Understanding Spiritual Warfare 2: Know Your Enemy

     There is a tremendous satanic attack on our children today. We as parents must be on guard to protect our children against this tremendous onslaught.

A. Dreams & Visions

     Remember the story of Samuel and how the Lord spoke to him in a dream at night (1 SAMUEL 3). Children for whatever reasons, I personally attribute it to their innocence, seem to be able to peer into the spirit world. When we were stationed in Japan, Shalanda woke up one night about 2:30 a.m. screaming and crying at the top of her voice. When we asked her what was wrong, she simply said that there was something in the room with her. We basically ignored that fact at the time and told her to stop acting crazy and go to sleep. On the next night she woke up about the same time. This time I asked her specifically what was in the room. She pointed to the top corner of the room and said, "Jesus is up there looking down at me and talking to me; but, I don't like him." I immediately prayed and rebuked that spirit and commanded it to depart. I knew it was not the spirit of God because God would not strive to create fear in a child. Apparently it left, because Shalanda went back to sleep peacefully. Shalanda was four at the time and has never complained about these occurrence again. She is now 8 years old.

     Remember the movies where it portrays children making contact with the spirit world. Where do you think they got these ideas from. They are most likely part of someone's personal experiences.

ST LUKE 1:
     28. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
     29. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
     30. And the angel said unto her, FEAR NOT, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

ST JOHN 20:
     19. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, PEACE BE UNTO YOU.

     When God ministers and send angels to his people, it does not bring fear but peace. Notice how the angel put Mary at peace when she was troubled. Notice how Jesus spoke peace to the disciples. I am sure you will find this theme throughout the bible whenever God speaks to anyone through supernatural means.

B. Cartoons

     Our children face a tremendous attack of satanism through cartoons.

     Imagine my surprise when I found out that the word smurf meant little demon.

    Let me relate this story. We were in Japan when we first got exposed to the smurf cartoon (We did not find out the meaning of the name until sometimes afterwards). Since the base channel was the only english channel available, we watched many video programs from the local store. One day Charlotte picked up this eight hour long tape of smurf cartoons. Since Shalanda was kindergarten age, she allowed Doc (our son who was approx 3 years old at the time) to come down stairs and watch television while she was in school. After a week, Doc started saying that he hated everything, including us. He was very emphatic and even discipline could not stop it. This was not the attitude and demeanor of a three year old child. One day, while Charlotte was in the kitchen, she accidentally overheard that exact same comment coming from the television in the next room. She rushed in and found my son watching the Smurf's cartoon. This comment was coming from a character named "Grouchy". We immediately stopped him from watching the Smurfs and his disposition returned to normal. Upon later discussion, we found this same episode happened to our closest christian friends. In their situation it affected both their middle and youngest daughters at the same time and their episode was even more traumatic.

     We later realized that our son would sit for hours watching this cartoon and never complain or make any noises. We had not paid any attention to this fact before.

     You may say, it was our fault that we let him watch too much of that cartoon. Well, I agree with you, but in that statement I find two problems:

     1. There are many parents who are turning their children over to television, just as we did. However, they are not aware of the consequences. The whole purpose of this book is to awaken christians to the constant threat of the enemy that is before us.

     2. I remember watching a lot of television when I was growing up but most of the programing was clean. When is the last time you saw "Barnaby Jones", one of my favorite television detective shows, kill somebody. The television programming of my day did not create the kind of emotions that present day programming creates in our children.

     There is so much witchcraft and magic in cartoons today that it is unbelievable. Most of you that are reading this book are at least twenty years old or older. I ask you to think back on the type of cartoons and television programs that you viewed when you were younger. They were normally very energetic cartoon characters with little or no violence or demonic influence. I'm sure you can't say the same today.

     Today's cartoons are full of incantations and other items of witchcraft. You may ask the question why. So did I. Cartoons glamourize the satanic aspects of life. Therefore, when children are confronted by it, they reason that it is acceptable because it was done by their favorite cartoon characters. They also reason that it is acceptable by society because their parents never said anything against it.

