell breaking loose and in those times we learn to pray with intensity and we learn to fast and as with our staff recently and we have a number of new staff member that said, we don't pray every day because were holy or noble or we think it's a good idea. We've been in crises and we sing God deliver. We just want we just decided why don't we realize how desperate we are all the time so were going to pray human when we give a small group disown we say how can we pray for you. Then we check back in house doing and we pray for the people that get connected and I knew what was going to happen here so the Wednesday before we came.

It was like let's have a day of fasting and prayer. That's voluntary. The great majority of all of our staff said we know what would be happening in your lives, and I knew what was can happen in my life and I knew what probably happened here.

God, here's where prayer prevails, power falls, what kinds of prayer bring God's deliverance and power, if not casual trite little prayers notice it's consistent prayer verse 18, with all prayer and petition word for the first where there is a general word for prayer notice. It's all prayers, all kinds of prayer and petition, very specific and so it's it's not just asking asking asking.

I think one of the great breakthroughs that will help you in your prayer life is realize that God longs to be worshiped. You know that little acronym that you learn somewhere a CTS, adoration, confession, Thanksgiving, supplication, the kind of prayer where we recognize God for who he is, we begin to thank him for what he's done and it builds up our faith. We come and want to be clean. We confess our sins, and then we say now holy Almighty all-powerful God who you want to change the whole world you're not willing that any should perish.

We bring these petitions before you consistently and when God sees that. I think he just leans over and longs to answer our prayers.

It's not just all kinds of prayer, but he says pray at all times on all occasions. I think there's two kinds of prayer.

I think there's we all need protracted, quiet extended times to pray and then I think we need to have these punctuated were commanded in first Thessalonians, right, rejoice always, pray without ceasing. In every give in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus and and if you study that passage it.

It's like a coughing prayer. It's like you know when your mind is free, you're talking to God. You're in the car you're walking from picking up your bag and you're taken out to the car.

Someone comes to your mind as they're coming to your mind you're not in conversation you're constantly ugly would be brother Lawrence when he talks about practicing the presence of God. Over time, you're cultivating an awareness where we knew not thinking about something else you are talking to the Lord and by the way, I think one of the most port things in prayer, especially for people like me talk a lot is to be quiet and and especially in in situations where you don't know what to do or you need wisdom, ask and then sit quietly and and and learn to recognize God's voice and the promptings that he give you when he gives you a prompting that will cost you something that might be embarrassing it would really help other people that would glorify him and you might not want to do it. There's a good chance it's from God because you wouldn't do that naturally and you learn to recognize his voice consistent prayer and intense prayer. Not halfhearted prayer notices is be on the alert, literally the word means without sleep means to be vigilant means not going through the motions and it says with all perseverance. It's not giving up. Unless you're different than everyone else in the world that I know sometimes when you're praying it just feels like gear in mud, galoshes, and in the matter how hard you try, you're not making any progress or you begin to pray in unit at this time so we all experience the presence of God when were praying and it's exciting and there's a such a sense as if there times where it's like I mean, this is like.

I'm not sure I'm even making it up to the ceiling, let alone through the ceiling level into heaven right and it just feels dull all and I'm not connected. Nine. The old Saints used to talk about praying through you know what happens in a temptation when you get there is like hey I'll check you later this just you know, what would you think want you to stop praying. You know I don't wake up every day. I really really love my wife deeply, but I don't wake up every day with my emotions overflowing every single day, but that has nothing to do with not letting her and I think many of us, especially out of our sort of evangelical mindset is that if we don't feel God and have some sort of legally experience with him. Somehow he's not around. Faith is not based on God hears you as much when you feel him and as if you don't feel him.

In fact, it requires a lot more faith to do what's right when you're not motivated and you don't want to do it and what I find as you pray through in the confession, I don't always pray through. But I long to and what I know it's it's it's these kind of prayers when it's a battle like Elizabeth Elliot has a great little book on prayer and she has this line and it and she says I suppose people who ski like to ski. I suppose they have the ability to ski and she says they not only have the ability ski but have a place where they can ski and they make time for skiing and it's something they do when they have the time and when they have the money and she her confession was sometimes that's how I pray.

I used to think prayer was a lot like skiing. You know when I'm in the mood to pray. I think all pray and when I can make the time to pray. I think I'll pray and it really is a nice thing to do.

If you have the time and that she has this line but skiing is of support and prayers work is not skiing. It must be taken from other things that are very important. I've shared this a lot and I guess I'll keep sharing it. I live with a woman who prays like no one I've ever met and III mean this. I think I will get to heaven and I will get to see that I ran many many errands that God entries had been talking about and don't get me wrong, I pray I'm growing in my prayer life but it is interesting. My kids are in a really big jam. It's is is mom home like I need to ask her to really pray of wheat we just have this track record of unbelievable amazing answers to prayer. We have a we went through a book together in one of the quotes was from Haddon Robinson.

