A Season for Spiritual War:

[Aquila]

Halloween. The origins of Halloween go far back into Celtic antiquity. It was known as Samhain (pronounced, "SOW-en"). It was a day when the veil between the earthly and the spirit world was regarded to be the thinnest, allowing "ghosts" and the demonic to more directly trouble our world. Many traditions evolved from this day, and although the Catholic Church tried to change its focus with the Feast of All Saints and All Souls Day, the day is still primarily associated with the forces of evil in the United and States and Europe. And so we have the modern day we know as "Halloween" with all the horror, spooky stories, revelries, and focus upon the forces of evil. And so the day reminds us who understand the spiritual and the supernatural that yes, witches are real, spells and curses are real, evil spirits are real. The horrors of the other side of death (Hades) are real. Satan and his host of demonic spirits are real.

Many Christians like to participate full bore. Some only choose to participate to a degree with church bonfires, trunk-or-treats, bonfires, hayrides, fall family events, etc. Others choose to ignore the day entirely. Most healthy Christians, regardless of how they deal with Halloween, aren't afraid of it. However, many Christians do fear the day and the spiritual forces involved. And, they aren't entirely wrong. There are evil forces unleashed and at work during this season. For witches, this is a time of renewal and empowerment. They often gather in covens, or as solitaries, to conduct spell work to advance their spiritual power and influence. They also lay curses, hexes, and form spiritual constructs to combat the Kingdom of God. There are massive organized rituals, black masses (among Satanists), and the ungoverned hedonistic debauchery of man's most base instincts are celebrated and unleashed with abandon. Yes, Halloween has a vile spiritual dark side to it that is no doubt celebrated by Satan himself.

And so, during this time I like to remind myself... spiritual warfare is real. I like to revisit what I was taught regarding spiritual warfare and revisit my own prayers for protection, healing, blessing, and salvation. I like to revisit what it means to cast out devils, to bind and loose, to call on the ministry of angels, and to have power and authority over all the power of the enemy through the name of Jesus. And as witches gather in their covens to perform their "spell work", I will find a place to pray... and unleash the power of prayer. Prayers to protect my family, my friends, my coworkers, those seeking souls I'm working with, and those oppressed or even possessed by the enemy. I see this time as a call to arms. A time to polish up the armor of God and prepare for the warfare before me. And I teach my kids that I do indeed believe in this warfare, and even take joy in it, for I know Him in whom I have believed.

"On the eve of All Saints Day
Jack-o-lanterns light the way
God's children need no longer fear
the ghosts & ghouls gathered here
For evil ghosts with icy breath
must bow to Him who conquered death."

Yes, Jesus conquered death and spoiled all the principalities and powers of darkness. Spiritual warfare is necessary because Satan’s will is set against God’s will, and our fighting as the church is to subdue the satanic will and defeat God’s enemy. In the spiritual warfare the most important thing is being in the right position: we fight not from the earth but from the position of ascension, in the heavenlies, one with Christ. We must identify ourselves as "in Christ".

In spiritual warfare one must maintain a balance through discernment. Jesus sometimes cast demons out of people; other times He healed people with no mention of the demonic. We must not "assume" that everything we encounter is demonic. We must pray for the gift of discernment and properly discern when we truly face demonic spiritual forces in our lives and the lives of others.

"Those who overcome satan will be required to use the power of the spoken Word." ~ T. B. Joshua

Spiritual warfare is one area of Christian prayer and practice that isn't designed to be quiet. In fact, one must understand and employ the power of the spoken word. The ancients understood this. In fact, the Bible states that there is power in the spoken word:

Proverbs 18:21
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

Proverbs 12:18
“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

The Bible begins with a demonstration of the power of the spoken word. God speaks, "Let there be light", and there was light (Genesis 1:3). God created mankind in His image and likeness, meaning (among many things) that man had the ability to reason and... speak.

Think about it. When one considers every living thing on earth... only man has the ability to actually "speak". Words begin as thoughts, notions, and ideas. They begin as immaterial things in the very soul of a man. And when those things are spoken aloud, they stimulate matter. Through exhalation, with the assistance of our vocal cords, we form our thought on the very air we breath in the form of vibrations. Those vibrations are received through the anatomy of the ear and these vibrations transfer that very thought into the minds of those who hear us. This is the very power of creation itself. If I were standing before you and said, "Red ball", almost instantly the image of a red ball would appear in your mind. I just moved my thought into your very mind. I created something...in your soul. And it forever becomes a part of you through memory. And so we see the power of the spoken word. (Please remember this principle, it will be very important towards the end of this post.)

