The Flesh or Demons

Does it matter? Regardless of what tempts us -- be it the enemy via supernatural means, the fallen world around us, or our own sinful thoughts -- our response is always the same. We do not control temptation's frequency or intensity, but we do have a choice in how we respond to it. We are free in Christ and do not ever need to entertain lust in our hearts and minds. Indeed, we must not do this!

FREEdom process:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqVL11JjWICOHCRUDmqXr9TNC_gpb6yhRF1hKp-fxcc/edit

ANTHEM strategy (John Piper):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLERE08t1XAC6QrrDKVelydKvSNdcoOsTV

 

Very practical response.

 

Good question. I've been curious about this too for a long time.

Is the source demonic, or from within?

There's evidence for both in the scriptures:

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. (James 1:14)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

I don't know.

Some of the extremely evil fetishes out there, to me seem they can only originate by demons. Maybe that's the wrong conclusion.

Anyways, thanks for your post. Very interesting question to me.

By the way, I love listening to Derek Prince too. I recently completed a 7 day water fast, partly inspired by him.

 

The demons and the devil, acts in different ways, being through movies, series, cartoons, people and others, this is due to the fact that the person has a satanic pact with that type of entity, as it is written, there are Seraphim, Cherubim, Archangels and others, implying that the third that fell here is divided into groups, legions...
BUT when God commands them (God created heaven and hell) they have to obey.
Note: I don't have much experience with paragraphs, about the English language.

 

It absolutely matters. You have to know your enemy in order to fight back appropriately. Derek Prince explains the spiritual war perfectly. We are up against person's without bodies. Making that connection in our heads can be profound in helping us move forward.

The demons take advantage of the flesh. That is what satan does, he corrupts God's creation. If you are in the midst of an addiction, you can be certain that demons play a role in keeping you trapped there. The greatest trick the devil every played was to convince the world he doesn't exist. People of today will focus only on the scientific explanation, and completely ignore the spiritual aspect of it. That leaves them vulnerable. When you know the truth you can call upon the Lord for protection and salvation.

 

How do you fight the temptation differently when its source is your own sinful thoughts vs. thoughts originating from demonic influence? Be specific.

 

When you see a temptation as coming from an outside source, and a dark source at that, it’s a whole different ball game. How do I fight differently? I pray to the Lord to cast out any and all demonic scum trying to tempt me. It’s directed. Is it helpful to pray for other things like strength and peace? Of course. But there is power in praying to be delivered from demons.

Beyond that, when you consider that the over sexualization of society with explicit content around every corner, is a work of satan and his demons, again you understand that this is a war on our consciousness. This goes far beyond “I have an addiction, I have a problem, I have bad thoughts.” Satan is largely responsible for all of this. I don’t believe porn and objectification of women, and self harm (masturbation) is the work of God.

With all due respect Tao, in my opinion it’s irresponsible to say these concepts don’t matter. And I do mean that with the utmost respect. I highly recommend everyone watch Derek Prince for themselves to determine if this knowledge is useful to you.

 

I didn't say that these concepts don't matter. I said that our response in fighting them is the same regardless, so knowing the source is less important than knowing the proper way to fight.

I am sure Derek Prince is fine, but I am not his disciple. I am Christ's disciple. I am committed to following his example in all things. What is his relevant example to us for this situation? I immediately think of Matthew 4:1-11. Here we see Jesus combat the lies of the enemy with the truth of Scripture, which in turn caused the enemy to flee from him.

That process sounds remarkably similar to the Scripture's teaching on how to handle tempting thoughts that plague us. We are instructed to take every thought captive for Christ, submitting them to the Spirit of Truth to help us find the lies, and then to have our minds renewed by meditating on his precious promises, exchanging his excellent thoughts and desires for our broken, sinful ones.

When we see the enemy at work in our culture and in our world, when we see sin's terrible effect all around us, our response is the same. We acknowledge the Truth and place everything in that context. We have caught a glimpse of the goodness, richness, and fullness of the Kingdom. We know that this sinful world is already crumbling away, giving ground against the inevitable emergence of the Kingdom. We are its ambassadors, announcing to all the good news of its arrival.

Let's not ascribe to our enemy more power than he actually has. His back was broken and his head crushed at the Cross. If we are Christ's disciples, we have no need to fear him. (Be wary, yes. Fear, no.) We already possess Christ's Spirit within ourselves. We have been set free from the power of sin and death. The door of our prison is open. All that remains is for us to step out of the cage!

And if we or others are not yet his disciples, the way forward is clear! He left nothing uncertain that is vital for life in him. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." As far as I know, this is our daily spiritual battle. May we all be fighting it with full vigor, learning to rest in him as we lay every care at his feet.

God bless you, my friend. May you know his peace and freedom more fully today -- and each day that follows!