Satan is the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30). He is the king of the dark kingdom. In most modern countries there are three forces: the air force, the navy, and the army. To be strong, a nation must have strong forces. Likewise, in Satan’s dark kingdom there also are forces. Satan is not a simple king, ruling by himself without any forces. In the four Gospels, for example, there are many demons, even a legion, a camp, of demons. Then the Epistles, especially those written by the apostle Paul, tell us that in the air there are principalities, powers, and dominions-that is, the wicked spirits. If we read the New Testament carefully, we can see that in the dark kingdom of the ruler of this world there are at least three forces: the demons in the water, the wicked spirits in the air, and the fallen people on the land, the earth.
The demons like to take over bodies. If they cannot take over human bodies, they will take over even the bodies of swine. Moreover, they like to dwell in the water. In Matthew 12:43 through 45 the Lord said that when an unclean spirit is cast out from a man, it roams through waterless places, seeking rest, and when it does not find it, it returns to the man. By this we can realize that the demons like either to take over a body or to stay in the water. Those who have experience in casting out demons know that a symptom of demon possession is that the possessed person is always thirsty, drinking day and night.
On the second day of creation God did not say that His work was good (Gen. 1:6-8). God saw that His work on the first, third, fourth, and fifth days was good (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). Moreover, His work on the sixth day was very good because on the sixth day God created man, and man in the eyes of God was very good (v. 31). On the second day, however, God did not say that His work was good, because His work on that day was to separate the waters below the expanse from the waters above the expanse, knowing that in the water there were the demons and in the air there were the evil spirits.
Once when the Lord was crossing the sea, a storm suddenly came. There were waves in the water and winds in the air (Matt. 8:23-27). We may have thought that this was something natural, but this is not so. If it were natural, there would have been no need for the Lord to rebuke the winds and the sea. The Lord rose up and rebuked the winds and the sea, because in the wind were the wicked spirits and in the sea were the demons. The demons who possess bodies are the dark kingdom’s force in the water.
On the other hand, the evil spirits, the wicked spirits in the air, like to take over the mind. They do this by sending thoughts as the “darts” (Eph. 6:16). Every thought from the evil spirits is a dart full of poison. Satan’s intention is not merely to cause us to fall. His intention is to take us over. From the time he caused man to fall, he has used his forces- the demons to possess the body, if possible, and the wicked spirits in the air to constantly take over the mind. Man can avoid being possessed by demons, but he cannot avoid being taken over by the evil spirits in the mind. Today in America not many people are possessed by demons, but sorry to say, perhaps more than ninety percent are taken over by evil spirits in their minds. The darts are there in their minds. This is why we need the helmet of salvation. We need a covering for our head, that is, for our mind, our mentality.
Satan constantly sends the darts. Being taken over in this way is very subtle. No one is ever conscious that he is being taken over by the evil spirits. A person always thinks and considers that it is he himself who has so many thoughts. These thoughts, however, whether they are good or evil, come not from within but from without as the darts.
I do not like to speak much about demons and evil spirits; this is not my ministry. However, we need a strong spirit to stand against the evil forces of darkness. Today the evil forces of darkness are still trying to take over the body or the mind. Sane and sound human beings do not want to be possessed by demons in their body, but they can still unconsciously be taken over by the evil spirits in their mind. All the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other thoughtful people believed they were very clever. They did not know that they were taken over by the evil spirits in their minds.
It is easy to cast out a demon, but it is hard to deal with the stronghold in the mind. In a case of demon possession, it is easy to cast out the demon in a short time by strong prayer. It is very hard, however, to deal with a person who is taken over in his mind by the evil spirits with all kinds of thoughts and doctrine. In China the most difficult people to deal with in gospel preaching were those learned ones who followed the teachings of Confucius. Those teachings were good teachings, but Satan utilized those thoughts to take over the minds of those learned people. Satan blinded their thoughts by the teachings of Confucius. Those teachings became the veil over their mind, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ could not shine into their hearts.
Today I am burdened that we would be clear to no longer trust in our mind, for two reasons. First, we are fallen. Second, the subtle one knows that he cannot possess us by his demons in our body, but he can do one thing subtly and easily: He can take over our mind by sending in many thoughts. Just today, from the morning to the evening, how much of the time have you been free from your thinking? Day by day and hour by hour all kinds of thoughts are sent in. All of a sudden I may consider something about one brother, and suddenly I consider something about another brother. This is dark. It seems that the darts are not poisonous, but sometimes they are very poisonous. Darts are being sent in all the time. That is why we need the helmet, the covering, of the Lord’s salvation. We need the protection.
I first experienced this almost thirty-five years ago. In 1931 for more than half the year I went to a mountain to pray day by day. Almost every morning after my prayer, while I was coming down from the mountain, the thoughts would come. Many times I shook my head and said, “I do not want these thoughts.” Later I read a book that said that others would shake their head in the same way and say the same thing. Brother Watchman Nee once said that if you do not want a thought, but it keeps coming, that proves that it is not your thought. It is not something of yourself but from someone else.
Home | First | Prev | Next