What Is Spiritual Warfare?

Hello para beauties! I hope everyone is well and everyone you love is healthy. I know many are also preparing for the holiday and have family in and out of town and have hardly a moment to sleep. Some of us have no one. Let's pray for anyone that might be suffering with depression and feelings of loneliness. This time of year especially, brings about a lot of human emotions. A lot of us hide this and I ask that you turn to God. Please open your heart to his and ask him to give you peace again and no more torment. It is a spiritual battle to be faced everyday however, we already know who wins. Fear is not of God. Perfect Love casts out fear.

Spiritual warfare is an activity by Christians whereby satan and demons are fought, using a variety of methods and prayers depending on the group, mostly a lot of prayer and fasting. From a biblical point of view, spiritual warfare is the cosmic war of good versus evil: its battles are fought daily between God and Satan; between the Christian Church and the world fueled by our spiritual enemy; and within every child of God, between the Holy Spirit and the lusts of the carnal flesh. The clear meanings of good and evil, as defined by God rather than man, are revealed within the verses of the Holy Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. The Book of Daniel, chapter ten, provides one of the most striking examples of spiritual warfare found in Scripture. Remember when Daniel was held in captivity in a foreign land due to a great spiritual conflict, which led to the conquest of Israel and Judah. He resorts to intense prayer, which includes fasting, to seek guidance from God, verses 2,3. He receives a miraculous vision and word, verses 5–9 (which introduce. 10–12), from one having the appearance of a man (cf. verses 16,18), who may have been an angel, but whose description in verses 5,6, seems to match that of Christ in Revelation 1:13–16. Daniel’s earthly conflict extends to the heavenly realm, as the spiritual messenger was delayed by a demon, until being assisted by an archangel, verses 12–14. Strong resistance was met due to the importance of the answer to Daniels’s prayer, as it is a prophecy on Satanic activity in the end time.

Do we have a say in the matter?

When a person becomes converted and receives God's spirit they immediately enter into a war-like struggle against two large opponents and a lot of it consists in the mind. They will have to fight these two powerful enemies every day of their life until they die. The first major opponent Christians face is themselves. They must battle their own human nature with its self-defeating, sinful and destructive tendencies. The apostle Paul referred to this constant battle of the mind Christians face in his book to the Romans. The second lifelong opponent true believers must face is the devil and the world he has deceived into thinking and acting like he does (Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 5:19, Revelation 12:9, etc.). Jesus, in his prayer to the Father before his crucifixion, reveals the ultimate attitude of those who do not believe God against those who do. I have given them (the disciples and all Christians by extension) Your words, and the world has hated them. . . (John 17)

Paul tells us, in no uncertain terms, that believers do not fight a carnal war that is so familiar to the world but rather one that is on a spiritual plane. Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual power of wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6)

Now that we know how to create armor to protect ourselves, what other ways can we stop the enemy from influencing us? We have to avoid all evil influences in our life. We can find these influences through music that we listen to, the TV shows and movies that we watch, and activities that are tied to the occult that we can find ourselves silently drawn towards or introduced to via our acquaintances and friends. We don't realize how the little things we do can open up doors and allow legal rights for demonic influence in our life. I'm so guilty of this myself. None of us are perfect nor are we expected to be. Remember Jesus Christ died for our sins.

While the fallen angels have no control over your Free Will, they do have some preternatural abilities to influence your thoughts. They will silently tempt you, often to impure thoughts, or into dissuading you from some good effort. Construct a mental picture of Our Lord Jesus Christ during His Passion. Focus on His pierced hands or feet, or maybe His carrying of the Cross, or concentrate on His crowning with thorns or scourging at the pillar. You will be amazed at how fast the evil thoughts will flee.

The dark forces pull out all the stops to trick us out of our good intentions, and it is only by our soul's determination to succeed and by the grace of God's assistance that we can get back on track.

Without your spiritual armor on tight (the light of God sealed around you), it's easy to fall prey to a spiritual attack.

These so-called attacks don't have to be very in-your-face. In fact they work better when they aren't obvious, because you're less likely to do anything about it. Cunning and subtle methods cause us to accept an intrusion into our world as 'the way things are' or 'just part of our personality'.

