Spiritual Warfare

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Spiritual Warfare

Posted On : Oct-22-2011 | seen (601) times | Article Word Count : 3562 |

Everyone is attacked by something at sometime. If it's a physical fight we often have the option of fight or flight. But it's not so easy to do when we are under attack by evil spirits, unclean spirits or demons. Often people can detect their existence by the following things:

These may manifest themselves as disturbances in sleep, nightmares or a feeling of uneasiness and possibly of fear. Perhaps a feeling that your personal space has been invaded in some way. Sometimes the come by stepping into a realm or authority in which you did not seek God’s direction or were not called.

Their mission is simply to “seek and destroy.” Satan is looking for those who he can “devour.” The word devour is an all-encompassing word. It means total and complete destruction and annihilation on whoever the devils may be coming after. Demons have absolutely no mercy on their victims. Their goal is total death and destruction on the ones they are attacking if they can go that far with it.

Here are some modern stories which show that there's evil forces beyond our personal powers out there intent on possessing and harming individuals.

A Demon Possession in America

An American woman who levitated, demonstrated paranormal psychic powers and spoke foreign languages unknown to her was clearly demon possessed, according to a board-certified psychiatrist and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College.

The unnamed woman, with a long history of involvement with Satanic groups, was observed by a team of priests, deacons, several lay assistants, psychiatrists, nuns, some of whom also had medical and psychiatric training, levitating six inches off the ground while objects flew off shelves in the same room, according to Dr. Richard E. Gallagher, who documented the case in the February issue of the New Oxford Review.

"Periodically, in our presence, Julia would go into a trance state of a recurring nature," writes Gallagher. "Mentally troubled individuals often 'dissociate,' but Julia's trances were accompanied by an unusual phenomenon: Out of her mouth would come various threats, taunts and scatological language, phrases like 'Leave her alone, you idiot,' 'She's ours,' 'Leave, you imbecile priest,' or just 'Leave.' The tone of this voice differed markedly from Julia's own, and it varied, sometimes sounding guttural and vaguely masculine, at other points high pitched. Most of her comments during these 'trances,' or at the subsequent exorcisms, displayed a marked contempt for anything religious or sacred."

The subject would have no recollection of speaking these phrases upon recovering from the trance-like state, according to Gallagher. "Sometimes objects around her would fly off the shelves, the rare phenomenon of psychokinesis known to parapsychologists," reports Gallagher. "Julia was also in possession of knowledge of facts and occurrences beyond any possibility of their natural acquisition.

"She commonly reported information about the relatives, household composition, family deaths and illnesses, etc., of members of our team, without ever having observed or been informed about them," he said. "As an example, she knew the personality and precise manner of death (i.e., the exact type of cancer) of a relative of a team member that no one could conceivably have guessed. She once spoke about the strange behavior of some inexplicably frenzied animals beyond her direct observation: Though residing in another city, she commented, 'So those cats really went berserk last night, didn't they?' The morning after two cats in a team member's house uncharacteristically had violently attacked each other at about 2 a.m."

The Four Familiar Spirits

"I am possessed by four spirits who will not let me go. My Story begins in l985 when on a lazy afternoon my sister called to invite me to accompany her and some family members to a Spiritual church. At first I said no, because I, like most people, was afraid of Ghosts and the like but after much begging she finally talked me into it. When we got there we were a little spooked like many people are when they first delve in to the paranormal but once there we sang hymns and there was a preacher like many churches and then a Medium began giving personal messages from the Great Beyond.

The first ones to come through was my father, mother and her sister and a man I know who had recently passed after having a sudden heart attack while out jogging, and there was no question it was them from the personal things the Medium was telling us. She didn't know us or our name so there was no way she could have known these things unless she was actually in communication with our relatives (rather they are evil spirits disguised as her relatives).

The problem was no one much believed me and I was not happy with them sitting inside my body and tried everything to get them to come out but they refused. They (the evil spirits) cited a book written by Spiritual Writer Ruth Montgomery in which she writes: "When Evil Spirits Become So Evil They Cannot Be Rehabilitated a Higher Power steps in and destroys the Evil Spirits. When nothing happened and no one appeared to destroy them they said they were declaring themselves Satan followers, to see if that brought a Higher Power after them who could prove he had control over them.

