The above photo is an actual law enforcement mug shot, the only change I've made is to replace the background with flames. This man is an actual victim of complete demonic control in this photo. FYI, notice the hate and contempt in the eyes. When you encounter someone with such a contemptuous look, it would be in your best interests to know how to defend yourself spiritually.
I was 13 years old. I had just read the new book that was all the rage in the early 70’s, The Exorcist. For at least a week afterward, I slept with the lights on! Even then, my eyes would pop open at the slightest sound as I imagined a devil trying to sneak up on me. I can laugh out loud about this experience now, but it was no joke at the time.
In the mean time, countless other horror films (e.g. The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, etc.) have only reinforced Hollywood’s spin on the demonic—-be terrified of the devil! I've noticed that even educated adults begin feeling “uncomfortable” discussing the very real issue of an actual demonic kingdom. A kingdom which hopes to send most human souls to Hell. This mentality falls right into the hands of the enemy, satan.
The Only Thing to Fear Is Fear Itself
Throughout history conquerors have sought to instill terror in those who might oppose them. Look at any kind of adversarial confrontation—war between nations, professional fighters before a match, and litigants before trial—the one constant is that they seek to intimidate their opponent. If they can succeed in “psyching out” their opponent, the real battle is already more than half won. Satan is no dummy; he’s well versed in human weakness. He loves the fact that people are scared of him; he is overjoyed that many try to deny his existence. The truth is, through Jesus Christ, you have nothing to fear from satan or his demons! It is critical you remember this truth!
Let me reinforce my point. It is very important you do not allow fear to interfere with your intellectual ability to rationally consider this information. If you are not a mature Christian with a thorough understanding of scripture, the following information can be a bit scary. I am truly sorry about that. I absolutely do not want to create fear simply by accurately reporting these truths. Fear is completely counter-productive to the educational goal of providing this information and plays right into the hands of satan. So PLEASE distance yourself emotionally while you learn and consider this information. The biggest mistake you could make is to fall victim to fear and decide not to finish learning how to protect yourself and your loved ones against the enemy of your soul.
How To Dramatically Improve Your Life!
In this article, you will learn the truth about your enemy—satan and his minions. You will learn the basics of spiritual self-defense. You will learn how to oppose the schemes of the devil to destroy not only you but your children, spouse and loved ones. Everything in this article is scriptural and designed to provide practical, everyday information to help you enforce the victory Jesus Christ has obtained for you on the cross. The goal of this article is to:
• Help you realize that you don’t have to be a hapless victim of the enemy's attacks on your finances, your health, your possessions and your family;
• Expose the Hollywood myths about satan and his minions;
• Help you realize how demons operate, their powers and their goals;
• Help you learn how to eliminate all fear of the enemy through a scriptural understanding of life.
The very first obstable on this road will be that of belief in the supernatural spiritual realm described in the Bible. If you have your doubts, please suspend them until you have considered the evidence below.
Are Demons Really Real? You Decide.....
I know that satan and his demonic host are real. I’ve had personal encounters with them. I’ve researched the encounters of other reputable sources. I’ve personally interviewed others who have experienced demonic encounters. I’ve researched the subject in the Bible. I know they are real! This fact, however, doesn’t help you very much. You must come to a personal realization that these facts are true. Until then, this issue is merely hypothetical to you. Until you personally believe in the reality of the kingdom of darkness, you cannot benefit from this valuable information.
So, before I go any further, let me provide some evidence you can evaluate on your own. Don’t trust my opinion, develop your own. Please evaluate the following testimonies:
Former Demon Controlled Servant of Satan
Former Demon Controlled Satanist
What Are Demons?
