On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 6 - Concerning Authority
Hello my friends, I hope you are all having a wonderful end of your week. As this workweek comes to a close, I pray that God will fill you with peace and rest as you start going throughout your weekend. Would like to speak on a matter of authority today in spiritual matters so that if we ever do come to a point to where we do need to cast out a demon or some other spiritual matter, we will be fully equipped. Let's begin.
Concerning Authority
Authority is the number one rule when it comes to dealing with spiritual matters. Authority is referenced many times throughout the Bible and was a major factor when teaching and preaching. The Jews would gain authority over time, and by studying under a certain rabbi and becoming extremely well learned in the Torah as well as other Old Testament books. In order to even become a student under a rabbi one would have to have memorized the whole Torah.
When it comes to spiritual matters, authority is given in a different way. Many Christians say, to cast out a demon you merely need to say the name of Jesus and of the demon will be cast out. That is both partially true and false. The reason why, is because yes there is power behind the name of Jesus. However, if you don't have the authority to use the name of Jesus than that means nothing. This is clearly seen in scriptures. There were times when the apostles were able to cast out demons for it says in Matthew 17:14 – 21.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 17:14-21
"And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Master, have compassion on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers badly, for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to Your taught ones, but they were unable to heal him.” And יהושע answering, said, “O generation, unbelieving and perverted, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And יהושע rebuked the demon, and he came out of him. And the child was healed from that hour. Then the taught ones came to יהושע by Himself and said, “Why were we unable to cast him out?” And יהושע said to them, “Because of your unbelief, for truly, I say to you, if you have belief as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move. And no matter shall be impossible for you. But this kind does not go out except through prayer and fasting.”
In verse 19, the disciples ask why they were not able to cast out the demon. Furthermore, this implies that they were able to cast demons out previously, and therefore were confused as to why they could not cast this one out. From analyzing this piece of Scripture, it is known that this demon was a deaf and dumb spirit. Which in general are harder to cast out.
Every Living Thing
So what is this whole fuss about authority then. Obviously, Jesus had all of the authority in heaven and on earth as he said in Matthew 28:18. And so he was able to cast out the demon. However, that isn't quite the case with us as humans born from the bloodline of Adam. We have a sin nature and therefore we also have unbelief. Authority in a nutshell is given when one becomes close and their relationship to God. If you stop and think about it for one second what exactly does fasting do. I'm not talking about fasting a certain item like social media, or our phones which we are on almost all of the time. Rather, I'm talking specifically about fasting food and nutrients. You see when we fast food, in order to become closer to God it empties us of our own earthly desires, and allows God and his desires to further fill us. I'm not quite sure if I explained that in the best way, but it is that concept. Therefore the more of God that we have in us, the more authority we are able to command demons to come out of people and sicknesses to be healed.
Here's the thing when dealing with spiritual matters, it can be used on not only for casting out demons but healing sicknesses and other ailments as well. If you stop and think about it for one second it says that God gave us command over every living thing on this earth. This doesn't just include animals yes, our domination over animals is clearly seen throughout this earth whether it's hunting, training, or some other aspect we have always had control over all of the other animals on this earth. However, the term "living thing" is not restricted to only animals. From science we also know that diseases are living things, viruses are living things, and if you want to get really technical, cells and their structures are living things as well. This shows that we have even authority over injuries, because we can even command cells to heal themselves.
A lack of Authority.
An absence of authority while trying to cast out a demon can be extremely detrimental to a person's safety. Let me clarify, fear is the last thing that you should have for a demon because when you have fear they will use that and exploit to that to be able to continue residing in their host. Rather, somewhat of a healthy "disrespect" should be had for a demon because first of all we should not even respect something that is so evil, but also know what it is capable of and furthermore, be able to protect oneself against it. A lack of relationship, and ultimately authority can be proven to be extremely dangerous. This is shown in Acts 19:11 – 17 when it talks about the sons of Sceva who were Jewish exorcists according to the Scriptures (2009). They thought that all they had to do was say, "we cast you out by the name of Jesus who Paul proclaims." The demon immediately responded with I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you? This response shows us a couple things. First of all, if you are of God, and you are doing the things of God, then you will be known among even the communities of demons. For they will be trying even harder to harass and attack you because you are doing the work of the kingdom. If they don't know you then that is probably a good sign that you are not doing God's works and therefore, most likely do not have the relationship or authority. For it says in John 14:15, if you love me you will keep my commands.
Thank you for reading this article. Please upvote and resteem if you enjoyed reading this article. As always I thank you for your support and your willingness to read my work as I continue in sharing my experiences and what I have been taught over the past year. I pray that God will protect you and that you will be filled with the fruit of the Spirit as you continue to go on through your days. Thank you.
My Story
On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 1 - Introduction
On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 2 - A Divine Appointment
On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 3 - Unseen Ties
On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 4 - My Journey as a Public Speaker
On Demons and the Spiritual - Part 5 - Another Demon Encounter