Myth #7
Various Minor Myths
Myth #7A: "When a Christian sins, he opens
the door for a demon to come and live in him."
It is true that when a Christian sins, it may be because he has yielded to temptation
from an evil spirit. Yielding to the suggestion of an evil spirit, however,
does not mean that the evil spirit himself is thus able to come inside the believer.
If that were the case, every one of us would be so demon-possessed that we would
all need to be locked away in padded cells, because as James wrote, "we
all stumble in many ways" (Jas. 3:2).
When we sin as Christians, we break our fellowship with God, because we have
disobeyed Him (see 1 John 1:5-6). We feel guilty. We have not, however, broken
our relationship with Him, as we are still His children.
If we confess our sins, "He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our
sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Then our fellowship
with Him is restored. Notice John did not say that we needed to be cleansed
from any indwelling demons when we are guilty of sin.
Every Christian is faced with daily temptations from the world, the flesh, and
the devil. Paul wrote that we do indeed have a struggle against various evil
spirits (see Eph 6:12). Therefore, to some degree, every believer is harassed
by demon spirits. That is normal, and it is our responsibility to resist the
devil and demons by faith in God's Word (see 1 Pet. 5:8-9). When we believe
and act upon what God has said, that is resisting the devil.
For example, if Satan brings thoughts of depression, we should think on a scripture
that counteracts depression, and obey God's Word to "rejoice always"
(1 Thes. 5:16) and "give thanks in everything" (1 Thes. 5:18). It
is our responsibility to act upon God's Word and replace Satan's thoughts
with God's thoughts.
We must recognize that as free moral agents, we can think whatever we want to
think about. If a believer continually chooses to listen and yield to
the suggestions of evil spirits, he can certainly
open his mind to being oppressed, which is simply a state of being more
receptive to, and more dominated by, wrong thoughts. If he chooses to yield
even more he could become obsessed with a certain kind of wrong thinking,
which is very rare for a Christian, but can occur. Yet even then, if the obsessed
Christian desires to be free, all he needs to do is determine to think about
and yield to God's Words and resist the devil.
But could he ever become possessed? Only if he willfully decided, from
his heart, without being pressured, to reject Christ and turn His back upon
Him completely. Then, of course, he would no longer be a Christian18 and thus potentially could become possessed—if he yielded himself all the
more to the evil spirit that was oppressing him. But that is a far cry from the
idea of opening the door for an evil spirit to inhabit you through committing
one sin.
It is a fact that there is not a single example in the New Testament of any
Christian being possessed by a demon. Nor is there any warning addressed to
Christians about the dangerous possibility of their being inhabited by demons.
Nor is there any instruction regarding how to cast out demons from fellow-Christians.
The truth is that as Christians, we don't need demons cast out of us—what
we need is to have our minds renewed upon the Word of God. That is scriptural.
Paul wrote:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2).
Once our minds have been
cleansed of old thinking patterns and been renewed with the truth of God's
Word, we gain victory over sinful habits and live in a consistent Christ-like
manner. The truth is what sets us free (John 8:32). We are transformed as we
renew our minds, not as we have all the demons exorcised.
Why then are there so many Christians who testify
that they have had a demon (or demons) cast out of them? One possibility is
that they just imagined that they had a demon in them that has since been cast
out. Many Christians are gullible and lack knowledge of God's Word, and
so they are easy prey for "ministers of deliverance" who psychologically
manipulate people into thinking they have demons. Once people are convinced
they have a demon living in them, they will naturally cooperate with anyone
who appears confident of his ability to exorcise the demon.
Another real possibility is that such people who have had demons cast of out
them were not true believers in Christ at the time of their deliverance, even
though they thought they were believers. The modern gospel, which stands in
stark contrast to the biblical gospel, has deceived many into thinking they
are Christians even though they are indistinguishable from non-Christians and
Jesus is not their Lord.19 In Scripture, we find that when people believed the gospel and were born again,
demons that lived in them automatically came out (see Acts 8:5-7). Demons can't
possess people who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit indwells
all people who are born again.
Myth 7B: "Through studying the history of a city, we can determine which evil spirits are dominating it, and thus be more effective in spiritual warfare and ultimately in evangelization."
This myth is based upon several ideas that cannot be supported by Scripture.
One such idea is that territorial spirits stick around for a long time. That
is, the ones that lived over a region hundreds of years ago are supposedly the
ones still there. Thus, if we find that a city was founded by greedy people,
we can then conclude that there are spirits of greed dominating the city today.
