War on the Saints

by Jessie Penn-Lewis, with Evan Roberts
World Wide Web Edition (Based on Unabridged 1912 Edition)

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The True Workings of God, and Counterfeits of Satan "Knowledge and all discernment; so that ye may prove the things that  differ, that ye may be sincere and void of offence. . . ." Phil. 1: 9,10, m. True. Counterfeit. 1. The Baptism, or Fullness of the Spirit: An influx of the Spirit of God into the human spirit, which liberates the spirit from the soul (Heb. 4: 12), so as to become a pliable organ or channel for the outflow of the Spirit through the believer, manifested in witness to Christ and in aggressive prayer service against the powers of darkness. It is a true baptizing into the Body of Christ, and oneness with all the members of the Body. Its special mark and result is known in power to witness for Christ, and in conviction of sin in others, and their turning to God. The highest manifestation of the Fullness of the Spirit is co-existent with the use of the faculties and self-control. There is but one reception of the Holy Spirit: with many succeeding experiences, developments, or new crises, resultant on fresh acts of faith, or apprehension of truth; various believers having varied degrees of the same Infilling of the Spirit, according to individual conditions. The enduement of power for service is often a definite experience in many lives. 1. Counterfeit workings of evil spirits may accompany a true reception of the Fullness of the Holy Spirit, if the believer "lets go" his mind into "blankness," and yields his body uppassively to supernatural power. As a "blank mind" and "passive body" is contrary to the condition for use required by the Holy Spirit, and is the primary condition necessary for evil spirits to work, the anomaly is found in the Holy Spirit responding to the law of faith, and filling the man's spirit, at the same time that evil supernatural powers respond to the law of passivity fulfilled in mind and body. They then can produce in the senses manifestations, which seem to be the outcome of the Holy Spirit's entry to the spirit. The results of the counterfeit manifestations are varied, and wide in their ramifications, according to individual conditions. The abstract result is great "manifestations" with little real fruit; "possession" by evil spirits of the mind and body in varied degrees; a spirit of division from others, instead of unity, etc. 2. The Presence of God: Known in and by the human spirit, through the Holy Spirit. When He fills the atmosphere of a room the spirit of the man is conscious of it, not his senses. The faculties of those present are alert and clear, and they retain freedom of action. The spirit is made tender (Psa. 34: 18), and the will pliable to the will of God. All the actions of a person moved by the true and pure Presence of God are in accord with the highest ideal of harmony and grace. 2. The counterfeit of the Presence of God is mainly felt upon the body, and by the physical senses, in conscious "fire," "thrills," etc. The counterfeit of the "Presence" in the atmosphere is felt by the senses of the body, as "breath," "wind," etc., whilst the mind is passive or inactive. The person affected by this counterfeit "presence" will be moved almost automatically to actions he would not perform of his own will, and with all his faculties in operation. He may not even remember what he has done when under the "power" of this "presence," just as a sleep-walker knows nothing of his actions when in that state. The inaction of the mind can often be seen by the vacant look in the eyes. 3. God in and with man in the spirit:John 14: 23. The Father in heaven is realized to be a real Father (Gal. 4: 6), the Son a real Saviour, the Holy Spirit a real Person; manifested as One in the spirit of the believer, by the Holy Spirit: with resulting effects as in Rom. 8: 9-11. 3. Evil spirit's counterfeit, as the occasion serves them, each Person of the Trinity, and can thus obtain access, and become in and with a man in manifestations given to the senses, in which the real spirit-sense may have no part. 4. Christ manifested in the believer by His Spirit, so that He is known as a Living Person on the Throne in heaven, and the believer joined in spirit to Him there, with the result that Christ's life and nature is imparted to him, forming and building up in him a "new creation," (Gal. 1: 16; 4: 19. Col. 1: 27), the believer growing up into Him in all things. 4. Christ apparently manifested inwardly as a "Person," to whom the soul prays, or with whom he holds communion, yet there is no real evidence of the expression of the Divine nature, or true growth of the Christ life, with a deepening fellowship with the Christ in heaven. On the contrary the Christ in heaven seems far away. The counterfeit centres and ends in an "experience" which keeps the person introverted or self-centred (spiritually). 5. Consciousness of God: Felt in thespirit, and not by the physical senses. 5. "Consciousness" of "God" in bodilysensations, which feed the "flesh" and overpower the true spirit-sense. 6. The Holiness of God: when realized by the believer produces worship and godly awe, with a hatred of sin. On the ground of the Blood of Calvary God draws near to men, seeking their love, but His presence does not terrorize. 6. Evil spirits counterfeit this by giving aterror of God, which drives men away from Him, or forces them into actions of slavish fear, apart from the use of the mind, and volition, in glad voluntary obedience to Him. 7. Surrender to God: Of spirit, soul and body, is a simple yielding or committal to Him of the whole man, to do His will and be at His service. God asks the full co-operation of the man in the intelligent use of all his faculties. Rom. 6: 13. 7. Passive yielding of spirit, soul and body to supernatural power, to be moved automatically, in passive, blind obedience, apart from the use of volition or mind. Evil spirits desire "control" of a man, and his passive submission to them. 8. Fellowship with the sufferings of Christ: The result of faithful witness for Him, and in such "suffering," the joy of the Spirit breaks forth in spirit. (Acts 5: 41). The fruit of true conformity to Christ's death in the "fellowship of His sufferings" is seen in life to others, and growth in tenderness of spirit, and Christ-likeness in character. 2 Cor. 4: 10-12. 8. "Suffering" caused by evil spirits is characterized by a fiendish acuteness, and is fruitless in result--the victim being hardened instead of mellowed by it. The demons can cause anguished suffering in spirit, soul or body. "Possession" manifested in abnormalsuffering, may be the fruit of (unconscious) acceptance of sufferings caused by evil spirits, often under the name of the "will of God. 9. Trusting God: A true faith given of God in the spirit, having its origin in Him, without effort reckoning upon Him to fulfil His written Word. Co-existent with the full use of every faculty in intelligent action. "Faith" is a fruit of the Spirit and cannot be forced. Gal. 5: 22. 2 Cor. 4: 13. 9. "Trusting evil spirits" comes about through trusting blindly some supernatural words, or revelations, supposed to come from God, which produces a forced "faith," or faith beyond the believer's true measure, the result being actions which lead into paths of trial never planned by God. 10. Reliance upon God: An attitude of the will, of trust and dependence upon God, taking Him at His word, and depending upon His character of faithfulness.. 10. Reliance upon evil spirits means apassive leaning upon supernatural help and experience, which draws the person away from faith in God Himself, and from active co-action with Him. 11. Communion with God: Fellowshipin the Spirit with Christ in the glory as one spirit with Him. The consciousness of this is in the spirit (John 4: 24) only, and not in "feelings" in the senses. See for conditions of true communion with God, 1 John 1: 5-7. 11. "Communion" with evil spirits may take place by retiring within to enjoysense communion, in "exquisite feelings" which absorbs and renders the soul incapable of the duties of life. The "flesh" is fed by this spurious spiritual "communion" as really as in grosser ways. 12. Waiting on God: The spirit in restful co-operation with the Holy spirit, waiting God's time to act, and a waiting for Him to fulfil His promises. The true waiting upon God can be co-existent with the keenest activity of mind and service. 12. A "waiting for the Spirit to come," in hours of prayer, which brings those who "wait" into passivity, which at last reaches a point of "séance" conditions, followed by an influx of lying spirits in manifestations. 13. Praying to God: Having access to the Holiest of all, on the ground of the Blood (Heb. 10: 19). Penetrating in spirit through the lower heavens to the Throne of Grace. Heb 4: 14-16. True "prayer" is not directed toward God aswithin the believer, but to a Father in heaven, in the Name of the Son, by the Holy Spirit. 13. Praying to evil spirits comes about by praying to "God" in the atmosphere, or within, or possibly to "pictures" of God in the mind; instead of approaching the Throne of Grace according to Heb. 10: 19.   14. Asking God: An act of the will in simple faith, making a transaction with God in heaven, on the ground of His written Word. "Answers to prayer" from God are usually so unsensational and so unobtrusive that the petitioner often does not recognize the answer. 14. "Asking" evil spirits, by speaking to some supernatural presence in, or around the person. The "answers" are generally "dramatic," sensational, calculated to over-awe the person, and make him feel he is a wonderful recipient of favour from on high. By this means the demons gain control over him. 15. God speaking: Through His Word, by His Spirit, in the spirit and conscience of the man, illuminating the mind to understand the will of the Lord. 15. Evil spirits speaking, wither puffing up, accusing, condemning or confusing the person, so that the is bewildered or distracted and cannot exercise his reason or judgment. The "speaking" of accusing spirits resembles the "thinking," or speaking to oneself, when the words are not uttered audibly.

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Chapter 7

COLUMN 3: WHERE THE EVIL SPIRITS ENTER

Where evil spirits enter is the subject of the third column, and the list is very brief, since the widest ramifications of their workings in man can be covered by the words spirit, soul and body, for they bury themselves in the very structure of the human frame, some acting directly upon the organs or appetites of the body, others upon the mind or intellect, sensibilities, emotions and affections, and others more immediately upon the spirit. In the body they specially locate themselves in the spinal column, nervous system, and deepest nerve centres, through which they control the whole being; from the ganglionic nerve centre located in the bowels, the emotional sensibilities, and all organs affected by them, to the cerebral nerve centre in the head, the eyes, ears, neck, jaws, tongue, muscles of the face, and delicate nerve tissues of the brain.

They may obtain access gradually and insidiously, as already shown, but there are instances where they make a sudden assault, so as to rush the victim into involuntary surrender.

COLUMN 4: SYMPTOMS OF THE PRESENCE OF
EVIL SPIRITS

When evil spirits have gained entry to the believer through the ground given to them, as already described, the symptoms of their presence are recognizable according to the degree of the possession and the place wherein they are located, whether deep in the innermost structure of the person, or in the mind and faculties which are more visibly affected by them.

Many of the symptoms have already been touched upon in previous chapters, especially in "Passivity as the chief basis of Possession" (4), and "Counterfeits of the Divine" (6) in spiritual experiences, and need not be recapitulated.

Here we need but sum up some of the characteristics of acute and fully developed possession in mind and body, when the passive surrender to deceiving spirits is very complete, and the whole of the outer man is open to their use in every part of his being. It must, however, be clearly understood, that (1) all the symptoms may be present in a very slight degree, so as to be almost indistinguishable from entirely natural causes; (2) they may be only manifested in the part of the human frame wherein the intruders are located; or (3) they may come into existence, and pass away through various causes, WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE of the victim.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ACUTE "POSSESSION" OF
MIND AND BODY

When the possession is very pronounced, these intruders entirely dominate the outer man, using, or interfering with the vocal organs, the tongue, jaws, eyes, ears, smell, taste, muscles, the hands and feet, sometimes with uncontrollable and unconscious movements. They interfere with the head, and move it at their will, and with the five senses of the body, because they are the avenues of knowledge to the mind. They seek to dull and check the acute use of the senses, so that they may have more opportunity to control their victim, and when they do this, there is more or less difficulty in all the operations of the senses and faculties.

VOCAL ORGANS INTERFERED WITH

When evil spirits affect the vocal organs, they may interfere with all the vocal operations in audible reading, speaking, singing, or praying. In speaking, the enunciation may be heavy or blurred, slow or quick; the words may appear to run one into another, the pronunciation variable, and the accents, or emphasis, wrong, for emphasis in speech which is not the result of the mind controlling any emphasis, may be the effect of possession.

The supernatural power affecting the passive mind mixes up, so to speak, the words in the mind, and then in the speech; prevents the mind grasping thoughts, and causes the memory to fail in action. Words come to the mind, and do not remain long enough for speech; or, on the other hand, torrents of "thoughts" come, which "rush" the vocal organs into action beyond control. It is then easier to speak than to listen to another speaking. The tongue acts independently of the mind or will. Words are spoken unthought of by the mind, or intended by the will; sometimes the exact opposite to what was in the mind and intention, which astonish the speaker when he is afterwards reminded of what he has said.

GARRULITY OF CHRISTIANS

Much that has been called "garrulity," "talkativeness," and irresponsible use of the tongue among Christians, may be attributed to the cause here named; for many whose tongues are uncontrollable in gossip, slander and backbiting, are sincerely unconscious of what they do, or if they are conscious, are quite unable to control or check their grievous, irresponsible talking. Evil spirits may "possess" them only in the organs of speech, or practically have control of the tongue through the CHANNEL OF A PASSIVE MIND.

This may be the case in platform speakers, who have a voluminous flow of words which pour through the lips, or else a rapid rushing speech, or in staccato form, without any concentration or true action of the mind. Pulpit preaching is even possible in this way, evil spirits being unaffected by "preaching" which does not proclaim the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and is not in the power of the Holy Ghost.