I became more and more frightened and tried to talk them into coming out but they refused and kept doing things that frightened me even more and now they were no longer acting like the Baptist people I (once) knew, and now they said they are sick of some of the things being written about the spirit world by those who don't know what they know since they arrived there. And they say they are setting to set the record straight.

Over the years they have given me bad advice and kept me from getting proper sleep and given me all sorts of suggestions as to shopping and diet and things to cause my weight to escalate and I believe they have interfered with my health but of course as the years went by its possible I would have developed some of these problems even without the interference of the four spirits sitting inside my body."

Carla's Story

Word for word, this is Carla's story.

"My friend Laura was a strong religious person, along with her family. It was a Sunday and we had come home from Church, I was staying at her house that night along with 3 other friends, 2 of which were not very religious. It was 10:00PM and we were playing a game of truth or dare in which one of our non religious friends, Keira dared the group to use an Ouija board, which she had brought along with her in the first place. Non of us wanted to but Keira kept bugging us and saying that it wouldn't do any harm. We ended up agreeing to use it for 5 minutes and no more.

We started with the usual "is anybody there" we soon got a yes, other stuff we found out was that there was 3 spirits we were talking to, when we asked them if they were ghosts they said nothing, when we asks if they were angels we got no answer at all. After that we tried getting them to talk again but got no reply, so we packed the Ouija board up.

We soon went to sleep, roughly around 3:00AM everyone was awoken suddenly, no noise was made or anything, we all just woke up for no reason. My other friend Ashley was the first to mention how strange it was, I then noticed something by the door, the lights were off so it was pretty much pitch black in there but I could see the outline of someone by the door, unsure of what I was seeing, I began pointing to it and asking if anyone else saw it. Macy, my other friend also could see something but not very clearly. Laura turned on the lamp and there was nothing there, so we turned the light off again but the outline was back, Laura again turned the light back on and instantly he light bulb blew. And I really mean blew, parts of the glass flew across the room. Freaked out, we decided to sleep in the living room that night.

The next day, Laura wasn't feeling well, her eyes were red and was complaining about a sharp pain on her stomach, we checked her stomach and were completely shocked to see 3 claw marks across her stomach, they looked deep and were super thin, way too thin to have been from a person."

Modern science is just now accepting the established fact that Satan, evil spirits and demons are real entities. Some realise that U.F.O's are a present day reality. However, many do not know that evil beings with great intelligence are behind these sightings. This fact is explained out by many U.F.O. researchers, as they claim that first hand experience shows that these encounters differ little from demonic attacks. You can verify these things with relative ease on the Internet.

The Solution

The Gospel (good news) is that Satan and his forces have already been defeated and disarmed (Col. 2:15). Consequently, there's no need for believers to fear their spiritual enemy. While Satan still has the freedom to tempt and harass Christians, he has no direct authority over them. The armor of God pictures the protection Jesus gives us against demonic attack.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:10-18)

Spiritual warfare for believers, therefore, is fought in the mind, emotions and the will. Scriptural truth is our primary line of defense. That's why Paul frequently urges us to be renewed in our minds (Romans 12:1-2; Col. 3:1-3). The more our minds are filled with the truth of God's Word, the less susceptible we are to Satan's deceptions and temptations.

However, because Satan still rules the unbelieving world, we will, on occasion, have to confront Satan's work in people's lives (for example, Acts 13:9-12). To dislodge Satan's influence in someones life, a supernatural encounter of God's power and truth may be required. This necessitates that a person to place Jesus Christ upon their life (Col 3:17; Galatians 3:26-28; Romans 6:1-5; Acts 2:38).

The Six Facts About the Attacks

(1) Our victory over Satan’s attacks is not always evident in terms of his defeat and our success, but is sometimes won in what looks like our defeat and his success. When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, it looked very much like he had won. But in our Lord’s apparent defeat (and Satan’s apparent victory) the Savior brought about our salvation and Satan’s defeat. So it will be for some saints. The Book of Revelation informs us that there will be a time when Satan and his subordinates will appear to triumph over the saints, but this should be viewed as a momentary defeat which accomplishes the purposes of God, and which serves as a prelude to Satan’s final destruction:

9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also (Revelation 6:9-11).

