 Okay, so let's pray first and then we will get into the class. Can somebody please lead us with a word of prayer? Father, we come to the throne of today's Lord. Thank you for this day you have with us Lord. Lord, as we are learning, we are going to learn about the authority Lord you have given to your disciples, to your believers Lord. Lord, give us your knowledge Lord, give us your fear Lord so that we can learn all the things Lord whatever is being taught so that we can add it to our knowledge Lord and we can do your work. You have assigned it to great commission Lord very effectively and with Lord with great compassion Lord. Thank you for this opportunity that we are learning about this Lord, believers authority and believers Lord. Thank you for this day Lord and thank you for everything you have done to Lord, done us for Lord. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you Sid. Thank you for praying. We will follow along from our notes. So in the last class we talked about demons. We understood that they are disembodied spirits and they have a structure. They are led by Satan and they also have some characteristics. They tend to be very specialized in what they do. So we saw the different categories under which we could classify these demon spirits and we got some insight. Now we also said that all the study is so that we can minister to people who are oppressed in a more effective way. Now in that same chapter on page 20 there is a short note on angelic beings. Remember we said that Lucifer that is Satan before he was cast down. Lucifer is also an angelic being. He was cast down with one-thirds of the angels from heaven and now he is opposing God and his purposes. But then you have two-thirds of angels who continue to serve and minister unto the Lord. So a little bit of understanding about these angelic beings also is helpful. So there is a short note there. We are told that angels have been created to serve. In other words minister. The word minister is service. So they have been created to serve or minister. The way in which they minister unto the Lord is through worship and other ways that God delegates them to do. So we will look at that. So primarily their role is ministry or service. Now there are two major categories of angels. One would be called the cherubim. The other would be called the seraphim. The seraphim class of angels are we would know them from the book of Isaiah. You have these angels who are worshipping the Lord. They are flying around him. They have six wings. You also read about them in the book of Revelation. So these are the seraphim in the presence of God. The six-winged angels who are just worshipping the Lord and they are around the throne of God. And the seraphim, the cherubim angels have many roles. Now they have been delegated with different kinds of responsibilities. You might recall Angel Gabriel is one who brought a message to Mary. So messenger angels. They came to give a message or make an announcement, heavenly announcement or you can call Gabriel as a heavenly announcer. You have warring angels. When you read in the book of Jude for the body of Moses, the archangel Michael is at war. So he is a warring angel. You have legions of warrior angels. All this inferences from scripture. I'm not reading the passage for us, but it is all there in our notes. So you have a class of angels known as angelic warrior legions. You have them. You have angels that are called as plague angels or destroying angels that bring for divine judgments. The book of Revelation, you will see the angel came and then this happened, that happened. So they were bringing the judgments with them. So they are known as the plague angels or destroying angels. Again, they are working in line with the purposes of God. Then you have the ministering angels or the angels which are like waiters or attendants. They are present at all times. They are present and activated to protect the believers. So these are the ministering angels. These are all the functions of the angels that come in the category of cherubim. While we understand that demons are fallen angels, we should also understand that there are two thirds of the angelic beings who continue to worship the Lord and continue to perform what God is telling them to do. So any thoughts, any questions on angels before we move further into our study? Okay. So if you do have a question later on as well, it's fine. You can always stop and ask. We'll continue then. I'm on page 22 now. Methods of workings. So far, we have a background. We know about the origin of Satan. We know about his kingdom, the structure that he has demons. He works through his demons. Now what we will study is the methods. What are some of the common methods that Satan uses? Now, the more you study about Satan, what you recognize is that it's a counterfeit. It's a copy but a poor copy of who God is and what God does. In everything, he tries to deceive. He will try to promote something as knowledge but it will end up in bondage. He will try to promote something as blessing, but it will end up in destruction. He'll try to promote something as welfare and that leads to chaos. So that's his way. He tries to copy things in the kingdom. Now, even if you look at the structure of his kingdom, you would think, wow, there are specialized demons who do all the... But he has understood God and God's structure because in the kingdom of God, you have God of plan, God of design, God of organization. All that