Spiritual Warfare Pt. 1: Tactics of the Enemy
Are you aware that there is a battle going on for your soul in the spiritual realm? Spiritual warfare means actively fighting the spiritual battle for your soul. Spiritual warfare can only be learned by engaging in it actively, not just reading about it, but DOING it every time you sense an attack. We must first discern when we are being attacked by the enemy. What makes it harder is the spiritual realm is invisible to us and we can only go by our senses, so pray for discernment of spirits and wisdom to discern attacks. We have guardian angels that fight for us, but they cannot fight for you until you use YOUR WILL to actively resist demonic attacks. You must PRAY for backup to fight these battles, as we are not strong enough in and of ourselves. We are not fighting just one demon most of the time we are fighting a whole host of demonic beings. We need a host of giant warring angels to fight for us against the demonic.
We need Jesus to fight this battle, because He is the one who fights our battles for us in the heavenly places. THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S - 1 Samuel 17:47. Jesus is our Savior and hero. He is commander in chief, with ALL power over heaven and earth. Every angel, every demonic spirit and every person is subject to his authority, even satan himself. Satan and demonic spirits are still subject to God and can only stay within the boundaries God allows for them to stay in. God rules over EVERY being, in EVERY realm. He is all-powerful. He is the one that deploys the angels on our behalf when we pray to him in JESUS' NAME.
Whatever we pray in Jesus name it will be done. But we MUST first be saved to be able to use Jesus' name. We cannot successfully engage in spiritual warfare if we have not yet received true salvation. True salvation involves repenting of your sins, turning to God, and submitting your life to God's authority. The good news is Jesus has already overcome this world and defeated death when he took on the sins of the world on the cross (atonement), and then rose from the grave defeating death and shattering the law of sin and death with his glorious resurrection. We can now receive salvation and freedom from the bondage of sin. In this life we can never fully be safe from demonic activity because satan is the ruler of this world, but we CAN fight the battle and be victorious over the demonic through Jesus. And we can keep on OVERCOMING evil in this world, because He who is in us is GREATER than him who is in the world! We have the spirit of the living God living in us if we have received true salvation.
Jesus said:
The war has already been won by Jesus, so we are fighting from a place of victory. We are not fighting FOR victory, we are fighting FROM victory.
We are now just waiting for satan to be thrown into the everlasting lake of fire, which will surely happen when everything in the book of Revelation takes place. All we are waiting for is the the tribulation period of seven years to begin and end, and then Jesus is coming. This will be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus is long-suffering in His waiting to come, as He wants NONE to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
He will not come until the exact right moment has come. Only God the Father knows the time. Satan and his army know they have lost, but they are like a guerrilla army still wanting to kill and destroy people on this earth for as long as they can, until it's time for them to receive their eternal punishment. The only pleasure they can have at all is seeing people suffer, and tormenting them the way they are tormented by their wrong decision to defy God. They chose to defy God and will pay for this decision eternally. They have no love in them whatsoever. There is no loyalty. They hate those who serve them and those who don't serve them equally. They are masters of deception. They are filled with pure hatred for both God and all of mankind. As long as you're on this earth you are fair game to the enemy, satan, and his vast army of demonic spirits of every rank and kind. This is truly an invisible war. A great book about spiritual warfare is: The Invisible War: What Every Believer Needs to Know about Satan, Demons and Spiritual Warfare by Chip Ingram. "The Invisible War"
Part of spiritual warfare is being wise to the types of attacks and tactics of the enemy. Don't be ignorant of his tactics! It could lead to your defeat.
Ephesians 6:12
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
We need Jesus to fight this battle, because He is the one who fights our battles for us in the heavenly places. THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S - 1 Samuel 17:47. Jesus is our Savior and hero. He is commander in chief, with ALL power over heaven and earth. Every angel, every demonic spirit and every person is subject to his authority, even satan himself. Satan and demonic spirits are still subject to God and can only stay within the boundaries God allows for them to stay in. God rules over EVERY being, in EVERY realm. He is all-powerful. He is the one that deploys the angels on our behalf when we pray to him in JESUS' NAME.
