POWER AGAINST UNCLEAN SPIRIT

Dr. D. K. Olukoya

This week, by the grace of God, we are going to learn about power against unclean spirits. The Bible makes us to know that God has given believers authority to be able to do certain things. We have to learn about those things and walk in that authority which is the birthright of every child of God.

The first one is authority to overcome sin and all bad habits in all areas of our lives. Matthew 1: 21 says, “And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins.” The Bible also says, “In whom we have forgiveness, we have redemption." Therefore, we have power from God to overcome sin and evil habits. As from today, you have to walk in this authority that God has given you.

Another authority that we have is immunity against poison and control of wild beasts. Luke 10:19 says, “Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Another one is the authority to heal the sick. James 5: 14 says, “Is any sick among you let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” And Mark 16:17 says: “And these signs shall follow them that believe. In my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall lay hand on the sick and the sick shall recover.”

Another authority that has been given to you and I is the authority to raise the dead. John 14: 12 says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father.” Jesus raised the dead, and He has given us the authority to be able to raise the dead like Him.

Another authority that the Lord Jesus Christ promises us is the authority to be able to bind and loose anything. Matthew 18: 18 says, “Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Another authority that the word of God promises us is the authority to destroy the works of satan. Jesus has also given us authority to be able to control the elements and do all kinds of miracles. That was why Joshua was able to command the sun to stand still and work in his favour. We too, can do so.

Another thing that the Bible says we can do is that we can execute judgment upon the powers of darkness. Psalm 149:6 says, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand. To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people.” So we are authorised to execute judgment, not on one another or on pastors and ministers of God but on all the works of darkness. You are to judge yourself, and also the powers of darkness.

Another thing that the Bible promises us is the authority to get abundant provision for living. Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

The word of God has also promised us the authority to have complete knowledge of the truth of the word of God beyond all doubt. That is why the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Another authority that we have is authority to experience the river of living water flowing out of our innermost being. John 7: 37-39 says, “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified).”

So, we have the authority to have rivers of living water flowing out of our innermost being. We have the authority to do the work of Christ, even greater authority to do greater works than He did. We have authority to have freedom from darkness and experience complete life in all areas of our lives. We have authority to have healing and sound health. For you to remain in sound health, you have the authority to able to do so.

We have the authority to receive the fruit of the Spirit, and impart the gifts unto others. Also we have authority to exercise power over all unclean spirits. Matthew 10:1 says, “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Let us look at another word of God that establishes that as well. Mark 6:7 says, “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.” Luke 10:1 says, “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two by two before his face, into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” We can see in these Scriptures how the disciples were sent out and how they received power to be able to stand against unclean spirits. When they came back, their report was that they saw satan himself falling before them.

Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God from God. Likewise unclean spirits are the spirits that come from the devil. These unclean spirits are obedient to him; they are in subjection to him. We need not argue whether there are demons or not or whether unclean spirits exist or not. Whether you believe it or not, the word of God has said that there are unclean spirits. Jesus also made us to know that there are unclean spirits. Whether you doubt the existence of satan or not, satan exists as well. What we should know is what we can do against these unclean spirits.

UNCLEANS SPIRITS

Some people meet unclean spirits at different places. Unclean spirits are personalities. They are spirit beings that exist spiritually, although they often appear physically as well. We need not know how they came to the earth, but the Bible says they came to the surface of the earth. Although they don’t have physical bodies, one of their aims is to indwell human beings to be able to carry out their activities on the surface of the earth. To express their will and personality in our natural world, they attach themselves to objects, especially those dedicated to them. They attach themselves to idols, amulets, charms, fetish materials and instruments of ritual worship. Any one who has any charm, concoction, amulet or idol at home has a ready material for unclean spirits. Such a person would be attacked or oppressed day and night.

Apart from using or looking for human beings to possess, they can also inhabit physical places such as houses, buildings or an apartment within a building. There are other names that the Bible calls unclean spirits. It calls them seducing spirits. 1 Timothy 4:1 says, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” And Matthew 12: 45 says: “Then goeth he, and taketh with himself 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. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” So, the Bible tells us that there are evil spirits. We really need to war against them.

At this juncture, please take this prayer point: “My life is not the habitation of evil spirits. My body is the temple of the living God. Therefore no power of darkness can enter into me, in the name of Jesus.”

The Bible also calls them devil’s agents. It calls them principalities and powers. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Whatever names they are called, they are unclean spirits. They are not holy and that qualifies them to be called unclean spirits.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF THESE UNCLEAN SPIRITS, DEMONS OR POWERS OF DARKNESS?