If the city was once an old Indian village, we can conclude that spirits of
shamanism and witchcraft dominate the city today. And on and on it goes.
But is it true that the same evil principalities and powers that lived over
a geographical area hundreds of years ago are still there today? Perhaps, but
not necessarily.
Consider the story we've previously considered from the tenth chapter of
the book of Daniel. The unnamed angel who was assisted by Michael to fight "the
prince of Persia" said to Daniel, "I shall now return to fight against
the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece
is about to come" (Dan. 10:20, emphasis added). History tells us that
the Persian Empire fell to the Greeks through the conquests of Alexander the
Great. Yet this unnamed angel was aware of imminent corresponding changes in
the spiritual realm—the "prince of Greece" was coming.
When the prince of Greece did come, did he rule in the spiritual realm over
the Greek Empire just as the prince of Persia ruled in the spiritual realm over
the Persian Empire? That would seem to be a reasonable conclusion, and if so,
then some high-ranking evil spirits changed geographical locations, as the Greek
Empire included practically all the territory of the Persian Empire. When there
are political changes on earth, there is a possibility that there are changes
in the kingdom of darkness. In our nation, every election could potentially
mark a change of powers in the spiritual realm. That fact is, however, that
we just don't know unless God would reveal it to us.
Regardless, it makes little difference what particular evil spirits are ruling
over any given geographical area, as there is nothing we can do about it through "spiritual warfare," as proven in earlier chapters.
Over-Categorizing Evil Spirits
Moreover, it is an assumption on our part to think that there are ruling spirits
that specialize in specific sins. The whole concept of there being "spirits
of greed," "spirits of lust," "religious spirits," "spirits of strife," and so on, cannot be supported by Scripture,
much less the idea that those different kinds of spirits exist in the higher
ranks of evil spirits who rule the kingdom of darkness.
Amazing as it is to those who have never studied the four Gospels closely, there
are only three specific kinds of demons that Jesus cast out: Once a "dumb
demon" is mentioned (Lk. 11:14), once we read of a "deaf and dumb
spirit" (Mk. 9:25), and more than once we find reference to "unclean
spirits," which seem to include all demons which Jesus exorcised, including
even the "deaf and dumb" one (Mark 9:25).
And is it not possible that the "deaf and dumb spirit" was able to
do something other than make someone deaf and dumb? There is no doubt it could,
because it caused the boy of Mark 9 to have terrible seizures as well. Therefore
"deaf and dumb" may not be a reference to the specific type of spirit it was but rather a simple reference as to how it was harming a certain individual. Many of us have become "category-crazy" when
it comes to demons, going way beyond biblical revelation.
In the entire Old Testament, the only specific spirits that are named that could
perhaps be considered specific evil spirits are a "deceiving spirit"
(1 Kings 22:22-23), a "spirit of distortion" (Is. 19:14), and a "spirit
of harlotry" (Hos. 4:12; 5:4). In regard to the first and the second, certainly
all evil spirits could be referred to as "deceiving spirits" and "spirits
of distortion." In regard to the third, the phrase "spirit of harlotry" is not necessarily a reference to a specific evil spirit, but simply a prevailing
attitude.20
In the whole book of Acts, the only time a specific evil spirit is mentioned
is in Acts 16:16, where we read about a young girl who had a "spirit of
divination." And in all the epistles, the only kind of specific evil spirits
that are mentioned are "deceitful spirits" (1 Tim. 4:1) which, again,
could be a description of any evil spirit.
In light of the few references to specific kinds of demons in the Bible, it
is amazing to read through some of the modern lists which contain hundreds of
various kinds of demons that might inhabit people or control cities.
We should not assume there is any categorization, by specific sin, of any higher
ranks of evil spirits. It is an assumption to say, "Because there is so
much gambling in that city, there must be gambling spirits over it."
Smoking Spirits?
Think how foolish someone would appear who said, "There must be many smoking
spirits over that city, because so many people in that city smoke." What
were those "smoking spirits" doing before those cities existed? Where
were they then? What were they doing before tobacco was ever used for smoking?
Is the reason fewer people are now smoking is because some of those old "smoking
demons" are dying off or moving to new territories?
