Defending Your Spirit

DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING A STRONG SPIRIT

Let's begin by reading Luke 11:24-26:

"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him 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."

Notice in verse 24 of our text the Lord Jesus said, "When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man," that is, He is trying to paint a picture of what happens after you cast out the devil from an individual or a place. You know demons are spirits, so you cannot see them physically, but here the Lord is trying to show us what happens in the spirit realm when we cast out demons.

He said the demon "walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none." Notice He did not say "seeking rest and 'if' he finds none," no, He said "and finding none." Meaning they would not find rest in this place in the spirit called "dry places." In Mark 5:10-12, "All the devils besought him (Jesus), saying, 'send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.'" You see, they prefer to enter swine than to "walk through dry places" because they cannot find rest there.

Now, the Lord Jesus continues the teaching after He said the demons cannot find rest: "he (the demon) saith, I will return unto my house whence I was cast out." This is a picture of what goes on in the spirit realm. The demon will always want to come back, it is a spiritual fact; they cannot find rest in dry places, so they always seek to go back to the house (body) they were cast out from. This is why one must know what to do after deliverance.

Now let's continue: "And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him 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." The last state of the man is now worse than the first, so it is even better not to be delivered than to be delivered and repossessed by the same demon.

The truth is that the demon will always want to come back, and to prove this again we see the Lord cast out demons and command them not to enter back into the person (Mark 9:25). He wouldn’t need to do that if the demons did not want to come back. Therefore, after deliverance, what next? What must I do to ensure that I do not become worse than I was when I was possessed? Our Lord Jesus, in His teachings, opens us up to two main ways, and they both work together.

Notice that before He started talking about what happens when an unclean spirit is cast out, He first showed us the mechanism to cast out demons. He said:

"But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils."

Luke 11:20-22

He first traced His success in casting out devils and acclaimed it to have been done by the "finger of God" or the "Spirit of God," and then He went on to talk about the spiritual law that the stronger man always defeats the weaker man. Implying that the Spirit of God is the stronger man and the devil is the strong man (weak). Therefore, the first thing to do after deliverance is to develop and maintain a strong spirit man. You may be asking, "But Brother Robert, how do I develop and maintain a strong spirit after deliverance in order to prevent repossession?" Ephesians 6:10 says: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." Friend, he did not say "the power of your might," no, he said the "power of his (Jesus) might," that is, we can only be strong "in the Lord," we cannot be the stronger man anywhere else; it has to be "in the Lord." Meaning to develop a strong spirit man you must be born again!

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If any man be IN Christ, he is a new creature." See, to be in Christ is to believe and confess that Jesus is the Son of God who is "the Christ" (Romans 10:9-10). And "whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..." (1 John 5:1) and in verse 4, "whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world..." In fact, "who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (verse 5 of 1 John 5).

Therefore, you are not permitted to win the war against demons trying to take rest in your body until you are born again. You must be born again to become the stronger man because "whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, GOD DWELLETH IN HIM, and he in God" (1 John 4:15). Which demon is stronger than God? When you are born again you have God dwelling in your spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Therefore, because of this spiritual law that the stronger man would always disarm the strong man, you "have overcome them: because greater (stronger) is he that is in you, than he that is in the world!" (1 John 4:4).

You see, God will not be any stronger tomorrow than He is today (Hebrews 13:8). When you are born again you carry God inside you and you can "resist the devil and he would flee from you" (James 4:7). That is why being born again is one of the things to do after deliverance to have a strong spirit. But it is one thing to have a strong spirit and it is another thing to come to the reality that you have the stronger man living inside of you. Psalms 82:5-6 says, "They know not; neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." Lack of sufficient spiritual understanding makes the world look out of course. King Solomon describes this as an evil under the sun! Ecclesiastes 10:5 and 7 says, "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth."

So, even though you have the greater one inside of you, you can still be overthrown by the devil because of the evil under the sun, caused by a lack of understanding! This is why to walk in the reality of your strength in the Lord you need to have a revelation that the greater one lives inside of you. For this, you need to be baptized in the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost guides you into the truth concerning your rightful place in Christ (John 16:13). For it takes the truth to make you free from the evil under the sun (John 8:32). I am an example of one who was guided into this truth by the Holy Ghost. I was being oppressed by the spirit of death every night; it wanted to take my life. I would be awake with my eyes open yet I could not move a finger, gasping to regain consciousness. But one day the Spirit of God led me to the truth concerning the greater one in me, and I stood up and told the devil, "If you come here again, I will kill you." I have been able to resist and maintain my deliverance by this revelation of the stronger man in me.

Friend, in the teaching of our Lord in Luke 11:20-26, the devil entered into the body of the man and found it empty, that is, no weight, no strong force inside. So the devil fortified himself with seven more of his friends to make the man’s case worse than it was the first time. Therefore, the first thing to do after deliverance is to develop and maintain a strong spirit man, and we do this by being born again, baptized in the Holy Ghost in order to have a revelation of our strength in the Lord, and also maintaining the consciousness of the stronger man in us.

BUILDING UP YOUR SPIRITUAL WALLS

Friend, have you ever imagined what the body would be like without its immune system? You would be prone to any type of disease at any time. This is what happens to HIV patients—their immune system is broken down, so there is no resistance to bacteria entering their body. You see, most believers are like this spiritually—their bodies have no defense mechanism, so demons can walk in and out at any time. In Luke 11:24-26, the Lord teaches that when a demon is cast out of a man, it walks through dry places, seeking rest. Finding none, it says, "I will return to my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there."

