There is also a permanent attitude toward the body, which may be described under the word "fasting," which is a necessary condition for continuous victory over evil spirits. Especially for the casting out of evil spirits, it is imperative that the believer has complete mastery over his body, able to discriminate between its legitimate demands, and the spirits of evil seeking to gain a footing behind its lawful needs, and to detect all the wiles seeking to rob him of victory over them.
In the casting out of evil spirits, the voice may be strong or weak, as it is governed by the circumstances of the occasion. If it is weak, the weakness may be caused by fear, ignorance, an immaturely developed spirit, or it may be the result of the strength of the opposing spirit. The Holy Spirit who energizes the man for the act of "casting out," is of necessity hindered in His operations by these factors in the believer.note 24 Especially is an undeveloped spirit a limitation, for this shows the non-use of the spirit in general conflict. The spirit grows strong in maintained resistance and conflict with the powers of darkness, and by obtaining complete mastery over soul and body, as did John the Baptist in the wilderness (Matt. 3: 4); for "every man that striveth for the mastery" (1 Cor. 9: 25) over himself, gains a capacity of spirit for the Holy Spirit's energizing, which can be obtained in no other way.
The special influx of the Holy Spirit which equips believers for co-operating with Him in wielding the authority of Christ over evil spirits, is dealt with in another chapternote 25 (Acts 13: 8, 9, 10). The Holy Spirit in the spirit of the believer, is the power at the back of the act of casting out, and the servant of God should watch keenly not to move to any aggressive step apart from Him. Paul endured for many days the attack of the evil spirit upon him through the woman possessed with a spirit of divination, but there was a moment when, "sore troubled," the Apostle turned upon it (Acts 16: 18), and, speaking direct to the spirit and not to the girl, commanded it to come out of her. The believer who can discern the sense of the spirit knows that moment, and co-working with the Spirit of God moving in his spirit, finds the power of the Name of Jesus over the demons of Satan, as effective to-day as in the time of the Apostles and the Early Fathers of the Church.note 26
The chief factor in the casting out, or commanding evil spirits to come out of a man, is FAITH IN THE POWER OF THE NAME OF JESUS. This faith is based on knowledge that evil spirits must obey the authority of Christ, exercised by Him through those who are united to Him. Any doubt on this point will render the commanding fruitless.
The casting out is always done by speaking directly to the spirit in possession, and in the Name of Christ, the believer saying:
"I charge thee in the Name of Jesus Christ to come
out. . . ." Acts 16: 18.
There is no danger of the evil spirit when cast out, entering into, or being transmitted to the one who has dealt with them, unless there is ground for their doing so, or consentnote 27 is obtained for their entry by trick of the enemy. Believers called upon to deal with evil spirits in others should deliberately declare their stand upon the Calvary basis of Romans 6: 6-11, ere they do so, as the only safe way of dealing with the basic ground of the old creation, which may give place to the enemy.
The casting out of an evil spirit from another may also be an occasion for the manifestation of one hidden unknowinglynote 28 in the believer who is dealing with the other possessed person. If this is so, when he finds an immediate manifestation of the enemy's workings in himself he is liable to attribute it to a transmission to himself, or an attack upon himself, of the expelled spirit.
Through this wrong interpretationnote 29 he now seeks deliverance from the supposed "transmission," and thereby gives new ground to the deceiving spirit, because he does not seek for the cause of the manifestation in his past life; that is, he deals with it as an "attack," instead of a symptom, and hence the cause, or ground, is left undealt with, and undiscovered.
Neither does the laying on of hands by a person unknowingly possessed, transmit evil spirits. If it appears so, it is but an occasion for an evil spirit already hidden in the person, to manifest itself, and then to suggest a wrong cause for the manifestation, so as to throw him off the track in the discovery of ground. In brief, if there are already deceiving spirits in possession, the conditions are favourable for their manifestation, for ALL MANIFESTATION OF EVIL SPIRITS IN A PERSON MEANS GROUNDnote 30 for their occupation, which should be dealt with at once. If a symptomatic manifestation is called an "attack" from outside, no deliverance will be known until the true cause is recognized.
It may be said at this point that whatever signification there may be in the "laying on of hands," the result should be spiritual, and in the spirit, not in physical sensations, or any conscious feelings in the Senses.note 31