VOICE AFFECTED BY EVIL SPIRITS

The voice of a man is more easily affected by supernatural power than many have thought. When evil spirits touch the man's spirit, it may be sometimes recognized by a harsh, metallic sound in the voice, or a hoarse and rough thickness; or these same effects may be noticed in an atmosphere which is very thickly charged by the powers of darkness; showing their effect upon the delicate vocal chords.

In the interference with, or use of the vocal organs and voice, may be placed the counterfeit "gift of tongues," or the exquisite singing which has been termed the "heavenly music," because of its manifest supernatural source, and its being beyond the singer's own natural power.

In pronounced demon possession, evil spirits may affect the voice in an apparently natural way, which is put down to natural causes. For instance, in singing, the man may be doing so with power, and with clear, and bell-like enunciation, but soon there comes weakness in the muscles of the throat, a dry cough, and tears in the eyes, and the singing ceases. The concentration of the eyes upon the music book grows weaker, a sense of heaviness comes on neck and spine; the playing goes on, but heedless, spiritless, dejected and heavy, the singer turns away, putting it all down to "difficulty of breathing," and physical impediment, when it has been entirely a manifestation of the evil spirits in possession.

INTERFERENCE WITH THE HEAD

In interference with the head, the jaws can be moved by the spirits of evil, and the nerves of the face manipulated in the production of smiles, which appear at unsuitable moments, manifestly apart from the cognizance of the person. Of such a nature is the mechanical smile, when the facial muscles seem made of elastic, or a stiffening of countenance which makes the face appear hard or cruel, dried up and withered, or painfully miserable.

Demon possession does affect the face, and cause expressions upon it which may be opposed to the true character of the person. Other effects upon the face produced by the controlling spirits may be repellent or beautiful, and appear natural and physical; such as a blushing red, impure look, or an angelic look of heavenly beauty, with exquisite smiles, and light as of glory, which may suddenly change into a stern unbending look, with lips set and brow furrowed, or into a dark cloud as of sudden storm and tempest.

In the drainage of vitality, caused by the grip of the spirits of evil, the temples may be sunken, and the hair become prematurely gray. In a sudden manifestation of the intruders, the nostrils may become tightened, the scent deadened, and the breathing gasping and short, with choking, suffocating feelings, and noises in the head.

INTERFERENCE WITH THE EYES

No part of the nerves in the head are more affected than those of the eyes, for there can come about apassivity of the eyes, which permits them to be moved by evil spirits, and forced to see visible objects apart from the use of the volition. In reading, the eyes can be moved to see the printed words, and rapidly skim the pages of matter, without any of it entering the mind, and making any impression upon the memory. It is important, in connection with the use of the eyes, to notice whether mental action always governs their movements, or whether they look at objects independently of the intelligent volition; for evil spirit interference is most marked when the eyes roam about whilst the man is speaking to another person, or gaze upward or downward, or in any direction without any cause, ofttimes in a most unseemly or discourteous manner.

Particularly is the use of the eyes by evil spirits manifested in a set or fixed gaze upon various things, or upon the faces of others, the latter is especially dangerous, when the person is compelled by this fixity of gaze to take, unknowingly, a mediumistic attitude to another. Any persistent drawing of the eyes to another's face should be instantly resisted.

Especially in meetings where supernatural powers are manifestly present, a "fixed gaze" in listening to a speaker should be avoided, if it has the effect of causing non-action of the mind and a dazed condition, as it opens the listener to the workings of evil spirits through his passivity. In the same way, speakers in such gatherings should take care lest the spirits of evil find opportunity to use their eyes in fixity of concentration upon the people, to sway them by power and thus hinder the intelligent opening of their minds to the words that are being spoken.

IN ACUTE POSSESSION INTERFERENCE WITH THE
EYES IS VERY MARKED

In acute demon possession, the eyes are affected very markedly. They are forced to see evil things, and bad things, so much so that they affect the person, and make him fidgety and complaining; the eyes cannot look straight in another's face, nor, indeed, look at anything without an "attack" of some kind, produced by the spirits of evil. These attacks may cause the person to look guilty in the eyes of others, when there is no ground for doing so.

There are two kinds of concentration: (1) Physical, through the eyes, and (2) mental, by the mental vision. The man himself is only acting in any action of the body, when concentration of mind and will is at the back of his every action. Visions may be physical, mental or spiritual. In the physical vision the eyes are needed; in the mental, the eyes of the mind; and in the spiritual the inward vision of the spiritual man.

When evil spirits control the physical eyes, visions of supernatural, and natural beings, and things, appear before them, and in ordinary matters of life things appear different from what they really are. The man receives impressions of things contrary to reality, such as the panel of a door appearing like a cross, lights in the sky in various figures, etc. The man declares he "sees" these things, but he does not know that evil spirits can present them to his vision.

The eyesight of necessity is affected by this manipulation of the eyes, and there are general feelings of weakness. Things look misty and blurred, and undefined. There may be short-sightedness, and inability to concentrate on any small object; concentration of the eyes is painful and difficult, the man complains of the light, tiredness of the eyes, and dark spots appear before them, either stable or moving, near or far; symptoms which might be looked upon as purely physical if it were not for the supernatural element accompanying them.

THE EARS AND HEARING AFFECTED

In interference with the ears, entire deafness may be caused by an evil spirit locating in the nerves of the ear, or there may be degrees of interference with the hearing, such as the loss of words, so that in listening there are moments when sentences, or words, are not heard at all; or there is a failure to grasp clearly what others say because the person hears partly what the speaker says, and partly what the evil spirit inserts, or suggests to the mind, hence "misunderstandings" of given instructions, or the clearly expressed language of others. This also causes an indisposition to listen to others speaking, and a restless impatience which cannot wait for them to complete their sentences, or communications, because the intruders are thrusting in their own suggestions to the mind, and claiming attention to their speaking. The believer has a sense of double listening, so to speak, which is an interior and exterior listening at one and the same time. That is, he may be trying to "listen" to feelings and movements within whilst listening to the voices of others outside. This causes difficulty in listening to music, speaking, and reading aloud. There is also a deadness to exterior sounds, because of a buzzing in the ears, and the sound in the ears is stronger than the sound outside, with the effect of an apparent absent-mindedness. The man needs to be released from listening to the supernatural speaking within himself, before he is free to listen to that which is external.

Evil spirits interfering with the sensory nerves of the ears, render exterior sounds acute in forced consciousness of them, producing confusion and irritation; the exaggerated sense of sound rendering concentration difficult.

They also make strange sounds by interference with the sensory nerves, the man declaring that he heard voices, thunder, rustling as of a dress, etc., which no one around him hears.

THE "BUZZ" OF EVIL SPIRITS SPEAKING

This persistent "buzz" in the ears, makes the victim pre-occupied, and almost unconsciously shake his head, as if shaking off something which is annoying him. It is so distracting that he is obliged to speak aloud to himself to make an impression on his own mind: he must read aloud in order to take in the sense of what he may be reading, or speak aloud to apprehend his own speech, because of the confusion caused in his mind by the inward "buzz" of the persecuting spirits. Because of this confusion, also, fresh ground is given to the powers of darkness, for deeper possession through the distraction caused by their interference.

The cause of this is, that, unknowingly, the believer has lent his ears to evil spirits, listening to their words and suggestions, often because he believed he was listening to God, or listening to himself. This comes particularly when there has grown a habit of listening for an inner voice; or an alert inside "listening" which in time enables the evil spirit to dull the outer ear, and acute attention to outer communications; or a "listening" inwardly to "feelings," sensations, movements, "drawings," whilst at the same time listening for voices, texts, and messages from without.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPEAKING OF EVIL SPIRITS

The speaking of evil spirits may be described somewhat as follows:

(1) It is not like the vocal speaking of a human being, which must always be stronger than the speaking of spirits, because spirits have no force of breath; therefore if a man speaks aloud, he can always drown the speaking of evil spirits. On the same principle a man can also drown the voice of the Holy Spirit, because He is Spirit and His speaking is always in the spirit, or through conscience.

(2) It resembles more the "thinking" of a person, or the speaking in oneself, when the words are not uttered through the lips. When evil spirits are speaking to the inner ear, it seems like a ceaseless buzz of inner words, apparently belonging to the person himself yet not from his mind, nor the result of mental action, nor from his will, nor even expressing his own personal ideas or desires.

When this "buzz" of objectionable, or annoying, or irresponsible words are thus, in an indefinite way, claiming the inner attention of the man, and he has outer claims to deal with, he is liable to speak aloud with a strong voice, so as to overpower or dull the inner clamour, without being conscious that he is raising his voice, or why he is doing so.

UNCONSCIOUS USE OF LOUD VOICE

Unknowingly the man is making an impression on his own mind, through his own ear, by using a loud voice; otherwise his dulled mind would not be able to take in, or retain what he is saying; or get the impression into his mind.

The believer may not be conscious of the inner "buzz" of the evil spirits' words, and not conscious that his voice is raised to express his own thoughts in audible speech, or know why he finds himself obliged to speak to get clear in his own thinking. Unconsciousness is a symptom of the depth of the evil spirit's possession, and unconsciousness of facts concerning himself, is as detrimental to the person, as attempts of strangers to enter a house would be to a householder who is oblivious to all sounds.

Consciousness of all things connected with the inner life and environment is as keenly needed by the believer, and should be cultivated by him, as consciousness of all exterior matters connected with the duties of life. Unconsciousness by men of how they themselves act and speak, think or appear, in oblivion to all that is patent to others, or, on the other hand, an "unconscious" self-consciousness, or ultra- consciousness of the actions of self, may all be results of the work of deceiving spirits.

Some symptoms of thus having listened to supernatural voices, may be described as:

(1) Difficulty in listening to others;
(2) Face "screwed up" in difficulty, of grasping what is said;
(3) A sense of dullness or heaviness in the ear or ears.

The distinction between deafness through the interference of evil spirits with the ears, and that which is the result of physical causes, depends upon whether the person has other symptoms of evil spirit possession, or whether he is in a normally "natural" condition.

VARIED SYMPTOMS

There are other varied symptoms showing disturbance of the entire system of the man when dominated by evil spirits in possession. In affecting the muscles, hands and fingers or feet, the nerves are held, and these act without control of the mind or will, sometimes in convulsive action, or in twitches, and prostration, or else in the paradox of being muscularly weak and strong consecutively, and in rapid succession. There are many accidents through possession, which are called "the visitation of God," "slips of the hand," unaccountable "failures of the mind," which are left unexplained, but these "happenings" are not really "accidents"--they are the carrying out of the real designs of unseen spirit beings malignantly concerned in the world of men.

The insidious spirits have prepared for this manipulation, or interference with the person by their slow dulling of the mind; the weakening of the reasoning powers, which prevents him seeing the outcome of a certain step or action; the disuse of the judgment; the imperceptible loss of decision, and independent action of the will, so that it "snaps," so to speak, at a critical moment, with fatal results; for without thispassivity of mind and will, the emissaries of Satan cannot have the full control of the body which they so keenly desire.

In affecting the body, the spirits of evil also interfere with all the functions at various times, and in various degrees, such as in eating and drinking, and the swallowing of food. The mastication of food, the saliva, the phlegm, the breath and breathing, physical weakness or strength, stiffness of limbs, heaviness, heat and cold, agreeable or disagreeable feelings, sleeplessness, dreams, restlessness at night, all can be irritated, produced or exaggerated by the presence and will of evil spirits.

MANIPULATION OF THE BODY

How evil spirits can manipulate the body through the nervous system, we find clearly defined in the Scriptures; but we never find a single instance of the Holy Spirit working in the same way. Not once in the Acts of the Apostles do we find "twitchings," "writhing," convulsions, or other effects of supernatural power on the human frame, recorded as results of being filled with the Holy Spirit. But we do read that evil spirits can convulse the body, tear it, bruise it (Luke 9: 39), cause it to pine away (Mark 9: 18), or give it strength (Mark 5: 4); they can make the man cry out suddenly with a loud cry (Luke 9: 39), or make him dumb, gnash his teeth, roll on the ground, cast him into the fire to burn him, or water to drown him (Matt. 17: 15).

In this acute form the symptoms of demon possession and insanity are almost indistinguishable. The difference lies in the fact that in pure demon possession the mind is not impaired, although it may be passive, or suspended in action, but in insanity the evil spirit takes advantage of a physical condition, "Insane" people are more "sane" than sane people think they are, and there is more truth in what they say than is believed. What they "see" is not always delusion, but the actual doings of evil spirits.

