Why is it that our powerful and effective prayers that result in deliverance do nothing to protect us from these monsters returning?
I don’t know how often I’ve experienced deliverance from depression or anxiety as a result of prayer, only to have those demons return. Or all the times I’ve seen prayers of deliverance from anger or insecurity or frustration answered, only to watch these same demons attack again. And then there have been my personal prayers for deliverance from bulemia. God has always been faithful, He’s always answered these prayers! Yet the temptation returns time and time again. Why is this? Isn’t God’s deliverance once and for all?
Logically it does seem that this ought to be the way. Yet the Bible tells that when an evil spirit leaves someone, this is what happens: “…it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” (Matthew 12:45 NLT).
I’ve always taken this to mean that once the evil is swept out of our hearts, we need to invite the Holy Spirit in to reside in their stead. That way, when those evil spirits return, they will not find the house empty. And I continue to hold to this belief; but is there perhaps more to it than this? What is it that keeps those evil spirits coming back to the same host in the first place? Is it possible that when we go to war against frustration, depression, anxiety, insecurity, anger, frustration, eating disorders, etc., we are actually not getting at the root of the problem?
An interesting story is recorded in 1 Kings 20. The wicked king Ahab is under siege from Ben-hadad of Aram. God intervenes, telling Ahab, “Do you see all these enemy forces? Today I will hand them all over to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (vs. 13 NLT), and as a result, Israel defeats the armies of Aram (see vs. 15-22). Naturally, Ben-hadad, a non-believer, attributes this to the fact that Israel’s God was “a god of the hills”. His next attack would be on the plains (see vs. 23-26). Once again, despite the wickedness of Israel’s king and Israel’s idolatry, God intervened: “The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Vs. 28 NLT). And yes, once again, Israel utterly defeated the Arameans (see vs. 29-30).
It is in the next part of the story that we find the answer to why the demons that God delivers us from always seem to come back…
After the battle, Ben-hadad flees for his life. Remembering that the Israeli kings have a reputation for mercy, he appears to Ahab as Ahab is returning home and begs: “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live!'” (Vs. 32b NLT)
In this story, the Israeli armies completely defeated the enemy, but their leader still lives. And when this leader begs for mercy, Ahab extends it to him!
It sounds like a good thing, right? After all, we are called to be merciful, even blessed for it (See Matt. 5:7)! But in this case, Ahab is actually condemned for being merciful: “Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed, now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.” (Vs. 42 NLT).
Why is Ahab condemned for showing mercy?
Because he has disobeyed God, yes; but in addition, he has not removed the leader of his enemy. He is so satisfied with himself for having removed the immediate threat that he does not remove the root of his problem, the Aramean king, Ben-hadad!
When I think back to the depression, bulimia, anxiety, anger, etc., that I have so often fought against, I realize something important: The immediate threat has been removed; but the root of those problems are being allowed to live. What is the root of the bulimia that so often plagues me? Gluttony and poor self-image! What about my depression and anger? At the root are usually issues of control and entitlement! I can only speak for personal experience, but I believe that these returning demons are all rooted in something else, often something so deep that we don’t even realize those roots are there. But just like it wasn’t enough for Ahab to defeat the Arameans, it isn’t enough for us to attack the visible demonic forces either. Just like Ahab needed to remove the root of the problem with Aram, their king, we also need to dig deep and remove the root of our anger, depression, anxiety, frustration, etc.!
The Bible speaks of “roots of bitterness”: “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” (Hebrews 12:15b NLT). We would do well to head this advice, to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to us what the demons we fight against are rooted in. He will reveal them to us, and then we can go after the problem at its source. When we do, we will find that our spiritual battles become a lot more poignant with a lot more lasting results!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Moderator, Associate Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