But this power goes even further...

Look around you. Look at your computer. Your monitor, your keyboard, your chair, your home, your walls, your clothes, your shoes, socks, eye glasses, cup of coffee... look out your window at your car, your truck, your garage, the light posts, the electric wires, the concrete street, the sidewalks, your child's bicycle, etc. Ever man made thing you lay eyes on began as what? A thought. And that thought was expressed through what? Spoken words. And those words not only entered the minds of those who heard them and read them, but those words shaped what those individuals involved would choose to do... and they created our cars, trucks, houses, civil infrastructures, toys, computers, clothing, etc. Everything man made around you began as a... "word".

Being on the only creatures on earth capable of such expression, this boarders on the very supernatural in and of itself. However, we've become so used to it we don't even pay any attention or heed to how truly miraculous it is. I just turned on a space heater at my desk. I didn't have to gather wood and light a fire. Because someone's words took on life and the space heater became a reality.

But the power of the spoken word goes even further...

A word is simply an expressed thought. And thought emanates from the conscious mind. So, the source of a word is... our consciousness. Physicists have discovered something very interesting on the subatomic considering the very nature of our material reality. Everything is essentially composed of particles or waves. They decided to shoot light particles through a barrier with a double slits in it and then chart how the particles passed through this double slit by hitting a second barrier. They anticipated that the light particles would show a particle patter reflecting the slits in the first barrier. But to their absolute astonishment, they saw a wave pattern. This baffled them. Because it implies that, at some point, as each photon traveled through the double slit they began to behave as waves and not particles. This would be like throwing a baseball through an open window and as it passed through the window, it became a radio wave. So, they designed a means of observing these particles as they passed through the double slit and guess what... the particles passed through the double slit and formed... a double slit particle pattern. They didn't act like waves any longer. So they tried it again without observation and guess what? They behaved like waves again! It is almost as though the tiny photons of matter knew they were being watched, and as a result, responded as expected. Why and how this happens is a mystery to physicists. But the fact reminds, the bearing of consciousness upon matter causes it to behave... as expected. This is radical! Imagine looking at a tree... and the moment you look away... it becomes nothing but waves... and when you look back in its direction... it suddenly becomes a tree again. Consciousness causes matter to behave as expected when dealing with subatomic particles. Now, this would imply that for the universe to remain a constant and not fade out of existence... something... or someone one... observes all and upholds its integrity so that it might appear as... expected by that consciousness.

What physicists don't know is that the Bible has already told us this:

Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power...:

The very word, thought, mind, consciousness of Christ is what upholds the integrity of our entire reality.

When we consider this kind of power over the natural world... we see how Christ could walk on water, multiple the loaves and fishes, restore sight to the blind, and heal the lame. We see how He could calm the storm and even raise the dead. Reality itself is His to manipulate as He desires by His very thoughts!

And when physicists saw the material universe responding to our consciousness at a subatomic level... they demonstrated that even our consciousness can effect matter. I believe they unknowingly revealed that the entire universe as we know it is designed to respond to... faith.

Mark 11:23
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

TO BE CONTINUED:

[Aquila]

CONTINUED:

Okay, you're probably asking, "What has this to do with spiritual warfare?"

Well, it explains the power of the enemy and the hosts of witches and sorcerers that serve him. You see, in witchcraft there is what witches call, "intent". An "intent" is the "intention" of a spell, curse, or hex. They believe that when their intention is properly focused (through the symbolism of various rituals) their intentions can effect the natural world, setting in motion a chain reaction in the very fabric of reality to manifest their desires. Their "intentions" are spoken as incantations or expressed through being engraved upon objects.

In essence, what they are calling intention is the flip side of what we call faith. The only difference is Lordship. Faith desires to see the will of God be done. The intention behind witchcraft desires to see one's own selfish will be done.

Yes, the very fabric of reality is designed to respond to faith. The moment something is spoken, it is given life. And yes, it can become a reality. And this is why we should guard our tongues and watch what we say, especially when in a focused and heightened spiritual state. While the intention of the witch is to see their own will be done, the faith of the Christian is to see God's will be done. And so the will of man and the will of God collide on the battlefield of planet earth.

However, we have an advantage, we know the will of God. We serve the living God. We serve the one who ultimately observes all things, upholding them by the power of His very word. And so, we know that if we ask anything according to His will... it shall be done.

