It is evident that we are living in supernatural times. Daily we are bombarded with messages and mysticism from the storehouses of New Age, Occultism, and Eastern Mystagogy. Though are foe, the devil has been defeated (Revelation 12:7-12), he does endeavor to destroy us, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world," (1 Peter 5:8-9), "Submit therefore to God, and resist the devil, and he shall flee." (James 4:7), "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it," (1 Corinthians 10:`3), "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time," (Revelation 12:12), "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm," (Ephesians 6:11-13), "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one," (2 Thessalonians 3:3), "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one," (John 17:15, Jesus Christ). Resist is a term more associated with wrestling and battle, than simply turning the other cheek and not looking at your adversary. I am one who does not agree with "looking for a demon under every bush," nor do I believe being preoccupied with deliverance ministry is healthy, in my opinion it can devolve quickly into a back door of giving these evil spirits attention [in fact it can be the only way fallen angels and demons can ensure Christians pay them attention and even dare I say in some cases, worship). That being said there definitely is a spiritual war between the saints and the spirits of this present darkness, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places," (Ephesians 6:12), and "For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but divinely powerful toward the demolition of strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are armed to fight these cosmic powers because of what Christ has done. Jesus Christ has defeated the power of the devil, "the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil," (1 John 3:8),
, "We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him,"(1 John 5:18), "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him," (Colossians 2:15) and "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19). If Jesus has conquered the devil and his angels, then why do we have to rebuke and fight them? The answer is this, your Spirit is protected from evil one and his hordes [Your spirit is written in Lamb's book of Life, and you will receive a new sinless body upon Jesus' Return], but your soul (mind and emotions) and body are open to attack from them. It is in mind and emotions the devil often makes his assault, and it is body and the old nature as Paul calls it that seeks to sin, even through we are New Creation and Children of God (). Besides, the Apostle Paul testifies that the devil did resist Him in Asia, "For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan blocked our way," (1 Thessalonians 2;18) and the Apostle John speaks of a time when the devil and his Antichrist will crush the saints, "And the beast was allowed to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation," (Revelation 13:7), and that we Christians shall have to endure, "This means that God's holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus." (Revelation 14:12). We do have all power and authority against the devil, and we can conquer Him in this way no matter what, "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death," (Revelation 12:10-11) and this testimony is of Jesus, "At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus." (Revelation 19:18). The testimony is the Gospel or New Testament.
There is a tension in Scripture. Often you will see a paradox, where verses seem to contradict each other, for example, "Christ has conquered all power of enemy," and "the devil blocked our way." The reason is that the former is reminder that Christ is greater (I John 4:4) and that we are in a war that is won, but like WWII there was gorilla warfare going on long after the end of the war. The supposed contradictions are to help balance us, to remind us that Jesus is all powerful and we are victors through Christ, but that we have an enemy that can tempt us, deceive us, and tries to devour us as the Apostles Peter, John, and Paul make clear. This tension is that we are overcomers in the Alpha and Omega Jesus, but while we are on this fallen earth and Christ has not yet Return, our broken and imperfect bodies and minds are subjected to attacks from the enemy and his hordes. As long as we keep Testimony of Christ, endure to the end in faith (Matthew 24:13, Revelation 14:12) we shall prevail, but that doesn't mean we won't ever be tested by our foe, for even Jesus our God was tested by the devil in wilderness, and if we are to imitate or follow in His footsteps (), are we not to be tested too? For Jesus will come on clouds and make war on the devil and his beast and destroy them (Revelation 19:11-16, Revelation 20:1-11). The enemy is defeated, but he doesn't believe that (see Revelation 20:7-9) and he wages war against the saints.
We must ever have our eyes fixed on Jesus, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2). The enemy wants worship, in fact this was his original sin, "How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth (Revelation 12:12),
You who have weakened the nations!
13 “But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,To the recesses of the pit (Revelation 20:10)." (Isaiah 14:12-15).
