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Scriptural References to Spirits

(Religious Spirits Hate These Verses)

Most people believe in demons and spirits if they read their Bible at all, but don’t believe they can be affecting them now, especially since they are a Christian. (Spirits don’t get old, feeble, and die, so all the ones from the Bible are still here working in God’s people.) Being a Christian puts you into the kingdom of heaven, but it does not automatically set you free from bondages and darkness, as you work on that till the day you die. That’s why all the admonitions and warnings in the Word are saying, hello, wake up, if you act bound you are bound, if you act sick you are sick, if you think evil and you’re resisting it all the time, then there is something evil in you, right alongside the good, confusing you and others. If you never seek deliverance you’re like Humpty Dumpty sitting on the walls of salvation feeling fine, but trouble comes and you fall down and break, and you may not have help to get put back together again.

Following is an incomplete list I compiled where oppression, spirits, demons, and curses are found in the Bible. The more you believe in their existence and what the Word says about them, the easier it is to believe in the bindings they cause of sickness, disease, and emotional oppressions.

For your interest, the last words Jesus spoke before He ascended into heaven after His resurrection were, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)

Verses from the Gospels, the Old Testament, & the New Testament

Oppression is one of the favorite tools of our enemy. If Satan and his spirits can they will oppress you in every way there is an opening. Many times they have a right as we have sinned and opened the door to their influence, or many are passed down in families because of the sins of our ancestors. The following Scriptures were written by the Spirit of the Lord for us to apply to our lives today:

Examples of Jesus in the Gospels

“They brought to Him all who were sick, those afflicted with various diseases and torments, those under the power

of demons, and epileptics and paralyzed people, and He healed them.” (Mt. 4:24)

“When evening was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with demons: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick.” (Mt. 8:16)

“And as soon as He got out of the boat, there met Him out of the tombs a man under the power of an unclean spirit. ….the unclean spirits came out of the man and entered into the hogs….the man who had been a demoniac was in his right mind…and those who had seen it related in full what had happened to the man possessed by demons.” (Mk. 5:2, 13, 15, 16)

“And they brought to Him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake.” (Mt. 9:32-33)

“And when He had called unto Him His 12 disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” (Mt. 10:1)

Jesus said, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons: freely you have received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8)

“Then a blind and dumb man under the power of a demon was brought to Jesus and He cured him, so that the blind and dumb man both spoke and saw.” (Mt. 12:22)

“If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” (Mt. 12:28)

“And a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy, my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon. Jesus answered and said unto her, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was whole from that very hour.” (Mt. 15:22-28)

“There came to Him a man, kneeling down to Him, Lord have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic…And Jesus rebuked the demon; and he departed out of the son.” (Mt. 17:14-18)

“And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind He gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” (Lk. 7:21-22)

“A woman whose little daughter was under the control of an unclean spirit heard about Him and came and flung herself down at His feet. Now the woman was a Greek, and she kept begging Him to drive the demon out of her little daughter. Jesus said…the demon has gone out of your daughter permanently.” (Mk. 7:26, 29, 30)

“Now there was a man who was possessed by the foul spirit of a demon…Jesus rebuked him and said come out of him. And the demon came out of him without injuring him in any way.” (Lk. 4:33, 35)

A man came to Jesus, “Master, I implore You to look at my son, for he is my only child. And a spirit seizes him and suddenly he cries out; it convulses him….and it will scarcely leave him. Jesus severely rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the child.” (Lk. 9:42)

“Now Jesus was driving out a demon that was dumb, and the dumb spoke.” (They accused Him of driving out demons with the help of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.) Jesus said, “I drive out demons by the finger of God.” (Lk. 11:20)

The Jews accused Jesus of being under the power of an evil spirit and even that He was under the power of an insane spirit.” (Jn. 8:48-49,52)

“And many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name, and done many mighty works in Your name.” (Mt. 7:22)

“And He went throughout the whole of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” (Mk. 1:39)

“And He appointed 12 to continue to be with Him….sent them out to preach and to have authority and power to heal the sick and to drive out demons.” (Mk. 3:15)

“And they drove out many unclean spirits and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” (Mk. 6:13)

“Now Jesus, having risen from death early on the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had driven out seven demons.” (Mk. 16:9)

“And these signs will follow those who believe, in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak with new tongues.” (Mk. 16:17)

“And demons came out of many people, crying out, You are the Son of God. But He rebuked them and would not permit them to speak.” (Lk. 4:41)

“Jesus, we saw a man driving out demons in Your name and we commanded him to stop.” (Lk. 9:49)

“And He said to them, Go and tell that fox (Herod), Behold, I drive out demons and perform healings today.” (Lk. 13:32)

“And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day.” (Lk. 13:16)

Old Testament

“So they shall no more offer their sacrifices to goatlike gods or demons or field spirits after which they have played the harlot.”

