Casting Out satan

Jesus performed an exorcism, (cast out devils). He is then accused of accomplishing this through the power of satan.

Matthew 12:25

And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

Contrary to the notion that Jesus is only explaining the mechanics of exorcism, the passage brings up a broader issue: the clash of two kingdoms. Are you the apostle, prophet, pastor, bishop, evangelist or teacher who is reluctant to lay hands on those who are obviously possessed with demonic spirits? Are you a member of the Body who really doesn’t expect divine healing to take place? If your answer is yes to any one of these questions, then the Kingdom of God is divided in you.

1 Corinthians 2:11-12

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

The Spirit of God lives in us; making us aware of all the things, (promises, and power) He has given us. But doubt and fear enter the soul and become a shadow of turning away from the truth we know to be truth. We don’t rebuke it. Instead we embrace the doubt and nurture the fear. This is easy when we are walking after the flesh. But the Lord has called us out on it. He is forcing us to face the truth. We simply don’t believe it; therefore, we anticipate disaster. All of this would change if we change. If we agree

with God, then the Kingdom would not be divided in us. We would be bold in the name of the Lord. We would trust Him to work through us in every confrontation with satan.

Jesus emphasizes that for Him to cast out satan, it is a confrontation between two different kingdoms; the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness. If your soul is not in agreement with the Spirit of God in you, then yes, you are destined for failure. Satan is bold and confident. He and his demons have been able to live in man without a threat

from the Kingdom of Light. He takes them to the church to sit among the saints who are powerless to cast him out. Jesus expounds on this by saying if satan were to cast out satan, it would imply that he is divided against himself, effectively leading to his downfall. The devil will never act against his own interests or agenda in someone’s life.

But our Master is our example. He spoke a simple truth that we should embrace with all our being. Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me (John 14:30).

The key takeaway here is that when you engage satan, you must come in the name and power of the Lord. If you do not trust the God in you, then you have reduced yourself to a mere mortal with no power over the darkness of this world. But I plead in the Lord’s stead. Hear His words. Get rid of the doubt, and the fear will leave you. Obey the commandments of the Lord and the power of God will flow through you. It is just that simple. Obey the Lord and He will use you to let the world know that the Kingdom of God is at hand.