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originally posted by: Zane Zackerly
Unfortunately, that oversimplification is understandable. No sane person would take on a demon in the name of Jesus without having the faith needed. It's not just spouting "Jesus" like "Open Sesame" or something. You must actually have the God-given faith that your words are going to make the evil ones tremble. Do not ever attempt to take on a demon unless you absolutely know what you are doing (and even then I advise against it without prayer and support from fellow believers).
Look at this example closely. One man had an evil spirit and he overtook SEVEN of the sons of Sceva, ripped their clothes off of them and sent them out of the house naked and hurt. Now anyone knows that one normal man is not going to be able to take on 7 men at one time and send them out of a house in that condition. Only a demon could allow a person to have that kind of non human strength. Notice that the sons of Sceva told the devils to come out “in the name of Jesus of whom Paul preaches”.
These were not men who were on a “first name basis” with God, they were not followers of Jesus themselves and as a result were only copying what they had seen Paul do. A demon is not something to be played with. Based on the examples shown here one can see that demons are real, have a great amount of power and have no respect for anyone. It is a strong and formidable enemy and before engaging in battle with one, it is necessary to make sure that you are where you need to be so you don’t end up like one of the sons of Sceva.
Demonic Spirits
Here the Lord points out to us the power of the spoken word and also encourages the Christian to be specific in his prayers and in exercising his authority. Some Christians ask the mountain to move but do not tell the mountain WHERE to go. Jesus said if you shall say to the mountain: “Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea...” Let us take the case of casting out demons for instance.
Some Christians bind and cast out demons without sending them to specific destinations. This is dangerous. When you bind a demon it is bound. If you cast it out without sending it to a specific destination, it remains within the vicinity. If the demon is only rebuked out of a man, he may later come back or enter into anyone around who is not a Christian. Therefore Christians should be careful when dealing with demons. Make sure the demon is bound, cast out and sent to a specific destination (and forbid to enter again).
Some Christians while praying would say: “I arrest you demons in Jesus' name.” In the spirit world you really see demons standing erect waiting for the next command. But if the Christian stops at that point, he has not helped the victim. Do not play around with the devil. You don't play around with your enemy. God has sent you out on a ministry of deliverance and reconciliation (reconciling men to God). Therefore you must be careful to do a thorough work. I repeat, when you bind a demon, it is bound. When you cast it out to any destination it is so. As long as you do not meddle with sin but live in the will of God, whatever command you give the devil or his agents in the name of Jesus must be obeyed. God has promised to back every word of His. (Page 26)
Delivered from the powers of Darkness