What Kind of Devils Are They?

I personally don't want to know or need to know (although I can't recall a single instance in which I didn't know) what "kind" of devils someone has.  It is simply irrelevant.  Some have claimed that you can't cast out devils unless you know which spirit it is.  By knowing the spirit, they claim, then you can know exactly how to pray and cast that particular spirit out.  Hogwash.  They're ALL unclean spirits.  Period.  A devil is a devil is a devil and his method, his habitation, his works, his purpose and his existence is evil, sinister and unclean.   In the case of mankind, he (whatever devil it may be) is a trespasser in that body and he is subject, IN EVERY INSTANCE) to the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I'll cover more about casting them out later.

Some have supposed there is a devil for everything that could possibly ever go wrong.  I've heard people (very sincerely) state they were going to cast the devil out of their car, they were going to cast out a devil of unforgiveness, a spirit of laziness (this one is misinterpreted from a spirit of slumber), and even a "car demon" that apparently caused tires to go flat (apparently this one has plagued me over the years from time to time...lol). 

There are many today who see demons at every turn and who believe every bad thing in the entire world is caused by some type of demon.  This is, of course, utterly ridiculous.  The bible has no support for such ignorant, ill-informed claims:  none.  I've watched people over the years that have witnessed the casting out of a devil once (or twice perhaps) and all of a sudden, they become the world's foremost authority on devils.  To hear them talk, they appear to have cast out thousands of devils.  I'm not so sure they don't have a lying spirit themselves.  Anyway, I digress:  back to the teaching.

I really hate that “toe stubbing” spirit, don't you?  Honestly, though, as I said, there are some spirits that are listed in the bible so allow me to list a few of them and give the scriptures from which they came. 

SPIRIT OF HEAVINESS - Isaiah 61:3 

SPIRIT OF JEALOUSY - Numbers 5:30 

LYING SPIRIT - 1 Kings 22:22 

FAMILIAR SPIRIT - Leviticus 19:21, 20:6, 20:27, Deuteronomy 18:11, 1 Samuel 28:3 

PERVERSE SPIRIT - Isaiah 19:14 

SPIRIT OF SLUMBER – Romans 11:8 

SPIRIT OF WHOREDOM - Lev. 19:29 & 20:5, Num. 25:1, Hosea 1:2 

HAUGHTY SPIRIT - *  There is some validation to listing a “Spirit of Haughtiness” but the bible doesn’t say there is specifically such a thing.  We do read that of pride and haughty spirits in Proverbs 16:18 but again, the bible doesn’t list a “Spirit of Haughtiness” 

SPIRIT OF INFIRMITY - Luke 13:11 

DEAF AND DUMB SPIRIT - Mark 9:25 

SPIRIT OF DIVINATION – Acts 16:16  *REMIND ME LATER and I’ll give you more insight into this one.   The Greek term for this is literally a “python spirit” or the “spirit of Python”.  (There is a bit of history behind the term as used in the New Testament. 

SPIRIT OF FEAR - 2 Tim 1:7 

SPIRIT OF BONDAGE - Romans 8:15 

SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST – 1 John 4:3 

I may have left out one or two but I think these are most of the ones listed in the bible.  I’ll do a bit more research.   

There are other such listings such as mentioning a “spirit of wisdom” etc. but in this case there is no literally spirit referenced and the context is such that it denotes this is more of a “personification of the quality” rather than an actual spirit. 

There are some who mention “Jezebel” Spirits and others but there really isn’t a record in the bible of such things.  While someone may act like Jezebel (or even Ahab for that matter) and be of the same spirit, there is not devil termed “Jezebel Spirit” that is listed in the bible anywhere. 

I know some of you are disappointed now, but I'm not concerned with disappointment.  I'm concerned with the absolute, bottom line truth of God's Word.

Let me throw you a curve:  There is NO SUCH THING as a “Spirit of Satanism” or a “Spirit of Murder” and to say so is pure humanistic, fleshly, speculation.   Additionally, there is also no such thing as a “Spirit of Witchcraft”.  Not once is this listed in the bible (although such a spirit would fall under the heading of a "spirit of whoredom".  Whether one wishes to accept this or not is of course, their choice, however the Word of God tells us exactly what witchcraft itself really is: 

Galatians 5:19-21  “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Witchcraft and murder are, according to the Word of God:  “Works of the Flesh”!  You CANNOT CAST OUT "WORKS OF THE FLESH!" (Although I've seen many make failed attempts at doing so!)  You need to KNOW you are dealing with a devil and not just flesh!

Let me say once more:  the only thing you need to know about devils is this:  they are ALL unclean spirits, they are NOT of God and they are intruders and trespassers in the lives of men.  Yes, I realize there are those who have invited them in, and many of those such people have completely rejected Jesus Christ and have become reprobate.  I also realize there are those who have NEVER invited devils in and there is no apparent explanation for how they got there.  Regardless, I'm not as concerned with how they got there, but am more concerned with getting them out.

This brings us to the final matter in this teaching:  Casting Out Devils.