The Spirit of Blasphemy

Recently, I was ministering to a lady in which an evil spirit manifested and spoke. So, I took the opportunity to ask its legal right of entry. It conveyed to me that it was because the lady blasphemes.

After repenting of blasphemy, I was able to cast out the evil spirit of Blasphemy and the lady was set free.

Two weeks later, the evil spirit returned. This time, it revealed a different legal right of entry, stating that although the lady now lives a blasphemy-free life:

• The lady did not come against blasphemy spoken in her daily life, for example, in her work, family, and social circles.

• The lady would also continue to watch videos, TV, and listen to podcasts despite blasphemy being present in them.

After the lady repented of ignoring blasphemy in her surroundings, and declaring that she was willing to come against it whenever the situation would arise in future, I was able to cast out the evil spirit and the lady was once again set free.

What is Blasphemy?

The incidents with the lady led me to look deeper into the issue of blasphemy and the severity of it, particularly as it gives a legal right for an evil spirit to enter the body.

So what is blasphemy?

It is to "carry" God's Name in vain. Amongst other things, it can manifest physically in the irreverent use of God's Name to express:

• Frustration

• Anger

• Disgust

• Shock

• Surprise

• Euphoria (incl. sexual)

• Fear 

• Use in a casual manner

But concerning which God exactly? 

It concerns the Christian Triune God, namely: 

• God the Father

• God the Son - Jesus Christ

• God the Holy Spirit

But further to this, God's dwelling and God's character have also become subjects of blasphemy, which many do not realise. This is not all too surprising since the Bible already prophesied that the coming Beast, described in Revelation 13:5-6, will be doing the same:

5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.  

Below are some examples of the commonly used blasphemous expressions.

Blasphemy - is it THAT serious?

The short answer is YES!

The Bible reveals the heart of God for His Name. It is clear without a doubt that God is very precious about His Name.

• He is very particular in where and on whom He places His Name. The temple was built for His Name (2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Kings 5:5) and He put His Name on the city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:36; 2 Kings 21:4; 2 Chronicles 6:6) and on the Israelites (Numbers 6:27; Ezekiel 34).

• He wants His Name to be proclaimed in all the earth (Exodus 9:16; Revelation 14:6).

• He wants His name to be honoured and feared (Exodus 20:24; Malachi 1:14; 2:2).

• He wants His name to be glorified and be praised (Isaiah 42:8,10-12 Habakkuk 3:3; Psalm 72:19; 62:2).

• He does many things for His Name's sake (Psalm 23:3; 25:11, Ezekiel 20:9,14,22,44; Isaiah 48:9).

• He is zealous for His name (Ezekiel 39:7).

• He detests prophets that prophesy in His Name when He had not sent them (Deuteronomy 18:20; Jeremiah 14:14-15), something for which they were  put to death.

• He detests the profane use of His Name (Leviticus 19:12; Ezekiel 36:21; 39:7; Exodus 20:7) and will take this sin very seriously - even punishable by death (Ezekiel 43:8, Leviticus 24:13-16):

Leviticus 24:13-16

13 Then the Lord said to Moses: 14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death ..."

Power in the Name!

So why the death sentence? Why such a demand for reverence?

Because it is a Name that is different to all others - a Name that is great and that carries so much power!

• The power to give life, eternal life!

John 20:31

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 

John 3:16-18

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

• The power to forgive sin and to receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

If you've ever repented outside of Jesus, your sins are not forgiven.

• The power to protect.

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Psalm 91:14

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

• The power to heal!

Acts 4:10

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 

Malachi 4:2

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.

• The power to cast out demons!

Mark 16:17-18

... In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 

• It is THE Name that is above all names

Phillipians 2:9-11

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

• His Name is great (1 Samuel 12:22; Malachi 1:11; Psalm 76:1; Ezekiel 36:23; Jeremiah 10:6; 44:26)

Psalm 99:3

Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy. 

These are only a handful of scriptures depicting the power that is in the Name of Jesus that God has given. There are many more scriptures throughout the Bible.

A Pandemic of Blasphemy

Countless people blaspheme - primarily because they've heard others do it. They follow suit - knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously. It is a contagious thing- a work of Satan, our enemy. Indeed, Satan causes blasphemous expressions to be extremely contagious; such is his scheme!