It's important to recognize when we need to call to God to take care of that negative energy. Praying for discernment is key, as well as just simply practicing.

Spiritual warfare is really one of the greatest blessings we have. We don't have to wallow in the darkness, we can call for spiritual protection from the forces of light and they will fight back and raise us out of whatever negative state of mind or being we are in.

Written By Jennifer L Auld

Do You Believe in Angels?

By Lisa Grace

Recently I was asked in an interview if I believe in angels or the supernatural as the way it appears in my fiction books. 

Yes, I believe in angels. Have I knowingly seen any? No. 

However, I have met some disturbed people that I believe are possessed, and no, the mental health counseling and medication did not help them. 

Do I believe events could happen the way they do in my books? Yes and no. It’s a work of fiction and as such, many incidences are over the top. I believe in today’s modern world the supernatural one does prefer to remain hidden. It’s easier to operate when people don’t believe it exists. I believe all “ghosts” are demonic manifestations leading people away from truth. 

If a being, (no matter how beautiful as Satan can appear as an angel of light) contradicts the Holy Scriptures, it is evil and sent to lull people into believing a false view of the afterlife to their detriment. The devil is recruiting for his army through deception. 

Your best defense? Know your scriptures. Understand the supernatural world and its goals. Put on the armor of Christ and be prepared for spiritual warfare.

NOTE: This is a rerun blog from Lisa Grace as she is currently on vacation.

Simplifying Spiritual Warfare

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

I want to demystify or simplify spiritual warfare, without coming across as simplistic. Here are four principles which may change your life, and you can use for the rest of your life. The mind is where the action starts and progresses; and byaction I mean problems, temptations, and sin.

First, we must distinguish between guilt and guilt feelings. If we don’t, then Satan can have a heyday with our consciences. In Psalm 51 David confesses that he has sinned… first and foremost against God, even though he had murdered Bathsheba’s husband and committed adultery with her. The horizontal sin was most certainly real and significant, but all sin is primarily cosmic treason against our holy God (vertical rel.). “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. V4” He incurred objective guilt before the Ultimate Judge. As the psalm progresses, David reveals that this objective guilt has caused seriously distressing guilt feelings—in v.8 it is compared to the pain of broken bones.  In the relativistic age like ours, scores of folks hustle to secular mental health professionals to deal with guilt feelings, which they can only put a Band-Aid on. Part of the beauty of the gospel is the realism; it diagnoses accurately both cause (guilt) and affect (guilt-feelings), and then if offers the only solution—Divine forgiveness and consequent cleansing of conscience. 1 John 1:9 wonderfully captures this, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  If you struggle with guilt feelings, examine your heart for unconfessed sin—once confessed/forgiven, it is your responsibility to not let the guilt feelings fester. How?

To be effective in spiritual warfare we must first recognize the lies in our minds…sometimes we feel guilty for something we have not done or have been forgiven of.Throughout the day thoughts bubble up, and they seem to always have “I” attached to it, but it may not necessarily be coming from me. It sounds like my inner voice, but it may not be. When tempted by the world, the flesh (indwelling sin), or demons they don’t take on an ominous inner voice tone—we hear what sounds like us speaking to us. Some of these thoughts can be awfully destructive can’t they? We need to recognize these thoughts for what they are and not ignore them; acknowledge them and expose them to the Light. If you have thoughts that say you are: worthless, loser, ugly (fill in the blank please), then do NOT ignore those thoughts. Just as guilt is distinct from guilt feelings, we need to make a distinction between temptation and sin. Jesus had all kinds of nasty, brutal, and depraved stuff projected into His mind by Satan, but our Savior never sinned. Please do not feel guilty for being tempted with, say, a lustful thought popping into your mind. It is only if you dwell on it that it becomes sin. If you did something for which you feel shame, you need to expose it to the light by acknowledging it; or if it was done to you this shame needs to be named. Submerging it will only give the demonic a foothold in your mind. Often this exposing to the light is all it takes to be delivered from self-destructive thoughts.

