Mark 6:7 (NIV) Calling the twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
Mat 10:8 (NIV) "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."
Luke 10:17 (NIV) The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
Mark 1:27 (NIV) The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him."
Luke 9:42 (NIV) Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
Acts 8:7 (NIV) With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many...
Luke 4:33,35 (NIV) In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice... "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
Rom 6:12-13 (Phi) Do not, then, allow sin to establish any power over your mortal bodies in making you give way to your lusts. Nor hand over your bodily parts to be, as it were, weapons of evil for the devil's purposes. But, like men rescued from certain death, put yourselves in God's hands as weapons of good for his own purposes.
2 Pet 2:19 (Jer) ... if anyone lets himself be dominated by anything, he is a slave to it...
1 Cor 6:19-20 (TEB) ...You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory.
Eph 4:27 (NIV) ... Do not give the devil a foothold.
2 Chr 6:36 (NIV) "When they sin against you [God]--for there is no one who does not sin--you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive..."
1 Kings 8:46-50 (NRS) "If they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--... you give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive... yet if they come to their senses... and repent, and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, 'We have sinned... if they repent with all their heart and soul... then hear in heaven... and forgive your people...
Jud 2:14 (NIV) ...The Lord handed them [His people] over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.
Neh 9:27,33,36 (NIV) So you handed them [the chosen people] over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies... In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong... But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers...
Ps 106:40-41 (NIV) Therefore the Lord was angry with his people... He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.
Eph 4:27 (NAS) ...do not give the devil an opportunity.
Eph 4:27 (NRS) ...do not make room for the devil.
1 Tim 4:1 (TEB) The Spirit says clearly that some men will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons.
2 Pet 2:12,19 (RSV) But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed, reviling in matters of which they are ignorant, will be destroyed in the same corruption with them... They... themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved.
2 Tim 2:26 (NIV) and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Col 2:8 (NIV) See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) [Jesus] "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Eph 4:8 (Phi) Thus the scripture says: "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive..."
Isa 49:9 (NIV) "... to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness 'Be free!'"
Ps 142:7 (NAS) "Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Thy name; the righteous will surround me, for thou wilt deal bountifully with me."
Luke 8:2 (NIV) and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
Mark 16:9 (NIV) When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
[A dream where residents of hell (sort of) have taken a bus ride into the foothills of heaven (or something close to it) to "check it out", criticize, argue, return--or perhaps stay and become like "angels". Our narrator stumbles onto the following scene.]... I saw coming towards us a Ghost [a visitor from "hell"] who carried something on his shoulder. Like all the Ghosts, he was insubstantial, but they differed from one another as smokes differ. Some had been whitish; this one was dark and oily.
What sat on his shoulder was a little red lizard, and it was twitching its tail like a whip and whispering things in his ear. As we caught site of him he turned his head to the reptile with a snarl of impatience.
"Shut up, I tell you!" he said. It wagged its tail and continued to whisper to him. He ceased snarling, and presently began to smile. Then he turned and started to limp westward, away from the mountains ["heaven"].
"Off so soon?" said a voice. The speaker was more or less human in shape but larger than a man, and so bright that I could hardly look at him. His presence smote on my eyes and on my body too (for there was heat coming from him as well as light) like the morning sun at the beginning of a tyrannous summer day.
"Yes. I'm off," said the Ghost. "Thanks for all your hospitality. But it's no good, you see. I told this little chap," (here he indicated the lizard), "that he'd have to be quiet if he came--which he insisted on doing. Of course his stuff won't do here: I realize that. But he won't stop. I shall just have to go home."
"Would you like me to make him quiet?" said the flaming Spirit--an angel, as I now understood.
"Of course I would," said the Ghost.
"Then I will kill him," said the Angel, taking a step forward.
"Oh--ah--look out! You're burning me. Keep away," said the Ghost, retreating.
"Don't you want him killed?"
"You didn't say anything about killing him at first. I hardly meant to bother you with anything so drastic as that."
"It's the only way," said the Angel, whose burning hands were now very close to the lizard. "Shall I kill it?"
"Well, that's a further question. I'm quite open to consider it, but it's a new point, isn't it? I mean, for the moment I was only thinking about silencing it because up here--well, it's so damned embarrassing."
"May I kill it?"
"Well, there is time to discuss that later."
"There is no time. May I kill it?"
"Please, I never meant to be such a nuisance. Please--really--don't bother. Look! It's gone to sleep of it's own accord. I'm sure it'll be all right now. Thanks ever so much."
"May I kill it?"
"Honestly, I don't think there's the slightest necessity for that. I'm sure I shall be able to keep it in order now. I think the gradual process would be far better than killing it."
"The gradual process is of no use at all."
