ANA: Maggie I doubt you will understand for you believe your battle field is in people's heads and physical body but I do not believe it true. At least that is not true according to my personal experience. It is a spiritual battle. But where does it take place?? IN US. The battlefield is IN the mind. Demons, powers and principalities need HUMANS to operate THROUGH.
The battle I see is in the spirit, in the realm most consider to be dreams and visions. Um, no. Dreams and visions are what God shows us is going on in the spiritual realm...it's like watching a documentary or a news broadcast. It REVEALS what we do not see in the natural. It is like watching two angels in a fight struggling for control of the heart of a third person watching. Angels never have control over our hearts. It is only the Lord, ourselves and Satan/demons who can have control....and then only if WE give it to them. I merely seat and talk with the person watching and ask what they are fighting over. Normally it is a teaching or problem of their life they are struggling with and they don't know which of the two angels to listen to. Again...they should listen to the Lord, comparing all that they 'hear' with His written word. They are not sure which is the angel sent by God and which is the demon trying to lead them away. They need to ask God for Discernment So I listen and when I awaken I read my Bible. that why I can see what God says is the answer and who actually told the truth and who lied with their arguments. In case both claim to be quoting God's words when they debate and fight with sword of Spirit, but you can tell by their words whose spiritual sword they use. The enemy does not have a 'spiritual sword'. That is not found in scripture.
Not exactly but that is the closest metaphor most people will understand.
People do not get possessed you would be able to see them if they were. True possession in the US is rare, but it can happen. It does NOT happen to Christians.they would be trapped in chains and the demons would speak through their eyes and mouth. Consider an insane asylum. I have meet people who have been demon possessed and have casted them out, No, you have not. You have met people that are OPpressed....greatly influenced by. Truly POsessed people, like I said, in the US are rare, not to mention almost always in asylums or mental prisons and kept sedated. You do not know what a truly possessed person behaves like. It would scare the living daylights out of you. but I can not stop them from watching the fight and choosing to listen to demons instead of God. That's the problem. They don't watch the fight. They don't even recognize that there IS a fight. Because if they did, they could do the necessary warfare to win the battle. I can only give them Bible verses and listen and pray to God. If you understood the spiritual realm, you would understand that there is much strategy with which to fight against our spiritual enemies in scripture.
you don't go casting out demons unless the person is at the point they will accept Jesus as Lord and savior and the Holy Spirit to protect them or they will be demon possessed with 7 more demons versus the 1 they had to begin with. Agreed
it is irresponsible not to keep in contact with people you have casted demons out of to ensure they have training in defending themselves. that is why you don't do it unless you are willing to commit and pray for them daily. Agreed that is why not everyone uses the power to cast out demons and should only do it when GOD says the person is ready in their hearts to accept HIM. Again, agreed. But you are speaking only of people that are not saved. What about Christians?? The majority of the body of Christ is sick, depressed, prayerless, word-reading-less, defeated physically and emotionally. They have issues!! And those issues need deliverance.
You only cast out demons in the unsaved people who have not accepted Christ. WRONG!! As you said above, you would do this ONLY if Holy Spirit led you to do so, so they could receive Christ, otherwise their condition will become worse than it was.with christians you show them the lies the demons on the OUTSIDE are whispering to them and help them listen to the Holy Spirit for themselves and build that relationship with CHRIST not you, but with GOD. Have them depend upon GOD and HIS VOICE not your ability to continually "cast out demons" for them. If you didn't do it right the first time then you didn't do it at all. You can show Christians scripture which reveals lies of the enemy. Already discussed the 'outside' concept. Can we agree that it is both? The only way any of us can 'help them listen to Holy Spirit' is to show them scriptures that show the different ways of hearing from God. We canNOT " Have them depend upon GOD and HIS VOICE" as we cannot force them to do it. Bottom line, when they cannot receive scripture and act on it, they need deliverance.
Jesus only casted out demons ONCE and then gave them His words to guard and protect them. And? Now we have the Holy Spirit to train us. People just need to learn how to listen and tell the difference between God's voice and the Enemies. Many cannot 'learn' or receive because of demonic interference.
the fruits and what the advice causes you to do. that is how you can tell. God's voice will increase the Fruit of the Spirit. Only if it is OBEYED. Satan will tempt you to sin. God did NOT make Satan evil (that was his chose through pride and wish to control his own life) or cause him to tempt you. It is YOUR flesh and NOT from God.
Do you not understand that God, being OMNIPOTENT, knew in advance and even DESIGNED Lucifer to become prideful? Without that PLAN, there would be no fall, no sin, no need of a Savior. AND there would be no true relationship between God and us because we would all just be robotic in our response to Him. It was ordained from the beginning of ALL creation that Lucifer would fall. Otherwise God is NOT omnipotent or sovereign.