(2) Satan’s opposition is not to be found so much in the bizarre and the supernatural as it is in that which seems natural and even human. You will notice that the subject of demonization is not raised here. Neither is any emphasis given here to lying wonders and signs, although these are a part of Satan’s arsenal of weapons. Satan tempted Adam and Eve to doubt God’s goodness and to disobey His Word. His opposition to Job was evident in the form of natural disaster and human illness. The same appears to be the case with his affliction of Paul (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). His temptation of David seems to be in terms of an appeal to his pride (1 Chronicles 21:1). So, too, his temptation of our Lord was an appeal to what we would think of as natural ambitions and desires (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).

(3) Satan’s opposition to the believer is seldom direct, and is most often through other means, which we might not recognize as being satanically inspired. In very few instances does Satan directly involve himself in his attack against men. He did directly tempt our Lord, but this is certainly the exception. Usually, he prefers to “speak” through other instruments, so that we don’t recognize that it is he who is opposing us. He spoke through a serpent in the garden of Eden, and he spoke through Peter when he resisted Christ’s plan to die on the cross (Matthew 16:23). More often, Satan employs his demons to do his bidding (see 2 Corinthians 12:7).

We are all familiar with these three forces, all of which are hostile to the believer: the world, the flesh, and the devil. I would like to suggest that Satan most often employs the world and the flesh to attack the believer. And so it is that Satan is sometimes identified as the ultimate culprit, when it would appear that the world or the flesh were the source of one’s temptation. Who would have seen Satan behind David’s numbering of the Israelites (1 Chronicles 21:1)? Who would have imagined that Judas’ temptation arose from anything other than his own greed? Who would have thought that the deception of Ananias and Sapphira was motivated by anything more than their own greed and desire for man’s praise? When the Scriptures inform us that Satan is behind a particular temptation, it is because the forces seem so natural we would not have expected any deeper, more sinister, source.

Satan is more than willing to accept men’s adoration and obedience indirectly. If we become his servants by serving our own interests and seeking the satisfaction of our fleshly desires, Satan gladly accepts our indirect submission to him. In fact, I think he even delights in it, because he is the great deceiver. How he must find pleasure in letting men think they are free, when they are really his slaves!

It does not seem advisable to give Satan credit for every evil deed, or to blame him for every instance of opposition, difficulty, or temptation. Job did not know the Satan was behind the tragedies which came into his life. It does not seem that he needed to know. What he needed to know what that an all-wise, all-powerful God was in control of the universe, and of his life. What Job needed to do more than to “bind Satan” was to believe and obey God. Satan’s fingerprints may often be found on much of the evil and suffering which takes place in this world, but some of the evil comes from our own flesh (James 1:13-15), and from living in a sinful world (Romans 8:18-25).

(4) Satan’s opposition is the outworking of his own rebellion and distorted perception. To put it simply, Satan’s opposition is guided by his own warped perception of reality. He cannot believe that anyone would worship God on the basis of Who He is, rather than on the basis of what He gives. Satan cannot think of God as our Reward, but only as the Rewarder of those who do His bidding. And so it is that Satan sought to afflict Job, thinking that his submission and obedience would immediately cease.

Satan tempts those in power by appealing to their pride and ambition, because that is the way he responded to his position of power. He appeals to those under authority to act independently, rather than to submit to those over us. He appeals to self-interest and he urges us to shun self-sacrifice. He knows nothing of grace, and he delights in the downfall of others.

Satan’s perception is warped. He is not all-knowing, nor is he all-powerful. He operates on the basis of his own distorted perception of reality. Sinful men easily and readily identify with his mindset and motivation, but Christians must reject it for the evil it is. And when Christians act like their Master, Satan is mystified and angered. He cannot fathom why anyone would submit to God and worship him.

(5) Satan is a defeated foe, but his complete demise is yet future. We have already alluded to Satan’s defeat at the cross of Calvary. Nevertheless, we shall say it once again. Satan’s demise is certain.

