Making Demons Bow
by Bishop Tom Benjamin, Jr., D.Min.
17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:17-20 KJ)
“Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst;
he promises honor and pays with disgrace;
he promises pleasure and pays with pain;
he promises profit and pays with loss;
he promises life and pays with death.” (Thomas Brooks)
In order to throw off the bondage of the past and face the future with faith instead of fear, you have to realize that you have been given the authority and power to make demons bow in the Name of Jesus.
We owe it to Jesus Christ and to ourselves to take back what the devil has stolen from us in the last year. We have allowed the enemy to have his way in far too many situations and circumstances.
Too many of us as believers in Jesus Christ have forgotten that where Jesus guides, He also provides and whom Jesus elects, He also protects. We have allowed the devil to rob us of our joy and if we are not careful, he will also steal our authority in the Name of Jesus. He has backed us up, taken us down, run over us, and then mocked us. And too many of us have sat back and let him do it while we complain about our condition and our circumstances.
But the fact of the matter is that in order to throw off the baggage and bondage of the past and face the future with faith instead of fear, you have to realize that you have been given the authority and power to make demons bow in the Name of Jesus. Whatever the demon is that is dogging you, it is time to declare war on the devil and tear his kingdom down, because you have been given along with the gift of salvation, the power to make demons bow in Jesus’ Name. It is time to recognize your rights as a born again spirit-filled believer. It is time to make demons bow.
What are demons? They are the employees of Satan. They are the dark angels of the devil. Sometimes I call them “Satan an nem.” They are plentiful (my name is legion for we are many) and powerful in defeating Christians. But their victories come only when believers fail to realize they have the authority to make demons bow.
What do they look like? They look like every disorder you can think of: depression, despair, destitution, disease, divorce, disunity, jealousy, hatred, and murder, but they all still must bow. You have the authority in the name of Jesus to make these “bad guys” bow, your haters humble, your critics curtsy, and these gravediggers genuflect.
In our text we see the disciples having had great results ministering in the Master’s name. They had gone out two by two to almost every city in Galilee representing Jesus. When they returned, they came back with great joy because of their victories. Jesus shared their enthusiasm and warned them about their pride, and helped them get proper perspective on what was really important: their heavenly citizenship.
