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Spiritual warfare is all around us. But do the demons know your name? Do they know mine? Are we actively involved in the war and gaining ground for Christ in the daily battles in this war that Jesus has already won?

The Bible is full of so many interesting, even surprising, accounts filled with drama. We see so much spiritual warfare in the early church as Satan battled to keep Christians from spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth.

The prevalence of demon possession in the Holy Land during the New Testament time may be due to a doomed Satan trying desperately to foil God’s perfect, unstoppable plan to save mankind. He knew (knows) he will never win, but wants to keep as many people as possible on his side and blinded to the truth of the gospel.

As the early church grew in number, she also grew in opposition and in drew the attention of jealous religious elite. They wanted this Holy Spirit power to heal and cast out demons.

One lesser known story in Acts involved the seven sons of Sceva, an exorcist who made a living “casting out” demons. They had heard of and perhaps even seen Paul and other Christians cast out demons in the name of Jesus, so they decided to give it a try themselves. The outcome is almost hilarious, as these humiliated men flee the scene. Read about it in Acts 19.

^“13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.” Acts 19:13-17

Can you imagine these arrogant men running for their lives, their clothes torn off, and all seven overpowered by one demon-possessed man? Though their desperate lost condition is heart-breaking, their situation is laughable. I’m sure they were the talk of the town for a while! Every time they walked through the market someone jeered, either good naturally or out of malice. I bet the town would never let them live this one down.

But what in the world can we learn from this scripture passage? Most of us aren’t in the habit of trying to cast out demons, and this account is not meant to instruct us in how or how not to perform an exorcism.

Sometimes I dream about demons near me. I cannot see them, but sense their presence and physically cannot move because of an invisible barrier they create in front of me. I try to command them to leave in the name of Jesus, but sometimes I cannot even speak. These dreams, though I do not understand their significance, remind me that I am powerless in my own strength. But, Jesus alone has already defeated them.

 

Do the demons know my name?

I do wonder, however, do the demons know my name? Look at how the demon responded to the sons of Sceva. “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”

Am I making enough difference for the kingdom of Christ that the demons have heard of me?

Is the power of the Holy Spirit in me evident?

Am I allowing Jesus to shine through me so that the devil obviously knows I am a child and warrior for the King of Kings?

Do I wield daily the Sword of the Spirit and put on the spiritual armor God has given me?

Have I let God use me to to defeat the enemy in spiritual warfare?

 

What about YOU?

Do the demons know your name?

First, do you belong to Jesus? Have you repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus, trusting in His death and resurrection as payment for your sin? Or are you still trying to be good enough on your own? (See Know Jesus, Share Jesus.)

If you know Jesus, are you fighting the good fight? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, have you won enough battles to earn a reputation among both Christians and those who oppose us? (not flesh and blood – Ephesians 6:12)

How’s your swordsmanship? Do you continue training and practicing with the Word so you are ready for the next battle?

Are you wearing the armor of God daily? (Ephesians 6:10-17)

 

I want the demons to recognize Jesus in me.

I know many times I fail in spiritual warfare. I am not ready for battle. I let the cares of the world distract me from my duties. Sometimes I am not really in the fight at all.

But, I want to grow in my prayer life. That’s where much of real spiritual warfare takes place. I want to have such a relationship with God that the demons tremble when I get serious in prayer.

I want to put on the full armor of God every day, and keep it on. The helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the belt of truth, the shoes of the gospel. Then for offense, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

 

So why don’t I? Why don’t you?

Too lazy, too distracted, too apathetic, too dependent on myself instead of on the power of Christ in me.

 

The question is, how do I and you change?

How do we become so proficient at spiritual warfare that the demons recognize who we are?

 

1. Repent. Repent of our apathy, selfishness, and even our busyness.
   

   Photo taken at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

2. Prioritize. When we remember the urgency of sharing the gospel (people without Jesus are dying eternally separated from God), those other things, though important, become secondary. (Romans 6:23)
3. Study. If we are to become excellent swordsmen, we must know the Word of God. It is our only weapon. Even Jesus set the example of quoting scripture in times of temptation. We study personally and together with the body of Christ at church. (2 Timothy 2:15)
4. Be Attentive. Our enemy is always looking for someone to destroy. We must ask God to open our spiritual eyes to be ready to fight for ourselves and others. (1 Peter 5:8)
5. Pray, pray, pray. Prayer is one of the hardest spiritual disciplines because it is the most effective. Thankfully, the spirit intercede for us when we do not know how to pray, but that doesn’t excuse from spending time with God in prayer. (James 5:16)

Do the demons know my name? I wish I could answer that question. With Christ’s help, I will work on it, though! I want them to remember I belong to Jesus.

Father, help me to remember we are in a spiritual battle. You have already won the war; we must rely on Your power to win the daily battles. Forgive us for abandoning the fight so often. Give us strength and motivation to pick up our swords and begin again.

Spiritual warfare is a popular topic among Christian authors. Be sure those you choose to read have sound, Biblical theology.