A. Jesus came for two purposes.
1. The first was to reconcile man to God. When you are involved in the ministry of reconciliation, you are doing that which pleases the Father and displeases satan.
2. The second reason was to destroy the "devil's work." (1 John 3:8)
B. The good news is that you have a Savior, the Creator of the universe, living inside you, and His power has already defeated satan!
Sadly, too many believers think that "spiritual warfare" is simply using the words "I bind you in the name of Jesus" like a magical mantra.
1. If you want to resist the devil so that he will flee from us, you must first humbly submit yourself to God. Then, as you "draw near to God," He will "draw near to [us].” (James 4:8 NKJ)
2. Only after submitting to God will you be able to resist the devil so that he will flee from us.
If you are not submitted and obedient to the Lordship of Jesus in your life, and you attempt to resist and rebuke Satan, the only response you will get is the sound of Satan’s laughter echoing through the halls of hell.
3. The real spiritual battle of forgiveness goes on in your mind and in your thoughts.
4. Your warfare must be targeted not at breaking people but spiritual strongholds.
Anger, bitterness, hate, and unforgiveness all originate in the mind. You must pray fervently to break these strongholds in your own life as well as in the lives of others. You must never give up; rather, you should be confident that you have been promised the victory already as you walk humbly, yielded to the Lord.
C. The Greater Truth
Your warfare must be based upon the written Word of God and not personal experience.
One of the main problems of modern teaching on Spiritual Warfare is that too little emphasis is given to the Scripture, and too much emphasis is given to personal experience, personal revelation, and speculation. To be on the safe side, you should rely on what the Scriptures teach to understand your experience rather than your experiences shaping or adding to your perceptions of the Scriptures. You must consider experience, but you should also note the limits of the knowledge which God has revealed.
Where the Scripture is silent, you want to be silent. Where it speaks, you want to speak.
Some Christians had claimed that they knew a demon was in them because they felt “a thickness leave their throat” or “something moved inside them” when they were prayed for. If I had a rope that was tied so tightly around my wrist that it cut off the circulation of blood to my fingers, they would like ultimate die and fall off my hand. I could go to the doctor for an exam and have x-ray’s taken, but unless they took the rope off my wrist, no medication or surgery could help to keep my fingers from falling off! The cause of my problem was not something inside of my body but the OUTSIDE pressure and torment of the rope binding my hand! In the same way, demonic forces can cause so much external pressure and torment upon your body and mind that it could manifest INTERNALLY.
When pilots are trained to fly, they are taught that they must entirely trust the instruments of the aircraft. If they rely only on sensory input, they could get into a situation they may not be able to get out of. The five senses are reliable only to a certain point. But the ultimate proof is checking the instruments to verify their feelings. A pilot could have a “gut” feeling that something is wrong, but he or she must confirm it by checking the instruments. While flying through clouds, they could “feel” as if they are flying straight and level when in actuality, they may be in a slowing turning spiral or even totally upside down and not even realize it because everything “feels” ok. But if they look at their instruments, they will know for certain if they are flying straight and level or upside down. You should never interpret the Bible in the light of your experiences but rather interpret your experiences in the authority of the Bible.
The test to prove the validity of those that claim they have a demon living inside them to see if this happened to any Born-Again Christian in the Scriptures. The answer is ultimately “NO”! You don’t have to criticize the person who makes the claim, but you need something more than subjective feelings upon which to base your teaching.
D. Trust the Scriptures above all!
The foundation of this study is the Bible. A thorough understanding of it is the only way for a person to know if someone is being deceived by supernatural terrorists. Jesus prayed that the Father would protect every Christian from the evil one and:
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:15-17 NIV)
The Bible is the only dependable source for humankind to know God’s voice. It has the answers to all eternal questions. It is the blueprint of Heaven and the only reliable source of truth for all moral and spiritual information. Humans can successfully live each day and build a foundation for any endeavor.
The Bible declares that Jesus is the “Word of God” (Rev 19:13) and is the author of the Bible.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 NIV)
Jesus has been given all authority in Heaven and Earth. Only through diligent study and knowledge of the Bible can one discern the differences, and understand the subtle changes, so brilliantly orchestrated by the enemy.
There are modern translations and paraphrases of the Scriptures that change God’s Word in such a way as to water down the message. There are even some translations that have led people to the belief that Jesus is merely a “son”’ of God, inferring that He is God’s offspring.
The Bible says that “no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of any personal or private or special interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:20 NIV) Demonic terrorists want “Bible” teachers to bring into the Scriptures a meaning that forces it to conform to their own opinions, thoughts, ideas, and agendas. Only the Bible is truly God’s Word:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Tim 3:16 NIV; See also 2 Pet 1:20-21)
God’s written Word must be used as the primary source to confirm a person has heard the voice of Jesus. He alone is truth, and Christians must learn to hear His voice. Jesus said;
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 NIV)
God continues to speak to His people today, just as He spoke to His people in the past, by using His own Words of the Scriptures. It is also safe to say that He would never contradict His own written Word.
It is vital that every Christian rely completely upon the Holy Spirit to direct and guide them in understanding and effectively applying God’s Word in every situation they find themselves in. The Holy Spirit has the responsibility to illuminate the Scriptures so that God’s will can be understood. Christians have the responsibility to cooperate with Holy Spirit and respond to Him.
Without reliance upon the Bible as the infallible and supreme source for knowing God’s voice - and as the authoritative rule of faith and conduct - a huge door is opened for the possibility of error and heresy to creep into a person’s beliefs. It must be God’s written Word, which is the cognitive concrete foundation, to base all decisions and beliefs. The Bible must be studied from God’s perspective.
E. Ghost Hunters
Some translations of the Bible have poorly translated “Holy Spirit” as “Holy Ghost,” which has subtly misled people to believe that He is merely a “spirit” or phantom, or energy of God – and is not the third person of the Trinity - God, the Holy Spirit - who is 100% co-equal with God the Father and God the Son, Jesus.
This belief that the Holy Spirit is merely a “ghost” has been used to justify unhealthy interest in the paranormal by believing in ghosts, learning how to “channel,” seeking out “spirit helpers,” as well as playing with such things as Ouija boards, Tarot cards, and conducting séances to speak to the dead.
The Bible says concerning “departed spirits”; “the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Eccl 9:5 NIV) The dead don’t think. There is “no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom” where they are. (Eccl 9:10 NIV) People can’t see or communicate with them because they are DEAD!
Those that claim they communicate with the dead, even if it is a saint of old, through prayer, visions, encounters, séances, spirit helpers, Ouija boards or Tarot cards, etc., are actually communicating with “familiar” spirits - AKA demons! - who have been condemned by God for their rebellion against Him.
The Bible commands every Believer to test “the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1 NIV) Having a thorough working knowledge of the Bible will help every Christian be a victorious spiritual warrior against the wiles of the enemy.