Do you see how foolish it is when we say such things as, "That city is controlled
by spirits of lust, which is why there are so many topless bars there"? The
truth is that wherever people are not serving Christ, there exists the kingdom
of darkness, and many evil spirits operate in that realm, who entice the subjects
of that kingdom to sin and continue in their rebellion against God. Those spirits
will tempt people in every area of sin, and in some places, people yield more
to one sin than other sins. Their only hope is the gospel that we are called to
proclaim.
Even if there were specific kinds of evil spirits who specialized in certain sins
and who ruled certain geographical areas, it wouldn't help us to know about
it, because there is nothing we can do to remove them. Our responsibility is to
pray (in a scriptural manner) for the people there who are deceived and to preach
the gospel to them.
The only good it would do to find out about the most predominate sins in a certain
city would be so that we can preach more convicting messages to the unsaved living
there—by specifically naming the sins that hold them guilty before God. But
there is no need to research a city's history to determine that. One only
needs to visit for a short while and keep his eyes and ears open. The predominant
sins will soon become evident.
Finally, there is no example in the New Testament of anyone doing "spiritual
mapping" as a means of preparing for spiritual warfare or evangelization.
Nor are there any instructions in the epistles to do so. In the New Testament,
the apostles followed the Holy Spirit in regard to where they should preach, faithfully
proclaimed the simple gospel of Christ's death and resurrection, and relied
upon the Lord to confirm the word with signs following. Their method worked quite
well.
Myth 7C: "We can be more effective in spiritual warfare for unsaved people if we pray 'on location.' Therefore, it is worthwhile to travel to foreign countries to do spiritual combat there."
If one wrongly assumes that he can do something to weaken the effectiveness of
territorial spirits by shouting at them, then he might be fooled into thinking
that the closer he got to them, the more effective he might be. For this reason,
some Christians actually fly over population centers in helicopters in order to "pull down the strongholds," and some go to the tops of skyscrapers
to scream at the "strong man" over their city.
All of this is a waste of time, as there is nothing anyone can to do to weaken
any evil spirit's influence over a city other than challenge people to believe the truth of the gospel. Even if some people respond to the gospel
and are saved, it doesn't weaken any demons. Those demons just have fewer
people to deceive, but they are just as active as ever.
In regard to actually praying to God on behalf of unsaved people, there
is no need to travel to the resident country in which they live to pray for them,
because God hears our prayers no matter where we are.
Some say they need to pray in foreign countries because it enables them to see
first-hand the bondages and needs of unsaved people living there, and thus they
can pray more specifically for them. However, all unsaved people need one thing
more than anything else, and that is to hear the gospel. We can pray for that
right where we are. That is why Jesus instructed us to pray that the Lord of the
harvest would send laborers (see Matt. 9:37-38), and why He commanded us to go
into the entire world and preach the gospel (Matt. 28:19).
There is no example in the New Testament of anyone journeying to a foreign city
for the sole of purpose of praying for the inhabitants of that city. There are
many examples, of course, of people journeying to distant cities in order to preach
the gospel. This makes sense, as Jesus commanded us to go and preach, not go and
pray. As it has been said by one, "You can pray for unsaved people until
hell freezes over, but unless those people hear the gospel, the only difference
your praying will make is that when those people go to hell, they will freeze
instead of burn."
It is alarming to hear Christians exuberantly report, "Since we started doing
spiritual warfare for our city, the crime rate has dropped by 5%!" So what?
Is anyone being saved? Are any disciples being made? Is our spiritual objective
to lower crime rates or save people from hell?
No one can be saved unless he hears the gospel. How can we justify spending thousands
of dollars on airfare to travel to foreign countries just to pray "on location"
without ever sharing the gospel once we are there? Is that wise stewardship? Are
such deeds "wood, hay and stubble" or "gold, silver and precious
stones" (see 1 Cor. 3:12-13).
Myth 7D: "Some Christians need to be set free from generational or satanic curses."
The whole of idea of "generational curses" is derived from four passages of Scripture found in the Old Testament that all say essentially the same thing. They are Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:8 and Deuteronomy 5:9. Let's consider Numbers 14:18:
The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations (emphasis added).
How are we to interpret this passage of Scripture? Does it mean that God will
put a curse on or punish someone for the sins of his parents, grandparents, great
grandparents, or great, great grandparents?
Absolutely not. Anyone who has any sense knows that would be unfair of God. He
is, of course, completely righteous in His dealings with people. God Himself has
stated that punishing someone for his parents' sins would be morally wrong:
"Yet you [the Israelites] say, 'Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity?' [God responds:] When the son has practiced justice and righteousness, and has observed all My statutes and done them, he shall surely live. The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself" (Ezek. 18:19-20, emphasis added).
