Renounce the Spirit of Scarcity by Bryan Craig

1 John 4:1-4

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  1 John 4:1-4

I was a teenager in the 80’s, and one of Madonna’s big hits had the chorus, “I am living in a material world, and I am a material girl.”  Madonna was right.  This world is very materialistic, and we all deal with it on one level or another.  Around that same time, I remember a pastor at the Methodist church we were attending was a graduate of SMU in Dallas, and he strongly recommended to my parents that I apply there.  I had the grades and the credentials to get accepted, but I had no idea what SMU was all about or the wealth that surrounded that school.  I mentioned something about me applying there to a Drama student friend of mine, and he said to me, “SMU?! You?!  You don’t have the clothes for it.”  I was naïve and a bit shocked as he shattered a dream with one comment.

Recently, I’ve been pondering spiritual warfare and the existence of evil spirits that oppress us and try to tempt us, discourage us, torment us, cause us to turn back on our journey.  One book I read recently talks about how we, as children of God, who carry the Holy Spirit within us, have power, just like Jesus’ first disciples did, to renounce evil spirits.  This author talks about how evil spirits gain access to our consciousness through past sin or through traumatic events.  This is very interesting to me for I’ve seen many people stuck in repetitive sins that they don’t think they can break or I’ve seen fellow Christians and even those who are learning to abide, feeling powerless over evil and the world.  Evil spirits are definitely real, and we must learn to take the authority we’ve been given over them.  

The John 4 verse above is one of my favorite which talks about “spirits.”  It says we must “test the spirits” to see if they are from God or spirits that are “anti-Christ,” opposed to God.  

Luke 10 is an amazing account where Jesus sent 72 disciples on mission trips to different towns.  This is very important, because He had already done a test run with the 12 disciples, sending them 2 by 2, and they found they had the same power as Jesus.  But lest you think, “Well sure, that was the BIG 12.  Of course they had special power.”  Here it says he sent 72 others, 2 by 2, and they reported back:

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”  And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20 ESV

Another teaching by Paul:

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8

Evil spirits are real and they are all around us.  I do want to draw an important distinction.  There is Oppression by evil spirits, and there is Possession by evil spirits.  Scripture talks about many account when evil spirits were cast out of people.  This was possession, and my personal bias is that this cannot happen to believers of Christ who possess the Holy Spirit.  I do believe it can easily happen to non-believers.  

I am mainly focusing on “Oppression” because that is what most of us encounter in our own lives and in our ministry.  These are Christians who are battling spiritual warfare.  In The Journey, we have one session on spiritual warfare and the weapons we possess to battle evil spirits.  This is very important.  Ephesians 6 and the Armor of God is SO crucial to understand and implement in our lives.  And I would also add the verse, 2 Corinthians 10:5, learning to “take every thought captive.”  

The book I’m referencing encourages believers to dig deeper, perhaps even participating in some prayer counseling, to help identify where the perpetrator is gaining access to our consciousness and causing us harm.  One important step is naming the evil spirits.  Just as Jesus identifiedspirits by name, the author believes the spirits that plague us have names.  For example, there is a spirit of fear, a spirit of unforgiveness, a spirit of shame, a spirit of confusion, a spirit of depression, a spirit of doubt, or how about an Orphan spirit, as we uncover in The Journey.

As I’ve been diving deeper into this in my own life, I’ve identified that spirit that spoke to me early on in my life, even through my Drama friend regarding SMU.  I call it the “Spirit of Scarcity.”  This evil spirit always tries to tell me I won’t have enough resources to take care of my family, or that others are more blessed than I am materially, or I’m not enough, as if it’s all up to me to carry the weight of my ministry and my family.  Perhaps you recognize this voice in your life.  I tell you with 100% certainty that it’s NOT FROM GOD.  But I’m ashamed to say how often I’ve let this spirit work me into a frenzy.  I just realized about a year ago that this spirit has had access to me and has plagued me most of my life.  

But I can tell you it’s been amazing since I have recognized it, called it out by name, renounced it (NO MORE!), and taken authority over it.  I’m not talking about a “Health, Wealth and Prosperity” gospel by any means, but I’m talking about casting this Scarcity bully out of my life.  

I am a Disciple of Christ, I am a son of the King, and He is my provider, He is my sufficiency, He is my life.  NO MORE SCARCITY thoughts or talk coming out of my mouth!

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!  Matthew 7:11

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  Matthew 6:25-27

I don’t know if you relate to my thoughts or have encountered the spirit of Scarcity, but if not, I bet there’s another spirit messing with you.  Be assured that Christ, through His death and resurrection and through His Spirit, has given us the same power the early disciples had.  Evil spirits must submit to us in Jesus’ name.  But we must use the power He has given us.

Ask the Lord where you are being plagued by evil.  Ask Him the spirit’s name.  Then RENOUNCE IT in Jesus’ Name.  It will leave, and it most likely will sneak back around when you are in a weak moment, but that’s when you reassert your authority, “I SAID NO MORE!”Brothers and sisters, we are in a spiritual battle.  There are souls on the line.  Our mission is too important to let some inferior evil spirit take us off mission.  We must be strong and courageousand walking in the freedom of the Spirit.  FREEDOM!