We must be careful not to give the devil and his fallen angelic legions (Revelation 12:1-12, Genesis 6:3-12) the attention and worship they crave. For when a angel of the LORD had the Apostle John bow to him, this was his response, "Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus," (Revelation 19:10) and when the devil asked Jesus to bow down to Him, this is what Jesus said, "Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The devil said, I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me. Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Matthew 4:8-10). Any spirit or angel that draws attention to itself and not to the LORD Jesus is an evil spirit. We must be wary of the craftiness of our enemy, and while not become enslaved to the deliverance ministries that have become despots and deeper mysteries of Satan, "'Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you,But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them-- I place no other burden on you." (Revelation 2:24 NIV and NASB); we are in a war and we must use the tools Christ Jesus has given us to do battle. For the LORD God who made all things resides inside us (Colossians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 3:16, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16). And is it not written, "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?," (Romans 8:31) and "greater is He (the LORD) who is in you than he (the evil one) that is in the world." (1 John 4:4).
I want to share some tips on Spiritual Warfare that may help you in the bitter struggle you might be going through. Right now there is major activity on earth, as the End Times which began with Christ Crucifixion and Resurrection and will continue tell He comes on the Clouds of Heaven. Amen. I shall share an itemized list of tactics you can employ that are supported by Scripture.
Scripture Reciting
When the devil or the hordes of hell assault you in your mind or even through visitations (appearances) it is important to employ one of the most sound weapons of warfare, Scripture. When Jesus was tempted in the Wilderness, all His responses to the devil were "It is written,": "Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The devil said, I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me. Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Matthew 4:8-10). Every time the evil one sought to do woe to the Word of God, He responded with the established words of Himself and the Father and Holy Spirit, for all Scripture comes from God, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work," (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21).There are some great Scriptures to recite in spiritual combat, "Submit therefore to God, resist the devil and he shall flee," (James 4:7), "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world," (1 John 4:4), "Away with you Satan! For it is written worship the Lord God only and serve Him alone." (Matthew 4:10 NIV). There are many more, but these are handful of easy ones to remember. I would add that the devil particularly dislikes this verse, "Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10). It is a reminder of the fate of the devil, and his fallen angels, "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons." (Matthew 25:41, hell fire was created for devil and his angels, but humans who follow wickedness and the devil get included in hell see Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:8 and this verse). The words of Scripture in the Holy Bible are powerful and effective for challenging the lies of the evil one, and they bolster your faith, and act as reminder when those barbs and arrows of the dragon are hurled at you in spirit.
Rebuking in Name of Jesus
There is power in name of Jesus, goes the famous hymn and worship redux on Christian music channels. Indeed there is, the Name of Jesus is powerful in spiritual realm, because Jesus our Lord and Savior is God (Colossians 2:9, Titus 3:18, John 127:20-23) and He created all things including the angels. We are told by Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul how great the name of Jesus is, "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:8-11). In that verse take note of the line, "every knee shall bow to Jesus in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth (hades)." The devil was in heaven, but was caste out and is bound to Earth (Isaiah 14:12, Revelation 12:12), so this verse certainly proves that you can rebuke him by the name of Jesus. In addition, Christ Himself said, "You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father, You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it," (John 14:13-14), and "I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:19-20). The Name of Jesus is the name of God, and it makes the demons tremble (James 2:19), and even while He was walking on earth during His first coming, the demons cried, "They began screaming at him, "Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God's appointed time!" (Matthew 8:29). Christ's Name has major authority because He is the authority of authorities, He is One with Father (John 10:30) and the Holy Spirit, the Godhead and Trinity; and it is by name of Jesus that we are saved (Acts 4:10-12). Simply saying to the evil one and spirits, "I rebuke you and forces of darkness in name of Jesus," is enough, you may if you desire in tongues and prayer say Jesus' name in other languages like Iesous (Greek) and Yeshua (Hebrew/Aramaic).
