Before we move into the weapons of warfare we must first talk about the tactics of the enemy and learning to recognize them. 2 Corinthians 2:11 “to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”
This is a list of some of the tactics (it is not a full list).
Attacks the Mind: The first place the enemy attacks is the mind. If he can capture the territory of our mind, our thoughts, and the way we operate, he will soon have us in bondage. We often become exactly what we think. Proverbs 23:7
Subtle/cunning: He sneaks a little sin in here and there. He usually does not approach us full force, but just a little bit at a time. He tries to break us down to the point of just allowing in a little sin at a time and before we know it we are in bondage. 2 Corinthians 11:3
Always on the Prowl: He is constantly looking for a way to get into our lives. He watches us to see our areas of weakness and temptation and then he uses those against us. 1 Peter 5:8
Distorts/Twist the Word of God: He says things like, “Surely that isn’t really what God means.” If we fall for this scheme before we know it we may not know what we believe anymore and we can end up accepting a lie for the truth. His goal is to confuse us to the point we are not even following the Bible anymore and we are not able to share the truth with others. He loves for us to share false doctrine that is laced with deception. He promotes those false messages, but he fights against truth that comes from the Word of God. Genesis 3
Put Things in Our way to Trip Us Up/Temptation: He is very strategic, and he creates events with the hopes of getting us into sin that leads to bondage. We have three plans over our lives: God’s, ours and the enemies. We have to make sure we submit our will to God, walk in His plan and keep our eyes open to the plans of the enemy. Matthew 26:41
Blinds Us to The Truth: He will do his best to use all of the tactics at his disposal to get us distracted and blinded to the truth of who God is, who we are in God, how the Word of God says to live, our Authority in Jesus, and that fact that we have an enemy that hates us. He will do anything to keep us from these truths. God’s truth is a very effective weapon, and the enemy knows it so he fights it as hard as he can. He always tries to steal the Word of God from us. John 12: 39-40
Accusing Us: He is always all to ready to tell us how awful we are, how we have messed up too much for God to love or forgive us, that we are worthless and even falsely accuse us of things we have not even done. He will try to bring condemnation that drives us further away from God. The difference between condemnation and conviction is conviction draws us to God and condemnation makes us run from Him. He is always telling God how bad we are and pointing out our faults. Revelations 12:10
False Prophetic Words/False Teaching/False Signs and Wonders: The enemy counterfeits the things of God and often tries to masquerade as the Holy Spirit. We must be very careful to make sure the prophetic words we accept are actually from God, the teaching we listen to lines up with the Word of God, and the signs/wonders/miracles are being done by the Holy Spirit. We must also make sure we are personally being led by the Holy Spirit and not the enemy pretending to be Him. If you hear a voice of feel prompted to do something that goes against the Word of God, it is not the Holy Spirit. Everything He says and does will line up with the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 11:14; Matthew 24:24; 2 Timothy 4: 3-4; Acts 20: 28-30; 1 John 4:1-6.
Manipulate/Dominate/Control: He will use people and situations to attempt to manipulate, dominate and control us.
Makes trades: He says you give me this, and I will give you that. He never shows us the cost of the trade until after we make it. Matthew 4:9-10
Deceives/Lies: He is a liar and deceiver. That is who he is and what he does. John 8:44
Compulsions: He will try to put things in our minds that we feel like we cannot control. He will try to compel us to sin and also use compulsions to make us feel like we are losing control of our minds.
Hides in Dark Places: He loves to cause nightmares that torture us in our sleep.
Fear: There are tons and tons of fears that he is at the root of. Fear of the dark, fear of death, fear of losing our salvation, fear of loss, etc. 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18
Physical Illness/Mental Illness: Not all physical or mental illness is from him, but a lot of times I do believe he is the culprit. If there is any type of illness it should be explored to see if he is the root cause. Matthew 4:24
Brings up Our Past: He tries to get us stuck in the what ifs of our life. What if we had of done this or said that? We can get stuck in the past and not be able to move forward. Looking back can come in the form of regret or nostalgia.
Creates Chaos: He uses chaos to create distorted thought patterns and distract us from the things of God. He loves to get us in the patter of going from one crisis to the next.
The next thing I want to talk about is finding out if the attacks are coming from the outside or inside. Knowing the answer to that question will help in knowing how to move forward and defeat the enemy.
Inward: This would be when the enemy has legal rights to our lives which allows him to torment us: We overcome this type of battle through deliverance (having the legal rights removed and the demons cast out) and then we maintain our freedom with the weapons of warfare.
Outward: This is when the enemy does not have legal rights to our lives or our homes. He comes and tries to torment us, and we must use the weapons of warfare to send him packing.
Weapons of Warfare
Always Remember Who We Fight
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.”
Praise and Worship
It will make the enemy run every time. It is powerful, especially when you do not feel like it. Start verbalizing what all God has done for you. Two things will happen, the enemy will run, and the presence of God will flood the room. God inhabits the praises of His people. When you are in a massive battle, play it in the background while you sleep.