So, far beyond our realisation, blasphemy has become a pandemic. It is everywhere and at every turn! Spreading far and wide with many people oblivious to their sin of blasphemy and the spiritual death sentence it carries. It is even uttered from the mouths of Christians!

Interestingly, the names of other so called "gods" (e.g. Buddha, Allah, Wishnu, Brahma, etc.) or so called "prophets" (e.g. Mohammed, Ellen White, Joseph Smith, etc.) have never been used in such contagious blaphemous expressions. This is because Satan is not interested in their names. Satan's war is and has always been againt the True God, the Christian Triune God. 

We must therefore take seriously the sin of blapshemy and the sin of ignoring blasphemy - because if we do not, we have just become agents of Satan, fulfilling one of his purposes. And no good reward can come out of that.

Alternative Expressions

There are alternative expressions that can be safely used to replace blasphemous expressions, some of which are shorter, simpler, and even easier to remember (though perhaps not as contagious as the blasphemous ones). Some suggestions are as follows:

(This list is not exhaustive)

Positive

• Oh wow!

• That's amazing!

• Awesome!

Negative

• Oh no

• Oh dear

• Oh man

• Oh boy

Blasphemy often Ignored

Since ministering to the lady I mentioned at the start of this article, I have become more sensitive to the blasphemy around me in places such as restaurants, shops, social media, and - sad to say - even in church, and during ministry (as people tell me their life stories).

The need to come against blasphemy has been an eye-opener for me, and certainly a challenging one! And I now walk in a conscious and deliberate effort to come against any blashemy that I hear. After all, I love and respect my Triune God, and I use His Name to cast out demons in the ministry that He calls me into. I cannot be hypocritical about His Name.

This has also inspired me to inform anyone in the body of Christ at large who will listen, not only to stop blaspheming against the God they claim to love, but also to come against blasphemy in their surroundings.

The Name of our Lord God is too precious and too powerful to let it be used without respect. We must strive to educate people to revere His Name. If they want to use it, they should do so correctly, with respect, and for the purpose of His Kingdom.

How to come against Blasphemy

Depending on the situation and who has blasphemed, it is not always easy to come against blasphemy. Thus, it is necessary to discern and to enquire of the Holy Spirit on how to best come against it. 

Here are some practical suggestions:

• If blasphemy happens in the workplace, find a suitable opportunity to take the person aside, and with gentleness and respect, explain why it is a serious sin and kindly ask them not to do it again - not just for the times they are around you, but for their own lives.

• If blasphemy happens in public restaurants, shops, etc., then be ready to hand out a gospel tract. It is highly likely that they do not know or believe in God, so they may be oblivious to their sin against Him.

• If blasphemy occurs whilst you are listening to a podcast or watching a video or a TV programme, then immediately stop listening to it, or stop watching it. If you are able to contact / or email that person, then do so explaining what they have done.

• If the blasphemy is on a BBC channel, then submit a complaint direct to the BBC:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint

• But if it's on any other channel, then submit the complaint direct to Ofcom (for the UK):

https://ofcomforms.secure.force.com/formentry/SitesFormCSLEStandardsComplaints

If you live outside the UK, you should search for information about the complaints procedures that are local to you.

Other Tricks of Satan

Other than those already discussed above on how blasphemy can occur, there are other ways in which Satan, our enemy, may attempt to cause blasphemy to happen in everyday life:

• Beware of friends & family writing blasphemous expressions in messages such emails and texts, thus causing you to blaspheme inadvertently as you read their messages.

• The predictive text facility on phones can also cause blasphemous words to be typed unintentionally. So be vigilant and ensure such words do not get used and sent.

The Narrow Gate and The Bride

As Christians, we must be aware that the gate to eternal life is very narrow - only a few will find it. 

Matthew 7:13-14

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

Amongst other things, this means that the very few people that take the sin of blasphemy seriously may be in the minority. However, as the Bride of Christ, we must make ourselves ready by being holy and pure in our actions (Revelation 19:6-8) - including in how we use God's Name - because Jesus is coming very soon!