John Eckhardt - Let Us Alone: The Cry of Demons

Contents

Chapter 1

Exposing The Enemy

And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean A spirit; and he cried out,

Saying, LET US ALONE; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?

Mark 1:23 ,24

A s I was meditating on this verse of Scripture, the Lord began to deal with me concerning the words spoken by this unclean spirit. The cry of this spirit is the cry of all demons: "LET US ALONE." They don't like to be disturbed.

Demons would rather do their work without being noticed or exposed; and they definitely don't like to be identified and cast out. Demons resist exposure and will resist anyone who attempts to bring the light of God upon their hidden works. There are many well meaning Christians, including ministers, who feel it is not necessary to discuss or teach on demons and deliverance.

In most churches, very little (if any) time is used to teach and minister in the areas of deliverance and spiritual warfare. And those who do spend any considerable amount of time talking about demons are considered "overboard" and "deliverance fanatics". At any rate, I do agree that any truth can be taught in such a way that it becomes extreme.

However, considering the massive scale of the problem of demonization, the opposite is often the case: there is usually not enough teaching in this area. Some unconsciously fall into the trap of the enemy by LEAVING HIM ALONE. If demons are left alone, they will continue to operate unhindered in the lives of countless individuals.

The fact remains that demons cannot and should not be left alone. They must be exposed and cast out. Teaching on demons is not optional but necessary if people are to be delivered. Until we began to teach and preach on demons and deliverance, we did not see people delivered the way we do today in our local church.

We were told the teaching was unnecessary. We were told we were spending too much time talking about demons. But the more we taught and preached in this area, the more manifestations we encountered and the more people we saw set free.

Of course the demons hated being exposed and cast out, just as they did when our Lord ministered on the earth. They screamed, cursed, and cried out. Some even said the same words found in our text: "Let Us Alone." But the more they cried out, the more we attacked and cast them out.

Teaching on demons and deliverance disturbs evil spirits and causes them to manifest. The words of these evil spirits to Jesus give us a clue to the mindset of the enemy. That is, demons would rather be left alone. They will resist anyone who tries to expose them. Not only that, they have a special hatred against deliverance ministries because so much light is shed on their demonic works by these ministries.

According to Ephesians, chapter 6 and verse 12, demons are identified as "rulers of the darkness of this world". Rulership denotes authority. In other words, the level of authority that demons have to operate is based upon the darkness in a person's life. The more darkness, the more authority they have to operate. When revelation comes concerning their work, light comes. When light comes the darkness is dispelled, and their power is broken.

You can see why demons would rather be left alone. If left alone, they can continue their evil works in the lives of countless people. As long as people are in the dark concerning Satan and his works, demons will continue to rule in the darkness. It is the responsibility of the Church to expose the works of darkness, and set the captives free.

Unfortunately, many ministers of the Gospel don't want to deal with the subject of demons and deliverance. On the other hand, those who deal extensively with this subject are called "deliverance fanatics" or "demon chasers". Most ministers say that all we need to do is "preach Jesus" or "preach Faith". Although I am not against "preaching Jesus" or "preaching Faith," I also find "preach Deliverance to the captives" in the word of God (Luke 4:18). Therefore, I don't mind being called a "Deliverance Preacher".

Jesus was a "Deliverance Preacher". He cast out "MANY devils" (Mark 6:13). Today, most ministers cast out few, if any devils. Many don't want to deal with this aspect of the ministry of our Lord. The result is that a few ministries are overburdened with the enormous needs of those seeking deliverance. By the grace of God they are able to help many, but sadly the needs of many others go unmet.

The saddest commentary on numerous ministries is that they oppose those who will take the time to pray for the needs of those seeking deliverance. This opposition is usually demonically inspired.

Often, those who oppose preaching and teaching on demons and deliverance are the very ones in need of deliverance themselves. They are unknowingly playing into the hands of those very demons who would rather be left alone. Statements such as "We don't need to talk about the devil", or "I don't believe it takes all that; just preach the Word and they will get delivered," are just what the enemy likes to hear. The less you discuss and attack his kingdom, the more he will be able to operate under the cover of darkness.

But the Lord is raising up ministries that will not "LEAVE THEM ALONE." Men and women who will challenge, confront, expose, and cast out demons. They will not be afraid of the misunderstanding and persecution that comes with this ministry. They will not draw back from the attacks of the enemy who hates and resists any ministry that exposes and destroys his kingdom. They will bring light into a world that sits in "gross darkness" (Isaiah 60:2).

Ignorance Is Darkness

A lack of knowledge leads to blindness and darkness. Satan rules in the lives of many because of ignorance. Ignorance concerning his work and kingdom is the cover of darkness his demons operate under. This is why teaching on demons and deliverance is so necessary. Without the knowledge of demons and deliverance, the enemy will continue to destroy the lives of multitudes due to ignorance.

Those who are ignorant are in the dark. Those who are in the dark are under the authority of the enemy. He is the ruler of darkness. Those who walk in the light will not be subject to his authority. Light destroys darkness. Knowledge destroys ignorance. When knowledge comes, light comes; and when light comes, the darkness must flee.

...but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

Proverbs 11:9

Knowledge brings deliverance. I have known people who began manifesting (i.e., exhibiting signs of demonic presence) and supernaturally received deliverance from evil spirits just by reading deliverance books. The light and revelation in the subject matter of the books began to expose the spirits of darkness, and the demons began to cry out, "Let Us Alone!" Then there are others who get headaches or are overcome by sleepiness and other hindrances because the demons did not want them reading "those books".

Evil spirits will put up every possible roadblock to keep people from receiving the knowledge that will set them free. Some have even become physically sick while attempting to read a book on deliverance or attend a deliverance service for the first time. We have even had people who could not find our church building even though they had the correct address and knew the area of location.

The bottom line is that demons want to be left alone. They don't like being disturbed. Everything was alright until Jesus began to minister and cast them out. The religious system of that day had not disturbed them. The preaching and teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees did not disturb them. But the preaching and teaching of Jesus infuriated them. He exposed them and cast them out.

They hated the ministry of Jesus and mounted every conceivable pressure against Him to stop Him. The Pharisees (motivated by demons) even accused Jesus of casting out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils (Matthew 12:24). The religious system of His day hated Him because they were controlled by the spirits of darkness, whose kingdom Jesus was destroying.