spiritual warfare a personal testimony

Spiritual Warfare

A Personal Testimony

Spiritual warfare is an awareness of the spiritual dynamics taking place around us in order to engage in spiritual conflict using our God given resources.

Spiritual Warfare

A Working Definition

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.

Luke 13: 10-17

A Biblical Paradigm

When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

A Biblical Paradigm

Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?

A Biblical Paradigm

Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

A Biblical Paradigm

• The battle embraces both doctrine and experience

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

(1 Timothy 6:12)Some will abandon the faith and follow

deceiving spirits and things taught by demons(1 Timothy

4:1)

Foundational Principles

• The battle embraces both defensive and offensive

Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7)

The devil prowl around like a roaring lion… resist him. (1 Peter 5:7)

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

(Matthew 11:11-12)


• The battle entails both power and truthYou are of your father the devil… When he lies

he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44

“God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power… he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him (Acts 10:38


The battle escalates through three levels

Personal

Ministry

Territorial

• We may foster a fascination with evil

“Be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil” (Romans 16:19)

“Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20)

Preliminary Cautions

• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due

• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due


• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due• We may encourage irresponsibility

• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due• We may encourage irresponsibility


• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due• We may encourage irresponsibility• We may incur casualties

• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due• We may encourage irresponsibility• We may incur casualties


• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due• We may encourage irresponsibility• We may incur casualties• We may substitute magic for the

miraculous

• We may foster a fascination with evil• We may give the devil more than his due• We may encourage irresponsibility• We may incur casualties• We may substitute magic for the

miraculous



• We may give the devil more than his due

• We may encourage irresponsibility

• We may incur casualties


• We may give the devil more than his due

• We may encourage irresponsibility

• We may incur casualties


• A basic motif - the divine warrior

He is my God and I will praise him, my father’s God and I will exalt him.

The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. (Exodus 15:3)

“The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle”

(Psalm 24:8)

Old Testament Background


The battle is cosmic in scopeThe enemies of God are clearly defined


• Prohibited practices

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire,

who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or

casts spells or is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. (Deuteronomy. 18:10-11)



They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.

They sacrificed to demons which are not God(Deut 32:16-17)




• A test case - the story of Saul

1 Samuel 16

1Samuel 28


• The synagogue (Mark 1:21-28)

• The Cemetery (Mark 5:1-20)

• Deliverance at a distance (Mark 7:24-29)

• The foot of the mountain (Mark 9:14-29)

The Gospels: 4 Crucial Incidents


–the emphasis on teaching

–the issue of authority

–the interchange with the demon world

–the manifestations



• The Cemetery (Mark 5:1-20)– presenting symptoms

– the significance of the name

– the request of the spirits

“Hell’s Mouth” in the painting The Last Judgement” by Michelangelo c1541

Sistene Chapel



• The Cemetery (Mark 5:1-20)• Deliverance at a distance

(Mark 7:24-29)

– it involves a child

– the child is not present

– a caution expressed“Hell’s Mouth” in the painting The Last Judgement” by Michelangelo c1541

Sistene Chapel


• The synagogue (Mark 1:21-28)• The Cemetery (Mark 5:1-20)

• Deliverance at a distance (Mark 7:24-29)

• The foot of the mountain (Mark 9:14-29)

– overt manifestations– the disciples ineffectiveness

– the possibility of re-entry


• The encounters explained: A Satanic Offensive

Confusion (Matt 13:19)

Counterfeit (Matt 13:24ff)

•


• The encounters explained: A Divine Counteroffensive

The strong man is bound (Mark 3:26-29)

And stripped of his armour (Luke 11:17-20)

•


• Satan attacks the church (5:1-11)

“How is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit” (3)

“Minos” in the painting The Last Judgement” by Michelangelo c1541Sistene Chapel

The Book of Acts


• Satan opposes evangelism

- Simon in Samaria (8:9ff)

- Bar- Jesus in Cyprus (13:6ff)

- the slave girl in Philippi (16:16ff)

The Book of Acts


• Satan opposes evangelism• Satan uses occult practices

(19:11-20)

The Book of Acts

• As a powerful enemy (2 Corinthians 4:4,

Ephesians 6:12)• As a persistent aggressor

(1 Thessalonians 2:18)• As a divine instrument

(2 Corinthians 12:7)• As a deceptive agent

(2 Corinthians 2:11,11:1-2,14)

Paul’s Picture of Satan

• Satan attacks the churches (2-3)

The devil will throw you into prison (2:10)

I know where you live.. Where Satan has his throne (2:13)

The deep things of Satan (2:24)

The synagogue of Satan (3:9)

The Apocalypse

• Satan inflicts painWhen he opened the Abyss, smoke rose

from it… out of the smoke locusts cam down upon the earth and they were

given power… they were given power to torture them for five months…they had

a king over them, the angel of the Abyss(Rev 9:2-10)