(6) Satan’s present opposition to the people and purposes of God appears to be detrimental to the church, but in reality Satan is actually furthering God’s purpose and plan for creation. God has purposed to delay casting Satan into the lake of fire because in his freedom to operate as the “god of this world” he is unwittingly fulfilling God’s purposes. He is thus bringing glory to God and producing that which God uses for our good. While Satan inspired Judas to betray our Lord, this was necessary to accomplish our salvation. And although Satan’s messenger may have afflicted Paul with a thorn in the flesh, this was for Paul’s good (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Satan is always on a chain, God’s chain. While he carries on his work with evil intent, God uses him for our good, and for His glory. There is not one thing which Satan is allowed to do which does not promote God’s purposes, His glory, and our good. The outcome of the spiritual war between Satan and God is certain. The struggle is a part of God’s eternal plan. And standing against his attacks in the strength of the full armor of God is our duty.

No Christian Involvement

As Christians, we can have absolutely no part in any of the following areas:

1. The occult.
2. False religions or cults.
3. Any part of the New Age Movement.
4. The homosexual lifestyle.
5. Any type of Satan worshiping group.
6. Any involvement with abortion or the abortion industry.
7. Abusing alcohol.
8. Doing any type of drugs, which includes marijuana
9. Any type of extreme verbal and/or physical abuse on your mate or children.
10. Any type of promiscuous, sexual lifestyle.
11. Any type of criminal activity.
12. Murder.
13. Bringing a cursed object into your home.

Final Fast Facts

While we should be aware of the devils and their methods, there's no reason to be overly alarmed by their activity. They will always be a presence among mankind until His return. If we do not seek to find them, often they will leave us alone. This is a generally true statement, yet sometimes the demons will have no right to attack us but still will attempt to do so. The fact is that that only God can control or limit them. So the closer that you walk in His light, the further they will stay away from you. Hence, if you have any unsaved friends or family pray for His protection over their lives in the name of Jesus. In last days, the devil will use economic means to try and subdue all of mankind. All those who resist this forced program will either flee or be eliminated.

Re-Publish this Article

<h1>Spiritual Warfare</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Steve-0.aspx'>Steve-0</a> Everyone is attacked by something at sometime. If it's a physical fight we often have the option of fight or flight. But it's not so easy to do when we are under attack by evil spirits, unclean spirits or demons. Often people can detect their existence by the following things:

These may manifest themselves as disturbances in sleep, nightmares or a feeling of uneasiness and possibly of fear. Perhaps a feeling that your personal space has been invaded in some way. Sometimes the come by stepping into a realm or authority in which you did not seek God’s direction or were not called. 
 
Their mission is simply to “seek and destroy.” Satan is looking for those who he can “devour.” The word devour is an all-encompassing word. It means total and complete destruction and annihilation on whoever the devils may be coming after. Demons have absolutely no mercy on their victims. Their goal is total death and destruction on the ones they are attacking if they can go that far with it.

Here are some modern stories which show that there's evil forces beyond our personal powers out there intent on possessing and harming individuals.
 
A Demon Possession in America

An American woman who levitated, demonstrated paranormal psychic powers and spoke foreign languages unknown to her was clearly demon possessed, according to a board-certified psychiatrist and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College.
 
The unnamed woman, with a long history of involvement with Satanic groups, was observed by a team of priests, deacons, several lay assistants, psychiatrists, nuns, some of whom also had medical and psychiatric training, levitating six inches off the ground while objects flew off shelves in the same room, according to Dr. Richard E. Gallagher, who documented the case in the February issue of the New Oxford Review.
 
"Periodically, in our presence, Julia would go into a trance state of a recurring nature," writes Gallagher. "Mentally troubled individuals often 'dissociate,' but Julia's trances were accompanied by an unusual phenomenon: Out of her mouth would come various threats, taunts and scatological language, phrases like 'Leave her alone, you idiot,' 'She's ours,' 'Leave, you imbecile priest,' or just 'Leave.' The tone of this voice differed markedly from Julia's own, and it varied, sometimes sounding guttural and vaguely masculine, at other points high pitched. Most of her comments during these 'trances,' or at the subsequent exorcisms, displayed a marked contempt for anything religious or sacred."
 
The subject would have no recollection of speaking these phrases upon recovering from the trance-like state, according to Gallagher. "Sometimes objects around her would fly off the shelves, the rare phenomenon of psychokinesis known to parapsychologists," reports Gallagher. "Julia was also in possession of knowledge of facts and occurrences beyond any possibility of their natural acquisition.
 
