Demonic operation in the Church

Let us look more deeply into demonic personality and operation.  Remember that satan’s kingdom is in direct conflict with the kingdom of God.  Though defeated, satan still has a controlling influence in this world.  In Matthew 4:8-9 satan offers the world, its power, and glory to Jesus.  Let’s take a look at [this temptation.  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

Satan has innumerable demonic forces at his disposal: “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19).  There is an alarming onslaught of deceiving spirits attacking the Church of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul reveals these special manifestations of evil spirits through prophecies that point to the deception of believers in the latter times.  These deceptions are showing up in the supernatural realms.  Many are following teaching ministers that are sending forth an army of teaching spirits that are leading people away from their biblically based spiritual knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Nevertheless, spiritual blindness and through lack of knowledge, many are not able to carry out a full war against this army of wicked spirits.

Many are shrinking from the subject of demons and call the war against them not credible. They believe that if Jesus Christ is preached, it is not necessary to give attention to the existence of the devil.  They think that they can ignore him.  In James 4:7-8 we read: “Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

The Church should be a place of humility and grace!  It will be extraordinary humility for the Church to take God’s purpose to fully see. The Church is called to be “… a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17). “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’?  But ye have made it a den of thieves.”  We may ask how satan could continue to accuse the saints before God if he has been thrown out of Heaven and no longer has access to the throne.  The answer is that satan uses the saints, who do have access to the throne, to accomplish this diabolical work for him.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John penned warnings to the seven Churches about the dangers of losing their first love (Revelation 2:4), of being afraid of suffering (v.10), of doctrinal defection (vv.14-15), of moral departure (v.20), of spiritual deadness (Revelation 3), of not holding fast (v.11), and of straddling the fence (vv.15-16).

These problems are just as prevalent in today’s Church as they were in the first century.  Many believers have never been taught the power of Jesus Christ.  They believe that they should never enter into direct conflict with satan and his hosts.  The Church has actually been blinded by the powers of darkness and multitudes are being bound.  Scriptural answers are not practiced in the lives of the people.  The clash between satan and Jesus the Son of God in the first Gospel is an ongoing one.  Pastors are under siege.  The war is over one thing: satan seeks to neutralize spiritual authority, and no enemy of hell does this more efficiently than the demonic forces.  When satan attacks the Church leadership – whether it involves temptation, confusion, witchcraft, fear or discouragement – it will always have as its ultimate purpose to disable the spiritual authority of pastoral leadership.   Without pastors leading in godly authority, a church simply cannot function: confusion, ambition and chaos reign.  True spiritual authority is a source of protection; it is a living shelter that covers and nurtures a home or Church.

Satan seeks to neutralize the leader in that Christian setting, for if he can strike the shepherd, he can scatter the sheep.

Churches that are influenced by satan’s attacks are often divided-intercessors undermining pastoral authority.  The deception deepens for often those who present a vision different than the pastor’s vision, are usually presenting something that would seem godly.  It is the spirit or attitude through which they communicate their perceptions that opens the door to attack.  The unbending demand that a leader conform to both their “sense of God’s leading” and the timing of its implementation is where this spirit gains access and causes division.