already exists with God. So what is Satan doing? Just copy, create a counterfeit and try to function to gain his goals and his motives. And that's how he chooses to do it. So when it comes to the workings of Satan, the way he tries to destroy this world and mankind that is made in the image of God, he has followed some tactics. And maybe we could call it fortunate that those tactics seem to be the same that he uses in different ways through generations. So that way, when we understand his tactics, we can be in a better position to deal with him whenever we come across any such thing going on in our lives. Now, when you look at scripture, 2 Corinthians 2, 11, it says that we should not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy. Devices is their schemes, their plots. If you've read in school, you have all those books, novels where you have all these plots and you're trying to figure out, hey, what was the plot? Who is the real culprit in this case? But it's so twisted and manipulated that it's hard to find the culprit. So Satan has become an expert in his devices, schemes, plots, manipulation. So he comes up with all these schemes to entrap people. So he has all these devices. We need to know that. When we are in warfare, anyone who is in the armed forces will tell you that they do study their opponents, they do study their enemies. Because if you don't know that they are going to use certain kinds of weapons, we may not have the defense for that, isn't it? So it's good to know. What are these weapons? What are these methods that the enemy uses on us? And of course, Paul very clearly told the believers, the devil has devices. He has schemes, plots. So please don't be ignorant. When believers say, no, I don't want to know, I just want to follow God, it's a very naive way of living a believer's life. Because we are on the front lines. We are in a battlefield. This earth is infested with the work of the evil one. And whether we like it or not, he constantly tries to interfere. But we need to be aware, be smart enough. Okay, I figured out this is a scheme of the devil. I'm going to cancel. I'm going to destroy it. So he has all these schemes, devices, plots, and he has his methods of working. In our notes here, there's a nice classification. Okay, I will see if I could just a moment so that you can have a look at it. Then, you know, you want to be confused in case you're not seeing the, I hope you can see. Oh, no, not this one. It's not giving me an option. Sorry about that. Yeah, this work. Yes, can you see it now? Yes, ma'am. Okay, wonderful, wonderful. So the methods of working, they've been listed here for us. And it's really helpful. It's classified it just for our understanding. He engages in temptation, intimidation, intrusion, oppression, opposition, deception, oppression, possession, domination, and empowerment. So these are some of the common methods. And so when we understand it, you know, we will be in a better position to deal with it. Now, I also want you to look at this chart over here. Then we will discuss. Okay, do you see a progression here? It is a progression. And that is why you have an arrow increasing levels of demonization. So I have a good look at this. There is influence initially, then there is oppression, then there is possession, and then there is empowerment. Okay, so what we are saying is the enemy uses all of his methods and through that he's trying to gain maximum ground, maximum control in the life of a person. His initial attacks may be through temptation, deception, intimidation, intrusion, opposition. Now, all of these tactics, we will get into them in depth soon. But one thing about all these methods is they can be external in a sense. So I'm just going somewhere and I look at this, you know, beautiful jewelry or something, and I'm so tempted. I'm like, wow, I love this jewelry. I need to buy it, you know, and I'm completely tempted. Maybe I don't have the money to buy it, but I'm thinking I really want it. So it's an influence on what? Again, notice that his way of starting off with a person is their mind. So he puts a thought, he puts a suggestion in our minds, and I'm talking about like a simple temptation. So temptation starts as an influence over the person. Similarly, you know, deception. Just do this, write that email to your boss, he will never know, he will never know what you actually did, but you can just share some other numbers, no problem, nothing will happen, you will get your promotion. So what is that suggestion in our minds? It's a deceiving thought. We know from God's word, God's word says he who walks in integrity walks securely, but what he who twists his ways will be found out. So that's what the word of God says. So if I don't know the word, if I'm not living by the word, I am a good target for the enemy. Deception, he's trying to tell me, okay, you will get the promotion. Try to do all these things in your workplace. Deception, intimidation, intimidation. Again, all these are influences on us, and we must really be ready to resist them. Intimidation is causing fear. Nothing has happened, but he can put thoughts in our minds and say, hey, what's going to happen to, you know, your money? What's going to happen to your family? So he's just putting all these negative thoughts and the more I give into it, what happens? Remember, this chart is showing an increasing level of demonization. Demonization is greater influence that the demons are getting. Okay, so that's