The Kingdom Jesus TaughtBackground
Demons are unclean spirits that will take hold of any person who has a history of repeated sin or who has openly denied Jesus through various means. Habitual drug use is very likely the most common way in which people let demons freely enter today. This includes alcohol, cannabis, and pharmaceutical drugs.
Drug use (Pharmakia) is akin to sorcery and is in direct rebellion against the will of God. Pharmakia (Greek: φαρμακεία) refers to the use of drugs, magic, or sorcery, and it is notably used in the Bible to describe deceptive and harmful practices, such as witchcraft, sorcery, or the use of potions.
Key Verses
Galatians 5:20 — Lists pharmakeia (sorcery) among the “works of the flesh” that are contrary to the kingdom of God.
Revelation 18:23 — Foretells that the world power of Babylon will be destroyed because it “deceived all the nations with its sorceries” (pharmakeia).
Meaning and Context
- Occult Practices: The biblical usage of pharmakeia consistently points to occult or magical practices, not to legitimate medical treatments.
- Deception and Idolatry: In both passages, pharmakeia is linked to deception, idolatry, and spiritual rebellion against God.
Other common ways in which demons gain entrance to people include:
- Sexual abuse
- Generational curses due to sinful practices
- Pagan, new age, and occult practices
- Witchcraft
- The worship of idols and false gods
- False religions and spiritual deception
- Sexual immorality
- Murderous hatred
The bottom line: Sin is the avenue by which these unclean spirits gain a foothold and enter into a person to deceive and torment.
Jesus told a man He healed: “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” — John 5:14
Peter warns believers: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” — 1 Peter 5:8
John notes that continual sin aligns someone with the devil’s works: “He that committeth sin is of the devil.” — 1 John 3:8
How to Cast Out the Unclean Spirits
Step 1: Address, rebuke, and command each unclean spirit to leave in the name of Jesus the Messiah and Son of the living God.
Yes, it is that simple. However, you don’t get to invoke and wield the authority of the name of Jesus unless you are one of His children and actually abide with Him.
Many pastors preach and get lost in the teachings of Paul and Timothy, while neglecting to interpret their message through the words and teachings of Jesus Himself, who is actually is Word of God. I point this out because many, many religious people are taught to cling to the gospel of Paul, as if it were a standalone message, and as a result fail to come to know Jesus personally. You have to first and foremost “hear” and live by the true gospel as taught by Jesus. Once you have that truth in you, and His spirit in you, you begin to live with discernment. These unclean spirits will twist words given to us by inspired, yet fallible men, but take notice, Jesus was not fallible, and His words and parables bring truth and life. His words, when living within you, will break chains, shine light on darkness, release you from prison and free you from bondage. Always remember that when it comes down to it there is only one name that has all authority on earth and in heaven — and that name is Jesus. You are either committed to following His spoken words and commands, or you are not. Your authority comes only from knowing and living in He who has all authority.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” — Matthew 28:18
Abiding in Him
Abiding in Him means acting in accordance with what Jesus Himself said. Do you know His words? Do you keep His words? Do you follow Him?
When we say we abide in Him we mean:
- He is always with us
- He is continually at the forefront of our thoughts, desires, and actions
- There is no separation — He is in us and we are in Him
- He causes us to slowly die to all sin so that we can walk in righteousness
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” — 1 Peter 2:24
The Reality of Demons
Demons hate you in the worst possible way. While you are in sin, they will continue to deceive so that you stay in sin. They will help you make excuses and rationalize. They hate honest reflection and truth.
They may even pretend to be your guardian angel, your deceased loved one, or your spirit guide. But once they are done with you, or see you turn away from sin and look to God, they will turn on you.
They will:
- Strike you with sickness
- Use other people against you
- Push you to harm yourself or others
Their goal is always the same: to steal, kill, and destroy (cf. John 10:10).
But you have free will. They have no power over you except what you allow them to have. You can take back your life by repenting, believing what Jesus said, and following through by trusting and obeying Him continuously as Lord over your daily life.
Honest Prayer of Repentance
If you are stuck in sin, do not let that stop you from attempting to follow Him. Be honest with yourself and with Him, make no excuses, and keep an ongoing dialogue with Him throughout each day. It may look like this:
“Jesus, I know how I am living is wrong. I keep returning to the same sin over and over again. The truth is my behavior shows that I love my sin more than You, and I don’t want this to be true. I realize I cannot change on my own. I ask that You do Your work in me and change me into the person You meant me to be. Teach me, lead me, and show me what to do. Have mercy on me Lord. Thank You for who You are and what You did for me. And thank You for always fighting for me and never giving up. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”
Jesus the Messiah Overcomes Sin
Jesus doesn’t expect you to overcome sin on your own. He asks you to come as you are, with honesty and humility, and to trust Him. The function of Him as the Messiah is to overcome sin in your life — because you cannot.
When you repent, trust, and follow, change will happen and sin will die in your life. This is salvation.
Personal Testimony
On a personal note, when I started following Jesus in the way described above, I encountered torment from unclean spirits. Some of these were a result of years of cannabis abuse; others may have been from different sins.
When I finally made up my mind to quit and fully committed to never using again, Jesus spoke to me:
“You know those spirits that spoke to you (while using)? Do you know what they wanted? They wanted to kill you. They were trying to push you to take your life. That was their goal.”
For a couple of weeks after I quit, a strange thing happened. A song I never listened to kept playing in my head over and over (The Man Who Sold the World). At first, I didn’t think much of it, but then it became intrusive. I realized demons were doing this, a last-ditch attempt.
So I sat down one night, closed my eyes, and addressed them. To my surprise I could see their faces. One by one, I said:
“Unclean spirit, by the authority in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, I command you to leave and never come back.”
Each vanished, one after another. Around fifteen of them appeared before no more showed up. I never heard that song again.
Final Word of Encouragement
I share this story for those dealing with something most people cannot understand or accept as real. If you hear voices, you are not crazy. You absolutely can gain deliverance.
Turn to Jesus. Repent. Follow Him. Obey His words. And you will have authority in His name to cast out evil.