If that is not enough, then verbally renounce the lie.  James 4:7-8 tells us that if we submit to God and resist the devil, then he will flee from us. What lie do you currently believe about yourself?  Is it guilt, fear, shame, condemnation…? Be specific…as specific as you can. Oftentimes, there are multiple lies. The bible says that the power of life and death lie in the tongue, and some of us have been wounded or scarred by something our parents, spouse, or some other significant person said to us: “You are ugly….you will never amount to anything…stupid…and so on.” BTW, what is the ratio of compliments to criticism in your marriage or with your children or friends? Then, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what specific lie is causing these self-destructive thoughts. Once you have a handle on what specific lie you have been entertaining in your mind, then you should say out loud, “I renounce the lie that I am a failure…stupid…” Occasionally you may sense the presence of the demonic, and you will need to rebuke it verbally as well. They need to hear it because they cannot hear your prayers or silent rebukes.  May I suggest that some, if not most temptation/destructive thoughts, emanate from our flesh or indwelling sin, and not from demons. (James 1:14-15; Gal.5:17; Rom.7)What I do insist on is the cruel insanity of people like Bob Larson who tend to label these negative/condemning thought patterns of Christians as evidence that they are demon possessed. A thousand times NO! Whatever the source, renouncing it verbally will be helpful (especially if demonic in origin) and cannot hurt. Even when I do confess my sin mentally, I learned long ago the benefits of saying, “Thank You” to the Lord out loud—it reinforces the reality of the fact of my being forgiven. Plus, I think it only appropriate that we express gratitude to our Forgiver. May I suggest that you give that a try? So, I ask again, what lie/s do you believe about yourself? Renounce that lie specifically and verbally.

Lastly, in order to be effective in spiritual warfare we must speak biblical truth over/to ourselves. If you feel worthless and have renounced that lie, then say, “I am not worthless because God shed His precious blood for me…I am worth something because God loves me and has forgiven me…I have value because I am made in His image…and so on” Or better yet, quote relevant scripture: if you are feeling accused or condemned say, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1) It is important that you find the exact biblical truth to take captive the specific lie you are being besieged with.  Don’t look to worldly remedies, but speak God’s truth that gets right to the heart of the matter.

The psalmist in Psalms 42 and 43 is discouraged, but he moves from fear to faith by talking to himself, instead of letting inner, disquieting thoughts speak to him. Speaking to yourself is not the first sign of insanity! Speaking biblical truth to yourself is essential to being an effective spiritual warrior. We must intentionally address ourselves and the lie with the liberating truth. Hurtful thoughts come unsolicited, but mental assertiveness is necessary to overcome this negative  inner monologue…then, we will begin to possess our possessions in the Lord.

Again, hiding the source of current shame, and not countering it with biblical truth, only gives power to the lie. Like kudzu, the lies will rapidly grow and wrap its tendrils around your heart—choking the life out of you. I tread gently here because you might have some horribly painful memory that you have suppressed. This process is not to replace biblical counseling in the case of dealing with a trauma. Diagnose where/what the problem is in the mind, and speak truth directly to it. The heart of spiritual warfare is not sensational—like rebuking some manifesting demon-- but daily acknowledging the lies, renouncing the lies, and speaking spiritual truth to the lies that are joy robbers. These are principles that you can practice for the rest of your life.

If we are not feeding our minds daily with God’s truth about Him, then our minds are being fashioned by something else…mostly lies.”Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Rom.12:2 see 1 Peter 1:13-16) Living in a fallen world can be painful at times, and all around us are non-biblical remedies being shouted at us. I was divorced 13 years ago, and due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to live with my own precious children for most of that time. The guilt, shame, worthlessness, and sadness I wrestle with on a daily basis are sometimes unbearable. “I’m a failure as a dad.” is what I hear over and over in my mind, and I desperately wish I could turn back the wheels of time, but I can’t. I live with this wide-awake nightmare every day, and especially at night when I am alone. But this I know…our Lord brings beauty out of ashes, and causes ALL things to work together for our good. I am thankful that I am not just whistling in the dark when speaking God’s truth over me. What burden/lies can you lay at Jesus’s feet, who is gentle and tender-hearted to your sorrows? What truth can bind up that bleeding heart? “Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) May the Lord continue to heal you from the inside out in order that you might be increasingly effective as a mighty spiritual warrior. Amen.

The Purpose of Christian Demonology

If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

Matthew 12:26

By Paul D. Joao

For quite some now, studying Demonology from many Christian People in the community of theology to the paranormal to counseling, non Christian and last but not least secular, this verse is a solid Biblical statement that is explains everything. That Jesus was trying to make, we as Christians if we believe in Demons or Not, often hear stories of people have experience these beings that have resulted either in a exorcists or a learning experience that enable to become a teacher.  Even in the “not of” Christianity teachings sometimes they will change the belief and make it sound that Demons are a good thing if that something. Even though from the many resources out there available either on the website or Christian or Non Christian book store. People will read a version of that author's belief in the subject. Therefore, my view this is what it is, a battle for a soul that is in stake when people often forget that when preaching or teaching any topic of demonology that the heart of it all is a person soul. In this report, a person will comprehend that aspect to look for and what to know when engaging this Demonology.

One of the first things is Prayer of protection and knowing that any sins in the past is past must be forgiven by God because when engaging in this field, a person that might be under a influence of a Demonic oppression or attachment will know the difference. Demons do not like binging discussed about so they will do everything in their power to keep you away from the Truth and use what a person has done in the past to haunt them. Verses a person who been forgiven but always keeps in the prayer mood and knowing that in any event anything might distract that person. 

Another thing is having a Biblical understanding of the nature of Demons. It is  common that people that is not Christian who may be in crafts that deals in Demonology may try to deceive a person in any way like Astral projection, where a person’s spirit can be transported to another location while the body remains back in the original location. The rule is if the Bible states anywhere such as Apostle John going to the third Heaven and receive a message from Jesus to write a book like Revelation then it must come from Jesus then. Perhaps, but not all AP is one of the many methods that Satan has used or tricked many to believe that is possible, knowing the differences can help people understanding what is allowed and what is not allowed in the Christian context, with Biblical verses to support the claim, if any. As Satan has copied God Word and use it for other than what God intended. Finely we have an understanding from a Christian view that can make a person who might have experience in these kinds of things before, coming to Christ.   

So what about people who have or had experiences it seems like every year a author comes out with a book or story on their encounters, and for those who are going through a form of struggle so what then. Call the author for help, sometimes reading the Bible might make since, perhaps if a person took the Christian Demonology cover and placed it around a Bible like these some Bible names such as Apologetics study Bible or a Christian Spiritual Warfare, whatever the case is. It is good to have a person write their story or come out with a theology Book that contains some sort of knowledge of how to deal or learn from. However, the person must state that God has saved them, or shown that it is a real account. In the past, there been attempts of Books by people who were false and the people who had their material thought was real, and it’s another form of false thinking been around.  Needless to say, for those who been writing and helping others these are a great way to get the message of Jesus out to the world. 

Even the Counseling is great source to know because what a person knows where or how demons feed off negative thoughts such as pain or events in the past, it creates a foothold in the person life. They can live a life however, when they come near any Christian environment it sometimes stirs things such as attachment or a memory in the past that does not allow the message of Jesus to come into the person life. This of course blocks and triggers the person to stay away, its effective in this manner. In some Christian counseling it helps to get to the root of the problem so the person can feel relax while he or she can attempt overcome this area and possibility build a relationship of Jesus Christ.  What a person should look for author or groups that have an insight to Christian Counseling, that might or near to relative to Demonology. This way as the sessions between the client and a counselor is in the process a healing of Jesus can begin in their lives. In the opposite aspect, in the some groups or people who treat in counseling may cause the client from not knowing the real treatment from Jesus.

Knowing there is a worldwide Christians who deal with Demonology in the paranormal or similar fields a person should be grounded in a Church and knowing that in some aspects people would consider it as outreach ministries than a “typical” group that is common misleading in Christian communities. Or having a both aspects helps bear witness to others who may wish to teach in the Christian Churches as an example is a Christian Demonologist or a Christian Paranormal team comes into the church and help others to understand a hidden danger that is not always welcomed in Christian communities. As people who are dealing with a form of demons in their home, a Church is sometimes called to help and does not help because of what the church may believe in. so the family is restored to asking a New Ager or a person who may be in the dark practice for help. So if the Church knew some knowledge or knows a team to help the family that family could come into the Christianity is it that what soul winning about.

