Do shivers compete and beat a tango dance up and down your spine when talking or reading about evil spirits? We can read accounts of such evil beings in the Bible and we even hear about them from people who have had encounters with demons; or at least of someone they know.
Even as a follower of Jesus Christ, one may not even acknowledge such activity, or if we do, not know how to deal with such evil, deceptive beings. We may know the minimum: #1. "submit to God" and #2. "resist the devil and he will flee from you" ( James 4:7). That is good and a big help but you can add more.
Jesus gave the disciples and those "72 others" power and authority for casting out demons. They had measures of "success" (read the gospels esp. Luke). Believers in Jesus Christ have this same power and authority today. The name of Jesus is upon them and in His name we have the God-given right, authority and power to do similarly as both Jesus and the disciples had done. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and will be tomorrow, as well (Hebrews 13:8).
It is NOT a game, however; it's a very serious matter of 'fighting' not against flesh and blood but against the rulers and powers of the air as many of us know in theory (Ephesians 6:2). Author John Aston who wrote SET FREE - How to Break Spiritual Bonds, gives very helpful insight in this regard. Many new Christians, he says, especially in or from Asian cultural settings would be more aware of the influence of the evil spirits, which may well have attached themselves to these individuals in their pre-Christian state, says Aston, but even though these folks have now come to Christ they are still being harassed. The spirits may even have hindered, or are hindering, a person who wishes to accept Christ and then to grow in their spiritual life with Jesus. Additionally, Aston noted that some, even after having been Christians for many years may still be afflicted due to certain alliances with that world in the past; knowingly or unknowingly. What can be done?
Aston spells it out well in his short work on the subject. He even gives example prayers to help the person renounce and to "cut off" the various ties to the evil spirits. Further to that, he highlights three major areas of spiritual conflict as seen in the Bible, bringing to light how the worship of other gods and of the paraphenalia, such as charms, idol statues and so on, that go along with the worship can affect people; of curses; seances and even of being a victim of the environment one has grown up in or even just lives in; and then the focus of the book - how to be set free from all those entanglements. This is where deliverance and cleaning up of places, and so on, become of necessity as the author relates.
A fourth section with some other suggestions of helpful reading on the issue pertaining to how evil spirits work and how people can be free of them, is tucked into the back of the book.
It seems this writer had had major contact with SEAsian countries and their citizens and Hong Kong. The forward to his book has been written by Jackie Pullinger who spent decades in Hong Kong and had also been immersed in the culture in that region. Although neither Aston nor Pullinger were born or raised (as far as I know) in these regions, they've lived in it long enough to feel its pulse and learn at very close range of these spiritual bond matters.
Aston has been more involved in the Chinese Christian Fellowship in the UK; nevertheless I'd declare he is well experienced and capable of knowing how to help another believer or pre-believer to be set free (at least, judging from the little I know and from what I read in this book). In fact, the Lord has allowed him to be very instrumental in so doing. So he knows what he is talking about.
It has been very beneficial to learn of some of these very practical ways in which to follow that part of Jesus' command, besides preaching the gospel and healing folks of their diseases, to 'cast out demons'. One and all could benefit from the reading of this book, SET FREE.
May all who are so 'captured' by Heavenly Father's enemy and enemy forces have those evil spiritual bonds broken and be set free. May all these wicked beings be cast out and down to the ground and into the abyss, in the name of Jesus Christ and by His power and authority.
~ERC June 2021~
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