Word of God
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Speak the word of God out loud. Put yourself in the scriptures and declare them over your life and the lives of your family.
You can also use the Word when you pray: “Lord Your Word says….”
Use the Word against the enemy: “Listen devil, the Word of God says resist the devil and he will flee. I am putting you on notice that I am resisting you and you WILL flee. The Word of God is truth, it does not fail so you will obey His Words.”
Spoken Words
Your words are a major weapon against the enemy. Our words are powerful:
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”
Get militant in your words against the enemy. Make sure you are speaking life and not death, victory and not defeat.
The Name of Jesus
Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name, which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus gave us authority to act in His name. Luke 10:19 “Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.”
Mark 16:17-18 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
The Blood of Jesus
Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death.”
Our Faith
1 John 5:4 “For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God].”
Our Testimony
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.”
Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death.”
Many times, God will use, what the enemy tried to destroy you with, as a powerful testimony to help others who are going through the same type of battles.
Binding and Rebuking
Matthew 12:29 “Or how can anyone go into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man? Then he will ransack and rob his house.”
Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”
Pray without Ceasing
Lean into God and do not allow the enemy to drive a wedge between you and God. Spend time with Him just setting at His feet and growing in Him. Allow the times of battles to draw you closer to Him and not drive you away from Him. Pray violently and pray with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Passive prayers are not effective against the enemy. Ask God for strength and specific strategies against the enemy and ask Him to send His warring angels for help. Pray for a hedge of protection around your family, home and self. Anoint your home with oil and out the enemy on notice that your home is off limits.
Right Living with Jesus
If we want to walk in the authority, given to us by Jesus, we must be in right standing with Him. We must live submitted lives to Him and have a real relationship with Him. We cannot access His authority if we are not in a relationship with Him.
Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs] but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”
Operate in Discernment
Use discernment and if you do not have it ask for it. Something can look good and sound good, but actually be from the enemy. He counterfeits everything God does so we must be very careful that we are operating with the Holy Spirit and that those around us are also operating with the Holy Spirit and not a demon masquerading as the Holy Spirit. Demons can use others (even Christians in the church) to hurt each other. Watch out for false teachers and false prophets. They may not even realize they are being used by the enemy.
Obedience
We must walk in obedience to the Lord if we ever want to defeat the enemy. We believe and live the Word of God daily. We must be humble and submissive to God. Destroy everything and anything in your life that comes between you and God.
Fast
This is so powerful in getting closer to God and defeating the enemy.
Armor of God
We probably all know this scripture, but have we really considered why we are told to put on armor. Armor is for battle; it isn’t for sitting on the sidelines.
Ephesians 6:13-18 “Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. So, stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.”
Thoughts/The Battle in the Mind
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ”
A thought is planted, we start dwelling on the thought, we start speaking the thought and then we end up in bondage. To counter that we must stop the thoughts as soon as they start. Jesus used the Word of God against the enemy, and we must do the same thing. Matthew 4
Negative self-talk is often the enemy speaking to you so whatever the enemy whispers, say the exact opposite: “You are a failure: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You are going to die: I will live and declare the glorious works of God. Your prayers will never be answered: I will keep on asking, seeking, and knocking”
Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.”
We must make sure everything we allow to occupy our minds fits in the scripture below:
Philippians 4:8 “For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].” If it does not fit on this list pull it down and do not allow it space in your mind.
Deliverance
If you are doing all the above and the attack and/or pattern is not breaking you may need deliverance.
What is deliverance prayer:
Deliverance is setting people free from the bondage of the enemy (demons). It is removing their legal right and verbally casting them out. Deliverance is not a spiritual gifting or office. We as Christians can all perform deliverance because we all have authority over the enemy through Jesus Christ.
Luke 10:19-20 Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”
Mark 16:17-18 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
Who needs it:
Anyone being tormented by demons. I only do deliverance prayers with Christians because if the person is not a Christian, they will not be able to keep the demons from coming back and they would end up worse off than they were.
So that leads to the next questions I so often hear: how can a Christian have a demon living in them? Many people confuse possession with demonization/oppression. There is a huge difference. Possession means ownership. A Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. Possession means you lose control and cannot stop what is going on in your body. You are owned by the demons and consumed with evil. This would be what can happen when a demon moves into a non-Christian.
Demonization is not ownership. According to 1 Thessalonians we are made up of three parts: spirit, soul and body. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our spirit is the home of the Holy Spirit. When we get saved the Holy Spirit comes in and dwells within our spirit. Our soul/body is our mind, will, emotions, and flesh. This is the area the demons can attach to if we give them an open door and legal right to our lives through personal or generational sin. Below are several scriptures to support the fact that Christians can have demons attached to their lives and have a need for deliverance.
Jesus preached and cast out demons in the synagogues (churches). The church folks were the ones He was casting demons out of.
Mark 1:39 “And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”
Satan entered Judas, who was one of the twelve. He spent days with Jesus walking, talking, and learning from Jesus and yet Satan entered his heart.