Satan (literally: Adversary) was an angelic being in the rank of a “covering Cherub”, a rank close to God’s thrown. God blessed him abundantly with beauty and magnificent spiritual gifts. At that time his name was Lucifer (literally: Morning Star). But then he became filled with pride and sought to overtake his own creator! I can’t even begin to comprehend the extent of satan’s foolishness in taking such a thought seriously. Nonetheless, the Bible says that “iniquity” (sin) developed in satan and he sought to recruit fellow angelic beings to join him in his rebellion against God. Clearly, God allowed satan time to pursue this sinister recruiting effort in order to reveal the hearts of his other angels to the rest of God’s creation and kingdom. Like us, angels have the great gift of free-will to choose between righteousness and evil. Once the full measure of angels had come into agreement with Lucifer, God pronounced judgment and they were cast down to the Earth in shame. Ever since, the devil and his fallen angels (demons) have sought to oppose God’s highest purpose for man by deceiving man into agreement with the kingdom of darkness; in effect, recruiting man to join the devil’s rebellion against God’s kingdom and rule. (Note: See Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 12:3, 4)
Demons, then, are angelic beings that have been cast out of God’s immediate presence. Demons are still, technically, “angels” and still have powers and abilities superior to a human being in the flesh but inferior to Christians in Jesus Christ. We call them “demons” to distinguish them from holy angels who serve the Almighty Living God. Demons, in effect, are rebellious angels who have chosen to indulge their own selfish, evil desires. And because humans are created in God’s own image, they hate us with a passion beyond description by human words. Thus, demons are powerful, (usually) invisible, ruthless and cruel beings committed to stealing from us, deceiving us, and ultimately, destroying us—-if they can.
What Do Demons Look Like?
A common question about demons is “what do they look like?” There is no one way these creatures may appear to us. Just as there are no two humans who are exactly alike--despite the fact that there are hundreds of millions of us on planet Earth--there is also immense variety in demonic appearance. Because these fallen angels seldom reveal themselves to us, the following discussion is more interesting than practical.
The Bible refers to demonic beings as serpents, scorpions, cobras and says that satan can even appear as an “angel of light” (which is why we need to "test the spirits"). Just as there is great variety in the type and appearance of holy angels, there is comparable variety in the opposing dark forces. In my limited personal encounters with demonic beings, they have usually manifested through a human "host" (or, more accurately, victim) they were operating in. In those cases, all I saw was the person they were using--even though supernatural behavior was occasionally involved. I have noticed that in humans under demonic control, the eyes (and sometimes countenance) betray the demons presence.
A Personal Experience
So far, I have had only one encounter with a demon in its spiritual state. Although I could not see it fully with my eyes, I was able to discern its outline and general features (just one of those indescribable spiritual phenomena). The demon was at least 8 feet tall and had a "body" like that of a steroid-shooting body builder. It was ripped with muscles. When it roared out a threat that I was “…going to die!” it felt like my spiritual hair had been literally blown back by its spiritual “breath”. The level of contempt it demonstrated toward me as a human (and especially as a Christian) was beyond description by human words. That was one time I was very, very glad I was under divine protection.
Surprisingly, I was not scared by this encounter. I was mystified but not scared. Why? Because I immediately realized that if I was not under divine protection, I would have already been dead. The fact that I still lived confirmed the limited power demons have in relation to those who are in Christ Jesus and under God’s divine protection.* Despite my own limited experience, many others have been allowed to see demons in a number of grotesque forms, apparently using their natural vision.
Demons in Hell
Based on the accounts of others, like Bill Wiese, it appears that demons who operate in Hell often appear in a more terrifying form than those who operate among living humans. I have no idea why this is, but seriously consider the following unique experience of Mr. Wiese.