     About 5 months ago it came to the attention of the local authorities that the satanist were actively recruiting teenagers in a local high school. This school happened to be one that our children will be attending, and it is less than 2 miles from my house. This, as you can imagine, got my attention.

C. Toys & Dolls

      Have your ever noticed how ghoulish and ugly the cartoon characters and toys are that they sometimes create. Let's examine this from a biblical prospective. First of all, we know that God is not the creator of fear.

1 JOHN 4:
     18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

     See what God has to say about fear. If we are trying to raise our children in a God like atmosphere, fear should not be apart of it. Therefore, I reason that we should not give our children dolls or images, or let them watch things on a constant basis that will create an emotion of fear in them. We should be teaching them to trust in the Lord. If we start teaching them to trust in the Lord now, imagine how strong they'll be spiritually by the time they become adults. [Besides, many children experience nightmares because of these toys and television/movie images.]

     Also, I believe that a lot of these creatures that we see in cartoons and those designed as dolls are exact replicas of demons. If your children become accustomed to seeing them in cartoons, then they won't react with much surprise or alarm if they are ever confronted by a real one. They will assume that this being is a normal part of everyday life because they've seen it on tv so much.

D. The Destructiveness of the Santa Myth

      First of all, in order to convince our children that Santa is a real being that delivers gifts all over the world in one night, WE HAVE TO LIE. If we help to continue the perpetration of a lie then we are in coalition with the devil.

ST JOHN 8:
     44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

     Have you ever notice that the name

S A N T A / S A T A N

has the same number of letters. If you move the " N " in santa to the end, it spells the name of SATAN. Coincidence?? Maybe. Speaking as a christian, I don't think so!!!!

     Let's look at the other side of the situation. We spend the first years (critical years) of our children's life convincing them to believe in a being (Santa) that we know is not real, and spend so little time teaching our children to believe in a Saviour (Jesus) that we know is real.

     What I believe that we are actually doing is sowing seeds of doubt and unbelief in our children. We teach our children to believe in santa, a being that they can't see. Out of their innocence they trust us. At this same time we are taking them to church and teaching them to believe in Jesus Christ, another being that they can't see. All of this is happening during the most formative and influential years of their lives (every psychiatrist will tell you that the time between birth and 6 years of age are when a child's values are formed). Generally after they are 5 to 7 years old, they suddenly find out that this jolly old individual that they believed and hoped in is not real. Imagine what this does to their faith and trust in general. They will be subconsciously geared to not completely trust what anyone says. This will also affect the level to which they will eventually put their faith and trust in God and Jesus. Remember, they can't see them either. The seeds of doubt and unbelief are now sown.

     Do you remember how you felt when you found out that santa was a myth?

     This idea has been so perpetuated through society that everyone is afraid to let their children known that Santa is not real, and that they should be putting their trust in Jesus. If you do tell them the truth, you come under sever attack from friends, relatives and everyone because you are no longer in line with the world.

ST JOHN 17:
     14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

     God wants someone to stand up for Him and His word. However, if we do, we will find that we will not be very popular with the world.

     Back to the matter at hand. All of satan's tricks have aided in the commercialization of Christmas. This has taken away from the real reason for the season: Jesus. Let's give our children hope in Jesus, a God that will carry them through the years instead of a temporary God (notice how santa has been given the characteristics of a god, going all over the world in one night, supernaturally descending through chimneys) that will only last a few years. I encourage you to reconsider your position concerning santa.

A. God's Dreams/Visions to his People

     God gives his people dreams (DANIEL, chapter 2.)

ACTS 2:
    17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

JEREMIAH 23:
     28. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.