"She commonly reported information about the relatives, household composition, family deaths and illnesses, etc., of members of our team, without ever having observed or been informed about them," he said. "As an example, she knew the personality and precise manner of death (i.e., the exact type of cancer) of a relative of a team member that no one could conceivably have guessed. She once spoke about the strange behavior of some inexplicably frenzied animals beyond her direct observation: Though residing in another city, she commented, 'So those cats really went berserk last night, didn't they?'  The morning after two cats in a team member's house uncharacteristically had violently attacked each other at about 2 a.m."
 
The Four Familiar Spirits
 
"I am possessed by four spirits who will not let me go. My Story begins in l985 when on a lazy afternoon my sister called to invite me to accompany her and some family members to a Spiritual church. At first I said no, because I, like most people, was afraid of Ghosts and the like but after much begging she finally talked me into it. When we got there we were a little spooked like many people are when they first delve in to the paranormal but once there we sang hymns and there was a preacher like many churches and then a Medium began giving personal messages from the Great Beyond.
 
The first ones to come through was my father, mother and her sister and a man I know who had recently passed after having a sudden heart attack while out jogging, and there was no question it was them from the personal things the Medium was telling us. She didn't know us or our name so there was no way she could have known these things unless she was actually in communication with our relatives (rather they are evil spirits disguised as her relatives). 
 
The problem was no one much believed me and I was not happy with them sitting inside my body and tried everything to get them to come out but they refused. They (the evil spirits) cited a book written by Spiritual Writer Ruth Montgomery in which she writes: "When Evil Spirits Become So Evil They Cannot Be Rehabilitated a Higher Power steps in and destroys the Evil Spirits. When nothing happened and no one appeared to destroy them they said they were declaring themselves Satan followers, to see if that brought a Higher Power after them who could prove he had control over them.
 
I became more and more frightened and tried to talk them into coming out but they refused and kept doing things that frightened me even more and now they were no longer acting like the Baptist people I (once) knew, and now they said they are sick of some of the things being written about the spirit world by those who don't know what they know since they arrived there. And they say they are setting to set the record straight.
 
Over the years they have given me bad advice and kept me from getting proper sleep and given me all sorts of suggestions as to shopping and diet and things to cause my weight to escalate and I believe they have interfered with my health but of course as the years went by its possible I would have developed some of these problems even without the interference of the four spirits sitting inside my body."

Carla's Story

Word for word, this is Carla's story.

"My friend Laura was a strong religious person, along with her family. It was a Sunday and we had come home from Church, I was staying at her house that night along with 3 other friends, 2 of which were not very religious. It was 10:00PM and we were playing a game of truth or dare in which one of our non religious friends, Keira dared the group to use an Ouija board, which she had brought along with her in the first place. Non of us wanted to but Keira kept bugging us and saying that it wouldn't do any harm. We ended up agreeing to use it for 5 minutes and no more.

We started with the usual "is anybody there" we soon got a yes, other stuff we found out was that there was 3 spirits we were talking to, when we asked them if they were ghosts they said nothing, when we asks if they were angels we got no answer at all. After that we tried getting them to talk again but got no reply, so we packed the Ouija board up.

We soon went to sleep, roughly around 3:00AM everyone was awoken suddenly, no noise was made or anything, we all just woke up for no reason. My other friend Ashley was the first to mention how strange it was, I then noticed something by the door, the lights were off so it was pretty much pitch black in there but I could see the outline of someone by the door, unsure of what I was seeing, I began pointing to it and asking if anyone else saw it. Macy, my other friend also could see something but not very clearly. Laura turned on the lamp and there was nothing there, so we turned the light off again but the outline was back, Laura again turned the light back on and instantly he light bulb blew. And I really mean blew, parts of the glass flew across the room. Freaked out, we decided to sleep in the living room that night.

The next day, Laura wasn't feeling well, her eyes were red and was complaining about a sharp pain on her stomach, we checked her stomach and were completely shocked to see 3 claw marks across her stomach, they looked deep and were super thin, way too thin to have been from a person."

Modern science is just now accepting the established fact that Satan, evil spirits and demons are real entities. Some realise that U.F.O's are a present day reality. However, many do not know that evil beings with great intelligence are behind these sightings. This fact is explained out by many U.F.O. researchers, as they claim that first hand experience shows that these encounters differ little from demonic attacks. You can verify these things with relative ease on the Internet.