Bill Wiese had an amazing revelation of Hell and demons. In his book about this experience (“23 Minutes in Hell), he provides the following description of the demons he saw in Hell:
“…I noticed that I was standing in the middle of a cave. The wall wrapped around me and led to the vast expanse of the pit. As I looked at the walls, I saw that they were covered with thousands of hideous creatures. These demonic creatures were all sizes and shapes. Some of them had four legs and were the size of bears. Others stood upright and were about the size of gorillas. They were all terribly grotesque and disfigured. It looked as though their flesh had been decomposing and all their limbs were twisted and out of proportion. Some displayed immense, long arms or abnormally large feet. They seemed to me to be the living dead. There were also gigantic rats and huge spiders at least three feet wide and two or three feet high. I also saw snakes and worms, ranging from small to enormously large. I was petrified and could not believe my eyes. “
Bill describes the overwhelming sense of evil these creatures exude as follows:
“…They were distinctly wicked. Their eyes were cauldrons of evil and death. Everything was filthy, stinking, rotten, and foul. There was one other distinguishing aspect about these creatures---they all seemed to possess a hatred for mankind. They were the epitome of evil.”
Extreme Variety
The strangeness of Bill's descriptions have a few things in common with others that I have heard about over the years. The frightfulness of Bill's descriptions, however, far exceed any others I have personally heard of. Nonetheless, I believe Bill is being accurate in his reports.
Notice the variety in shape, size and operating method of demons described so far. Depending on their mission and a person’s level of rebellion against God Almighty, demons can even appear non-threatening. On the other hand, if you are a Christian and ever allowed to see a demon, chances are they will materialize in a form designed to terrify and intimidate.
Christian vs. Non-Christian Encounters
More commonly, you might sense a presence next to you that is distinctly evil, but otherwise invisible (in such cases, begin watching the thoughts that begin entering your mind; they probably won’t be coming from your own brain). If you are a practicing Christian, you have the name of Jesus to use, so use it to command that presence to leave!
So what if you are not a Christian?
If you are not a Christian, demons may appear in a less intimidating manner, if at all. Remember, any good con man wants to endear himself to you before he robs you blind. For example, one woman described an encounter with satan, himself. She says he appeared to be the most attractive, alluring, and seductive man she had ever seen.
In another account, a person described having an encounter with a friendly, yet grotesque looking creature who sat in the passenger seat of his car. They drove around town looking for a particular person the demon wanted him to kill. He admitted that he was "high" at the time but insisted he was not hallucinating. He said he was sober enough to drive his car in a normal, safe manner. He carried on a conversation with this demon as though they were friends. In return, the demon told him all about the privileges he would have in Hell as a result of this murder: well endowed nude women, all the sex he wanted, sex orgies, etc. To his credit, this person asked the demon if the devil was real, and the demon admitted that he was! Upon hearing that, this person realized that if the devil was real, then God must also be real and refused to follow through with the demon’s mission.
Just as there is extreme diversity in the rest of God's creation, we can see from the above examples that extreme diversity also exists in the kingdom of darkeness. Being allowed to experience the presence of a demon is extremely rare (and I'm ok with that). Far more common is an encounter with a human host/victim being controlled by demons. And as I have learned, animals are not exempt from demonic control either.
*Note: Two quick points: (1) Those not in Jesus Christ have no guarantee of divine protection from demons; (2) Christians can, and do, naively step out from under divine protection by disobedience to God's will.
Can Demons “Possess” Humans and Animals?
Animal Control
I once attended a Sunday service where the nationally known pastor described an instance of animal “possession.” The incident took place in his pre-Christian life when he was a drug user. He described hanging out over at a friend's house, who was a fellow drug user, one day. They had not used any drugs at this point. The friend had a dog which had been given to him by his girlfriend, a practicing witch. The dog was staring intensely at the pastor with a contemptuous look. The pastor remarked to his friend, “That dog looks like a demon.” The dog promptly stood up on its hind legs and walked out of the room!
Another example of demonic creature control involved a stand-off between a very large crow (about as big as a medium-sized Eagle) and myself. As I stood outside one spring day, contemplating the mysteries of the heavenly Kingdom, my peace was abruptly interrupted. Directly in front of me the largest crow I’ve ever seen parks itself on a telephone line not more than 60 feet in front of me and immediately commences squawking and flapping its large wings. My spiritual red flags popped up when I noticed extreme arrogance and complete contempt being directed at me by this bird.