The Apocalypse

• Satan desires worship

Men worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast

(Rev 13:4)

The Apocalypse

• Satan invades structures

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous

names (Rev 17:3)

The Apocalypse

• Satan experiences defeat (12:7-12) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his

Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night,

has been hurled down.They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and

by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

The Apocalypse

Some Preliminary Issues

Protecting ourselves

Protecting our families

Protecting our ministries

Protecting our communities

Building A Satan Proof Life

• Corporate as well as individual

• Four areas of attack

• Satan’s timing is strategic

• Pray it on

• Two basic areas

consistency of life style

competence in the Word

Putting On God’s Armour

• New Age practices

• Aspects of witchcraft

• Increase in role playing games

• Secret societies

Open Doors in Our Culture

• Deal with weaknesses and wounds

• Practice inner healing

• Learn how to resist temptation

• Make your home a spiritual refuge

• Engage the ministry of angels

Warfare at the Personal Level

• Where are the weaknesses?

• Where is the woundedness?

• Where is the distorted thinking?

Deal With the Weakness and The Wounds

• Where is the distorted thinking?

“A spiritual stronghold is a mind set impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable something that is contrary to the will of God” (Ed Silvosa). Luke 1, Gen 18, 2 Cor 10, 1 Cor 11

Deal With the Weakness and The Wounds

• Make significant preparation

• Use ministry time appropriately

• After the session

Practice Inner Healing

• Understand the dynamics

• Deal with any woundedness

• Use Word and Spirit

• Build in prayer and accountability

• Recognize the wisdom of flight

• Invite God in at the beginning

Dealing With Temptation

• Acts of cleansing

• Acts of consecration

• Acts of protection

Make Your Home A Spiritual Refuge

• They instruct us in warfare

• They assist us in warfare

• They instruct us in worship

• They can enlisted for service

Ask For Angelic Intervention

• Affirm your strengths

• Identify weaknesses

• Uncover memories

• Deal with corporate sin

• Discern areas of attack

The Ministry /Church Level

Do A Spiritual Assessment

• Watch for spiritual counterfeits

• Evaluate your leaders

• Be alert to systemic evil

• Watch for “spiritual carriers”

The Ministry /Church Level

• Through the work of evangelism

• Through binding prayers

• Through prayer walks

• Through the use of the sacraments/ ordinances

Aggressively Reclaim Territory

• Energized by the Spirit “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions…”

(Ephesians 6:19)

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26-27)

Practising Warfare Prayers

• Energized by the Spirit

• Is aggressive, bold, compassionate

“Save O Lord and have mercy on those that envy and affront me and do me mischief and do not let them perish through me.”

Leanne Payne




• Involves sending and receiving

- bind the voice of the enemy

- ask God to remove any preconceived ideas

- wait in silence for the voice of God





• Is susceptible to abuse


• Is energized by the Spirit



• Is susceptible to abuse

• Two O.T. illustrations

Exodus 17

2 Chronicles 20


• Occult involvement

• Sexual abuse/ trauma

• Ancestral involvement

• Persistent sin and inability to deal with problems

Deliverance Ministry:Points of Entry

• Altered state of consciousness

• Personality change

• Hostility toward spiritual things

• Clairvoyance

• Uncontrollable urges and anger

• Self mutilation

• Avoidance of eye contact

Overt Symptoms

• Unusual bizarre dreams

• Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

• Satanic ritual abuse (SRA)

Overt Symptoms

• Interview the client

Are they spiritually prepared?

Do they understand the procedure?

Do they need to sign a consent form?

Preparation for Ministry


• Assemble a team

Look for compassionate people who are team players

Look for discernment gifts

Work with a small group

Have them make spiritual preparation



• Assemble a team

• Get prayer backup

Ask people to pray for the team

Ask them to pray for the client



• Assemble a team

• Get prayer backup

• Set the time and place

Don’t let the enemy determine these things


• Do preparation with your team

• Start with prayer and praise

• Reassure the client

• Establish a power base in the room

• Confront the spirits

• Expose the spirits

• Expel the spirits

The Session Itself


Pray against anything coming against your team or their families

The Session Itself



The Session Itself




Are they willing to affirm the Lordship of Christ?

Do they want all spirits to leave?

The Session Itself





Cut off

Call back

The Session Itself






The Session Itself







• Expel the spirits

The Session Itself

• Pray for filling and healing

• Give reassurance and instructions

• Have an ongoing contact made

Follow up

spiritual warfare a personal testimony

Documents

devil prowl

sabbath jesus

spiritual dynamics

spiritual conflict

battle embraces

foundational principles

biblical paradigm indignant

good fight