Worship
Praise music and worship of the LORD God makes demons and devils flee. This is evidenced in that when King David played the harp for Saul who was demon possessed, "Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him," (1 Samuel 16:23). In addition, Kings of Israel would send worshippers ahead of them in battle, "After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever."(2 Chronicles 20:21). When people were healed by Jesus they worshipped Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe!" the man said. And he worshiped Jesus." (John 9:38). Worship has a power in supernatural realm, it can draw us closer to Christ and route the enemy at the same time. It is for this reason many worship leaders are often taken down by seductive lusts or infirmities, because the enemy flees at the praises of the LORD. If you are experiencing depression, antichrist thoughts, or are in room that seems to have major demonic activity, even a house or land that is full of evil spirits, and possible rituals done on it, play worship music on your phone, CD player or whatever you have. If you have no access to worship music, then learn some hymns and praise songs yourself, sing them out loud. Worship' goal actually is to center and get you fixed on Christ (Hebrews 12:2) and at same time it routes the demons.
Anointing Oil
Anointing oil in the Old Testament was used to consecrate kings and prophets unto the LORD. Back then before Jesus came in a body and made the Way by which all could enter the Holy of Holies through His blood (Hebrews 10:19), men had to be anointed with oil to receive God's favor and Spirit. However, there were incidents of using oil to anoint places as Jacob anointed pillars of rocks to consecrate places of land, "Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil," (Genesis 35:14), when Tabernacle was raised it was anointed, "Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy," (Exodus 40:9), and David when he fought Goliath who was Nephilim, part angel and human hybrid when killed becomes a demon said, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand." (1 Samuel 17:45-47). Even then these mighty men of the LORD knew the battle belonged to the LORD, and that it was not merely a flesh and earthly war. Today, through inspiration of the Spirit we anoint people and even property with oil in the name of Jesus. The scriptural evidence f this in New Testament, "If anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord," (James 5:14), "And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them," (Mark 6:13), "YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS," (Hebrews 1:9). The anointing oil was generally comprised of Olive Oil, Frankincense, Myrrh, or other scents. We do not fully know why, but when you anoint a house in the name of Jesus with oil, often demonic spirits will flee, and there is peace. Now the power is not in the oil, lest it become liquid talisman, the power comes from God the Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit; the oil merely acts a marker upon which our Messiah seems to consecrate and caste out evil spirits. Why anointing oil works for taking territory in the name of Jesus is one of those mysteries we leave to God to explain one day; what matters is there is Scriptural evidence of it with Joshua who had to fight giants (Nephilim, offspring of angels) and it is used when praying for the sick. You can use simply olive oil which is probably $1-7 USD, or you can purchase frankincense oils and other scents online, or at Christian stores. It is helpful to anoint hotel rooms, apartments, and places you are going to stay in, particularly the boundaries around where you live or stay for a time. It helps to get a hair spray bottle and fill it with oil and use that at time of night that does not draw attention. I strongly recommend you do not go around your office anointing people's cubicles and areas with oil, and computers making cross signs, this got one man in major trouble. You can however, pre-anoint your finger and touch the fringe of the office, class room, and workspace and it will appear just to be sweat, do not make sign of cross to draw attention to oil in this case. It helps to anoint public places in ways that don't draw attention, you can use McDonalds cup full of oil, or place an open bottle of oil in your pocket and when you place your hand in pocket and remove it, it will be oily and you can then touch places in a nonchalant manner.