It is necessary, therefore, to distinguish between

1. Pure insanity,
2. Pure "possession,"
3. Insanity and possession.

Before declaring a person insane, from physical and natural causes, the physician should find out if there be any supernatural cause. Insanity may be caused by natural derangement, and by supernatural interferences of evil powers. True insanity can also be the result of possession, and be (humanly) irrecoverable.

In short, under the power of a lying spirit, the man loses control of his body, and is, for the time being, when the intruder manifests himself, irresponsible for his actions.

The spirits in possession of the body vary in character, and in manifestation, as much as when in possession of the mind, or spirit, in spiritual manifestations. Some are malignant, and some are milder in their actions, such as the "spirit of infirmity" or powerlessness described in Luke 13: 11, or the blind and dumb spirit in Matt. 12: 22. These Scriptures show there were cases of possession which looked like cases for healing, but the Lord's words and action proved that the woman who was bent for eighteen years, did not require healing, but deliverance. The bending of the back is one of the symptoms of demon possession, when the body is deeply affected.

PROPHETIC ECSTASY AND INSPIRATION

Another manifestation of evil spirits may be described as prophetic ecstasy, or "inspiration." Such was manifested in the girl with a "spirit of divination," which Paul cast out (Acts 16: 16-18). The danger of this kind of spirit is that the manifestations are more like those of the Holy Spirit, than when in the nervous system, or bodily frame. To distinguish between the two in the Corinthian Church was the object of the Apostle writing the 12^th and 14^th chapters of the first Corinthians: "Concerning the 'inspired'. . . I would not have you ignorant," he wrote, as he proceeded to show them how to detect the difference between the manifestations of deceiving spirits in demoniacal 'inspiration' or ecstasy, and the true inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God in one believer being in harmony with the manifestation of His power in others, and the demoniacal spirit producing "schism" or "mutiny" of the members of Christ's Body one against the other. The Holy Spirit causing interdependence, and honour of His workings in the one and in the other; the demoniacal spirit causing lawlessness, and confusion. "Harmony" and "confusion" being respectively the hall-mark of the supernatural power being from God or Satan in the assembly of God's people.

COLUMN 5: EXCUSES USED BY EVIL SPIRITS
TO HIDE THEIR PRESENCE

The excuses of the evil spirit to cover the ground held opens again a wide field of consideration. Once the ground is taken, and the mind is dulled from its power of critical discrimination, the lying spirit is apt in suggesting "excuses" to the believer to cover his location, and the ground he holds. The list of varied explanations is given in Column 4. If the mind labours in action, "it is natural" or "it is heredity," he suggests. Where the whole nervous system is involved, "it is disease" or "it is purely physical." "It is fatigue," or it is "spiritual." There may be, and there generally is, some basis for the "excuse," for the deceivers are keenly clever in working along-side natural conditions, either in circumstances, temperament or disturbance of the bodily functions, i.e., the attack may be in the natural and physical realm, but not from it as the source. They like to have, and watch for, some physical or mental ailment to serve as the cover, or "excuse" for their manifestation.

They attack a person because they are in possession, but make him think and believe it to be an indirect attack, i.e., through another person. The blame is placed on the man himself or someone else, or on anything but the true cause, so that the intruder may not be discovered and expelled. It is therefore important that all "excuses" should be examined, i.e., the "reasons" for such and such an unexplainable manifestation. The causes should always be gone into, for by believing a wrong interpretation of the manifestation, more ground is given to the lying spirits. The believer may be refusing ground on the one band, and giving new ground on the other, unless he examines all the suggestions which come to his mind concerning his condition.

The following tables show the stages of the advance in possession, and how wrong interpretation gives new ground:

(1)	Ground followed by
(2)	Possession, manifested by--
(3)	for example, "Twitching of nerves"--then the evil spirits give
(4)	Wrong interpretation of the cause of this twitching, which, if accepted by the believer, admits new lies from them, and gives more ground.

Four sequences should be noted in this connection:

(1)	Ground because of (a) ignorance, resulting in (b) deception;
(2)	Followed by possession, because of ground;
(3)	Manifestation because of possession;
(4)	Danger of wrong interpretation of manifestation.

Deceiving spirits also persistently endeavour to keep the believer occupied with something else to fill up the mind, so that he may not discover his own need of deliverance. Workers are almost obsessed with the thought of "Revival," or the "need of others," whilst blind to their own condition. Devotion, singing, preaching, worship--all rightful things--may so possess the mind as to close it to all personal knowledge of the need of deliverance from the adversary's deception.

The effect on the believer of evil spirit possession, we have already dealt with, in the aspect of mental and bodily inertness. To this we add, general weakness of the whole man, spiritual, mental and physical. He becomes erratic in temperament, spasmodic in study, wavering in allegiance, and undecided in action; easily moved by (1) impulses, i.e., a sharp movement forward without volition; or (2) repulsion without reason, i.e., a sharp movement backward apart from volition.

THE LIFE FULL OF CONTRADICTION

The life becomes increasingly full of contradictions. The man seems strong and yet is weak, he is stoical and yet seeks love; he is spasmodic in his actions, erratic and dogmatic in his beliefs, and utterly illogical in his reasonings. All these symptoms may be visible or invisible, and manifested at different intervals, and in different degrees, concurrently or consecutively.

After a time the believer may become conscious of his condition, and then he has a painful shrinking lest these symptoms should be read by others, and thus cause attacks upon him. When they do become too manifest to be hidden or ignored, then he is often said to be suffering from a "nerve breakdown," for the symptoms coincide with all the characteristics of neurasthenia, and can only be distinguished from it by an examination into past spiritual experiences, and the discovery of the working of supernatural powers.

Should the apparent "neurasthenia" be really the possession of evil spirits, no prolonged rest or natural means will set the person free, although such means may give the body a renewing which will enable the victim to face the spiritual truth in due time.

This growing weakness of the circumference also weakens the spiritual life, by preventing its growth intovigorous manhood in Christ; for the inner spiritual man needs the outer man for expression, and development. But in possession through deception the mind is too passive to act, and express the inner life--the expression of the face is passive and dull, the eyes are dreamy and slow. In brief, the outer man becomes a "prison," so to speak, of the spirit life at the centre within.

Another very manifest effect is that as time goes on, the man lives more in the body than in the soul and spirit, the lawful appetites reassert control and the spirit-life is more unrecognized and less followed, whilst variations and inconsistencies in life, in state, in actions, all show increasingly the marks of "possession."

THE GENERAL EFFECT ON THE MAN OF
SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCES

A very little consideration of the characteristics of those drawn into abnormal supernatural experiences, will bear out this diagnosis. The invariable effect upon such believers is the weakening of the mental force, the reasoning and judging power; a weakening in moral force and will and ofttimes; a haunting sense of fear--fear of the future, fear of persons so that they cannot bear to hear them spoken of, or to speak to them; and a gradual general weakening of the physical frame. In time there comes an involuntary effect upon the nervous system, and there is impatience--manifestly "nervous" and not moral--and restlessness, and often an involuntary twitching action of the nerves.

In the moral realm comes an attitude of infallibility, positive assertion and unteachableness, with loss of the real power of choice, and personal control of mind, speech, manner, and actions--for persons thus "possessed" cannot choose or act, because they shall not; and they have acutely a sense that they "don't know what to do," on account of the evil spirit's hold of them.

COLUMN 6: EFFECTS OF POSSESSION ON THE BELIEVER

The effect of evil spirit possession as listed in Column 6 has already been more or less indicated in the preceding columns, and it is only necessary to compare Column 4 and 6 for their further summing up.

The subtilty of the deception has been that in multitudes of cases, all these "symptoms" are thought to be physically or morally the outcome of the individual personality, i.e., the "temperament" of the person, which must be borne with until released from the body of clay in the grave! "Self," they declare, is their trouble, which no acceptance of the Fulness of the Spirit, nor light upon identification with Christ, has altered. Wandering of mind in prayer, restlessness, talkativeness, or extreme reserve; and many other hindering troubles in the outer man remain, and are tolerated, or grieved over, without hope of change.

But how different the outlook, when much that troubles them is attributed to the true cause. "An enemy hath done this!" In many it is not "self" after all, but ground unwittingly given to deceiving spirits, who could be dislodged by the knowledge of the truth, and by refusal of ground.

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Chapter 8

The Path to Freedom

   It has been thought almost universally that the only way to deal with demon- possession is by the casting out of the evil spirit, by some Divinely equipped believer. But facts prove that this method is not always successful, for though the diagnosis of the intruder's presence may be correct, yet the ground that gave it occupation cannot be cast out; and unless the ground is dealt with, no full relief can be obtained, or change seen, in the majority of cases. In others, when the evil spirit apparently departs, it must not be concluded that the person is entirely free, for it may be that what has occurred is only that a particular manifestation has ceased, and it is not unlikely that another manifestation may appear; possibly not a visible one, or one easily perceived or detected, but recognizable by any who have learned to discriminate between the workings of evil spirits, and those which are human or Divine. It is possible also to suppress a certain manifestation for a time, and not entirely get rid of it; and the same manifestation may return again and again in different guise, unless the ground is dealt with. In some instances, where the possession is so manifest that the true inner personality of the victim is almost entirely lost sight of, the relief may be immediate: but where the intruder hides himself so subtly in the mind, or body, as to be indistinguishable from the operations, or actions of the person --hidden in some state, or form, apparently natural or physical--the deliverance will not be obtained by "casting out" only, but by the truth being given to the mind, and the volition of the person actively refusing and disowning the ground.

The very first step to freedom is the knowledge of the truth as to the source and nature of experiences the believer may have had since his entrance into the spiritual life, which possibly may have been perplexing, or else thought with deepest assurance to be of God. There is NO DELIVERANCE FROM "DECEPTION" BUT BY THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF TRUTH. And this facing of truth in regard to certain spiritual and "supernatural" experiences, means a keen edged knife to the man in his self-respect, and pride.

THE HUMILIATION OF THE UNDECEIVING PERIOD

It requires a very deep allegiance to the truth which God desires should reign in the inward parts of His children, for a believer to accept truth which cuts and humbles, as readily as he accepts that which is agreeable. The "undeceiving" is painful to the feelings, and the discovery that he has been deceived is one of the keenest blows to a man who once thought that he was so "advanced," so "spiritual," and so "infallible," in his certainty of obeying the Spirit of God.

"Was he not advanced?" Yes, to a degree above the "man of soul," but he had not reached the goal as he thought, for he had but begun the journey in the spiritual plane. The end of standard one is but the beginning of standard two. So after all, he believed a lie about himself and his experience. He was not as "advanced" as he thought. Thus the truth breaks upon his mind, and its entrance is not agreeable. It is not easy to disbelieve absolutely, what he once believed so thoroughly.

Then "Was he 'spiritual'?" He may have had spiritual experiences, but this does not make a man "spiritual." The spiritual man is a man who lives in, and is governed by, and understands his spirit, and co-operation with the Spirit of God. A great experience accompanying the ENTRANCE INTO THE PLANE OF THE SPIRIT does not make a believer "spiritual."

THE DISCOVERY OF THE TRUTH OF DECEPTION

The deceived believe, laid claim to positions to which he had no right, for with the entrance of truth he discovers he was neither so advanced, nor so spiritual, nor so infallible as he had thought. He built his faith about his own spiritual condition on assumption, and left no room for a doubt, that is, true doubt, such as doubting a statement that afterwards turns out to be a lie, but in due season doubt finds an entry to his mind, and brings his house of infallibility to the ground. He knows now that what he thought was an "advanced" experience, was only a beginning, and that he is only on the fringe of knowledge. This is the operation of truth. In the place of ignorance is given true knowledge; in the place of deception, truth. Ignorance, falsehood and passivity; upon these three the enemy silently builds his castles, and unobtrusively guards and uses them. But truth pulls his strongholds to the ground.

By the entry of truth, the man must be brought to the place where he acknowledges his condition frankly, as follows:--

(1)	I believe that it is POSSIBLE for a Christian to be deceived and possessed by evil spirits.
(2)	It Is possible for ME to be deceived;
(3)	I AM deceived by an evil spirit;
(4)	WHY am l deceived?

Then comes the facing of the fact that (1) "ground does exist; and (2) the seeking for knowledge as to what the ground is.

In order to discover the ground, the believer must first, in a general sense, get a fair conception of what ground is; for he is liable to be deceived in (1) putting down to "possession" what belongs to something else, and (2) placing to something else what belongs to possession. He may confuse ordinary conflict, i.e., the perpetual battle in spirit against the powers of darkness, with conflict which comes from possession. And when the deception and possession are of long standing, the spirits of evil may get the believer himself to defend their work in him, and through him fight tenaciously to guard the cause of his deception from being brought into light, and exposed as their work.

They thus get the believer himself, in effect, to take their side, and fight for them to keep their hold, even after he has found out his condition, and honestly desires deliverance; one of the greatest hindrances being the effect of an assumed position concerning spiritual experiences, which believers are loath to examine, and part with.

THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF DELIVERANCE IN
CALVARY'S VICTORY

The Scriptural ground for obtaining deliverance is the truth concerning Christ's full victory at Calvary, through which believer CAN BE DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF BOTH SIN AND SATAN, but in actual fact the victory won at Calvary can only be applied as there is conformity to Divine laws. As the deceptions of Satan are recognized, and the will of the person is set to reject them, he can, on the basis of the work of Christ at Calvary as set forth in Rom. 6: 6-13; Col. 2: 15; 1 John 3: 8, and other passages, claim his deliverance from these workings of the devil in deception and possession.

Just as there are various degrees of deception and possession, so there are degrees of deliverance according to the understanding of the believer, and his WILLINGNESS To FACE ALL THE TRUTH ABOUT HIMSELF, and all the ground given to the enemy.

In doing this the believer needs to have a steady grasp of his standing in Christ as identified with Him in His death on the Cross, and his union with Him in spirit in His place on the Throne (Ephes. 1: 19-23; 2: 6), and he must "hold fast" with steady faith-grip, the "Head" (Col. 2: 19) as the One who is, by His Spirit, giving him grace (Heb. 4: 16), and strength to recover the ground in mind and body which he has ignorantly yielded to the foe. For the man himself must ACT to get rid of passivity; he must revoke his CONSENT given to evil spirits to enter, and by his own volition insist that they retire from the place (Ephes. 4: 27) they have obtained by deceit. Since God will not act for him in regaining the normal condition of his outer man, nor exercise his choice for him, he must stand on the vantage ground of the Calvary victory of Christ, and claim his freedom.

Assuming, then, that the believer has discovered that he is a victim of the deceptions of deceiving spirits, what are the subjective steps in the path of freedom? Briefly, (1) acknowledgment of deception; (2) refusal of ground; (3) steadfast fight against all that possession means; (4) being on guard. against excuses; (5) the detection of all the effects of possession; and (6) a discerning of the result of these actions. For the believer must learn to read the signs of dis-possession, as well as the symptoms of possession, lest he be deceived again by the Adversary.

We give in column form a complement to the column lists in page 102. The first treated of the way the believer has been deceived; this one of the way of deliverance.

COLUMN 1: DOUBT OF EXPERIENCE

Taking first for consideration the list in Column 1.

(1) Doubt of the experience, or "manifestation" being of God. We cannot emphasize too strongly the need of not quenching, and not ignoring the first doubt, for the "doubt" is actually the initial penetration of truth to the mind, and hence the first step to deliverance. Some have instantly quenched the first doubt, fearing to "doubt God," and in doing so, closed the mind to the first ray of light which would have led them into liberty. They have looked upon doubt as temptation, and resisted it, overlooking the distinction between true and evil, right and wrong, "doubt." This has its root in the mind of most Christians, in associating only evil with such words as "judging," "criticizing," "doubting," and "enmity," "hatred," "unbelief," etc., all of which dispositions and actions they thought to be evil, and evil only, whereas they are evil or goodaccording to their source in spirit or soul, and in relation to their object, e.g., "enmity" against Satan is God-given (Gen. 3: 15), "hatred" to sin is good, and "unbelief" of spirit manifestations is commanded until the believer is sure of their source. (1 John 4: 1).

Chart on page 185.

To doubt God--which means not to trust Him--is sin; but a doubt concerning supernatural manifestations is simply a call to exercise the faculties, which all spiritual believers should use to discern "good and evil." The deep doubt concerning some supernatural experiences is therefore not a "temptation," but really the Holy Spirit moving the spiritual faculties to action according to 1 Cor. 2: 15, "He that is spiritual judgeth--i.e., examineth--all things," the "things of God" thus being "spiritually discerned" (A.V.).

NO "CONTRADICTION" IN WORKING OF SPIRIT OF GOD

A "doubt" generally first pierces the mind either (1) from truth pointed out by others, or (2) arises from some flaw in the experience which arrests the attention of the believer. In the case of some supernatural manifestation, for instance, which bore the appearance of being Divine, there was some slight contradiction which perplexed the soul. And as no contradictions can possibly occur in any of the workings of the Spirit of God, Who is the Spirit of Truth, one single contradiction is sufficient to reveal a lying spirit at work. This axiom must not be ignored. For instance, a believer declares, under supernatural "power"--assumed to be Divine--concerning one who is ill, that God purposes the restoration of that one, yet the sick one dies. This is a "contradiction" which should be fully examined, and not put aside as among things "not to be understood;" for the supernatural element in the declaration could not be of the Spirit of God, Who cannot depart from truth in His revelation of the Will of God.

To "prove the spirits" (1 John 4: 1), so as to discern between the "Spirit of Truth" and the "spirit of error" is a clear command to the children of God, as well as to "prove all things," and hold fast that which is "good" (1 Thess. 5: 21); bring "to the proof . . . with all longsuffering" (2 Tim. 4: 2, R.V. m.). To question until all things have stood the test of full examination is the safest course, and is far removed from the doubting of God Himself, in His faithfulness and love, the only doubt which is sin.

ADMITTANCE OF POSSIBILITY OF DECEPTION

(2) ADMITTANCE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DECEPTION is the second stage in the breaking of truth upon the mind, although it may sometimes precede the doubt. To admit the possibility of being deceived--or mistaken--in any aspect of new experience or action, or even view of truth, is really a possibility which should be acknowledged by every believer; and yet so subtle is the deception of the enemy, that almost invariably the attitude of each one is, that "others" may be open to deception, and he or she is the exception to the rule.

This certainty of personal exception is so deep seated with the most visibly deceived person, that the long battle is simply to obtain entrance to the mind for the one thought of possible deception, in any point at all. The believer seems armed with unshaken assurance that if others be misled, he certainly is not; he "beholdeth the mote" in his brother's eye, and is blind--blind to the "beam" in his own. But an open attitude to truth says, "Why not I as well as others? May not my assurance of safety be a deception of the enemy, as much as the deception I see in others?"

Why all believers should admit the possibility of deception by the deceiving spirits, may be considered just here.

THE BASIC FACT OF THE FALL

The primary fact to be recognized by every human being is the complete and utter ruin of the first creation at the Fall, when the First Adam admitted the poison of the serpent, which permeated and corrupted his whole being beyond repair. This fact of the utter corruption of the human race as a consequence of this is unmistakably declared in the New Testament:--

"The old man, which waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit." (Eph. 4: 22 R.V.)

"Being darkened in their understanding; alienated from the life of God." (Eph. 4: 18).

"We all once lived in the lusts of the flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest." (Eph. 2: 3).

Thus the Apostle described the whole race of man, Gentile and Jew, Pharisee and Publican--in all, he said, "the prince of the power of the air" wrought, as "the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience."

These facts declared by the Word of God, and the reality of the blinded mind (2 Cor. 4: 4), and ruined condition of every human being, is the ONLY BASIS UPON WHICH THE TRUTHS WE ARE CONSIDERING IN THIS BOOK CAN BE UNDERSTOOD, AND PROVED TO BE TRUE, IN EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE.

ADMITTANCE OF POSSIBLE DECEPTION LOGICALLY
REASONABLE

The second fundamental fact--and the logical outcome of the first--is that unless regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and the indwelling of the Spirit, means (1) sinlessness, and (2) the present possession of a resurrection body, every part of a believer not yet renewed, and freed by the redemption of Calvary from the effects of the Fall, MEANS GROUND FOR THE POSSIBLE ENTRY AND POSSESSION OF DECEIVING SPIRITS. Since absolute sinlessness, and the present possession of the resurrection body are not clearly taught in the Scriptures, as attainable whilst on earth, the admittance of possible deception, and entry of evil spirits to the outer man of mind or body, is logically and reasonably possible for all; even whilst the spirit and heart of the man is renewed by the Holy Spirit. If we come to facts of experience, the proofs are so abundant as to be beyond our power to handle in the limited space of this book, not only in the unregenerate world, but in those who are undoubtedly children of God, and spiritual believers.

If we knew ourselves, and our actual condition as sinners, simply as depicted in God's Word, we should be in greater safety from the enemy. It is the ignorance of our true condition, apart from the new life from God implanted in us, and our blind confidence of safety, without an intelligent basis for our faith, which lays us open to being deceived by Satan through our very certainty of being free from his deception.

After admitting the possibility of deception in supernatural things, and a doubt has come in to the mind whether certain "experiences," either personal or otherwise, were of God after all, the next stage is,

(3) THE DISCOVERY OF THE DECEPTION. Light and truth alone can make free, and when once a doubt comes in, and the man opens his mind to the truth that he is as liable to be deceived as anyone else, then to the open mind and attitude, light is given (John 3: 21). Sometimes the specific deception is seen at once, but more often the discovery is gradual, and patience is needed while the light slowly dawns.

Certain facts in connection with various experiences of the past, which the believer has failed to note, may now emerge into the light, and the half truths of the Adversary which he had used to deceive, are clearly seen--the twisting of words, the wrenching of sentences out of their context in the Scriptures, all come into view as the light is given. Then comes:--

(4) THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE DECEPTION. This is now imperative. The truth must not only be faced, but owned, so that things are called by their right names, and the father of lies defeated by the weapon of truth.

COLUMN 2: THE REFUSAL OF GROUND

This brings us to the crucial matter of Column 2 of the way in which the "ground" the evil spirit has held must be dealt with. Thoughts admitted to the mind, passivity of mind or body, faculties allowed to lie unused, lack of mental control, of the use of the will, of decisive power or judgment, etc. Now the believer must deliberately and steadily refus all this ground to the enemy, especially and specifically the ground on the points wherein he has been deceived; for it is of primary importance that the one who is deceived should know the ground, and give it up.

Since there is POSSESSION BECAUSE OF GROUND GIVEN, there must be DIS- POSSESSION BECAUSE OF GROUND REFUSED to the enemy. The deceived one must pray for light until the cause or causes of the deception are revealed, and honestly desire, and be willing for the light on every point (John 3: 21). He must be given light from God to detect symptoms and their causes, and in the recognition of these beware of introspection, i.e., a turning in upon himself, which is the contrary of a simple refusing of ground as it is brought into the light.

THE DANGER OF GIVING NEW GROUND

It may be said generally, that whatever the person shrinks from hearing about, or is troubled when reference is made to it, may reveal upon examination, ground given on that point. If the believer is afraidto examine something he shrinks from dealing with, then it is safe to examine that particular thing, for the enemy most probably has some footing there. What the believer cannot bear to hear about is probably the very thing that he is guilty of doing, or is in some way wrong in his relation to it. Then the ground--and the cause or causes of it--when revealed, must be taken back from the deceiving spirits, by the rejection, or refusal of these points upon which ground has been given, until the ground given has passed away; for ground which admits the evil spirit is the ground that keeps him in possession. There is also ground given which causes the believer, unknowingly, to take hold of evil spirits, and there are things, and ground given, which enable them to grip the believer, and his faculties. There is also the probability of giving new ground, by taking the lying spirits' interpretation of their manifestations, which on the believer's part is the accepting of lies from them in the present, as much as in the past, when ground was given to admit them.

THE FIGHTING THROUGH PERIOD

What it means by "fighting through" may be explained in a specific case. For instance, if the believer discovers that he has sunk into passivity, and that an evil spirit has fastened upon the passive faculties, and whilst they were lying passive, acted for, or in conjunction with him; when he gives up the ground, he finds it most difficult to act for himself again, and to regain the use of his faculties. If he has been drifting into passivity in the matter of decision, and, refusing this ground to the enemy, he decides now to "decide" for himself, and not to act under their control, he finds that, at first,

(1) He cannot act and decide for himself, and

(2) The evil spirits will not let him act, i.e., when their victim refuses them permission to control him, then they will not let their captive act without their permission.

The man has therefore to choose between "not acting" at all, or letting the evil spirit continue to act for him. This he will not do, and so for a while he is unable to use his own decisive power, and yet refuses to allow the enemy to use it. It becomes a fight for the use of his "free will," and for deliverance from passivity of the will,which destroyed his decisive power, and gave evil spirits control over him.

Why does not possession, and its effects, cease directly the man refuses all ground, as a whole, to the deceiving spirits? Because every detail of the ground must be detected; the man must be undeceived on every point; and the evil spirits must be dispossessed from every hold. Whatever caused possession, the opposite must be obtained for dispossession; instead of the lies of Satan, the truth of God; instead of passivity, activity; instead of ignorance, knowledge; instead of surrender to the enemy, resistance; instead of acceptance, refusal.

