As mentioned in an earlier post, our best spiritual warfare manual is Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Understanding the context is everything.
In 1989, Lauri and I had to take a few masters level classes in preparation for what we thought would be a career in overseas missions. One of the classes involved reading the doctoral dissertation of Clinton E. Arnold: Ephesians: Power and Magic: The concept of power in Ephesians in light of its historical setting. Not an easy read, but oh so very insightful!1
You likely remember the setting of Ephesus from Acts 19. There were a number of demonic manifestations, there was a riot regarding the Temple of Artemis, and when people converted, they made a pile of the magic books and burned away approximately 50,000 drachma’s worth of material (one drachma was worth one day’s pay for labor).
All of these details are telling.
Archeological digs have recovered thousands of manuscripts from ancient Ephesus, and many of them included formulas for curses and spells. The interesting thing to note is that each incantation was a combination of the names of ancient deities from all over the known world. There was a magic script for everything. Want to win a wrestling match? Want someone to fall in love with you? Need protection in battle? Hoping to bag big game on a hunt? Practitioners could sell the spell to please you.
It was believed that appealing to the spiritual realms with the right names of gods and goddesses would manipulate the powers and produce the desired results.
Young believers lived in fear. One look at the angry mob gathered in the city theater proves the point (Acts 19:23 ff.). But violence was not the only issue. They had seen firsthand the demonic power conjured up from these spells. What if their uncle, the crazy sorcerer, was angry that they would no longer offer sacrifices or worship at the Temple of Artemis?
And so Paul’s assurances in chapter 1 were critical for fearful believers and instructive for us as well. Note the following:
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. (Eph. 1:17-21 NRSV Emphasis mine.)
No matter what combination of the names of deities, there was and still is one name that trounces them all—Jesus!
They need not fear. They need only to cling to the one who died for them, speaking his name into the darkness.
Application for Our Warfare
Given our 21st century sensibilities, one must be mindful about how to approach matters of demonology with tender counselees. We must be confident in what we believe, but also cautious in how we speak of these matters to those under our care. Those new to the faith might be shaped more by Hollywood than by scripture. But in general, I have found the people I work with are familiar enough with spiritual dynamics that I can explain the basics without going down a dark and slippery rabbit trail.
During her profound ministry, Leanne Payne discovered that those who have engaged repeatedly with certain types of sexual sins can unwittingly align themselves with the ancient gods Baal and Ashtoreth. Those two deities, because of the past worship practices of devotees, became the good and goddess of sexual perversion.2 At certain times, she had felt led to have counselees renounce any alignment with Baal and Ashtoreth. An example of how to do this in my book Pure Hearted: Banding Together for Sexual Wholeness.
This is not something to have people do as a matter of course. You should not be found saying, “Well nothing’s worked yet, so let’s try this renouncing thing.” But if someone has been involved in orgies, repeated anonymous sex, or practices far from the Garden of Eden, I keep an ear to the Spirit to see if he suggests pursuing this.
Here’s the gist. Have them repeat after you the following:
Thank you, God, for forgiving my sexual sins. And if in any way my sins put me in alignment with the ancient god Baal or the goddess Ashtoreth, I renounce that alignment in Jesus’s name. If spirits have had footholds in my life because of that alignment, I command them to go in Jesus’s name. Amen.
Once again, there is no name greater! We can lead them in the prayer confidently!
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