Moreover, under the Law of Moses, God commanded that neither father nor son should bear the punishment for the sins of the other:
Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin (Deut. 24:16).
There is no possibility that our God of love and righteousness might curse or
punish someone for his ancestor's sins.21 So then what does Scripture mean when it says that God will "by no means
clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the
third and the fourth generations"?
It can only mean that God holds people responsible for the sinful example they
set in front of their offspring, and He thus holds them partly responsible for
the sins their offspring commit, since those offspring learned their sinful practice
from their parents. God holds people partly responsible, because of their wrong
example, for the sins of their great grandchildren! That is how holy God is. And
no one can say that in doing so He is unfair.
Notice that the passage under consideration states that God will visit "the
iniquity of the fathers on the children." It is the iniquity of fathers on their children that is being visited.
Thus, the whole idea of "generational curses" is a superstition, and
a bad one at that, as it makes God appear unrighteous.
Satanic Curses?
But what about "satanic curses"?
First, there is nothing in the entire Bible that indicates Satan is able to "put
a curse" on anyone, nor are there any examples of his doing so. Certainly
we find Satan afflicting people in the Bible, but never do we find him "putting
a curse" on a family which then results in continual bad luck upon them and
their successive generations.
Every Christian is harassed by Satan and evil spirits (to a limited extent) all
of his life, but this does not mean that any of us need someone to "break
a satanic curse" over us that has been passed down to us from our parents.
What we need to do is stand on God's Word and resist the devil by faith,
as we are told to do in the Scriptures (see 1 Pet. 5:8-9).
In the Bible, God is the one who has the power to bless and curse (see Gen. 3:17;
4:11; 5:29; 8:21 ; 12:3; Num. 23:8; Deut. 11:26; 28:20; 29:27; 30:7; 2 Chron.
34:24; Ps. 37:22; Prov. 3:33; 22:14; Lam. 3:65; Mal. 2:2; 4:6). Others may curse
us with their mouths, but their curses are powerless to harm us:
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, so a curse without cause does not alight (Prov. 26:2).
Balaam had it right when, after being hired by Balak to curse the children of
Israel, he said, "How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And how can
I denounce, whom the Lord has not denounced?" (Num. 23:8).
Some Christians have gone overboard on the idea of people placing curses on other
people based upon Jesus' words in Mark 11:23: "Truly I say to you, whoever
says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does
not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it
shall be granted him."
Notice, however, that there is no power in just speaking words, but rather, in
speaking words that are believed from the heart. There is no way a person could
have faith that his curse against someone could actually bring harm to that person,
because faith is a confident assurance (Heb. 11:1), and faith only comes from
hearing God's Word (Rom. 10:17). A person might hope his curse against
someone will bring misfortune, but he could never believe it, because God
has given no faith-supplying promise about cursing people.
The only exception to this would be if God gave someone "the gift of faith"
along with a "gift of prophecy" (two of the nine gifts of the Spirit),
that would be spoken in the form of a blessing or curse, as we see He occasionally
did in the lives of some Old Testament characters (see Gen. 27:27-29, 38-41; 49:1-27;
Josh. 6:26 with 1 Kin. 16:34; Judg. 9:7-20, 57; 2 Kin. 2:23-24 ). Even in those
cases, the blessings or curses originated from God, not man. Thus, the
whole idea of someone being able to "place a curse" on another person
is just a superstition. This is why Jesus did not instruct us to "break curses
that have been spoken against us," but rather to simply "bless those
who curse us." We do not need to be afraid of any person's curses. To
be afraid of someone's curse is to display a lack of faith in God.
Occult Curses?
Is it possible to have some satanic curse upon us because of past involvement
in the occult?
We must not forget that when we are saved, we are delivered from Satan's
power and the kingdom of darkness (see Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13). Satan no longer
has any hold on us unless we give it to him. Although the Bible indicates that
the Ephesian Christians were heavily involved in practicing magic before their
conversion (see Acts 19:18-19), there is no record of Paul breaking any "Satanic
curses" or binding Satan's power over them after they were saved. The
reason is because they were automatically set free from Satan's dominion
the moment they first believed in Jesus.
Additionally, when Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians, he gave no instructions
regarding setting anyone free from generational or satanic curses. All he told
them was to "not give the devil an opportunity" (Eph. 4:27), and to
"put on the full armor of God" that they might "be able to stand
firm against the schemes of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). Those are every Christian's
responsibilities.
