Spiritual Warfare Praying

Spiritual Warfare Praying We are daily in a battle against things whose intention is to see us destroyed. The main battle is in our minds, but a secondary battle exists between us and the spiritual forces of this world. Remember the main purposes of prayer? 1. To consummate the relationship between God and man 2. To affect the will of God on the earth. Many would think of Satan as an entity that would seek to interrupt the will of God and to not see His purposes carried forth. This is impossible as Satan is not God’s equal neither does he have the authority to interrupt anything that God has set into motion. Satan’s only purpose is to prevent others from believing that God is more powerful than he is. Briefly about Satan 1 Peter 5:8 KJVR Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8 MSG Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. James 4:7-8 MSG So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. (8) Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Ephesians 6:12 KJVR 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 Satan is Satan is a created being. He did not exist until he was created by Jesus. John 1:1-3 KJVR In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Colossians 1:16 KJVR For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Ezekiel 28:14-15 KJVR Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. He was created perfect and intelligent. 1

2 Corinthians 11:3 MSG And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ. Emotional Revelation 12:17 MSG Helpless with rage, the Dragon raged at the Woman, then went off to make war with the rest of her children, the children who keep God's commands and hold firm to the witness of Jesus. Self willed 2 Timothy 2:26 KJVR And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Powerful 1 John 5:19 CEV We are certain that we come from God and that the rest of the world is under the power of the devil. Deceitful and sly Ephesians 6:11 CEV Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks. Cruel and fierce 1 Peter 5:8-9 GNB Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (9) Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that other believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings. Deceptively beautiful 2 Corinthians 11:14 KJVR And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Satan can also manifest himself in many ways through his minions. The Bible gives him 27 different names, each name having a different aspect of his personality. What Satan is not Not omniscient (knowledge of all things). Not omnipotent (all powerful) 1 John 4.4 Only as strong as those he has control over. Limited by the power of God Job 1:10-12 KJVR Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. (11) But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. (12) And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. Not omnipresent Demons 2

1/3 of the angels. Attributes of demons are similar to their master and follow the direction of their master. WE ARE NOT TODAY DEALING WITH THE ACTIVITY OF DEMONS THAT POSSESS. The demons we are dealing with work in the realm of powers and authorities. Their sole purpose is to deceive, confuse and distract US from affecting Gods will on the earth. If they can do that, then they can prevent more people from believing in Gods power. They have a government. Ephesians 6:11-12 KJVR Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) 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. Demons are arranged into a hierarchical formation with Satan at the head, with power and authority working down from there. Principalities Territorial in nature – living in one geographic region and do not travel very far. These are set over cities, towns, schools churches. Powers Stronger than principalities, these demons are more mobile, even to the point of inhabiting people. These are generally the types of demons we are used to dealing with. Rulers of darkness Affect the overall spiritual condition of a place – responsible for movements of evil. These appear to be more senior demons having authority over the negative spiritual aspects of this world. One example is found in Daniel – Daniel 10:13 KJVR But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Spiritual wickedness in high places These appear to be the strongest and most deceptive of the demons, responsible for development of spiritual counterfeits to keep people in bondage – Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism and the like. They appear to be a united group, acting both individually or in unison, depending on the nature of their manifestation. 3

Luke 8.30 Luke 16.9

Legion Mary Magdalene and the 7 demons

They exist in a kingdom Matthew 12:26 KJVR And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? They attack in units and in formations Frontal Direct attack involving temptation and accusations forcing a person to make an immediate decision. Regard the temptation of Jesus after the 40 days in the wilderness. The attack was direct and required a direct and immediate response. Siege or blockade Attempts to take control of a new area by blocking all incoming helps. This is most effective when a person has given in to an addiction. The enemy does not possess the area but he prevents us from functioning properly either to enter in to rescue or getting out if we are the one caught. Invasion and occupation This generally occurs when an open door is found and no resistance to entry. This can happen in many ways – drugs, immorality, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. Gorilla and “cut and run” The most affective attack against a body – short, deliberate attacks to steal or destroy something that is left unprotected. Any attack that can interrupt the move of God through distraction or cause a reduction in faith, however small is the focus of these attacks. Why learn about all of this? This certainly is not a complete coverage of everything in the demonic world, but I am not interested in teaching you about everything, nor could I. The intent is to learn how to pray against this world and be effective when doing so. In order to pray against it, we need to have a basic understanding of it.

How can we fight against these attacks? There are two weapons: 1) The word an the name of Jesus – both are synonymous 2) Prayer You must have a repentant life – do not attempt to fight the enemy if you are part of his camp. Holiness and righteousness are found through prayer and fasting – remember the scripture from Isaiah concerning what leads and what follows those who are fasting with prayer. 4

Weapons in prayer The primary weapon you will have is your own faith and zeal. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7-8 MSG So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. (8) Second is an understanding of what you are dealing with. You have received some minimal instruction – but additional wisdom is needed James 1:5-6 KJVR If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Third is the blood of Jesus. Revelation 12:11 KJVR And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Ephesians 1:7 KJVR In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Fourth is our ability to speak directly to them Luke 4:36 KJVR And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. Luke 10:19-20 KJVR Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (20) Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Fifth is the word Although Satan is a master at the word, he cannot remain in its true presence. Psalms 59:16-17 KJVR But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. (17) Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy. How to apply your prayers 1) Always be in Gods will, first. Why is this attack happening, if an attack is occurring 5

2) Plead the blood of Jesus on yourself and anyone around you, near you. His blood is a shield that will stop the advancement of any demon 3) Command the demonic forces in the name of Jesus to depart. If you need additional wisdom, seek God for it. There may need to be a name attached to the command. If you are unsure of the name, command all under the sound of your voice 4) Command loudly and with zeal. It is all right to get angry with him. 5) Do not attempt to command him to go back to the pits of hell. You are in violation of the word. Jesus never did that and the only demons in hell are already bound their. The rest are part of Satan’s kingdom and by commanding them to do something that is not in the word, you have informed them that you do not know the word – which could result in your testing. 6) Command them to obey either silence or inactivity. If the demon is there by request (unconfessed sin), you do not have the right to get rid of him, but you can bind him and silence him. If they do not obey, then command them to go to the foot of Jesus and explain their disobedience to his name. We are not talking about dealing with individual people, but we are talking about attacks against the church, its pastor and elders.

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Warfare Praying Prayer Battle Grounds The first battleground is the mind and we must close doors • Close the door to temptation by telling the enemy to get behind you o Mark 8.33 • Close the door to the flesh by strengthening our spirit o Romans 7.23 • Close the door to wrong motives and become servants to all not self o 1Samuel 16.7 o John 2.24-25 • Close the door to wrong attitudes by allowing the spirit of God to help us daily o Mark 7.20-23 • Close the door to rebellion and submit to God o 1 Samuel 15.23 • Close the door to self condemnation and accusations o Romans 8.1 o Revelations 12.10 • Close the door to lusts by refusing to listen to them o Matthew 5.28 o Job 31.1 • Close the door to confusion by knowing and understanding the Word o 1 Corinthians 14.33 • Close the door to compromise o Read the fellowship of the unashamed • Close the door on wrong outlook o 1 John 2.15 o Luke 12.16-21 The second battle ground is the family These same doors apply to the church, but the attack against our children will require their help to understand them and resist them. Pray for them and with them. Talk to them about this attack and how they are to resist these pressures. The third battle ground is the church leadership The head is the most sensitive – if Satan can take down the head (leadership), he can tear down and separate the church. Pray up heavy walls of defense around your leadership, for they carry a burden for your soul. You cannot battle the spirits directly for them, but you can put up heavy walls around them, that they may spend less time battling and more time seeking. The fourth battle ground is the church body Be sensitive to what is going on during services. If you sense a spirit of confusion or distraction, move against it in the spirit realm, taking control and binding. If you feel strongly enough, bring this to an elder or leader – it needs to be stopped and corrected before God can move. Pray up walls of defense before service – which is why every intercessor should be at church and praying before every service. 7