Notice that this demon entered into this man's body and saw that it was swept and garnished. Then it left the body to call its friends, and all of them entered back into this same man without any form of resistance. The man had no defense, so he was prone to demonic invasion anytime. Proverbs 25:28 says, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." The picture of one that needs deliverance is a person who has no control over himself and is like a city that is broken down and without walls.

In the days of Nehemiah, Israel was always being invaded and spoiled by their enemies. Then the Lord sent Nehemiah to their aid, and he "went out by night...and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire." He said to the people, "Let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach." He knew that they were in reproach because their defenses were poor. As strong as the army of Israel was, they could not invade Jericho as long as the walls of Jericho remained standing. So Nehemiah and his team decided not to raise more soldiers to fight the invaders but to build back the wall. It was recorded that as they built the wall, "the breaches began to be stopped," meaning the invasions were reduced. They were much more secure than they were before. (Neh. 1-4).

Friend, the Old Testament is a picture and type of the new. The city of Jerusalem represents our bodies, and the invaders represent demons, for we wrestle not with flesh and blood (Heb. 10:1, Eph. 6:12). Therefore, after the invaders have been cast out of your body—that is, you have been healed or delivered (because even sickness is demonic oppression)—the next thing to do is to build your walls and prevent the next invasion. According to the Lord Jesus, the devil will always come back, so we must set up a mechanism that resists him. Now let us talk about how and what it takes to build up a wall to become an impenetrable city like Jericho.

How do I build up this spiritual wall of faith?

Firstly, what is the wall? "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:16). The shield of faith is likened to the wall that Nehemiah built; it is like the wall of Jericho. It makes you impenetrable and can quench ALL the attacks of the enemy. But faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and Jesus is the Word. He is also the Chief Cornerstone (Jn. 1:1, Eph. 2:20). Therefore, the shield of faith is a spiritual wall that protects you from ALL forms of satanic assaults.

Faith is defined as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). The substance and evidence of faith is the Word of God. Therefore, faith is acting on the Word to get the desired results. There must be things we can do from the Word that provide all-round security for us to prevent repossession after deliverance.

1. Stay in Joy: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Ps. 91:2). Staying in the secret place of the Most High causes you to come under the personal security of the Almighty. In His presence, there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). Dwelling in joy causes you to come under the security of divine presence because He inhabits the praises of His people. Until you are depressed, you cannot be oppressed. Until you are depressed, you cannot be repossessed!

2. Serve the Lord: "And ye shall serve the Lord your God...and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee" (Ex. 23:25). Sickness is an oppression of the devil. Serving God and the interests of His kingdom causes Him to be your personal security guard, like the immune system. He will stay there and drive away the demons responsible for sickness trying to repossess you. When Israel entered into a covenant to serve God, it was recorded that "the Lord gave them rest round about." All the demons trying to take their city stopped invading (2 Chron. 15:15). You will not be repossessed in Jesus' Name!

3. Walk in Love: When you walk in love, you walk in God, for "God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16-18). Love casts out fear because fear has torment. Fear is what opens the door for demons to enter and torment you. But walking in love closes the door of fear and prevents repossession.

Friend, after deliverance, we must ensure to build up our spiritual wall of faith by walking in love, serving God and the interests of His kingdom, and dwelling in joy. I pray for you that afflictions will not rise up again in your life. The demons you fought before; you shall see them no more in Jesus' precious name!

THE MECHANISM TO CAST OUT DEVILS

The Lord Jesus gives us insight into His mechanism to cast out devils. He said, "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils." (Luke 11:20-22)

Notice, that He first traced His success in casting out devils and acclaimed it to have been done by the 'finger of God' or the 'Spirit of God,' and then He went on talking about the spiritual law that stronger men always defeat the weaker man. This implies that the Spirit of God is the stronger man and the devil is the strong man (weak).

Here are a few points to note from this insight:

1. Be Born Again: Demons do not cast out demons. When you are in the kingdom of darkness, you cannot cast out the devil. The ability to cast out demons is a sign that you are a believer and have authority over darkness through Light. (Mark 16:15-18)

2. Be Baptized in The Spirit: Paul instructs us to put on the whole armour of God so that we may be able to withstand the evil day in our wrestle against demons (Ephesians 6:13). What other armour but the armour of the Spirit, so we would be “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” thus becoming a touch-not entity. (Ephesians 1:13, Psalms 105:15)

3. Believe in the Spiritual Law that the Stronger Defeats the Weaker: Just as gravity states that when you go up, you must come down, the spiritual law also states that the stronger man will always defeat the strong man. Jesus speaks of the great stone that, both defensively and offensively, defeats any devil. (Matthew 21:44)

4. Walk in the Consciousness that the Greater One Lives in You: Jesus accredited all His wins against demons to the Spirit of God, who is the finger of God inside Him. It’s the same thing with us; the greater one, like the great stone, makes us defensively and offensively unbeatable.

5. Declare Your Victory: It was Bishop David Oyedepo who said, “A closed mouth is a closed destiny.” How true! Jesus was oppressed and beaten and yet “he opened not his mouth.” The opening of your mouth is the key to your freedom.

My prayer for you is that, as from today, the demons you feared will begin to fear you. Remain blessed!

Jesus is Lord!

Min. Roi