Defining the Temple is necessary in order to
understand how the temple is defiled and defended. The temple in which God lives on earth today is the body of a born-again
believer. This is such an overwhelming thought, that God actually indwells the believer with His Holy Spirit. This can become
confusing to some who ask the question, "If the Holy Spirit of God lives in me, how could evils spirits get into me as well."
How can sin and evil thoughts live in the temple of God? Evil spirits can get in the temple just like evil thoughts and sinful
actions. By choices we make and gates that we open.
Our Body is a trinity, we are three in
one. We are a spirit that has a soul that lives in a body. The best comparison I know is to look at our body, or more correctly
our being, as a temple or tabernacle, as Paul calls it in 1 Corinthians 5:1. "For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens."
Do you recall the Old Testament tabernacle?
It was three parts; an outer courtyard, then the actual structure of the tabernacle included the Holy Place and the Holy of
Holies. The Holy Place was twice as large as the Holy of Holies.
The Tabernacle is a picture of our being. The
courtyard represents our flesh, the Holy Place-our soul, and the Holy of Holies-our spirit. The Holy of Holies is where the
Spirit of God dwells. This is important in understanding how the temple is defiled. Where does the spirit of God dwell in
the believer? In our spirit! Not in our soul and flesh, that is the part of us that we can yield to God or to disobedience.
Our soul is made up of our mind, will and emotions. Our flesh is that which can be seen, touched, felt . . . it has substance.
The spirit has no substance. It is intangible, it is our spirit that is born-again and it is in our spirit that the Holy Spirit
of God takes up residence.
Perhaps the spirit is also the "inner man".
It is very important to understand that we are a trinity. We are a three-part being. The spirit has been born again, the soul
and the flesh are "being saved" as we yield ourselves and conform to the image of Christ.. It is the soul and the flesh that
can be inhabited by demon powers. It is the soul where spiritual battle takes places and often it manifests in the flesh.
The mind is the battlefield. The mind and the
brain are separate but I cannot scientifically prove to you how I know this. The brain is physical, the mind is "soulish."
The seed of sin is in the mind while the fruit of sin may be manifested in the flesh. Demons do not, cannot, possess a believer
but... they can and often do "oppress" believers and the oppression takes place in the body and soul. It is necessary to understand
this in order to deal with the demons.
DEFILING
THE TEMPLE
How is the temple of God defiled? Do you
recall how angry Jesus became when He entered the Temple and saw it "defiled" by those buying and selling, and by the money changers. The things of the world had been brought into the Temple.
That’s how it is defiled today, when we invite things of the world into our lives. This also becomes an invitation for
demon spirits to inhabit the temple! Like rats are attracted to garbage, when our life has un-confessed sin, unbroken curses
or un-forgiveness, the demons come and they defile the temple.
They must be "driven" out. They cannot be medicated
out, nor counseled out. Neither can they be removed by you "willing" them to be gone. All Christian activity is helpful in
keeping the demons somewhat "in check", but to be rid of them, they must be "cast out". They must be driven out in the Name
of Jesus Christ! Jesus said, "In my name CAST out devils." Can the temple be defiled? Absolutely! Just as Jesus saw the Holy
Temple of God defiled, He sees ours defiled by things we have permitted in our lives. Now the lie we have believed is that
once we have confessed our sin, the demons leave. . .not necessarily so. Repentance and confession of sin cancels the penalty
of sin, but have the demons been commanded to leave? The "permission" of the demon spirit to be there has been cancelled but
I have found they often do not leave until they are commanded to do so. Notice that healing came after the temple was cleansed!
No sin could enter the Holy of Holies; it meant
certain death to come into God’s Holy Presence with sin in the life of the High Priest. Just as sin could not enter
the Holy of Holies, neither can demon spirits enter the spirit of a believer. The temple polluters that Jesus chased from
the temple were not in the Holy of Holies, but in the outer court. So you see possession, is not the issue. The Holy Spirit
possesses our spirit, He is the owner; we are purchased, redeemed, bought with a price. Defiling the temple involves the soul
and the flesh. Our mind, our will, our emotions and our flesh. This is where the tormentors do their damage. A defiled temple
is a troubled temple! A troubled temple must be cleansed by the Lord Jesus. "Cleansed" in this case is more than being forgiven.
It is driving out the source of the defilement. How do we defend the temple? If demon spirits are present, we must determine
their legal consent.
DEFENDING
THE TEMPLE
Consent must be from Jehovah God or from
our self. Demons could be present by permission of generational sin of the forefathers and if that is the case then these
spirits have consent to be there. Generational sin, or ancestral sin is legal consent given by God according to Exodus 20:5
". . . for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" This is a scriptural principle or law,
if you will. It is legal permission for evil spirits to pass from one generation to another.
Remember it is not possession . . . it is oppression
and Jesus went about doing good healing all those who were oppressed of the devil. Do they have consent to stay? That’s
the issue. Have you confessed the curse-breaking power of Jesus Christ’ Name over generational sin? Has anyone commanded
the spirits to leave? Have you not only repented of un-forgiveness, anger, bitterness and similar sins, but have spirits that
may have come by that doorway been commanded to leave?
It is important that you know! My experience
has been that evil spirits, generally, do not leave until they are commanded to leave. Repentance cancels their permission
to be there, but they leave when they are commanded to leave. Jesus drove out those who defiled the Temple with great authority.
He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy! Keeping the Temple cleansed is keeping doorways closed that allow
them entrance. Read carefully this statement; the presence of the Holy Spirit does not keep demon spirits out, keeping doorways
closed by the leadership of the Holy Spirit does! Man has a choice to "quench" or to "grieve" the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
does not fight our battles, He leads and guides us, but our will is always honored. I hope this helps to answer some of your
questions.
Just for Jesus,
Don