We must always remember who we are fighting:
Ephesians 6:12 “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.”
We must also understand our enemy, and the tactics they use to attack us, so we can be on guard against their attacks. We should never fear them, but we also cannot not ignore them.
2 Corinthians 2:11 to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
Tactics
Kill, Steal, Destroy: They want to take every single thing they can from us and leave us utterly destroyed.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Attacks the Mind: If they can capture the territory of your mind, your thoughts, and the way you operate, they will soon have you in bondage. Be very careful of what thoughts you entertain and allow to grow.
Subtle/Cunning: They come in the disguise of innocence, a little of this or a little of that. They sneak a little sin in here and there, and before you know it you are in bondage. If we give them an inch they will take a mile.
Lurking: They are always looking for a way to get into our lives. Demons are all around us and they are constantly trying to find a place of weakness. They watch our habits and reactions to find a way to trip us up. They hide in the dark places ready to jump out and trip us up.
Distorts the Word of God: They will alway try to bring misunderstandings to the meaning of God’s Word. They can try to use the Word to bring condemnation, doubt, and anger. They will even try to blind us to the truth of God’s Word and the truth other Christians try to share with us. They try to twist the Word of God and conversations with others to bring division and cause confusion and doubt. Satan even tried to distort the meaning of the Word to Jesus when He was in the wilderness. Matthew 4: 1-11.
Temptation: They will throw every kind of temptation our way to try to trip us up.
Accusing Us: The enemy is always accusing us. He is before God telling Him how bad we are day and night, and demons are doing the same thing to us. They whisper all sorts of negative things to us about ourselves. I think this is where much of the negative “self-talk” comes from. Revelation 12:10.
Makes Trades: They say, “You give me that, and I will give you this.” Satan tried to do that with Jesus. He told Him, “I will give you the world if you bow down to me.” Demons do the same with us. They are constantly trying to make trades in order to trap us. Matthew 4:1–11; Ezekiel 28:15–19
Hides in the Dark Places: They love to give nightmares and they also loves to stay hidden in the dark. They are often so hidden that they sit on the front pews of many churches, and sometimes even behind the pulpit, and yet we have no idea they are even there. We are shocked when the members are caught up in all kinds of sin and the pastor falls, but it is because we don’t even recognize when the enemy waltzes through the front door.
Lies: The lie usually starts out as a whisper in our ear. We often mistake it for our own thoughts. They whispers a lie to us, we dwell on the lie, we start believing the lie, we speak the lie, and then bondages are created. Some of the lies include things such as, “God doesn’t love you; you will be just like so and so; you will never change; you will never be good enough; and no one loves you.” At times they mix in a little bit of truth with their lies to make them more appealing and the lie harder to detect. Remember, Satan is called the father of lies for a reason and his demons are just like him.
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Condemnation Disguised as Conviction: Condemnation will always run us away from God, and conviction will run us toward Him.
Brings up Our Past: This could include: regret, trauma, anger, bitterness, or even longing for the “good old days.”
Genesis 19:26: But Lot’s wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she became a pillar of salt.
Creates Chaos: They create chaos in us or in our environment. They try to constantly get us to go from one crisis to the next. They will try to wear us out to keep us exhausted and distracted so it is harder to fight them.
2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
What Ifs: This goes along with fear but is a little different. You can get caught up in a fantasy world because you are always playing out life in your head. You get stuck in your head and cannot get out to move forward in life because you are always worried about what might happen.
Entertainment/Décor/Jewelry: They are really sneaky in this area. Many times, we do not even notice how they are creeping in through the shows we watch, the books we read, the games we play, or the music we listen to. Be very selective on the things you allow in your home and make sure you know everything your kids are viewing, hearing, and reading. Cartoons with magic can be really cute, but they are also very dangerous. I have personally cast demons out of children who came in from watching shows and reading books with magic in them. It isn’t a game, and it can lead to destruction. No matter how innocent it seems, the enemy does not look at it that way. They do not care what significance you place on something; they only care if it grants them legal access to your life.
Deceives: This is why you have to be so careful of who and what teaching you listen to and the ministries you follow. Many ministries are full of deception. Whether they know it or not they have allowed seducing spirits to direct their teaching and actions.
