200 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
200 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Demonic Influence & Bondage
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According to God's Word
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Getting Free-->><<--Staying Free
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The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... the Lord hath anointed me to
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preach... to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
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prison to them that are bound (Isa. 61:1).
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Many people today live in prison. The cells may vary, the jailor's face
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may be different, but the result is still the same. They are bound by a
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force that they cannot control. They cannot touch the force nor can they
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see it, but it is real. It may be a chemical dependence, such as alcohol,
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heroin, cocaine or tobacco. It may be lust, envy, jealousy, gluttony,
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hatred, fear or mental torment.
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This force is not a respecter of persons, it attacks at will, sometimes
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rendering its helpless. Man for centuries has tried to control it. He has
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tried various cures, various treatments, and the advice of assorted experts.
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A separate science has been developed because of it, but for the most part
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the cure has eluded man.
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This force destroys everything it touches. It robs, it maims, it tears apart
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families, it kills individuals, and brings about the fall of a nation.
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This force is the power of Satan.
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The majority of people today are totally ignorant of Satan and the evil
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spirits, demons, that are under his control. On the other hand some people
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believe all human problems are the activity of demons, either extremes are
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dangerous and harmful, both to the church and the world. Looking for a demon
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around every corner has a tendency to bring skepticism from the world. While
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wholly ignoring the reality of spiritual beings that are warring against
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us - leaves some in a spiritual fog, unable to determine the exact cause
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of the difficulties.
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By and large, unsaved people are influenced by demon spirits. We see India,
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a nation with some 300 million, with many gods to worship, It is a place
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of starvation due to the fact they believe that certain animals may be
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ancestors reincarnated. Children are allowed to starve in order for an
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ancestor to move up the ladder of reincarnation. Such religions are started
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and promoted by demon spirits.
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In recent months mass murders have become common place in our society. These
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people, who kill at random with no apparent motive, are demonically
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controlled. For the most part these are extreme cases where Satan is allowed
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to run rampant in a nation or in an individual's life. What about the average
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person?
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Man is a sinner by nature of the Spiritual laws that are in effect. The Bible
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teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If you are
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not a friend of God, you are His enemy. You are either for Him or against
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Him. If you are against Him you could be under the influence of demon
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spirits.
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Even though the Spirit of God may also be dealing with you, the way man makes
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decisions, to some degree, depends on two basic sources. The first is himself,
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the Bible calls the old man, the flesh. Man gets himself into trouble where
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he desires something that is not good for him and then decides that he is
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going to obtain it or do something to achieve his desires. The second Is
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this outside force, the spirits, usually evil spirits under Satan's control.
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The old man is dealt with by giving one's heart and life to the Lord Jesus
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Christ in a total commitment to Him. The evil spirits must be taken authority
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over in the name of Jesus and cast off or out. The popular phrase "the devil
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made me do it", or "l just couldn't help myself", is usually said in jest.
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Not knowing it may be the very reason. The old man is not cast out, but he
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is crucified with Christ (Rom 6:11). Demon spirits will not give up control
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of someone unless forced to do so. Knowing where the root of the problem
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lies is the most important point in helping an individual that is in bondage.
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If a person has given his heart to the Lord and is still struggling with
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areas in their life then deliverance from the demon influence is needed.
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This is not a case where an individual is constantly tempted within a
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certain area, but where the individual doesn't find or doesn't know how to
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use the power to resist the temptation and is falling constantly, due to
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the tremendous pressure from the outside forces.
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There are a number of areas where Satan will attack. In the last few years
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there seems to be certain places where his concentration is the greatest. One
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main area - is lust. Since the sexual revolution took place the pressure to
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fit in to a sexually liberated society is overwhelming. If you are not
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participating then you are "old fashioned" or "weird". We are constantly
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bombarded with advertisements with sexual tones. Any day or night of the week
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you can turn on your television set and see acts of premarital sex, adultery,
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and perversion. The quick stop shops are plastered with material that would
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make the most wicked blush. With these things taking place it is no wonder
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men and women alike are having trouble controlling their thought lives in
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this area. The person wrestles in themselves, with their own strength,
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trying to gain control, only to find themselves wearied and giving in to
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the thoughts and committing the act, either mental or physical, they know
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is wrong.
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Emotional stress and mental torment are areas where Satan is gaining the
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upper hand in the lives of Christians. "The peace that passes all
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understanding" is just not there. They are crying out for help and many
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simply don't know what to do.
