This article might be controversial for some but I believe that the subject has been highly neglected and misunderstood. There is a doctrine in some Christian communities that deny the existence of demons and the power we can give them over our lives.
This is a brief overview of a teaching the Holy Spirit has been revealing to me over the past few years.
In Matthew 12, Jesus casts a demon out of a blind man and heals him of his infirmity. When the Pharisees hear about it they begin saying Jesus has authority over evil spirits because he is the prince of demons. After Jesus refutes their claims, using basic logic, he makes this statement.
“For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger — someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house” — Matthew 12:29
My questions is this. What is in Satan’s house that you would want to plunder?
Answer — everything he’s stolen from you.
The mission of Satan and Jesus are contrasted in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
You see, Satan lost his place in Heaven for stealing God’s worship. Once a thief, always a thief — his character hasn’t changed. He seeks to steal what he can no longer experience. Think about it, when Satan was in Heaven he had everything he could ever want. He was an archangel, a worship leader and over a third of the angels. What a life!
This also means that at one point Satan knew perfect love. He once lived in the fullness of God’s glory and witnessed the awesome wonder of God’s presence. Then he lost it all — never to experience any of it again.
So why does Satan steal? So he can catch a glimpse of what he once had.
- He wants to steal your love because he has no love.
- He wants to steal your joy because he has no joy.
- He wants to steal your peace because he has no peace.
- He wants to steal your hope because he has no hope.
- He wants to steal your purity because he has no purity.
This becomes more evident when Jesus is teaching afterwards in Matthew 12:43, “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.”
We see from the teachings of Jesus that demons can only find rest in people. A spiritual exchange takes place and demons literally steal your rest. The result is you are left restless and begin carrying a weight you were never meant to bear.
I want to ask you a question. Is there something missing from your life that Jesus promised you?
Are you restless? Is your peace missing? Has your joy been stolen? Do you not love others like you used to? Where is your hope?
It could be that a demonic spirit is leaching off of you what Jesus died for you to have. The enemy is looking to steal the “rich and satisfying life” that is rightfully yours as a child of God.
But praise God that Jesus is strong enough to plunder the house of a strong man like Satan and take back what the enemy has stolen.
And that rest you’ve been looking for?
Matthew 11:28 ‘Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’
Jesus is the answer.
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