This is why spiritual warfare involves the spoken word or the expression of faith. This is why spiritual warfare is not typically a matter of silent prayer. We must speak and unleash the power and authority delegated to us by Christ through faith.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Aquila]

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This brings us to the first element of spiritual warfare... binding and loosing.

Matthew 16:19
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

As it relates to spiritual warfare, "Binding" restrains evil spirits and the powers of the enemy in preparation for being cast out or cast down. "Loosing" unleashes the power of God to bring answers to prayer involving deliverance, healing, blessing, miracles, and restoration. Loosing can also be used with regards to imprecatory prayer to bring the curse of judgment against spiritual enemies, schemes, and constructs.

We had a short discussion on imprecatory prayer on another thread. Imprecatory prayers are prayers of warfare. They are prayers of declaration that involve rebukes and curses upon our spiritual enemies. For example, when Paul cursed Elymas the sorcerer with blindness. A rather intense imprecatory prayer can be found in Psalms 140:1-13. While these prayers use much strong language, and appear to be merciless, they must be put into proper context. First, imprecatory prayers are only even considered after all efforts to show mercy, patience, kindness, and love have been exhausted. Second, they are not prayers of revenge, they are prayers of justice that desire to see God's will and purposes defeat the enemy and end all oppression. Thirdly, there is an underlying desire that through such judgment one's enemies might feel the pressure and repent that they might be made right with God. Prayer for the merciless destruction of one's enemies is a sin. Jesus illustrates this when the disciples offer to pray for fire to come down and consume those who rejected Christ:

Luke 9:54-56 King James Version (KJV)
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Another element of imprecatory prayer is apocalyptic or euphemistic language. Praying that one's enemies experience destruction, calamity, that their skulls be broken, teeth shattered, and throat slit by the sword of their own mouths isn't to be viewed as being literal. Such language can be seen in many of the imprecatory Psalms (Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139). The answer to such prayers might be a significant set back for one's spiritual enemies. For example, the loss of a contract, a sickness, their car breaking down, the failure of their business, etc. We must realize that such imprecative language is symbolic and only expressing the spiritual severity of our warfare. For example, the OT prophets and Christ spoke with an imprecative prophesy of judgment against corrupt earthly nations that included the skies falling, the sun, moon, and stars being darkened, the earth being opened, and other seemingly apocalyptic language. However, these empires fell and these nations were laid waste through natural means without these things literally manifesting. Such is the nature of imprecative prayer and prophecy. These prayers are simply to loose the power of God in one's defense against one's spiritual enemies, including the demonic forces that are aligned against us.

With binding and loosing prayer we will note several things:

First, the authority is granted to us here on earth.
Second, direction of action begins on earth, not in Heaven. Faith expressed through prayer begins on earth.

The battle begins with us being willing to pray and engage. We often wonder why we aren't seeing more miracles, healings, revivals, outpourings, etc. coming from God. What we fail to realize is that God is waiting for us to unleash His power through our faith and the authority given to us in Christ Jesus. Peter didn't pray that God would heal the lame man at the gate of the temple. No. Peter prayed a declarative prayer saying, "Silver and gold have I none, but that which I do have, give I thee..." Peter understood that the power was his to unleash through the name and authority of Jesus.

But sadly, we often worry about how we'll look if there aren't results. First, there will only be results if God wills it. Second, this only reveals our lack of faith. Remember when I mentioned that the very fabric of the universe is designed to respond to what is expected of it? If you expect that you might fail, you invariably will. If you expect that your prayers might not be answered, they won't be. We need a new baptism of understanding that illuminates our understanding of true faith.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Aquila]

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Another important element that I've learned concerning spiritual warfare is that one must be grounded in the faith. One must understand the essential doctrines that will uphold one in the midst of spiritual warfare. Paul wrote:

Ephesians 6:11-17
11 Put on the whole armour 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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

What Paul has written here can be elaborated upon and entire libraries written about it from various angles. But, I like to keep it simple. Spiritual warfare for the Christian requires that one must be grounded in the following doctrines which serve as our "spiritual armor":

1.) Salvation = Knowing that you are a child of God.
2.) Righteousness = Knowing that you stand in Christ's righteousness and not your own.
3.) Truth = Knowing that Christ is Lord.
4.) Word of God = Knowing the authority of Scripture.
5.) Faith = Reliance upon God and His Word.
6.) Gospel Commission = Knowing we are called and commissioned to advance the Kingdom of God with all spiritual authority delegated by Christ Himself.