(Lev. 17:7)

“Turn not to those mediums who have familiar spirits or to wizards: do not seek them out to be defiled by them.” (Lev. 19:31)

“And if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous….” (Num. 5:14, 30)

“There shall not be found among you anyone who uses divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” (Deut. 18:10-11) (These are mentioned quite often in the O.T. as being a problem with the different kings & children of Israel.)

“They sacrificed to demons, not to God.” (Deut. 32:17)

“And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem.” (Jud. 9:23)

“Saul’s servants said to him, Behold, an evil spirit torments you.” (1 Sa. 16:15; 18:10; 19:9)

Saul sought a medium to have her bring up Samuel’s spirit from the grave, there again showing the reality of the evil spirit world. (1 Sa. 28)

“Then came a spirit and stood before the Lord and said, I will entice him. The Lord said, By what means? And he (the spirit) said, I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his (Ahab’s) prophets.” (1 Ki. 22:21-23)

“So Saul died for his trespass against the Lord for his unfaithfulness in not keeping God’s Word, and also for consulting (a medium) with a spirit of the dead to inquire pleadingly of it. And inquired not so of the Lord in earnest penitence.” (1 Chron. 10:13-14)

“Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. The spirit stood still, but I could not discern the appearance.” (Job 4:15)

“He will cut off the spirit of pride and fury of princes; He is terrible to the ungodly kings of the earth.” (Ps. 76:12)

“Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.” (Ps. 106:37)

“But wild beasts of the desert will lie down there, and the people’s houses will be full of dolefully howling creatures; and ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats like demons will dance there.” (Isa. 13:21)

“And the spirit of the Egyptians within them will become exhausted and emptied out.” (Isa. 19:3)

“The Lord has mingled a spirit of perverseness, error, and confusion within her: her leaders have caused Egypt to stagger in all her doings, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.” (Isa. 19:14)

“They are dead, they shall not live and reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise and come back.” (Isa. 26:14)

“And you shall be laid low (Jerusalem), speaking from beneath the ground, and your speech shall come humbly from the dust. And your voice shall be like that of a ghost coming from the earth.” (Isa. 29:4)

“For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep.” (Isa. 29:10)

“The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.” (Ps. 103:6)

“He executes judgment for the oppressed: The Lord looses the prisoners; He opens the eyes of the blind: the Lord raises them that are bowed down.” (Ps. 146:7-8)

“Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed.” (Isa. 1:17)

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?” (Isa. 58:6)

New Testament

(except gospels, listed above)

“And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits.” (Acts 5:16)

“For foul spirits came out of many who were possessed by them, and many who were suffering from palsy or were crippled were restored to health.” (Acts 8:7)

“God anointed Jesus….how He went about doing good and in particular curing all who were harassed and oppressed by the power of the devil.” (Acts 10:38)

“As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination, claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge.” (Acts 16:16)

“So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the wicked, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” (Acts 19:12)

There is an interesting story of vagabond exorcists charging demons to come out of some men, but one evil spirit retorted that they didn’t know who the exorcists were and the evil spirit leaped upon them and stripped them of their clothes, and they had to run off in fear. (Acts 19:13-16)

“What the pagans sacrifice they offer to demons, to evil spiritual powers, and not to God at all. I do not want you to fellowship and be partners with diabolical spirits by eating at their feasts.” (1 Cor. 10:20)

“Now we have not received the spirit that belongs to the world, but the Holy Spirit Who is from God.” (1 Cor. 2:12)

“But the Holy Spirit expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach.” (1 Tim. 4:1)

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

“Do not put faith in every spirit, but prove the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God: for many false prophets have gone forth into the world,” showing there are many spirits around trying to affect us. (1 Jn. 4:1)

“For if a man comes and preaches another Jesus than the One we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you once received.” (2 Cor. 11:4)

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)

It’s pretty apparent that spirits were involved with people’s bodies, minds, and lives who lived in Old Testament times, New Testament times, our times, and your times.

My normal-sized King James Bible is only 1” thick (some are smaller), so if you consider how many times the Spirit talks about spirits when there was a whole eternal universe to talk to us about, don’t you think the church should start paying attention and come alive in it? All the negative stuff you hear about the casting out of demons is to keep you blinded or afraid or wary that you might get too wild, when all the time wild things are inhabiting the church. Oh, they hate to be known, they’ve had their way for centuries.

Cast them out!

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