Avoiding Demons

 Avoiding Demons - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com Do you like watching scary movies? I don’t. In my opinion, movies have gone way too far in horror, and many other genres. These movies serve a couple of purposes in Satan’sagenda. First, they make evil, and sin, familiar and acceptable. They also can open a way for real demons to enter a person. Are demons real? I read my Bible and see that Jesus says they’re real, so that means they’re very real. Humans have dabbled in the occult since Adam and Eve were sent out of Paradise. Whileliving in the Garden of Eden and obeying God’s commands, they had protection. Then, an evil entity entered into the Garden. Just like us, Adam and Eve were protected from evil as long as they obeyed God and walked near to Him. God provided for all Adam andEve’s needs. “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9. Mankind is rebellious, but God blessed us with free will, and we can choose how we use it. God gave Adam one rule. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every treeof the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17. Adam was entrusted with that truth before Eve was created. Thatset the standard for men to be the leaders. After Eve was created, Adam may have been enthralled by her beauty and forgot his role as the leader of his family, but Eve decided to chat with Satan. Eve was deceived because of her choice and lack of faith inGod’s truth. Was it really Satan, or just a snake? Taking the whole truth of Scripture into consideration, yes, this was Satan speaking lies. Eve was deceived by Satan twisting God’s word. Doubt was placed in her mind andshe began adding to God’s word. God said not to eat the fruit, but Eve added to that saying they weren’t even to touch it. By eating the fruit, God knew that it would become a part of Adam and Eve. Today, when we eat “junk food”, we make that sugar a partof our body, but Satanic deception is more evil and destructive to life than a poor diet. Eve added to God’s word by saying they weren’t even to touch the fruit or else they would die. That’s when Satan knew he could beguile her. “And the serpent said untothe woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5. Satan is a liar and Eve’s lack of discernment caused her to listen to thisdemonic evil, and she ate the fruit. It was tasty and she didn’t drop dead, so she convinced Adam to also eat the fruit. “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Genesis 3:7. Attempting to cover sin is always uncomfortable, and fig leaves are very scratchy indeed. The Garden of Eden provided Adam with everything that he needed and there was no death. Sin changed all of that. Temptation to sin is all around us today. For some reason, sin appeals to all of mankind. God says “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. That’s pretty plain,but we put everything ahead of God. Mostly, we put ourselves before God, believing ourselves to be gods. We pamper our own egos, and pride is a downfall to our walk with God. We get angry if we feel someone has dishonored us. Riots happen because one groupof people thinks the world owes them everything; pride causes sin. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18. Solomon had a lot of wisdom and wrote the Proverbs to teach us truth from God. In the New Testament, Jamestells us “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” James 4:10. Those are wise words. If you are admired and praised by fellow humans, you’re being judged by a faulty measuring tool. If you humbly obey God, He will lift you up.It’s much better to seek the Lord’s favor than human favor. Sin looks appealing, but it only causes pain and suffering. Satan can make even the ugliest sin look enjoyable. Have you ever seen someone who is drunk? Nowhere in Scripturedoes God forbid drinking alcohol, but getting drunk is the sin. If drinking wine was a sin, God wouldn’t tell the Israelites they could buy alcohol with their tithe money (Deuteronomy 14:22-26), Jesus would not have turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana(John 2:1-11), Jesus would not have drunk wine Himself if it was a sin, even though the religious leaders condemned Him for it (Luke 7:34). Scripture does caution against being drunk on wine. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled withthe Spirit;” Ephesians 5:18. Like Eve added to God’s words, so do many Christian denominations add to God’s words. Drunkenness is the sin. You might look at people who are drinking alcohol, laughing and seeming to have a lot of fun. The fun is only temporary,but the damage to their body can be devastating. Don’t misconstrue what I’m saying. I’m not telling anyone to drink alcohol. I’m just saying that God doesn’t forbid it. There are many things that God forbids, but we tend to ignore His warning. “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass throughthe fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of theseabominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12. Today, we don’t sacrifice our sons or daughters by passing them through fire, but we condone abortion, which is an act of evil straight from Satan’s lying lips. Do youread your horoscope? Play with a Ouija board? Do you practice Yoga? All of these things are abominations to God and can open the doors for demon possession. The thing you must do immediately is repent of the sin, and ask for God’s forgiveness. Then, don’tcontinue with the sin. Why do you think God finds these things to be abominable? Abortion violates one of the Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. All sin is prompted by Satanand his minions. God loves you, and Satan hates what God loves. When you listen to Satan’s lies you open yourself up to demon possession. Demons are real. Jesus says they are real, and I believe Him. Today there are many people who are treated for mental illness,when in reality they have invited a demon into their life by the use of drugs, drunkenness, and dabbling with the occult. Christians have protection against demon possession because we are filled with the Holy Spirit. We can be oppressed by a demon, but notpossessed. Demons can be cast out of a person; it doesn’t take a Catholic priest with magic water and fancy words to do it. It takes a Holy Spirit-filled Christian who understands the power of God. The Christian needs to have studied Scripture about demons,or things can go terribly wrong. Read Acts 19:13-16 to see what happened to some would-be exorcists who thought the name of Jesus was a magic word, but had no faith. When dealing with demons, it’s important to remember they always look for embodiment. When one is rebuked in the name of Jesus, the door needs to be shut so they won’t return. “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 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.” Matthew 12:43-45. Jesus spoke those words,and we know we can trust what He says. Jesus knew demons are real, and the Gospels are full of accounts of Him casting out demons. How can we avoid demons? Walk close to Jesus. Don’t participate in activities which invite a demon to come into you. That means don’t use drugs and don’t get drunk. Too manypeople think Yoga is a nice stretching exercise, when it is actually a process used to attract demons. The goal of Yoga is to invite in the kundalini spirit, which is a serpent spirit. Eastern mysticism of all kinds encourages releasing this evil spirit. Don’tparticipate in any meditation where you clear your mind and meditate on emptiness. That leaves your mind wide open to be filled with an evil spirit. When you meditate, be sure you meditate upon Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to fill your thoughts. “I willmeditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.” Psalm 119:15. When you keep your thoughts and your heart turned to Jesus and the things of His glory, you won’t leave yourself open to demon possession. You will avoid demons. We live in a time that demons are manifesting more frequently in UFO sightings, sleep paralysis, and more. The only way to avoid them is to keep close to the Lord. Put onHis armor for the spiritual battle we are fighting. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh andblood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and havingdone all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be ableto quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplicationfor all saints;” Ephesians 6:10-18. Don’t try to fight the battle unarmed. It’s too bad that Eve didn’t have God’s armor on her when Satan came to deceive her. Many things can open a way for demons to have rights to your life. Books that condone sin, movies that glorify evil, video games that are filled with violence, are just afew. Christians can’t dictate what the world accepts, but we can choose what we accept. When you choose to walk close to God you will avoid demons corrupting your life. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com ron@straitandnarrowministry.com Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed. 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