what it is. Don't get all panicky with demonization. What is that greater level of influence on our lives? So the more I give in, I just shared about three simple methods of the enemy. Now let's say as an individual, I give in to the enemy, then he can move further. He can cause oppression in my life. Now oppression also, you know, from just an external kind of an influence, it could show up in me, in the person that I am. We know that human beings are tripartite, right? We have spirit, soul, body. So he can begin to work in my body or in my mind, in my soul, in my emotions, in my willpower. Maybe I might feel that I'm losing my ability to make decisions or to say no. Slowly I'm losing that ability. So what's happening? Greater influence. He's gaining greater, greater influence than moving further ahead. When an individual has been so, you know, so much influenced by Satan and demons, they can also come to a level of possession, okay? Now talking about possession for a Christian, we never use the term possession because scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. The Holy Spirit lives on the inside of us. So a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. You can only have one kind of a spirit dwelling in you. It's either the Holy Spirit or it's a demon spirit. But for every believer, even if they are coming under, you know, what we are saying, right? Influence, oppression, the Holy Spirit is still there in us and that is the good news that we can be overcomers even if the enemy is trying to do all these things with the power of the Holy Spirit. So we can take charge and break, you know, what Satan is doing. But, you know, a lot of believers are not aware of that. So possession is mainly the term is used for an unbeliever when the Holy Spirit doesn't dwell in that person. For a believer, we already said, scriptures say, no, you're not, you know, that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit of God fills us. So only an unbeliever, when we say someone is possessed, for an unbeliever, that terminology is correct. For a believer, instead of possession, we can use the word demonized. Okay, and I'll tell you why, because when it comes to possession, right? Now, we might see that the demons have taken control of the faculties of the person. Okay, I'll tell you what I mean by it. Now, an individual who is possessed and that person is not a believer. He does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside him. And the demon spirits take charge. If you recall Legion, he's talking, you know, you are the Son of God. Why have you come here to torment me before my time? Why have you come to torment us before our time? Who is speaking? It's not the man. It's the demons. So they have taken control of the, you could say, the faculty of speech. Maybe the person doesn't want to say it, but the demons are now utilizing his vocal cords and they are communicating. Similarly, when you look at people who are possessed, we use the term manifestation. Manifestation is when the person behaves in an abnormal manner that indicates that there is a demon that has taken control of this individual. That is called as manifestation. And manifestations can be all kinds of manifestations, maybe just facial expressions. You know, a person who's calm and normal suddenly has an angry face and you're wondering what is happening. The demons have taken charge of the faculties. Even the facial expressions are being controlled by the demons, not by the person anymore. And we call that a manifestation or the demon of fear. You might see that the person is looking very scared, suddenly looking so scared, but you can recognize, this is a manifestation of the spirit of fear or depression. Again, let me clarify, not all depression is demonic. So we must never use that conclusion across the board. But sometimes when there is a demonic influence and the person is possessed by spirit of depression, you might find that the person's expression is very sad and you're thinking what's happening. But it is the manifestation of that spirit of depression or the person is crying entirely or the person is being violent. Not just facial expression, even bodily faculties. I've heard pastors telling me when they went to cast out demons, there's a very young girl in the house. She has the strength to carry a cot. She just raised it with her hand, one hand and they're all looking at her thinking, how did she do that? Because it's not her anymore. The demons have taken charge of the faculties. So things like that, we call this as manifestation, the way it is demonstrated in the physical realm. Again, when you talk about possession, it can be part time or it can happen the whole time. So part time is a normally functioning human being. This person is going to work, they are taking care of the responsibilities at home. Things are going seemingly in a normal way. But from time to time, you find that the demons are acting up and you realize, why is this person suddenly so violent or sometimes we have prayer when there's prayer and worship going on. Suddenly you find some demons start manifesting because they cannot stand God's presence. So only at certain times the manifestation is visible to us. So we term that as part time. However, there are people who may be so taken over, so influenced by the demon spirits, that they are constantly in that state that the demons want that person to be like Legion. Remember, he sat far away, he was an outcast, he