Concluding that only the enemy would try to distract me from the things of God, I commanded the crow to leave in the name of Jesus. It immediately shut up. Then, in something right out of a Steven King novel, it cocked its head and intently stared at me with its big brown left eye; I could actually sense it trying to decide if I really believed what I was saying! That eliminated all doubt in my mind.
Accordingly, I repeated my demand again, but with even more conviction. Immediately, the crow took to flight in a “dive-bomb” trajectory directly at me. Defiant, I balled my fist and prepared to knock this demon-crow out cold. Amazingly, it purposely swerved away from me a split-second before I would have swung at it! It then continued flying away and out of sight, just as I had commanded it. After this weird experience, I mused that Steven King's bizarre stories must actually be based on a grain of strange spiritual experience he's had.
So, in answer to the question of demonic control of animals, I submit the above examples of bizarre animal behavior for your consideration. For me, that is enough. Animals just don't independently behave as if they are under intelligent control as demonstrated in the above examples. It is clear to me that animals are not out of bounds for demonic control.
Human Control
More serious than their ability to control or “possess” animals is a demon’s ability to control a human being. Coming across another human who has surrendered control of himself to demonic forces is by far the more common type of demonic encounter. It might be easy to accept that all serial killers are under demonic control (which they are) but it is more difficult to accept the fact that demonic influence and/or control of humans is extremely common. In reality, your typical drug addict and alcoholic is under demonic control. Less obvious--but far more common--is the person involved in astrology, Ouiji boards, tarot cards, fortune tellers and New Age theologies. These poor souls have opened the door to a greater or lesser degree of demonic influence. Far more people than you could fathom have fallen victim to the devil’s deceptions and now do his bidding (almost always without realizing it).
Usually, there are telltale signs when significant demonic influence is present in someone's life. A pattern of inappropriate violence, abusiveness, excessive selfishness or other extremely anti-social behavior is an easy tip-off. Compulsive and addictive behavior are other common indicators.
Demonic involvement with humans can range from harassment (e.g. causing the host to be accident-prone or subject to headaches) to full-blown control—-complete with supernatural powers being exhibited through the human host. Examples of these superantural powers are the ability to levitate, read minds and superhuman strength.
As mentioned above, the most common and obvious victims of demonic control are alcoholics, followed closely by drug addicts. Given the spiritual “legal grounds” of repeated intentional drunkenness by a human host, demons commonly take control of alcoholics at some point during their drinking binge. Commonly referred to as a “black out” period (when the human host doesn’t remember what they did during an extended period of time), the host may “come to” naked, bloodied or in jail and have no idea how they got there. The reason is that the alcoholic was not actually conscious during the black-out period. Instead, a demon took control of their body and had some “demonic fun” at the host’s expense, then slipped back behind the scenes to let the host suffer the consequences of its destructive behavior.
Note: My heart goes out to victims of alcoholism and drug addiction. Like many others, my family has had its share of alcohol and drug victims. As a result, I have observed these people both sober and under alcohol/drug induced obvious demonic control. When sober, these tormented souls will give you the shirt off of their back. Sober, these souls are polite, gracious, loving, considerate and helpful. Sober, there is no trace at all of the evil forces lurking beind the scenes waiting for their next opportunity to manifest and cause destruction of some kind. The most devastating blow to demons of alcoholism is to get their victim right with God. Spiritual deliverance is key.
Contrary to the image provided by Hollywood, demonic control of a human host/victim is almost always intermittent, NOT CONTINUAL (satanists may be an exception). It is because of this intermittent, guerilla warfare style of surprise attack that demonic victimization of humans can continue for decades! This is why I am personally committed to educating my brothers and sisters on the reality of spiritual warfare, which most churches tend to ignore. Ignorance of spiritual warfare leads to unnecessary pain and suffering. Spiritual knowledge and wisdom always leads to power and blessing.
