Biblical Answers for Spiritual Oppression
Overcoming Spiritual Oppression by Faith
When we are dealing with fear in the spiritual realm, we are usually dealing
with the oppression of the devil and the fear of death.
Satan does not want us to serve and worship God and will do
anything to restrain us. In the
world, the devil has two strategies.
Either he tries to make us think he does not exist, or he tries to scare
us into not obeying God’s will for our lives.
The answer again is to face our fears with our faith in God.
Daniel had to do just that.
1. For the Christian,
the self or our will has ordained that our spirit is to be in control of our
lives. The number 12 (and 120)
stands for the government of God.
In this case, Darius, whose name means, “holder, restrainer or he that
informs himself again,” stands for the self or our will.
Daniel, which means, “to judge for God” again stands for our
spirit. The goal of spiritual
warfare is that the self should not suffer damage.
The three presidents possibly stand for our spirit, our soul and
our flesh, since all make decisions concerning our welfare.
Da 6:1 It pleased Darius to
set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the
whole kingdom; 2 And over
these three presidents; of whom Daniel (spirit) was first: that the princes
might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
3 Then this Daniel was preferred above
the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him;
and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
2. Our flesh and soul
do not want to be under the control of our spirit, but they can find nothing
against our spirit except that it wants to obey God and do His will.
Da 6:4 Then the presidents
and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom;
but they could find none occasion nor fault (the spirit is without fault);
forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in
him.
3. In order to
overthrow the dominion of the spirit, the flesh and soul try to bring the
spirit again under the law of the self.
The law required that everyone rely only on the self for thirty
days. This symbolizes the Jewish
law that had to be obeyed and fulfilled in human strength, relying on the
self. The law cannot be changed;
because this is, in fact, the Old Testament law.
It must be fulfilled.
Da 6:7 All the presidents of
the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the
captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make
a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for
thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
4.
The spirit cannot and will not rely on the self to try to obey
the law, since it relies only on God.
If we attempt to fulfill the law in the strength of our self, we
would have to rely on the flesh and, therefore, supplant the spirit.
Da 6:10 Now when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being
open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times
a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
5. When we walk
according to the spirit, the flesh accuses us of not obeying the law.
Da 6:12 Then they came near,
and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed
a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within
thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The
king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes
and Persians, which altereth not. 13
Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is
of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor
the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
6. The penalty for
sin (breaking the law) is death which results in being sent to hell,
symbolized by the den of lions (devils).
It is the self’s hope that God will deliver us from hell.
If the spirit is indeed overcome by the devil, the self will be
dominated by the flesh; so it is greatly troubled by this possibility.
But the self can do nothing about it, but be concerned.
It has no power to change the law or deliver the spirit from
Satan.
Da 6:16 Then the king
commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now
the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually,
he will deliver thee.
7. The lions (devils)
can have no power over the spirit because of what Jesus did on the cross.
Jesus took our place, fulfilled the law and took the power of
death from Satan. The angel, here,
is Jesus who delivered us all that are led by the spirit (saved) from the
power of the lions (devils) and made us innocent in the sight of God.
Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and we
are delivered from the law and the fear of death.
When we realize what Jesus has done for us, we no longer have to
fear spiritual oppression by Satan or fear death.
Da 6:19 Then the king arose
very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto
Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the
living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee
from the lions? 21 Then said
Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 22
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that
they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me;
and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
8. Because the
accusers (the flesh) are under the law (not saved), they have no protection
from what the lions (devils) choose to do to them.
They are bound by spiritual oppression and the fear of death and
were therefore, devoured by the lions.
Da 6:24 And the king
commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they
cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and
the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or
ever they came at the bottom of the den.
9. When the self
(King Darius) realizes the power of the spirit (Daniel) and that devils (the
lions) have no power against him, he decrees that everyone must fear God and
makes the spirit the ruler of all that the self controls.
Thus, the flesh has been “crucified,” and the believer continues
to walk according to the control of the spirit.
Da 6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of
my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the
living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
Steps for Overcoming Spiritual Oppression
1. Spiritual oppression is an attempt by Satan to make us
live in fear of him and what he can do to us.
2. Spiritual oppression has its basis in the law because
without sin, Satan has no basis for attacking us.
3. We must understand that Satan lost all his rights and
power when Jesus
4. Satan’s strategy is to get us to believe that we must
rely on ourselves to get our needs met. If he succeeds, we will feel
insecure, be afraid of what he
can do, and make ourselves vulnerable to his attack, because we have become
our own God and are responsible for protecting ourselves. Satan
only has power to the degree we believe his lies.
5. The first step in overcoming spiritual oppression is to
maintain our faith in God, no matter what Satan may threaten to do.
6. We must realize that Jesus has fulfilled the law for
us, that He is in
7. The client must face his fears of Satan and death,
trust in the finished
For a video on this subject select the link below:
1. Overcoming Spiritual Oppression (Faith Therapy Lesson 10) [Start 36:29]