Communion, The Lord's Supper, and The Eucharist
In extreme cases of spiritual warfare, it behooves us believes to take the Cup of Wine and Bread which represent the Blood of Christ and His New Covenant and His Body (Luke 22:19-20). I am of the Brucer view that the Communion is symbolic, but it also has spiritual effects on person partaking of it, and even supernatural effects where it is partaken. The Apostle Paul agree, "27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves/For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died." (1 Corinthians 11:26-30). There is an obvious spiritual benefits and warfare done when communion takes place, or else why were sinful brothers and sisters in Christ falling sick and even dying who were unrepentant and had not examined themselves? Jesus said, "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me," (Luke 22;19), and "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11:26). In fact, Communion was suppose to be done as often as Christians meet together, it is known as Fellowship Meal, "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer." (Acts 2:42). However, sadly, the Communion often neglected in our Evangelical and Neo-Charismatic circles. When you do communion it bolsters your faith in Christ, having you remember His sacrifice on the cross and how He broke power of sin with His broken body and made as Way by which we are saved (John 6:40). This can strengthen the saint to do battle, in fact this seems to be its purpose along with it seems to act like EMP or massive wave of fire that routes the devils when it is partaken. For it reminds the demons and angels that they cannot be redeemed/forgiven, and that we Christians are redeemed and spared of the lake of fire and hell fire that awaits them (the fallen angels and demons), "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment," (2 Peter 2:4, cross ref Genesis 6:1-12), ""Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons," (Matthew 25:41), "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!," (1 Corinthians 6:3), "And the angels who did not stay within their own domain, but abandoned their proper dwelling, He keeps under darkness, in eternal chains for judgment on that great day," (Jude 1:6), and "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10). This is no forgivness for the fallen angels, the devil, and the demons.
Numbers
One puts ten thousand to flight verse. Whatever two or more agree on it shall be done. verses. When we gather together to pray, we become more soldiers in Christ's army. If we pray solitary, and alone, it puts 10,000 to flight, but two is 100,000, and so on. This is why it is crucial to fellowship and pray with other Christians, because it builds our faith and routes the enemy. The proof that numbers are effectual is found in Christ's own words in red, "Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven," (Matthew 18:19), "For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them," (Matthew 18:20), "And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits," (Mark 6:7), and "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go," (Luke 10:1). The Lord Jesus makes a point that numbers matter. Two or more agree on anything it is shall be done! In addition we see in Scripture that we should never neglect coming together, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near," (Hebrews 10:25). The obvious reason is that when we gather en masse we can pray and put to flight anything, because what two or more agree on, it shall be done. This is why it is crucial for the Elders and the Congregation to pray together, and not just prepare for one man's sermon. Prayer is effectual for driving the devil and his hordes backward, so that the saints may better spend time in the Savior's presence.
Praying in the Spiritual Language
When praying in warfare it is helpful to pray in Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Acts 2:4-11) because it is spiritual language, "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere," (Ephesians 6:18), "For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit," (1 Corinthians 14:2), "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance," (Acts 2:4), "So, when you pray in your private prayer language, don’t hoard the experience for yourself. Pray for the insight and ability to bring others into that intimacy. If I pray in tongues, my spirit prays but my mind lies fallow, and all that intelligence is wasted. So what’s the solution? The answer is simple enough. Do both. I should be spiritually free and expressive as I pray, but I should also be thoughtful and mindful as I pray," (1 Corinthians 14:13-17 MSG), "And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues," (Mark 16:17), and "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit," (Jude 1:20). When one prayers in tongues it is spiritual language and is pleasing to Spirit. Tongues is a tool in spiritual warfare to pray what Holy Spirit wants instead of our own thoughts. It transcends other prayer in that it is God praying through us and with us in one voice and heart beat. Tongues has other significance in that there are tongues of angels (1 Corinthians 13:1), and it is believed that when we pray in Tongues it commands the LORD's angels into battle, for the LORD of Angel Armies lives in us (Colossians 1:27). Holy Spirit commands the angels through us.
Laying Bible Open
In some cases when something is tormenting or bothering you in specific room of a house, apartment, church, or area. It can help to be lead by Holy Spirit to particular Bible verse, perhaps James 4:7 and lay the Bible open in that area for a time. For it is written, "Scriptura is God Breathed," and it declares to the enemy that he is defeated and is going to suffer judgement in fires of hell. How long you lay a Bible there is really up to the LORD, and this is not to be done in every incident with evil spirits, mainly in case of poltergeists, and if Christ so leads you to do it. Picking a verse that specifically addresses the problem in church, for instance in church full of fear, open Bible to "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love," (1 John 4:18), and "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). The Bible is laid open to the corresponding verse that addresses the issue spiritual, emotional, and even physical. For instance in a gang related problem, one might open Bible to "I AM is the Way, Truth, and Life.." (John 14:6).