Over the decades, I have had several personal encounters involving demonic manifestation in humans. In every instance when I exercised the authority of Jesus Christ in me, the demons immediately complied with my commands. In one instance, over six individuals, each operating under the influence or control of demons, simultaneously obeyed the SILENT commands I issued in the name of Jesus! To demonstrate the authority obedient Christians possess over demons, let's do the following case study.
Case Study in Demonic Control of Humans
Notice how the Pastor in the above video clip, obviously someone confident of his authority in Jesus Christ, handles the demon-controlled man superbly.
• He notices the demonic manifestation, but remains calm and continues to pray for his congregation, refusing to be thrown off track by the demonic manifestation (which is the intent of the demon), until he has no choice but to confront it.
• Far from being intimidated or afraid of the demon’s antics, the Pastor laughs at the demon’s attempts to be frightful.
• In Christ Jesus, the Pastor exercises COMPLETE CONTROL of the demon. The demon has NO CHOICE BUT TO OBEY.
• The Pastor was not in a hurry to cast the demons out. Casting demons out of a human host in which they have some kind of spiritual “legal grounds” to control is something that requires spiritual wisdom and maturity. This should never be attempted by a non-Christian, a baby Christian or a carnal Christian. Casting demons out of someone in a knee-jerk simplistic manner can cause way more harm than good for the human host/victim. Immature Christians should limit their actions against demons to telling them to “be quiet” or “quit manifesting,” all, of course, in the name of Jesus. This is one more reason why I encourage you to become a mature Christian as quickly as possible. The world, your spouse, your children, your friends and your family desperately need you to operate in the full authority, power and wisdom provided by the Almighty Living God!
In the above video, take notice of the following points:
• The Christians facilitating the woman’s deliverance were not nervous or afraid of the demons manifesting in the woman. They realized the superior authority of Jesus Christ in them.
• The woman being delivered had been secretly tormented by these demons for YEARS because of her ignorance of the spiritual realm. Remember, when it comes to spiritual realities, ignorance is never bliss; knowledge is power and blessing.
What can we take home with us from the above case study in human demonic control? The most important point to realize is that pretending demons don't exist doesn't work in our favor. Ignorance and denial work in the enemy's favor. Ignorance and denial commonly result in a loved one being tormented as well as slowly victimized and destroyed by demonic control over years and decades. Demons rejoice in being able to impose a slow death on their victims, which includes the heartbreak and suffering of all those related to the victim. The kingdom of darkness is evil and cruel beyond our human imagination! Turning the table, let's expose the enemy's authority to cause havoc in your life; a pattern of destruction that you thought was just "bad luck."
Demonic Authority on Planet Earth
Next the devil took him (Jesus) to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
(Matthew 4:8-10 NLT)
Notice that Jesus did not refute satan's claim to controlling "all the kingdoms of the world." Because satan conned Adam and Eve out of their inheritance, he continues to have tremendous power and authority over the Earth through the agency of cooperative human pawns. His ultimate fate is sure and his time is short, which is why he is working "overtime" in the world today.
If you have ever wondered why God allows the suffereing which is common in our world, understand that we and our ancestors (including Adam and Eve) have freely given satan authority to cause this suffering. God is not responsible for this suffering, satan is. Yes, God is sovereign, but he honors our free will. It is through the foolish exercise of our free will that the devil is given authority to cause destruction and death in the world.
Can Demons Kill Humans?
The Bible tells us, in the first chapter of the book of Job, that satan is occasionally given permission to take human life. The book of Job also points out that satan is denied permission to take the lives of those under God’s divine protection, in this case, Job. The bottom line here is that the Almighty Living God, in His infinite wisdom, ultimately decides the individual life span of each human, Christian or not. What most people don't realize is that our behavior, which in turn demonstrates what we truly believe, afftects God's decision as to how long we live on Earth and what blessings or curses we receive in this life. How we choose to exercise our free will, whether for good or evil, has a HUGH impact on the long-term course of our lives.