was not part of the city. So he was so destructive to the people that they had chained him and they had put him away. Because constantly causing chaos, constantly being violent and unproductive for the community. So there can be times when you find that some people are, the whole time they have become a vessel for demonic activity. I've also heard about some, in fact I heard about one girl, this also. I heard one of our churches only, one of our churches associated with APC. That pastor was telling one girl, she had become very sad because some relationship, something didn't work out for her. Unfortunately, this is a believer girl. Unfortunately what happened is that boys side, they did witchcraft and they did so many things because that person was not a believer. And because this girl was not strong in the Lord and she started giving into the work of these demon spirits, she became so weak and she was not functional. So basically she was at home the whole time and her family was taking care of her. She just couldn't do anything, she couldn't think, she was like basically the demon had taken over the whole time and her family was only taking care of her for days because she could do nothing. She could do nothing till the pastors went and they actually cast the demons out and also by revelation they came to know what had happened. Somebody had worked witchcraft and things like that against this girl and it was working on her and so they had to break those strongholds of the evil one and set her free. So you might find that people may, those who are possessed, they may manifest sometimes or they might be constantly in a state where they have become a vessel for the demons. Now I just want to draw your attention to the distinction. I said unbeliever is possessed. Believer, we use the term demonized and the understanding is that the influence is greater than oppression and that the demons are now able to use the faculties of the believer as well. It sounds impossible but sometimes we see that even believers manifest like unbelievers. And that's because of the level of influence that the individual has given the demons. So can believers be possessed? No. They are always possessed by the Holy Spirit but they can be demonized meaning their faculties can be taken over by demon spirits to the extent that they can manifest as if they were possessed. So we must not confuse. So if a believer is manifesting, we should not say that he never accepted Christ. No, no, no. It's possible to have manifestations similar to a possessed unbeliever. So I hope it is clear. So we are quite clear now. Influences your early stage oppression. Oppression, you know oppression I didn't explain to you. We'll again look at it later but see oppression mainly means overpowering. If you have seen a wrestling match, the stronger person subdues the weaker person. So like literally when you're watching it, the stronger person is on the weaker person. They've taken them down. So that is oppression. So it's a greater level of influence where the person or the human being has, you know, they've come under the weight of what the demons are doing. That is oppression. Influences, it's a lighter way to, you know, understand what demons are doing. So they're influencing you. It's a lot easier to deal with it at this level than to deal with it at this level. And similarly than this level and then of course, you know, this level. So when we understand the tactics of the evil one and we become strongest believers, you know, a lot of believers who walk with the Lord to study God's Word, take time and prayer, worship, you know, at this level itself. A lot of us we are able to deal with the works of the evil one. Okay. And that's the good thing. And so, you know, don't, don't get all worried. Oh, my goodness. This is the progression. Does it happen to everybody? No, it doesn't. It doesn't. Okay. And we'll talk about the victorious lifestyle and all that later on. But just for our understanding, if one is not strong in the Lord or if one opens the door for the enemy through a sinful lifestyle, you know, then that's, that's when the enemy is able to take them through this downward spiral. And the situation keeps getting, you know, more challenging. Now we've understood till possession empowerment. Okay. Empowerment is your last level. So this level is when an individual has become a channel for the demons. So by that, I mean the person is no longer living for their purpose. They're living for the purpose of the demon spirits and they can exercise or rather the demons can exercise influence and control beyond that human being on other human beings as well. Okay. And you might also find that this individual is manifesting signs, wonders, spiritual activity are the signs and wonders supernatural. Yes, but they are from the wrong source. Okay. And these are all like, you know, things to attract people towards the empowered individual. Okay. And we would see that people who engage with the occult, people who engage with, you know, there are all kinds of movements these days, new age, this and that. Sometimes people desire, they desire to not just be possessed, but they desire to be empowered. And that's where, you know, they can tell you your, we've talked about this, you know, nobody can really know no created being can ever tell the future. But that people, they try to predict your future that we call it divination through a spirit. Remember, we see that in the book of Acts, a