11-Aug-2024 – Identify and act to overcome demonic influence
Mark 9:22: “And oftentimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.”
After His transfiguration, Jesus came down to find His disciples unable to cast out a demon, even though they had been given authority over them. In today’s meditation, we will explore some symptoms that signal when we need to change our prayer style and intensity.
In the verse above, the father of the child describes how the demon affected his child. The demon would sometimes push the child into the fire and at other times into the water, with one goal in mind: to destroy him.
From this, we can understand a crucial truth: the goal of Satan or the devil is to destroy you. If we observe the strategy here, the demon or evil spirit is a dumb spirit, meaning it controls the tongue and makes the child unable to speak. Thus, the child cannot convey his problem or ask for help.
Mark 9:18: “And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away.”
Next, the dumb spirit takes the child to a place against his will. Since he was made mute, he cannot speak, and the evil spirit forces him away from his home or a safe place to a vulnerable location. There, it tears him. The word used is “regnoomee,” which means to convulse—violent involuntary contractions of the muscles that cause the body to twist, bend, and fall to the ground helplessly. These symptoms can be related to what we know today as seizures.
We might think that seizures are a medical condition and that whatever the child was experiencing was not demonic but medical. However, we need to understand the whole picture. A medical condition can occur anywhere—in the house, at work, or in any normal situation. But the evil spirit specifically takes the child away by shutting his mouth. During that time, he couldn’t convey anything, just like a kidnapper blocks a victim’s mouth. The spirit then controls the brain’s signals to induce a seizure when there is fire or water nearby. In such a case, the child cannot help himself but suffer wounds or, ultimately, be destroyed.
This was a repeated pattern. In our lives, we may not experience the influence of evil spirits in the same way, but the strategy can be similar. First, making someone dumb—not necessarily physically mute but unable to speak out. For example, if you were sneaking into someone’s room to steal something, and your friend saw you, from that moment on, he could use that opportunity to blackmail you. This situation is equivalent to a dumb spirit because you cannot say anything while being blackmailed.
Next, being thrown into fire or water. Again, this does not necessarily mean physical fire or water. In fire, the body suffers intense, unbearable pain, and in water, it suffers uncontrollable surrender.
In our lives, if we find ourselves in situations where we cannot tell anyone, and as a result, we are losing control over our actions and damaging our life, career, or health, this could indicate demonic activity. Now, we need to understand what to do if we identify these symptoms.
Mark 9:29: “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
The disciples had the authority to cast out demons, but they needed preparation to deal with this kind of situation. Just as the police or military have the authority to control law and order but require special preparation to face a stronger enemy, fasting and prayer are powerful weapons given by the Lord to counter the devil.
However, fasting and prayer alone are not sufficient.
Mark 9:19: “He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.”
Faith in the power and authority we have in the name of Jesus Christ is the foundation, a prerequisite to effectively using the weapon of fasting and prayer. Without standing on this foundation, we cannot effectively wield this weapon. So today, God has taught us a way to identify demonic activity and how to deal with it. May God help us to practice this and be successful in glorifying His name in our lives.
Prayer
Dear loving Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and grace. Thank You for teaching us today about the important aspect of prayer related to deliverance. Help us to analyze the situations in our lives and use fasting prayer effectively by faith. I pray in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!
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