Actions are the result of thought and belief. The ground is always to be traced back to its radical cause, which is a THOUGHT AND BELIEF. Wrong thoughts and belief, which gave ground to evil spirits for possession, must be detected and given up. The basis of acceptance or refusal must be knowledge, not a passing thought, or impression. It is for this reason that understanding is such an important factor in deliverance, and the subsequent warfare.

In seeking for the ground of any trouble in the spiritual life, believers generally go back only as far as the first manifestation of conscious wrong, instead of seeking the radical cause of the manifestations.

Men in seeking for the root of a tree do not content themselves with the discovery of its manifestation above ground. They know that the cause of the growth they see lies deeper down. It is VERY IMPORTANT that believers diagnose the cause of their trouble as further back than the first conscious manifestation, i.e., some thought or belief which has given the enemy occasion for deception.

Example in matter of "unconsciousness."

1.	Discovery of symptom of "unconsciousness," (possibly through light from another).
2.	Act of refusal and choice {refuse evil unconsciousness; refuse evil consciousness.
3.	Seeking for light on ground in the past.
4.	Discovery of cause; a "thought and belief" that "unconsciousness of self" was true meaning of death, and condition for becoming "only conscious of God."

RESULT: Ever since the believer admitted that "thought" and "belief," he became subject to the consequences of it, and all that evil spirits gained by it; for they came around and made true to the victim what he desired, i.e., "unconsciousness," which formed the ground of passivity for Satanic manifestations.

If the believer resists and refuses any specific ground for possession, and cannot get rid of it, he must seek light upon the cause, i.e., the ground in the past in thought and belief, when this is discovered and refused, the "possession" of necessity passes away.

THE REFUSAL OF ALL GROUND

This is why it is necessary to say that each point must be patiently "fought through," i.e., the refusal of all ground to evil spirits must be maintained, because refusing all ground, and getting rid of all ground, are two different things. All ground is not of necessity removed at the moment of refusal. The refusing must therefore be reasserted, and the believer refuse persistently, until each point of ground is detected and refused, and the faculties are gradually released to act freely under the will of the man. The faculties let go into passivity should regain their normal working condition, such as the operation of the mind kept to true and pure thinking, so that any subject being dealt with is mastered, and does not dominate beyond control. So with the memory, the will, the imagination, and the actions of the body, such as singing, praying, speaking, reading, etc. All must be brought back into normal working order, out of the passive, heavy state, into which they have fallen, under the subtle workings of the enemy.

THE REFUSAL OF THE WORKINGS OF EVIL SPIRITS

The refusal, also, of the workings of deceiving spirits in possession, is necessary as well as the refusing of ground upon which they have obtained possession. The believer may say as his declaration of decision:

I refuse the "influence" of e.s. I refuse the "power" of e.s. I refuse to be "led" by e.s. I refuse to be "guided" by e.s. I refuse to "obey" e.s. I refuse to "pray" to e.s. I refuse to "ask" anything of e.s. I refuse to "surrender" to e.s I refuse all "knowledge" from e.s. I refuse to listen to e.s. I refuse "visions" from e.s. I refuse the "touch" of e.s. I refuse "messages" from e.s. I refuse all "help" from e.s.

The believer must revoke the consent he unknowingly gave to the workings of the deceivers. They have sought to work through him, therefore he now declares: "l, myself, WILL to do my own work. In the past I willed not to do my work. This I NOW REVOKE for ever."

The "fighting through" period is a very painful time. There are bad moments of acute suffering, and intense struggle, arising out of the consciousness of the resistance of the powers of darkness in their contest for what the believer endeavours to reclaim. The moment he begins to advance from weakness into strength, he becomes aware of the strength of the evil spirits resisting him; consequently he feelsworse when fighting through. This is a sign of "dispossession," although the believer may not think, or feel it to be so.

The order of dispossession is not the order in which possession took place. The last thing given to the spirits of evil is generally the first thing removed, because fight is given upon the experience of the moment, and deliverance from the bondage of the moment is the most urgent need. Sometimes it is the advanced stage of possession, with its terrible bondage, which reveals his condition to the man himself, and it is not until he starts, point by point, to fight back to his normal condition, that he discovers the depth of the pit he has fallen into, and the slow work of regaining the liberation of his whole being, from the power of the deceiving enemy.

IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF DISPOSSESSION

The believer fighting back to freedom must not be deceived about the immediate effects of dispossession, for it may appear as he advances, that he is slipping back. For instance, when the man is in a passive state under the bondage of the enemy, he may be absolutely regardless of what he is, what he feels, and how he appears: and therefore he cannot feel and cannot be touched on these points; but as he fights back to the normal condition, these things become real to him again, and he thinks he has gone back; but the fact that he feels about these matters, proves a degree of dispossession, for his feelings, which had become numb, are once more regaining their normal condition.

The believer must not be off-guard when he knows much about dispossession, because there are new realms of deception, and he must take heed not to confuse ordinary wrestling in spirit with the powers of darkness, with manifestations of their workings through possession.

THE TACTICS OF THE ENEMY DURING THE FIGHTING
THROUGH PERIOD

When the spirits of evil see their hold coming to an end, they never let go until the cause is fully removed, and they continue to attack if the thing they have attacked about still exists in any degree. When "fighting through," the enemy has various tactics to hinder the man's deliverance; and will dangle a thing before the mind which is not the true cause of the possession, so as to get the believer occupied with it, whilst he is gaining all the time, pouring in upon his victim, until he is bewildered and confused. Charges, accusations, blame, guilt, direct from the enemy, or indirectly through others. Accusing spirits can say "You are wrong" when you are not wrong, and vice versa; and also say you are wrong, when youare wrong, and right when you are right, but it is very essential that the believer does not accept blame until he is absolutely sure that it is deserved, and then not from Satan's lying spirits, who have not been appointed by God to do the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

When once the truth has dawned upon the victim of the powers of darkness, and they no longer hope to gain by deception, their one great attack all through, from the moment of undeceiving to final dispossession, is the perpetual charge, "You are wrong," so as to keep the man in ceaseless condemnation. The poor persecuted believer then goes to God, and tries to get victory over "sin," but in vain. The more he prays, the more he appears to sink into a hopeless bog. He seems to himself to be one mass of "sin," without hope of freedom. But it is victory over the powers of darkness he needs, and he will quickly prove this when he recognizes the true cause of his trouble, and lays hold of the Calvary Victory over Satan.

THE WEAPON OF SCRIPTURE

In fighting back to freedom, the believer must wield Scripture as the Divinely provided weapon for victory over evil spirits. The verses used with immediate effect, and giving evidence of relief, indicate the specific nature of any attack; showing by the efficacy of the weapon used the immediate cause of the conflict, the believer reasoning back from the effectiveness of the weapon to the cause of the warfare. For instance, if the text wielded is that Satan is the "father of lies," and the believer declares that he refuses all his lies, brings liberty from the oppression of the enemy, it indicates that the enemy is attacking with some of his deceptive workings. Then the believer should not only refuse all his lies, but pray, "Lord, destroy all the devil's lies to me."

All this simply means that in the path to freedom, the deceived believer must act intelligently. He mustknow the truth, and by the truth being received and acted upon, he is set free. In going down into the deception the intelligence is unused, but in recovering freedom he must act with deliberate knowledge; i.e., he goes down "passively," but he must emerge to liberty actively that is, by the action of his whole being.

Force must be used against force. There are two aspects of the use of force in the fight against the powers of darkness; one of using spirit force against spirit force when the believer is free from possession, and the second of physical force brought into action against their power or grip of the body. Either of these the Deceiver may suggest as "self-effort," and deceive the man into taking up a passive attitude, and thus to cease his resistance against him.

When the believer is fighting free from possession, he must bring into action all the forces of his tripartite being, and must know the place of the spirit, the soul, and the body, in the conflict, e.g., if evil spirits have a hold on the muscles of the bodily frame there must be effort, and use of the muscles to dislodge them, and so in every other part of the being. The believer, therefore, must not be afraid to use force--pure force, which simply means ACTIVE USE OF SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY in their various actions. Evil spirits, by possession, caused the forces of the tripartite man to be inactive and passive, and now these must be aroused to action against the force holding them. There must be liberation of the physical being from passivity, as well as mind and spirit.

THE DANGER OF A WRONG KIND OF "FIGHT"

But resistance, i.e., action of spirit, soul or body, must not take the place of refusal by the will. A man may "fight" without any result, if he does not first "refuse." There is an evil fight, i.e., a resistance in body or brain, which is due to possession. If it exists it must be refused. To be clear that this evil force is not in operation, the believer can say, "I refuse all evil fight now in spirit, soul or body." The believer may be resisting something in himself which is the fruit of his choice in the past, and which only his "refusal," or revoking of his past choice, can touch in the present. Fighting by force, or resistance, must therefore always have at the back of it the volitional attitude of refusal. For example (1) in the refusing stage of regaining the use of the memory, the man says "I will to remember," and so to speak, by the action of his will he lays hold of freedom; then follows (2) the actual fighting stage where he holds the liberty he has taken by refusal, and actively insists upon the enemy giving way, until the memory becomes really free from his possession.

A few brief suggestions for attitude and action may be added here in condensed form, for the guidance of any who are seeking freedom from the enemy's power:

1. Keep claiming the power of the blood (Rev. 12: 11).
2. Pray for light, and face the past.
3. Resist the devil persistently in your spirit.
4. Never give up hope that you will be set free.
5. Avoid all self-introspection.
6. Live, and pray for others, and thus keep your spirit in full aggressive and resisting power.

Again it may be said:--

1. Stand daily on Rom. 6: 11; as the attitude to sin.
2. Resist the enemy (James 4: 7) daily on the ground of the blood of Christ (Rev. 12: 11)
3. Live daily for others; i.e., outward, and not inward.

THE FOOTING ON ROM. 6: 11, A WEAPON OF VICTORY

The standing on Romans 6: 11 means the attitude of the believer reckoning himself "dead unto sin . . in Christ Jesus." It is a declaration of death--a gulf of death--to evil spirits as well as sin; to evil spirits working in, through, for, instead of, or in conjunction with the man.

To resist the enemy on the ground of the blood of Christ, means wielding the weapon of the finished work of Christ, by faith; i.e., His death for sin, freeing the trusting believer from the guilt of sin; His death to sin on the Cross and the believer's death with Him, freeing the man from the power of sin, and His death victory on Calvary freeing the believer from the power of Satan.

A condensed form of the principles, and conditions for deliverance from the deception and possession of evil spirits in any degree, may be given as follows:--

1. Knowledge of the possibility of deception and possession;
2. Admission of actual deception and possession;
3. Attitude of neutrality toward all past experiences (spiritual) until truth concerning them is ascertained;
4. Refusal of all ground to evil spirits;
5. (In some cases) the casting out of evil spirits by the authority of the Name of Christ;
6. The believer taking position of death to sin (Rom. 6: 11);
7. The detection and refusal of all that belongs to possession;
8. The understanding of the criterion of the true normal condition so as to gauge signs of dispossession;
9. Active usage of the faculties so that they reach the normal condition.

In another brief form a summary of the steps to deliverance may be given as follows:--

1. Recognize persistently the true cause of bondage; i.e., the work of an evil spirit or spirits.
2. Choose to have absolutely nothing to do with the powers of darkness. Frequently declare this.
3. Do not talk or trouble about their manifestations. Recognize, refuse and then ignore them.
4. Refuse and reject all their lies and excuses, as they are recognized.
5. Notice the thoughts, and the way in which they come, and when, and immediately declare the attitude of Rom. 6: 11 against all the interferences of the enemy.

Hindrances to deliverance from deception and possession may again be given here briefly, as:--

1. Not knowing it is possible to be deceived;
2. Thinking God will not allow a believer to be deceived;
3. Saying "I am safe under the Blood," without intelligent knowledge of conditions;
4. Saying "I have no sin," to open the door to an "evil spirit";
5. Saying "I am doing all that God wants, so all must be right"; without seeking to understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5: 10- 17).

Some hints on overcoming passivity of mind, are as follows:--

1. Act as far as you can, doing what you can.
2. Take the initiative, instead of passively depending on others.
3. Decide for yourself in everything you can. Do not lean on others.
4. Live in the moment, watch and pray step by step.
5. We your mind, and THINK--think over all you do, and say, and are.

THE SLOW WEAKENING OF POSSESSION AS THE
BELIEVER MAINTAINS RESISTANCE

Col. 3: The possession by the enemy now slowly weakens as the ground which he held is steadily refused, and given up. The Deceiver fought long to obtain the ground, and the believer may have to fight a long time ere he is fully set free. The weakening of the possession, too, is according to the degree in which the ground is removed, and if the man does not meanwhile give more ground to the foe. This makes the deliverance gradual, it is true, but in most cases the snare may have been gradually woven about him for many years. Film after film may have slowly come upon the mind, preparing for the deception of after years.

