One of the primary barriers to deliverance ministry is an overestimated perception of Satan and his demons, causing fear amongst individuals who seek assistance.
God rules His universe out of love, not force. If He were to exercise His authority arbitrarily, it could undermine its moral foundation and potentially bring about destruction to it all.
Angels
Angels are spiritual beings with various powers who often appear in biblical stories as messengers or warriors, though they can also appear as people and appear in dreams and visions. When appearing in human form, angels typically resemble ordinary individuals with unusual features – for instance Daniel 9 depicted an angel that looked similar to Daniel himself while Christ’s tomb’s angel had radiating luminosity radiating off its body – while when people see an angel for themselves, they often fall to their knees out of fear or reverence.
Though Scripture doesn’t give an exact count of angels, we know there are numerous. Matthew 26:53 speaks of “legions”, while Daniel 7:10 mentions thousands upon thousands, with Hebrews 12:22 speaking of an innumerable amount. Some angels may be more powerful than others – Michael is known to be one of these powerful ones; others believe there may be others such as archangel Gabriel; however Scripture doesn’t name them specifically.
Angels may possess immense power, yet are limited by God in performing miracles without His approval. Angels serve as His messengers and must abide by His orders without divulging His secrets or anything that could pose as temptations.
Before Satan fell into temptation, God created many different types of angels with various tasks and powers, some evil and some good; these include seraphim, cherubim and thrones angels. Before his fall, Satan served as one of these anointed cherubim covering God’s throne – this gave him authority as leader of heavenly host.
Psalmist wrote that Jesus came down from heaven higher than angels and with greater names; this was because He wasn’t limited by time or space like angels were; when He returns He will even surpass them!
Some Christians were uncertain how to treat Jesus, whether as human or as divine. The author of Hebrews suggests that Jesus surpasses angels by showing Old Testament passages being fulfilled in him and how angels worship Him as their Creator Son and brother.
The devil
Some religions view Satan, or Satan, as competing with God and competing for souls. This is far from being accurate – Satan is an evil being intent on deceiving and destroying, murderous from birth, who has no relationship with truth or righteousness. According to Scripture, Jesus came as man so that he might die on our behalf to defeat him – taking on human nature so he could “destroy him who holds power of death”.
The Bible asserts that Jesus possessed full authority over unclean spirits. He could order them away, binding them so they cannot escape without His permission, healing blindness and other ailments from them as well as curing blindness itself. Jesus even healed a woman who had been crippled for 18 years due to a spirit which held her bound and then ordered it out by retouching her, prompting an instantaneous straightening up after touch from touching; telling her about how the spirit kept keeping her bound up before commanding it out and away it went!
Satan may hold some power here on Earth, but he is not all-powerful. According to Scripture, God binds and limits Satan’s abilities such that any attacks must first get His approval before attacking people directly. God limits Satan’s abilities so he cannot do us harm without our consent.
God could easily destroy Satan and all his followers if He so desired; however, that would violate the principle of freedom. God does not want a world full of robotic followers who obey out of fear; He wants a people who love Him and serve Him freely.
Remembering Satan as a creature of darkness and Christ’s gospel as the light is essential in facing temptations that arise in daily life. God’s Word, Sacraments and Christian blessings can outwit any attempts by the Devil to harm us; their power surpassing even that of his devilish schemes! Therefore if you’re struggling with sin don’t be intimidated – trust that He is with you to help overcome any temptations!
