Wandering in the wilderness
One thing that has become blatantly obvious in these last few months is the increase in demonic activity right around the world. It's not only here in Australia, it's not only here in Calvary Assembly, but it's being seen as an increase in attacks right around the world, especially in Christian Families.
We all know that we have been given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, that whatsoever we bind here on Earth is bound in Heaven, that whatsoever we loose here on Earth is loosed in Heaven. I'm sure that many Christians are using that truth to good effect, but somehow the devil and his cronies seem to be getting the upper hand in so many cases, even here in Calvary Assembly. So what's missing that is making our warfare of little effect? To answer that, I feel that this is the right time to reflect on the basic truths of Spiritual warfare once again.
As mentioned above we have been given the Keys to the Kingdom of GOD (Heaven). These Keys are to be used to lock and unlock spiritual forces that are oppressing the Children of the Most High GOD. They are for unlocking the chains of those held captive that GOD wants in HIS Kingdom and they are for locking up those that are holding these ones captive. Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
At this point I would like us to look at a great truth that applies strongly to Spiritual warfare. From this truth and from the other scriptures that link to this one, we will see where so many of us have been neglecting a major step in our use of the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. I know I had for too long.
Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Mat 12:45 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.
There are some steps that need to be looked at here.
1. An unclean spirit has gone out of a man. (This is deliverance.)
2. This spirit walks through dry places. (He has not been told where to go to).
3. Wandering around is uncomfortable to demons, (they want to be where they can rob, kill or destroy).
4. The demon tries to return to where he came from, he was comfortable there. (Demons will always try to get back into where they are driven out from).
5. Because of point two not being adhered to, the demon finds the one that was his host before is now empty, swept clean, and garnished. These words are an old KJV way of saying that (a) EMPTY = TO BE VACANT (OF A HOUSE). (b) SWEPT CLEAN = (TO BRUSH OFF;) MEANING A BROOM; to sweep: (c) GARNISHED = TO PUT IN PROPER ORDER, that is, decorate, adorn, garnish, trim. (This means that the person is found to have been delivered or emptied out of demons, they are now vacant of ALL Spiritual forces). Next we see that they are swept clean, that is, all aspects of former demonic possession has been removed from them, they are now clean once again. Then finally they have been put in order, that means to have been put back in relationship with GOD, in a condition that GOD wants for them. The two major things to concentrate on here are the facts that this person was left VACANT and that the demons WERE ALLOWED TO WANDER ABOUT.
6. The results of the last point is that this demon is now able to return to where he was cast out of and take 7 others even more wicked (stronger) than he, so that he is harder to remove next time. Harder, but not impossible to remove.
7. And finally we see that it is worse for that person at that stage than before their deliverance.
We must never leave a person in an empty, or vacant state, when the demons are driven out then we must get that person filled with the Holy SPIRIT. Then, deliverance is denying the demonic forces control over a person, JESUS did it right, HE shows us this in the story of the possessed man in the tombs, found in Luke 8:26 – 37. In that story we see that JESUS stamped HIS Authority over the demons onto that situation immediately, HE demanded the demons identify themselves. When the demons saw that Authority, and the truth that HE knew how to use that Authority, then they were afraid, so much so that they asked HIM not to send them to the Abyss. What JESUS did do was to allow them
to go into an unclean animal, (Pigs were unclean to the Jews), but then JESUS dealt with the pigs, the end result being that the demons still ended up being rendered useless, this was done by JESUS drowning the hosts (Pigs) that carried them.
Next we look at another scripture that links to Matt 12:43 – 45, let's look at Jude 1:6. Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Please take note, This verse is talking about angels that did not keep their place. Where was the place designed for angels to be? HEAVEN. Yet these angels did not stay there, and for good reason, they were chucked out by GOD for Spiritual treason. They rebelled against GOD, so HE dealt with them by casting them out of Heaven, down to the Earth. (Rev 12:9) Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
In the Jude verse we see that something has happened to those fallen angels, they are reserved in EVERLASTING CHAINS, UNDER DARKNESS, for Judgement on the great day. Please notice that THESE FALLEN ANGELS (DEMONS) ARE ALREADY BOUND WITH ETERNAL CHAINS, ALSO THEY ARE BEING HELD IN A DARK PLACE FOR JUDGEMENT ON A FUTURE DATE.
So who has sent them to this dark place, who has bound them with eternal chains? Look at our opening scripture and you will have the answer. You have sent them there, you did this every time you delivered someone from their bondage. PROVIDING, that you have not just allowed them to wander in the wilderness, it is from this wilderness (Dry place) where they can return back to where they come from. It is our responsibility to lock up those demons that we send out of people, we must send them to this place mentioned in the book of Jude.
This is the spiritual prison for all of the fallen angels and we are the Spiritual Police that send them there to await trial on the great day of Judgement. If we simply cast out demons without doing as we see our LORD JESUS doing with the demons HE encountered, then the ones whom we have delivered are going to end up in a far worse state than when we first started praying for them.
A great responsibility has been given to us who believe in and follow our LORD JESUS, we have the responsibility to grow the Kingdom of GOD, we have been given the task of doing as we see JESUS did. In Luke 4:17-21 we see JESUS describing exactly what HIS Ministry was, and please remember, this is our Ministry today as well. Luke 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
This describes exactly what our Ministry today consists of, it's true that there are a great number of variations in this Ministry, yet it all comes down to the same thing, we are to preach the Gospel to those who are poor in Spirit. In the name of JESUS we are to heal the broken hearted, we are to give deliverance to those who are possessed of demons, to open the eyes of the blind, (those who are spiritually blind and those who are physically blind). We are to set the captives free and we are to tell everyone that will listen to the good news, that the LORD will accept them, if only they will turn to HIM.
We cannot tell people the good news if they have hearing and seeing problems. The devil has had the eyes of the lost covered with scales, the ears of the lost are covered with lies. However, it is our job to set these ones free, but as the LORD has been showing us from HIS Holy Word, when we set them free we must ensure that they remain free. To do this we need to be the SPIRITUAL POLICE that we have been called to be. We must lock up those demons so that they DO NOT wander in the wilderness, we must ensure that they do not return and make the life of those we have set free worse than before.
It is up to us, we have been equipped, we have been taught, we have been commissioned, now it is up to us to do as our LORD has commanded us, to go and set the captives free.
Lots of love,
Don Phillips
04/08/2019