Spiritual Warfare for Your City and Home (Part 15)

“In Jesus’ name, I bind that evil spirit.”

The above command calls to mind images of gargoyle-faced demons standing around with hands and legs chained, unable to move. However, we need to remember: demons are spirits, not flesh and blood beings.

Thus, in spiritual warfare, we need to operate according to spiritual laws set in place by the Word of God and/or demonstrated by Jesus and His disciples.

How did Jesus deal with demons?

But Jesus rebuked the demon, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:25)

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. (Acts 16:16-18)

Not once, in the 30-plus examples covered in the four Gospels, did Jesus ever mention binding a demon. He simply commanded the demons to go and they obeyed Him.

If there were any validity at all to the binding/loosing teaching, Paul surly would have used it in the above verses in Acts because he was so annoyed. Yet he did not. He followed the examples set by Jesus in the four Gospels.

Now, there is some truth to binding demons, but not according to the binding/loosing teaching. We need to do it according to the rabbinical method mentioned in Part 14 – by using appropriate scriptures.

And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, ”It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” (Luke 4:3-4)

After the above opening discourse, Jesus quoted scriptures two more times to bind Satan’s temptations. Then what happened?

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him… (Luke 4:13)

If we are going to be successful in spiritual warfare for our homes, we need to know the Word of God and follow Jesus’ examples.

Okay, but what about that one scripture?

(Continued in Part 16)