He was a professor of preaching at Dallas and then later I think was the present Denver seminary and then later headed up the department at Gordon Conwell and and it's a quick quote but it's now on all of our our screens. It comes up every day Living on the Edge.

Prayer is the battle ministry is the spoils.

Prayer is the battle ministry is the spoils. It's the kind of prayer it's consistent. It's intense and then it strategic notice he says I pray for all the saints, God's messengers will be bold. That utterance may be given. It's about God's message worn where as we said prayer is the energy that allows the soldier to where the Army and wheeled the sword and I think when you listen to what Paul prayed, and I'm going I'm going to say something only because I think were missing out we can to unconsciously get very self focused and what I'm about to say especially for you like take it literally, people. I'm not saying you shouldn't do this. What I'm saying is don't let it get limited to this, we unconsciously got this idea that we live in the silo and so Lord help me help my husband help my kids and in the week we got a need over here and in grandma's ankle hurts and and Lord, would you help our church shin and you pray some specific things and in all guys. You know the mall is so full at this time. Would you please can I get a parking spot like on the first or second floor now and you know and and by the way, you know what I think God hears. There's nothing too small, but when you read the prayers in Scripture, God, I pray that you might open their eyes. They might have spiritual discernment to understand who you really are. Lord I pray that they might know the height and depth and length and breadth and new the love of God that surpasses knowledge. Here he prays give me utterance and boldness, but your message and your messengers.

When do we pray God we want to reach the city God. When you cause these churches get unified God. Would you do something radical in our culture, Lord, would you cause the gospel to go forth to all the continents know it's Paul's praying a mission will prayer Paul's think is not about does my life work out. Am I happy today you know is is my knee feeling a little better. Do I have a parking spot and again I'm glad when he answers about my knee, and it is kinda neat. When one is a parking spot. I think we should let those of those as your driving is your thinking you're always talking with the Lord. But there sometimes you need to get your armor on need understand we had been given a mission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, and I am in his ambassadors and I want to pray for the message and I want to pray for the messenger and I wanting to use me here in my family here in my kids and my grandkids and this church, he says, ask of me and I will give you the nations. I think I think were asking really small little prayers and we get really small. The lancers asking for big things that you know for sure are on his heart, and you just might be shocked at what the Lord will do the summary is the missing ingredient in most Christian lives, and in most churches is a commitment and regular practice of intercessory prayer, Scripture indicates its individual and corporate consistent, intense strategic responsibility that will in fact deliver one from evil. I have a quote here that are putting your notes by SV Gordon followed along. As I read it and why it is so convicting, then maybe that's what we need the great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer, nor those who say they believe in prayer, nor those who can explain about prayer, but I mean people who take time and pray they have not the time it must be taken from something else. This something else is very important in pressing but still less important and less pressing than prayer and so I want to pause and just say okay we talked about the reality of a war of spiritual warfare. A command stand firm. The way to stand firm. As we put on our armor okay were going to have the shield of faith, salvation, and never gonna weakness order. We've all this together with prayer and hears that the summary statement.

I really want you to get it is because this is not about how I came from studying on spiritual warfare and now I'm either fearful. The great majority of the teaching on spiritual warfare in the Bible has to do with alertness preparation, defense, and being proactive to prevent demonic influence from breaking her fellowship with Christ and thorn in God's program in our lives.

What are we to do. However, when the enemy gets a foothold in a life ours or someone we know and love.

So what I want you to get is if you walk with God if you renewing your mind. If you're listening to him. If you're in a community of believers.

The great majority of the spiritual tack. You'll catch your walk with God. But there are times and this is the big shift when there's some avenues where the enemy begins to get a foothold either in your life or someone else's. What you do. I mean, what are we to make of this whole thing called the ministry of deliverance.

The central text of the New Testament on spiritual warfare is Ephesians 6 put on the armor. Now I want to give you more of an overview and UC have given you lots of notes and lots of passages in this is this really is the kind of thing that you need to study and check out and discuss and become aware of, but I think this whole ministry of deliverance is one that is really there's either huge extremes that you need to avoid or the thought that this never happens anyway. So what I've done is the I'm going to talk about its validity. I'm going to talk about the problems of this kind of a ministry to talk about the causes of demonic influence evidences in the New Testament that I'm going to talk about what specific action steps would normal ordinary people like us take. If there is a clear indication that someone is either oppressed or harassed or actually engaged in ways were demonic influence in and you need to do something about it. So with that, let's look at the validity of the ministry.