But why, in some cases, have Christians apparently been helped when someone broke
a "generational" or "satanic curse" over them? Simply because
the individual who needed help had faith that the devil would flee once the "curse"
was broken. Faith is what puts the devil on the run, and every Christian can and
should have faith that when he resists the devil, the devil will flee. There is
no need to call in a "deliverance specialist" in order to send Satan
running.
Finally, the Bible tells us that Christ "became a curse for us,"
and in so doing, "redeemed us from the curse of the Law" (Gal
3:13, emphasis added). All of us were formerly under God's curse because
we had sinned, but since Jesus bore our punishment, we have been released from
that curse. Praise God! No longer cursed, we can rejoice that we have now been blessed "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
Myth 7E: "We can break demonic bondages through fasting."
Some Christians seem to regard fasting as one of the most preeminent aspects of
Christian life and responsibility. This is quite amazing in light of the fact
that in all the epistles of the New Testament, there is not one instruction given
to Christians regarding fasting. Nowhere in the epistles are Christians even encouraged
to fast. In fact, the epistles have nothing at all to say about fasting, other
than Paul's mention of a few times when he had to go hungry, examples of
involuntary fasting.
In the book of Acts, there are only two examples of voluntary fasting:
And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away (Acts 13:2-3, emphasis added).
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed (Acts 14:23, emphasis added)
We learn that the primary benefit of fasting under the new covenant is to give
us more time to concentrate on prayer. This is especially important when we are
seeking God for specific direction, as we wait for His guidance to become clear
within our own spirits.
In ancient times, the preparation and eating of meals was much more time consuming
than it is today, and by fasting, people were afforded much more time to pray.
That is the primary reason to abstain from eating.
As every Christian knows, probably the most difficult thing about spending extended
time in prayer is finding the time to do it. Sometimes the only way to find a
few hours to pray is to eliminate something else. That is probably why Jesus once
prayed all night (notice it was before He chose His apostles), and why He often
rose early in the morning to pray. That is why Paul wrote to married Christians
and told them not to deprive their spouses of sexual relations, "except by
agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer" (1
Cor. 7:5, emphasis added). In order to spend an extended time of prayer, we may
have to abstain from some of the legitimate pleasures of life, such as sleep,
sex, or food.
Fast or Hunger Strike?
Fasting does not change God. We shouldn't think that because we are afflicting
ourselves by fasting, God will more readily listen to our prayers. That would
be more like a hunger strike. We don't need to gain God's attention
by fasting—we already have His attention when we pray according to His will
(see 1 John 5:14).
Fasting does not give us more spiritual power or give us authority over demons.
As members of Christ's body, we already are "seated in heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is
named" (Eph. 1:21). We already have the authority to cast out demons according
to Jesus' promise in Mark 16:17: "And these signs will accompany those
who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons."
But what about Jesus' statement concerning a demon He once exorcised: "But
this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" (Matt. 17:21)?
First, my Bible indicates that many of the original manuscripts of Matthew's
gospel do not contain this particular verse, which means it is possible that Jesus
never said, "This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
In Mark's account of the same incident, Jesus is recorded as saying, "This
kind cannot come out by anything but prayer" (Mark 9:29), and it is noted
in the margin that many manuscripts add "and fasting" to the end of
the verse.
So did Jesus say that fasting is a necessary ingredient in exercising a particular
kind of demon? The answer is that we don't know. Nevertheless, if Jesus did
actually make the statement regarding fasting, that is the only time He or any
of the New Testament writers associated fasting with deliverance from a demon.
Perhaps it would be helpful to ask ourselves how fasting could be an aid in exorcising
demons. Certainly fasting could not increase anyone's authority over demons.
If God has given one authority to cast out demons, he has it. The only thing that
fasting could do would be provide one with more time to meditate on God's
promise of his authority, thus increasing his faith in what God has said.
In the case under consideration, the disciples had previously been given authority
to cast out unclean spirits (see Matt. 10:1), but they failed to cast out a demon
from a young boy. When Jesus heard of their failure, He immediately lamented their
unbelief (Matt. 17:17), and when they asked Him why they failed, He responded, "Because of the littleness of your faith" (Matt. 17:20). It is a few
verses later that we find Jesus' questionable statement concerning fasting.