1 Timothy 4:1 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons,
Revelation 12:9, And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Sends False Teachings and Prophetic Messages: The enemy counterfeits the things of God. We must walk in discernment so we do not fall prey to false doctrines, ministers, or ministries. Something can look, and even feel, right, but once we start testing it to see if it lines up with the Word of God it can fall short. I want to give you a few tips on how to test the ministry/prophecy/minister to make sure it is lining up with the Word of God. If someone gives you a word/message they say is from God, do not automatically claim it as your own. First, see if it lines up with the Word of God and His character as shown in the Bible. If it doesn’t, disregard it and verbally break agreement with it. If it seems to line up with the Word of God, ask yourself if the word is confirming what God has been speaking to you or what others have spoken over your life. If it does, thank the Lord for more confirmation. If it is totally different than anything you have heard before or that God has been telling you, ask God to confirm to you if it is from Him or not. Also, recognize/discern how it sits with the spirit in you. If it does not sit well, file it away and continue praying about it. Just because someone calls themselves a prophet does not mean that everything they speak is coming from God. When someone gives a prophetic word, it has three possible sources: God, demons, and/or self. A word can be from a single source or a mixture of the three. Oftentimes, the person speaking false words does not even know they are operating in self and/or under demonic influence.
The way in which we test prophetic words is the same way we do with ministries, doctrines, signs, and wonders. Some questions we should ask ourselves are: do they line up with the Word of God? Do they glorify God, self, or man? Does it simply make me feel good or does it draw me closer to God? Do I walk away wanting to live a better, closer life with the Lord? Am I drawn to a higher standard of living, or do they cause me to justify my sin? Also, a word of caution, just because something “looks” like the Holy Spirit does not make it the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament when Moses went before Pharaoh and was performing many signs and wonders, Pharaoh had his magicians doing the same things. We cannot judge something as a move of God simply based on how it looks. We must go deeper and verify that it is in fact the Holy Spirit. Exodus 7:21–22.
1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source]; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus [acknowledging that He has come in the flesh, but would deny any of the Son’s true nature] is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world. Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind]. They [who teach twisted doctrine] are of the world and belong to it; therefore, they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories—demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible one of the] world listens closely and pays attention to them. We [who teach God’s word] are from God [energized by the Holy Spirit], and whoever knows God [through personal experience] listens to us [and has a deeper understanding of Him]. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know [without any doubt] the spirit of truth [motivated by God] and the spirit of error [motivated by Satan].
False Signs and Miracles: Just because a ministry or a person performs a sign or miracle, it does not guarantee they are from God. We must test the spirits and make sure they are actually from God. A few quick ways to do this are: ask yourself does the sign or wonder contradict the Word of God? If so, it is not from God. God does not contradict His Word. Signs and wonders should lead people to repentance and to the Lord. If it only brings glory to the person, there are major issues. Everything done should always point back to Jesus, lead others to Him, and create an atmosphere where the lost find their salvation.
Revelation 16:14 for they are [actually] the spirits of demons, performing [miraculous] signs. And they go out to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
Twist: They love to twist everything, including the Word of God, our words, and the words of others. They do this to bring division and confusion.
Genesis 2:16–17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden; but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly die [because of your disobedience].”
Genesis 3:1–5 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘You shall not eat from it nor touch it, otherwise you will die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened [that is, you will have greater awareness], and you will be like God, knowing [the difference between] good and evil.
Distractions: We can get distracted by lack of time, our career/job, family, hobbies, and even things of the Lord. As soon as we pick up our Bible a million things that need to get done start running through our heads. We can also get so busy with ministry and things of the Lord that we neglect our personal relationship with Him. Doing things for Him is great and is needed, but it cannot take the place of our personal relationship with Him. Luke 10:38–42.
Manipulation: The enemy loves to dominate, manipulate, and control.
Steals the Word of God: This could come in the form of forgetting what you read, getting tired every time you try to study the Word, and not being able to understand the meaning of what you are reading.
Fear: Fear can come in many forms, but the goal is the same—to paralyze you and stop you from moving forward.
Regret: The enemy will also try to get you so stuck in your past that you never move forward into your future. Regret and the “what ifs” of life are two ways they will try to keep you trapped.
Physical Illness and/or Mental Illness: These are not always demonic in nature, but many, many times they are.
Attacks Our Identity: The enemy wants to confuse, blind, and steal who God has called us to be. When we begin to walk in the identity given to us by God, the next step is walking in His authority and His kingdom purpose. Those are the things the demons want to keep us from more than anything else.
Addictions: Demons love to use addictions to get us stuck and in bondage.
Bad Relationships: Many times demons will bring people into our life that are not sent to us by God. They relationships are often toxic and full of torment, or they are used to pull us away from God.
Lust: They create temptations, created sexualized dreams and at times send inappropriate relationships into our lives.
Critical Attitude/Words, Word Vows/Curses: There is a lot of power in our words and confessions. Make sure you are not believing or agreeing with any type of lie that is spoken over your life. Also, make sure to adjust how you speak about others and how you feel about them, as well as about yourself. Speak life and not death, victory and not defeat. It is important to consider every word that comes out of your mouth.
Matthew 12:36–37 But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak. For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.
I hope this post has been helpful! Look for Part 6 coming soon!! I will be discussing how to fight the attacks of the enemy.
Blessings,
Nichole Henson, Fullness of Joy Ministry
Fullness Of Joy Ministry 
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