European-American Evangelistic Crusades, Inc.

July 2000 Newsletter

John S. Torell

Many people show an emotional retardation, not knowing that this is caused by an "ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT SPIRIT." This brings me to the subject of demons. Very few ministers today know anything about this subject. They tend to stay away from having anything to do with it, yet they proclaim that they believe in the Bible. I know the answer as to why this is so. There are, to my knowledge, no accredited seminaries in the United States in which the theological students are taught on this subject. I attended Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California, and the teaching I received on the subject of demons was this:

"Jesus was part of the age he lived in on this earth, and since that civilization had not understood mental illness, they attributed mental disturbances to demons. Jesus, being a man of this time period, could not rise above that civilization. Since we have been blessed with (‘ungodly Cabalistic’ Jewish) men like Sigmund Freud etc., we now know better."

Thus the demon factor is not brought up, when people show severe mental disturbances. Some years ago society used to "tie them up and lock them away." Now it is "drug them down and lock them up."

When a person commits a sin, it results in a "SPIRITUAL INTOXICATION." This opens the door for unclean spirits (demons) to enter the person. If the person is not born again (unsaved) the demons will not only invade the physical body, but also the soul. When a Christian sins, the demons can only access the physical body. The first state is called "DEMON POSSESSION," the second state is called "DEMON OPPRESSION."

Definition of intoxication: Being in a drunken state, being greatly excited, loss of self control, unable to make sound decisions, unable to make sound moral decisions, loss of sound mental decisions, easily deceived.

SPIRITUAL INTOXICATION
A very clear teaching on this subject is found in I Samuel, chapters15, 16 and 18. King Saul is told in chapter 15 what God wants him to do. Instead of obeying God’s commands, King Saul does his own thing. The prophet Samuel tells him that rebellion is equal to the sin of witchcraft (verse 23). Saul is told that God has rejected him from being king. Saul is now "spiritually intoxicated" and demands that Samuel worship the Lord with him (verse 25), not understanding that he has opened a door to the evil spirit world.

In chapter 16 God tells Samuel to stop mourning for Saul and to move on with his life as a prophet. Now look at these verses :

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.  And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles thee.  Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. I Samuel 16:14-16

The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel had not yet lived on the earth, and the people living at this time did not know about Satan and his fallen angels, thus they attributed the evil spirit to God.

This evil spirit was not constantly troubling King Saul, he came and went from time to time, just like demons do today. The evil spirit must have brought others with him, because Saul developed strong jealousy, which then brought in the spirit of murder.

And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? I Samuel 18:8

And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.  And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him, and was, departed from Saul. I Samuel 18:9-12

Slowly the child’s personality changes. The child will gravitate toward ungodly music, show an early interest in sexual activities and easily slide into substance abuse, etc. Eventually the parents find that they have a very rebellious teenager who will not receive correction. The apostle Paul speaks clearly on this subject:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Ephesians 2:1-3

A person who is "spiritually intoxicated" has lost the ability to distinguish between good and evil, and becomes more and more drawn to the lust of this world. The Bible has another word for this: "BEING CARNAL."

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

Television, movies and theme parks are not the only source for a child to become spiritually intoxicated, being raised in an ungodly home, being exposed to sinful acts by parents or relatives, like divorce, arguments between parents, drug usage by parents or siblings, pornography, false religions, sexual perversions in the home, molestation etc.

If the parents are telling lies to themselves and others, committing thefts or any other acts that the Bible has labeled as sin, they destroy the foundation of the child and open his life for demonic activity. Any trauma to a child will bring the spirit of fear, which in turn will bring in the spirit of Arrested Development.

THE FRUIT
Jesus said that by their fruit we shall know them (Matthew 7:20). All we have to do is look around us, and what do we see? The divorce rate in America is now over 60%. Road rage is common among many drivers. Many people display the following characteristics: Anger, unforgiveness, insecurity, inferiority, being impatient, complaining all the time, always blaming others for their own mistakes, intolerant, jealous, not being content, low moral standards, and the list goes on and on. Nor can we forget how sick the people of today are: battling overweight or being anorexic, heart diseases, nervous disorders, arthritis, strokes, diabetes, etc.

THE LOSS OF A SOUND MIND
When a person starts to consume an alcoholic beverage, in a few minutes the alcohol will affect the brain (computer). The first thing that will be lost to the brain is the capacity to make sound judgments. Therefore the intoxicated person does not know or understand that his ability to make judgment calls is impaired. Instead the person will make decisions which will be irrational and dangerous. If he is driving a vehicle, he will try to pass another vehicle when it is not safe, or he will drive with a speed that he normally would consider unsafe.

If the person continues to take in more alcohol, more parts of his brain will shut down and the drunken state will worsen. The same thing happens when a person becomes "Spiritually Intoxicated." The very first loss to that person is "THE LOSS OF A SOUND MIND." He will be unable to even know that he has sinned and will argue with people over his condition and move into a state of "DENIAL." When a Christian is confronted with the possibility, that he might be oppressed by demons, usually great anger will rise up in the person, and he will begin to rave and rant. This outburst is a dead give-away, that the person has a demonic problem.

Understand this, the "Spiritual Intoxication" will slowly but surely progress becoming worse and worse until the person reaches the stage where he loses all control. Too much alcohol will cause the person to slip into a coma, and then physical death. In the spiritual world the backslider will reach "a spiritual coma", which the Bible calls "A REPROBATE MIND."

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Romans 1:18-24

The description that the Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, sums up the entire point which I have been trying to make. Ask God to give you a sharp and clear understanding as you read the following Bible verses:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; [not acceptable].  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:28-32

WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
The apostle Peter is led by the Holy Spirit, when he wrote the following:

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:  Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. I Peter 5:6-9

These are beautiful keys that are given to us:

• Be humble under God

• Cast all your cares and burdens upon God

• Be sober and vigilant

• Resist the Devil with your faith in God

If you do not have a daily Bible reading program, you will become spiritually weak. Surround yourself as much as possible with good Christian praise and worship music, not the so-called "Christian Rock." Develop a disciplined prayer life, in which you communicate with God on a daily basis. Stay away from all of the trash the world has to offer. Locate other strong Christians and have fellowship with them. Most of all, share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as much and as often as you can.

But the most important step you must take, is to acknowledge that you do have a problem and then start talking to our heavenly Father. Through the Holy Spirit He will guide you to a total victory. May God greatly move in your life is my prayer.

I am not able in a newsletter to write a long theological teaching on deliverance from demons, rather I will just point out what is happening when people sin. For a complete treatment on this subject, please see Christian Dynamics Course 1. If you have a demonic problem, don’t panic. It is easy to take care of, help is only a prayer away. As you read the book, I have laid out the steps to get the demons out of a person’s life.