Ministering: Pastor Seyi Osanyinbi
There is hierarchy in the kingdom of darkness. Paul had arranged these forces in descending order. The first that was mentioned was the devil who is the highest. The devil is the first person we are attacking.
Ephesians 6:10
Demons prefer to operate without people being aware of their presence but you must not be in the dark. They exist, they are real and dangerous. We cannot see them but they can see us. Ephesians 6:11 shows that these dark forces have been arranged in descending order. Satan is at the top of the pyramid. His agenda is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Principalities operate over nations. Powers control the realms of the earth like commerce and education. The rulers of the darkness of this world are found behind pornography, occultism and such vices which are common among men irrespective of race or educational background. Spiritual wickedness in high places are wicked spirits. They are in high places not as if they have authority over us but just to explain their realm of operation. They are the demons that harass men all the time. They form disembodied spirits and are always looking for a body to inhabit.
Characteristics and Operations of these Forces
- Satan is not everywhere like God. God is omnipresent but the devil is not. Satan is limited by space and time. He can only be in one place at a time like humans but depends on many followers(Isaiah 14:12-17; Revelation 12:7-9). He has fallen angels under him that do his bidding which makes it look like he is everywhere.
- The devil always try to make us disobey God. He instigates us to act without divine permission. Realise that you having power to do something does not mean you have the permission to do it. Jesus would have turned stone into bread but he did not. Satan spoke to Jesus from scriptures while tempting him and know that he has not changed and we must know the person we are dealing with.
- They hate us (Revelation 12:10). There is nothing good about their relationship with us. They are destructive. Everything about Satan is evil.
- They seek to inhabit people or animal (Matthew 12:43-45). Demonization is when a man to a degree is controlled by demons e.g lust, anger. However, a man is demon possessed when demons have taken total control over his mind. Without a body, demons cannot express themselves. They must be in something; humans, animals, trees etc.
- They have personalities. Some are destructive, some expressive(Mark 9:17-26).In this case the aim of the spirit was to destroy the boy. The manifestation of these kind of spirits is aimed at intimidating you and you must learn from the master Himself how to deal with them.
- They defy power. The disciples had been exposed to some demons and had cast them out. But Jesus said “this kind”, which means there are different kinds with different capacity to resist. All demons are subject to the name of Jesus but you must have the authority to cast them out. Somehow, they know people’s spiritual rank. Remember the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:14-16). You must understand that there are different levels of authority and authority comes with understanding. You must know what the word of God says. Their objective is to disrupt and destroy.
- From 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, we see that one of the spirits that attacked the church was the spirit of confusion. This builds strongholds in people’s mind (2 Corinthians 10:4). Everytime you go to preach to people, you have gone to war. In 1 Timothy 4:1-3, Paul warned us about the latter days which started in his days. As stated in verse 1, people will give heed by paying attention to what they should not. These spirits have the intention to deceive you though they talk to you like they have your good will at heart. Doctrine is not just in church, it is in all kinds of teaching. Many people have become mouth pieces for these demons. Such teachings can be found in politics (doctrines of democracy, communism, socialism etc) and even in cultural beliefs.
- They also cause sicknesses and natural disasters (Luke 8:22–33, 43-48). Satan was the man behind the storm. The storm was just a means. Jesus was faced with the storm and commanded Satan’s means to calm down. Demons also cause sicknesses as seen in the case of the demon possessed man of Gadarenes and the sick woman.
It is important that you get rid of accused things in your possession; apparels, occultic books, demonic films etc. Pray and deal with these things in your life.