"Don't you think so? Well, I'll think over what you've said very carefully. I honestly will. In fact I'd let you kill it now, but as a matter of fact I'm not feeling frightfully well today. It would be silly to do it now. I'd need to be in good health for the operation. Some other day, perhaps."
"There is no other day. All days are present now."
"Get back! You're burning me. How can I tell you to kill it? You'd kill me if you did."
"It is not so."
"Why, you're hurting me now."
"I never said it wouldn't hurt you, I said it wouldn't kill you."
"Oh, I know. You think I'm a coward. But it isn't that. Really it isn't. I say! Let me run back by tonight's bus and get an opinion from my own doctor. I'll come again the first moment I can."
"This moment contains all moments."
"Why are you torturing me? You are jeering at me. How can I let you tear me to pieces? If you wanted to help me, why didn't you kill the damned thing without asking me--before I knew? It would be all over by now if you had."
"I cannot kill it against your will. It is impossible. Have I your permission?"
The Angel's hands were almost closed on the Lizard, but not quite. Then the Lizard began chattering to the Ghost so loud that even I could hear what it was saying.
"Be careful," it said. "He can do what he says. He can kill me. One fatal word from you and he will! Then you'll be without me for ever and ever. It's not natural. How could you live? You'd only be a sort of ghost, not a real man as you are now. He doesn't understand. It may be natural for him, but it isn't for us. Yes, yes. I know there are no real pleasures now, only dreams. But aren't they better than nothing? And I'll be so good. I admit I've sometimes gone too far in the past, but I promise I won't do it again. I'll give you nothing but really nice dreams--all sweet and fresh and almost innocent..."
"Have I your permission?" said the Angel to the Ghost.
"I know it will kill me."
"It won't. But supposing it did?"
"You're right. It would be better to be dead than to live with this creature."
"Then I may?"
"Damn and blast you! Go on, can't you? Get it over. Do what you like," bellowed the Ghost: but ended, whimpering, "God help me. God help me."
Next moment the Ghost gave a scream of agony such as I never heard on Earth. The Burning One closed his crimson grip on the reptile: twisted it, while it bit and writhed, and then flung it, broken backed, on the turf.
"Ow! That's done for me," gasped the Ghost, reeling backwards.
For a moment I could make out nothing distinctly. Then I saw, between me and the nearest bush, unmistakably solid but growing every moment solider, the upper arm and the shoulder of a man. Then, brighter and still stronger, the legs and hands. The neck and golden head materialized while I watched... the actual completing of a man--an immense man, naked, not much smaller than the Angel...
While I still watched, I noticed that the whole plain and forest were shaking with a sound which in our world would be to large to hear, but there I could take it with joy. I know it was not the Solid People who were singing. It was the voice of that earth, those woods and those waters. A strange archaic, inorganic noise, that came from all directions at once... It sang,
"The Master says to our master, Come up. Share my rest and splendor till all natures that were your enemies become slaves to dance before you... "
"From beyond all place and time, out of the very Place, authority will be given you: the strengths that once opposed you shall be obedient fire in your blood and heavenly thunder in your voice."
"Overcome us that, so overcome, we may be ourselves: we desire the beginning of your reign as we desire dawn and dew, wetness at the birth of light."
Please remember that not all problems can be attributed to demons. But until the day when the church is discerning enough to confidently and correctly identify demons in people like Jesus did, the best judge of demonic activity in your life... is probably you.
If you suspect you may have been "had" by demons, it is recommended that you: 1) seek prayer on your own initiative, 2) confess and renounce all activity that led to such a state, and 3) repent and turn to God--do not dream of how "good the food was in Egypt" (Num 11:4-6), but partake of the heavenly bread and wait upon the Lord by faith.
1 Cor 10:20b (RSV) I do not want you to be partners with demons.
1) Are there any serious, predominant moral problems in your family line? (Things like: substance abuse, infidelity, suicide, bigotry, violence, perversion, pride, lying, etc.)
2) In the past, have you ever felt "superhuman" talent or capability that led you away from God? (Things like: seductiveness, manipulation, brilliance, ability to lie, witchcraft, spiritual guides, etc.)
3) Are there recurring, destructive modes you go into, way beyond normal temptation, that you cannot pull out of? (Things such as: fits of rage, bitterness, paranoia, self-pity, sexual lust, gossiping, spending binges, etc.)
2 Cor 6:17 (NIV) ... Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.
Rom 12:1-2 (Wey) I plead with you therefore, brethren, by the compassions of God, to present all your faculties to Him as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to Him. This with you will be an act of reasonable worship. And do not follow the customs of the present age, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your minds, so that you may learn by experience what God's will is--that will which is good and beautiful and perfect.