Jesus regularly exercised this ministry. If you go to the Gospels about 25 to 30% of his time and energy is spent casting out demons is one of the things he does. The apostles regularly exercises ministry on their first little mission trip. Remember what he did. He gave him authority over demons and authority to heal as he was going to validate his mission of the early church regularly exercises ministry in acts 16. We have a situation where the occult was so heavy that the people can remember. They brought all their satanic books and they burned them and then Simon saw the power of God even greater and he tried to buy it and he got up sharp rebuke in the early church, Justin Martyr, Tertullian origin, Athanasius, all the way.

The first 400 years of the church deliverance ministry from demonic influence. It's the norm there's an excellent article you can Google.

It's by Paul Thigpen discipleship Journal, issue 81, 1994. He does a historic analysis of deliverance ministry from the first 400 years. In fact it in the early church in the early hundred years. They actually had an office of deliverance. So this for our modern ears America. Some of this may sound a little weird but it's historic.

The other thing is this is not weird around the world. I member you know you think as people are modern and sophisticated, you know, of course you know in the back in Papua New Guinea and maybe in Thailand or you know go when you're in India it is and there's just that there's over a million gods there and you know we would think of all those things that I remember being in South Africa and we were at the cemetery and we been doing some ministry there and it was a nicer part of town and I watched Mercedes pull up so these people were wealthy, well educated, and they all were getting out and they were taking food and flowers and different things and putting them on all these graves and I turned to the guy that was with us. I said what what what is this all about. All I mean there's a scared to death of ancestral spirits and they have manifestations of things in their home and they're making an offering to the spirits of their father or grandfather or people that are manifesting in and they're scared to death, and so can you imagine having a modern mind. A modern job driving up and Mercedes making offerings to ancestral spirits out of fear.

You will be back with some additional thoughts about your listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram chips talk today is from a series. The invisible war. What every believer needs to know about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare of this powerful series will help you sort out fact from fiction and give you clear biblical insight on how to think about prepare for and engage in spiritual warfare at Living on the Edge. We believe so strongly in the importance of this series that were prepared to make you a very special offer. If you agree to lead a group using the study will give you the online streaming and study guides.

We can pay for shipping to get your free study guides in the online video just call us at 1-888-333-6003 order online at http://livingontheedge.org and if you like you need some help on how to lead a group will also find online coaching sessions@livingontheedge.org just click more and coaching for leaders get the free resources to the training and then get your group going will be amazed at what God reveals about himself and the victory that's already yours will chip you know sometimes a little information about something can actually be more dangerous than not knowing it at all. What I mean is, once we become aware of the invisible war. It can lead to all kinds of paranoid fear when we doing to help people engage and not be scared to death with Dave you are so right. I've actually had people start reading the book, watch the video and tell me I got really afraid so I stopped the truth of the matter is that's what the enemy wants you to do. Here's what we've done we've created a brand-new resource to equip you and help you so you can learn. You don't have to ever be afraid but face the enemy with confidence there called spiritual warfare cards and let me tell you what they are doing to help you reveal number one who the enemy is number two how to unpack the lies he uses to distract and discourages number three it'll highlight the truth of God's word and then teaches you how to actually engage in battle. The fact of the matter is second Corinthians chapter 10 verse five says that we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and the only way to do that is you arm yourself with the power of Scripture to overcome spiritual attacks so you can stand firm against the adversary.

I don't think the average believer has any idea that the battle was in their mind, and these cards will really help you experience victory. This brand-new set of 53 cards organized in four different categories will help you remember your position in Christ appreciate the spiritual armor recognize your adversary and then pinpoint his lies on the flipside of each card are powerful scriptures for you to ponder and memorize so your equipped and able to engage to check out the new invisible war. Scripture cards just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org without your strip with his application for today as we close today's program. We introduced the concept of deliverance ministry. I want to put that on hold and save the majority of that for next broadcast. Here's the application for today. What I'd like you to do is set your watch or set aside today, not tomorrow. Today, 15 minutes. I mean if you have a timer put it on for 15 minutes and then I want you to pray how you learn today, consistent, intense strategic prayers for 15 minutes and do it today if your mind wanders, it wanders, but you do this for 15 minutes and then you decide for the next few days to pray for 15 minutes you will see progress, you will see answers and you'll see deliverance a here's a hint if you struggle find one or two other people, but would be willing to partner in this kind of prayer and you'll start to see amazing things happen. There's a secret weapon. It's called prayer, but it's a special kind of prayer and you've got a use it make God bless. Encourage and give you faith as you pray today just before we close to thank those of you who make this broadcast possible through your generous giving Living on the Edge invests your gifts to purchase your time to create programs and provide resources to help Christians live like Christians Living on the Edge is been a blessing to you, would you consider sending a gift today. You can donate online at http://livingontheedge.org or by calling us at 1-888-333-6003. Thank you in advance for your partnership with us. Well, I hope you'll join us again tomorrow and she continues his series invisible war. Now this is the same. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge