#2 in Know Your Enemy
“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.”
What is spiritual warfare? Are you battling demons? Do you fight to make them obey Jesus? Do you tie them up and send them to the abyss? Or do you battle your own thoughts to believe the truth and resist the enemy?
Yes, we do wrestle with demons, but not in our own flesh and blood strength. The weapons of our warfare are not physical, they are spiritual and soulish. They are spiritual in that we stand in our authority in Christ and they are soulish because we are to put off thoughts that are in line with demonic trickery.
The way you fight or wrestle a demon is by reminding yourself who you are in Christ and being confident in Christ's power in you. You simply stand firm in your trust in the power of Christ, and the enemy must flee from you.
In no way can you fight a spiritual being, but you can stand still in peace, fully persuaded of the supremacy of Christ. Then, when your heart is confident in who Christ is in you, you will yield to his grace to strengthen you to resist the lies and deceptions the enemy brings your way.
Devils can't control you, they can't make you do things against your will, period. You may allow them to deceive you to the point that you THINK they are controlling you, but that's a lie. All a demon can do is lie to you to the point that it evokes emotion in you, and you receive the deception as your own thought or desire.
Essentially they broadcast a spiritual message to you. Our hearts and minds are connected to the spiritual realm, so we can perceive these messages. The enemy will speak to you from an external position, but God speaks to you from inside of you.
The enemy watches you and broadcasts signals to you that align with your current self-destructive beliefs, fears, or delusions. The enemy broadcasts a signal, much like a radio wave, to you, and if you agree with that message, it will reinforce the lie. It's much like hypnosis or brainwashing. If a message is received enough, it will become your reality. But if the suggestion from the enemy has no place in you, meaning you are not willing to believe lies about yourself, then the message will fall flat.
How to Withstand Demonic Influence
Someone who knows their identity in Christ, is honest with themselves, and keeps their conscience clear is virtually impervious to any devil.
They're attracted to our weaknesses, specifically the identity-related issues in our hearts. But when you know how to put on your armor, put off the old man, and put on the new, you can resist any trick or strategy of the enemy, every time.
The enemy is real, he's trying to lie to you and destroy your life.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
But he is powerless if you know your identity and can stand confidently in the finished work of Christ.
How To Put On Spiritual Armor
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
This is the power you stand in, Christ in you, not you attempt to ward off a demon with fervor and emotion.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Demons are spirits, they are to be resisted with spiritual weapons.
13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
You don't attack, you stand. Stand in Christ as Christ stands in you. Standing includes receiving God's grace to not give in to temptation or act out in sin. Standing means to stay at peace, knowing your identity in Christ. Standing means not giving in to fear, hopelessness, darkness, depression, or anything contrary to scripture.
This is why it's so important to know what Christ accomplished in His death, burial and resurrection, so you can stand in the effects of his atoning work.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,
The truth around your waist indicates balance. Allow the truth to be your center of gravity. You must always be able to pull your heart and mind back into alignment with the truth and wisdom of God as your center. Then, in the moment of a demonic episode, you simply think on and speak out what is true as it relates to who you are in Christ.
For example; "I have been delivered from the power of darkness, I have been translated into the kingdom of Christ, I am currently seated with Christ in Heaven, God is my Father, he loves me and protects me, greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world, I need have no fear for my God loves me and keeps me safe."
The breastplate guards your heart. Persuade your heart of your righteousness in Christ. If the enemy can convince you that God is angry with you or will judge you, he can evoke fear and influence you to make choices that will bring destruction.
On the other hand, if you know how to persuade your heart of your right standing in Christ amid an attack, the enemy will flee from you because his power of deception will not take root.
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the Gospel of peace.
You stand on the Gospel, meaning the good news that you have been forgiven in the blood of Christ. The enemy will always accuse you in regard to your behavior, making you question if you truly are saved. The Gospel affirms that you are if your trust is in the blood of Christ as your righteousness.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Faith is not what you do to get God to move, it's your response to what God has already accomplished in Christ. So to use the shield of faith is to declare who you are due to what Christ has done in you and for you. The enemy will bounce of your proclamation of your victory in Christ.
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The helmet guards the head, or your thoughts. Remind yourself that you are saved by grace through faith alone. It's not because of your works. So if you didn't earn it through works, you can't lose it through works.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
When your spirit prays, you are opening your heart and mind to direct influence from the Spirit of the living God who dwells in you. It's like opening the door and allowing the Spirit to strengthen you as you stand. Click here for more on praying with your spirit.
Standing In Your Authority
What does it mean to stand in your identity or authority in Christ? Simply put it means to know the following truth and be persuaded of it in your heart.
For example, if you are under attack and have a bout with fear, you can hold these truths in your mind until your inner state changes and your emotions agree with these truths. It's one thing to know this information, but it becomes active in your life when you feel the truth of this reality to the point that it strengthens you with boldness.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
This is a statement of authority. You have authority in the heavenlies because you are in Christ.
Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (more below) us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins
You are already in a position of higher authority than demons, and that authority protects you. It protects you because you have already been seated in that heavenly place of victory and authority.
Word Study On “Translated”
Thayer's - methistēmi - 3179
to transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another
of change of situation or place
to remove from the office of a steward
to depart from life, to die
The root word is histēmi
to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set
to make firm, fix establish
meta means - with
The context of being translated from the power of darkness into the kingdom of the son of God is this; you have been moved from one realm to another, and you are made to stand with Christ. That means the enemy doesn't have access to you by yourself, he must contend with the presence of God in you, which ensures your victory.
If you allow your mind to be influenced by the world, then you will become susceptible to the enemy's lies and influence. But if you keep the eyes of your heart on Christ and renew your mind with the truth of who you are spiritually, it is strength to you, and you can resist any and all tactics, strategies, and tricks of any level of devil. There is no reason ever to be afraid of the enemy, ever!
Strategies on Withstanding
James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
No need to fight, simply stand firm in Christ.
1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Never forget this powerful truth!!
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
This passage clearly states that the way we resist the enemy is in our thought life. We must primarily put off the old way of thinking full of hopelessness, doubt, and fear and put on the truth in our minds. This strengthens us to withstand until the enemy flee.
You do not have to make devils obey Jesus, you make your thoughts obey Jesus. More specifically, you cause your thoughts to align with what Christ was obedient to. Meaning hold in your mind the truth that Jesus hung on the cross for you, became sin for you, paid the penalty of sin for you, and then died for you. In his death, he overcame the enemy and gained the keys to all spiritual authority.
The amazing reality is Jesus now shares his authority with you. So your ultimate weapon against the enemy is Christ in you, the mighty king whom no one can overcome. In him, you are an overcomer. Your role is to become convinced of his power in you and allow it to strengthen and transform you.
There is so much to say on this topic. I look forward to giving a couple more teachings stay tuned. For more on this topic and to hear my personal story of deliverance from demonic possession, check out my book Devil Walk.
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