The Solution

The Gospel (good news) is that Satan and his forces have already been defeated and disarmed (Col. 2:15). Consequently, there's no need for believers to fear their spiritual enemy. While Satan still has the freedom to tempt and harass Christians, he has no direct authority over them. The armor of God pictures the protection Jesus gives us against demonic attack.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:10-18)

Spiritual warfare for believers, therefore, is fought in the mind, emotions and the will. Scriptural truth is our primary line of defense. That's why Paul frequently urges us to be renewed in our minds (Romans 12:1-2; Col. 3:1-3). The more our minds are filled with the truth of God's Word, the less susceptible we are to Satan's deceptions and temptations.

However, because Satan still rules the unbelieving world, we will, on occasion, have to confront Satan's work in people's lives (for example, Acts 13:9-12). To dislodge Satan's influence in someones life, a supernatural encounter of God's power and truth may be required. This necessitates that a person to place Jesus Christ upon their life (Col 3:17; Galatians 3:26-28; Romans 6:1-5; Acts 2:38).

The Six Facts About the Attacks

(1) Our victory over Satan’s attacks is not always evident in terms of his defeat and our success, but is sometimes won in what looks like our defeat and his success. When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, it looked very much like he had won. But in our Lord’s apparent defeat (and Satan’s apparent victory) the Savior brought about our salvation and Satan’s defeat. So it will be for some saints. The Book of Revelation informs us that there will be a time when Satan and his subordinates will appear to triumph over the saints, but this should be viewed as a momentary defeat which accomplishes the purposes of God, and which serves as a prelude to Satan’s final destruction:

9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also (Revelation 6:9-11).

(2) Satan’s opposition is not to be found so much in the bizarre and the supernatural as it is in that which seems natural and even human. You will notice that the subject of demonization is not raised here. Neither is any emphasis given here to lying wonders and signs, although these are a part of Satan’s arsenal of weapons. Satan tempted Adam and Eve to doubt God’s goodness and to disobey His Word. His opposition to Job was evident in the form of natural disaster and human illness. The same appears to be the case with his affliction of Paul (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). His temptation of David seems to be in terms of an appeal to his pride (1 Chronicles 21:1). So, too, his temptation of our Lord was an appeal to what we would think of as natural ambitions and desires (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).

(3) Satan’s opposition to the believer is seldom direct, and is most often through other means, which we might not recognize as being satanically inspired. In very few instances does Satan directly involve himself in his attack against men. He did directly tempt our Lord, but this is certainly the exception. Usually, he prefers to “speak” through other instruments, so that we don’t recognize that it is he who is opposing us. He spoke through a serpent in the garden of Eden, and he spoke through Peter when he resisted Christ’s plan to die on the cross (Matthew 16:23). More often, Satan employs his demons to do his bidding (see 2 Corinthians 12:7).

We are all familiar with these three forces, all of which are hostile to the believer: the world, the flesh, and the devil. I would like to suggest that Satan most often employs the world and the flesh to attack the believer. And so it is that Satan is sometimes identified as the ultimate culprit, when it would appear that the world or the flesh were the source of one’s temptation. Who would have seen Satan behind David’s numbering of the Israelites (1 Chronicles 21:1)? Who would have imagined that Judas’ temptation arose from anything other than his own greed? Who would have thought that the deception of Ananias and Sapphira was motivated by anything more than their own greed and desire for man’s praise? When the Scriptures inform us that Satan is behind a particular temptation, it is because the forces seem so natural we would not have expected any deeper, more sinister, source.

Satan is more than willing to accept men’s adoration and obedience indirectly. If we become his servants by serving our own interests and seeking the satisfaction of our fleshly desires, Satan gladly accepts our indirect submission to him. In fact, I think he even delights in it, because he is the great deceiver. How he must find pleasure in letting men think they are free, when they are really his slaves!

