4. The Spirit of Perversion
Perverse Spirit
Manifestations: broken spirit, evil actions, atheism, abortion,
Child Abuse, Filthy Mind, Doctrinal Error, Sex Perversions, Twisting the Word, Foolishness, Chronic Worrier, Contentions, Incest, and Pronogrophy Scriptures: (Exodus 20:13; 21:22-25; Proverbs 1:22; 2:12; 14:2; 15:4; 17:20,23; 19:1,3; 23:33; Isaiah 19:14; Acts 13:10; Romans 1:17-32; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Timothy 6:4,5; 2 Timothy 3:2,7-8; Titus
3:11,11; 2 Peter 2:14)
Roots: "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19–21. "By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10, 11:12, 12:29, 16:18, 18:18, and 28:18
Bind: Perverse Spirit
Loose: God's Spirit; Pureness, Holiness, Zechariah 12:10; Hebrews 10:29; 12:14
Overcoming the Spirit of Perversion Overcoming the Evil, Strong Men Overcoming evil spirits and demolishing strongholds of Satan, which fight against the soul of manThe spirit of perversion
The spirit of perversion controls people with sexual impurity and all who dishonour their bodies among themselves, abandoning them to the degrading power of sin. It is a lustful spirit, ruling over men who lust after women and women who lust after men. Therefore, God gave them over, in the sinful desires of their hearts, to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Rom 1:24
The spirit of perversion controls people who are into homosexuality or prostitution. This same evil spirit operates with a lying spirit, the spirit of rebellion, and the spirit of idolatry in the lives of such people. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen (v.25).
They exchange their natural function for an unnatural one because of their vile affection and degrading passions. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relationships for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion (vv. 26–27).
Their thinking is futile, and their hearts are foolish. They make simpletons of themselves. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools (see vv. 21–22). Verse 23 says: and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal men, birds, animals, and reptiles. Such idolatry is predominantly found in places around the world, like the city of Rome.
The spirit of perversion controls cities where homosexuality and prostitution are rampant. The kind of people talked about in this passage of Scripture are described as having a pervert, indecent, and loathsome nature. See how the following verses reveal their very nature: Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (vv. 28-32).
The people of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were full of lust of every kind, including the lust of men for other men. Those cities were destroyed by fire and continued to be a warning to us that there is a hell in which sinners are punished (read Jude 7).
In Leviticus 18, laws on immoral sexual relations were given to Israel through Moses, God's prophet, because nations around them were in forbidden sexual practice. In Isaiah 19:14, the spirit of perversion (called ‘a spirit of dizziness’ in the New International Version or ‘a spirit of foolishness’ in The Living Bible) made Egypt do everything wrong and stagger like a drunk slipping on his own vomit. Lust after women is a perverted spirit. Those who are under the influence of perversion or lust are controlled by the spirit of perversion, which is “a spirit of confusion”—“a spirit of error”. This wicked spirit keeps people far from the truth (they don’t see the truth, they don’t believe the truth); blinds people from the truth—makes them haters of God. An example of such in the Bible is Elymas the sorcerer (see Acts 13:8–11).
How to overcome the spirit of perversion
The formula for winning the fight against the spirit of perversion is in Proverbs 4:23–27. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil (NIV).
The spirit of perversion strives to control the heart of man, as whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart (see Matt. 15:18). For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander (v. 19).
The Bible declares that salvation comes through confession. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Rom 10:10 NIV
And in chapter 10, verse 9, it says: If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
A man's defiled condition is evidenced by what comes out of his mouth. And this could be evidence of the spirit of perversion in such a man. When a man fails to guard his affections, they influence everything else in his life. The heart must be guarded with all vigilance if false and dishonest speech must be avoided. If the heart is not properly checked, it will be uneasy to deal with willful and contrary talk at all times.
Likewise, if you maintain a fixed purpose and consider well the path of your feet, then the LORD will establish your ways. Know the place destined for you by God and have a vision of where you are headed, and you will stay on ‘Solid Ground’. Don't sidetrack; pull back your foot from danger.
The Pharisees were wrong in thinking their washings kept them spiritually clean. But we can see the only way to be clean and free from spiritual defilement in Psalm 51. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
David, after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, prayed to God for sanctifying grace, and he was granted divine pardon and peace. When we are submitted to the Holy Spirit, He cleans us from our corrupt nature.
Sin is evidence of impurity, and therefore we must pray to the LORD to cleanse our hearts from every uncleanness. His Holy Spirit cleans us with the Word of His Power. He says, You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. John 15:3 NIV
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17 NIV
David discovers much inconsistency and inconsistency with himself, and therefore he prays,
"...renew a steadfast (constant) spirit within me (Psa. 51:10).