Jesus said:
John 14:13
"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Whatever we pray in Jesus name it will be done. But we MUST first be saved to be able to use Jesus' name. We cannot successfully engage in spiritual warfare if we have not yet received true salvation. True salvation involves repenting of your sins, turning to God, and submitting your life to God's authority. The good news is Jesus has already overcome this world and defeated death when he took on the sins of the world on the cross (atonement), and then rose from the grave defeating death and shattering the law of sin and death with his glorious resurrection. We can now receive salvation and freedom from the bondage of sin. In this life we can never fully be safe from demonic activity because satan is the ruler of this world, but we CAN fight the battle and be victorious over the demonic through Jesus. And we can keep on OVERCOMING evil in this world, because He who is in us is GREATER than him who is in the world! We have the spirit of the living God living in us if we have received true salvation.
1 John 4:4
"You are of God, little children, and have OVERCOME them, because He who is in you is GREATER than he who is in the world."
Jesus said:
John 16:33
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have OVERCOME the world.”
The war has already been won by Jesus, so we are fighting from a place of victory. We are not fighting FOR victory, we are fighting FROM victory.
1 Corinthians 15:57
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 3:9
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
He will not come until the exact right moment has come. Only God the Father knows the time. Satan and his army know they have lost, but they are like a guerrilla army still wanting to kill and destroy people on this earth for as long as they can, until it's time for them to receive their eternal punishment. The only pleasure they can have at all is seeing people suffer, and tormenting them the way they are tormented by their wrong decision to defy God. They chose to defy God and will pay for this decision eternally. They have no love in them whatsoever. There is no loyalty. They hate those who serve them and those who don't serve them equally. They are masters of deception. They are filled with pure hatred for both God and all of mankind. As long as you're on this earth you are fair game to the enemy, satan, and his vast army of demonic spirits of every rank and kind. This is truly an invisible war. A great book about spiritual warfare is: The Invisible War: What Every Believer Needs to Know about Satan, Demons and Spiritual Warfare by Chip Ingram. "The Invisible War"
Part of spiritual warfare is being wise to the types of attacks and tactics of the enemy. Don't be ignorant of his tactics! It could lead to your defeat.
Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Spiritual Warfare is real, it's not a game, it's a WAR. You must know how to fight this war, and have a STRATEGY to WIN. You must learn and know the tactics the enemy uses, and have tactics of your own to use against him. YOU CAN WIN THIS WAR!
First, I'm going to uncover some of the enemy's tactics so you can learn to recognize them. This may be very eye-opening to you. We can't blame everything on the enemy, but there are some things that he is most definitely responsible for. These are some of the most common scenarios to watch out for:
1. The enemy turns people against each
other creating strife and discord in relationships. He plants lies
about you in other people's minds, and also plants lies in your mind
about other people. We must not readily believe these lies, and
learn to recognize them for what they are, LIES. Don't believe the irrational thoughts that randomly pop
into your head about someone, or act based on these assumptions. Test them to see if they are true or
false. The best way to find out if something is true is just ask someone and find out.
The enemy likes to keep us from communicating honestly with each other, so the longer
you put off asking someone if it's actually true the more the enemy's
tactic is working and keeps you believing the lie. Communicate with
others honestly. We must keep open, honest communication. I can't
tell you how many times someone has asked me some outlandish thing in
complete seriousness and I'm dumbfounded, and like "No! Where
did you get THAT from?!"
2. He keeps on telling you the same
hurtful lie over and over, in different ways, at different times.