DANIEL 1:
     17. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

     As you see, God does use dreams as a way of speaking to his people. He says, in the last days our old men shall dream dreams and our young men shall see visions. It is clear that this means of communications did not die out with the old prophets. He has given them to the church. The book of REVELATIONS is an account of the vision that the Lord showed John the Apostle concerning the end of times. Daniel was granted the opportunity to see a vision concerning the end of times also and there were many others (DANIEL, chapter 10-12.)

     Let's look at the definition of a dream and a vision.

2DREAM 1: a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep 2.a: a visionary creation of the imagination: DAYDREAM 2.c: an object seen in a dreamlike state: VISION.

2VISION (pg 1318) 1 a: something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy; specif: a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation.

      Based upon the bible and these definitions I will give you my guidelines that I use for distinguishing between a dream and a vision. A dream is a thought, image or emotion that is given to you while you are actually in a state of sleep. A vision is a thought, image or emotion that is given unto you when you are awake, but in a trance like state. In the vision, your spirit man is actually being caught up by God into the spirit world and you can look out and see the things that God is trying to show you. Let's look at John on the island of Patmos. The book of revelation is written to convey the things that God showed him in a vision while he was on that island. This vision explained what the end times would be like to the church. Daniel also had the opportunity to see a vision of the end times (DANIEL, Chapters 7-12).

REVELATIONS 1:
     9. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
     10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

     John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day when the Lord began shewing him this vision.

B. Nightmares from Satan

     I will rely on personal experiences in my next few statements and leave it to your judgement as to whether or not you will receive what I am going to say next.

     Because dreaming is a means of God communicating with us, satan has figured out a way to use it to his advantage. Many times he tries to attack our mind and spirit while we are sleeping.

     His attacks upon our spirit feel so real that when we wake up, we have a hard time deciding whether we were asleep or not. We know that we were dreaming, but it feels as though everything that happened was real. I think the reason it feels real is because our spirit actually experienced it.

     You will find that if you call upon Jesus in your dream, you will immediately wake up. When you call on Jesus, you are actually rebuking the evil spirits that are trying to attack you.

PHILIPPIANS 2:
     9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
     10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth:
     11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

ACTS 3:
     6. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
     7. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

ACTS 16:
     18. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I COMMAND THEE IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST TO COME OUT OF HER. And he came out the same hour.

     These scriptures should clarify the power that we have when we call on the name of Jesus.

     Here are scenarios that I've seen satan use as attacks during nightmares:

     1. You start on top of some high place and then find yourself suddenly falling, falling, falling, falling.,.,.,.,. Eventually you wake up from the fall just before you hit bottom.

     2. Being chased by horrible looking creatures that attack you. The majority of the time, they never catch up with you.

     3. Being attacked by a creature that sits on top of you or grabs you around the throat so you can't breathe.

     4. Many times when you wake up from these dreams, you find that you can't breathe, your heart is racing, and you wake up talking out loud and rebuking evil spirits in the name of Jesus. Sometimes you find that it takes a few moments for you to move. Your body feels immobile. You may also experience the power of the Holy Ghost if you woke up calling on the name of Jesus.

     5. You are told things that directly contradicts the word of God. Many times your faith is attacked. You are told that you are not saved. The name of Jesus is questioned. There is an attempt to confuse you on issues that were previously settled as you read the word of God or on those issues that you've always questioned with deep concern because you don't undersand them.

     6. You experience sexually explicit dreams. Many time, these dreams are sensuous and attempt to kindle your desire toward an illicit relationship (adultery or fornication).

     Space will not allow me to list all the different attacks that he uses. The whole purpose of these dreams are to confuse you and get you to move away from the direction that God is leading you in your life. With a little common sense and direction from the Holy Spirit, you can easily decide which dreams are from satan.

     If christians would admit it, these are common occurrences in many of our lives. Many times we don't talk about it because we feel that we are the only ones experiencing it. These dreams do not mean that you are not saved. IF YOU HAVE CONFESSED A TRUE, SINCERE HOPE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE SAVED (ROMANS 10:9-10, EPHESIANS 2:8-9, ST MARK 16:16).