Luke 22:3 “And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.”
A little boy was thrown into fire and water by demons trying to destroy him. Demons can even enter children.
Mark 9:21-22 “And He asked His father, “How long has this been happening to him? And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
Peter declared that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias. He was a Christian, but he had a heart issue that allowed a demon to enter.
Acts 5:3 “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of land?’
Paul told the believers in Ephesus: “Neither give place to the devil.” This implies that it is possible for a Christian to give place to the devil or his demons.
Ephesians 4:27 “And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].”
The devil oppresses Christians.
Acts 10: 38 “…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil…”
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed.”
Satan was using Peter to try to create a stumbling block.
Matthew 16:23 “But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man.”
The Holy Spirit does not prevent evil spirts from dwelling in a believer’s body or soul. We can be Spirit-filled believers who memorize the Word of God, sing in the choir, teach Sunday school, serve as deacons, or preach and still be demonized. I did! I have been saved since I was 18 years old. I have loved God since I first gave my heart to Him, I have always prayed, and I have even been used by Him to minister to others numerous times, and yet I lived in bondage to the enemy.
It is not a salvation issue; it is a torment issue. If demons were driven out at the point of salvation, why did Jesus not just always tell the people their sins were forgiven? He did not do that, He verbally cast the demons out. Even when He was healing them, many times, He cast demons out of them. Living with demonic oppression takes a major toll on the body both physically and mentally.
How do I know if I need deliverance:
I want to discuss the difference between demons and the flesh. Many people often think they are to blame for the negativity going on in their minds. I felt this way for years. I could not understand why I could not get “my” thoughts under control. I cried, prayed and repented but “my” thoughts continued to be so dark and negative. It was what many labelled negative self-talk. The only issue with that label is many times it is demons and not our own thoughts at all. If it is a flesh issue/self, we can crucify it. When we are acting out of the flesh we can fast, pray, spend time at the feet of Jesus, and read the Word of God to get it back under control.
Roman 6:6 “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;”
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Galatians 5: 24 “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Maintaining personal discipline is also key in making the flesh submit to the will of God.
Colossians 3:3 “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Ephesians 4:24 “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
If you are having torment issues that you cannot stop you may need deliverance. I am going to list a few symptoms: enticement towards sin, harassment, torture (physical illness or mental illness), compelling and compulsions, enslave, addictions, defile by creating vulgar and horrific thoughts and imaginations, deceive by distorting the truth of God, mental and emotional breakdowns, barrenness, impotency, miscarriages, and female complication because they want to kill, steal, and destroy, patterns of failure, poverty, inability to hear God’s voice or feel His presence, chronic life traumas, chronic or hereditary diseases, history of abuse and trauma, compulsive desire to blaspheme God, His Word, and/or preachers, hostility or fear of people in ministry, revulsion against the bible/difficulty reading or understanding it, compulsive thoughts of suicide or murder, deep feelings of bitterness/hate towards people for no reason, compulsive thoughts, desire to tear others down, manipulating others, terrifying feeling of guilt (even after confession to God), physical symptoms, deep depression, violent rage or anger, terrifying doubt of salvation, uncontrollable/irrational panic attacks, anxiety, fear, and/or phobias, horrific dreams, nightmares, and/or night terrors, abnormal or perverted sexual desires, challenging God’s Word, sleep or eating disorders with no medical cause, rebellion and hatred for authority, fascination/drawing towards the occult, criminal activity, extreme low self-image/self-hatred, confusion in thinking, perceptual distortions, desire to do right but inability to follow through, sudden personality and/or attitude changes, dark countenance/dark eyes, lying, exaggerating, or stealing Compulsively, compulsive sexual sins, irrational laughter or crying, compulsion to hurt self or others, negative reactions to the name and blood of Jesus Christ, extreme restlessness, especially in a spiritual environment, uncontrollable cutting and mocking tongue, critical of others, negative attitude, vulgar language and actions, loss of time, black outs, extreme sleepiness around spiritual things, voices are heard in the mind (The voices often mock, intimidate, accuse, threaten, or attempt to bargain. They never say anything good or tell you to do anything helpful.), voices that refer to him/her in the third person, supernatural experiences (Examples include movement or disappearance of objects, seeing shadows move in your home, feeling a dark presence, hearing voices or smelling particular smells that do not belong.), pain without Justifiable explanation and sudden temporary interference with bodily functions (For example, an inability to speak or hear, severe headache, and/or temporary paralysis).
The biggest indicator is if you have tried to crucify your flesh and it just will not stop. You cannot crucify a demon. A demon must be cast out and you cannot cast out the flesh, it must be crucified through discipline.
If you think you may need prayer please reach out to me, or someone who understands deliverance prayer, and we can chat, pray, and seek freedom!!!
Blessings,
Nichole Henson, Fullness of Joy Ministry
Email: fullnessofjoyministry@gmail.com
Fullness Of Joy Ministry 
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