Col. 4: Following the steady attitude of the refusal of the ground, light begins to break in, with the discovery of the "excuses" the enemy is making to hide the true location. For the persistent endeavour is to make the man believe that the manifestations are due to some other cause. The chief excuses over the manifestation of possession centre around the suggestions, "it is divine," "natural," "physical," or else temperament, circumstances, others' wrong doing, etc., in order to cover or hide the ground which is held. But as the excuses are recognized, the believer resists them, and calls the excuses by the right name of Satan's lies.

After getting rid of the counterfeits of the Divine workings, the difficult stage is the recognizing and getting free from the counterfeits of the man himself. As the "excuses" or lies are recognized the believer becomes more acute in detection, and less ready to accept the "natural" and "physical" causes as true explanations, without examination and certainty, e.g., if he "cannot bear" to hear, or speak about a person, he asks Why? If an attack on a certain point does not cease, he asks Why?

The truth is, a believer cannot bear things because of attack through possession, and he cannot do thingsbecause of possession.

NAMING THE ATTACK A FACTOR IN VICTORY

Naming the "attack" is a great factor for victory. For example, an attack may be made to hinder, then the believer must be on guard against all hindrances, seen and unseen, which the Hinderer is placing in his way; it may be to make him impatient, then he must be on guard over all things liable to test his patience. The sooner the attack is recognized and named, the quicker the weapon can be called into use to destroy it.

It may be a flood of accusations of wrong doing, which need to be recognized, or tested as to their truth. When the Accuser charges the believer with some specific wrong over a certain thing, and he surrenders that thing to God, if the accusation does not then pass away, it shows that it is not the true ground for the accusation, but some other cause hidden from view. The believer should then seek light from God upon the hidden causes according to John 3: 21; and refuse the cause of the accusation without knowing what it is, saying, "I refuse the cause of this attack, whatever it is, and I trust the Lord to destroy it." But often, when the believer is charged with being wrong over a certain thing, and it is fought off again and again in this way, it does not pass away. Then the true cause of the attack is possession, and not a "thing" at all. The matter to be fought is possession as a whole.

The true location of the deceiving spirit will often be found in an opposite direction to the apparent one, for they know they are being exposed, and dislodged, and so they vigorously ply an attack upon some other place to divert attention.

THE SYMPTOMS SLOWLY PASSING AWAY

Col. 5: THE EFFECT OF THESE PRECEDING STEPS CAN NOW BE SEEN. The symptoms slowly pass away, and the believer, coming back to normal conditions, finds his faculties usable, and his thoughts once more under the control of his volition. It is a spiritual resurrection from a Satanic burial.

Now the one who is being freed must be on guard not to think it is final victory, or that the deceiving spirit has been fully dislodged because the manifestations have ceased; nor must he think that, when the intruder has been "cast out," in cases where casting out is possible and successful, that he is completely delivered, if there are no actual manifestations. It is necessary to watch and pray as never before. The evil spirit has been exposed, the soul has been undeceived; but the deeper the deception the longer is the time for the film of Satan upon the mind to be removed, and the passivity of the various faculties, of spirit, soul or body, to be destroyed. To be "undeceived," does not always mean to be fully delivered. The believer must therefore beware of the snare of ceasing the fight against possession when ease comes.

It is here that the believer needs to know himself, so as to be able to judge of the extent of his liberation; and this he does by having a clear criterion of his true normal condition, so as to detect whether he isabove it, and therefore strained beyond his normal poise and measure, or below it, and therefore less capable in all the departments of his being.

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THE TRUE NORMAL

For these reasons it is essential and indispensable for full deliverance from the power of evil spirits, that a believer know the standard of his normal condition, and with this gauge before him, can judge of his degree of deliverance, physically, intellectually, and spiritually, so as to fight through with steady volition and faith, until every faculty is free, and he stands a liberated man in the liberty wherewith Christ has made him free.

As he judges himself by this criterion he may say, "Things are not the same as they were," and he then fights through by prayer to his normal condition. The deceiving spirits will suggest all kinds of excuses to stop the man's advance to freedom; e.g., if he is forty years of age, they will suggest that the "mind cannot be as vigorous as at twenty"; or "overwork" is the cause of his being below what he should be, but he must not accept reasons which appear to be "natural," IF HE HAS BEEN A SUBJECT OF POSSESSION. Let the believer know the highest measure of grace whereunto he has attained, for spirit, soul and body, and resist all attempts of the powers of darkness to keep him below it at any time. If he is vigilant he will know that the lying spirits will endeavour to deceive him about it, and he must resist their lies.

REGAINING THE NORMAL

Some practical ways of keeping the mind in its normal working condition, may be briefly suggested as follows:--

(a) ATTITUDE TO THE PAST. There should be no "regrets," or brooding over things done or undone. This is an ordinary operation of the mind in thinking over the past, entangled into an evil kind of thinking which is generally described as "brooding." The believer must earn to discern for himself when he is simply "thinking," or being drawn into a state of "regretting" or brooding. For victory in the life, there must be victory in regard to the past, with all its failures. The good of the past causes no trouble to the mind, but only the real or supposed evil. This should be dealt with by dealing with God, on the ground of 1 John 1: 7, and thus the believer be delivered from it.

In regaining the normal working of the mind, it needs first to be brought into action, and then into balanced action. This is very difficult, and at times impossible, whilst there is evil spirit possession. Possession must therefore pass away before balanced working is restored. This principle applies to every faculty.

(b) THE ATTITUDE TO THE FUTURE. The same may be said in the action of the mind in regard to the future. It is lawful to think of the past and think of the future, so long as the evil state of "brooding," brought about by sin, or Satan, is not yielded to.

(c) THE ATTITUDE TO EVIL SPIRITS. They must not be permitted to interfere, by the believer seeing to it that no new ground is given to them, either for possession, or interference.

(d) THE ATTITUDE TO THE PRESENT MOMENT. This should be a steady concentration of mind upon the duties of the moment, keeping it in active readiness for use as occasion requires. This does not mean ceaseless activity, for activity of the mind so that it is never at rest, can be a symptom of possession.

THE WEAPON OF THE WORD OF GOD

The believer must understand that the regaining of the facile use of the faculties, and the maintainance of the mind in healthy condition, after passive surrender to evil spirits, will mean a steady fight with the powers of darkness, which will require the use of the weapons of warfare given in the Word of God, as tried and proved by experience. Weapons, for instance, such as the truth in the text "Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof," for resisting brooding over the past, or torturing pictures of the future; "Resist the devil and he will flee from you," when the pressure of the enemy is severe; and other "fighting" texts, which will prove truly to be the "sword of the Spirit" to thrust at the enemy, in the evil day of his onslaught upon the escaping believer.

(e) THE STEADY ATTITUDE OR ACTION OF THE WILL. In keeping the mind in normal working condition, free from the interference of the enemy, the believer should maintain the attitude of the will steadily set; i.e., "I will that my mind shall not be passive; "I will to have full control of, and to use my faculties;" "I will to recognize everything that comes from demon-possession;" all of which declares the CHOICE of the man, rather than his determination to do these things. The powers of darkness are not affected by mere determination--i.e., resolve--but they are rendered powerless by the act of volition definitely choosing, in the strength given of God, to stand against them.

THE RESULTS IN EXPERIENCE WHEN DELIVERED

Col. 6: The believer now finds the following results in experience. He has clear vision in the light of God, of the enemy's workings, without fear; a clear mind, intelligently in exercise in all its actions; a calm decision of the will, with a strong pure spirit in resisting, without hesitation, all he sees to be of the Adversary. Instead of acceptance of the enemy's workings, there is an established attitude of refusal; instead of a lie in the mind there is truth; instead of ignorance there is knowledge.

The delivered believer now has a deep longing for the deliverance of others he sees to be in the net of the fowler; acute insight into the devil's true character in his bitter enmity to Christ and His redeemed; past perplexities in spiritual experiences are now clearly understood, and the Adversary detected where it was little thought he had a place; the undeceived one now seeing with astonishment the "naturalness" of his supernatural workings. This man is never off guard now, but always alert, watching against the powers of darkness, whilst relying upon the strength of God, and there is a manifest development of resisting power against the wicked spirits attacking him in the heavenly places, instead of the weak and passive attitude of the past, which enabled them to hinder or mislead him.

The steps to deliverance which have been given, deal with the PRACTICAL ASPECT OF THE BELIEVER'S ACTIONS. On the Divine side, the victory has been won, and Satan and his deceiving spirits have been conquered, but the actual liberation of the believer demands his ACTIVE COOPERATION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, and the steady exercise of his volition, choosing freedom instead of bondage, and the normal use of every faculty of his being, set at liberty from the bondage of the enemy.

"He that doeth the truth cometh to the light" (John 3: 21) said the Lord. Evil spirits hate scrutiny, and so work under cover with deception and lies. The believer must come to the light of God for His light upon all spiritual experiences, as well as all other departments of the life, if he is to "cast off the works of darkness" (Rom. 13: 12) and put on the armour of God- -the armour of light.

THE SCRIPTURE ASPECT OF DELIVERANCE

The Blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin, if we walk in the light; but the light must shine in for the soul to walk in it. The evil spirits can be cast out in the Name of the Lord Jesus, but the GROUND THEY HAVE GAINED CAN ONLY BE REMOVED BY THE INTELLIGENT CHOICE OF THE WILL REFUSING the ground given to them, and appropriating the deliverance by death with Christ on Calvary.

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Chapter 9

The Volition and Spirit of Man

   It is now necessary to see from the Scriptures the true way in which God works in the believer, in contradistinction to the way of Satan and his wicked spirits; for the principle of co-operation with God, and not passive control by Him, must be fully understood, not only as the basis of deliverance from deception and possession, but also as the basis for the warfare which will be dealt with in our next chapter.

Briefly, it may be said that the Holy Spirit dwelling in the regenerate human spirit, energizes and works through the faculties of the soul and the members of the body, only in and with, the active co-operation of the WILL Of the believer, i.e., God in the spirit of man, does not use the man's hand apart from the "I will use my hand" of the man himself.

CO-OPERATION WITH GOD DOES NOT MEAN
AUTOMATIC WORKING

When Paul said, "His working, which worketh in me mightily" (Col. 1: 29), he first said, "I labour according to" His working. The "I labour" did not mean that hands and feet and mind worked automatically in response to a Divine energizing, as the engine works in response to the steam, but at the back of the "I labour" was the full action of Paul's will, saying "I choose to labour," and "as I labour, God's power and energy energizes me in the acting," so that it is "I who live and move and work," and "yet not I, but Christ--the 'Spirit of Christ' in me." (See Gal. 2: 20; Phil. 1: 19).

It was so in the Greater than Paul, Who said, "I came not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me," "The Son can do nothing of Himself," and yet He said also, "My Father worketh hitherto and I work." "The works that I do shall ye do also!" He had a separate will, but He came not to do His own will, but the will of the Father, and He was doing the Father's will when He said to the one who sought His healing power, "I WILL, be thou clean!"

Thus it should be in the life of the believer. Granted the essential union of his will with the will of God, and the energizing power of the Holy Spirit, by his own deliberate choice of harmony with that Holy Will, the believer is actively to use his will in ruling himself in spirit, soul and body. God dwelling in his spirit co-working with him through his exercised volition.

GOD GOVERNS THE RENEWED MAN BY HIS
CO-ACTING WILL

For deliverance from the power of sin and protection from deceiving spirits in their workings, it is important to have a clear apprehension of God's purpose in redemption. God created man, with dominion over himself. This dominion was exercised by his act of will, even as it was by his Creator. But man fell, and, in his fall, yielded his will to the rule of Satan, who from that time by the agency of his evil spirits has ruled the world, through the enslaved will of fallen man. Christ the Second Adam came, and taking the place of man, chose obedience to the Father's will, and never for one moment diverged from His perfect co-operation with that will. In the wilderness He refused to exercise the Divine power at the will of Satan, and in Gethsemane in suffering His will never wavered in the choice of the Father's will. As Man He willed the will of God right through, becoming obedient even unto death, thus regaining for regenerated man, not only reconciliation with God, but liberty from Satan's thraldom, and the restoration of man's renewed and sanctified will to its place of free action, deliberately and intelligently exercised in harmony with the will of God.

Christ wrought out for man upon Calvary's Cross salvation of spirit, soul, and body, from the dominion of sin and Satan; but that full salvation is wrought out in the believer through the central action of the will, as he deliberately chooses the will of God for each department of his tripartite nature.