     THESE DREAMS ARE SATAN'S WAY OF ATTEMPTING TO DESTROY YOUR FAITH AND HOPE IN JESUS CHRIST. THE ANSWER IS TO SIMPLY REBUKE THEM.

C. Understanding Dreams

     If you have a dream that troubles you:

     1. If you feel that it wasn't of God, rebuke it.

     2. If you are unsure, rebuke it. Now that your mind is at peace after rebuking the dream, pray and ask God to help you to understand what its purpose was. After praying, bind the dream and cast it far away from you and ask God to lead you. Don't spend time meditating on it unless God specifically leads you to.

ST 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. (ST MATTHEW 18:18)

     3. If you think it was of God, pray and ask God to help you to understand and accept it.

     4. Take any other actions, like talking to your pastor or a friend who is strong spiritually, as the Spirit of God leads you.

D. Ask God To Control Your Sleep

      You can gain control of your sleep so that you will never have to experience nightmares again.

     Start by asking God to control your mind. You can ask God to keep your mind while you are asleep and to let his angles watch over you. Do this in a pray each night before going to sleep.

ISAIAH 26:
     3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.

     Charlotte recommends coating the mind by reading the word of God before going to sleep. Sounds like a great suggestion to men.

     By praying and asking God to keep you mind, he will protect you from the many attacks that are coming your way as you sleep.

E. Personal Experience

     When I was growing up, I experienced nightmares almost every night. I didn't know how to overcome them and I had no one to talk to. My dreams consisted of me either falling through space and never hitting the ground or being chased by creatures that never caught up with me. It was very nerve racking. When I got to Spain, someone preached a sermon about the power that is available in the name of Jesus. The week after the sermon, I had another nightmare. This time I was chased by the biggest, meanest, ugliest creature that I had ever seen in a dream. For the first time, it caught up with me and climbed on top of me. He looked directly into my face which created a great fear in me. Then he started biting me on my shoulder. The pain was intense and I couldn't breathe. My mind went back to the sermon but I couldn't say Jesus out loud because I couldn't breathe. I started to call on him in my mind and tried to move my mouth. The third time I called on Jesus, the words broke forth from my lips and I woke up. I couldn't move for almost 30 seconds. I also felt the power of the Holy Ghost all over me. I went back to sleep and I never had another nightmare the rest of my stay in Spain. That was back in 1983. I had one in Japan and one here at Tinker. In each dream, I woke up calling on the name of Jesus.

     I pray that my testimony has shed insight into the battles that you face in your life. Remember, you are never alone.

X. How To Activate God's Protection In Your Life

Hopefully, at this point, you are quite knowledgeable of your enemy. Now let's talk about activating God's protection in you life.

A. Put on the Whole Armour of God

EPHESIANS 6:
     10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
     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. [2 THESSALONIANS 2:2-4, 2 CORINTHIANS. 4:4]
     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. (ISAIAH 11:15)
     14. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (ISAIAH 59:17-19)
     15. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (ISAIAH 52:7, 61:10)
     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:
     18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
     19. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
     20. For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

     How do we put on the armour of God. As I pondered over this question the Lord gave me this analysis.

1. The Power of the Lord

      First, we must recognize that we have no power by ourselves. We are basically powerless to fight against the devil. However, because we are saved, we have God's power on our side. He is all powerful. He is the creator of the devil and he controls the devil as he desires. The only way to war effectively against the devil is to acknowledge that we have no power in ourself and trust totally in the power of the Lord, our Saviour. WHEN UNDER ATTACK, REMEMBER TO BE STRONG IN THE POWER OF THE LORD AND NOT LOOK TO YOUR OWN POWER.