It's important to remember that the battlefield of our warfare is in the mind. Satan will whisper lies into the mind of your spirit, your inner man, and these surface as thoughts that seem like they are your own. Just as if I said, "Red Ball", the image of a red ball pops into your mind, so too do the lies of the enemy. The enemy will attack your mind by questioning your very salvation, casting doubt on rather you are a child of God or not. Being grounded in the doctrine of salvation gives you the assurance to defeat this lie. Satan, through his demonic hoards, will attack your heart and throw accusations and accuse you by bringing up your past, your weaknesses, the sins you struggle with, your character flaws, and your imperfections to cast doubt on your worthiness to bind and cast him out. Being grounded in the knowledge that you stand in Christ's righteousness and not your own will give you the assurance to defeat this lie. Satan will attempt to unravel your armor by attempting to cast doubt on if what you have learned is truth. Just as the belt of the centurion's armor held the armor together, so too does the reality of knowing the truth. By being grounded in knowing the that this Gospel is the truth, you can have the assurance to defeat this lie. The sword of the spirit, the Word of God, is the only offensive weapon in your armor. Knowing the Scriptures and what they teach can feat any and every lie of the enemy, not only in your life, but the lives of others. When confronted with the enemies lies and temptations, you can quote the Word of God with assurance to defeat these lies. Satan will also use what power he has to bring trials into your life that eat away at and seek to crush your faith and resolve. Being grounded in child like faith and trust is a shield that will allow you to overcome these trials and defeat the intentions of Satan. Satan will also attack your commission. When you seek to take a step forward into the will of God or into spiritual combat Satan knows that if you have the other parts of your armor, he can try to strike at your ankles in the hopes of bringing you down. He will question your commission. "Are you really called to do this?" "Are you really granted the authority to bind and cast me out?" "Is this really your job, why not call the pastor?" But you are called to advance, step by step, spreading the Gospel of peace. You have been commissioned and granted all authority over the power of the enemy. By being grounded in this truth you can defeat these lies of the enemy. This is your ARMOR. Being grounded in these truths will bring you assured victory over all the powers of Hell.

You also have the gifts of the Spirit to assist you in your warfare and in advancing the kingdom of God. These can be found in I Corinthians 12:7-11. I believe we can pray and enter into the flow of these gifts, as God wills to reveal their availability. These gifts are:

Word of Wisdom - Divine wisdom or insight about a situation that is delivered straight from God.

Word of Knowledge - The impartation of knowledge pertaining to a person, situation, or chain of events that the gift holder could not have known by any natural means.

Discernment of Spirits - The ability to supernaturally know the motive of a human spirit or the presence and nature of spiritual beings (human, angel, demon).

Gift of Faith - The impartation of supernatural faith that defies all logic in a given, seemingly hopeless, situation or circumstance.

Gifts of Healing - The impartation of the power to heal various maladies in the body, soul, or spirit.

Gift of Miracles - The impartation of the power to pray and have prayers answered, even if the outcome requires supernatural means that defy the laws of nature.

Gift of Tongues - The impartation of the ability to speak a message directly from God "in the Spirit" or to supernaturally "pray in the Spirit".

Gift of Interpretation of Tongues - The impartation of the ability to "interpret" (not translate) unknown tongues spoken under the "Gift of Tongues" before listeners.

Gift of Prophesy - The impartation of the ability to speak a message directly from God concerning the future or a present spiritual reality or situation ("Thus saith the LORD...").

These gifts are to empower all of us to overcome the snares and whiles of the enemy. They are also to minister healing and life to those in our lives. They reveal God's power and God's glory when they are manifested and in this, they testify to Jesus being Lord. Each gift can be used in many different ways when manifest. They are primarily used in preaching and teaching to confirm the Word of God and the power of God. However, they are also used in warfare, especially the gift of Discernment of Spirits. This gift empowers you to discern if a spiritual attack is real or not. It can also be used to reveal the nature of the spiritual attack and the spirits involved. Remember, you have to be grounded in the armor of God. When this gift is in operation Satan will tell you lies. He will whisper into your spirit, "That's just your imagination!" Oh really? This is why I like to worship and praise God in the face of spiritual warfare, it infuriates the enemy and he will typically make himself known, leaving no doubt that what you are dealing with is truly of a spiritual nature. A Word of Wisdom or a Word of Knowledge can open someone's eyes to the reality of this warfare, and the truth of the Gospel, especially if you are engaging spirits on their behalf.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Aquila]

CONTINUED:

Jesus gave His disciples POWER and AUTHORITY over specific things. In Matthew 10:7-9 those things are:

- the healing of the sick
- cleansing of the lepers
- the raising of the dead
- the casting out of demons

These disciples went forth KNOWING that it was the Lord's will that they exercise power and authority in these areas. They didn't go forth pleading and begging Jesus to answer their prayers in these areas. Nor did they go forth passively assuming that God would just do it for them. They went forth knowing that they were indeed empowered, equipped, and commissioned to do these things. They were not thinking too highly of themselves. Nor were they thinking that in some way they were twisting God's arm to move on their behalf. They were COMISSIONED to do these things. They were ordered to use the power of God in these areas.

In Luke 10:19 Jesus focuses in on the seventy and gives them supernatural power and authority to wage spiritual warfare against evil spirits. We read:

Luke 10:19
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.

Here, we see Jesus granting power in specific areas. These are:

- Power to tread on serpents and scorpions (evil spirits)
- Power to break curses, hexes, generational curses, evil constructs, deceptions, etc. of the enemy
- Powerful protection from all spiritual attack and opposition.

Remember, the seventy were amazed that they were granted such authority and power:

Luke 10:17
17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

While the greatest thing is to rejoice over being saved, this illustrates that they did indeed have the power to do the things Jesus specifically asked them to do. They didn't go out begging for Him to heal or remove a demon, they spoke healing and cast out the devil themselves.

This is power granted to the believer to use and employ. We don't have to beg that God banish demons that are behind sickness, oppression, curses, deceptions, demonic plots, or possession. We have been given this authority to release the power to uproot, bind, and cast out all evil spirits and over all the power of the enemy.

When a soldier is issued a weapon and deployed for war, that soldier has the orders to use that weapon within the parameters given to accomplish the mission. We are like soldiers. We have been issued authority and power through the Holy Spirit to release the power of God within the parameters of the mission. As long as we release the power to accomplish what is within the parameters of the mission, we can be assured that the power will yield the results our Lord said it would. In Mark 16 Jesus clearly explains what is to be expected in the wake of believers:

Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Here we see that the signs following true believers are:

- Casting out devils.
- Speaking in new tongues.
- Uprooting spiritual strongholds (taking up serpents, treading on scorpions).
- Divine protection from harm.
- The healing of the sick.

We shouldn't question if we have the power and authority to do that which is expected of us by God. I wonder, is it possible that on those occasions when God heals in response to prayer, He is disappointed that the body of Christ He empowered didn't use the power granted to us to heal the sick? Might our rejoicing over His healing of someone within our number be an indictment against us at some point? Might God turn in the Judgment and ask, "Why didn't YOU heal them my children? I called and empowered YOU to do it."

When it comes to spiritual warfare, we have the power and the authority imparted to us by Jesus Himself. And in this, we are more than conquerors.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Aquila]

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Another powerful element of spiritual warfare is pleading the blood of Christ and the name of Jesus. We know that through the blood of Jesus we have atonement and propitiation which makes all these things available to us. In addition, we know that through the power and authority of the name of Jesus demons tremble and are cast out.

But how does this happen?

Remember when I used the “red ball” example near the beginning of this post? I hope you remember it as I asked. To revisit this example briefly, if I were to say to you, “Red ball” the image of a red ball instantly comes to mind. This is a powerful understanding of the power of words and how we can actually implant a thought in one’s consciousness using the spoken word. But now, with this understanding, try to imagine what happens in the mind of a demonic spirit when you say, “I plead the blood of Jesus!” What image, what reality, what event did you just create in the mind of that spirit? When an evil spirit contemplates, thinks of, or is confronted with the reality of the blood of Jesus… it experiences torment and agony because you call to mind the very cross of Calvary. You are forcing it to think of the crucifixion and the atoning work of Jesus. Such a thing is too pure and holy for that demon to comfortably imagine. What transpired on Calvary assured the defeat and sealed the fate of the wicked and every demonic spirit. In one fell swoop you are filling the very mind of that demon spirit with an image so holy, so terrifying, it cannot bear it. You are reminding it of its eternal destiny in Hell. You are calling to mind a horror beyond words for this spirit. Just whisper, “The blood of Jesus is against you.”, and you will torment the mind of any evil spirit you’re confronting. They cannot withstand this torment. They will often become irrational and belligerent because of the torment this very thought provokes. They may also become submissive and plead for mercy, just to try and make you stop. In fact, you can even test spiritual oppression or possession by invoking the blood of Jesus. Some rather dedicated saints of God become “uneasy” at the thought of the blood or even pleading the blood. Why? The blood of Jesus is the most precious and holy thing one can ever imagine. Why would it possibly make so many uneasy? Why do some even become argumentative in their effort to silence calling to mind the shed blood of Christ Jesus? I’ll tell you…an evil spirit is present in their lives. They are actually picking up on its uneasiness or anger at the thought of the blood and they don’t realize it. They think these thoughts are their own, but they aren’t. I had a man who seemed like a very solid Christian who became so enraged I thought he was going to hurt me after I had pled the blood of Jesus in prayer. Oh, he didn’t just go off, but he approached me intellectually wanting to argue about why there is no “biblical warrant” to speak or call to mind the blood of Jesus when praying over someone struggling with a spirit. I told him that I politely disagreed. He became more forceful with his argument until I looked him in the eyes and said, “The blood of Jesus.” Then he became so enraged I thought he was going to punch me! LOL Friends, that’s a spirit. Be very weary of anyone who is uneasy at the thought of the blood.