They can speak. When Jesus went to the temple, the first personalities to recognise Him were demons. The Pharisees, Saducees, high persons and teachers that were there in the temple did not recognise that Jesus was there with them. But immediately He came, the person that was possessed with demons said, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to torment us before our time?”

They have understanding and they are very intelligent. The Bible says that the children of darkness are wiser in their generation than the children of light. So, anyone who copies something from unbelievers is undoing himself. If the people he is copying are children of darkness, then he will not be able to know that they are demonic spirits and they would just undo him because they are wiser in their own generation. Unbelievers can commit sin and get away with it because it is part of their life. If you follow them, one day you will be caught.

They can believe to a limited extent. The Bible says that there is only one God. The demons also believe that. They believe that there is Jesus as well, only that they don’t want to accept that Jesus is greater than them.

They co-operate with one another. Sometimes the one that has greater demons would cast out the one with lesser demons, and would say he is powerful. That is why sometimes you see a child of the devil say, “I am the husband of witches, I am the wife of wizards.” Such a person must be using the power of the devil against the devil. So, when you go to them with a problem, they pretend to solve it but actually they are replacing the problem. They will deceive you so that you will not know that that problem is still there and multiplying in your life. That is why we have fake prophets or white garment herbalists. They use the power of the devil to subdue smaller demons and to exercise authority over them.

They seek for bodies to enter and to control.

They know their end. They know where they are going to end up, that was why the possessed man who challenged Jesus asked Him whether He had come to torment them before their time.

They recognise divine powers. They know those that have divine authority. They know you as you are. They know your spiritual level. That is why they would deal seriously with someone who is not living a clean life and wants to cast them out. The sons of Sceva wanted to cast them out, whereas they did not have the authority and disaster befell them.

They also know those that say, “Me, my own blood is bitter, nobody can suck my blood,” but do not have any power. Such people are easy prey for them. So if you have not received the Holy Spirit, try to do so because they know us as we are. They know those that are not living a clean life and merely say, “Let me follow them to church, maybe one day God will do it.”

They recognise those who have divine authority and can exercise it over them. I pray that you can exercise the authority that Jesus Christ has given to you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

THE WORKS OF THESE POWERS IN THE LIVES OF UNBELIEVERS

They cause spiritual blindness, so that whenever you are talking to them or preaching the gospel to them they will not believe or agree with you. During evangelism, you will come across some people talking and arguing with you, recognise that they are under the control of these evil sprits. What you should do is to bind the demon and you will recognise a break immediately.

They attack the doctrines of Jesus Christ. For example, they disagree with the death of Jesus as a substitute. Another thing they do is to blind the eyes of unbelievers to their sins and the consequences. They cause them to believe that God is a good God and cannot punish anybody.

They fill their hearts with hatred against ministers of the living God, so that they go to attack them wherever they go and preach.

They cause sicknesses. They possess a person in order to kill him, so that he will not be able to hear about Christ.

WHAT THEY DO TO BELIEVERS

It is important for you to know what unclean spirits do to believers. The first thing they do is that they always deceive believers into believing that committing a sin just once is not a big deal and that God will pardon them. Immediately the believers go ahead to commit the sin, they will be the ones that will attack them.

They attack the word of God in the life of believers. They make sure they render to naught the teachings of Christ in the life of many believers. In the Parable of the Sowers, we see how they distort the words of God that are planted in the hearts of people.

Sometimes they oppress believers who allow themselves to be oppressed.

They tempt believers to sin and when they commit sin, the devil will go to God and say something like this: “That your daughter or son has just cursed somebody before coming to fellowship. And because of that, his prayer should not be answered.” Therefore, we need to be wiser than the devil. The evil ones are wiser in their own generation, but the Bible says that you can receive the wisdom of God so that you can know how to deal with them.

WHAT DO WE DO TO THEM?

Ephesians 5: 11-12 says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” The word of God does not say we should be petting evil spirits. It says, we should rebuke them. Mark 16:17 also says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out demons, they shall speak with new tongues.”

The devil is a liar and has failed woefully. The Bible says, “You shall cast out devils.” And we saw that in the ministry of Jesus Christ. He was always casting out devils, healing the sick and raising the dead. Paul also cast out devils. We have been given the authority to cast out devils.

Power of the Christian over and against unclean spirits lies in the name of Jesus. Philippians 2: 9-10 says, “Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth.” So, we have the name of Jesus as a weapon with which we can exercise authority against them and over them. Let us see what was done in Luke 10:17. It says, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us through thy name.” Why were they subject to them? It is because of the name of Jesus. So the name of Jesus is powerful. No power can withstand it and no demon can near it. The name of Jesus is too great.

