Escape for addicts

February 3rd, 2008 — Sidharth Mohandas


By Sidharth Mohandas

INTRODUCTION

If there is any sin that is found prevalent in the body of Christ more than any other, it is the sin related to sexual immorality. It would surprise you to find how many pastors and preachers are held captive to this sin. In an earlier post called Origin of demons, I related how such addictions can be as a result of demonization. If you are one who has been falling into this sin repeatedly and if you feel you have no control over it, this could be the reason. However, not all addictions are caused by demonization. In many cases what people struggle with is just an untamed flesh. In this article I will deal with this area and also link back some posts that will help you in the road to complete deliverance.

If you ask any person who is struggling with an addiction- whether it be sexual or not- he or she will tell you that their greatest need was self-control or in other words controlling their fleshly, sinful nature.

ESCAPING LUST


Let’s turn our attention to 2 Peter 1:4

By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

“Escaping the corruption in the world through lust…” isn’t that what we’re looking for?! But let’s move further down and get a bigger picture…for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith excellence, to excellence knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness [2 Peter 1:5-6]. I hope you noticed the word that popped out to me here….self-control. Many people have received the faith through the Gospel and have shown forth excellence in their work but then these same people struggle with taming their flesh in areas where they are addicted to. Many of these addictions are so well covered up that no one from outside would even have a hint, but inside they cry out for deliverance. How do I know this? Because I was at one time struggling with sexual addictions and in this article I am sharing with you the road of escape…

PREREQUISITE TO SELF-CONTROL

So if the answer to addiction is self-control….how can we get it? As the passage shows us knowledge is a prerequisite for self-control! Knowledge of what? Knowledge of the truth. For Scripture plainly tells us, “And you shall KNOW the truth and the truth shall SET YOU FREE” [John 8:32]. What truth? Truth of what God has done for you or says He will do for you and the truth of the results of His doing. This comes to us in the form of exceedingly great and precious promises as mentioned in the above passage [2 Peter 1:4].

Knowing the truth is quite different from having an intellectual knowledge of the Bible. The knowing referred to here has to do with a heart-felt assurance.

If you did notice there is an “AND” before “You shall know the truth…”.What does Jesus say before that? He said, If you continue to abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine. Continual abiding in the Word is required. How do we do this? This is the preparatory phase to walk in the victory of the Lord. I dealt with this in a previous post. But let me refresh your memory. You hear what God has to say to you, memorize what He has said to you, and speak to yourself what you have memorized. Why do we do this? Is it so that we can recite them? Many people are so caught up in confessing the exact words in their translation that they miss on the essence of the purpose of memorizing and confessing Scripture. The purpose of these is to train you to think naturally like God. When faced with a problem, your natural response must be the way Scripture tells you to respond. This as we all know will require preparation and consistency in the Word.

For example, when you know sin is knocking at your door, your natural response should be sin can’t master me because I am under grace [Romans 6:14]. Or if you’re tempted to masturbate or watch porn or any other sexual sin, you should reach a place where you’d automatically say, “The members of this body can’t be presented as instruments of unrighteousness, but as instruments of righteousness. For my old sinful nature is dead, and I have been raised from dead so that I can walk in the newness of life” [Romans 6:4,6,13].

If you fail, don’t give up, the next ingredient in the list in 2 Peter 1:5-6 is perseverance. And as you persevere and resist the temptations, you will be walking into godliness.

PARAKLETOS

Before I end I need to remind you of one major thing: Jesus promised us a person that He called in Greek as Parakletos. What does this word mean? It means “one who is called alongside to help”.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper [Gk: Parakletos], that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth…” [John 14: 15-16]. He is the One who makes being under grace so different from being under the Law. He is here to help you….but are you acknowledging His Presence in your life? Without Him that word that you memorize and speak to yourself won’t be planted in your heart. Self-control is His fruit [Galatians 5:23], will you allow Him to grow that seed to bring forth the fruit of His Presence in you?

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Origin of demons

December 22nd, 2007 — Sidharth Mohandas


By Sidharth Mohandas

I have studied this in great depths, and I believe it gives us the reason why so many Christians struggle with unhealthy sexual appetites. This has helped me greatly in the ministry of deliverance, and the purpose for writing this article is again to learn how to deal with addictions to anything attached to sexual immorality.

Something I have closely noticed is that those who struggle with uncontrollable sexual appetites are mainly those who have had their ancestors who once got involved in sexual immorality in some form or the other. This is very much Scriptural, “The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons.”

I believe the problem in many of these cases has gone from the realm of flesh into the demonic. Now don’t get me wrong, a believer in Christ can never be “possessed” with demons. In fact the Bible in the original Greek never uses the term “demon possessed”, however it uses the word Diamonizomai which simply means “demonized” or “influenced by demons”. A Christian can never make home for demons in his spirit, but it is definitely possible for demons to influence the mind and body. The only way to deal with flesh, as we all know, is to deny it, but the only way Scripture teaches to deal with demons is to cast them out.