girl with the spirit of divination and Paul cast out that spirit. She was empowered and, you know, a lot of people were influenced by her. So there can be people who are empowered. They are empowered. So they are wherever they go, communities and large masses of people, they can do signs, wonders. And basically they can have a control on the spiritual atmosphere over places and communities. And that is called empowerment. Okay. So I hope that you have a good grip on these concepts. We, if you, if, if so, we can, you know, go deeper and stop sharing the screen and we could pause for a moment in case you have any doubts or clarifications. Regarding this. Hi, so one quick question. So, and I think in the previous classes, we discussed one of the examples which you shared, like when you were in a hospital, you saw someone coming with and you kind of sense that it could be, you know, it could be demonic manifestations. Also, if we face such situations and do you think we can pray at that moment and that person can be healed or, you know, that my question is basically like this, like if, does that person need to know Jesus before being deliverance from any demons? Okay, John. Yeah. So the answer is yes, John, we can pray. Okay. The moment we sense that someone needs deliverance, we can pray. In the context that I shared, I don't think I could have gone and done anything because, you know, the hospital security and the doctors kind of surrounded the person. So I didn't go. But from where I was, I definitely prayed for him. I prayed and, you know, like if at all there is a chance to go cast out the demons. I was like, okay, you know, God just show me, give me the wisdom. But thankfully, I think it was a medication issue. And after some time that person had actually calmed down. So that's fine. Now the answer to your other question. No, John, it's like a person need not be a believer. Because when you see the example of Jesus, nobody was a believer at that time, right? But Jesus was casting out demons of unbelievers. Yeah. So same thing applies. We can cast out a demon from anybody. Right. Yeah. So if there is a public sitting, then let's say one example that you were traveling in a flight and suddenly if you see one person is manifesting and there's nothing much people can also do. I'm just giving one an example. Yes. So in that case, if you have that guidance on the Holy Spirit, we could do it, right? Yeah, yeah, of course. Of course, John. So that's what I'm saying. No, you begin to pray about it and you sense the leading of the spirit. If you sense, okay, I need to go there and I need to ask the person, you know, can I pray for you? Do it. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Sure. Sure. Thank you. So yeah, everyone, are you thinking or? Okay. Good. So, you know, some new insights possibly for many of us. So you can think some. Yeah. Yeah, please. Sorry. One more question. No problem. Yeah. So let's say a minister. Okay. So he is a minister of, you know, he's a Christian. Yeah. But, you know, sometimes we sense in our spirits that he's not operating with the right mindset or let's say he's using some influences to minister. Yeah. So in that case, would he be empowered or he still demonized? Okay, John. Yeah. Good question. Yeah. Yeah. So you're saying that the, the miraculous from that person's life is like all false signs and wonders kind of a thing? Yes. Yes. Okay. Okay. Yeah. So yeah, John, one could be empowered. We have to discern by the Holy spirit and another thing that we talk about to assess the prophetic word or miracles and always the fruit, the fruit of the ministry. You could look at the fruit of the ministry, meaning what is the outcome? Are people being saved? Are people having that, you know, that walk of worship unto the Lord with the fear of God? Is it drawing people closer to God? So when you look at the fruit of the ministry, that will also give you an idea of whether these signs, miracles and all, they are from God or not? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So if you feel like, you know, it's not, then don't, don't follow that person. Yeah. Yeah. My question was like, would he be empowered or? Possible. Possible. Yeah. Yeah. Very much. Yeah. In fact, I heard of some such testimonies from, you know, like the church where I serve, we've had a lot of African students in the past. So many of my, you know, good, good friends still now. And then some of them shared their experiences, apparently like one particular person from where he comes, people practice, you know, all these spiritual things and they try to gain influence over people and communities and all that. So this person was also saying that there are ministers of God who are saved from such backgrounds, but they still, you know, have that inclination to have that supernatural power which will thrill people and they don't, they don't focus on receiving that from God and they also go for things like, so it was very confusing for me to even understand what this person was saying, but you know, this individual was telling me that some such things are also happening there in that region. So I feel like the answer to such things is the word of God. The more we share about God's word, maybe people don't know. Once they are saved, they don't, they don't understand God's word, right? And in that ignorance, they carry on with the old practices which has been a part of their generations, but all these things don't please God because