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A third area is that of occult activity. This includes ouija boards,
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horoscopes, witchcraft, fortune-tellers, contacts with mediums and dealing in
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E.S.P. We have seen a rash of occurrences where houses have become "haunted"
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(inhabited by demon spirits). Interest in the supernatural has increased,
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while the church has pushed the supernatural out, people have gone seeking it
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in other places. God has set specific warnings about witchcraft in His word.
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The Jews were not to even suffer a witch to live, yet today, people openly
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boast their "Witch" status on national TV and radio. Today Christians readily
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pick up the morning newspaper for a look at their horoscope, while ignoring
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the Bible for their spiritual breakfast.
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Satan is out to control your mind, your life and to ruin your testimony for
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God. Many pastors are experiencing difficulty in counseling with members of
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the opposite sex without becoming emotionally and physically involved with
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them. We do not war against flesh and blood but spiritual wickedness in high
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places, our battle is not with society, nor with the conditions we grew up in,
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nor is it dependent on the circumstances we find ourselves in now. Our battle
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is with the prince of darkness, the god of this world system, Satan.
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He cannot be fought with material weapons or the mind. A man said one time
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that the hope for his state was in it's educational system. All education will
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do is make people smart sinners. Education deals with mind only, The spirit
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and the heart must be set free. It can only be set free by the power of an
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Almighty God, The God of the Universe who created you and me, who sent His Son
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to die for you and me on an old rugged cross. He shed His blood for our sin
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and our deliverance from the bondage of Satan. Jesus Christ is the only one
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strong enough to defeat Satan and set you free from the mental prison you are
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now in. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
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to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high
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thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every
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thought to the obedience of Christ... (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
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Some of you are crying out now, saying this is me! I have struggled for so
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long and fought so hard but I just can't get rid of this thing in my life. It
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may be depression, discouragement, lust, alcohol, or drugs, whatever it is,
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you don't have to live in bondage, oppression or extreme pressure by any
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demon. You have authority over it, you can have the victory. The battle has
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already been won, Jesus Christ paid the price almost two thousand years ago.
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He paid the price so that you don't have to live life depressed, bound,
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discouraged, or broken hearted. He came that we might have life and have it
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more abundantly. Jesus gave you the power and authority, and said that He
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would fight your battles if you would just use the authority He gave you.
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Arise up out of that pit that you are in, shake the dust from yourself and
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walk in the Victory that He paid for with His precious blood!
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Complete, total deliverance is available. It is yours for the taking. Most
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importantly you must surrender your total life to God, right now. Give Him
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every area of your life. Follow this guideline.
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1. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and to come into your heart afresh and
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new.
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2. Renounce the sin that has been holding you back. Tell God you don't want it
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anymore and ask Him to give you a deep hatred of it.
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3. Command the demons to go in the name of Jesus (Luke 10:17),
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If the control is severe, it is important to have believers that are full of
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God's Spirit present to help pray.
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HOW TO STAY DELIVERED
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Staying delivered is the majority of the battle. Satan cannot force you to do
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anything. He cannot separate you from God's love or power (Rom 8:34-39). He
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will try to get control of your thought life. Philippians 4:8 tells us what to
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think on "...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
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whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
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lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
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there be any praise, think on these things."
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Father, I pray for those reading this tract desiring deliverance from the
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bondage the enemy of their soul has put them in. I rebuke every foul spirit
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and every demon that has tried to control their lives. Show them any hidden
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sin, wash them as white as snow, change them, and set them Free. May their
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lives never be the same again. May they walk in joy unspeakable and full of
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glory. Give them the peace they need, and the knowledge of how to use the power
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of your Spirit they need to walk a life of victory in Jesus. We thank
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You and praise You for it, in Jesus' name, Amen.
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"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
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us (Rom 8:37)."
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WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE DELIVERED.. JOEL 2:32
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---------------
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Reprint permission was granted to Computers for Christ #22 for the expressed
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purpose of posting this tract in electronic form. Please DO NOT modify this
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file nor distribute hard copies of this file.
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Printed copies for distribution are available from the Gospel Tract Society
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for a donation.
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The Gospel Tract Society is supported by our contributions. Please help them
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continue their work by sending them a contribution today.
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The Gospel Tract Society, Inc.
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P.O. Box 1118
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Independence, MO 64061
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