2. Loins Girth about with Truth

      When you speak according to the word of God you are girting about your loins with truth. When you make up your mind that you will tell no lies but say the truth, you have girth about your loins with truth. Now, the devil will not be able to attack you through lies that you may have spoken. He won't be able to attack your character. When he calls you into question by placing thoughts in your mind, you will be able to stand you ground because you know that to the best of your ability, you are living in truth.

3. Breastplate of Righteousness

     Our righteousness is through Jesus Christ (ROMANS 10:4). However, God requires for us to walk upright before him (HEBREWS 12:14). When we begin to live a life of holiness, then we have put on the breastplate of righteousness. If you are living upright, satan will not be able to accuse you as he attacks you (JOB, Chapters 1-3). Without living upright before God, our power source will be limited (2 TIMOTHY 2:20-26)

4. Feet Shod (Gospel of Peace)

     Without the word of God, we will not be able to minister effectively (ROMANS 10:9-17). Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Also, we have a straight and narrow path that we must walk up to enter heaven (ST MATTHEW 7:13-14). By letting the word of God guide our feet, we will be able to stay on the straight and narrow path. Our life will now become an effective part of our ministry, allowing others to see the effect of God's changing power on a human life.

     I believe that this is the most important part of our armour: the shield of faith. Notice in the scripture that the word says "ABOVE ALL" when it speaks in reference to the shield of faith. A shield will prevent the enemy from getting close to you. Imagine yourself on a battle field: how large would you want your shield to be? I don't know about you, but if they were firing an automatic machine gun, I would want a shield completely around me. Thanks be to God, your shield of faith can be that big. Not only can it surround you, but you can also put your family inside of it. Pastors can even extend it around their church.

     Let me share this testimony with you. When the Lord first started me to studying on spiritual warfare, many of the members God had called me to shepherd came under severe attacks from satan. We would pray and I would anoint them and their houses, but after a momentary period of rest, the attacks would continue. One night in bible study, Charlotte said that your shield will only be as big as your faith allows it to be. The Lord took that thought and expanded it in my mind and this lesson on protection grew out of it. I told one individual who had seen a demonic manifestation to walk in faith and put a shield around herself. She did and the attacks ceased. Everyone that I told to walk in faith found that their attacks ceased. The devil walks around as a roaring lion making a lot of noise (1 PETER 5:8). Many times we forget that Jesus pulled all his teeth and de-clawed him so that he isn't able to bite us. In simple terms, you may experience a dream, see a demonic manifestations, see turmoil enter your life, but if you will just stand by faith, he (it) must leave.

     PRACTICAL APPLICATION: A prayer to God for protection in a given area activates your shield of faith in that area. You have prayed and God has promised to hear your prayer. If you see something that would cause you to question God or if it seems that your prayer had no effect, that is the time to hold up your shield of faith. Simply look at the situation and remind it that you have already prayed and that God will not allow you to be attacked again in this area. Stand your ground in your mind. As you stand in faith, believing, you will find that the attack will cease almost as immediately as it began. YOUR SHIELD WAS ALWAYS THERE. Satan tries to scare you into thinking that it isn't there and that your prayer didn't have any effect. Through actions and ideas, he throwing his fiery darts at you. But, your pray did have effect. He's just trying to get you to move from faith into fear. Don't allow yourself to be moved once you have prayed. No matter what you see, stand in faith. YOUR FAITH SHIELD WILL QUENCH EVERY DART.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:
     7. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

6. Helmet of Salvation

     We must be saved for us to have any protection at all. Notice that the helmet goes on our head. As we know, the head is the most vital part of our body. A few people have lost the use of all of their body parts and functions with the exception of their heads and lungs, and they are still alive. In other words, the head is the most important organ on your body. It is from here that the rest of your body receives its command. It is also the place from which you make the decision of whether or not to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life. Just as it is in the natural, the same principles operate in the spiritual realm. You can lose a lot of protection and win with God, but you can never let go of your salvation and still win with God. Remember that the Lord says, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (ST MATTHEW 24:13)."

