Be Strong
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on
all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all
strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood
enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against
mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly
places. Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT)
In this battle we are not able to stand on our own. In this intense war we are to engage the
enemy, but with the power and armor of God.
The dark forces are intent on distracting the followers of
Jesus from their life in Him. This is
darkness that hates the light and will do whatever it takes to destroy those
who walk in the light. The Apostle Paul
says we are engaged in a real battle. Billy
Graham points out that instead of the battle with the evil ones being mythical
it was real and was increasing at the end of the 20th century.
Demonic activity and Satan worship are on the increase in all
parts of the world. The devil is alive and more at work now than at any other
time. The Bible says that since he realizes that his time is short
(Revelation 12:12) his activity will increase. (Billy Graham, Angels All Around, Decision,
December 1996, 3)
Be Aware
In a world where human technology and cleverness rules a
spiritual battle with evil spirits seems remote, medieval and ancient. But what if it were right on our
doorstep? Here are a couple of recent
Mayes County Oklahoma cases.
The Case of the Agitated Spirit
Demons often camouflage themselves. Usually the plan is to come in without being
noticed and do the work of spiritual sabotage.
But there are times when in a move to distract and destroy the dark ones
reveal themselves or their work in one way or another. This is a case of an agitated spirit.
It has to do with a young man who was at the point of
deciding on a direction in life. Some
bad decisions had led to dealings with the law which he found distasteful. Thinking about his situation he decided to
move in a new direction. The Bible gave
him hope that a new way was possible. As
he explored pursuing Jesus and began attending church he also had visits of a most
disturbing type.
A devilish spirit attached on to this young man. Going after Jesus was not acceptable to the
dark ones so the attacks began.
Whisperings from the dark side came to this new seeker of truth. Temptations to go back to the old ways kept
coming, but with greater and greater intensity.
Demons can adjust the atmosphere in a room so that feelings of a
presence is noticed or the air gets heavy and maybe cold. This young man was trying to go into a room
he considered safe, but found it to be foul and uncomfortable. He kept seeking the Lord, and didn’t know
what to do with what was happening to him.
Afraid of what people might think of him he risked talking
to a pastor and then another and then another about what was going on. He said the counsel he received was to read
the Bible, pray and come to church, but he didn’t think they really knew what
he was talking about or what to do about it.
Unfortunately, although the Bible is clear about the issue
of the demonic it is something most pastors are not trained nor experienced
in. In Jesus training of the disciples
proclaiming the Kingdom of God and casting out demons went together. We in our day may need to train better.
Going home after work the young man would find things moved
and tossed around in his room. His
parents weren’t responsible and no one else had been in his room. The agitated spirit was taking this to a
physical level. For the young man it was overwhelming. He was trying to go to school and work and
figure out his life and this darkness just kept him in fear, confusion, doubt,
and down.
During a very cold period of winter he gave up sleeping in
his room and went out to his truck. He
couldn’t rest well as you can imagine.
He shared some of his story with a friend at school at which point I was
contacted to see if I could help. We met
and started a process of counseling with him and spiritual training for the
battle he was in. He found relief from
the agitated spirit by the power of Jesus.
The Case of the Unsettling Spirit
Our enemy has an objective to “steal, kill and destroy”
(John 10:10). The methods are many. In the case of the unsettling spirit it is a
matter of keeping peace at a distance and distracting with strange occurrences
which can disturb a family. All of that
is designed by the dark forces to create as many barriers as they can to people
coming to and growing in Christ.
The occurrences were knocking when no one was there, hearing
footsteps walking and no one was there to make them, changes in atmosphere,
appearances of people or forms who were not physical among others. These were witnessed by young and old, by a
person alone or with others. The usual
steps were taken to investigate and look for normal reasons these things
happened. After exhausting the normal
approaches a look at the supernatural came into view.
After some counseling and some direction in prayer steps
were taken to deal with the dark spirit or spirits involved. A reprieve was found. But after a time a recurrence took
place.
Not all dark spirits stay away after being dealt with in God’s
power. They sometimes return just
because they had a hold there, but at times something is done that draws them
back. And they are always looking for
opportunities to unsettle anything good the Lord is doing. Got to watch for them, and keep up the
battle.
These are recent cases, but it was another shared with me
this week that brought to mind the need to remind you to be ready.
