As a Christian in today’s world, one of the most commonplace excuses I’ve come across for people not believing in God/Jesus is because there’s no proof. Although Scripture says that creation itself is proof of God’s eternal power(Romans 1:20), I believe based on the Word of God that there is so much more evidence than that. And most importantly, I believe that all Christians are called to do more than just testify with words to God’s might, but prove it with works, or demonstrations(John 14:12).
Now before some religious people hop on me by calling me legalistic, I’m not saying that you have to do work in order to earn your right standing with God, not at all. What I am saying is, there are people all around us that need more than just a Jesus fish sticker & John 3:16. There are people that are hopeless and hurting that need to know that there is a God who cares for & loves them. And for some, the only way they’ll believe is by experiencing His power manifested through a believer. So that’s where me & you come in.
From here on out on Josiah’s Lens we’re going to start really diving in to the practical elements of being a demonstrating follower of Jesus. The driving force behind this term “demonstrator” comes from 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 where the Apostle Paul says this, “and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but the power of God.”
How do we demonstrate? Well to start we’ll begin with the most known/seen demonstrations of God’s power, and work our way deeper from there. Jesus said in Matthew 10:8, to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.” Quick side note. Jesus finishes that verse by saying, freely you have received, freely give. We as sons and daughters of God don’t do this to show off or make our name great, but because we love humanity & want to help people come into eternal life.
Today, we’re gonna open up with one of the most exciting demonstrations of the power of God, casting out demons, or deliverance. And yes, the spirit realm & demons are very real. Now some of you may not believe, & I don’t have time to convince you, but just look at any heinous crimes of passion like murder and you’ll change your mind.
Just so you know, I’m going to break this up piece by piece so that we can really grasp what we’ve been called to do.
We’ll start with a few tips of wisdom & guidance, and things to understand about deliverance. First, not everyone has a demon(s). They could just be mean or have a bad attitude. Second, Christians can have demons & be influenced by the devil. I’ll leave a scriptural reference and explain later(Matthew 16:23). There are probably just as many Christians in the Church walking around with demons as those who don’t know God. Now that doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person or that you ain’t saved, it just means that you’ve opened a door to the enemy & he’s influencing your life in some way. Third, there are a ton of different types of demons, in fact there’s an entire spiritual hierarchy(Acts 16:16, Ephesians 6:12).
The main point I want to get to today is helping you find out if you have open doors in your life to where demons can come in. Basically day to day life habits & practices. I’ll give a quick description of some of the more popular ones, and why these things are harmful to you(if you’re not a Christian, this doesn’t apply to you. If you want to become one though, I encourage you to check out my post a Prayer of Repentance & Salvation❤️
Some of the things that I’m going to list may offend you but rest assured, this is all coming from a place of love & wanting the best for you; not condemnation or shame. Everything listed is coming from God’s Word. If you don’t like it, take it up with Him.
- TV shows or movies that encourages sin (Matthew 6:22-23, James 4:4)
- Secular music i.e. Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran(1 John 2:15-17)
- UnGodly romantic relationships(Proverbs 5, 2 Corinthians 6:14)
- Relationships that encourage you into the occult(2 Corinthians 6:14)
- Tattoos(Leviticus 19:28)
- Celebrating Halloween- “I’m glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year”- Anton LaVey; founder of the church of satan. When you celebrate Halloween, you’re worshipping the devil(Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Exodus 34:14, 2 Corinthians 6:14, Isaiah 5:20, Ephesians 5:11)
- Watching horror movies(1 Peter 5:8)
- Sexual immorality or pornography(1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
- Committing abortion(Exodus 20:13, Psalm 106:37-38)
- Practicing new age religion, which will mostly fall under the above verses from Deuteronomy, Ephesians 5:11, Daniel 2:10, & 2 Corinthians 11:14-15. i.e.
- Practicing yoga- birthed from the false religion of Hinduism
- Burning sage- invites demons in instead of keeping “bad energy out”
- Having a spirit guide-that’s just having a demon tell you what to do
- Using a ouija board
- Believing in astrology or numerology
- Entertaining or participating in any form of earth or animal worship; i.e. Moana, Black Panther & Brother Bear from Disney(Exodus 34:14)
- Palm reading
- Entertaining or participating in any form of magic or sorcery; yes that includes Harry Potter, Doctor Strange & Sabrina the teenage witch
- I shouldn’t have to say this, but watching Lucifer; complete door to the demonic
- Consulting a medium or a psychic
- Reading tarot cards
- Owning false religion relics; i.e. statues of buddha, statues of hindu gods, dream catchers, clothing that promotes false religions/gods
And just for some icing on this cake, here’s the testimony of a former witch who’s now a follower of Jesus, Jenny Weaver.
That list is not exhaustive, but now you have a good idea of what’s from the enemy(the devil). If you’ve done any of those things without realizing the implications of your actions, it’s time to repent(or turn around). Jesus can cleanse you of your past and give you a clean start to where you can be free of the enemy having a hold on your life.
It’s as simple as this. “Father, I’m sorry for sinning against You without even realizing it. I understand now that there are things in this world that seem like they’re innocent, but they’re really evil. I repent of, renounce & break all ties with _________ and I ask that You will fill me with Your Spirit to discern the schemes of the enemy(the devil) that are meant to destroy me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
If you’ve made the decision to turn from your old ways & live for Jesus, let me know! I’d love to hear your testimony & all that God is doing in your life. Next, we’ll dive into some signs of knowing if you have a demon(s), how to get delivered, and how to cast out demons.
God loves you & so do I. Be blessed!