With this in mind, let me take you into the Bible to show you the origin of these creatures called demons.

The oldest belief among the Jewish people is that demons/evil spirits were disembodied spirits of those creatures formed as a result of union between the sons of God [angels] and daughters of men [Genesis 6: 2,4]. I was skeptical about this theory the first time I read it. I was under the impression that sons of God referred to Seth’s line. However, in the book of Job, the same Hebrew word [Ben Elohim] used in Genesis is used to refer to the angels of God [Job 1:6, Job 2:1 and Job 38:7]. Were these ordinary angels? No, I believe these were those fallen and rebellious ones. And the outcome of this sexual relation between these angels and women were not just giants, but they were Nephilims. These new creatures were neither angels nor humans. In fact the root of the word Nephilim comes from Naphal which means “fallen”. The bodies of these creatures were destroyed in the flood, however since they were neither human not angels, their spirits remained on earth. This I believe are what we call demons.

I believe the apostles believed the same story about the origin of demons too. Let me prove it to you…The Apostles read the book of Enoch, for Apostle Jude quoted from this book in Jude 14-15. Here’s the passage from the Book of Enoch, which I believe tells us the origin of demons/evil spirits [Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I consider the book of Enoch Scripture, but this does confirm the truth the Bible has spoken to us in a more clearer way] :

But now the giants who are born from the [union of] the spirits and the flesh shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, because their dwelling shall be upon the earth and inside the earth. Evil spirits have come out of their bodies. Because from the day that they were created from the sons of God they became Watchers: their first origin is the spiritual foundation. They will become evil upon the earth and shall be called evil spirits. The dwelling of the spiritual beings of heaven is heaven; but the dwelling of the spirits of the earth, which are born upon the earth, is in the earth. (1 Enoch 15:8-10)

This is speaking about the giants formed as a result of union of angels/spirits with women, and it says they’d be called evil spirits upon the earth. Fallen angels operate in the heavenly places/realms while demons dwell on earth. This is in agreement with Ephesians 6:12, which says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”. Note Paul uses the wordings “powers of this dark world” (demons/evil spirits) and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”(fallen angels).

“The Nephilims were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men…” (Gen 6:4)

The above passage says, Nephilims were on earth on those days (before the flood), and it goes onto say, “-also afterward-” (after the flood). How could Nephilims be on earth after the flood? Could it be that they were present as demons on earth?

As I said before studying the origin of demons has helped me understand why these demons gravitate more to sexual sins than to any other kind of sins. They are like their fathers indulged into sexual perversion. Demons are hungry for sex and anything related to it. This might explain why the mad man at Gerasenes was naked, and when the demons were cast out, he clothed himself. This is why Mary Magdalene opened herself to seven demons through prostitution.

I will write another article later on teaching how to deal with demonization. I hope to hear from each of you on your opinion about this.

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Drop the corn!

May 28th, 2007 — Sidharth Mohandas

By Sidharth Mohandas

“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me…”(Galatians 2:20)A preacher went to preach Jesus in Africa. While he was preaching to a group of people, an old man all-excited said, “Oh Jesus, he lived here a number of years back. His tomb is still here in this village”. The old man led the preacher to a graveyard and showed him a tomb. The tomb was that of an evangelist who lived in those areas preaching the gospel.

I believe this evangelist died a good death even before he really died in his body. He had been crucified with Christ so well, that Christ could live in Him. People who saw this evangelist, didn’t see him, but Jesus. Can people look at you and say, “Oh Jesus is alive today.”?

Jesus told us, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”(Luke 9:23)
What is this cross Jesus speaking about here? Many Christians have made their own crosses, when in actuality it was no cross at all. The cross Jesus speaks here is a place where your will and God’s will crosses. What are you going to do at this point? Jesus instructs us to deny ourselves at this point. Carry the cross so that you can die on it daily. Paul practiced this. He said in 1 Corinthians 15:31” I die daily”. Are you dying to yourself daily or are you doing your own thing?

You may be holding onto something in your life, thinking “If I give up this, there would be no meaning to life”. May be it’s that smoking habit of yours, or some other unholy habit that doesn’t glorify God. Are you ready to die at this point?

I would like to call these things that hinder you from God’s best, as a “corn”. Say you have a corn in your hand, and you refuse to give it up thinking of how precious it is. But have you thought what would happen if you’d just drop it down on the ground? You could get a harvest! God never tells you to give up on something unless he wants to bless you more. May be it’s a job that a company is offering you, but you know well within you God’s plan for you is something else. Will you give up that little corn?

 

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