What is the true form of soul winning in Demonology after all, why is easier to tell a Demon In the name of Jesus I cast you out phrase then telling that Jesus died for us and taking a point to tell them about Jesus. However, in our modern time people look for demonstrating act, such as seeing a power of Jesus or the power of Satan. People get so conceived that people probability do not know what to believe. As Christians who engage in the Demonology should conduct sermons on street corners  whatever the  outlet there is, that the message is clear that Jesus loves people and people should not feel threaten to call on Jesus and in times of trouble Jesus is near and he will protect the person. While Satan does the opposite he will do everything in his power to keep in harm, danger, trap, confuse until they been shown the truth of how much Jesus can do for them.

In the end, a  person who reads this should think as the person who is not a Christian have ever tried calling on Jesus and reaching out to a Christian Demonologist or a relative in the field. Or have they been trying every form of help with not getting to the root of the problem. That Jesus is the answer and we as Christian should work together with “Christian outreaches ministries” for help is in that the purpose of soul winning after all. Therefore, the person can now live with peace of Jesus in their lives. 

The Sixth Sense of Christianity

By Bridgette O'Hare

It was recently brought to my attention that most people aren’t like me. I know, I know…no major news flash there, but the person was referring to how I perceive the supernatural realm. He pointed out to me that mostpeople aren’t as fearless in their view of what’s going on around them. He reminded me that most people don’t comprehend the concept of legions of demonic entities stalking around us daily and most don’t want to. 

It started my wheels turning.

He’s right.

Most people don’t really have a grasp of the spiritual warfare that encircles us at every moment of the day.We walk around in a perpetual fog. Don’t get me wrong; I do feel that most Christians are aware of spiritual warfare. After all, the Bible reveals to us that there is an unseen spiritual realm that affects the physical world. Satan and his demons are waging a vicious spiritual battle all around us, trying to prevent people from coming to a saving knowledge of God’s love and entering His kingdom.Their sole focus is to defeat God’s plans for our lives. As Christians, we need to know about this spiritual battle. 2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us that we need to be aware of the devil's schemes so that he doesn’t have the chance to overcome us. Without awareness, we cannot stand against the wickedness that we face, we cannot protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our ministries. God commands us to stand. He commands us to protect that which he has given us to protect. Ephesians 6:11-20 gives us that commandment when we are told to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” If we are blind to the battle and unaware of what is going on around us simply because we cannot openly see it, then it becomes easy for Satan to deceive us in cunning, subtle ways and to prevent us from being effective at doing the work God intends for us.

So how do we make so many aware who don’t want to be aware? Once again, God gives us the answer. He tells us in Ephesians 4:15 to “speak the truth in love.” Realistically every Christian, every person, isn’t going to grasp fully the reality of the supernatural battles raging in their lives. What they likely can grasp though is that Satan can,and does, attack us and influence our minds, our thoughts, our beliefs, and our actions. Hopefully they can comprehend that we are all involved in spiritual warfare, every one of us, whether we like it or not, whether we even realize it or not. And while you may be fully aware that Satan’s demons are the culprits behind these attacks, some are still not at a point to wrap their minds around that and that’s ok, so long as they are aware that Satan is on the attack.

To help them understand, here is an example that I heard and wrote down some time back.

Imagine a soldier on a battlefield. He can't see or hear any enemies and therefore he doesn't believe that an enemy is out there, so he wanders around without his weapons, not carrying out his assigned duties, completely defenseless and vulnerable, stumbling into the enemy's camp without even being aware of it. The enemy doesn't care that the soldier was ignorant to his presence or if he was unarmed and unaware. The enemy is going to take advantage of the unaware target and attack!! 


We can all quickly realize that soldier wasn't going to last long, yet that is precisely the way that many of us live. We don't know that there is a war being fought in the spiritual domain, we don't understand that there is an enemy of pure evil out there and that we are God's soldiers in this spiritual battle. We don't understand that God has an assigned place for each and every Christian or that we have all been given spiritual gifts and spiritual weapons (defensive and offensive) for engaging in the battle in the heaven lies while we are here on earth.

As I mentioned earlier, so many of us walk around in a fog, but God wants us to have unclouded minds that see what goes on around us! In fact, our greatest strategy against Satan is clarity of mind, accuracy of perception and awareness!!! And all of these are available to us through God's word and prayer.