very clearly we see from scripture, God doesn't, doesn't like, you know, worship of other things and, you know, this kind of demonic empowerment and all that. So yeah, just something I thought I'll share. Yes, thank you. Right, yeah, thank you. So good. I think we will go forward. So now we have a good idea about the levels of demonization and also the tactics that Satan uses in order to gain influence over people. So what we'll do is we will start studying different tactics. So the first one would be temptation and temptation is quite common. All of us have been through temptation and we can see from scripture how the enemy uses this method and thereby we can be prepared to overcome it. So when we talk about temptation, the first thing for us to recognize is that this is in the area of our mind. It's in the area of our mind. If you go back to Matthew chapter 4 where Jesus had gone to the wilderness to fast over there, you see that Satan take, you know, he shows him the kingdoms of the world and he asks him from the top of the temple like you fall down and God will give his angels charge over you. But actually he was in the wilderness. So how in the world was he on top of the temple? How in the world was he able to see the kingdoms of the world? It's all in his mind. Jesus was physically in the wilderness. So where was the temptation taking place in our minds? So that's the place where Satan wants to gain access. And that is the reason we say believers spend time in God's Word, meditate in God's Word, renew our minds because when we renew our minds, we're not giving space to the suggestions of the enemy or even if suggestions come, we are quick to recognize and discard them. So he likes to target the minds of the people. Now temptation is common to both unbelievers, believers, everyone because Satan is against man who is made in the image of God. Then when we look at this temptation that comes in our minds, we can also study the life of Jesus and see how he dealt with it. Another thing that Hebrews chapter 2 verses 14, 17 and 18, it tells us is that Jesus, he put on humanity. He's fully God and he is fully man, which means that as a man, he did not engage his godly privileges. No, he didn't. He was completely man and he battled every challenge of a man as a man. So he put on humanity, he was fully man and he had to strive against the attacks of the enemy in a human way. But scriptures also point out and tell us that he was tempted in every way yet without sin. And in fact, the term used for Jesus that is striving, he was striving against temptation, tempted in every way yet without sin. So a lot of us might look at the life of Jesus and say, Jesus, you don't understand. We are 21st century, there is a lot of challenges that we have that you didn't have in your time, this kind of temptation, that kind of temptation. But what scripture says, he was tempted in every way at all points of life, every stage of life, whatever you and I are going through is the appearance of that temptation may seem different in our age and time. But whether it is lust or pride or anything, jealousy, envy, he has been through it. But he was able to strive in such a way that he was 415. I'll just read it out for us. It's a good verse to always remember when talking about temptation. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. So that is the testimony of Jesus for us from Hebrews 4 and verse 15. He was tempted in every way and that is another reason and of course he overcame. But this is another reason that you and I can pray to Jesus. He will not condemn us. He will not say, how could you be tempted in this way? He has been through those situations and he is a high priest who will sympathize with our weaknesses because he understands the pressure of temptation. So temptation happens in our mind. Even Jesus was tempted. Jesus was tempted in every way yet he was someone who overcame temptation and that is why we can look to the Lord Jesus and he can help us. How does this temptation work? We are going to look at that in depth. Maybe what we'll do is we will read a passage and then go on for a break, come back and I'll explain the rest to us. So 1 John chapter 2 verses 16 and 17. Can somebody please read that? 1 John chapter 2 verse 15. No, no, no. 16, 17 John. For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away but the man who does the will of God lives forever. Amen. Amen. So here again, Satan's temptations have been enlisted. These are temptations in our thoughts. They come as suggestions. They could be imaginations but it's in the mind. So here in this passage we see the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. I think I'll go ahead and explain this part and then we will continue. So when you consider the lust of the eyes, you know, lust of the eyes is when in our minds we have a desire. We have and mind you temptations. How do I put this? So the word lust, right? It is an out of control desire. Some desires are natural. But Satan corrupts it and when we yield to an out of control desire, that's when it becomes lust. So last of the eyes is where the deception is that if you engage in that pleasure through your eyes that you will be satisfied. But it doesn't happen. Instead it leads to greater bondage. Sorry class I think something with my throat. We will go in for a break now if that's okay. Okay. So let's take a break. I'll come back. I'll pick up from there. We just stopped. Okay. Thank you everyone. See you soon.