Those who reject God and live self-indulgent lifestyles in rebellion against God's Will have effectively chosen to follow the ruler of darkness. God has not removed Himself from these people, these people have removed themselves from God. When satan is done using a victim, he will often seek to take their life (why take a chance on them becoming a Christian?) If satan cannot get permission from God to do so on spiritual legal grounds, he often seeks to obtain the "free will" cooperation of the victim (through intimidation, condemnation or deception). How this works: the "enemy" influences life events or negative emotional responses in a victim which discourage, depress or cause the victim to lose hope in his or her future. Demons then move in to convince the victim to take his or her own life. Here is an example of this:
A long time friend (30+ years) told me that she once became so depressed that she attempted suicide. As she pondered whether she should actually follow through with an overdose of pain medication (prescribed for a rare physical disability she had), she recounted that a dark presence began to "swirl" around her and from that cloud came voices that demanded she "just do it!" Which she did (she was not a believer at this time). Praise God that her husband was a believer. He "coincidentally" came home early just in time to get her to a hospital and save her life.
The kindgom of darkness is invovled, one way or another, in far more human deaths than we realize. If demons can have such a destructive effect on human life, how much more can they affect our material possessions?
Can Demons Affect Possessions Such As a Car or Appliance?
Chip Ingram, in his book “The Invisible War”, tells us that multiple appliances in his home would fail within days of major events produced by the church he pastored. There almost always seems to be a backlash associated with our service to Jesus. These kind of annoyances and distractions (harassment) are intended to get us sidetracked and discourage us from Kingdom service.
In the last 12 months, unusual or unexpected problems developed in my car four separate times. Three out of four times, the problem disappeared after I engaged the enemy (e.g. commanding the enemy, in the name of Jesus, to take his hands off of my car). The effectiveness of Christian prayer and spiritual warfare against the kingdom of darkness is powerful, yet few realize this valuable weapon devout Christians possess.
If the enemy can succeed in causing us financial loss, he succeeds in both “destroying” our property and “stealing” our finances to repair or replace the item. The Holy Spirit once told me that demonic harassment is intended to “confuse, distract and delay" us. So the next time something unexpectedly goes out in your home or vehicle, try using the spiritual authority you have in Christ Jesus (i.e. if you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior) to rebuke the enemy. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t; the point is you have nothing to lose by stepping out in faith in this area and a lot to gain. And if rebuking the enemy doesn't result in improvement, move on to prayer to God.
Consider the following video testimony of Shawn Williams. He had made a pack with the devil and at the point of sealing the deal with a blood sacrifice, God spoke to him. As a result of Shawn pulling out of the satanic pack and accepting God into his life, he infuriated the kingdom of darkness. After several months of terrifying harrassment by demons, Shawn finally exercised his newfound authority in Jesus Christ. Had this believer been educated on spiritual warfare from the beginning, he wouldn't have had to endure the demonic attacks for several months. Remember, Biblical and spiritual knowledge is power!
Can Demons Cause Injuries and Illnesses?
Absolutely! Mike Bickle, pastor of the mega-church International House of Prayer in Kansas City reports that he and the leading prophetic person in their church were fellowshipping in a room one day when a demon suddenly became visible, ran toward Mike and struck his knee before disappearing. His knee remained painfully injured for at least a week afterward. I, myself, was walking down some stairs one day when my right foot inexplicably missed a step. I immediately realized that an invisible force had gently nudged my foot just enough at the last possible second to miss the next step. As a result, I slid down the remaining 8 or so steps bumpity-bump, injuring my hip.
Most accidents and injuries caused by demonic forces are very subtle (i.e. difficult to detect). Remember, demons usually want to avoid being too obvious---otherwise we’ll get a clue and possibly learn how to defend ourselves. For example, I’m convinced that most car accidents are indirectly caused by demonic forces subtly causing a distraction to the driver at just the wrong moment. By the way, I’m a professional driver who has criss-crossed the country several times, so I have a tad of insight into this hypothesis. And consider the following examples.
