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Spiritual Ultimate Fighting The Enemy’s Army
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. The first is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” - C. S. Lewis - The Enemy’s Army
Angels • The Angelic Rebellion • Scriptural Accounts of Demons • Influence of Demons • Modern Day Accounts • Recognizing Demonic Attacks • Overcoming Demonic Attacks
Angels are Created Beings "He - Christ - is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him."(Colossians 1:15-16) - The Enemy’s Army
Angels Preceded the Earth “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? “On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7) - The Enemy’s Army
Angels are Powerful "Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead."(2 Kings 19:35) “Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord."(2 Peter 2:10-11) - The Enemy’s Army
Angels are Active John Payton, a missionary to the New Hebrides, says that one night wild natives surrounded his house, frantically dancing and jumping up and down in the jungle, desiring to kill John and his wife. They got on their knees realizing there was no way they could protect themselves and they prayed. Soon after that the attackers all vanished into the jungle. A year later the chief of the tribe became a Christian, and John asked why they left him that night The chief said, "Well, because of all those men you had with you, we left.” The chief said that they had seen men standing guard, hundreds of big men in shining clothes, with swords in their hands, totally circling his home. - The Enemy’s Army
Angelic Rebellion "Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child." (Revelation 12:3-4) - The Enemy’s Army
Fallen Angelic Hierarchy "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 forcesof wickedness in the heavenly places."(Ephesians 6:12) "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,"(Romans 8:38; cf. Daniel 10) - The Enemy’s Army
"Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose…The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them…Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:1-5) "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;" (2 Peter 2:4) - The Enemy’s Army
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you."(1 Samuel 16:13-15) "Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing the harp with his hand, as usual; and a spear was in Saul’s hand."(1 Samuel 18:10) - The Enemy’s Army
"Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. “The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. “Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ “The Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’ “Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.”(1 Kings 22:19-23) - The Enemy’s Army
"Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.“ … “But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come." (Daniel 10:12-13, 20) - The Enemy’s Army
"And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned." (Luke 8:30-33) - The Enemy’s Army
"It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment." (Acts 16:16-18) - The Enemy’s Army
"But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified."(Acts 19:13-17) - The Enemy’s Army
Demons & False gods "What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons."(1 Corinthians 10:19-21) Baal - The Enemy’s Army
Who’s Being Worshiped? "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;"(Revelation 9:20) Hindu deity Ganesha - The Enemy’s Army
Daimonizomai “Demonized”; to be under the power of a demon; be possessed by a hostile spirit. Do you believe a Christian can be demonized? - The Enemy’s Army
“Many people appear to have their lives in order. But in reality, they have not trusted Christ as Savior and Lord. Their souls are “unoccupied” - that is, the Holy Spirit does not indwell them. Thus they are open to demonic invasion. That cannot be true of those whose bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.” - Dr. John MacArthur, How to Meet the Enemy - The Enemy’s Army
“Satan … can never be on the throne of God nor can he ever come inside the body of being of one who has been born again and whose body has become the temple of the Holy Spirit. There may be attacks upon the Christian by the enemy, but the Christian may not be possessed.” - Dr. Donald Barnhouse, The Invisible War - The Enemy’s Army
“It is my conviction that no believer can be possessed by an evil spirit in the same sense that an unbeliever can. A believer may be afflicted or even controlled in certain areas of his being, but he can never be owned or totally controlled as an unbeliever can.” - Dr. Mark Bubeck, The Adversary - The Enemy’s Army
“Can a believer be possessed? … the idea that a believer can’t be touched by the devil is not what Scripture teaches…Personally, I don’t believe a Christian can actually be possessed by a demon. But there may be levels of influence and control that can simulate those symptoms." - Chip Ingram, The Invisible War - The Enemy’s Army
“For a number of years I questioned this, but I am now convinced it can occur…I have personally worked with troubled, anguished Christians for many years. On a few occasions I have assisted in the painful process of relieving them of demons.” - Dr. Chuck Swindoll, Demonism - The Enemy’s Army
“In Biblical Demonology, this author stated: ‘To demon possession, only unbelievers are exposed.’ This statement was inferred, since Scripture does not clearly settle the question. Since the first publication … the author has received many letters from missionaries all over the world who question the theory that true believers cannot become demon-possessed. They claim to have witnessed cases of repossession among converts from ancient idolatrous people … The claims of these missionaries appear valid” - Dr. Merril Unger, Demons in the World Today - The Enemy’s Army
Levels of Demonization Opposition Influence Oppression Obsession Control Possession Death From external to internal From hidden to open attacks Increasing control Increasing severity - Michael Pocock, Dallas Seminary - The Enemy’s Army
“Doorways” to Trouble • Open Invitation • Careless Encounter • Persistent Sin • Open Rebellion • Supernatural Seeking "Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.“ (Ephesians 4:26-27) - The Enemy’s Army
Signs of Activity • Blasphemous thoughts about God • A revulsion against sacred things (e.g. Bible) • Compulsive suicidal or murderous thoughts • Deep feelings of hatred toward others for no reason • Compulsive, driving temptations and ‘voices’ which urge a person to do things they don’t want to do • Experiences of great fear and/or presence of evil • Terrifying feelings of guilt/worthlessness • Recurrent dreams/nightmares that are horrifying and /or clairvoyant • Surges of violent rage and uncontrollable anger • Griping feelings of doubt/fear about God and salvation • Unexplained sicknesses (medical help does not work) • Marked split personality • Counterfeit spiritual manifestations and experiences • Demonstration of capabilities beyond a person’s ability - The Enemy’s Army
The Main Battleground “The spiritual battle, the loss of victory, is always in the thought-world.” - Dr. Francis Schaeffer "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."(Romans 12:2) - The Enemy’s Army
Understand Christ’s Position "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."(Colossians 2:15) "which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."(Ephesians 1:20-21) - The Enemy’s Army
Understand Your Position "which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."(Ephesians 1:20-21) "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"(Ephesians 2:4-6) - The Enemy’s Army
Understand Your Protection "Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You."(Psalm 119:11) "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 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."(Ephesians 6:11-12) - The Enemy’s Army
Understand Your Power "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."(1 John 4:4) “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."(1 John 3:8) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you."(Luke 10:19) - The Enemy’s Army
Conclusions Be Informed Be Obsessed with God not Demons “The scriptural way to see things is to set the Lord always before us, put Christ in the center of our vision, and if Satan is lurking around he will appear on the margin only and be seen as but a shadow on the edge of the brightness. It is always wrong to reverse this – to set Satan in the focus of our vision and push God out to the margin. Nothing but tragedy can come of such inversion … The best way to keep the enemy out is to keep Christ in … It is not the praying sheep Satan fears, but the presence of the shepherd” – A. W. Tozer - The Enemy’s Army
Spiritual Ultimate Fighting The Enemy’s Army