perspective

W e ' r e m o r e t h a n j u s t a C h u r c h . . . W e ' r e a F A M I L Y !

Pastor Carter addresses Questions on

DEMONOLOGY & DELIVERANCE

I'd like to know about encounters you may have had with demons - whether through demon possessed people or otherwise. I certainly don't want to praise demons and their work. However, they are real! I am just curious about your experiences with these enemies?

I have had numerous encounters with those who were demon possessed. That has been a common avenue of ministry for me. Thanks be to God that those bound by the devil can be set free. We've seen many people delivered and saved from demon possession. All praise be to the Lord for His faithfulness to use us in His work.

As far as seeing demons, the first thing I always ask someone who tells me that they've seen a demon is ask them if they've ever seen an angel. There are at least two-thirds more angels than demons. The general rule is that those who run around all the time claiming to see devils probably do not. I AM NOT demeaning or belittling anyone's experience, as it is not entirely impossible. I have seen two angels, but have never physically seen a demon. I have, however, been privileged of the Lord to have been "let in" by the Holy Spirit on where they were located when they were present. This knowledge granted by the Spirit is not intended to raise a person's level of fear, but is intended to be a wonderful opportunity for a believer to deal with the devil in such a way that brings glory to the Lord.

As believers, we should be able to "see demons with our spiritual eyes" even though we may not see them with our physical eyes.

The real issue comes when determining how to deal with these spirits. These battles are not with flesh and blood, but are completely spiritual and must be dealt with accordingly. When we look at those who are demon possessed as if they are the problem, we lose sight of the bound individual that Christ loves and longs to call His own. They are just a person, like you and me, arrested by an intruder and locked in a spiritual cell. We have the key, and Jesus commanded we set them free.

Sensing a demonic spirit is not the time to be afraid, or attempt to "run it off" as some think is possible. It is an opportunity to be victorious. I know there is apprehension concerning "demonic activity" as it puts some into a "rush" of adrenaline and throws them into a state of advanced physical intensity. That's not a bad thing, but when we realize who we are in Him, we realize we don't necessarily have to jump to prepare ourselves for an instant battle. If we walk in holiness and the fear of God, then overcoming a demonic attack is just another of our daily victories in Christ. It should not take a "demonic encounter" to cause us to enter into prayer or to ready our spiritual stance. As believers, our stance should already be made, and a demonic encounter then becomes not an opportunity for a surprise test, but another joyful opportunity to prove the Lord's faithfulness and a chance to route the enemy.

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There was one boy at our Christian summer camp many years ago that began manifesting a demonic spirit. He would mock and laugh at the campers who went to the altar to seek the Lord. One camper, being used of the Holy Spirit, began speaking to the person directly in tongues. I have the feeling the Holy Ghost was speaking to whatever evil was controlling this boy. The sad part is, the adults never did take care of this situation. The campers were trying to deal with this boy but we didn't know what to do. The adults should have tried to pray with this boy, but they just ignored it. The adults were too scared to do anything about it, so nothing was ever done. He left camp in the same spiritual condition in which he arrived. How would you have handled this?

It is unfortunate that those who should have been leaders shirked their spiritual responsibility by not effectively leading by example through exerting their authority in Christ over the enemy. Setting the boy free would have undoubtedly demonstrated in an effective way how one should approach demonic attacks and public manifestations.

The ultimate result would have been three-fold:

1) It would have been a positive example of how to cast out demons to young people willing to be used of the Lord;

2) it would have brought glory to the Father; and

3) the most important reason is that the young man would have been set free and could find forgiveness in Christ.

Concerning your suggestion that the Holy Ghost may have been addressing the evil spirit in the boy by using tongues through another person, I would have to disagree. I have witnessed someone do this in the past. I do not believe this practice to be biblical. In the Word, the Holy Ghost never cast a demon out of a person - people, filled with the Holy Spirit, did the casting out. We have been given dominion over the enemy, and our commands for him to come out of a person must be obeyed. Screaming at a demonically possessed person in tongues in an attempt to rid them of a demon is a sign of ignorance and frustration on the part of the believer. Let us remember, the devil is a mocker and an imitator of the things of God. "Dialog" in "tongues" is one of the ways he attempts to deceive unbelievers, and unfortunately, some Christians. The devil makes people run, dance, "shout," and even speak in tongues (however false they may be). It takes the Gift of Discernment to tell the difference.

I have seen in our home church, World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio, many people accepted an altar invitation to receive the Holy Ghost. When we escorted these individuals to a separate area for prayer, one individual eventually began running back and forth and supposedly "shouting." She began saying "hallelujah" and lifting her hands. Some of her utterings were even in a "tongue." While to some, it may have seemed that she had received the baptism, the Holy Spirit informed me that it was not He operating through her. The Holy Spirit said to me, "I cannot indwell her because another occupies." That was all I needed. I trust His word more than a supposed manifestation. I stepped in front of her and commanded the devil within her to leave. She fell to the ground and began to manifest demonically. The ladies within our leadership came to assist and began to cast the devil out of her.

After a few minutes, they brought her to her feet. Supposedly, according to her claim, she was free. She went around to all the ladies one at a time, and mouthed the words "thank you," but there was no verbal sound coming out of her mouth. When she came to me, her demeanor of calm again left and the demon that was trying to suppress itself and hide could not. She began rolling her eyes and smirking a devilish grin. The ladies in leadership saw this manifestation and again layed hands on her to cast the devil out. The Holy Spirit revealed to me what kind of spirit this was, and I relayed it to the ladies in leadership. They began casting it out by name, and after an hour of serious intense prayer, she was finally delivered.

I said all that to say this: we have no reason to fear the devil. We are bought by the Blood of Jesus, and filled with His Spirit. Every devil must flee at our command, by the authority granted us through Christ.

God gives us these opportunities to show Him great, and to set people free. Jesus commanded us to do so. We deny Him the opportunity to show Himself real in the lives of others when we do not become the bridge to them that He commanded we be.

I encourage each one of us to not be afraid of the enemy. Our elder Brother gave us the power to deal with Him. We need to come to our spiritual senses and realize who we are in Him and make the difference in the earth He intended us to make.

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FAMILY HARVEST CHURCH

PASTOR CHAD CARTER

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Salem, IN 47167

812-883-2523

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