I have a dear brother in the Lord who reported being punched by invisible fists! A sister in the Lord told me how she saw a demon of brain cancer move in discomfort when she began to pray over the victim. I have also read of an interesting report, witnessed by the patient’s physician (who was present), of Smith Wigglesworth (a noted prophet and faith healer early in the last century) delivering a terminally ill man of stomach cancer by physically “punching the demon” responsible. Unfortunately for the victim, the demon was located in his stomach and the man fell to the floor after the stomach punch, apparently dead. Horrified, the patient's physician declared that Mr. Wigglesworth just killed his patient. Shortly, the man came to, got up and was completely healed of the stomach cancer.
I definitely believe in professional medical care, don’t get me wrong; however, I must point out the truth. The truth is many people are suffering and dying otherwise unnecessarily because they are not seeking appropriate spiritual intervention (in conjunction with medical treatment, if necessary).
As indicated above, demons are causing pain, injury, suffering and loss that could otherwise be eliminated by a close walk with God, which includes His wisdom on spiritual warfare. If God did not intend for believers to exercise the authority of Jesus Christ over the kingdom of darkness, why did He put it in the Bible? If we continue to remain ignorant of what God clearly tells us in the Bible (and/or doubt what He tells us), then the devil has some pretty depressing plans for us.
What the Devil Has in Store for You and Your Loved Ones
Just as our Heavenly Father has a desired plan for each of our lives…
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
…satan has an equal and opposite plan for the destruction of each of our lives. The devil and all his horde of demons are committed to taking advantage of EVERY OPPORTUNITY given them to “kill, steal and destroy” in each of our lives. Please consider the following warnings we receive from God’s Word.
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13:18-23 NLT)
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT)
Like most Christians, over the years I’ve prayerfully sought greater understanding regarding a wide range of spiritual topics, including demonic tactics. Let me share some of the answers the Holy Spirit has given me concerning demonic tactics and strategies:
1. The enemy will always try to "slip into your house (i.e. body, life or situation) through an unlocked back door." I hesitate to provide examples of this truth because I don’t want to limit it such that you don’t recognize alternate possibilities. So, please consider the following examples a mere drop in the bucket on possible “unlocked doors” in your life.
a. Addictions to drugs, alcohol, pornography, computer games or any one of a hundred other things. Addictions equal bondage to the kingdom of darkness. Addictions and obsessions become an “idol” of sorts which displaces God in a person’s life. The pursuit of the addiction is placed higher than the pursuit of God and thus becomes unconfessed sin which the victim becomes increasingly unwilling to abandon. "Lock the door" by realizing the spiritual danger of addictive behavior and refuse to be seduced by such temptations, no matter how appealing to your flesh. Just say NO to bondage of any type! And get pastoral help if that isn't enough to solve the problem.
b. Unresolved, unconfessed and unrepented of anger, taking offense (i.e. grudges) and unforgiveness. “Lock the door” by coming clean with God on any of these problems in your spiritual life. Insist on forgiving those invovled. Refuse to hold a grudge against anyone, no matter how much they have hurt you. Warning: Failure to resolve anger and unforgiveness leaves a warehouse door big enough for an 18 wheeler semi-tractor/trailer full of demons to be moved into your life.
c. Sexual relationships outside of marriage can be avoided by removing yourself from temptation. Avoid close relationships with attractive married folk and avoid private locations (i.e. with no one else around to provide accountability) when dating. It is no "coincidence" that I once read some stats that married men died far more often while having adulterous sexual relations than when having relations with their wives.
d. I know ringing cell phones sounds trivial, but I've had ministry and fellowship interrupted at critical points far too many times to write it off as coincidence. Although seemingly inconsequential, cell phones should always be turned off during any type of spiritual activity, even personal Bible reading. That will close the door on a distraction. The enemy will exploit any chance to "confuse, distract and delay" ministry and personal spiritual growth.
