Articles

"War on the Saints" by Jessie Penn-Lewis

Summary of "Ground"

  1. Evil spirits must have ground: p. 54.
    1. Degree of ground for possession cannot be defined. p. 94.
    2. Ground can be deepened. pp. 95, 161.
    3. Cannot interfere with faculties unless ground given. p. 154.
    4. They deceive and attack to obtain ground. p. 199.
  1. The ground given to e.s. for access:
mind
  1. Every thought accepted from them. pp. 69, 155, 156, 158.
  2. Wrong conceptions suggested by them, of spirit things. p. 160.
  3. Wrong interpretation of their workings, by believing their lies. pp. 94, 175, 176.
spirit,
soul, and body
  1. Passivity of spirit, soul or body. pp. 70, 72, 86, 118, 122, 149, 172.
  2. Accepting of counterfeits. p. 69.
 

    Note: (a) The fallen nature is permanent ground, needing to be dealt with perpetually on the basis of Rom. 6. pp. 187, 188. (b) Acts of sin may also give ground. pp. 94, 95.
  1. Results of ground given: Faculties dulled, rendered inoperative, etc. pp. 118, 175.
  1. How ground is given to e.s.: By CONSENT, i.e., act of will consciously; deliberately given, or obtained by guile. pp. 101, 111, 242, 243. Col. List II, p. 102.
  1. How ground has to be dealt with:
    1. Must be found out and given up, i.e., give up "thought," or "passivity," etc. p. 93.
    2. Light on ground obtained by prayer. pp. 111, 190.
    3. Knowledge of ground, and ground given up. pp. 189, 190. Example: p. 192.
    4. Must face truth about ground. p. 183.
    5. Ground must be discovered in detail for full dis-possession from e.s. pp. 192, 193.
    6. Ground given up specifically on points wherein deceived. p. 190.
    7. Ground traced to radical cause, i.e., thought and belief. Example: p. 192.
    N.B. "Ground" cannot be cast out. p. 180.
  1. How ground is removed or given up:
    1. By revoking consent given in the past, knowlingly or unknowingly, i.e., by steady refusal. pp. 190, 193, 198, 200, 242.
    2. Persistent refusal needed until liberty is obtained. p. 193.
    3. Ground may pass away gradually. p. 200.
    4. Ground may pass away unknowingly by standing on Rom. 6. p. 95.
    Why ground does not pass away when given up. pp. 192, 193.
  1. How dispossession takes place:
    1. As ground is removed the e.s. depart, or lose hold. p. 111.
    2. Believer dispossessed as ground passes away, i.e., wrong thoughts, passivity, etc. pp. 190, 193.
    3. Faculties gradually released as ground is given up. p. 193. Example: p. 192.
  1. Ground refused to e.s. is ground retaken for God, e.g., faculties surrendered to e.s. when released are recovered for God. pp. 190, 193.
  1. Need of watching lest fresh ground given. pp. 190, 191. In conflict, because of e.s. reattempt to deceive, and re-enter, need of watchful and exhaustive refusal. pp. 241-249.

EXPLANATIONS

  • Ground to be given up: e.g., a thought or belief discovered as deception, and "given up."
  • Ground which admits e.s. keeps e.s. in possession: e.g., e.s. works on passivity which is ground for them to work upon. If not removed keeps e.s. in possession.
  • Ground to be re-taken from the foe: e.g., the faculties recovered for use. p. 190.
  • Ground newly given: e.g., a new deception through believing one of e.s. lies.

Notes

  1. All supernatural manifestations by e.s. in believer denote that there is ground for their workings. See pp. 149, 154, 273, 274.
  2. The believer fighting to freedom, must watch lest new ground is given by wrong interpretation of manifestations of e.s. p. 175. See Tables on p. 176.
  3. Need of watchfulness against "excuses" suggested by e.s. to cover ground, or divert dealing with it. p. 175.
  4. For further knowledge of "ground" see Column Lists pp. 102, 184.

Seeking radical cause in ground

In seeking for radical cause of e.s. possession, the believer must look to the opposite to discover the ground of access, e.g., as in the following instances.

Believer thought he opened to God to obtain  

Believer opened to e.s.,
which actually resulted in
Knowledge
Strength
Truth
Guidance
Life
Fire
Healing
Help
Conviction
Love

ßAll these things supernaturally given in counterfeit, the true objective and result being à

N.B.--If believer takes all in Col. 1 from e.s., he is sure to get the results named in Col. 2.

 Ignorance
Weakness
Lies
Blunders
Death
Cold
Infirmity
Hindrance
Accusation
Suffering

 

Example.-- Believer troubled with e.s., speaking to, and accusing him. The true cause lies in the fact that he--

  1. Opened, as he thought, to God Himself speaking of His own initiative, making communications to the man, apart from his asking for them, and he opened to and listened to what he thought was God speaking.
  2. Or he thought God spoke to him in answer to prayer, and he listened.

The cause therefore of e.s. speaking and accusing, is that the ground was given in the opposite, i.e., supposed listening to God.

Furthur Examples:

  • Believer conscious of "cold"--really supernatural trembling. Root cause in the past was the acceptance of "fire" from e.s. under belief it was fire from God. The cause of one extreme is the cause of the other. The two results come from same cause, e.g., the cause of the cold, or trembling, is the cause of the heat, etc.
  • If hindered by e.s. now, the believer accepted help from them in the past; that accepted help giving them access to hinder now. pp. 158, 159.
  • If no initiative now, then the believer ceased to act in the past, waiting for e.s. prompting, that prompting and waiting for it, giving them power to prevent initiatory action now. p. 73.
  • If sudden stoppage of mind now, with result in mechanical words, the cause is a mediumistic attitude taken to God in the past, which produced the habit of cessation of action for supernatural action. pp. 115, 116.

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