It does not seem advisable to give Satan credit for every evil deed, or to blame him for every instance of opposition, difficulty, or temptation. Job did not know the Satan was behind the tragedies which came into his life. It does not seem that he needed to know. What he needed to know what that an all-wise, all-powerful God was in control of the universe, and of his life. What Job needed to do more than to “bind Satan” was to believe and obey God. Satan’s fingerprints may often be found on much of the evil and suffering which takes place in this world, but some of the evil comes from our own flesh (James 1:13-15), and from living in a sinful world (Romans 8:18-25).

(4) Satan’s opposition is the outworking of his own rebellion and distorted perception. To put it simply, Satan’s opposition is guided by his own warped perception of reality. He cannot believe that anyone would worship God on the basis of Who He is, rather than on the basis of what He gives. Satan cannot think of God as our Reward, but only as the Rewarder of those who do His bidding. And so it is that Satan sought to afflict Job, thinking that his submission and obedience would immediately cease.

Satan tempts those in power by appealing to their pride and ambition, because that is the way he responded to his position of power. He appeals to those under authority to act independently, rather than to submit to those over us. He appeals to self-interest and he urges us to shun self-sacrifice. He knows nothing of grace, and he delights in the downfall of others.

Satan’s perception is warped. He is not all-knowing, nor is he all-powerful. He operates on the basis of his own distorted perception of reality. Sinful men easily and readily identify with his mindset and motivation, but Christians must reject it for the evil it is. And when Christians act like their Master, Satan is mystified and angered. He cannot fathom why anyone would submit to God and worship him.

(5) Satan is a defeated foe, but his complete demise is yet future. We have already alluded to Satan’s defeat at the cross of Calvary. Nevertheless, we shall say it once again. Satan’s demise is certain.

(6) Satan’s present opposition to the people and purposes of God appears to be detrimental to the church, but in reality Satan is actually furthering God’s purpose and plan for creation. God has purposed to delay casting Satan into the lake of fire because in his freedom to operate as the “god of this world” he is unwittingly fulfilling God’s purposes. He is thus bringing glory to God and producing that which God uses for our good. While Satan inspired Judas to betray our Lord, this was necessary to accomplish our salvation. And although Satan’s messenger may have afflicted Paul with a thorn in the flesh, this was for Paul’s good (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Satan is always on a chain, God’s chain. While he carries on his work with evil intent, God uses him for our good, and for His glory. There is not one thing which Satan is allowed to do which does not promote God’s purposes, His glory, and our good. The outcome of the spiritual war between Satan and God is certain. The struggle is a part of God’s eternal plan. And standing against his attacks in the strength of the full armor of God is our duty.

No Christian Involvement

As Christians, we can have absolutely no part in any of the following areas:
 
 1. The occult.
 2. False religions or cults.
 3. Any part of the New Age Movement.
 4. The homosexual lifestyle.
 5. Any type of Satan worshiping group.
 6. Any involvement with abortion or the abortion industry.
 7. Abusing alcohol.
 8. Doing any type of drugs, which includes marijuana
 9. Any type of extreme verbal and/or physical abuse on your mate or children.
 10. Any type of promiscuous, sexual lifestyle.
 11. Any type of criminal activity.
 12. Murder.
 13. Bringing a cursed object into your home.
 
 Final Fast Facts
 
While we should be aware of the devils and their methods, there's no reason to be overly alarmed by their activity. They will always be a presence among mankind until His return. If we do not seek to find them, often they will leave us alone. This is a generally true statement, yet sometimes the demons will have no right to attack us but still will attempt to do so. The fact is that that only God can control or limit them. So the closer that you walk in His light, the further they will stay away from you. Hence, if you have any unsaved friends or family pray for His protection over their lives in the name of Jesus. In last days, the devil will use economic means to try and subdue all of mankind. All those who resist this forced program will either flee or be eliminated.
 
About the Author: WorldNet.Com, The News, The Occult, The King James Bible, Wikipedia, Operation Tojan Horse (UFO's Exposed) Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Spiritual-Warfare_95577.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Spiritual Warfare_95577.aspx</a>

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Spiritual Warfare_95577.aspx

Author Resource :
WorldNet.Com, The News, The Occult, The King James Bible, Wikipedia, Operation Tojan Horse (UFO's Exposed)

Keywords : UFO, family, death, spirits, evil, unclean, Baptist, parapsychologists, Spiritual, church, Ouija, board, demons, Christians, sleep, nightmar,

Category : Self Improvement : Spirituality

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