Identifying The Enemy
THE FAMILIAR SPIRIT

We are now in war, and again God's war is not with flesh and blood, it is a spiritual battle. Now, we already have the victory through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are now here on earth to establish that victory and take back what the enemy has stole. Satan is continuing to steal, kill, and destroy (Jn 10:10), because I believe many of us are ignorant of his devices (2 Co. 2:11). But, it is time to be ignorant no more. In the last ALIVE service we identified the spirit of divination, tonight we are going to identify a similar spirit named the Familiar Spirit.

Maybe, you don't feel free of deliverance from last week when we bound the spirit of Divination, well it is not unusual for these two strongmen to gang up together if it serves their purpose. If that is the case and you are still struggling in the area of the occult both spirits may need to be bound from your life or from the life of the ones you are praying for.

Who Is The Familiar Spirit?

A familiar spirit is usually involved in the areas of necromancy (supposed consultation with the dead), spirit mediums, clairvoyancy, yoga, spiritists, psychic powers and prophecy, transcendental meditation (T.M.), Extra-sensory perception (E.S.P.), cocaine, crack and other mind-altering drugs and internal trance inspiration of direct second sight such as dreams, internal visions and passive-mind states as well as trance channeling.

The ability to contact the spirits is often passed from one generation to the next within receptive families, which may account in part for its name, familiar." The word "familiar" comes from the root word "family". Most of us are unaware of the relationship our grandparents or great-grandparents may have had with Satan. We don't know whether they delved into the occult and other forbidden practices either purposely or through ignorance. Understand now, that does not make us demon possessed if we are now living according to God's Word. It simply means that we must close those doors permanently in our lives which we would certainly have done earlier had we known it was necessary. We inform Satan and his harassing demons that, based on the Word of God, we are breaking all pacts we or our relatives may have made in the past wit him because we are now under new ownership. We are new creatures in Christ Jesus.

Biblical Examples of the Familiar Spirit

Lev 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
1Sa 28:5-19 But when Saul saw the Philistine troops, he shook in his boots, scared to death. Saul prayed to GOD, but GOD didn't answer--neither by dream nor by sign nor by prophet. So Saul ordered his officials, "Find me someone who can call up spirits so I may go and seek counsel from those spirits." His servants said, "There's a witch at Endor." Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes. Then, taking two men with him, he went under the cover of night to the woman and said, "I want you to consult a ghost for me. Call up the person I name." The woman said, "Just hold on now! You know what Saul did, how he swept the country clean of mediums. Why are you trying to trap me and get me killed?" Saul swore solemnly, "As GOD lives, you won't get in any trouble for this." The woman said, "So whom do you want me to bring up?" "Samuel. Bring me Samuel." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly to Saul, "Why did you lie to me? You're Saul!" The king told her, "You have nothing to fear . . . but what do you see?" "I see a spirit ascending from the underground." "And what does he look like?" Saul asked. "An old man ascending, robed like a priest." Saul knew it was Samuel. He fell down, face to the ground, and worshiped. Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by calling me up?" "Because I'm in deep trouble," said Saul. "The Philistines are making war against me and God has deserted me--he doesn't answer me any more, either by prophet or by dream. And so I'm calling on you to tell me what to do." "Why ask me?" said Samuel. "GOD has turned away from you and is now on the side of your neighbor. GOD has done exactly what he told you through me--ripped the kingdom right out of your hands and given it to your neighbor. It's because you did not obey GOD, refused to carry out his seething judgment on Amalek, that GOD does to you what he is doing today. Worse yet, GOD is turning Israel, along with you, over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And, yes, indeed, GOD is giving Israel's army up to the Philistines."

When God wants to speaks to His people, He either uses the Holy Spirit or the written Word of God. God will never use an unclean spirit to communicate with mankind. The only conclusion we can draw from this is that a familiar spirit or demon impersonated Samuel. Demons are familiar with what is going on in the world and they use such information to predict, sidetrack, instill fear or confuse humanity.

1Ch 10:13-14 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

The Fruits of the Familiar Spirit

Mind readers-those who try to read the mind of complete strangers.
False Prophets-those who instill fear into the hearts of men, doom-sayers.
Clairvoyants-they see objects or people who may have been lost.
Transcendental Meditation-the repetition of a special word is uttered over and over again to attain relaxation. The individual doesn't realize many times that his special word is the name of a demon which he is actually calling to come and guide or possess him.
E.S.P.-those who have extra-sensory perception who bend spoons and metal, start broken watches and transport objects from one place to the other seemingly by their powers of mental concentration.
Peeping and Muttering-tongues that sound more like insects clicking and chirping away. Isa 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
Psychic Phenomena-Poltergeist Activity-haunted houses, ghosts, etc. Drugs-Satan uses the passive-mind state brought about by the hallucinogenic drugs such as L.S.D., cocaine, crack, alcohol, and prescription dugs like valium and Librium to activate everything from depression to possession in those who experiment with or depend on such substances.

Side note:
Much of the information provided is from the book Strongman's His Name...What's His Game by Drs. Jerry & Carol Robeson.