Names For Evil Spirits

Questions and answers concerning spiritual warfare            George Watkins

#1 According to Scriptures are there such things as names for evil spirits, such as:

Spirit of fear

Spirit of pain

Spirit of murder

Spirit of bad dreams, etc

I often read or have heard people casting out spirits by saying something like these. Some pastors and leaders say there is no such thing and we are not to be laying hands on people and casting out spirits by saying something like, “You foul spirit of….. I command you to come out, now in the name of Jesus. What is your take on this issue?

My respondence,

First of all this is a wonderful and important subject. The understanding of the subject is always expanding as we continue to learn more about The Kingdom. Unfortunately we are in the process of recapturing what many of the saints had learned in ages past. There are some excellent books and writings that are being rediscovered. I have read a couple, this year, by John Crowder, that expose many of the mystics through out the past centuries that have had deep and powerful experiences in the spirit world.

Lester Summerall has done a great service to this subject. Any thing that he has written on the subject of the spirit world and deliverance is well worth your time.

Another great study and resource book is The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare by Dr Ed Murphy.

Before I give you my answer to the question that you ask let me lay out some thoughts

on the spirit world, how in operates and how Jesus and the disciples dealt with evil spirits.

I     Thoughts on the spirit world

1. Satan and evil spirits hid behind anonymity.

They love ignorance, unbelief, lack of teaching or teaching against their power and even their existences.

2. So to expose them by shining the light of truth and revelation on them is the beginning of they’re down fall and eventual destruction.

3. Jesus was the first to describe and give details of the evil kingdom, how it operates and how to defeat it.

He taught us that there were many different types of spirits. And that there were spirits of various ranks with different powers and purposes. These spirits have names according to their functions. Their names reflect what they do.

Matt 10:1 unclean spirits

Mark 9:17 a dumb spirit

Mark 9:25 a foul spirit, deaf and dumb spirit

Luke 13:11 spirit of infirmity

Acts 16:16 spirit of divination

Rom 8:15 spirit of bondage

Rom 11:8 spirit of slumber

I Tim 4:1 seducing spirit

II Tim 1: 7 spirit of fear

I John 4:6 spirit of error

1. On the Holy Spirit side of things you have

Rom 1:4 spirit of holiness

I Cor 4:21 spirit of meekness

Eph 1:17 spirit of wisdom and the spirit of revelation

I John 5:6 spirit of truth

Rev 19:10 spirit of prophecy

4. John tells us to resist the devil and he will flee.

Among the many ways to resist the devil is to shine the light of truth on him by using the Holy Spirit gift of discerning of spirits, and calling him by name. I Cor 12:10

1. Remember the man who was bound by 2000 devils that lived in the Gadarenes? Jesus said, “What is your name”?
2. Keep in mind that the spirits had to obey the commands of Jesus. They answered, “Legion, for we are many”.
3. Note that Jesus is teaching us a principle of deliverance. By exposing their name you are revealing their purpose and activity.
4. When you find the name, either through confession of the evil spirit or the Holy Spirit gift of The Discerning of spirits, you will also find the key to cast it out.
5. Part of the package of “resisting the devil” includes:

#1 Submitting to God.

Open up your heart and mind to the loving and forgiving hand of the Heaven Father.

#2 Acknowledge and believe that the devil and his kingdom are real.

#3 Understand that he operates in the daily affairs of men

#4 Allow the Holy Spirit to begin to build t1he walls of discipline and character in you.

#5 Paul said that we are to know the wiles of the devil. We are to learn his strategy, habits and plan of attack so that we can not only be delivered but also stay delivered.

6. We resist by knowledge of the truth.

We resist by discipline of spirit.

We resist by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

II     Penetrating the veil of ignorance, silence and secrecy.

1. Remember that actions of the evil spirit describe the character and name of the spirit.

And in the same manner a name will describe the actions.

1. I Cor 12 tell us that we have the gift of the discerning of spirits. Why? So that we can expose the nature and the actions of the spirit thereby casting it out.
2. But why didn’t Jesus use the Gift when He confronted the demons in the man from the Gadarenes? It seems that each case is different. That’s why we continue to relay on the Holy Spirit to lead and give direction. In this one Jesus needed to have the head demon expose himself. When he did Jesus commanded him to leave.

2. Jesus calls forth Lazerth by name.

1. Someone suggested that if Jesus had of shouted, “come forth”, without using Lazrath’s name, the whole hillside would have come out of their graves.
2. So it would seem that there is a reason to use a name. To cast something out or to bring something forth.
3. We see then that both Jesus and Paul used that name of the spirit when confronting and casting them out.

III     What if we don’t know the name, can we still cast them out?

1. We have tremendous power over evil spirits thought the name of Jesus. Using that name by faith will shatter most of the resistance that you will confront. When needed the Holy Spirit will give a name or a key of some kind that will break the deadlock and start the deliverance?
2. After you have cast out a few spirits and dealt with people in bondage for a season you will be able to call the spirits by name just by the evidence of their actions or the life style of the person that you are praying for.
3. Keep in mind however that everyone that drinks alcohol does not have a spirit of alcohol. Likewise everyone that is sick does not have a spirit of infirmity. That’s why we need to continually depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Glenda I hope this helps some. The subject, of course, is endless. We will never know all the details of God’s working in the supernatural realm. However if we take the revelation or light that we have at the time that there is a need and use it by faith, God will take our stumbling steps and bring about a great deliverance. I.e. : 2 Kings 7

Dr. Watkins

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