243 - Prayers Satan Hates Group Study - 16

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Well, hello and welcome back to Battle Plan and the Spirit of Warfare small group series

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we're doing right now from my book, My Search for Prayers Satan Heights.

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By the way, a free downloadable PDF transcript of this podcast will be available on our website

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at active-faith.org.

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Under the resources tab, you can click small group.

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Today, we're going to talk about ancient and modern demons.

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Let me start with 2 Kings 30 and 31 in LT.

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Those from Babylon worshipped idols of their God, Sukkothbinnath.

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Those from Kotha worshipped their God, Nurgle.

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Those from Hamath worshipped Ashima.

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The Avites worshipped their gods, Nibhaz and Tartac.

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And the people from Saravam even burned their own children as sacrifices to their gods, Adremolec

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and Anemolec.

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There are at least 25 demons called by name in the Bible.

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I was teaching this in a Bible class one day when one man raised his hand and said, Steve,

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how do you know those are demons?

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You may have the same question.

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So I'll offer an old and a new Testament passage that confirms this.

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First Psalm 106 36 to 38.

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They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall.

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They even sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons.

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They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, by sacrificing them to

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the idols of Canaan.

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The New Testament verse confirming this comes from 1 Corinthians 10 19 and 20.

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Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance?

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Are the idols are real gods?

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No, no, not at all.

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I'm saying these sacrifices are offered to demons.

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As hard as it may be to swallow these passages in the Bible point out that when humans sacrifice

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their children in front of idols, demons were present, though unseen, accepting these blood

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sacrifices.

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And this makes me wonder who has who's present in the many modern day medical facilities

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when abortions have been performed in the United States, all 60 million plus of them.

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Lord forgive us for just seeing abortion as a removal of unwanted tissue.

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Help us see these events through your eyes and your heart, help us to have compassion

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and a loving response to all those affected while still standing up for the truth that

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it's murder in Jesus name.

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Now let me talk about Zazoo Jude verse six says, I remind you of all the angels who

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did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them, but left the place where they

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be longed.

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God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness waiting for the great day of judgment.

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I believe there's actually a Bible name for angels who did not stay within the limits

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of authority God gave them.

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They are demons.

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Although these demons did something so heinous that they are locked up waiting for judgment,

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many demons are free to serve Satan's purposes in our daily lives, working to lead us away

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from the pathway to heaven.

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C.S. Lewis was one of the premier proponents of this idea and his study of this resulted

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in a bestselling book that caused him to land on the cover of Time magazine in 1947, the

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screw tape letters.

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If you believe demons were only a first century phenomenon designed to confirm Jesus and the

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early church, I invite you to reread Ephesians six.

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They are still here.

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They are many.

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They are focused.

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They are powerful.

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They have strategies implying great intelligence.

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I began compiling and completing this list of demons named in Scripture and during that

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time I was working on making this list.

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I was sitting at a long red light one day on Highway 80 in Longview near Popeyes Fried

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Chicken.

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I glanced over at a place called Zazoo's.

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It was a long time establishment, probably been there over 20 years that offered palm

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reading and tarot card revelations for many years in the same location.

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I thought about the name.

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I repeated it out loud several times.

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Zazoo's.

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Zazoo's.

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And without thinking, I said out loud, Lord, that name sounds like some of the strange demon

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names in the Bible.

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If a demon is part of that business, I pray you'd bankrupt it in Jesus' name.

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Though it had been right there in that ugly old faded brick building for over 25 years,

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when I passed by that spot a couple of weeks later, I was completely shocked.

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It was bankrupt.

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Out of business and for rent hung in the windows.

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What am I trying to say?

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Am I saying that my prayers are more powerful than most?

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Am I saying that if you really want something accomplished, you should ask me to pray for

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you?

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No.

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I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought to pray about it.

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I just added my prayer to others who were also praying for that.

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Prayer is powerful.

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Prayer works.

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All Christians are children of the King.

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The King spoke the world into existence.

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His words have great power.

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Since Christians are His kids, we have power too.

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And our words have power too.

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Remember, what you bind on earth is bound in heaven.

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What you loose on earth is loosed in heaven or in the heavenly realms.

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God wants to do more in your life all around you.

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He's anxiously waiting for you to approach Him and ask for it in prayer.

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He's ready to drop whatever He's doing and listen to your requests.

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For those of you who have difficulty with that idea, let me offer a simple story to

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illustrate that relationship.

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I was president of my company for 28 years.

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I was very busy and had important meetings and planning sessions all the time with different

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department heads and customers.

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But if one of my boys called, I was to be interrupted.

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Always.

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No matter how busy I was, I had time for my boys.

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They were more important than anything or anyone or any business deal.

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They were why I worked.

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They gave my life purpose and meaning and joy and they knew it.

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You need to realize the same thing about your heavenly Father.

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He's ready to drop everything He's doing just to hear from you, just for you to talk to

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Him often.

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Lord thank you for adopting me into your family through Jesus.

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To remind me you want a closer and closer relationship with me that you think of me

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as your own natural born son, just like Jesus.

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In Jesus name.

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So in light of today's thoughts, let me suggest part of your personal battle plan might be

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to consider the following two discussion thoughts.

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Number one, in the Old Testament, idols were connected to demons.

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Name some things we idolize in the modern world like money, power, sex, positions, etc.

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And number two, discuss ways to pray that will help overcome these modern idols.

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And let me remind you to keep praying because prayer works.

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God loves you and I love you.

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Have a great day.