7. Sword of the Spirit

      The only weapon that God gave you is the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Remember how Jesus fought back when the devil tempted him after being in the wilderness for forty days and nights. Jesus quoted the word of God (ST MATTHEW 4:1-11).

HEBREWS 4:
     12. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

     This is also where the theme of our ministry comes from. The Word of God will change you if you will just read it, study it and then follow it. The only way that we can get the devil off our back is to stand by faith on the word of God. Remember, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (ROMANS 10:17).

8. Watch and Pray

      If we don't pray, we lose our strength to fight for Jesus. When satan was trying to sift the disciples as wheat, Jesus prayed for them (ST LUKE 22:31).

ST LUKE 22:
     31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
     32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

ST MATTHEW 17:
     19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? (the demon from a man's lunatick son)
     20. And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
     21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:
     17. Pray without ceasing.

     Prayer, along with fasting is our most effective preparation to wage warfare against the devil.

B. Guard Your Senses

2 PETER 2:
      7. And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation (living) of the wicked:
      8. (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

ISAIAH 33:
     14. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
     15. He that walketh righteously [DO NO EVIL], and speaketh uprightly [SPEAK NO EVIL], he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood [HEAR NO EVIL], and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil [SEE NO EVIL];
     16. He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

     Many times we allow our own selves to be vexed by the many things that we see and hear. We are creating our own hindrances to slow us down from running this christian race (HEBREWS 12:1-2).

     Webster define the word vex this way: ²VEX 1 a: to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to b: to bring physical distress to c: to irritate or annoy by petty provocations: HARASS.

     By looking at evil things, we are vexing our soul.

     Many times, our nightmares are breed from the movies that we see or the books that we read. Our lustful desires are feed by the things that we feed into our mind through our sight.

     If we remove ourselves from many of these things, we will find it easier to rebuke satan's attacks.

     We should also guard against the other subtle attacks of satan. Some key words to watch for are physic, mystic, subliminal messages, supernatural, and phenomenon when used to describe a service or item. Today, you can see many television and newspaper advertisements for books and tapes in this area. Almost all of these items are linked to satan in one way or another.

     While we are in this arena, let's talk about music. Let me share this experience first. One night during choir rehearsal, the Spirit of God really moved upon the members of the choir as we sang praises to God. I was playing the piano, and I could feel God's anointing upon me. After we closed, I decided to play a chorus of The Greatest Love of All, a song made famous by Whitney Houston. As I started to play, God's anointing left me and I felt a cold, evil spirit descending on me. It was real and very dramatic. I immediately stopped playing that song and started playing praises to God again. I felt the evil spirit leave and the presence of God beginning to return.

     Music is a powerful tool. It creates moods and invites spirits to come upon us. Satan has used this tool well to control people. Look at the number of people that flock to concerts. Look at how few people come to church. Everyone has their own music idol (interesting word that we use in referring to our celebrities). When we allow worldly music to remain in our lives, it hinders our christian walk. For example, what thoughts race through your mind as you listen to classics like, Me and Mrs Jones or If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right. Also, can you remember how those songs made you feel. What type of attitude did they create in you as you listened to them?

1 SAMUEL 16:
     13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
     14. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
     15. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
     16. Let our Lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
     18. Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen as son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.
     23. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

      When we play music while God's anointing is upon us, it drives off the evil spirits. Imagine how peaceful your house would be if you were to play praise music directed at God instead of wordly music. Many times we just turn on the radio not realizing what kind of atmosphere we are creating. I have found that one of the easiest ways to get my family motivated is to put on praise music when I get up on Saturday mornings. Even the children start acting peacefully and everyone gets into a good mood. The anointed music of God drives off the evil spirits. See, God inhabits his praises.

PSALMS 22:
     3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

C. Resist the Devil

JAMES 4:
     7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
     8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
     9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. [FASTING] (ISAIAH 58)
     10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
     11. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, that art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
     12. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

1 PETER 5:
     6. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
     7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
     8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
     9. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
     10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

     These scriptures speak very plainly to us. We need to humble ourselves, submit ourselves unto God, and God will lift us up. It is our duty to stand steadfast and resist the devil. As we act in obedience to God's word, the devil will flee from us.

D. Scriptures of Comfort

      The following is a list of scriptures that you read for comfort during times of distress. The hearing of God's word will build faith in you, and you will be able to resist the devil so that he will flee from you.

ROMANS 10:
     17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

     a. PSALMS 91
     b. PSALMS 23
     c. PSALMS 46
     d. PSALMS 27
     e. PSALMS 34

     Here are some other scriptures of comfort:

ISAIAH 26:
     3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
     4. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

PSALM 125:
     1. They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

PSALMS 34:
     4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
     15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
     17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
     19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
     20. He keepeth all his bones: not one of the is broken.

PSALMS 91:
     1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
     2. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in him will I trust.
     3. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

ROMANS 8:
     35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
     36. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
     37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
     38. FOR I AM PERSUADED, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
     39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

E. Speak the Word out Loud

      The Word of God is also our Sword (HEBREWS 4:12, EPHESIANS 6:17). When you are under attack from the devil, just pick up the word of God and begin reading it out loud. This accomplishes two things:

     1. It builds your faith (ROMANS 10:17). As you read God's word out loud, your faith will be built as you listen to it. It is almost impossible for a true child of God to read phrases like "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want" and it not have any effect on them. If you really believe, it will remind you of God's care for you and strengthen.

     2. It cuts into satan and drives him away (ST MATTHEW 4:1-11). Jesus used the word of God to defeat satan and drive him away.

REMEMBER: THE WORD OF GOD IS YOUR ONLY WEAPON. USE IT!!!!!!

F. Ministering Angels are there to Preserve Us

     God does not leave us to fight alone. Many times he sends angels to aid us in our battles as indicated in the following scriptures:

PSALMS 34:
     7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

JOSHUA 5:
     13. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
     14. And he said, Nay; but as captain of the Host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?
     15. And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

2 KINGS 6:
     17. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

HEBREWS 1:
     13. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
     14. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

REVELATIONS 5:
     11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

     REMEMBER, YOU ARE NOT FIGHTING ALONE. The Lord has dispatched angels to protect you. You cannot command the angels, that is God's position. However, you can pray to God and ask him to send his angels to protect you and stand guard around you and your family. You can ask him to let the angels watch over you as you sleep and keep your mind stayed on him. These scriptures should give you great encouragement. God is in this battle with you and he has a fighting force to fight for you. We are the heirs of salvation and he causes them to minister to us. Remember how they ministered to Jesus.

ST MATTHEW 4:
     11. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

ST MATTHEW 28:20 / PHILIPPIANS 4:1-19 / ST MARK 16:16-19 / ST LUKE 10:19-20

G. God will Help Hold You Up

ISAIAH 59:
     19. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

ST MATTHEW 28:
     18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
     19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
     20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

     You are not in this battle alone. God had promised never to leave you nor forsake you. He tells us that he will be with us always, even unto the end of the world. Notice also that all power has been given into Jesus' hand. This means that he has the power to do whatever needs to be done in our lives. God has even given us of his Spirit. When the enemies that we face rush in upon us to overcome us, God's Spirit will lift up a standard in us against them. In other words, no matter how strong our trials are, God will give us even more inner strength to endure with. He will never put more on us than we are able to bear (1 CORINTHIANS 10:13).

XI. Ministering in Power

1 CORINTHIANS 2:
     4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
     5. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

     God is a true and powerful God. Most people treat him like he is a fairy tale that they have somehow learned to trust. This is why our children and many other people are drawn to satanism. They, as the African evangelist, can see the real power that satan has displayed and promised to give to them. You will probably find that many of these people became disenchanted with the church because the people in the church never allowed God to move in his true magnificence and power. Many times they did this because they were afraid of his power. They have somehow reached the attitude that anything supernatural is of the devil. This is hard to believe considering the many supernatural biblical events that they spend so much time reading and preaching about.

