Theories and Definitions

"There is no reason to fear anything. God loves you, and He will go to any length to save you, even over and above what He has already done through the cross."

The term "FAMILIAR SPIRIT" in the Scriptures is a single word and not the adjective-noun construction of the English language. Interestingly enough, it is "obe," a word taken from "ab" meaning father. Since it is one word and not the assumed English word construction, we must throw out the meaning of the individual word "familiar." It is NOT a demon who is familiar with or who knows all about you. This belief, which has been much spoken of in the church, in fact, opens the door to them through fear. We are not to fear nor respect demons but, as my good friend would say, throat-punch them ... with the truth of the Word and the authority of Jesus and the power of the Spirit.

It does not mean that they are familiar with the human body and human thinking either. Instead, it is a word for necromancers. This is a fancy word for people who THINK they talk to the dead. There is no one who ever talks to the dead. The only one we can speak to who was dead is now alive, and His name is Jesus, ee-sous, the one who saves. The belief that demons have knowledge of humans lacks understanding of the Word of God. We must put two and two together. We are told the devil is: the father of lies, deception, a thief, a murderer, an accuser, and in great darkness. What he is not is a prince as royalty of anything. This is a misunderstanding of the Greek word “archon.” Like many Greek and Hebrew words it can mean many things, but in context, where it refers to the devil, it simply means "first." The devil was the first to conceive sin. He is first in the kingdom of darkness, as he created it in his lust. He deserves no more acknowledgement than that. We must know him only in the sense that he is defeated by the blood of the Lamb of God, who is Jesus, and the Word of our testimony.

"Testimony" is, again, another word that is much used and misunderstood. It refers to the evidence or record of an event. We have a testimony of personal victories. I can say I was healed of panic attacks. I will never have one again, and I can tell you how to be free of all fear. This is a reason for posting this message. There is no reason to fear anything. God loves you, and He will go to any length to save you, even over and above what He has already done through the cross. This is the true meaning of faith. It is belief in His faithfulness.

Trust in God comes from a mind change. I refuse to ever doubt Him. When my mind says otherwise or my body feels fear, I stop and say, “No, that is the devil,” and I lift my spirits, knowing God is FOR ME. He is Emmanuel, God WITH ME. I have in me the power of the Resurrection, God, who took a dead body, one beaten to a pulp, and raised it to life again where it needs no blood at all. Jesus said He was "flesh and bone," and we are told His blood lives forever on the altar of heaven. We are also told nothing is impossible with God. Putting this in your heart eliminates all doubt in Him and any trust in yourself. Because this is at the heart of doubt, we rely on what we know, what man cannot do, instead of all that God can do, no matter how impossible it seems.

“And you must not fall in with the manners of this world; there must be an inward change, a remaking of your minds, so that you can satisfy yourselves what is God’s will, the good thing, the desireable thing, the perfect thing.” (Rm 12:2 Knox)

There are things the Word of God does not tell us and so assumptions have been made by men. Theories based upon no data at all by people not hearing the Holy Spirit. There are stories made up by those who do not walk with God that are believed largely because those who speak them want the attention. Pride and arrogance are central behaviors in all that the devil does. He builds us up so that we act like fools, then laughs at us. He is never “on our side.” That is also an ignorant belief. Most of the more ridiculous beliefs the church sees through, but others they tolerate or argue about. We cannot just shake our heads at those who are focused on untruth. We have the authority through the Holy Spirit and in Jesus to rebuke demonic influence and free those who are so confused. We speak to any demonic beings not in pride or height of emotion but in authority. There is a difference. Many songs and sermons will “pump you up,” but the force of spiritual authority comes through maturity in God’s Word, adulthood, and humbleness to the King who gave us the right to speak His name. I have done so but I was empowered by the Spirit, He desired it, so I spoke as He asked me to. I did not speak out of my own desires or wishes or because I can speak loudly. Volume has little influence on the devil.

What God does not tell us, what is not found in His Word, can only be learned through the Holy Spirit, who is our Teacher. There ARE things we need to know that He will teach. There are also things we want to know because we are nosy, and I can tell you, though He may tell them on occasion, it will only be to those who won’t tell them. He never crosses truths with the Word of God. He wrote it. He is the Spirit of Christ, who is Jesus, and Jesus is like seeing the Father, so there is no coming between them. They are one. All of that said, what we don’t know, bottom line, we ask Him to teach us, or we say, “I don’t know, and the Word of God doesn’t say,” and we refuse to allow it to trip us up. We can draw inferences from the natural world and from scientific fact. There are photos of the earth which prove it is round, and that it rotates as it does has also been discovered and proven. Those who say otherwise are playing with the doctrines (misbeliefs) of demons, who frankly, don’t know their tail from their eyeball. They are in a kingdom of darkness, of strife and confusion (this is in the Word of God), a kingdom of lying. How and when the earth began to rotate is only known by God, but Psalm 19:6 says the sun “rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the other (BSB).”

We can also see an important fact in Genesis 1:1 where it says, “In the beginning …” The beginning is the beginning of time. We know this because the story of creation is broken down into days. On six days, creation was made, on day seven, God rested. We know what was created on what day and that man was created last, made in God’s image and in His likeness to have dominion over the earth. He could not have had dominion over something that did not exist, and he needed food and water in order to live. He is not a fish and has never been a fishlike creature who swims. God does not have fins. He walks ON water. God created time in order to end time, so whether or not you believe a day was a thousand years or not, John’s revelation tells us the ending of time and the reason why it will end. The Scripture also tells us Jesus’ human existence was foreordained before time. God who knows all things, knew man would sin, knew they would need a Savior, and knew how that would come about. He is outside of time. This is also in the Word.

A day is NOT a thousand years. A day is twenty-four hours like described in Genesis 1. The sun was made to rule the day, and the moon the night. He also made the stars. Where 1 Peter 3:8 describes a day AS a thousand years, he makes an analogy regarding God’s timing, a churchism that usually means we are impatient. The word “AS” implies a comparison. To God, the wait isn’t a matter of His inability to fulfill the promise, or disinterest in it, or unintention to fulfill it. He can and He delights to and He will, but when He knows it is the best for us.

He is what’s best for us, and what we must learn to do to walk in, to live in the fullness of His power, His authority, and His goodness is to learn to listen and to use the fruit of His Spirit which He has given us. Love, joy, peace, faith, and patience come from God, with meekness, which is gentleness of spirit, and self-control. Whether these are individual fruits or one fruit with many flavors matters not one dab. No need to argue about types of fleas when they make the dog itch. What we must do is change our thinking so that love is our first reaction, joy is perpetual no matter what comes against us, believing in God’s faithfulness is like breathing, and patience is simply part of who we are. We must BECOME these things. We exercise self-control when we want to blow the horn. We choose to overlook that person’s incorrect behavior and misbeliefs. Even greater, we pray for them and speak the Word over them – “Enough, devil! Stop harassing her with this knowledge. Vaporize.”

It's what Jesus did.

“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” (Mark 5:15)

“And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com