Thus we can conclude the reason for their failure as being one of two possibilities:
Either they didn't have faith in their God-given authority plus they
didn't pray and fast beforehand, or they didn't have faith in their
God-given authority, and time spent in fasting and prayer could have helped them
build their faith. I would prefer to accept the second scenario, as it makes more
sense, while the first seems to make Jesus contradict Himself. Keep in mind that
both possibilities are predicated upon the assumption that Jesus actually made
the statement about fasting.
Regardless of the correct interpretation, we must not forget that the overwhelming
majority of references to spiritual warfare and deliverance from demons make no
mention of fasting. There is no mention at all of fasting in connection with our personal warfare against Satan and evil spirits, and to say that we must
fast to gain personal victory over the devil is entirely unscriptural.
The Fast That God Chooses
One other passage of Scripture that is often misconstrued to prove that fasting can break demonic bondages is Isaiah 58:6:
Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? (Is. 58:6).
Does this verse of Scripture teach that we can break demonic bondages over people
by fasting? It can only when it is taken out of context and then assumptions are
added to it. But when read in context and no assumptions are added, it clearly
does not.
Let's beat Satan at one of his games (taking scriptures out of context),
and read most of the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah to learn what God was actually
saying:
"Cry loudly, do not hold back; raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare to My people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins" (Is. 58:1)
Here God is speaking to Isaiah, commissioning him to declare to Israel their sins. In the very next verse, God begins to enumerate those sins:
"Yet they seek Me day by day, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that has done righteousness, and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, they delight in the nearness of God" (Is. 58:2).
Here is revealed Israel's hypocrisy. They claimed to be righteous, but their religion was just a facade. They were only going through the motions of devotion. They asked God,
"'Why have we fasted and Thou dost not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and Thou dost not notice?'" (Is. 58:3a).
And God responded:
Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers. Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed, and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?" (Is. 58:3b-5, emphasis added).
Apparently, they had been fasting to gain God's attention or favor, and wondered why their situation hadn't improved. God responded by reminding them of their selfish lifestyles, displayed even during the days of their fasting. Additionally, their reasons for fasting were purely selfish. God said it was completely unacceptable. Then He tells them about the kind of fast He is looking for—a fasting from selfishness:
"Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Is. 58:6-7).
Is God saying that if they fast, it will set people free from demonic bondage?
Not at all. God wants them to abstain, not from food, but from being selfish.
He wants them to love their neighbor as themselves. He wants them to break yokes, "let the oppressed go free," divide their bread with the hungry, bring
the homeless poor into their houses, and cover the naked. The act of abstaining
from food by itself will not result in any of those things. Those are things people must do.
This interpretation becomes even clearer as we continue reading. If the Israelites
would begin to fast from their self-centered lifestyles, God promised,
"Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday" (Is. 58:8-10, emphasis added).
Verse 9 makes it very clear
that God is not talking about Himself removing some demonic yoke in response
to their fasting. Rather, He is telling them that they are the ones who
should be removing, not demonic, but human yokes from people, such as injustice
and poverty. God was much more interested in the Israelites abstaining from
selfishness than He was in their abstaining from food. This is no doubt true
for us as well. The second greatest commandment is not, "Make sure you
fast often," but "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark
12:31).
The idea that we can break people free from Satan's grasp by the act of
fasting is erroneous. The primary way to get people set free from Satan is to
tell them the gospel. If they respond with faith, they'll be set free.
Then we can teach them how to resist the devil by faith in God's Word.
Footnotes
18.
Those who hold to the position of "once saved, always saved" will
no doubt disagree. I would encourage them to read Rom. 11:22; 1 Cor. 15:1-2;
Phil. 3:18-19; Col. 1:21-23 and Heb. 3:12-14, paying special attention to the
word "if" whenever it is found.
19. See my book, The Great Gospel Deception, for
an in-depth study of this topic.
20. The "spirit of jealousy" spoken of in Numbers
5:14-30 and the "spirit of haughtiness" of Proverbs 16:18 are good
examples of the word spirit being used to convey a certain kind of predominant
attitude, rather than an actual demon. In Numbers 14:24 we read that Caleb had
a "different spirit," which is obviously referring to Caleb's
good attitude.
21. This is not to say that children don't suffer
because of their parents' sins, because they often do. When they do, however,
it is not an indication that God is punishing those children for their parents' sins, but an indication that people are so evil that they practice certain sins
which they know will cause their own children to suffer.
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