     See, God is real and powerful. He wants to show himself strong on the behalf of christians. This will only happen if we let Him.

     Paul says that he was not concerned with preaching and teaching with flattering words and nice sounds. However, this is what we seem to desire today. Paul determined that he would minister in demonstration of the Spirit and of power so that their faith would stand in the power of God.

     Maybe this is part of the answer to our crisis today. We need to preach so that men's faith will not stand in our words, but in the power of God.

XII. What Will You Do

      Satan is on the move. Let me site one example. When I was on Temporay Duty for the Air Force to Blytheville, Arkansas during January of 1990, the television station ran a news article about a witch that was murdered by another witch in a small town about 20 miles from where I was. They took the television cameras into the house and showed a picture of satan's face that had been painted on the wall. It appeared to be about 5 foot tall and 4 foot wide. Most of the walls had been painted black in the house. When they asked the lady why she killed her friend, she told them that she did it to gain her powers. She told them how she had moved from Memphis, Tennessee to this small town to be with her friend. Her friend just happened to be the most powerful witch in the area. In order for her to ascend to that position, she had to kill her friend so that she could receive her powers. The police said that they wanted the public to know what was going on because the incidence of satanic crimes in the community has gotten to numerous to continue ignoring.

     Most people seem to turn their head and ignore the attack that satan is leading against them. But, if the bible is true [AND WE KNOW IT IS], then we are at war with principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places.

     Our best protection is to be sincere in our love and devotion to the Lord and to become knowledgeable of the word of God.

ST JOHN 4:
     23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
     24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

     I spent many hours during the last months fighting spiritually for others. However, the victory was not won until each person started fighting for themselves. They had to personally fight for the rights and privileges that God had given them.

IF YOU ARE TO WIN YOUR OWN BATTLE YOU MUST:

     1. TRULY ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOUR AND LOVE AND TRUST HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE THIS.

     2. BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE WORD OF GOD THRU A CONSTANT DIET OF DAILY READING ALONG WITH PRAYERFUL PERSONAL STUDY AND REGULAR ATTENDANCE IN A BIBLE STUDY.

     3. FILL YOUR LIFE WITH PRAYER, PRAISE AND WORSHIP DIRECTED AT GOD (PSALMS 34:1).

     4. MAKE A DECISION TO STAND AND FIGHT FOR YOURSELF AND NOT ALLOW SATAN TO TERRORIZE YOU (EPHESIANS 6:13).

XIII. Other Reading Materials

     I must warn you that these books and magazines that I am recommending are very graphic. However, I recommend them because we must gain a knowledge of satan if we are going to protect our children and strengthen our own faith in God. I'M TRUSTING YOU TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE A STRONG FOUNDATION IN GOD BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TO READ THESE BOOK. Pray and let the Lord lead you.

     Recommended Reading:

Turmoil in the Toy Box. Phil Phillips. 1986 by Starburst Publisher Inc. P.O. Box 4123, Lancaster, PA 17604

Halloween and Satanism. Phil Phillips and Joan Hake Robie. 1986: Starburst Publishers Inc., P.O. Box 4123, Lancaster, PA 17604

Satanism in America, What They Do not Want You to Know. This is a magazine that can be ordered for $ 4.00 from the following address:
Michael Paul & Associates, P.O. Box 151, Crockett, Texas 75835, (409) 544-5400

I highly recommend everyone getting a copy of this magazine. It will give you a more detailed listing of the occult symbols I am listing below. Also, it will give you a needed insight into the tactics and tools of satanism without getting to involved. This book is endorsed by sheriff and police departments from around Texas. It will also give you a more complete definition listing for terms used in satanism.

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