The will of the man united to the will of God--and thus having the energizing power of God working with his volition--is to rule his (1) "own spirit" (see Prov. 25: 28; 1 Cor. 14: 32); (2) thoughts or mind (Col. 3: 2) inclusive of all the soul-powers; and (3) body (1 Cor. 9: 27), and when, by the appropriation of God's freeing power from slavery to sin and Satan, the believer regains free action of his will so that he gladly and spontaneously wills the will of God, and as a renewed man re-takes dominion over spirit, soul and body, he reigns in life "through . . Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5: 17).

But the natural man does not reach this stage of renewal and liberation of his will, without first knowing the regeneration of his own human spirit. God is not in fallen man until the moment of his new birth(Ephes. 2: 12; 3: 16; John 3: 5-8). He must be "begotten of God;" the very fact of such a begetting being necessary, declares the non-existence of Divine life in him previously. After such a begetting, it is also necessary to understand that the regenerated man does not, as a rule, immediately become a spiritual man, i.e., a man wholly dominated by, and walking after the spirit.

THE NATURAL" VERSUS THE "SPIRITUAL" MAN

At first the regenerated man is but a "babe in Christ, manifesting many of the characteristics of the natural man in jealousy, strife, etc., until he apprehends the need of a fuller reception of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the regenerated spirit as His sanctuary.

The unregenerate man is wholly dominated by soul and body. The regenerate man has his spirit (I) quickened, and (2) indwelt by the Holy Spirit, yet may he governed

by soul and body because his spirit is compressed and bound. The spiritual man has his spirit liberated from bondage to the soul (Heb. 4: 12) to be the organ of the Holy Spirit in mind and body.

It is then that, by the Holy Spirit's power, his volition is brought into harmony with God in all His laws and purposes, and the whole outer man into self-control. Thus it is written "The fruit of the Spirit . . . is self-control" (Gal. 5: 23, m). It is not only love, joy, peace, long-

suffering, and gentleness, manifested through the channel of the soul--the personality--but in a true dominion over the world of himself, (1) every thought brought into

captivity, in the same obedience to the will of the Father as was manifested in Christ (2 Cor. 10: 5); (2) his spirit "ruled" also from the chamber of the will, so that he is

of a "cool spirit" and can "'keep back" or utter at his will what is in his spirit as well as what is in his mind (Prov. 17: 27, m.), and (3) his body so obedient to the helm of the will, that it is a disciplined and alert instrument for God to energize and empower; that body an instrument to be handled intelligently as a vehicle for service, and not any longer master of the man, or the mere tool of Satan and unruly desires.

THE CALL TO DECISIVE ACTION OF THE WILL

All this is fully made clear in the New Testament Epistles. "Our old man was crucified with Him" is said of the work of Christ at Calvary, but on the part of the one who desires this potential fact made true in his life, he is called upon to declare his attitude of choice with decisive action, both in the negative and positive positions. The Apostle appeals again and again to the redeemed believer to act decisively with his will, as the following few passages show:--

Positive

Negative
"Cast off the works of darkness."		"Put on the armour of light."
Rom. 13: 12.		Rom. 13: 12.
"Put away the old man."		"Put on the new man."
Eph. 4: 22.		Eph. 4: 24.
"Put off the old man with his doings."		"Put on the new man."
Col. 3: 9.		Col. 3: 10.
"Put to death your members."		"Present your members unto God."
Col. 3: 5.		Rom. 6: 13.
"Put off the body of the flesh."		"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh."
Col. 2: 11.		Rom. 13: 14.

 

 

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See also Ephes. 6: 13, 16 "Take up the whole amour. . .		"Put on a heart of compassion."
		Col. 3:12
		"Put on the whole armour of God."
		Eph. 6: 11

All these passages describe a decisive act of the will, not toward exterior things, but toward things in an unseen, immaterial sphere, incidentally showing the effect in the spiritual sphere of a man's volitional action. They also emphasize the effect of the decisive use of the will of man, when it acts in harmony with the liberating power of Christ. Christ has done the work on Calvary's Cross, but that work is applied in fact through the action of the believer's own will, acting as if he himself had power to "cast off" the invisible works of darkness, and finding with this action of his will, the co- working of the Spirit of God making the casting off effectual.

In saving the man, God calls him into co-action with Himself, to "work out his own salvation," for it is God Who works with and in him, to enable him to will and to do His pleasure.

GOD CALLS A MAN INTO CO-ACTION FOR HIS
OWN SALVATION

In the hour of his regeneration God gives to man the decisive liberty of will to rule over himself, as he walks in fellowship with God. And by this restoration of a will free to act in choosing for God, SATAN LOSES HIS POWER. Satan is the god of this world, and he rules the world through the will of men enslaved by him, enslaved not only directly, but indirectly, by his inciting men to enslave one another, and to covet the power of "influence," whereas they should work with God to restore to every man the freedom of his own personal volition, and the power of choice to do right because it is right, obtained for them at Calvary.

In this direction we can see the working of the world-rulers of darkness in the realm which they govern, directly in atmospheric influence, and indirectly through men, in (1) hypnotic suggestion, (2) thought reading, (3) will controlling, and other forms of invisible force, sometimes employed for the supposed good of others.

The danger of all forms of healing by "suggestion," and all kindred methods of seeking to benefit men in physical or mental ways, lies in their bringing about a passivity of the will, and mental powers, which lays them open to Satanic influences later on.

THE BELIEVER'S RIGHT OF DECISION OF WILL

The liberation of the will from its passive condition, and control by the prince of this world, takes place when the believer sees his right of choice, and begins to deliberately place his will on God's side, and thus choose the will of God. Until the will is fully liberated for action, it is helpful for the believer to assert his decision frequently by saying, "I choose the will of God, and I refuse the will of Satan." The soul may not even be able to distinguish which is which, but the declaration is having effect in the unseen world,i.e., God works by His Spirit in the man as he chooses His will, energizing him through his volition to continually refuse the claims of sin and Satan; and Satan is thereby rendered more and more powerless, whilst the man is stepping out into the salvation obtained potentially for him at Calvary, and God is gaining once more a loyal subject in a rebellious world.

On the part of the believer the action of the will is governed by the understanding of the mind, i.e., the mind sees what to do, the will chooses to do it, and then from the spirit comes the power to fulfil the choice of the will, and the knowledge of the mind. For example, the man (1) sees that he should speak, (2) he chooses or wills to speak, (3) he draws upon the power in his spirit to carry out his decisions. This means knowledge of how to use the spirit, and the necessity of knowing the laws of the spirit, so as to fully co-operate with the Holy Ghost.

THE SPIRIT ENERGIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AT
THE BACK OF THE WILL

But the believer thus co-operating with God in the use of his volition, must understand that the choice of the will is not sufficient alone, as we see by Paul's words in Rom. 7: 18. "To will is present with me, but todo . . .is not." Through the spirit, and by the strengthening of the Holy Spirit in the "inward man" (the regenerate human spirit --Eph. 3: 16), is the liberated will desirous and determined to do God's will, empowered to carry out its choice. "It is God which worketh in you . . to will," i.e., to enable the believer to decide or choose. Then it is "God which worketh in you . . to do His pleasure" (Phil. 2: 13), i.e., energizes the believer with power to carry out the choice.

That is, God gives the power to do, from the spirit where He dwells, and by the believer understanding the using of his spirit, as clearly as he understands the use (1) of his will, (2) of is mind, or (3) of his body. He must know how to discern the sense of his spirit, so as to understand the will of God, before he can do it.

THE DISTINCT ORGANISM OF THE SPIRIT

That the human spirit is a distinct organism, as separate from the soul and body, is very clearly recognized in the Scriptures, as these few verses show.

"The spirit of man." 1 Cor. 2: 11.	"My spirit prayeth." 1 Cor. 14: 14.
"The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit." Rom. 8: 16.	". . .my spirit. . ." 1 Cor. 5:4.
	"Relief in my spirit." 2 Cor. 2: 13.

There is also a separation of "soul and spirit" required and carried out by the Word of God--the sword of the Spirit--made known in Heb. 4: 12, because through the Fall, the spirit in union with God which once ruled and dominated soul and body, fell from the predominant position into the vessel of the soul and could no longer rule. In the "new birth" which the Lord told Nicodemus was necessary for every man, the regeneration of the fallen spirit takes place. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3: 6), "anew spirit will I put within you" (Ezek. 36: 26), and through the apprehension of the death of the old creation with Christ as set forth in Rom. 6: 6, is the new spirit liberated, divided from the soul, and joined to the Risen Lord. "Dead to the law . . . joined to Another . . having died . . . that we might serve in newness of the spirit" (Rom. 7: 4-6).

The believer's life is therefore to be a walk "after the spirit" minding "the things of the spirit" (Rom. 8: 4-5). In the R.V. the word "spirit" is not written with a capital "S" denoting the Spirit of God, but with a small "s" as referring to the spirit of man. But the believer can only thus walk "after the spirit," if the Spirit of God dwells in him (Rom. 8: 9), the Holy Spirit lifting his spirit to the place of rule over soul and body--"flesh," both ethically and physically--by joining it to the Risen Lord, and making it "one spirit" with Him (1 Cor. 6: 17).

That the believer retains volitional control over his own spirit is the important point to note, and through ignorance he can withdraw his spirit from co-operation with the Holy Spirit, and thus, so to speak, "walk" after the soul, or after the flesh unwittingly. A surrendered will to do the will of God, is therefore no guarantee that he is doing that will--he must understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5: 17) and for the doing of that will seek to be filled in spirit to the utmost of his capacity.

The knowledge that the Spirit of God has come to indwell the shrine of the spirit, is not enough to guarantee that the believer will continue to walk in the spirit, and not fulfil the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5: 16). If he "lives" by the Spirit he must learn how to walk by the Spirit, and for this understand how to "combine" and "compare" spiritual things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2: 13, R.V. margin), so as to interpret truly the things of the Spirit of God, exercising the spirit faculty by which he is able to examine all things, and discern the mind of the Lord.

Such a believer should know how to walk after the spirit, so that he does not quench its action, movements or monitions as it is moved or exercised by the Spirit of God, cultivating its strength by use, so that he becomes "strong in spirit" (Luke 1: 80), and a truly spiritual man of "full age" in the Church of God (1 Cor. 2: 6; Heb. 6: 1).

HOW BELIEVERS IGNORE THE HUMAN SPIRIT

Many believers are not intelligently conscious that they have a "spirit" or else they imagine that every experience which takes place in the realm of their senses is spirit or "spiritual." If they seek a Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and become conscious of His indwelling, believers sometimes think that then He alone acts in them, and they are infallibly, or specially guided by Him, with the result that everything which takes place in their inner life is necessarily His working.

In these three cases the man's own spirit is left out of account. In the first instance, the believer's religious life is, if we may say so "spiritually mental," that is the mind is illuminated and enjoys spiritual truth, but what "spirit" means he does not clearly know; in the second the believer is really "soul-ish" although he thinks he is spiritual; and in the case where the believer thinks that the Holy Spirit's indwelling means every movement to be of Him, he becomes specially open to the deception of evil spirits counterfeiting the Holy Spirit, because without discrimination he attributes all inner "movements" or experiences to Him.

In this case the man's spirit comes into action, and into his cognizance through the reception of the Holy Spirit, but believers need then to understand that the Holy Spirit does not act through them as a passive channel, but requires them to know how to co-work with Him in spirit, otherwise their "own spirit"--the human spirit--can act apart from Him whilst they may think He alone is the source of action.

THE HUMAN SPIRIT CO-WORKING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Walking "after the spirit," and "minding the spirit," does not only mean mind and body subservient to the spirit, but the man's own spirit co-working with the Holy Spirit in the daily life, and all the occasions of life. To do this, the believer needs to know the laws of the spirit, not only the conditions necessary for the Holy Spirit's working, but the laws governing his own spirit, so that it may be kept open to the Spirit of God.

When the Holy Spirit takes the spirit of man as His sanctuary, evil spirits attack the spirit to get it out of co-working with God. They first get access to mind or body, their object being to close the outlet of the Spirit of God dwelling at the centre; or when the man is "spiritual," and the mind and body are subservient to the spirit, the spiritual forces of Satan can come into DIRECT CONTACT with the spirit, and then follows the "wrestling" referred to by Paul (Eph. 6:12).

If the man becomes "spiritual" through the Baptism of the Spirit, and yet is ignorant of the laws of the spirit, especially the tactics of Satan, he is liable to yield to an onslaught of deceiving spirits by which they (1) force his spirit into strained ecstasy, or elation, or (2) press it down, as it were into a vice. In the former he is given "visions" and revelations which appear to be divine, but afterwards are proved to have been of the enemy, by their passing away with no results; in the latter the man sinks into darkness and deadness as if he had lost all knowledge of God.

THE BELIEVER'S CONTROL OVER HIS SPIRIT

When the believer understands these direct onslaughts of wicked spirits, he becomes able to discern the condition of his spirit, and to retain control over it, refusing all forced elation and strain, and resisting all weights and pressure to drive it below the normal poise, in which it is capable of co- operation with the Spirit of God.