Another thing we must know was that the disciples were working in full obedience to the Lord’s instruction. When Jesus sent them forth, to be able to cast out devils, He gave them power against unclean spirits. Remember that those that were sent to cast out devils were those that were called disciples or believers. They were working in full obedience. For you to be able to exercise power against unclean spirits, you need to work in full obedience to the Lord and not in partial obedience. You should not be like those who say, “My own Christianity is different. Let me be doing it little by little, later on I will join them.” If you are like that the unclean spirits will attack you even when you say the name of Jesus.

Another ingredient is faith, and not fear, faith in the word of God that makes you to believe that when you mention the name of Jesus, something will happen, and nothing can stand against it.

Another thing is that the disciples worked under God’s appointed authority. A believer who wants to exercise power over unclean spirits must be under God’s authority. You must recognise that you did not earn the authority by yourself, that the authority is inherent from God and it is a right that is given to you. Devil does not submit to you or to us as believers or as individuals because of our name or because of our birth. He submits to us because of the power that we have as believers. If we call our own name, say in the name of so and so, demons will not listen to us. But immediately we say, “In the name of Jesus,” they will obey.

What happens during the new birth is that you are promoted from the rank of a private in the army to that of a full general. In the hierarchy of power, God has greater power than all the powers of darkness. Therefore devil is always subject unto us.

Now that you know all these, what do you want to do? You should recognise the fact that all our actions everyday have full effect on us. How do you contribute to the building up of the kingdom of God in your attitude, behaviour and thought.

The second thing is that you must know that your own work is not only to build-up the work of God, but also to contribute in breaking down and overthrowing the kingdom of darkness. Your name must be known in hell and in heaven as well. Your name must be known in hell so that whenever you are praying the beings in hell will say, “That is a believer, do not touch him.” But if you are living a careless life, you will not be able to operate. The devil does not want your name written in the Book of life.

In everything you do, you must be pulling down the kingdom of darkness. Some people are contributing to the kingdom of darkness consciously or unconsciously. If you commit sin, you are reestablishing the kingdom of the devil. When you are not working in full obedience to God, you are contributing to the kingdom of darkness. I pray that the Lord will help us to work in His side, in Jesus’ name.

Before we attack the kingdom of darkness with some prayer points, let us make sure that the kingdom of darkness does not have a legal hold on our lives. I want you to pray like this: “All the legal hold that unclean spirits have over my life, I command you to receive the fire of God now and be consumed, in the name of Jesus.”

Your body must be under the control of your soul. Your soul must be under the control of your spirit. Your spirit must be under the control of God. If your spirit is not under control and in that line of authority, you cannot exercise authority over any other power. That is why you will talk to yourself like this: “My body, be under the control of my soul, my soul be in subjection to my spirit, and my spirit be in subjection to the Spirit of God, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINTS

1. I bind you devil and all unclean spirits in all areas of my life. I declare my life a danger zone for you, in the name of Jesus.

2. Anything that unclean spirits have eaten in my life, or whatever they have destroyed, let there be a complete restoration, in the name of Jesus.

3. I remove my name from the book of demonic casualties, in Jesus’ name.

4. I break every family covenant that may be affecting me negatively, in the name of Jesus.

5. I remove myself from the hold of any demonic power, in the name of Jesus.

6. I bind every spirit of infirmity, in the name of Jesus.

7. I break and lose myself from every bewitchment, in the name of Jesus.

8. Every link connecting me to evil things, break now, in the name of Jesus.

9. I reject any evil thing that I have inherited from my father and mother, in the name of Jesus.

10. I release all my helpers that are locked up in prison, in Jesus’ name.

11. I invite the fire of God to destroy every evil altar constructed against my life in my village, town, or where I was born, in the name of Jesus.

12. I break every witchcraft curse, in the name of Jesus.

13. I bind every spirit of marriage destruction, in the name of Jesus.

14. I bind every spirit of untimely death, in the name of Jesus.

15. I bind every spirit of marital failure, in the name of Jesus.

16. I break every covenant of late marriage, in the name of Jesus.

17. I break every spirit of financial failure, in the name of Jesus.

18. I release right now, my materials in satanic bank, in the name of Jesus.

19. I release myself from the hold of every evil remote controlling power, in Jesus’ name.

20. I refuse to be controlled by any power, which is not the Spirit of God, in the name of Jesus.

21. I destroy the remote-controlling powers, in the name of Jesus.

22. Any strongman attached to any bad thing happening to me at present, I bind you and paralyse you, in the name of Jesus.

23. Any evil that has been done to my life within the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. I cancel you, in the name of Jesus.

24. Any organ in my body that a strange hand has been laid upon, I set you free, in the name of Jesus.

25. Thank God for answered prayers, in Jesus’ name.