It's the lie that cuts deep and really hurts the most. The enemy knows your achilles heal. This lie can suddenly
bombard your mind out of nowhere, and overtake it so you can think of
nothing else. You may wonder where it's coming from because suddenly
your mood goes from fine to terrible. He says the same basic lie in 10
different ways, bringing scenarios that have happened in your life to mind as proof that the lie
is true. It's not true of course. You have to rebuke it, and choose to believe the opposite once you recognize it as an attack.
3. He uses your weakness against you
and your natural tendency to indulge in certain things that are
sinful. He attacks you by tempting you with the very thing you don't
want to do. The attack often comes out of nowhere. Everything is
normal, and then all the sudden the strongest urge comes over you to
indulge in this certain temptation. It's so strong and overwhelming
it overtakes all of your senses, and you can think of nothing else.
You feel such a strong compulsion to do it, it feels like you HAVE TO, and can't resist no matter how hard you try. You MUST pray daily for the Lord to lead you not into temptation and DELIVER you from the evil one, and he will!
1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
4. The enemy will also use other people's
influence to get you to indulge in temptation. Suddenly, out of
nowhere and inexplicably someone texts you or messages you out of the
blue, and little by little leads you towards temptation. It's not
obvious at first, but as time goes on their intentions become clear
and they aren't good. It becomes more obvious when they will not give up or leave you alone. Do not give in.
5. Another one is your mind becomes
suddenly and inexplicably very confused. Confusion takes over and
you cannot think straight, no matter how hard you try. It could be in a crowd of people or even alone. Confusion is not from God. God is a God of ORDER and PEACE. Rebuke the spirit of confusion and try to leave the area you are in to go pray for your mind to be delivered. Ask the Lord to fight your battle for you in the heavenly places and he will.
6. Another one I have seen and experienced is when the enemy brings things back up that have long been forgotten. He tries to resurrect the skeletons in your closet and bring them back to life. This include things for which you have already asked God forgiveness for, and things that God has chosen to forgive you for and no longer holds you accountable for, that have been covered by the blood of Jesus. The enemy may remind you of some of the worst things you have done to make you feel guilty once again. There is no reason to accept this and feel guilty. If you have been forgiven, this is a demonic spirit of condemnation and guilt. You have to rebuke it and command it to leave, but first you must recognize this tactic for what it is, straight from the pits of hell. A good verse to say out loud in this situation is:
Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
7. Another thing to beware of is the case of mistaken beliefs. The enemy plants random lies in your mind. Those that you have accepted as truth now become your beliefs. You act based on these beliefs. You may or may not be aware of them. This may be scary to think, but there are most likely beliefs that you currently have that are false. Examine your beliefs very carefully. Take every thought and belief captive against the knowledge of Jesus Christ. A good way to determine what is of God and what is not of God is test it against the truth of the Word of God. If it lines up with the Word, then it is of God. Paranoia, fear, anxiety and suspicion are not from God. Things you have a vague bad feeling about are not of God. Learn to identify mistaken beliefs and expose them for what they are: FALSE. Reject them and throw them out immediately. As soon as you expose them for what they are you will immediately be delivered and freed from the bondage of the mistaken belief.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
7. Another thing to beware of is the case of mistaken beliefs. The enemy plants random lies in your mind. Those that you have accepted as truth now become your beliefs. You act based on these beliefs. You may or may not be aware of them. This may be scary to think, but there are most likely beliefs that you currently have that are false. Examine your beliefs very carefully. Take every thought and belief captive against the knowledge of Jesus Christ. A good way to determine what is of God and what is not of God is test it against the truth of the Word of God. If it lines up with the Word, then it is of God. Paranoia, fear, anxiety and suspicion are not from God. Things you have a vague bad feeling about are not of God. Learn to identify mistaken beliefs and expose them for what they are: FALSE. Reject them and throw them out immediately. As soon as you expose them for what they are you will immediately be delivered and freed from the bondage of the mistaken belief.
2 Timothy 1:7
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
Continued in the next post. Please read the whole 5 part Spiritual Warfare series for maximum effectiveness. Thank you, and God bless!
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