Think of it this way, by calling the blood of Jesus to mind, you are allowing it to speak with regards to your circumstance while in warfare:

Hebrews 12:24
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

By pleading the blood of Jesus, you are overcoming the enemy through the blood of Christ Jesus:

Revelation 12:11
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.

The name of Jesus works much the same way. It calls to mind He who conquered death and has all authority and power. The very thought of the glorified Christ Jesus torments the minds of evil spirits. Through the very reality behind the name, demon spirits will flee in horror when confronted with a saint of God with steadfast faith in the power of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It calls to mind all that Christ is, who Christ is, all that Christ has done, His victory, and His authority, and the judgment He will bring. The very power of God is also released through the authority of the name. And so every device of the enemy is rendered broken and shattered. It is through the name that every gift flows. It is through the name that men are saved. It is through the name that sins are forgiven. It is through the name that we have authority to command evil spirits to be cast out. And so to call this reality to mind will quickly send spirits fleeing.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Aquila]

CONTINUED...

The last element of spiritual warfare I wish to mention is the ministry of angels. The ministry of angels includes, but is not limited to, the following:

They praise God (Psalm 148:1, 2; Isaiah 6:3).
They worship God (Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8-13).
They rejoice in what God does (Job 38:6-7).
They serve God (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 22:9).
They appear before God (Job 1:6; Job 2:1).
They protect God's elect (Psalm 91:11; Matthew 18:10; Psalm 34:7).
They are instruments of God's judgments (Revelation 7:1; Revelation 8:2).
They bring answers to prayer (Acts 12:5-10).
They serve the redeemed (Hebrews 1:14).
They aid in winning people to Christ (Acts 8:26; Acts 10:3).
They preach the gospel (Revelation 14:6).
They have a degree of control over the natural elements (Revelation 7:1).
They observe and defend Christian order, work, and suffering (1 Corinthians 4:9; I Corinthians 11:10; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12).
They encourage in times of danger (Acts 27:23, 24).
They carry the souls of the righteous to Heaven after death (Luke 16:22).
They encourage and strengthen those experiencing trial (Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43 )
They engage evil spiritual forces who oppose us and our prayers (Daniel 10:3; Daniel 10:13)

Angels can be called upon to respond in regards to protection, bringing judgment, bringing answers to prayer, assisting in winning people to Christ, affecting the natural elements, defending the Christian work, to offer encouragement to the weary, in carrying the souls of the redeemed to Heaven, and to engage unseen spiritual forces we might be unaware of. So, if you feel impressed by the Holy Spirit to call upon angels to assist you do so.

More can be said about the ministry of angels. In fact, entire books could be written about many of the things I’ve briefly touched upon. The point is… we can use Halloween to revisit the truths of spiritual warfare, the reality of evil, and our victory in Christ. Why give Satan a day of his own? It belongs to Jesus.

[Aquila]

And nobody wishes to share any thoughts, insights, additional ideas, or anything? lol

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Aquila

And nobody wishes to share any thoughts, insights, additional ideas, or anything? lol

It is chilling that a man who advocates eating breakfast in the nude with his live in girlfriend, and mocks the a story of a child being burned by a stepparent on a lit stove. Wants to discuss spiritual warfare?

Listen buddy, "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

[houston]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

It is chilling that a man who advocates eating breakfast in the nude with his live in girlfriend, and mocks the a story of a child being burned by a stepparent on a lit stove. Wants to discuss spiritual warfare?

Listen buddy, "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

He’s living in sin? Figured they’d be married by now. Or I at least assumed when he shared that stomach turning story of their nudist behavior.