Be Ready
This battle with the evil one began with Adam and Eve and
will continue till Jesus puts Satan in the Lake of Fire so we must be
ready. Ready for the deception, the dark
powers, the destruction the enemy brings.
Like a warrior getting ready for battle or an athlete training for a
competition learn, practice, and excel at God’s ways of winning in spiritual
warfare. Here are some ways to
prepare.
Know the Ultimate Power Lies in Christ
The Son of God
appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8
(NASB) The devil is at work, but Jesus
has come and He is here to destroy the works of the devil. The Lord intends to use us in this process
which is why we need to be ready.
Greater is He who is
in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (NASB) The power we have received in the Holy Spirit
given to us by Christ gives us victory because He is greater.
Dig into the Scripture and find more and more about who
Christ is and what He can do. Don’t be
afraid to read theology books that deal with the nature of Jesus or the work of
the cross. This is so much better than superficial
superstitions that assume something, but have no foundation in truth. Study deeply, drink deeply at the well of
Christology. He is greater go find out
why.
Show the Devil that Your Allegiance Belongs to God
When a Christian just goes through some religious motions
and still does things their own way the devil doesn’t get the idea that God is
all that important to that person. But
when a believer intentionally gets close to God that lets the devil know who is
really important to that person. Look at
this:
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash
your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided
between God and the world. James 4:7-8 (NLT)
Practice getting close to God. This is a relationship that calls for love,
respect, and real conversation. The
devil knows he can’t take on God directly and when you are there with Him the
devil has to go. Build your relationship
with God. Daily spend time with Him learning,
connecting, talking, listening, and letting Him work in you. Set aside times for extended time with the
Lord. You get some on Sundays with
church and maybe with a small group Bible study during the week, but add to
that a time during the month or a few times a year when you focus on Him for a
number of hours or days.
The enemy won’t like that you are getting close to God and
will do what he can to keep you from it.
During a retreat for an extended time with God an enemy agent came into
my cabin in the night in order to distract, frighten or destroy the time with
God. With God’s power I stood against
him and he left. The enemy will come for
you, but resist him and get close to God and the devil will leave.
Be Trained
There is a lot more that could be said on this topic and
much has been said in the Scriptures as well as books along these lines. Do some work on this. Be trained.
Find a mentor knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced and ask to be
trained. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and the
description there is of battle gear. It
is important to learn what the gear is for and to learn how and when to use
it.
Recent missionary story:
After a few months on “our” mission
field—a post-communist, dead, atheistic region—my family and I were reeling
from shock. No, not culture-shock, though there was plenty of that. It was the
shock of coming face to face with demonic forces beyond our comprehension.
Numerous strange events transpired:
liters of urine poured into our stroller, blood splattered on our apartment
door, a small hole drilled into our front door indicating a planned break-in
(the hole is used to insert a small probe camera), much sickness, poor sleep,
and even sensing an evil presence in our bedroom. At first we thought we must
be imagining things, but the horrid climax was the nightmares that tormented
our 2-year old son. For many months he'd wake up screaming bloody murder, and
we could not easily settle him back down. At two and a half, he was finally
able to verbalize what he'd been dreaming about for the past few months. One of
his most vivid dreams was about a woman with black hair and red eyes who wore
only a bra and black pants and would offer him a basket of rotten fruit and force
him to eat. His nightmare was X-rated, not a typical
toddler-being-chased-by-a-bear dream.
Satan was not playing fair. Now the
shock turned to anger. I scanned the recesses of my brain. What had seminary
taught me about demonic activity? I couldn't recall any class where we had
discussed anything remotely similar to what we were experiencing. “Demonology
101” wasn't even offered!
Because we were so overwhelmed with our
situation, we needed help. We called our teammates to come pray with us. While
our son was asleep, we prayed at his bedroom windows, that God would not allow
any evil to enter into his room and that he would sleep peacefully. The next morning, I asked him, “Did you have a nightmare last night?” His toddler
answer was flabbergasting: “Yes, but this time the woman was outside my window,
and she couldn't come in.”
-Eowyn Stoddard
Be trained.
Stay alert! Watch out
for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking
for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.
Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going
through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT)
Summary
The battle with demons for followers of Jesus is real. It is here.
It is coming. We are to be
involved. We are to pray asking God the
Father to “keep us from evil.” The evil
one is desperate to take you and me down.
Be strong, be aware, be ready, be trained and in Jesus we will
overcome.
-Randy
