082 Demonic Activity and the Life of a Believer

“Our primary focus as Christians should be striving, under the power under and influence of the Holy Spirit toward a life of holiness and faith. And when we see those two characteristics increasing in our lives, we find the power to overcome sinful actions and sinful desires.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston  

Hello Kitchen Table Theology Family!  In this episode, Pastor Jeff and Jen Denton are completing their series on Angelology. So far we’ve tackled the topics: What Are Angels? Angelic Purpose Within God's Purpose, How We Relate to Angels, Where Did Demons Come From? & the Activities of Satan and His Demons. Today we tackle Demonic Activity and the Life of a Believer

[00:01] Is All Sin and Evil Directly from Satan and His Demons?

• Because of Jesus, what power do we have as Christians have over demons?
• All sin can be directly and indirectly attributed to Satan
• The emphasis in the New Testament is telling us to live lives of righteousness

 [03:42] What Is Our Primary Focus As Christians? 

• Dissension within the Church (1 Cor) 
• Our focus must be striving, through the Holy Spirit, toward a life of holiness and faith

 [06:08] Understanding Demonic Activity

• Where is demonic activity spoken about in the New Testament? (1 Tim 4, 2 Tim)
• Anything that opposes the work of God today is likely demonic activity
• Can a Christian be demon-possessed? 
  • If by demon possession, we mean that a person's will is completely dominated by demons with no power to choose or not choose God, the answer is No (Rom 6:14)
  • Christians can be swayed or influenced by demonic activity, which is not the same as demon possession 

[15:27] What authority do we have as Believers?

• Jesus specifically gave authority over the power of the enemy to His disciples (Acts) 
•  Recognize the work of Jesus on the cross won the complete and total victory over the enemy
• The firm spiritual position from which we engage in spiritual warfare comes from our membership in God’s family 
• What we can do if we are facing a situation of demonic activity
  • Pastor Jeff teaches how we can prepare our hearts and pray

[26:13] Final Thoughts    

• Final words - Stay tuned to our next series 
• Connect with us! 

Key Quotes

 “The emphasis in the New Testament is not on telling us not to sin, but rather to live lives of righteousness.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston 

“Don't look at the power that Satan holds. Look at the holiness and righteousness of Christ.” - Jen Denton

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Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!