Apostle Don Meares
An Unclean Spirit Returns
24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” –Luke 11:24-26
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
Fears can come from God and the enemy. Those that come from God involve natural fear and fear of the Lord. When we say natural fear, this is our fight or flight response that allows us to protect ourselves. God will enable us to respond to natural fears when crises arise. On the other hand, fear of the Lord pertains to our reverence for our holy God and our desire to do right by Him. It employs such a profound reverence, conviction, and respect for God that you would not allow yourself to do anything that would quench or grieve His Spirit.
Fear is an evil spirit. It is a demonic spirit. God would never give anyone a spirit of fear. This means that when you get a spirit of fear, you must have done something that allowed its entrance.
When we go back to 2 Timothy 1:7, we need to remember that He did not give us a spirit of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind. We must remember that God gave us power through the Holy Spirit, love because of the Spirit’s fruit, and unity in Him, which allows us to have a sound mind.
Prevent the Spirit of Fear from Coming Back
You are a spirit. Your spirit lives in your body, and your spirit has a soul. We are a tri-part being—the body, soul, and spirit. But when we talk about who you are, we refer to the spirit. A body cannot exist and be alive without a spirit. You cannot teach someone who God is. It only comes by revelation. This is why when God chose to reveal Himself, He would always reveal a Name that spoke about certain attributes He possessed.
The Holy Spirit resides in your spirit. Your spirit and flesh war against each other. First Corinthians 9:27 says:
“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
It also says in 2 Corinthians 4:16:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”
A spirit, whether from God or the enemy, needs a body to reside in. And when an evil spirit is cast out, it will always try to return to what it considers home–in your body. If it doesn’t find a body, it will try to come back stronger.
In Luke 4:38-40, when Jesus went to Peter’s house, He rebuked the sickness in Peter’s mother-in-law’s body to leave. In stories like this and in other examples in the Gospel, Jesus makes it very plain that the devil caused the sickness. A spirit or spirits caused it. This is why He commands the spirits to leave.
Many Christians make casting out spirits difficult. If you know who you are in Christ, you understand you have the power over demonic forces. We have to ensure that the spirit of fear can never return because if it does, it will worsen. It is our responsibility to prevent it from coming back.
1 John 4:16-18 says:
“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
The Consummation of Love
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
In these verses, we are talking about divine love. There is no fear in divine love. God’s perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. Anyone that has experienced the spirit of fear knows that it can torment and trick you into believing things that are not true. But if you have perfect love, no spirit of fear can reside in you.
We all have a measure of divine love, and God expects us to cause this spirit to grow. This spirit of divine love is one of the most important attributes of God’s personality. God doesn’t just have love. He is love. When it comes to all His attributes, all of them come out of His love. When it comes to knowing how God defines love, it is quite simple. He says that if we love Him, we must keep His commandments (John 14:15).
If you know that a spirit of fear was cast out of you and you still have unforgiveness towards someone, you’re open game to the enemy. If you have offense, bitterness, hurt, or a wounded spirit, you legally give the spirits of fear to return stronger. If you always obey God but don’t love people you see, and the fruit of the Spirit doesn’t grow in you, the spirit of fear might return.
How can we have the strong love that will always cast out fear? We must become worshipers. We worship God by declaring who He is. Worship has the power to transform us into what we worship. If praise can bring us to deliverance, worship has the power to change us into what we worship. If we want an understanding of God, we must ask for a spirit of wisdom and revelation of His love. Your love walk is more important than your faith walk. Love is a higher priority in your relationship with God than your faith in Him because faith works by love.
Become a Worshiper
Fear is as powerful as faith. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is a magnet that draws the thing that you fear to you. A person might be righteous, but their fear can show they don’t understand God’s greatness.
You must become a worshiper. This goes beyond your worship during Sunday morning. Developing a heart of worship will allow you to build on the love of God. And if you want to seek something of great value, you need a revelation of God’s love and protection.
God has also given us power through the Holy Spirit. When we have the Holy Spirit in us, we simply have the power not to allow fear from returning. But the Spirit was also given to us so that we can share Jesus with other people. If we don’t become His witnesses, we will lose the power of God.
Having a sound mind or the spirit of unity will help us identify the voice of fear that always lies to us. If your mind is divided, you will have difficulty rebuking the spirit of fear and it will continue to torment you. Don’t let the spirit of fear contradict what God is telling you.
If you want to keep fear out, you need to speak in tongues. Daily, there should be at least 15-30 minutes of speaking in tongues. Doing this will build you up in the faith. Whoever you feed the most in your body, soul, and spirit, is going to be in control. And if you build yourself up in Christ, the enemy cannot take hold of your mind.
Lastly, prevent unforgiveness. If you don’t forgive others, you won’t be forgiven. Unforgiveness will prevent God from moving in your life. You will be an open target to the enemy. Choose to forgive.
If you want a lifestyle that would protect all aspects of your life, you need to immerse yourself in God’s Word fully and have the heart of a worshiper. When His Presence is in your life, and you know His power and Word, there is no way for fear to enter your life.
Rest in the power God has given you! Continue to live a life of worship to Him. Watch Him move in your body, mind, soul, and spirit.
You can live without fear! Watch the entire message here:
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