The danger of the human spirit acting out of co-operation with the Holy Spirit, and becoming driven or influenced by deceiving spirits is a very serious one, and can be increasingly detected by those who walk softly and humbly with God, e.g., a man is liable to think his own masterful spirit is an evidence of the power of God, because in other directions he sees the Holy Spirit using him in winning souls; another may have a flood of indignation inserted into his spirit, which he pours out thinking it is all of God, whilst others shrink and are conscious of a harsh note which is clearly not of God.

This influence on the human spirit by evil spirits counterfeiting the Divine workings, or even the workings of the man himself, because he is out of co- working with the Holy Spirit, needs to be understood and detected by the believer who seeks to walk with God. He needs to know that because he is spiritual his "spirit" is open to two forces of the spirit realm, and if he thinks that only the Holy Spirit can influence him in the spiritual sphere, he is sure to be misled. If it were so, he would become infallible, but he needs to watch and pray, and seek to have the eyes of his understanding enlightened to know the true workings of God.

SOME LAWS GOVERNING THE TRUE SPIRIT LIFE

Some of the laws governing the spirit life may be summarized briefly as follows--(1) The believer must know what is spirit, and how to give heed to the demands of the spirit, and not quench it, e.g., a weight comes on his spirit, but he goes on with his work, putting up with the

pressure; he finds the work hard, but he has no time to investigate the cause, until at last the weight becomes unendurable, and he is forced to stop and see what is the matter, whereas he should have given heed to the claims of the spirit at the first, and in a brief prayer taken the "weight" to God, refusing all pressure from the foe.

(2) He should be able to read his spirit, and know at once when it is out of co-operation with the Holy Spirit, quickly refusing all attacks which are drawing his spirit out of the poise of fellowship with God.

(3) He should know when his spirit is touched by the poison of the spirits of evil; by the injection, for instance, of sadness, soreness, complaint, grumbling, fault-finding, touchiness, bitterness, feeling hurt, jealousy, etc.-- all direct from the enemy to the spirit. He should resist all sadness, gloom, and grumbling injected into his spirit, for the victory life of a freed spirit means joyfulness (Gal. 5: 22). Believers think that sadness has to do with their disposition, and yield to it without a thought of resistance or reasoning out the cause. If they are asked if a man with a strong disposition to steal should yield to it, they would at once answer "no," yet they yield to other "dispositions" less manifestly wrong, without question.

In the stress of conflict, when the believer finds that the enemy succeeds in reaching his spirit with any of these "fiery darts," he should know how to pray immediately against the attack asking God to destroy the causes of it. It should be noted that this touching of the spirit by the various things just named is not the manifestation of the "works of the flesh," when the believer is one who knows the life after the spirit; although they will quickly reach the sphere of the flesh if not recognized, and dealt with in sharp refusal and resistance.

(4) He should know when his spirit is in the right position of dominance over soul and body, and yet not driven beyond due measure by the exigencies of conflict or environment. There are three conditions of the spirit which the believer should be able to discern and deal with, i.e.:--

(1) The spirit depressed, i.e., crushed or "down."
(2) The spirit in its right position, in poise and calm control.
(3) The spirit drawn out beyond "poise," when it is in strain, or driven, or in "flight."

When the man walks after the spirit, and discerns it to be in either of these conditions, he knows how to "lift" it when it is depressed; and how to check the over-action by a quiet act of his volition, when it is drawn out of poise by over-eagerness, or drive of spiritual foes.

SOME LIGHT ON TRUE GUIDANCE AFTER THE SPIRIT

In "guidance," the believer should understand that when there is no action in his spirit, he should use his mind. If in everything there must be the "Amen" in the spirit, there is no use for the brain at all, but the SPIRIT DOES NOT ALWAYS SPEAK. There are times when it should be left in abeyance. In all guidance the mind decides the course of action, not only from the feeling in the spirit, but by the light in the mind.

In coming to a decision, the deciding is an act of mind and will, based upon, either mental process of reasoning, or sense of the spirit, or both, i.e.:--

(1) Decision by mental process, reasoning, or

(2) Decision by sense of the spirit: i.e., movement, impelling; drawing or restraint; spirit as if "dead"--no response. Contraction of spirit; openness of spirit; fulness of spirit; compression of spirit; burden on spirit; wrestling in spirit; resisting in spirit.

God has three ways of communicating His will to men. By (1) vision to the mind, which is very rare, and can be given only to very matured spiritual men, such as Moses; (2) understanding by the mind; and (3) consciousness to the spirit, that is, by light to the mind, and consciousness in spirit. In true guidance, spirit and mind are of one accord, and the intelligence is not in rebellion against the leading in the spirit, as it is so often in counterfeit guidance by evil spirits, when the man is COMPELLED TO ACT, in obedience to what he thinks is of God, supernaturally given, and fears to disobey.

This all refers to guidance from the subjective standpoint, but it must be emphasized in addition, that ALL TRUE GUIDANCE FROM GOD IS IN HARMONY WITH THE SCRIPTURES. The "understanding" of the will of God by the mind, depends upon the mind being saturated with the knowledge of the written Word. and true "consciousness in the spirit" depends upon its union with Christ through the indwelling Spirit of God.

The mind should never be dropped into abeyance. The human spirit can be influenced by the mind, therefore, the believer should keep his mind in purity, and unbiased; as well as an unbiased volition. Passivity can be produced by seeking for a "leading" in the spirit all day, when there may be no action in the spirit to go by. When there is no movement, or "draw," or "leading" in the spirit, then the mind should be used in reliance upon the promise of God, "the meek will He guide in judgment." (Ps. 25: 9). An example of this use of the mind, when Paul had no consciousness in his spirit of any special guidance from God, is clearly given by him when he wrote to the Corinthians that in one matter he had commandment (1 Cor. 7: 10), but in another he said, "I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my judgment" (1 Cor. 7:25); in the one case he had the guidance through his spirit; in the other he used his mind, and clearly said so--see verse 40--"after my judgment."

Through ignorance a large majority of believers walk "after the soul," i.e., their mind and emotions, and think they are "walking after the spirit." The Satanic forces know this right well, and use all their wiles to draw the believer to live in his soul or body, sometimes flashing visions to the mind or giving exquisite sensations of joy, buoyancy of life, etc., to the body, and the believer "walks after the soul," and "after the body" as he follows these things, believing that he is following the Spirit of God.

Depending upon supernatural things given from outside, or spiritual experiences in the sense realm, checks the inward spiritual life through the spirit. By the experiences of the senses, instead of living in the true sphere of the spirit, the believer is drawn out to live in the outer man of his body; and ceasing to act from his centre, he is caught by the outer workings of the supernatural in his circumference, and loses the inner co-operation with God. The devil's scheme is therefore to make the believer cease walking after the spirit, and to draw him out into the realm of soul or body. Then the spirit, which is the organ of the Holy Spirit in conflict against a spiritual foe, drops into abeyance and is ignored, because the believer is occupied with the sense- experience. It is then practically out of action, either for guidance, power in service, or conflict.

THE COUNTERFEIT OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

Evil spirits then seek to create a counterfeit of the spirit, and they do this by getting a footing in the person so as to produce other feelings than those of the spirit, then when these get a hold they become strong enough to silence or overpower the true spirit-action, or spiritual feelings. If the believer is ignorant of the tactics of the enemy in this way, he lets go the true spirit-action--or allows it to sink into disuse--and follows the counterfeit spiritual feelings, thinking he is walking after the spirit all the time.

When the true spirit-action ceases, the evil spirits suggest that God now guides through the "renewed mind," which is an attempt to hide their workings, and the man's disuse of his spirit. On the cessation of the spirit co-operation with the Holy Spirit, and counterfeit "spirit" feelings taking place in the body, counterfeit light to the mind, reasoning, judging, etc., follows, the man thus walking after mind and body, and not after the spirit, with the true illumination of the mind which comes from full operation of the Holy Spirit.

To further interfere with the true spirit life, the deceiving spirits seek to counterfeit the action of the spirit in burden and anguish. This they do by first giving a fictitious "Divine love" to the person, the faculty receiving it being the affections. When these affections are grasped fully by the deceivers, the sense of love passes away, and the man thinks he has lost God and all communion with God. Then follow feelings of constraint and restraint, which will develop into acute suffering, which the believer thinks is in the spirit, and of God. Now he goes by these feelings, calling them "anguish in the spirit," "groaning in the spirit," etc., whilst the deceiving spirits, through the sufferings given by them in the affections, compel the man to do their will.

All physical consciousness of supernatural things, and even undue consciousness of natural things, should be refused, as this diverts the mind from walking after the spirit, and sets it upon the bodily sensations. Physical consciousness is also an obstacle to the continuous concentration of the mind, and in a spiritual believer an "attack" of physical "consciousness" made use of by the enemy, may break concentration of the mind, and bring a cloud upon the spirit. The body should be kept calm, and under full control; excessive laughter should be avoided, and all "rushing" which rouses the physical life to the extent of dominating mind and spirit. Believers who desire to be "spiritual" and of "full age" in the life in God, should avoid excess, extravagance, and extremes in all things (See 1 Cor. 9: 25-27).

Because of the domination of the physical part of the man, and the emphasis placed upon supernatural experiences in the body, the body is made to do the work of the spirit, and is forced into a prominence, which hides the true spirit life. It feels the pressure, feels the conflict, and THUS BECOMES THE SENSE INSTEAD OF THE SPIRIT Believers do not perceive where they feel. If they are questioned as to where they "feel," they cannot answer. They should learn to discriminate, and know how to discern the feelings of the spirit, which are neither emotional (soulish), or physical. (See for example Mark 8: 12; John 13: 21; Acts 18: 5 A.V.).

SOME DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SPIRIT

The spirit may be likened to the electric light. If the man's spirit is in contact with the Spirit of God it is full of light, apart from Him it is darkness. Indwelt by Him "the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord" (Prov. 20: 27). The spirit may also be likened to elastic; when it is bound, or pressed, or weighted, it ceases to act, or to be the source of power and "spring" so to speak, in the life. If a man feels weighted, he should find out what the weight is. If he is asked, "Is it your body?" he would probably say "No," but that he "feels bound inside." Then what is it that is "bound" or "weighted?" Is it not the spirit? The spirit can be compressed or expanded, up or down, in or out of place, bound or free. The possibilities and potentialities of the human spirit are only known when the spirit is joined to Christ, and united to Him is made strong to stand against the powers of darkness.

The great need of the Church is to know and understand the laws of the spirit, so as to co-work with the Spirit of God in fulfilling the purpose of God through His people. But the lack of knowledge of the spirit life has given the deceiving spirits of Satan the opportunity for the deceptions, of which we have spoken in the previous pages of this book.

Note—That the children of God may more readily discern the true workings of God from the counterfeits of Satan. A summary of some of these is given in concise form in "Supplementary Notes."

Column Lists of Stages of Deliverance (see note at bottom of chart) 1. Deception. How it is broken. 2. Ground. And how it is to be dealt with. 3. Dis-possession. Its gradual removal as ground is discovered and removed. 4. Excuses. Or reasons suggested by deceiving spirits to cover their working. 5. Effects. The entry to the mind of questions concerning various experiences. "Doubt" of these experiences. Admittance of possibility of deception. Discovery of the deception. Acknowledgment of deception. The steady refusal of ground; specifically of the points wherein the believer sees he has been deceived, and their cause and results. Watching against giving new ground. Feels and sees things apparently worse, but in reality they are actually better. Each point must be fought through by persistent refusal.* * Also by action, as e.g., the regaining use of the mind. The possession by the evil spirits now weakens according to the degree in which the ground is given up, and if more ground is not given. Discovery of the excuses made by the evil spirits to cover their location and working. The believer now resists these and calls them by their right name of "lies." The need of being on guard against the evil spirits counterfeiting the man himself. The symptoms gradually disappear, but the believer must be on guard not to consider he has full and final victory, nor think that the evil spirit has gone because the manifestations have ceased. He needs to recognize and refuse all efforts at new deceptions.

6: Results.

1. Deep eagerness for the deliverance of others.
2. Clear knowledge of the devil's true character in enmity and hatred of the believer.
3. Past experience clearly understood, perplexities explained, and the Deceiver detected in his subtle workings.
4. Never off guard concerning the powers of darkness in watching and prayer.
5. Strong spirit development of resisting power against evil spirits in place of weak and passive drifting.
6. The spirit liberated into universal prayer.

NOTE.--In studying these columns the believer needing deliverance should remember that all these stages may vary, and the "symptoms" of deception, possession, and dis-possession may be of slight or acute degree, and some be entirely absent.

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