Christians throughout their life will encounter various spiritual attacks from evil spirits. Just like a physical war, satanic powers will attempt to cause harm to every Christian. It should be understood that these evil spirits are our actual enemies and not really the people. Spiritual problems need a spiritual solution, so our weapons can not be carnal for the pulling down of evil spiritual strongholds.
We cannot battle or have victory over any spiritual trial, merely with our own strength. We need God's protection and strength.
God needs to be the one who enables us, and all glory goes to Him.
Prayer is one of our most important weapons
for overcoming strongholds and to receive God's protection. When
we pray, God will use supernatural power and angels to help us
to overcome any trial that we may face.
Christians need to be constantly on the alert so they don't get hurt, deceived, distracted or hindered from doing the will of God.
When we are not being alert we can easily get off track from following Jesus, or from trusting in God and begin to have fear and defeat in our daily life.
Christians need God's wisdom to keep them
alert, and the Holy Spirit. Wisdom can be found in the Bible and
can be received by asking God in prayer.
EPHESIANS 6:18 With
all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit and with
this view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition
for all the saints.
HEBREWS 2:1
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we
have heard, lest we drift away from it.
MATTHEW 24:42 Therefore
be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming...
Where does God's Word also instruct us
to not to be carried about with various and strange doctrines;
and further not to believe in any perverted gospel of Christ,
which are polluted with untruth, such as contradictions, profane
& vain babblings, error, philosophies, twisted and misconstrued
scriptures, false knowledge, hypocrisy, doctrines of demons,...
etc ?
MARK 13:22
False christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and
wonders , to lead astray, if possible, the elect. but TAKE HEED
I have told you all things beforehand.
HEB 13:8,9 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
DO NOT BE CARRIED ABOUT WITH VARIOUS &
STRANGE TEACHINGS.
MAT 7:15
BEWARE of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
EPHES 5:5,6
LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU, WITH EMPTY WORDS, for because of these
things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience, therefore
do not be partakers with them.
DEUT 12:30
TAKE HEED ... THAT YOU DO NOT INQUIRE ABOUT THEIR GODS, saying,"
How did these nations serve their gods ?'
EX 23:13
TAKE HEED to all that I have said to you; and make no mention
of the names of other gods, NOR LET SUCH BE HEARD OUT OF YOUR
MOUTH.
DEUT 4:16
BEWARE LEST YOU ACT CORRUPTLY by making a graven image for yourselves,
in the form of any figure, BEWARE lest you lift up your eyes
to heaven and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars
...you be drawn away and worship them & serve them...
2 PET 3:16
There are some things in them hard to understand which the ignorant
& unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the
other scriptures, You, therefore, beloved, Knowing this beforehand,
BEWARE lest you be carried away with ERROR of lawless men and
lose your stability...
MAT 24:4.5
TAKE HEED THAT NO ONE DECEIVES YOU, For many will come in My Name
saying, " I AM the CHRIST "and WILL deceive MANY.
COL 2:8
SEE TO IT THAT NO ONE MAKES PREY OF YOU by philosophy and empty
deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental
spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.
2 TIM 4:3 For the time is coming when they will not endure sound teaching, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers ; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
But you be watchful in all things...
GAL 1:6-10 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the Grace of Christ, to a different gospel when there is not another: But there are some who want to trouble you and PERVERT the Gospel of Christ. But even if WE or an angel from heaven, PREACH ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than what we have preached to you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.
As we have said before, so I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
For do I now persuade men
or God ? or do I seek to please men ? For if I seek still to please
men, I WOULD NOT BE A SERVANT OF CHRIST.
Prayer is one of the most effective weapons
that we have to overcome evil spiritual trials, because God will
address the problems that we encounter with His supernatural power
and even appoint angels to help us.
For deliverance:
Psalm 6:4, 7:1, 25:17, 25:20, 25:22,
17:13, 18:3-19, 31:1,2, 43:1, 59:1, 70:5, 71:2,3, 79:9, 120:2,
119:170, 116:4, 140:1, 142:6, 143:9, 144:7,8,11, 2 Cor. 1:10,11
For God to do spiritual warfare:
Psalm 20:1,2, 25;2, 35:1-4, 17:13,
36:11, 59:1, 70:2, 83;1,2, 83:13-17, 79:12, 74:22, 94:1, 108:12,13,
119:78, 119:175, 143:12
Have you ever been broken hearted, offended, emotionally disappointed, feeling drained, empty inside, depressed, full of anger, bitterness, or just hurt ?;
Well you needed to guard your heart;
But HOW does a person guard their heart
?
One way is by a shield, a spiritual shield,
called Truth.
But what is truth and how does truth shield,
protect and guard our hearts ?
First of all God's word, commandments,
and instructions are Truth; Anytime we implement God's word in
a particular circumstance by DOING what He instructed and by trusting
in God, then His word becomes a spiritual shield which cannot
be seen, but it is still able to guard your life ; because evil
principalities cannot have power over you when you follow and
do what God instructs in His word. Moreover your joy and emotions
remain stable.
Using DISCRETION from the wisdom of Jesus Christ in an adverse situation will help you to AVOID a hurtful outcome, thereby you guarded your heart from harm.
People allow the world and it's spiritual
storms to cause them to have turmoil inside, yet when they keep
their eyes and faith fixed on Jesus their hearts are then secure.
Spiritual armor is what every Christian needs to protect them from harm of satanic powers; No one can put on spiritual armor simply by declaring it in our words, rather we become protected by the spiritual armor that God gives as we continue in a sincere relationship with Jesus, by listening and following His Words.
Spiritual armor and protection comes through the Holy Spirit and by also praying and asking God.
EPHESIANS 6:10-17 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm.
6:14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.
6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Daily we are spiritually and emotionally attacked. Yet in a time of need, God will always be there for us as a strong tower and a refuge, to protect us from every hurtful evil spirit, if we come unto Him and put our trust in Him.
God is our hiding place, the only spiritual place of safety or sanctuary from the dangers of evil and from those who would try to hurt us.
In a time of need, when all looks hopelessly
dark, if accusations come your way, or if you are depressed and
if people are against you, then come unto Jesus in prayer and
ask God to shelter you from any harm, and He will.
HEB 6:17-19 In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,
1:18 in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us.
1:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the
soul, a hope sure and steadfast and one which enters the veil.
PSALM 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
46:11 The Lord of Hosts is with us; The
God of Jacob is our stronghold.
PSALM 9:9 The
Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold
in times of trouble.
2 SAM 22:3 My
God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn
of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
2 SAM 22:31 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
22:32 For who is God, besides the Lord ? And who is rock, besides our God ?
22:33 God is my strong fortress; ...
Angels are spiritual beings created by God. Angel means " messenger."
Angels are the spiritual beings who surround God, and who do His work, and manifest His will or power. They are very numerous, and their wisdom and intelligence is superhuman because it comes directly from God; They neither marry nor are given in marriage.
The Bible is full of accounts of this heavenly host, and there are many recorded instances of their visitations to earth and to men, carrying messages from God and doing His will.
Angels have a spirit body , however they are also able to take on a physical form according to the word of God.
Every Christian has been appointed angels
over them by God to watch over them and to minister to them.
PSALMS 91:11 For He (God) will put His angels in charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
PSALMS 91:12 They will bear you up in their
hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
HEB 13:2 Do
not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this some
have entertained angels without knowing it.
JOHN 1:51
You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of man.
HEBREWS 1:7 And of the angels He says, " Who makes His angels spirits. and His ministers a flame of fire."
1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits,
sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit
salvation.
EPHES 3:10 That
now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might
be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.
MAT 26:53
Jesus said, "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My
Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve
legions of angels ? " ( More than 72,000 Angels )
REV 12:7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war.
12:8 and they were not strong enough, and
there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
While most of the angels in heaven are good angels, still there are evil angels or evil spirits, also called the fallen angels, who rebelled with Satan against God.
Revelation tells of the war relating that
Michael and God's angels fought against Satan and his evil host,
and conquered them.
People can be oppressed and possessed by
evil spirits, but Jesus Christ has given Christians the power
and authority to cast out demons. Some evil spirits will only
come out of a person with much prayer and fasting.
1 TIM 4:1 But
the Spirit explicity says that in the later times some will fall
away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and
doctrines of demons.
REV 12:7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war.
12:8 and they were not strong enough, and
there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
MAT 25:41
Then He will also say to those on His left, " Depart from
Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared
for the devil and his angels;
LUKE 11:24 When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ' I will return to my house from which I came.'
11:25 And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.
11:26 Then it goes and takes along seven
other spirits more evil than itself, and they go and live there;
and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.
MAT 8:16 And
when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-
possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed
all who were ill.
LUKE 9:1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and to heal diseases,
9:2 And He sent them out to proclaim the
kingdom of God, and to perform healing.