2. Demons will always attempt to “confuse, distract and delay” any efforts we make to draw close to our Heavenly Father. Whether it be good works, gaining greater understanding and knowledge on the things of God or obeying God’s Will for our lives, the enemy will be watching for opportunities to:
a. Confuse your thoughts and understanding of the Bible, pastoral messages and the Kingdom of God in general;
b. Distract you through a seemingly endless variety of interruptions or events which seemingly require your attention to be diverted from your intended pursuit of the Kingdom of God;
c. Delay your maturity and service in the Kingdom of God for as long as possible. The longer satan can delay your Christian maturity and Kingdom service, the less dangerous you are to his diabolical plans for the World, your family, your own life and the lives of people you have an impact on, including the generations which will follow you.
If you are an active devout Christian, satan will try to harass you as much as possible here on Earth. Once you enter eternity he has no further access to you. If you are an unbeliever (a non-Christian), satan has an opportunity in hell to torment you as much as he wants, so he's not as concerned about getting his licks in during your time on Earth. Either way, satan wants to destroy you and your loved ones. You need to know how to stop him.
Now What?
As promised, this article has given you a valuable glimpse into the invisible battlefield you live in. Forewarned is forearmed. You now have some insight into the authority, persistence and subtlety of the kingdom of darkness to cause as much damage as possible in the lives of your children, spouse, friends, relatives, church and yourself. With meditation, study, prayer and practice you will be able to discern more readily when the enemy is attempting to “kill, steal and destroy” from you or your loved ones. I wish I could say it will always be obvious, but it won't be.
In writing this article, for example, I was hindered several weeks by a creative block combined with a seemingly endless stream of distractions many would dismiss as “writer’s block” and "coincidence". Remember, the enemy usually wants to remain undetected. The enemy always wants us to dismiss his attacks as bad luck or some naturally explainable phenomena. I wish I could boast that I immediately discerned the enemy’s attack on me for exposing him in this article, but it took weeks for me to realize. Praise God, I eventually realized this attack for what it was and began engaging in a counter-offensive, including prayer partners. Had I not realized I was under attack, you might not be reading this right now. Some writers may have simply given up after a period of discouragement. This is exactly what the enemy wants, to discourage you from pursuing the Kingdom of God as well as the blessings that are yours in Christ Jesus. The idea here is to be aware of and alert to spiritual warfare, but not obsessed with it.
In the above personal example, notice it took weeks for me to figure it out. That is because I had never been so subtely hindered before and because I don't automatically assume that everything unpleasant is necessarily a demonic attack. I'm a strong believer in striving for balance in all things spiritual. Whether the issue is bible study, fellowship, worship, prayer, evangelism, or understanding spiritual warfare, balance is healthy.
The ball is now in your court. If you want to protect your children, your husband or wife, your friends and relatives, and yourself---continue to learn about spiritual warfare. My ignorance of spiritual warfare during my first decade of being a Christian resulted in overwhelming grief in my life and to my family. Furthermore, my ignorance delayed my Christian maturity and kingdom service for several years. If you’d like to learn the hard way, like me, I'm very sorry for you. If you’d like to avoid the school of hard-knocks, which I pray you do, then take the truths I’ve shared in this article seriously. But don’t stop there, there is so much more to learn about spiritual warfare than I could possibly cover in an article of this type. Not even one book on the subject will be adequate; you need to read several, in addition to the Bible and praying for understanding. Please visit the Christian Resources page for recommended books that will help you in this regard. May our loving and merciful Heavenly Father bless you abundantly in raising you up as a mighty warrior in His Kingdom!
To make sure you have divine protection and spend eternity in paradise, click the below "paradise" link and the "3 Critical Steps..." link at the bottom of that page.