Calling the Elders and Marching with Every Member of a Church
In the most harrowing of circumstances, it behooves a Church to call forth the elders to pray (), and to have every member, including women and children march around the Church building or house declaring the LORD Jesus against the evil done there. This is perhaps the most neglected part of warfare, because few are willing to include the children and babies, but Scripture tells us to, "" (). This particular part of warfare is for stronghold breaking, particularly of sites and grounds that have mystical and cosmic important to evil one, where rituals, spells, and sacrifices were done for evil.purposes. It is hardest one to get people to do this, because the women often resist having children present, but when they brought down the Walls of Jericho, it was every Man, Woman, and Child, "While every man, woman, and child of Judah was standing there at the temple, 14 the Lord’s Spirit suddenly spoke to Jahaziel, a Levite from the Asaph clan. 15 Then Jahaziel said: Your Majesty and everyone from Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord says that you don’t need to be afraid or let this powerful army discourage you. God will fight on your side! 16 So here’s what you must do. Tomorrow the enemy armies will march through the desert around the town of Jeruel. March down and meet them at the town of Ziz as they come up the valley. 17 You won’t even have to fight. Just take your positions and watch the Lord rescue you from your enemy. Don’t be afraid. Just do as you’re told. And as you march out tomorrow, the Lord will be there with you." (2 Chronicles 20: 13-17, CEV). Here we see that the whole family of faith had to come to Temple, both men and women, and children. And yet this is so controversial these days, to include the children, which is made more bizarre when you read that Jesus favored children, "Jesus called a little child to stand among them. Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven," (Matthew 18:2-3), and "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?" (Matthew 21:16). Often children are more astute and aware spiritually, they do not have lens of the world, nor are they easily swayed by doubt and unbelief. To avoid having children come to a meeting for prayer and deliverance, particularly to ask Christ to cleanse a home or place, is ridiculous. Children are part of that house, church, and etc.; and we need to stop segregating the Body of Christ by age and chaste.
Spiritual Warfare is very real, and we need to be equipped with what the LORD Jesus has given us. Everything I shared are tactics from Bible or that invoke Christ and the Bible. The One who conquers is the LORD God almighty, for even the Archangel Michael did not rebuke the devil, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!." (Jude 1:9). It is the LORD that is our champion, it was Jesus who stripped the devil of the power of death, "Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death," (Hebrews 2:14), and now Jesus holds the keys to death and hades, "I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18). I do not want anyone to become obsessed, and focused on demons, devils, and Nephilim. Too many have be shipwrecked or deceived by becoming preoccupied and overly focused on Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance. For Jesus said that delivering people from demons was only one part of ministry, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:17-18, Jesus Christ), and His great Commission was to preach the Gospel, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20). Chip Ingram, who wrote a very balanced book on Spiritual Warfare said this, "We need to be aware there is a Spiritual War, but not preoccupied, not looking for demon under every bush." There is balance we must have, where we know when to take up are weapons of warfare in spirit and of pitched battle with unseen forces of darkness, and when to ignore the devils wanting attention. It takes walking Spirit and knowing the Scriptures. It is when you get out of balance in deliverance ministry that things who awry. For ideally every brother and sister should know and memorize and adhere to the words of New Testament and move in Holy Spirit power and Gifts, but often churches are one or the other; it is the same with deliverance ministry, people are either all in and get weird, talking about demons all the time, even saying you can't buy a souvenir on a trip, or they don't believe there is any spiritual war at all and even deny that the devil even exists. Both of these extremes are wrong. We need to be equipped for war and fight when it is time, and still be wary and cautious of getting seduced into giving these serpents the attention they crave. As always, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne," (Hebrews 12:2), and count all things lost but knowing Christ, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. All who are mature should adopt this view.." (Philippians 3:8, 15). Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment