Chapter 0 - Title-Background

…And God said…
Write a book!
When Donna and Lynn stepped backwards,
Barb had no idea she had just volunteered.
As a matter of fact, she was halfway through
Writing the book when she realized…
She was ALONE!
Now Lynn edited, and edited, and edited,
And then she brought the tattered remains
Of the book to Myrtle Beach for critical review.
Then Donna and Lynn and Barb stayed up all night,
And drew covers and diagrams and chose flypages,
And wrestled with titles, laptops, and cranky printers.
And edited and edited and edited
And laughed and laughed and laughed.
Sometime near daylight on the third day,
They decided that errors and omissions gave
The book character and charm.
After all, God hates self-righteous perfectionists.
And God smiled…
Lynn Bruns, Slave Driver
Donna Dozier, Art and Stuff
Barb Kankowske, Chief Author.
July 25, 2004
! " #$
%&
)&
#$
'$
""""""""""""""""""%
(
""""""""""""""""""""""""""*
How the Spirit of This World Works
Breaking Free from the World
Foundation of Identification
Separating the Soul’s Dominance
Fear
External and Internal Control
Viewing People Through a Religious Lens
Taking Up The Cross and Following Him
World Control
Demonic Workings of Control
Religious Spirits
Ashteroth
Baal
Apollyon
Jezebel
Sorcery
The Continuing Road to Freedom
Effective Weapons in the Hands of Our
God
!! "
$
+&
$
,
""""")Know There is a War
Know Your Enemy
Lean Not on Your Own Understanding
Hold Fast That Which is True
Hate Your Enemy
.&
*&
0&
$
$
/
Discernment
Authority
Protection
Knowing God’s Will
Walking in the Spirit
' (
""""""""""+%
$
$
"""""""""""""""""".+
Prerequisites
Spirit and Soul
Inaudible Thought
Low-Level Warfare
Curses
Projections of the Mind
The Latent Power of the Soul
Channeling
Charismatic Witchcraft
Prophetic vs. Psychic
Occult Level Warfare
Cloning Spirits
Jealousy Spirits
Additional Tactics
Deliverance Issues
$
' ( $ ! 1
$
"""""""""0%
Spirit-to-Spirit Battle
Blinds and Double Blinds
Victims vs. Prisoners of War
Conspiracy of Spirits
-&
$
""""""""""""""""""""02
Ministry to People
The Power of Love
Spiritual Preparation and Maintenance
Networks of Evil
Battling the Networks of Evil
Atmosphere
First Impressions
Team Work
Specialty Teams
3&
!
2&
#
%5&
$
""""""""""""""""""""""""""3*
Maintain a Spiritual View
Remain Objective
Disseminate the Enemy
The Larger Picture
Separation
4
4
6 $
"""""""""""""""""""""2+
""""""""""""""""2-
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken
from the Holy Bible, Authorized
King James Version.
AMPLIFIED - Scripture taken from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE.
Old Testament copyright ©1965, 1987 by the Zondervan
Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright ©1958,
1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
# 7 #'
I have known Barb Kankowske for about four years and have
worked together with her for the past two years. I know her
intensity, her focus and her sell-out to God. Most probably she is
walking in the office of a prophet and her life is not her own.
I know the hours she spends with God, and have been present
with her during many of those hours. I have watched her
minister to many people, separating the flesh and the demonic
and speaking out what God is telling her. I have seen inner
healing, deliverance and engagement. I have seen her on her
knees and face down, as she was engaging the demonic. I have
been with her during some demonic encounters, particularly in a
meeting in Chicago when “the man on the mountain” temporarily
terrorized her. I was also there as she encountered the territorial
spirit as we entered Louisiana. I have watched her hug people as
they let her minister to the deep places in their hearts, and I know
she has spoken to leaders with information from God that no one
else would have known. I have spent hours with her as she
untangles “webs” and debriefs meetings and encounters. I have
spent much time working out the meaning of dreams and worked
with her changing atmospheres.
I am one that has been encouraged by her to break loose from
controls, to follow through with prophetic actions and visions and
develop confidence that God is speaking to me. I have watched
and worked with her as she has untangled the web of destruction
over my family, and seen time and time again her prophetic
words proven as accurate.
I have helped edit this book, for I know she has a wealth of
information that others could use.
The book is so like her, point after point mixed with experiences.
Probably the last chapter will “exhort” you to go much farther in
God. She is real and God is using her.
There is no holding her back. This book is the outcome of her
striving after God to learn more and move with Him. She
mentioned to me many times she was intense. I didn’t
understand it then, but I do now. It is that character trait which
upon seeing a problem, question or direction, she goes after the
answer with all she has and as long as necessary. She doesn’t
quit until it is complete.
She is a warrior with an edge to the “unseen world.” Pay
attention to her…I did…and it has been worth it all.
Lynn Bruns
#
“Creation discloses God’s eternal purpose. It tells us what God
is really after. God wants to have a people who will do His
work so that He might rule over the earth through them.” 1
The people Jesus came to earth to establish were to be a people
who would know the reality of a Kingdom not of this earth.
They were to be a people to whom He could reveal His Father.
These people would have authority over the usurper, the devil
and all his minions. That reality of His Kingdom would cause
them to transcend the false glamour of this world. It would
transcend the striving after this world’s kingdoms -- whatever
man would choose independent of God.
That reality would enable them to follow Him. That reality
would lead them to that which they alone were not capable of
accomplishing…a sacrificial offering of their bodies…a
willingness to lose that life for another.
Have you touched that reality? Indeed you have if you were born
from above. Because it touched you, you will never be the same.
At that moment you were marked with the mark of God. The
moment you touched that reality, the invisible enemy also
marked you. You became potentially a dangerous weapon
against the devil’s kingdom! Once marked, the enemy began an
aggressive move to keep you controlled. He moved to blind you
to the truth and freedom that you had just entered. You became
the target! Attack is a two-way battle. The enemy has marked
us and we are positioned in a war against him. As a target we are
caught in the crosshairs of the enemy’s riflescope. He seeks the
lifeblood of mankind and we overcome by the blood of the Lamb.
You may be in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised
Land, having not taken possession of your full inheritance. I
want to awaken you to the reality of your redemption and
Sonship in God’s Kingdom!
NOW IS THE TIME TO RISE UP! May you see the restraints of
Satan’s kingdom and cast them off, so that you are free to walk in
His authority and also free to be constrained by the Holy Spirit.
You will not be controlled by the kingdoms of this world, but
rather please the Lord and Him only.
_____________
1
Sentinel Kulp, The Secrets to Spiritual Power: from the writings of
Watchman Nee (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1998), 154.
8 # / '
I have a passion inside of me that often brings me to tears of
frustration, aching to see the eyes of others opened and their
weapons drawn. That passion was birthed out of a life that was
formed by the unseen in the emotional and spiritual realm.
From outward appearances I grew up in a good home. There was
no physical abuse; I had loving parents and apparent normalcy.
That very appearance caused a great deal of confusion to me. I
had both a stronger-than-normal need for approval plus a fear of
rejection, which were in contrast with my personality. In my
later teen years I rebelled against a strong moral code and my
own desire to know and please God. By early adulthood I had
become hardened to the thought that God could have anything to
do with my life. When I was born again at age 25, God
immediately began to open my understanding of what natural and
spiritual forces formed these conflicts in my personality.
My father had lost his mother to a painful disease while he was in
grammar school, and later lost a sister to alcoholism, leaving him
to be raised by his strong belligerent Irish father. God showed me
that this caused him to feel rejected by women. In addition, I later
learned how much rejection of women came through the Irish
culture.
By all outside appearances I was “Daddy’s little girl.” The Holy
Spirit revealed to me that my father loved me with all he had;
unfortunately all he had was rejection. This was confirmed quite
substantially when I watched my father totally reject my threeyear-old daughter for not performing as he intended. Sometime
later I was made aware, again graphically, that my father had a
hatred of women, but outwardly he appeared to relate much
better to women than men. This confusion was compounded in
my early teen years with my father’s fear that I would shame
him. Normal puberty growth was overshadowed by this
oppressive fear and control. Recently, a movie showing the roots
of this oppression in Ireland gave me more understanding of my
Father’s behavior.1 Although my father grew up in the United
States, this strong oppressive spirit of misogyny has continued
through the generations, affecting my brothers and me.
External love with simultaneous rejection and hatred, although
unknown to my father, created learned patterns of response and
reaction in me. The unseen was indeed forming my life. These
very ingredients fueled the enemy’s attack, which caused me to
question my emotional and mental balance. I was grateful there
was no physical abuse, although I felt at times physical abuse
would be easier; at least someone could see the bruises. It took
great amounts of time alone with God for me to separate and
rightly align my responses and reactions with the truth of who I
am in Christ.
The confusion it caused was intensified by the unseen in the spirit
realm. I know there has been an occult assignment over my life
from birth. I was hospitalized for an apparent blocked stomach at
a few weeks old. My father awakened in the middle of the night
and prayed a prayer for my protection. He promised to put a
statue of Mary in the house and never remove it if I would be
spared. The story goes that a doctor, for no apparent reason,
pulled into the hospital and came to check on me. I was choking
on a tube and would have died if he had not immediately
corrected the situation.
I had a favorite prayer throughout childhood and it served to
reinforce the demonic hold. It was a Catholic prayer to Mary,
that I now know is just a manifestation of the “Queen of Heaven”
spirit, which has deceived people for generations. I prayed that
same prayer about a marriage partner. Years later, I learned it
was the exact prayer my father prayed that night! The repetition
of the same prayer reinforced the legal right of the assigned
spirits to remain active over my life.
There is a dual assignment on those whom God desires to use in
discernment areas. If Satan cannot kill you outright, he tries to
get you involved in using your gifting to work on the occult side - to destroy you by any means.
I believe I had an intense sensitivity to spirits as a child. I could
perceive them, but since I had no knowledge or help to
understand them, I blocked that sensitivity. When I was yet in
grammar school I knew I could never get involved with astrology
or any other such activity. I knew I would contact something! I
did not know how I knew that, but obviously I had perceived
spirits before. I thank God I obeyed. Even now I find times
when I discern something and I have a strong sense that “I know
them” and “they know me.” There has been a concerted effort,
which is ongoing, to keep me from coming into a full revelation
of that knowledge. The battle still lies in the mind,2 with demons
doing everything they can to interfere with the mind’s ability to
receive revelation God is giving, by and through the Spirit.
Although I am sure there are other forms Satan uses to block
individuals, this battle of the mind has been the major arena of
attack since my early years.
A number of years ago in Toronto one of the speakers spoke and
confirmed that to me. He told me that Satan had tried to kill me
for three generations. He was stating that Satan had thrown his
best at me and not succeeded, so I need not fear. As I thought
about this I could say it was true. It started with my grandfather
fleeing Ireland for fear of his life. Then my father was put on the
roof to die as a newborn. He had an enlarged heart and was
having trouble breathing. The doctor had his mother put him
outside to get more air and die in peace. This was in late
November. The doctor left and my grandmother retrieved my
father and he lived. The speaker went on to say God had put a
nation on my heart and to listen to Him. Indeed that very
morning God had put the United States on my heart.
The assignment on my life has involved mental abuse, spiritual
torment, fear and control. God has unveiled the tentacles that
have covered me, and the control patterns that were used. Those
patterns were set in place from early childhood and carried
through adult years.
Wherever there are abuse and control spirits they network
together. When we marry or join a group we have dynamics of
relationship plus issues that we bring into the situation.
Separating those issues from present situations is difficult enough
without the added demonic assignments. Is it any wonder that
Christians have such problems with unity? It has taken a
determined, aggressive fight over the years for me to separate
natural and spiritual, and to separate what might be my problem
or what is outside of myself. I have had to break both internal and
external issues that allowed control. I have known all along that
God has used this to form me to be what He needed for the battle
in the heavenlies and among men. We have no authority over
that which has power over us.
This book shares some of what I have gleaned in the battle, with
much more to be learned. I had no thought to write a book and
only agreed as the Lord showed me I must release what I have
been given, so He can show me more. This was confirmed in a
recent prophetic word which stated God was releasing pens from
heaven to write, and that He would then give more revelation.
With the reassurance of both my personal word and the
confirmation, I am writing this and pray it may be of some help
to those who now press into the battle.
How does one begin to prepare the canvas on which to paint a
picture of the possibilities of the unseen? If you were writing
fiction or making a movie you would have such liberty, but trying
to establish a working canvas which is far from fiction, and yet
subjective, and having the necessity to be seen with the eyes of
the spirit, is a far more difficult task. May the Holy Spirit be
gracious and allow such a picture to take form for His purposes
and revelation.
As a young Christian I learned the importance of spending time
with the Father in the morning watch, which I have done for 29
years. I seemed to especially enjoy asking God questions about
situations and difficulties around me and for those for whom I
prayed.
About ten years ago the Lord spoke to me about setting aside
several hours each day with Him. I quit work and obediently sat
before Him. I believe the understanding for my ministry and this
book are the results of hours of listening and working with God.
Roughly two years ago, I read about Mary Garrison’s gift of
discerning of spirits and how it operated through her.3 I found
this gift to be functioning much the same way in myself as well.
I could separate the person from demonic influences. Also, over
the years I developed a filing system of information. When I
would pray, the Holy Spirit would quicken some aspect from my
many files and enable me to understand the problem or the
needed action or prayer. The gift of discerning of spirits, coupled
with my files, enabled me to work with the person and bring
understanding, love, deliverance, healing or counsel as the Lord
directed.
Now God has called me to a more specific area, working with
intercessors, leaders and prophets. I know that I am also to equip
the saints, so I pray this work will be an asset to God’s end time
army.
Out of a desire to bring a clearer understanding of the unseen
world, I have included facts, theories and experiences. My hope
is that it will enable you to work in the Spirit with more
understanding.
1
The Magdalena Sisters (video), 2004, Miramax Productions.
Amp 2 Cor. 10: 4-5
3
Mary Garrison, How to Conduct Spiritual Warfare As I See It , (Hudson:
1980), pp. 9-11.
2
And you [He made alive], when you were dead [slain] by
[your] trespasses and sins
In which at one time you walked habitually. You were
following the course and fashion of this world – were
under the sway of the tendency of this present age –
following the prince of the power of the air. (You were
obedient to him and were under his control,) the
[demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of
disobedience – the careless, the rebellious and the
unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God…
But God ! …
Even when we were dead [slain] by [our own]
shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together
in fellowship and in union with Christ…
And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit
down together – giving us joint seating with Him – in
the heavenly sphere… Eph 2:1-6 AMP
Although everything that Jesus accomplished through His death,
resurrection and ascension is a finished fact, it must be applied by
faith to our lives. The book of Joshua and the book of Ephesians
are parallel books, in that one is the literal taking of the Promised
Land and the other is the spiritual taking of the land. One is
fought with weapons of earth, and the other with spiritual
weapons.
In Exodus we see a generation, which refused to have faith,
perish in the wilderness. In Joshua the next generation is about to
enter into the Promised Land with the two faithful spies Joshua
and Caleb. It is to be noted that only two entered the Promised
1
Land out of thousands! There is much reference in the last ten
years of those being trained in the wilderness. Being in the
wilderness and entering into the Promised Land are two distinct
passages. Let us learn from those before us so that we may not
perish in the wilderness from doubt and unbelief!
What is the rite of passage to which I am referring? It is taking
the freedom that Jesus Christ purchased with His blood and
bringing it to bear on every area of our lives. It is a declaration of
war! We, like Paul, bear the dying of Jesus in our bodies that the
life of Christ may come forth. We take up the cross daily, dying
to all that is of the old man so the life of Christ might shine
through us for His purposes.
It is of utmost importance to remember that the Bible starts in
Genesis by declaring war with God’s archenemy. God had a plan
for a race of people with whom He could dwell. That purpose is
ongoing, with the cross as a redemptive measure in the midst of
that plan. The Book of Revelation completes the story begun in
Genesis, of the battle between good and evil being waged on
earth. In the war with His enemy, God has always used the
principle of using only a few to overcome the enemy’s
multitudes. We see this principle as the Priests stand in the Red
Sea allowing the people to pass over, in God’s choice of one
man, Abraham, to call out a nation, and in the reduction of
soldiers for Gideon’s army. God uses those who overcome to
bring His Remnant Church through. The rewards of overcoming
are seen repeatedly in the book of Revelation.
We make a choice to be overcomers. We choose to deny the
things of this world and live totally for the Lord. As we break
free of the things that weigh us down, we gain authority over the
enemy. Control is primary in this battle: world control, external
and internal control, and the desire of our own soul for control.
This is a formidable battle, and the journey will uncover many
masked and hidden fears, ungodly agendas and opportunities for
deeper commitment to the Lord. We have one life to live and one
life to give. Let it be given wholly to the only One who is
worthy, the Lord Jesus Christ.
2
God has always desired to dwell with man. This is seen in the
Garden of Eden, in the wilderness of Sinai; and finds its
fulfillment in the Book of Revelation where the tabernacle of
God is with man and God Himself is with man.1
Is it possible that the freedom from control is the rite of passage
into the deep places in God?
1
KJV Ex 29:45-46; Rev 21:3
3
4
All I know is that there is a satanic power behind every
worldly thing. How vital therefore for every Christian to
have a clear revelation of the spirit of the world in order
to appreciate how real is the danger to which he is
continually exposed.1
When God comes to you and me with a revelation of the
finished work of Christ, He not only shows us ourselves
there on the cross, He shows us our world is there too.
I do not try to escape a world that clings to me; I see that
by the cross I have escaped it.2
Let’s picture the spirit of this world like Diagram I. Most
supreme is God who is over all things. Next is Satan who has
usurped dominion over the earth from Adam. Under Satan’s rule
are systems: political, economic and religious. These systems are
interconnected and control people through the use of fear. We
are speaking of the spiritual dimension behind the physical world.
We are going to look at this diagram from two directions: (1)
how the world works on individuals and (2) how the individual
breaks free from the world.
Satan
exalted himself, desiring to be like the Most High God. Because
of that, he was cast out of heaven down to the earth. Satan’s goal
has not changed, and he works behind the world’s systems to
ultimately control man. 1 John 5:19 Amp states that the whole
world [around us] is under the power of the evil one. Ephesians
states that those who are unredeemed are under the control of the
Prince of the Power of the Air. 3 Satan’s goal is to rule using a
one-world government and a one-world religion.
5
Much of the atmosphere in the world is fear based! Control
works with, and attaches itself to, fear. Fear appears in such
subtle forms that we hardly recognize it. It works among the
weak and the strong and, permeates the cosmos. This fear is liebased. We have bought into the lie that God is not good and you
cannot trust Him. The lie began in Genesis with Satan’s
questioning God, and insinuating that God was withholding
something good from man.
Satan and his systems work by using man’s sinful, self-centered
nature. He convinces us that we must be master. Thinking we are
free and masters of our own fate, we work our way into deeper
and deeper layers of control by the enemy.
For example, in the political realm, whole groups of people are
controlled by the fear of a few tyrants. Those rulers control
through the economy, the religion and the political system itself.
People are held in fear for their very sustenance and life. We can
see the interconnection of these systems by looking at these
nations; but Satan works the same way through the very same
systems in free societies; however it is veiled to most. Because
of our reliance on political, economic and religious systems,
instead of God, we often voluntarily come under the control of
these systems, before their entrapment is revealed to us.
The only way of
escape from the spirit of the world is through the cross.
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world. (Gal 6:14)
We reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord.4 We must walk it out daily, ever
watchful for the intrusion of our own soul and its desire for
control. The Holy Spirit must be in control through our spirit,
with our soul as a bondservant directing our body. The truth is
6
that only Jesus Christ can live the Christian life. He, through the
Holy Spirit, lives His life out in us. Everything else will end in
either frustration and failure or self-righteousness.
As we begin to identify who we are in Christ, and apply those
truths by faith, we receive the power to live a life unto God. With
that foundation in place we can separate the desires of the new
man in Christ from our own soul’s dominance.
Perhaps it would be
helpful to give some personal background for an understanding
of identification truths. I was raised in the Catholic tradition,
which was different from the Protestant tradition. I was
instructed in the moral code from the Ten Commandments and
going to confession. Catholicism is a works-oriented religion
with many teachings that are not found in scripture. It differs
greatly from other Christian denominations in that many
Catholics follow a few basic rules; and outside of those, they just
live their lives with no sense of judgment by the Church or one
another.
As a young adult I reached a crisis that I did not understand. I
believed in the truth about Jesus and wanted to be right with God.
I also knew my lifestyle had moved from that which would
please God, but saw no solution. If I went to confession, I was
saying I would change. The problem was I didn’t want to
change. What I did not know was that I had no power to change!
With this dilemma strongly on my mind, I moved farther and
farther away from God.
At the age of 25 God made His Presence known to me and I was
drawn to Him. I went to a seminar introducing the baptism in the
Holy Spirit. This was at the time of the Charismatic Revival and
the Catholic Church was being visited by God’s mighty move. I
immediately went to my parents’ attic to find a Bible. Finding
that parts of Genesis were missing, my Dad commented that we
didn’t need it anyway. For several years I grew in my knowledge
of the Holy Spirit and the great joy of knowing Jesus. For us, I
7
believe there was a freedom not known by other traditions. We
had simple rules and lived life. Now the light of the love of Jesus
came in and there was joy and freedom. There was also such
openness without fear, at least for myself. I had loved God as a
child and would have come to know Him if I had correctly
received the Gospel. When our group changed leadership and the
oppression of tradition began to move in, I left that prayer
meeting and Catholicism. I had long disagreed with the teaching
that did not align with the Word of God and could not return to it.
After several years I found my way into a Protestant church. It is
at this point that there would begin a crisis that would lead me
into the freedom of allowing Christ to live His life through me.
That crisis would be formed by the convergence of two major
factors. The first factor was the wounding and fear that had
formed my personality – rejection. The second factor was my
understanding that God could only accept me when I performed
correctly. Now there were so many more rules to follow among
the Protestants!
It is unfortunate that most people receive Jesus without ever
being told not to try to live the Christian life. They are instead
told to make Him Lord and forsake those things that are “clearly
wrong.” Unfortunately, that right and wrong can differ from
group to group, all under the name of “Christian!” God was
gracious to me though, and the pastor introduced the works of
Charles Solomon. His writings on the Rejection Syndrome5 and
Handbook to Happiness6 speak of the crisis of the soul and our
need to realize that we cannot live the Christian life. There is
also excellent material on this subject in the book, The Normal
Christian Life.7
As the pressures increased with outside fears of rejection I came
to my place of crisis. I believe it was a place where I could have
had a mental breakdown. Because the truth was in place, the
Holy Spirit could then open the revelation of Eph 1:4. My
version of that verse is this: Before I could do anything right
or wrong, I was already accepted in Christ Jesus!!! What
was quickened to me was that I could not be rejected by God
8
…I was already chosen, seen as holy and above reproach in
Christ -- no works necessary!!
That same teaching explained that my job was to “reckon” myself
already dead and daily roll the care of living like Christ over onto
the Holy Spirit. In other words…stop trying!!! I was to take my
hands off of myself and let God change what He saw fit to
change or, heaven forbid, NOT to change! Most people never
come to this place of “reckoning” and “identifying” with Christ,
believing Him to live His life through them. Instead, they live a
life of striving to do right. Unfortunately, most come to this
place only by a “crisis.”
In the book The
Merismos, it says we:
…need to understand that the soul does not want to be
changed, not even to conform to the image of Christ. The
spirit man may understand the need to change, but the
soul – which has been “programmed” from birth with the
social, cultural, and environmental thought patterns and
habits of behavior of the natural world – will fight to
maintain the status quo. Instinctive survival mechanisms
are triggered by attempt to change body or soul habits
just the same as if a person actually was under a physical
attack. The result is inner conflict, or the feeling of
fighting oneself. It may seem like trying to paddle a boat
upstream against the current.8
Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought upon humanity the
whole soulish world… The soul man became a recipe for
selfishness, a world of selfishness personified. The
ingredients are self-indulgence, self-preservation, selfdefense, self-motivation, self-centeredness, selfappreciation, self-love, self-adoration and self-worship.
The soul is self, and self is the soul. The soul is man’s
personality. It is himself.9
9
The soul is independent. Everything that can be done without
depending upon and waiting on God is the work of the soul. The
soul goes to the tree of knowledge of good and evil because it
appeals to the intellect. In Genesis when Adam and Eve are
placed in the garden God commands them not to eat the fruit of
the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan comes and tells
Eve that it is good to eat. It will cause her to know good and evil
and be like God. God never intended Adam and Eve to know
good or evil or to take upon them the deciding between the two.
God intended them to be totally led and dependent upon Him.
That same lie still holds true today. We are tempted to want to
know the difference. How can a heart that is totally corrupted
and full of evil 10 discern the difference? Our fallen man is
wickedly deceitful. When we depend on our intellect to
understand and follow God’s Word without the leading and
revelation of the Holy Spirit confirmed by the Word, we are
eating of the tree of knowledge and deciding through our soul
what is good and evil.
Our soul (mind, will and emotions) has been in rule for many
years. It does not want to be brought into servanthood to the
spiritual man under the control of the Holy Spirit. Our mind
wants to choose and decide! We want to be in control… We
feel safe when we believe we are “in control” but there is nothing
farther from the truth. Only when God leads us are we safe…
Our only safety is in His will.
With all its hiding places, fear forms an insidious
enemy. We call it concern, care, nervousness, worry, insecurity,
intimidation and a myriad of other titles. We must come to terms
with fear’s power and the access it allows both to our soul and to
demons. Every place where there is fear, there is very likely
control.
•
•
When we are afraid, we can be controlled.
When we are afraid, we will try to control.
10
Control uses fear. The airways are filled with fear. “Bowling for
Columbine,”11 a recent documentary, started out with a desire to
understand America’s love affair with guns. By the end of the
documentary, Michael Moore concluded that we were a society
full of fear. Despite being in the media himself, in the “features”
included with the video, he told the audience that they needed to
turn their televisions off! He concluded that America was being
controlled by fear.
Fear and control form a tangled web which we weave; and they
are also woven about us. Is it any wonder that the Bible speaks
of fear as a spirit!12 Fear paralyzes and makes external control
easy. These webs are layered over our lives, control inside of
control, external and internal, layer upon layer. Most often these
layers started in childhood. At first sight they seem like a tangled
ball of strings, which lay heavy upon us. It seems impossible to
ever untangle it. We presume we are hopelessly caught.
External control
can come from the systems noted in Diagram I or from
individuals or groups. This control can be obvious or very subtle.
For example, we often try to control our children “for their good”
or “for their training.” Although there are very valid training and
protection measures, there are also many damaging measures.
We really may demand a certain action by them so we are not
embarrassed. Another area of control can be with our mates,
either to control or be subject to their control. Further control can
be seen in misuse of leadership.
Internal control is what we think we should do. People who are
internally controlled have their own codes of right and wrong,
do’s and don’ts, and are governed by them. This is not to be
confused with the fruit of the Spirit, self-control, because the
source of the fruit is from God the Holy Spirit, not our own soul.
11
Ultimately God has to break the control we hold over ourselves.
Breaking that control allows God His true place in our lives. We
can experience freedom from having to “be in control”. When
we come into that freedom, we will realize the amount of energy
we had to expend to maintain that control, and what liberty we
can enjoy.
One must keep in mind that in principle, most of the motivations
behind control may be correct. It is the source that is incorrect
and thus must be broken. That source goes back to self or the
soul’s rule over life instead of God’s sovereign rule. In reality it
is for our self-comfort, care of the opinions of others, our fear of
man, fear of hurt, our pride, self-righteousness or stubbornness.
The list can go on and on – the point being, it is “self serving”.
One very strong control source is wielded through religion.
Remember, religion is the enemy of relationship. What we are
called into, as Christians, is a relationship, a right relationship to
a loving God through His Son Jesus Christ. God has judged our
Adamic life to be totally corrupted. He delivered sentence to that
flesh according to His law on the Cross of Jesus. Through that
cross we are sentenced and the price is paid. In His resurrection
Jesus opens the way for His life to empower us to walk and live
pleasing to God. That is why we are told to reckon ourselves
dead unto sin but alive unto God through Christ Jesus. We often
judge others and ourselves by religious standards.
Realize
that God will lead you into situations intentionally designed to
break you of your soul life with its self-imposed control and the
fear of man. It is extremely important to realize that we can
intentionally avoid the work of the cross (obedience to God and
death to self) in our lives, resulting in another 40 years around
Mt. Sinai. God will break, train and strengthen us through
adversity IF we willingly submit to His work of the cross.
12
Murmuring and complaint (out of doubt and unbelief) were the
prevailing attitudes in the wilderness; but the attitude of the cross
is to suffer silently (from a spirit of faith and trust in the Father)
for the greater good of our spiritual growth and the good of the
Kingdom.
When we are in control we do everything to “look correct”
according to our own perceived view. For some it is conformity
to a particular group’s opinion, while for others, it is completely
the opposite – rebellion against any form. These two extremes,
and all the in-betweens when decided by us, still come out of the
same source: self.
God cares little of how this world views you. To be a friend of
the world is [to be] the enemy of God.13 We are to follow the
path of the Master. Jesus was a man acquainted with rejection,
scorned by man and seen as rejected by God.14 And the disciple
is not above his master.15
The Bible is full of apparent contradictions when understood by
the intellect and not the revelation of the Holy Spirit. It is never
meant to be a manual so man can walk by it. Man is not to walk
by the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (the written
Word), but by the tree of life (the spoken Word of the Spirit). The
Bible needs to be studied and used to confirm what we are
hearing as God’s direction. This walk takes total dependence on
the Holy Spirit and not our own ability to discern good from evil.
This walk comes only when we give God control. And that
control will lead us to the cross!! We must trust and obey!
The way of the cross is simply “obedience to God unto death.”
Therein we encounter the real core of fear – self-protection. We
do not want to die! Our soul will create a furious fight for control
and will use many religious and justifiable arguments to keep that
from happening. Freedom will take a heart cry of continued
affirmation of choice for God’s ways and His truth, no matter
what the cost to those we love -- or ourselves. God will have no
other gods before Him and will indeed expose all our idolatry.
13
Obedience to God will often lead us in ways people do not
understand or approve. It will often lead us to look foolish or in
error. I experienced this personally about seven years ago. God
led me through what appeared to be a series of mistakes. It was
during the peak of the outpouring in Toronto, Canada and
Brownsville, Florida, and I was hungry for God and everything
He had. I was in an Assembly of God church, administrating
Sunday School and writing my own materials for the adult class.
God was moving powerfully in the class altar calls, but I felt the
church leadership desired only a small (mitigated) portion of
what God would give to those willing to receive. Another
Assembly of God was preparing to plant churches, and
apparently open to all God was doing, so we visited. At the
evening service there were only about twelve people, and I
thought “God, you wouldn’t send me here would you?” The
answer came quickly. The Lord spoke “what makes you think I
didn’t send you here to help usher in revival?” Obediently, we
transferred churches. We remained there only nine months. I
was welcomed as a “fireball,” because of my anointing; however
the same anointing became a threat to the leadership. We left
there and went into a home setting, started a church plant, and
this time left after eighteen months. God had used all of the
moves to bring me to the place He desired me to be – eventually
owning and occupying the same building where He spoke to me
about ushering in revival.
If you had been watching from the outside you would have surely
thought I had missed it at every turn. Nothing could be farther
from the truth. In the last year at the church plant I went through
the hottest fire of my life, which included the suffering and death
of my mother. I had spent many years trying to be accepted by
the church system and had finally achieved a momentary success
with ordination, only to watch it fall apart. As I literally walked
out the door of the last church, I realized there was a “system.”
Man built it, and God had just delivered me from it!
I left with only one thing on my heart. It was a vision I received
of being a resource center for the Body of Christ – gathering and
connecting intercessors, ministering to leaders and networking
14
with prophets from several states. Only that vision remained
after the “fire” of that year. My husband and I thought of renting
a place to begin, despite the fact that I did not think I was an
intercessor! We simultaneously thought of the building where
we started a few years before – where God had spoken to me
about helping to usher in revival. It had been for sale for a year.
My husband received a prophecy months earlier that God would
provide added finances for the sake of His Kingdom. It came to
pass, and we were able to purchase that building, which now is
home to Midway Ministries.
God’s desire is for us to be totally sold out to Him. The cross
(total obedience to God) can and will bring you into man’s
judgment and it can be painful.
We are controlled by the standards of
this world. There are spoken and unspoken networks that scream
“conform to this, look like that.” We are controlled by the want
of approval, controlled by rejection, controlled from within and
without, controlled and unable to see any hope of freedom! We
must come to the place where we refuse to play the game
anymore – where there is nothing inside us that can be controlled.
We must come to the place where we take hold of the freedom
with which Christ has set us free, and then submit ourselves to
His control.
The right to self-government. The beginning of
the fight to be free of control looks just like that. In reality, it is
the freedom to be a slave of Christ. The enemy may tell us that
we are in rebellion or insubordinate, but in truth, we are taking
our freedom back only to present ourselves completely to the
control of the Holy Spirit.
You will either take the freedom and submit yourselves to God’s
control, or be deceived and bring yourself even further into the
depths of the control of the spirit of lawlessness.
15
Thus far we have
looked at the control exerted through the world systems and how
fear is used to control the masses. We have looked at the webs in
which we become entangled, both by controlling and being
controlled. We have looked at the cross, as the deliverance God
provides from sin, this world, and our own soul life. We have
looked at the power of identifying with Christ’s life.
We must have victory over the forces around us to be able to
exercise authority over the devil and his forces. The Church of
Jesus Christ is to rise up in the victory won by our King, and to
bring the Kingdom of God to bear on the usurper of this present
age. We are in a war! We have two choices: we stand up and
fight, or we lie down and die! There is no neutral place in this
war. God is looking for those who will rise up as overcomers.
Indeed there are hosts of demons that work in the network of
control. Remember, God desires a people who freely choose to
worship Him, but Satan will use any means possible to intercept
and gain that worship.
There are spirits that work together in common groupings to
control. One such grouping involves witchcraft, mind control
and mind binding. Several years ago the Lord revealed to me that
I had been under an occult attack for many months. Fuel for the
attack was coming through the misdirected prayers and soul
power of intercessors working with our ministry.
I am sure there are multiple workings of mind control. The ways
in which it worked on me, however, would cause me to dismiss
my discernment. Those spirits worked on me so that instead of
confronting something I was discerning, I would brush it off by
accepting the intercessors’ excuses. Later I inquired of the Lord
as to what my problem could have been. If I had discernment
and yet allowed so many instances to be dismissed, I needed to
know what was wrong. The immediate answer God gave me was
that I was under very strong mind control.
16
A control spirit demands attention. One way to recognize this
spirit in operation is to take note when you are constantly being
distracted by thoughts about someone. That spirit causes you to
be overly distracted and concerned about that person’s opinion,
thought, approval etc.
Spirits of fear work with intimidation. Although this should be
obvious, they work in such a way as to cause us to think we are
inadequate, timid, etc. Remember, spirits hide their activities
under the thoughts and personality traits of others and ourselves.
We need to train ourselves to think in terms of who we are in
Christ. We can then take every thought captive that does not
align with who we are in Christ. Knowing and using
identification truths is a necessary defensive weapon.
In an article by Chuck D. Pierce “15 Ways to Remove the
Enemy’s Covering,” Chuck acknowledges the covering that
occult spirits put over us. He begins by paraphrasing Ezekiel 28.
He was the model of perfection and covered and adorned
with every type of jewel… He was anointed as a guardian
cherub and overshadowed or covered every place he
walked…until wickedness was found in him. Then he was
filled with violence. His heart became proud on account
of his beauty. He corrupted wisdom and through the
abundance of commerce was filled with lawlessness and
violence. Through this, he desecrated sanctuaries.
He states that we must address this covering in prayer. The
covering is related to occult spirits. Then he says Satan creates
occult lines (geometric lines throughout the earth), and uses
magic and devious words to hide his place from sight. He uses
the atmosphere around us to conceal his plan. He creates a veil.
Later under the topic of removing the evil one’s veil, Mr. Pierce
states:
17
Many of us have a hard time seeing the enemy’s snare
that has been strategically planted on our path of life.
Therefore, we step in this tangled web and spend much of
our time struggling to free ourselves from his distractions
and plan of conforming.
Before a recent trip I had a most
unusual dream. In the dream, a companion and I entered a very
large room, which appeared like an expensive library you might
see in a mansion. A mature man dressed in a suit who appeared
to be a minister approached us. My companion inquired as to
what kind of a place this was and he appeared indignant at having
been asked the question. She was promptly told that this was a
chapel. He proceeded to tell her that everyone was accepted in
this place, even the Baptists. In my mind I knew that there were
cult religions in this place also, and they were under the guise of
accepting everyone. He escorted the two of us into another room
that appeared dark and discothèque like. While the music played,
three women began to dance around me, very close to my body,
in a swirling manner. I asked my companion if she was going to
join them by taking off her clothes and laying on the floor. Then
I woke up.
This dream began my efforts to understand the spirit of
Ashteroth. In the book Mysterious Secrets of the Dark
Kingdom16 by J. P. Timmons, he describes several spirits.
She is a demonic angel often called the Queen
of Heaven. She frequently works with Baal and is associated
with him. Together they work with the principality Apollyon in
the promotion of false religion. They are the heads of the
religious spirits operating throughout the world today. In highlevel spiritual warfare it may be important to come against them
by name. She is represented in:
17
18
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nature religions in paganism - crop festivals, sacrifices,
occultism, astrology and divination (fortune telling)
As earth goddess in Africa and Asia - in charge of
ancestor worship (There are sacrifices of firstborn
children to Ashteroth.)
As Queen of Heaven - the ability to give children
As Earth goddess – power in herbs and plants used for
magical potions and medicines given to herbalists and
witch doctors
In satanic healings
As a moon goddess
She is called by such names as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Diana of Ephesians
Venus – goddess of love
Rhea – the Olympian mother of gods
Isi – the moon goddess of India
Isis – by Egyptians for fertility
Shing Mao – mother of China
Irene – goddess of peace in Greece
Holy Mother of God – Roman Catholics
Madonna – honored in the art world
Queen of Heaven
She is associated with the secret societies of the Freemasons and
the Rosicrucian’s. She is represented as a beautiful woman
carrying a child. This is her appeal to mankind as fertility
goddess. She is also represented as a pregnant woman. It is
interesting that a few days after the dream about the chapel, I had
another dream involving a pregnant woman. The whole focus of
the dream was about this pregnancy and I could see the baby
inside the womb.
The influence of Ashteroth can be seen in the current religious
movement of “we accept and love everyone.” People are
“sacrificed” when leaders use other people’s gifting with no
concern for the individual. This spirit is not easily recognized
19
because it is “sweet,” and the people under its control seem to be
in a “la-la” land. It was represented in my dream by the remark
that everyone is accepted, religious, cultic, or secular. However,
if it is confronted, you will see how vicious it can be.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Ashteroth is also worshipped by the
Phoenicians who called her Astarte. Solomon introduced the
worship of this idol (1 Kings 11:33). Jezebel’s 400 priests were
probably employed in its service (1 Kings 18:19).
It is interesting to note that in Timmons’ book, he associates Baal
as working with another spirit he calls Abaddon, which like
Apollyon, means eternal destruction. This spirit works to
influence parties and discotheques by creating an atmosphere for
alcoholism and sexual immorality. How fitting of my dream with
the discotheque atmosphere, the very close dancing and the
inquiry to my companion of removing all clothes to join them.
Again as described in Timmons’ book, Baal is the
power worshipped by the Canaanites as God. His form is a bull –
half man, half bull. Astheroth is the goddess of fertility, while
Baal is the god of fertility also known as the sun god. In Egypt he
is known as the Son of the Nile or Ra. He promotes religious
prostitution and shrine prostitutes. As sun god he taught mankind
the hypnotic and psychological effects of light, as seen in strobe
lighting.
His symbol is the sun or a star. As with Ashteroth it is no
accident that many Islamic nations portray a star, crescent moon
or both on their flags. Baal has also been called Orion. Baal is
the star not only of Eastern religions in Mecca but also secret
societies. Baal is the all-seeing eye of Freemasonry and the third
eye of the Eastern religions. Hindu women tattoo their foreheads
where the third eye is located. In India Baal is known as Iswara
of the Hindu religion and forbids the eating of the cow, a symbol
of the Greater Witches.
20
Timmons further explains that Apollyon is
Greek for eternal destruction. The main function of this
principality is to promote false religion. He works to turn people
away from God through idolatry. Any idol worship is false
worship, and anything can be an idol. In America, most people
have idols of money, sex, or sports. Whatever you spend the
most time doing and thinking about is your god.
God has been speaking to me about every idol coming down in
the last few months. Most especially the subtle idols we hold
sacred, including self and family, more than the plans and
purposes of God. The book of Romans speaks of worshipping
the creature more than the creator and its by-product of
perversion.
I felt I could confirm Timmons’ information regarding the
association of those three spirits from the understanding the Lord
had given me. I had been working on understanding the spirit of
destruction for almost two years. Now God was bringing to my
awareness the spirits of Ashteroth and Baal. I believe that one
spirit can be called by different names as is seen with Ashteroth.
So too Apollyon can obviously be called destruction. I have
heard that same spirit called Molech. Baal, Ashteroth and
Molech are commonly worshipped in the Old Testament.
There are many books written on the Jezebel spirit.
This spirit is commonly described as liking female characteristics
and working through mental and sexual seduction to control.
Over the years I have seen the rise in the mention of this spirit
directly synchronizing with the power of God being made
manifest. Most people are familiar with the fact that in the Old
Testament Elijah was in direct conflict with Queen Jezebel. We
have thus come to understand that the “spirit of Elijah”
(prophecy) was and will be confronted by the Jezebel spirit.
21
Despite often hearing of this spirit I found it difficult to define.
One encounter when Jezebel was apparent to me was after a
conference where I had been a speaker. That prophetic
conference ended on Saturday and we stayed for the morning
church service on Sunday. As worship proceeded, I noticed a
man smiling and seemingly enjoying the worship that was
enhanced by the team that remained for the service. I also noted
that a homosexual spirit was over him. I had no knowledge of
whether he was actively participating; only that it was present
around him. This information I confirmed with the conference
leader, who had the same discernment over this man. As was my
custom, I moved among the people as God led me, whether for
prayer or a word of prophecy. I approached this smiling man and
inquired about giving him a word I felt I had for him. That is
when everything changed! He reeled around and angrily told me
not to touch him or speak to him. It was a vicious attack from a
seemingly open and accepting worshipper. I was stunned. I later
learned that he was the former “on staff prophet” who had lived
in the parsonage next door. I realized I had just encountered a
Jezebel spirit, which was indeed using the spirit of homosexuality
over the man (feminine characteristics).
I now believe that the Jezebel spirit is a corporate entity
composed of several spirits: the control spirits of witchcraft
(which works on the emotions) and sorcery (which works on the
thought life), leviathan (pride), divination (fortune telling) and
religion. Its power is much greater than most people realize.
That spirit works together with the spirits of false religion, Baal
and Ashteroth, either openly or seductively in the background.
The Bible clearly tells us that God’s ways are not
our ways. In Job, God speaks to Eliphaz the Temanite of His
wrath being kindled against him and against his two friends for
not speaking as correctly as Job had.19 Indeed we are told the
wisdom of man is foolishness to God.20 Despite this admonition
in the Word of God there is a spirit that works on man’s mind,
causing him to believe that what is of God must be understood.
This is the spirit of sorcery.
18
22
When I was first born again, I was in a church tradition that
embraced mystery. There was acceptance of the fact that there
are many things that could not be understood. In those early days
I experienced great liberty to commune with God and move as
He directed without looking for corresponding proof of that
leading. After leaving that tradition and entering the Protestant
tradition, much of that freedom was eroded. The erosion was
subtle and I was unaware of its working.
As God moved me from the more concrete arena of working with
groups and individuals, I found an intense mental struggle
evolving. How could I validate that my time in prayer and
traveling was a legitimate use of God’s time and money? What
did I have to show for it? What fruit was evident, if any? Mental
attacks pounded like the waves of an ocean against the shore
during the two years that God continued to lead me into the
wilderness, away with Him. Desperate for a measuring gauge, I
finally decided to use “revelation.” If I had been successful, I
would have revelation from the Lord. This presented some relief,
but it too was attacked.
I questioned others whose opinions I respected as to what my
problem might be. I am, by personality type, a spontaneous
person. My spiritual history was marked by prophetic freedom; I
had loved to work in areas in which no one had yet set “concrete”
rules in place. I found those areas allowed me freedom in the
Holy Spirit. I had given others an opportunity to “practice” the
prophetic with no fear of being rebuked in our meetings. I was
perplexed as my freedom eroded and my experiences conflicted
with who I was as a person.
God revealed to me that I had been under the influence of the
spirit of sorcery, which was presenting itself as man’s idea that
everything must be understood. When I was released from
having to validate all of God’s leading, I began to experience
freedom once again. When light enters, darkness must flee. We
must have a total trust relationship with the Holy Spirit, free of
fear of man, so that He can lead us wherever He wills.
23
The Christian
journey is one of continuing revelation and freedom. As we
choose to be His disciples, God reveals truth and the truth sets us
free.21 James 1 in the Amplified tells us that we deceive ourselves
by reasoning contrary to the truth. We need to develop a heart
attitude that chooses truth, no matter what the personal cost.
Deception gives no place of safety, just a place of access to
demonic spirits. Sometimes, however, our emotions cling to such
places in fear because the responsibility of truth is action. We
will be responsible for what we know, and for willful refusal
of knowledge.22
We need to yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him full access to
lead us out of deception. We must affirm our choice of truth and
ask God to reveal any area we see incorrectly by deceiving
ourselves or being deceived by erroneous teachings or belief
systems. We need to choose to walk in that truth no matter how
painful to our flesh, or how afraid we may be.
When we were involved in marriage ministry there was a strong
emphasis on the one-flesh relationship of husband and wife. It
had gotten out of balance, however, and I was trying to tell
another leader that she was dealing with demonic issues in her
mate, and that she should war against this alone. That was
unacceptable to her, as everything being taught was unity and
sharing. I looked like a heretic, or worse yet, a rebellious
woman. I realized at this point that if I did not leave the ministry,
my anointing would be totally shut down through judgment and
“correction.” Several years later those very leaders came to the
knowledge that personal issues must be dealt with before two can
walk together in agreement. Had I remained, I would have
suffered great loss.
Most deception enters in because of some fear – fear of man, fear
of anger, fear of judgment, fear of mistakes, etc. Thus you are
already controlled by something other than the Holy Spirit. You
24
trust your own ability or someone else more than you trust a Holy
Loving God!
When we begin to work against the control in our lives, God will
expose many levels, beneath the obvious ones, since many areas
are only the “first defense” system. Inside one apparent issue
may lie many other issues which the Holy Spirit will expose, one
by one. Do not be discouraged; God is faithful and will bring
you into glorious freedom. That is the greatest joy – God
controlling you!
Only as we are free ourselves, can we help a brother in bondage.
We have Christians striving to bring change at all levels, who are
not yet free themselves. Jesus did not come to overpower Rome;
he came to bring His Kingdom that was not of this world. This
troubled his disciples because they did not understand.
Confusion still reigns today for the same reason.
Once we are freed, there is a transfer of authority and power that
is administered by the government of His Kingdom over the
government of the usurper. That is the location of the real battle:
Satan’s kingdom against God’s Kingdom. Praying and
warring in that spiritual reality will affect areas which all of our
fleshly striving will never accomplish. These warriors are indeed
like “revolutionaries” who bring a revolution by coming against
the control imposed upon a people. We are to overcome the
control imposed upon mankind by an evil kingdom that is not
flesh and blood.
1
Watchman Nee, Finest of the Wheat – Vol. 2 (NY: Christian Fellowship Pub
Inc, 1993) p. 233.
2
Ibid. p. 230.
3
Eph. 2:2
4
Rom 6:11
25
5
Charles R. Solomon, The Rejection Syndrome.
Charles R. Solomon, The Handbook to Happiness (Wheaton: Tyndale, 1971).
7
Watchman Nee, Normal Christian Life (Wheaton: Tyndale, 1977).
8
Randy Shankle, The Merismos (Springdale: Whitaker House, 1987).
9
Ibid.
10
Jer 17:9
11
Michael Moore “Bowling for Columbine” (MGM, 2002).
12
2 Tim 1:7
13
Jas 4:4
14
Isa 53:3-4
15
Mat 10:44
16
J. P. Timmons, Mysterious Secrets of the Dark Kingdom (1991).
17
Jer 7:18; 44:17-19, 25
18
Isa 55:8
19
Job 42:7
20
1 Cor 1:25
21
Jn 8:31-32
22
Hos 4:6
6
26
There is a popular Hosanna
Music song entitled “War in the Heavenlies” which states, We
are going up to the high places where only the strong survive!1
Make no mistake in your thinking; any level of advancement
in understanding the wiles of the enemy is greatly resisted.
We must prepare for war! Any weak areas you have will be
uncovered by the enemy, but have no fear, God is using it all
to prepare you for use in His army. Just as God chose 300
from thousands to fight the enemy with Gideon, He is calling
out warriors who will fearlessly fight to advance His Kingdom.
Have you read the book, This
Present Darkness by Frank Peretti?2 If not, I highly recommend
it. It paints a very good picture of the spiritual world around us
and is a good beginning if you are unfamiliar with thinking about
the unseen. It is a work of fiction that is based on interviews with
missionaries and others who have experienced the unseen and the
unexplainable.
My husband and I were involved in a marriage ministry that
recommended reading the book. When I discovered it was
fiction, I rejected reading it. I am a ‘fact’ person. Later, thinking
we were told it was mandatory reading, I purchased the book. It
was a “God twist of fate”, however, for it was never assigned to
us, but I read it. I cried as I read situations that I had literally
walked through. It seems the enemy has a uniquely laid out
torment for those who can perceive his unseen realm. There is a
constant accusation and threat “you are crazy”, and/or that he will
push you over the edge into insanity. This threat I knew well!
27
But this book confirmed to me that this was a normal state of
affairs for those with spiritual discernment.
Know your enemy. Know his threats, know his abilities,
know his limitations and stand strong in your authority.
I
recently saw a movie that involved psychiatry and the
supernatural. There was an interesting statement in the movie
after the supernatural disturbed the natural man’s ideas of how
the mind worked. The statement was, “Logic is overrated!”
There is indeed logic in the spirit, but it is of the Holy Spirit, and
not of man’s intellect.
The western world and the western church have moved into more
and more intellectualism and moved away from spiritual
revelation. Corinthians3 speaks of the spiritual man discerning all
things; those things are the things of God and the spiritual realm.
The occult world has been empowered, in my opinion, because of
this powerless condition of the church. The lost world perceives
there must be more, and feels the vacuum of spiritual power, with
the void being gladly met by demons filling the airways with
false prophetic words and counterfeit signs and wonders. The
church of Jesus Christ needs to arise now while there is time, and
turn away from those who have a form of godliness, but deny the
power thereof.4
I will rarely buy or
read a book on spiritual warfare unless it is recommended by
someone I regard. This is in no way to lessen the value of the
book contents or the author’s authority. It is only because I have
found it all a confusing maze. As we all seek to define the unseen
and understand and present a working tool, one view seemingly
conflicts with another. Or, as is so unfortunately true, one book
is totally opposed to another. We see through a glass darkly5
indeed. In failing to realize this, some people seem to lose sight
28
of the scripture wisdom from above is first of all pure, …willing
to yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits.6 We must
all realize that, and hold those truths we have. Hold tight that
which the Holy Spirit has taught and confirmed both in God’s
Word and at the mouths of two or more witnesses. And yet hold
it loose enough for Him to also widen and deepen those things we
understand.
Indeed there are many people, with partial truth and many unmet
needs of healing and deliverance, who have gone to extremes,
and the enemy has used them to cause the Body of Christ to
reject truth about the demonic realm. He inundates the open
minded with a few of these people and the stage is set to reject
the real.
There is a reality of the demonic and the spiritual world. Be open
to consider these and other truths about the spirit realm. It is
highly likely that you will come into an understanding as to why
your prayers seemed ineffective and why destruction came nigh
your dwelling places.
One thing you must possess is a
hatred for the enemy and the damage he has done. This will push
you through the tough places. Pressing through for revelation and
understanding will take great amounts of time in thought,
meditation and prayer. These, in turn, afford the Holy Spirit the
opportunity to give wisdom, revelation and prayer direction.
1
War in the Heavenlies, Hosanna Integrity.
Frank Peretti, This Present Darkness (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1986).
3
1 Cor 3:9-16
4
2 Tim 3:5
5
1 Cor 13:12
6
Jas 3:17
2
29
30
In order for any person to be greatly used by the Lord,
he must be brought to the place where he sees that God
has His need. Then he will understand that our lives on
earth should not be centered only on our own human
requirements, but on God’s requirements. To win souls
back to the Lord is for the benefit of men; to be used by
the Lord to deal with Satan is for the advantage of God.
To win souls solves man’s need; dealing with Satan
satisfies God’s need.1
There is a progression of freedom with three enemies of
the church: the world, the flesh and the devil. The
lowest plane of victory is the world. We must overcome
the spirit of the world and the things of the world first.
The next level is the flesh. The world is outward but the
flesh follows you, it is inward. Only after much dealing
by God, will our flesh be weakened and we can see the
enemy.2
We must learn to discern between the flesh,
the soul and the work of the demonic. It is only when you are
released from the flesh and the soul and walk by the Spirit that
you enter into warfare in the spirit realm. Prior to that, you
experience warfare, but it will only touch the realm of the flesh.
To further understand these subjects consider reading Spiritual
Man by Watchman Nee.3
God uses the trials in our life to deal with our flesh and soul
life. As we yield ourselves to Him and allow His hand to mold
us, we can then begin to discern demonic activity that may be
hindering us. The comedian Flip Wilson became very popular
from a routine that repeatedly stated, “The devil made me do
31
it!” All too often, believers walk in one of two extremes: (1)
on the one hand, only seeing natural problems, or (2) on the
other, blaming demonic activity for that which is simply flesh.
There are, however, mixtures that need to be discerned –
mixtures of our own flesh and demonic influences. One very
dramatic example I experienced involved weakening of a spirit
before it could be overcome. Before God could give me the
revelation of an offense to Him, a spirit over me had to be
addressed. I was experiencing an inability to stay focused
praying for a land area and requested prayer from a friend who is
a prophet. As he began to pray, I began yawning excessively.
This lasted for at least one half hour! He then informed me that
he felt the spirit was weakened sufficiently that I should be able
to overcome it. I had no idea what effect it would have. I was
graphically aware that something was happening with the almost
ridiculous amount of yawning.
The following morning God gave me an incredible revelation of
the “fear of man!” He showed me that to fear man is like having
your back to God and walking backwards toward Him, all the
while “facing man.” I was also acutely aware of the incredible
offense to God, which is not fear of man, but the lack of fear of
God! I physically felt like God turned me around to face Him. I
was disoriented as if I were now actually walking backwards,
when in truth I was now correctly facing God. Diagram II
illustrates this revelation.
Apparently there was a spirit blocking my prayer and it was
somehow related to fear of man. Without intervention I was not
able to see or overcome this spirit. Because my friend’s authority
and jurisdiction is on that level, he could weaken its power. The
mixture was, in part, my sin of fear of man, which is flesh, and a
strong demonic presence oppressing me.
Demonic spirits can cause physical manifestations. Although
there is no catalog of such things they are worth noting. In
warfare, the enemy seeks to veil his activities as natural
32
occurrences. For example, witchcraft causes many to feel nausea
or stiffness about the shoulders or tight bands about the head.
Mind control can cause a fogginess or tightness at the base of the
head. I find occult activity causes fogginess in my thinking
process. Divination brings in the spirit of confusion. Driving
spirits do just that -- drive a person into forced activity. There are
spirits of busyness that do the same. At one time, I professed
liking to be busy, until someone rebuked the spirit of busyness
and I changed dramatically! I no longer felt a compulsion to be
moving and doing. Familiar spirits are just that, and we are so
accustomed to them we need others to open our eyes to them.
They can cause us to be weighted down with feelings about
ourselves that are unscriptural such as being rejected, worthless,
hopeless, discouraged, etc. Although these fall under separate
categories, sometimes it is a group of familiar spirits that have
been around our families for generations. We can come to regard
them as part of our nationality’s identity, such as the stubborn
German or the hot-tempered Irish.
Every believer is given some measure of discernment because we
have the Holy Spirit within us. Some are gifted with discerning
of spirits. In either case, development of discernment is our
responsibility. The first step is to begin to think spiritually. A
good analogy is the first-time users of microwave ovens. People
were so accustomed to stovetop cooking that they had to be told
to “think microwave” to change their habits. Now most people
find they can live without the stovetop, but not without the
microwave. Think spiritually -- set your mind on things above.4
In developing discernment, you must spend time with God.
Learn to sit before the Lord, inquiring and separating situations
that have presented themselves in your life. Don’t judge
everything to be just natural, especially when things happen
repeatedly. Take those scenes before the Lord and ask Him what
is really occurring. Does someone have a root problem that
always manifests? If so, it is more than likely that a spirit is
working with that fleshly problem. Thus you have to bind the
spirit when you pray for that person.
33
For years I have given the picture of the difference between just
the flesh, and flesh with demonic backing. When there is a
demon moving with the problem, it is like having a locomotive
ramming into the back of the person empowering the problem.
Who would not want to remove the locomotive power before
trying to handle the problem?
Finally, you have to have an attitude of humility and a teachable
spirit. God can and does speak through many sources, even
Balaam’s ass. Listen to others; they could have a piece of the
picture or a view you don’t see.
There is authority all around us. There is natural
authority as seen in police, elected officials, employers, parents,
etc. In each of these areas, the people have an area of jurisdiction
over which they can exercise their authority. It is limited in its
sphere of influence. Likewise, there is spiritual authority with its
spheres of influence. There is “house” authority in each church
in the form of elders, ministry leaders, etc. There is authority in
the gathering of even two believers. There is authority that
comes with gifting, and we need to be sensitive to this. The
presiding authority can change in the midst of a meeting. If the
moment calls for a particular gift or anointing, the person whom
God uses most strongly in that area steps into the place of
authority for that phase. This does not override the leader’s
authority, however, which is an overall authority for the work.
The leader, if mature, recognizes the authority of the Lord
through other believers and simply maintains oversight for
direction and protection. As we are all still dealing with the
possible intrusion of flesh or demonic, that oversight is
important, as is also accountability to one another. Most of all, a
humble attitude toward God and one another is a great protection.
The Holy Spirit can then lead and direct, and all will rejoice!
Recognizing leadership authority cannot be understated when it
comes to direct combat with the forces of darkness. The leader
34
carries a responsibility and a grace from God that is meant for
protection. We do well to have a healthy respect for the
adversary whom we address; realizing that he will only bow to
the authority of the Risen Lord. If we step out of the place of
submission to the Lord, we stand in our own authority, which is
no authority at all. Submission to the Lord is seen in our
submission to God-given leadership. If a leader is out of line,
God will deal with that person Himself.
I once had someone inquire in a group as to a discernment issue.
The question was, if she had discerned no problem, but I felt
strongly about an issue, why should she listen to me and not her
own discernment? It was an honest question perhaps you will
face. My answer followed the logic above. I have a history of
being used by God in demonic discernment areas and being
accurate. I was also brought in to minister and thus carried that
authority as well. In such a case you should show deference to
the gift and authority carried by another. If an individual believes
they must discern and confirm everything before they will move
with the group, they may be moving with an independent spirit.
God causes us to be interdependent.
All authority has a limited sphere of influence. That sphere is
called jurisdiction, and is assigned by God and confirmed by
man. Although man may appoint leaders, if God does not
initiate that authority it has only earthly authority, not heavenly
authority. When it comes to issues in the demonic, if God does
not back you, demons will know immediately.
There is a progression in levels of authority. As we overcome
spirits that invade our lives or spheres of influence, we gain
authority over those same spirits in other places God sends us to
work. It should be obvious that if we were overcome by
something in our person or home, that it would pay no mind to us
anywhere else. If I overcome fear and I encounter that spirit
overcoming another, I have authority that will be recognized by
that spirit when I bind it. Demons can spot a pretender
immediately. They also know those who have overcome their
35
“spiritual” peers. You could say, we gain a reputation among
spirits. 5
God gives levels of authority and influence in spiritual warfare. I
often say the reward for winning a battle is a bigger battle! There
is truth in that statement, but it doesn’t necessarily mean God
changes the sphere of that authority. Some are given authority
for personal deliverance and low-level demonic activity such as
seen in homes, church meetings, and strife situations -- in other
words the earth realm. Others have varying authority in the
second heaven. Some are assigned to occult-level warfare which
includes witchcraft, curses, control spirits, divination, etc. These
occult spirits move from the second heaven and influence man to
work with them, knowingly or unknowingly. Knowing
participants are involved in new age works, psychic activity,
Wicca and false religions.
Sometimes we are given increased jurisdiction, and then we learn
and increase in discernment as we move with God. For example,
I was given a strong prophetic word about God sending me into a
battle and that if I would not go He would discipline me. I later
realized through a series of events that I was being called to
warfare against occult activity, and I really wanted to back up,
but I remembered the word. I had been given authority for the
work, but I had to first learn the nature of the occult, how it
works with people, and how to deal with it in prayer.
The progression beyond that is over spheres and territories in the
heavenlies. I had been praying with someone whom I knew had
authority in areas in the heavenlies that I did not. I heard Him
pray that God would call intercessors that worked on a different
level. This warrior was able to discern what was at a different
level, but knew he had no authority there. Even though we can
discern something, it does not mean we have the authority to
move the enemy.
As the years progressed, I have known by revelation that God
was increasing my jurisdiction. It is not something you seek nor
36
something you should resist. Everything in the Kingdom of God
is our being slaves to Christ and obedient to His desires. The
statement “new level - new devil” is formed from a real truth. If
and when God does change where He has chosen you to pray and
war, one indication of that will be new warfare. You will find
yourself possibly “rattling” and uncertain. It is like being
suddenly moved from your old comfortable home and sat down
in a new house in a new state! It takes a period of adjustment. It
is helpful to keep this in mind because it makes the transition
easier.
There is much said of covering in the last few
years. Much of what is referred to as covering is nothing more
than a question of “who controls you.” On the other hand, God
will interconnect us and put us into accountability relationships,
and we had better follow Him. Being in the will of God provides
real covering. There is no protection when we are following our
own ideas.
The second important aspect is the protection of the Blood of
Jesus Christ, and for this I say, “Go for the Blood.” Several
years ago I was quickened by the Holy Spirit to start praying for
the covering of the blood over my children. I would pray several
times a day, as it would be quickened to me. During this period I
came across a book, which spoke of some who were
“superstitiously” praying for the blood over cars and objects. It
contrasted such prayer with being quickened with a particular
scripture or directional leading. Although I agree that we can be
fearful and pray superstitiously, I had no sense of doing that. The
book influenced me to stop praying the blood, but after several
days I became uncomfortable. Praying the blood was reality for
me, not superstition, and was based on many quickened or
spoken words from the Holy Spirit. In obedience to a spoken
word from the Holy Spirit, every prayer is appropriate and
necessary.
Now I always pray for my family, especially my son, during
37
times of travel and ministry. My son has been a target of the
enemy since grammar school. He was robbed of a leather coat in
a friend’s yard at gunpoint in sixth or seventh grade. He had a
car pull up beside him on one of his first days of driving (age 16)
and the man pulled a gun out and pointed it straight at his head.
The gun misfired and he was able to get away. During one
particular trip, which was devoted to prayer and seeking God, I
never thought of praying protection over my children. On the
way home, I realized I had never once prayed the blood, nor
asked for God’s angelic shielding. It startled me to realize that.
Upon arrival home, I found my son bruised and battered; his eye
was so swollen shut that he could not remove his contact lens. It
was only after a week that his eyelid would respond and open at
will! His retina had a potential to tear, but thankfully has healed.
You may wonder at this, but God had His hand at work here as
well. I believe God caused me not to pray that protection so that
my son could escape from a more serious involvement with
gangs. He told us he had gotten involved with a wrong group and
wanted out. The only way out was to allow them to beat on you
for five minutes. He said it could have been much worse and that
“he caught a blessing.” It was quickened in my spirit that if I had
pled the Blood of Jesus I would have hindered my son’s release
from the gang. Many young men are too afraid of the beating
and remain caught in these gangs. How important it is to be
sensitive to the precise details of how the Holy Spirit is leading
you to pray.
I do believe God provides for a covering that is not a mere form,
but comes as God connects His Body together. Isaiah 30:1 warns
us of God’s view of seeking our own covering:
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take
counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering,
but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin.
God divinely connects us and we carry a responsibility of prayer
for others. Some refer to this as a “Cornelius” connection. To
38
merely have the approval of a church or leader, without knowing
the individual and their ministry or having the Divine burden of
watching in prayer, affords little protection if any. This is not
something which man creates but is a reality before God.
Otherwise we are moving in fleshly independence or
codependence, or adding sin to sin.
Communion is another important aspect of protection. Again, we
must “Go for the Blood.” As we individually and corporately
partake of the communion elements, we acknowledge the reality
of His broken body for our sin and sickness, and His blood for
our redemption and covering. When you take the wine, remind
the realm of the spirit that you have a “covenant in blood” with
the Lord Jesus Christ, who defeated death, hell and the grave.
Remind the enemy that they must come through the blood to get
to you and all God has given to you.
As it cannot be overstated, if you are walking where God has
called you to walk, doing what He has ordered, you are protected.
BE NOT AFRAID! No matter what it may look like, walk
boldly. The enemy will challenge and charge, but he can do
nothing that God does not allow; and even then, this will
strengthen you for future onslaught by the enemy.
There are three indicators for
confirmation of God’s will: the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the
teaching of the scriptures and the provision of environment.6
There are so many people who claim: “God told them” or “God
directed them,” but I have rarely seen anyone who uses all three
indicators. Most often, people are depending on only one or two
aspects: the written Word that man can follow aside from the
Holy Spirit’s inspiration, or the more subjective form, which is
God’s voice. Inspiration of the Holy Spirit needs to be separated
from our own soul’s desires or the leadings of the enemy. The
Holy Spirit is usually powerful yet quiet, gradual and not
compulsive. He waits for the agreement of your free will and
seldom uses force. He waits for you to decide and test and agree.
39
Yes, I know we have Jonah’s big fish, and Paul’s blind walk
down Damascus road, but these are exceptions. In general, He
will gently love you, encourage you, bless you and lure you back
to His will.
Your own soul is moved by emotion, and that can be positive,
causing energy -- or negative, causing weariness. Be aware of
the environment around your soul. If the Holy Spirit is moving
and you have trained yourself to obey, you can move no matter
what the feelings are within. When you are elated, it is best to
wait a while to discern if you heard God or just your own excited
emotions. The Holy Spirit’s leading can stand the test; our
emotions and demonic leading cannot. A demonic suggestion
will fade, but one from the Holy Spirit is afforded the opportunity
to grow stronger with time. Emotional circumstances quickly
dwindle as the body grows tired and those unctions fade also. Of
course, this does not apply to a crisis situation which would
require immediate action.
The confirmation of the Scriptures needs to be the whole of the
Bible and not just isolated passages. Knowing the fullness of
God’s revealed Word and His nature, is of utmost importance.
Sometimes, however, God seems to lead us in what appears to be
contrary to His Word. If it is truly God, He will never lead
contrary to His Word. What in truth is happening, in most cases,
is that He is leading us contrary to our prejudiced idea as to what
we think His Word says. In these cases, learning the voice of the
Holy Spirit and obedience, coupled together, give God the
opportunity to dismantle false perceptions of what the Word says.
In a few cases, God runs contrary to our theology, saving us from
our presumptions and tendency to adopt methods, cutting out the
need for a living God; e.g., Hosea’s experience with Gomer; or
the mass divorce in Ezra 9-10.
The spirit of religion is the
enemy of relationship. Religion is composed of man’s ideas,
laws, methods and forms, however good they may seem. As a
40
matter of fact, Paul’s speech at Mars Hill (Amplified Version)
casts another slant on the word “religion,” in Acts 17:22:
Men of Athens, I perceive in every way – on every hand
and with every turn I make – that you are most religious
(very reverent to demons).
If you check many translations, you will find the words
“religion” and “superstition” used interchangeably, with each
word appearing in about half of the translations.
Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy
Spirit. We are to eat of the fruit of the tree of life and that comes
by abiding in Christ and being led by His Spirit, confirmed by
His Word, and not the reverse. As subtle as it may be, many
attempt to conform their lives to the written Word of God, and
have no real understanding of spending time with God seeking
His wisdom, direction and strength. Without the Holy Spirit’s
direction we can easily rely on our own talents, gifts and good
works. God is only interested in obedience and our total
dependence upon Him. Watchman Nee describes these human
talents as “outside the church.”
What is truly the church? It is that part which is taken
out of Christ, and not what is naturally made with dust.
The church is the new man, built by God, with Christ as
the material. Whatever is natural is outside of the church,
for only what comes out of Christ is the church. Human
ability, concept, power -- all those things that are of man
-- are outside of the church. That which comes from
Christ alone is the church7.
The Holy Spirit speaks to us through our spirit and not directly to
our mind. He is compared to anointing oil, which is rubbed on.
Our mind then seeks the understanding of that movement. Man’s
mind and other spirits speak from the “outside” impressing the
mind with a myriad of thoughts. You must take note of the
41
source of revelations, whether within or without, and that is not
always obvious. We must learn to be aware of our spirit. We are
much more accustomed to relating to our soul and its moods and
thoughts. It takes conscious effort to become sensitive to our
spirit. For further understanding of the workings of our spirit and
the Holy Spirit see Spiritual Man.8
1
Sentinel Kulp, The Secrets to Spiritual Power: from the writings of
Watchman Nee (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1998), 153.
2
Watchman Nee, The Finest of the Wheat Vol. Two (New York: Christian
Fellowship Publishers, Inc., 1993), 321-322.
3
Watchman Nee, The Spiritual Man (New York: Christian Fellowship
Publishers, Inc., 1968).
4
AMP Col 3:2
5
Acts 19:15
6
Watchman Nee, Take Heed (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers,
Inc., 1991) 140-153.
7
Watchman Nee, Secrets to Spiritual Power: from the writings of Watchman
Nee, (New Kensington, PA, Whitaker House, 1998), p. 151.
8
Watchman Nee, Spiritual Man (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers,
Inc., 1968).
42
God has an economy system in which nothing is wasted. This is
true in warfare with the enemy as well. God uses demonic attack
to expose our own weak areas. We are only as strong as our
weakest link and many do not realize this. Demons know us
better than we know ourselves and they use it to their advantage.
God commands us to love Him with our whole heart, mind and
soul and have no other gods before Him. It is very easy to hold
family, jobs, money, church, etc. in an idolatrous place. We need
to be careful of placing people, even those in authority, in an
idolatrous place. The book of Romans addresses worshipping the
creature more than the creator, and God gave them up unto vile
affections. Is not the epidemic of homosexuality the physical
evidence of man’s worship of man instead of the living God?1
God will even use painful means to separate us from our idolatry
and set us apart unto Himself.
Holding anything as more valuable than our obedience to God, is
the exact area that will be attacked in the battle ahead. Many fear
for their children. All that has to happen is something that
apparently threatens those children and that person is tempted to
back off. Many years ago, realizing that my weak link was my
kids, I determined that I would not stop, no matter what. I
addressed the enemy like this: “I do not believe that God will
allow you to take the life of my children, but if He does, I will
still follow God wherever He leads me.”
I have been threatened in my marriage, church relationships and
personal friendships. In every area that I discerned the threat, I
determined to face it head on. I took the fear to its most
disastrous conclusion and determined what I would do, thus
disarming my fear. I had to be very realistic. This is no exercise
in the mind. We face a formidable enemy who does not make
43
idle threats. We are in a real war and there are indeed casualties
of war. There is a price to be paid, but we can trust our Heavenly
Father with everything that pertains to us as we set our hearts on
what concerns Him. We give God pleasure when we bring the
victory of His Son to bear on His enemy.
It is absolutely imperative to have
understanding of what Jesus Christ has accomplished at Calvary.
We do not fight a war that is taking place now; we are enforcing
a victory that has already taken place. Jesus defeated Satan and
all his forces at Calvary. Indeed “it is finished.” The final
revealing of that victory will take place when He returns, but we
are to bring the authority of His Kingdom to bear on the kingdom
of the usurper until Christ comes.
Warfare prayer differs from other types of prayer in that it is not
a prayer of request, but a prayer of dominion. John Piper
expounds on this purpose of prayer in The Pleasures of God:
Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God.
!
"
#
%
+
, $!
"
- " .
!'
"
&
&
$ $!
$' (
) $ !
*
&
!
, ! #
$/! 0
"
1
"
#
"
%
"
#*2(
"
*
+
%
3
4
%
44
"
*
"
%
"
1
"
"
1
2
The spiritual realm can be best understood from the perspective
of a court of law. We see this Biblically when Satan appears
before God accusing Joshua.3 Everything is legal, with the
enemy attempting illegal activity when he discovers that we are
ignorant of our rights before God. I am grieved as I watch
believers living as if there were no enemy at work. They live
with the world’s ideas of fate or luck. They live with a false
sense of being protected and then, when disaster happens, they
cannot understand it. In truth, demonic forces are at work in a
myriad of ways eroding our homes, churches, ministries and
work places. In many cases, that erosion began long before the
final disaster is seen. We remain as those blind or asleep, only to
be awakened when the calamity hits. Because of this, many fall
away or accuse God. What is even worse is that the world sees
no difference in the lives of those who claim belief in Jesus
Christ. Indeed it will rain on the just and the unjust,4 but we
should stand out in the midst of every storm in victory that shines
in the darkness.
We must also identify the destruction Satan has wreaked upon
this earth and its inhabitants. We need to realize how his work
has made us and those around us suffer. We must generate a
heart of hatred toward Satan for his cruelty and hate that which
God hates. We must maintain a hostile attitude that is offensive
instead of defensive. We must begin to assault the kingdom of
darkness unrelentingly. Unfortunately many believe if they leave
Satan alone he will leave them alone. Nothing could be farther
from the truth!
Martin Niemoeller, a Lutheran pastor who angered Hitler with his
rebellious sermons, and was imprisoned and placed in
concentration camps, is best known for his powerful statement
about the failure of Germans to speak out against the Nazis:
45
5
+ ""
6
"
+ ""
0
0
7
"1
1
0
1
"
#
"
1
-
1
"
"
How often we write off as temperament those actions that are
nothing but a demonic manifestation in others. We bow to fear
and control spirits in the name of submission. We settle for so
much less than reigning with Christ in the name of being content
in all things. It is often nothing more than passivity, fear or
worse yet, laziness.
I am grateful I never was allowed such a “luxury” (to remain
unaware of such spiritual battles). I was born again and baptized
in the Holy Spirit within seven weeks of each other. Immediately
upon receiving the baptism of the Spirit, I was mentally attacked
with doubt and unbelief, the strength of which I have not
encountered since. The enemy told me I was mesmerized and
that Jesus Christ did not exist. I sat reading my Bible for a week
reminding myself of the historical fact that a man named Jesus
Christ did indeed walk the earth. When I finally spoke to
someone of my thoughts, they immediately rebuked the devil. I
didn’t even know he existed! I knew then that I had been
baptized a warrior! I often say much of my training was over a
kitchen table praying with a friend for God’s wisdom. I learned
warfare just to survive, and I thank God for that training.
The body has been given five senses
which interact with the natural world – sight, smell, touch, taste
and hearing. The soul also has three main components – mind
(intellect), will and emotion. The spirit of man has three main
components – intuition, communion and conscience. These
faculties were given to commune with God. In God’s intended
order Adam communed with God out of the faculty of his spirit
with his soul acting between his spirit and his body. The soul
46
was to take its direction from the spirit and govern the body.
After the fall, the spirit of man sunk and man’s soul usurped the
spirit’s position. We must now discipline our soul to come under
the rule of our spirit governed by the rule of the Holy Spirit. God
gives revelation directly to the spirit of man. The soul (mind)
then receives that revelation and brings it into understanding.
In the Old Testament God gave a word to a prophet and he
repeated that word. In the New Testament God chooses to allow
the flavor of the speaker’s personality to come through with that
word. Because man’s soul can be involved, it is important that
we discern and judge words that come to us. It places
responsibility on individual believers to maintain a relationship
with God through the Holy Spirit, and to learn to receive and hear
from God through others.
I believe there is much confusion under the name “spiritual.” We
tend to call “spiritual” that which is not natural. That tendency,
however, is incorrect. Spiritual is that which derives from the
spirit realm. Much of which is currently called spiritual falls into
the category of the psychic, and much of that originates out of the
soul. The word psychic is derived from psyche.
•
•
Psyche (noun): soul; self; also mind
Psychic: Of or relating to the psyche; lying outside the
sphere of the physical science. In the thesaurus psychic
reads: pertaining to thinking. The synonyms are:
cerebral, intellective, intellectual, psychic.
The definition itself should tell us that psychic activity has
nothing to do with the spirit, but is from the soul or intellectual
part of man.
Many of the workings in the mind
have a seeming “voice,” however inaudible. Spirit is spirit and
flesh (human beings) is flesh. God is spirit and we don’t have to
speak to Him audibly to be heard. We commune with God by
47
and through our spirit. Prayer many times originates in our
minds - addressing, petitioning, worshipping, etc., and much of
that is inaudible. This is a correct communication with God.
In contrast, brooding, worry, fear, and anger are often inaudible
thoughts cycling over and over, looming over our minds like dark
clouds. These thoughts, which often remain in this realm, can
produce something observable later! For example, angry
thoughts can become explosive either internally or externally.
The very passive easy-going person suddenly acts totally out of
character in strong, possibly even bizarre behavior. People seem
unable to comprehend this sudden change, when it really began a
long time before it manifested to the sight of others. It began in
the thought life. Depression can be another manifestation of
anger - repressed anger, worry or fear. Some depression is
nothing but turned in anger or “an inner temper tantrum!” Anger
can also manifest in extreme passivity or hopelessness.
At times we have perceived the thoughts of another person, and
do not realize they are not our own. I had this proven to me a
number of years ago after I had taught a class. A friend of mine
asked me if I had noticed that I directed my speaking to the right
side of the room, rarely turning to the left side. Upon thought, I
realized that was true. She then informed me that everyone that
was opposing me was sitting on the left side of the room, which
again I had to agree was true. She told me that I was drawn to
the receiving side because I was discerning the thoughts of
disagreement. I avoided turning to the left.
Later I encountered something similar. I brought a woman to a
healing school in Chicago. She had several ailments and I felt it
would benefit her to sit in a concentrated class on healing. After
the class, there was prayer and testimonies of healings. Although
I am very strong in the scriptural basis for healing, I found myself
inundated with thoughts of doubt such as: the validity of the
healings, the need of medical confirmation and thoughts of this
being emotional response relieving the pain. I remembered my
friend’s instruction on how we can perceive other people’s
thoughts and decided to test it for myself. After we arrived at the
48
car I asked the lady what she thought of the meeting and the
healings. I was to quickly discover that the exact thing I was
thinking is what she was thinking and these doubts were not my
thoughts at all. Jesus was often said to “perceive” the thoughts of
the Pharisees.
Some “inaudible thoughts” may be the projected ideas of
demons. If we receive these thoughts, they can cause you to take
part in curses, witchcraft praying, mind control, explosive
behavior, withdrawal, channeling and much more. The Western
world, with its technology and intellectual pride, has mocked any
reality that cannot be scientifically proven; therefore, we miss
many of the weapons of the enemy.
The flesh affords great access
for demons. Low-level warfare is in the fleshly realm. Where
there is envy, strife and jealousy, there is confusion and every
evil work. 6 Fleshly thoughts at the basic level, when they are
voiced, can become like cartoon speech bubbles or “helium
balloons” above our heads. These balloons are then scooped up
by demons as ammunition against the target. This happens
frequently in low-level warfare.
Strife and division, which are rampant in the church, work
primarily with the flesh and carnal thoughts. We are commanded
to walk in the Spirit, set our mind on things above and grow up
into Christ. Murmuring, jealousy or other such thoughts can light
runway lights for real witchcraft cursing to land in any group to
cause destruction! The command to “take every thought
captive to Christ” is not a distant goal to be reached, but a
tactical defensive weapon against enemy inroads both
personally and corporately.
Many years ago, I came to an understanding of
curses and their power. It seemed obvious to me that if we were
subject to every apparent cursing in life around us we would walk
49
under a continuous oppression. Proverbs speaks of a causeless
curse not alighting. 7 This often leads believers to feel safe and
secure. However, when the source of the curse is demonic, the
curse is not nearly so harmless.
In one type of curse it is a person’s negative personality,
bitterness or resentment coming out in words. This is common
cursing when something goes wrong. It usually originates in
anger or offense, and often uses profanity to vent that anger.
Although this certainly affects the person and makes them
unpleasant to be around, it does not constitute the word curse we
must specifically deal with. Word curses that originate with the
prompting of demonic forces contain much greater power. When
a demon suggests the thoughts and those words are spoken
out, they can be used to oppress, control or even destroy
another individual.
A good example of this happened many years ago. The Lord
gently spoke to me about studying curses. The summer passed,
and I had not gotten to it. One afternoon, the pastor’s wife
invited my friend over to speak with her. She told her of a dream
she had several months earlier. The details of the dream I do not
now remember, but apparently it reinforced this woman’s belief
that my friend was very wrong and was destroying her home.
The dream was obviously demonic; that was very clear to me.
The effect on my friend, however, was to go into a semi-trancelike state. I could not break through to her. The next morning I
awoke with the words “break the curses.” The problem was, I
didn’t know how, because I hadn’t followed my leading.
After seeking counsel from a deliverance minister, we were
instructed to not only break the curse, but to command the demon
to loose her and let her go. This pastor was in agreement with
my discernment that it was a spirit of divination that worked with
this woman. He told us that every time she thought of my friend
and spoke, it would assign a new curse that would have to be
broken again. This proved to be true: this cycle of cursing would
continue until they moved and were out of sight.
50
Be aware of this demonic working through people. If you discern
strong demonic activity around someone, know the enemy will
endeavor to cause them to judge you and speak against you,
bringing curses upon you and the work you do. We must indeed
be alert, wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.8
Projections are thoughts sent
from the mind toward another individual or group. They are
intensely focused and can be empowered by the soul’s emotions,
such as anger, bitterness or jealousy. They can also be
empowered by the latent powers within the soul. Finally they can
be used by demons to force their will on people or situations.
When Adam was
created he was endued with great power in his soul; however, his
spirit ruled his soul. Upon the fall of man, God submerged these
powers, since these were not intended for man’s use apart from
His direction. Satan has a great desire to use those powers for his
own purposes. Until recently, only after arduous rigors, could a
few access those abilities. With the coming of Mesmer and
hypnosis, those latent powers of the soul became accessible. God
has forbidden the use of this latent power because we are
corrupted with sin. For further explanation see Latent Power of
the Soul.9
Strong psychic abilities fall into this category. I met a man once
who told me how he formerly mocked Christians’ lack of power.
He said he would astral-project into a room, listen to a
conversation and return with the information. He found
Christianity to be powerless compared to his own abilities. This
is just one example of the soul’s latent power.
God placed man’s mind in the position of a
“gate keeper” to guard his innermost being. We are never to try
to blank our mind or make the mind passive. This technique is
51
taught in cults that use chanting, mantras, prayers and other
mindless verses and repetitive prayers. These methods are meant
to blank the mind of all thought, allowing it to be available as a
receiver. Hypnotism and drugs have the same effect on the mind.
When this is done, we have violated God’s law and have opened
the door to demons using our mind. This can be vividly seen in
psychics and necromancers (people talking to the dead). These
people make their voices available to be used by another spirit.
Sometimes the entire body is taken over. Channeling is the flow
of a demonic force through a passive or blanked mind.
Even a Christian can make himself available as a channel if he
does not understand that God does not speak directly to the mind
from the outside. God speaks directly to the human spirit, which
is the place of communion with God, and requires the mind to
work in cooperation. In the belief that God speaks directly to the
mind, believers accept thoughts that come from the outside.
Demons speak from the outside to the mind (excluding the
demon possessed).
Believers need to be
careful in prayer. I have rarely heard it taught to be careful to
pray to the Father in accordance with His Word. People in their
sincerity can mistakenly take their ideas of God’s will for
another, and direct their prayers toward the person instead of to
God. There is also a teaching of envisioning the person for
whom you are praying, and it can end with you imposing your
own will upon another person.
Praying with specific direction is wrong; e.g., “God, cause Julie
to go to this particular healing meeting.” It is correct to express
your thought to God that perhaps that would be helpful for Julie,
but pray that God cause her to walk as He sees fit in that regard.
Pray for release of what is needed, help, healing etc. as God
designs it to come to Julie. We need to ever be careful to pray the
Word of God and not our opinion for someone. It is best to allow
the Holy Spirit to quicken what He wants prayed, and then come
into agreement with His Word.
52
Should you find a heavy oppression over yourself you may need
to ask the Holy Spirit if any misdirected prayers are being prayed
toward you. If so, pray for the Blood of Jesus to shield you from
all soul power and break that power off of yourself. Although
the term “charismatic witchcraft” is commonly used, God has
given me a clear word that it should not be sanctified with the
word charismatic. It is witchcraft.
In the same regard, we need to be careful about coming into
agreement with conversations that are negative or judgmental,
not to mention gossip. That agreement holds power, and if
directly inspired by demons will be used to greatly oppress an
individual.
Some people work with soulish prayers, dreams, visions and
curses as part of a religion called Wicca. They believe in “white
witchcraft.” The person is deceived into believing white
witchcraft is for the benefit of others and only black witchcraft is
evil. The people working in these areas do not realize they are
pawns in a much larger arena in the spirit realm. God calls all
forms of witchcraft an abomination.
I heard a tape by John Paul
Jackson several years ago. His understanding has helped me to
clarify some aspects about the difference between that which is
psychic but looks prophetic. My remembrance of his revelation
is the following: His understanding was that the “gift”, we call
prophetic ability, was given by God at birth. That “gift” is a
receiver. This gift is the ability to “receive” communication from
the spiritual realm. There are two signals being broadcast in that
realm, God’s and the demonic. When a person persistently
refuses God’s communication, God stops transmitting. Then the
person receives only demonic communication.
He goes on to speak of the difference in the two communication
lines. God’s communication line is “revelation.” God, who
knows the beginning from the end, speaks, and it will come to
53
pass. Satan’s line, however, is an “information” line. There are
demons in other places communicating information to open
“receivers” (psychics and others). This information is for
demonic gain and they have no need to correct any information,
which may change due to circumstances. Thus we see much
error in psychic prediction.
The source from which people receive is not always clearly
evident without investigation. Several years ago a friend referred
a woman to me for help. He described her as “mystical.” She
described herself as a Christian and told me there was much
demonic activity in her family. From outside appearances she
was a refined woman, intelligent and very spiritually
knowledgeable. The description of mystical was quite
appropriate. After several meetings, I found disturbing character
traits. I also had questions about the people with whom she
traveled and spent her time. Others dismissed her actions as less
serious than I felt they were. As is the nature of the way I work, I
began to separate and file my observations. I would subtly
question her when it seemed she should have had more
discernment. I would dismiss my questions because she usually
had reasons for the discrepancy, and this temporarily abated my
immediate concern.
My final conversation found her in New Orleans during the
Mardi Gras. She told me of being set up in a demonic trap, how
she had physically fallen, and was now in a cast due to a serious
leg break. In the process of praying for her on the phone, I could
not sense any breaking of the demonic oppression around her. I
resorted to praying a written warfare prayer with her, which
bound nearly every spirit that can be named in witchcraft and
demonic activities; but still I had no sense of release. Our
conversation ended and I never heard from her again. I believe
this was because the demons using her knew they had been
exposed.
About a month later I was informed that she was a witch. I called
the person who said that for concrete evidence of such a charge.
The evidence was strong enough for me to believe she had indeed
54
been involved in witchcraft. Remembering my own discernment,
and what she herself told me of God’s warnings to her, I believe
God sent her to me as a last attempt to reach her.
As opposed to low-level
warfare, which is in the fleshly realm, occult warfare involves a
complex network in heavenly places. That network uses multiple
organizations to oppress mankind. Some of these organizations
are totally aware of their cooperation as seen in satanic churches.
Others, such as Wicca, claim they do not believe the devil exists,
but are being used nonetheless. Any organization or person who
violates the spiritual laws set in place by God, can and will be
accessed to do the bidding of demons in this cosmic war, with or
without their permission.
•
Occult defined: not revealed, secret; of or relating to
supernatural agencies, their effects or knowledge of them.
While in a meeting shortly after God assigned me to occult level
warfare, I had a vision of myself in a concrete box from the neck
down. I heard the Lord say: “They want you dead.” I wondered
at what I saw when others came over spontaneously to pray for
me. I said nothing of my vision until a brother expressed alarm
over seeing me entombed in rock. It was significant that the Lord
showed him this, as he was not prone to a strong belief in
warfare. Now God had my attention. I asked God who would
want me dead. I was immediately aware the “they” were occult
spirits.
I have a friend who has worked intensely in court to bring to
justice cases involving child-molesting rings. He is fully aware
that these rings are involved in satanic ritual activities. He has
been targeted for death on a number of occasions. On one
occasion, as he was driving to a meeting, he found himself
turning at an intersection where he did not intend to turn. He
heard the Holy Spirit tell him it was a trap, but remained on the
road, reasoning about the extra time it would take to turn around.
55
He was then hit broadside so hard the police could not believe he
was able to walk away. He later said it was as if his mind was
totally controlled by an outside force.
At a later date, he was invited to a meeting with a pastor and
another man. The pastor asked him to explain to this man what
he felt was going on in the area in which he was prosecuting
these cases. My friend explained the network he saw which
involved drugs, child abuse and Satanism. The man then
informed him that he was a former police chief in Florida, and
that he felt this same evil work was happening in every region.
He recommended reading The Franklin Cover-Up,10 which is the
true story of child abuse, Satanism and murder in Nebraska. A
former state senator wrote it. This is a good picture of the
networking of the occult, which is not just in dark rooms; it is in
high places with respected people. I must advise, however, that it
is graphic reading and the testimonies of the child victims are
horrific.
Dealing with the occult network is not obvious. It takes
discernment to untangle and discover power sources. It uses
channeling, mind control, witchcraft, curses, hexes, vexes,
divination, blinds and double blinds, handlers and agents and
many other multiplied resources.
As in any military war, there are leaders who direct commanders
of thousands and hundreds and down. So too in the realm of the
spirit, there are levels of power residing above the occult level.
There are political spirits working over nations. It is obvious by
looking at the sphere of influence of people such as Hitler, Mao,
Stalin and other such leaders of mass destruction, that there are
powerful demons that coordinate such atrocities.
It is God who brings particular individuals and groups into this
place of intercession at His bidding. He also gives the necessary
understanding of how to wage war. Suffice it to say that wisdom
is to remain where God has appointed you, and not seek that
which has not been assigned to you. One thing I have come to
understand though is that victory in battle affords the reward of a
56
new and more difficult battle! With this in mind, learn well what
God has to teach you in whatever battle He places you. Perhaps
one day you will find you are called upon for higher levels and
will need all the equipping He has given you.
Several years ago I was at a conference
entitled “Emerging Prophets and Apostles.” Much of the
conference focused on the benefits gained through the leadership
and network of this particular ministry, which served as a model.
The morning of the last session, during worship, I discerned
something brush past me. It was like a wind had woven through
the room. I heard the Holy Spirit tell me not to get caught up in
that. When I inquired as to what that was, I was given an
understanding of cloning spirits. They had apparently just swept
into the room desiring to take advantage of the hunger of the
people for the networking and covering described in the
meetings. It was extremely interesting to me when the speaker
announced that his message was to tell every person to “be
himself.” He was very different than any of the other men in the
network who had been mentored by this apostle. He was using
that very point to make his case for uniqueness. It was indeed a
needed message, and yet I wonder if it was even heard after the
invasion of the cloning spirits. They had come to seal in the idea
that success was looking exactly like this ministry.
Another strong tactic the enemy
employs involves spirits of jealousy. I was on a ministry trip and
had an open vision in which I saw snakes encircling me, snakes
of jealousy. I was told that they would attack several people
close to me. I had to pray and break through the fear to come out
of that vision victoriously, and I knew it. I won and left
determined not to change direction.
Although demons are liars they do not always lie. True to their
threat, I was attacked with the very thing they threatened for two
years. Several individuals were assaulted with jealousy over an
57
extended period of time. The enemy’s intent was to use that
jealousy to fuel negative thoughts and actions toward me. One
person told me of direct attacks on several occasions, one on the
way to a meeting. She expressed a sudden surge of jealousy but
was able to reject it, recognizing it as not natural to her to be
jealous. Another told me of thoughts and feelings leveled at them
about me that they felt certain were untrue, but had to tell them to
me to dispel the thoughts.
A primary weapon of Satan is the
tactic of wearing out the saints. This weapon operates by the
continuous irritation and repetition of a problem over a long time
period, or the one-two punch of several areas in a short time
period. One reason for its effectiveness is that we lose sight of
the fact it is the work of the enemy. We begin to blame
circumstances, people or ourselves for the problems.
Discouragement is another area that needs close attention. If you
are unable to overcome discouragement within a day or so, you
need to call someone for prayer and encouragement. Remember
the meaning of discouragement is none other than loss of
courage! How can you fight the good fight of faith without
courage?
Doubt and unbelief of the demonic from those around us,
especially those important to us, can be a much used weapon.
Because the enemy has been so effective for so long in the
church, blinding the saints to the reality of his work, you will
encounter this spirit everywhere. He has used extreme and
misinformed individuals to cause some to “throw the baby out
with the bath water.” In the fear of extremes or abuses, much
truth has been cancelled. Doubt and unbelief is a spirit that needs
to be recognized and bound.
In true deliverance, there is a
spirit-to-spirit confrontation. Your spirit engages and addresses a
58
demonic spirit and challenges its right of habitation by the
authority of Jesus Christ. Demons can be warred with and
addressed in your prayer language. I have experienced strong
tongues being directed at a spirit, while at the same time knowing
exactly what I was saying and commanding. It is a powerful and
effective weapon and they will move. Win Worley in his book,
Diary of an Exorcist11 spoke of a demon speaking back to him in
tongues through the person. Win Worley knew exactly what was
being spoken back and forth.
Deliverance is not necessarily a planned activity. If you are
walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, demons will often be
forced to manifest. One time I had a word of knowledge for a
young missionary girl. It was a word of God’s intended blessing
that evening, which I told her of so she would not leave before
prayer ministry time. When I went to pray for her, I spoke of the
love the Lord had for her and she fell to the floor, manifesting in
a snake like motion with loud noises. I was startled to say the
least. The leader of the group joined me and she was freed from
a strong demonic presence that had been over her life for years.
On another occasion I approached a very sweet lady who ran a
ministry. I had discerned nothing prior to praying for her. I had
a word from the Lord, which I expressed to her. The word was
about her emotions. She immediately bent forward and I heard
swearing coming from this most gentile woman. I decided to tell
the others praying for her not to touch her. Everything took on a
greater intensity from that point. Apparently that clued the
demons in that they were exposed and would be cast out. I
continued to pray for deliverance until I felt she was released.
Later the woman tearfully told me she had been crying out to
God for help.
We must be careful in deliverance to help the person separate
from the work of demons or the shame that they would like to
inflict. This needs to be addressed before and after deliverance
so the person is left with the dignity that belongs to them. We
must also explain that deliverance is a “land battle”. The enemy
comes in and acquires more and more ground through such things
59
as deception, sin, passivity and fear. As in the book of Joshua the
Israelites take the land, area by area. So must we! We receive
measures of freedom, maintain the victory, and press into more
freedom.
Do not get caught in the religious
battle of terms. Demons don’t belong anywhere that affects us,
period!!
1
Rom 1:25-31
John Piper, The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being
God, (Sisters: Multnomah Publishers, Inc., 1991, 2000), pp. 225-227.
3
Zec 3
4
Matt 5:45
5
Martin Niemoeller, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource.
6
Jas 3:16
7
Prov 26:2
8
Matt. 10:16
9
Watchman Nee, The Latent Power of the Soul (NY: Christian Fellowship
Pub.Inc.,1972).
10
John W. DeCamp, The Franklin Cover-Up (Lincoln: AWT, Inc., 1996).
11
Win Worley, Battling the Hosts of Hell (Indiana: 1980).
2
60
True authority comes from
our spirit man and not our soul. We must learn to exercise our
spirit as the Holy Spirit governs it. I have coined a term
“engagement” to describe the process of my spirit locking into a
demonic spirit, whether in a person or in the spirit realm over a
meeting or an area. This is different than your mind picturing
something or strongly concentrating on something. It is an action
that happens as you are working with the Holy Spirit and He
begins to bring your spirit into a “locked in” position with
another spirit.
I was recently in a meeting with someone who had strong
demonic activity in his life with many “open doors” that the
enemy could access. I could see fleshly emotion start to rise. I
knew the next step would be an infestation in the meeting of
demons, attempting to draw the attention and focus in another
direction. I began to pray, binding anything that I knew was
operating through that individual. I prayed to cut off outside
access, which blocked other spirits from assisting the indwelling
spirits in him. As I prayed, I was made aware of a spirit that
seemed to be sitting on its own throne controlling all the action.
Using both audible and inaudible prayer I aggressively exercised
my spirit to bind and stop all activity from the spirit sitting on
that throne. I did this quietly so I would not stir up the individual
nor draw undue attention from the meeting. It was effective and
only his emotions were evident. The demonic activity was
effectively shut down.
Sometimes a demonic spirit will engage you. Engagement that
comes at you is not always easy to recognize. It will feel as if
you are locked in and unable to think or function normally. I
have only encountered this on an assignment from the Lord.
61
Perhaps God is bringing an evil spirit to us in advance so we can
break its hold and be successful in what we have been given to
accomplish.
Intercessors stand in a place of blocking, binding and holding
back the enemy. Much of this is done by the power of the Holy
Spirit through our spirit man. As God directs, we stand in our
authority, focusing our attention on resisting the powers of
darkness. Not everything needs to be spoken in prayer.
Sometimes this intercession takes the form of a prophetic act, a
vision that we work with the Holy Spirit or a coordinated group
effort.
One of my first encounters with this happened in our ministry
building in Chicago. I had been using the analogy of climbing a
mountain in our spiritual walk. It was a meeting night and people
were worshipping and praying. A vision in the spirit opened up
before me that was of three men walking ahead of me up that
mountain. The man in the middle turned and looked my way and
a literal terror consumed me. I was immediately aware that this
spirit was responsible for many problems I had previously
encountered in ministry settings. I had now drawn his attention
and his look carried an ominous threat. When the vision
concluded, I regained my composure and continued the meeting
as usual without further thought.
Several weeks later, before a trip, I dreamed a very detailed
dream, part of which involved a woman bringing me a statue and
asking for discernment about it. It appeared like a nativity scene
statue of an angel with its hands out. As the dream progressed, I
was intensely aware that the statue was demonic. When I looked
at it’s eyes, my eyes seemed locked in place. I could barely
break the power of it. I knew in the dream that I had sufficiently
weakened the power behind the statue so that the lady could
destroy it. However, I knew I had not totally broken that power.
Two days after the dream we flew to Louisiana for a series of
meetings. Our plane had landed and we were traveling by car on
the final leg of the journey. There was a strong flow of the Holy
62
Spirit and we were soaking and enjoying His Presence. Then
something totally locked in my attention. I moved from a
laughing, free atmosphere into a sudden seriousness. I was thrust
into an encounter with a demonic force much like the threat I had
encountered in the meeting.
By the Spirit, I was aware that it was some ruling spirit over the
territory I had just entered. I was told things that I knew instantly
were true, even though I had no foreknowledge. I was told of
rejection by an individual and threatened with an attack on my
ministry and my marriage. I knew I must deal with and
overcome any threat presented to me or I would have no victory
at the meetings in that area. I addressed each statement and
resolved that no matter what the cost I would continue to do all
that the Lord had directed me to do.
On that trip I walked literally through the events of the entire
dream. I encountered the statue, except in the natural, it turned
out to be a picture of Jesus with hands extended. The individual
who had that picture shared with me how he had obtained many
copies of the same picture and placed several in his office, home
and even on the steering wheel of his car. He shared how the
picture guided his life. I spoke to the man of my discernment and
he told me that he had been concerned and unable to pray any
longer in his prayer chamber due to “something in the eye of the
picture.” It so strongly affected him that he no longer went in
that room, as he felt he was being watched!
He asked us to come to his home to remove the pictures. I looked
at the eye of the picture. I was immediately “locked in” and
seemingly unable to be broken free. Others prayed, but nothing
seemed to loosen the hold. My partner removed all the pictures
while I avoided any eye contact with them. When the last picture
was removed I felt released. There was a great liberty at that
point and we proceeded to the meeting.
It was only after the event that the Holy Spirit gave me
understanding of what was happening. As in my dream, I was
actually engaging the power behind the picture long enough for
63
“the lady to destroy the statue,” which in this case was my
partner destroying the pictures. I came to understand that what
felt like being “locked in” was really my spirit engaging the evil
spirit. Removing those pictures broke the demonic (occult) access
to his home and office.
We also learned God can cause the enemy to be blind to the
person engaging him. When we returned to the man’s house his
wife became very angry at the removal of the pictures. The
spirits in her (she had been involved in the occult) became very
aggressive and she directed her attention to my partner who had
actually taken the pictures from the wall. She coolly moved past
me. It was apparent the demons had no idea who had actually
exposed and engaged them.
In the occult world there are
people who are controlled through outside people who are called
“handlers.” These controllable people have been demonically
abused or their mind has been programmed for control, such as
the experiments run by governments to create assassins. Much of
this is seen in Satanic ritual abuse victims.
Shortly after I realized God was calling me to pray against occult
activity, I was immersed in an intensive training period. God
sent a Christian, who had experienced the torment of demonic
abuse and control, to give me understanding of how the occult
network worked with victims. God put me in a prayer situation
involving demonic occult attacks, and then sent experienced
warriors familiar with this area of the demonic to teach me more.
During this time I was at a conference and a lady approached me
with a question. I answered the question yet she persisted in
wanting to talk to me and asked for prayer. As I inquired about
her background she informed me her father was a satanic worship
leader and that she had been away for a while. Later the lady told
me she had been institutionalized during those years. I had been
told it was common for the ritualistically abused person to be
64
locked away. A woman was caring for her, and there was a
belief among the team that this woman was a handler. The
“handler” kept a distance throughout the conference from both
her friend and our team. This is a picture of one person using
another person to attempt to bring demonic disruption into a
meeting. This would be done through mind control, which works
much like remote control. The handler, who is the real power
source, is in the background and not seen.
At another conference that I was leading I became aware I was
losing the anointing for prayer. I deferred prayer ministry to
others to the point that they questioned what was wrong with me.
I left the conference before everyone finished praying, something
totally out of character for me. At the time, I felt those who
remained could finish. In reality I was the highest authority in
the conference and they could feel the effect when I left.
By the third day of the conference I was challenged by someone
– lady A, about allowing a particular woman – lady B, to pray
behind me as I spoke. I had no idea anyone was behind me. I
was informed of problems lady A had encountered with lady B.
Lady B’s husband was involved with the Masons.
I had several months previously met lady A, who challenged me
and I had some concerns as to lady A’s spiritual state. I had not
intended to include lady A on the prayer team as she had
requested, especially since we had sufficient team already. This
challenge about lady B, coupled with strong references by several
members of the local team, opened an opportunity for lady A to
present herself in a different light and ended with her being
included on the team.
During worship I noticed the same lady B, who had prayed
behind me constantly, moving around me in sweeping motions in
prayer. She even went out of her way to circle me despite my
attempts to block her. Following worship another woman lady C
told me of seeing a “presence” behind me that she felt was
angelic. No one on the team felt her description witnessed as
angelic! Because this little gray haired lady B was a respected
65
church member, the local team was offended when I spoke of the
spiritual problems I encountered up until I stopped the activity
around and behind me.
It was not until later that I found out the greater demonic power
was being channeled through lady A. God confirmed it to others
as well. Her involvement with me in subsequent meetings caused
great division. I later learned lady A had a history of destruction
that followed her wherever she worked. Needless to say, if I had
stayed with my first discernment about lady A, I would have been
saved much grief! I do not believe the gray haired lady B was
aware of influences affecting her own misguided praying. In this
case, lady A was projecting the blame on lady B, to disguise her
own purposes. Some believe there was a “handler” outside the
meeting that affected lady A.
Blinds and double blinds involve multiple parties with the true
power source hidden from sight. The controller is not visibly
affecting the meeting; however, the demonic power is present and
being channeled through others.
We have two terms,
“victims” and “prisoners of war,” which are both strongly
affected by demonic powers. Victims are those who are innocent
and affected by the destructive work of the enemy. They have
no power in and of themselves to get free. Examples would be
young or abused children. Prisoners of war are also affected by
the destructive work of the enemy and sometimes do not even
realize they are captive, but they have the power to be freed in
Christ. There is an area in the prisoner of war that allows the
enemy to access them. An example of this is someone who is
tormented by spirits of perfection. They usually try to perfect
everything and everyone around themselves making them
difficult to be around. They are internally tormented with
inadequacy and, in an attempt to answer that accusation, they
strive for outward perfection. They are prisoners of war because
66
they do not think they can get free from perfectionism, and yet in
Christ they can.
In the book Final Quest, Rick Joyner’s vision pictures demons
riding Christians like horses. The demons vomit on the Christian,
who eat that vomit not realizing what it is.1 So too prisoners of
war do not realize the demon influence and how much they
partake of it.
We see people with spirits such as lust, fear, jealousy or control
as prisoners of war. There are spirits that strongly affect people’s
behavior and they can’t seem to free themselves. It can be so
strong that they affect others around them. One person’s driving
spirits may drive others around them. A person who is fearful
may make demands on loved ones out of fear. That fear seeks
control over others around them in their attempt to feel secure.
In the case of the prisoner of war, the enemy has built a
stronghold in their mind. As is the case with every demonic
stronghold, the person is deceived into defending the enemy’s
encampment. I have known several people with fear strongholds
who defend that fear as justified, and become angry or move into
total denial of a fear problem. You must guard against getting in
sympathetic agreement with the situations that evolve from their
problems. When those people are close loved ones, we often need
an outside objective view in order to separate the person from the
demonic problem.
As in all warfare related issues, objectivity is a must! You must
be able to objectively divide what is the person from what is
using them. You can then bind the afflicting spirit from activity
in, upon and through the individual, thus helping everyone
affected.
We have come to coin this
term to describe the presence of several spirits that conspire
together. It does not require the agreement of the people they
may hold captive, although that certainly does happen at times.
67
In any given meeting, spirits can join together to accomplish
destructive ends. They too gain power from agreement.
God gave a word of knowledge to my teammate about breaking
“conspiracy of spirits,” and it has had great effect! At other times
we pray for the dividing of three-fold cords. When sets of three
intertwine, you should bind their power and command them to
separate and not return together.
1
Rick Joyner, The Final Quest (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1996).
68
I once had someone say to me,
“You must have been very hurt, because you are so careful not to
hurt others.” The statement took me back, and I had to ponder it
for a while. It was true, and it has given me a compassion for
people. I also keep the principle in mind, “Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.”
Ministry to people needs to be given great care and sensitivity for
a number of reasons. First of course, we represent Jesus Christ to
that individual and we would not want to reflect anything that is
not His heart. Secondly, when you approach an individual, they
are also discerning you. Can they trust you; can they open their
innermost being and receive from you? Your approach may
determine whether or not they can receive. God may have
greatly gifted you, and yet, if you have not love, you are indeed
just a noisy gong.1
Remember you are addressing a person for whom Christ died.
God loves even the worst of sinners, though He hates the sin. No
matter what our discernment, we need to always consider this is a
person of as much value and worth as we ourselves. We need to
be careful not to “talk down” to them. I have met people who at
first appeared to be abused victims, only to find them rich in the
Spirit of the Lord. That first impression was merely the spirit of
destruction pressing down on them like a heavy shoe.
We must always be careful to approach each prayer situation in a
stance of humility and waiting before God. I literally mean, we
must stand and wait as we seek God for what He wants to say,
show you or have you do. I do not ask someone what I can pray
for unless the Holy Spirit quickens me to do that. Only God
really knows what they need. Most times as I am seeking God,
the Holy Spirit is already moving upon the person. We need far
fewer words and far more anointing.
69
Waiting for direction allows the Holy Spirit to give us new and
creative ways to minister. When we wait on Him until we have
direction, we have a great opportunity to watch God at work!
This is especially important when we know little or nothing about
the situation. When we have information, we have had the
chance to form an opinion, and that may or may not be the
thought of the Holy Spirit.
As you wait, focus your attention in the spirit and learn to watch
and listen. Many times I see a “mind’s eye vision.” I have a
friend who had problems with sleep. She seemed to be unable to
wake up, even after many hours. I prayed for her and the
problem left for quite some time. Recently, however, she began
to experience this sleepy state coming over her and seemed
powerless to resist. As I waited on the Holy Spirit, I saw a vision
of something resembling a tiny octopus. It was much like the
kids’ toys that are small rubber creatures, which stick to the wall
when thrown. It was as if I could remove this thing from her
mind, but I could see her home and knew it would not leave her
house. As I waited and prayed, I received a word of knowledge.
God showed me that she had repressed worry. When she
couldn’t handle something she would shove it to the back of her
mind. That worry was giving the spirit access to her mind (worry
is sin and sin gives access to demons). I prayed for God to
remove the worry and the spirit broke off of her. It was
immediately apparent. Her eyes, which had been droopy,
suddenly opened up like saucers. She spoke to everyone in the
room, telling them to look at the difference in her countenance. I
concluded by explaining what I saw and how it worked,
encouraging her to keep alert and turn all worry over to God.
Other times I am impressed with compassion, and an individual’s
need for a hug. In the case of an embrace, I always ask for
permission. There are many times I see or sense anger. This can
be the feelings of the person, or it can also be a discernment of
the enemy’s destructive work. If I discern the enemy I will
usually be led into strong tongues and an engagement with that
spirit. In this case I focus not on the person, but to the side or the
70
floor while my attention is focused in the spirit realm. Usually
after the work is done, I will explain something of what I was
doing so the enemy has no room to accuse or belittle the person
who received ministry. Be careful in this regard to always make
sure the person is left with the sense of the love of God and His
work on their behalf - not the feeling that they are worthless or
unclean.
I find prophetic praying to be quite intriguing. Usually God will
show you the potential in the person. Later when you speak to
them you may wonder if you heard right. This is because we
have a preconceived idea of how that potential should look; we
can also wrongly conclude that they are already in that place.
God uses the prophetic to “call forth” that which He desires to
develop in the individual. Usually it will be many choices and
trials later before that begins to blossom in their lives, and that is
only if they allow the Holy Spirit to discipline and teach them.
Ministry by the Holy Spirit takes many forms. As mentioned
above, He disciplines and teaches. That happens in two ways.
One is through revelation and the other is through environment.
He uses situations and life’s trials to teach, and then gives
revelation. At other times, He reveals and then uses life
situations to teach that revelation. We need to learn to see the
hand of God in all things.
Personal prayer ministry should be the Holy Spirit imparting to
the spirit of man, with intellectual understanding only secondary.
I have learned when to speak what I see, and when to just work in
the spirit in prayer. I have found that if we engage a person’s
mind we cause their focus to be intellectual. When this happens
they close their spirit.
Several years ago the Holy Spirit showed me how to minister to
unsaved teen boys. They would stand still for one song and
allow about two minutes of personal prayer. I told the boys to
picture a cup in the center of their chest. I told them to picture
God pouring the water of His love into that cup until it
overflowed, like an overflowing glass of Kool Aid. I also told
71
them I would know when it was flowing and full. I told them it
gave them a way to open their hearts to receive from God.
Sometimes I pray for a few minutes and then ask them if I could
come back again. I had found that the spirit of man could be
likened to a flower; it opens slowly. The response was truly
incredible. These street-wise young boys were seeing visions and
being instructed by the Lord. The tangible presence of the Lord
almost terrified one boy, but he continued to come to the
meetings. In a world with so much technology, nothing
compares to one touch from God. Isn’t that what we are all
looking for?
In many cases, the relief that is felt as the Holy Spirit ministers is
just the beginning. We will often discern the need for teaching,
guidance and/or repentance. We must be very sensitive in this
area. First, we may not have the authority to speak into a
situation. Secondly, we may not have the time to completely
explain, which can cause more confusion than help. Third, the
person may have strongholds of belief and preconceived mindsets
that will only grow stronger if they are not approached correctly.
In other words, prayer ministry time is not time for counseling.
People with a prayer anointing can pray, but that does not mean
they have the knowledge to counsel or speak into what they see.
That brings us full circle to being careful to avoid hurting
someone who trusts you to touch their innermost being.
Love for the victim will cause a reaction of utter disgust
by demons. It seems to make them about as miserable as
anything can.2
The best way to describe the power of love is to tell of two
experiences of His love in action. One is from the vantage point
of personal deliverance, and serves to tear down methods. The
second is love, used in intercession and engagement of the
demonic.
72
The first example occurred on the closing day of a three-day
conference, and I was the morning speaker. I arrived early
thinking this would be an easy message; after all, all I needed to
do was wrap up everything that had been taught and experienced.
Being an exhorter by nature, that would come easily. I had a
slight problem called laryngitis, but was determined to save my
voice and make it through.
As I often do, I prayed for people before things began. I believe
this opens their spirits to God and allows for so much more
reception to what is being presented; but far more importantly,
from the Holy Spirit Himself. On this particular occasion I saw a
vision of shuttered windows in a cellar. As I use such images for
prayer impetus, I began to open the windows to allow the light to
come in. This working with a vision allows the anointing to flow
through me without even speaking. I believe it is intercession in
action. On rare occasions the Lord has not allowed me to change
or work with the vision, and this was one such occasion. I
proceeded to watch what was happening. I realized that the Lord
Himself was entering that shuttered place. I also realized He was
coming as the Deliverer for many people in the conference!
I led the altar call and told people that Jesus was there as
Deliverer. They should only come forward if they were very
serious about deliverance. A woman came forward and the entire
team knew she was greatly bound. They had tried several things
with no success. Her entire body was rigid like stone. I observed
an intercessor going through a method for deliverance. I used the
time to pray, having no desire to interrupt and be rude. As I was
doing this I saw a very large, man-like image, resembling the Mr.
Clean of the commercials. His arms were crossed over his chest
and he looked fierce. At that point a strong anointing came over
me.
I interrupted the woman attempting deliverance and stood in front
of the lady. She was a small woman dressed in a suit and hat. I
began to address the woman herself and not the demon. I did not
touch her but continued to speak to her. I told her what I had
73
seen. I asked her if she wanted that evil spirit to be in charge.
Her responses were all, “Yes, Ma’am” and “No, Ma’am,” very
polite. I then told her that Jesus loved her and at a point in time I
was going to hug her and that Love was going to come in. She
agreed that she desired that. I was then led to hug her, and as I
did, pure Love entered and she began to exclaim, “Thank you
Jesus” over and over. I told her to keep going as she was setting
herself free and when she was done I would pray for her again
and give her some instructions.
The whole team had never seen anything like it and neither had I.
Love Himself entered, and there was no need for anything else no methods, no rebuke, nothing - just a need for a vessel to give
God the right of way. There was a need for someone to address
the personhood - the value in her - and speak to her of how much
God loved her!
In my second example I had been working closely with someone
and perplexed about family situations, which seemed to have no
natural justification or inroads. Usually, messed up children have
had circumstances around them that give at least some thought of
understanding for cause and effect, spiritually and naturally. In
this situation, it was like the parents were truly from a family
much like what was portrayed in the 1950’s called “Father
Knows Best.” For those too young to remember that, it was the
perfect family with loving understanding parents.
It was Easter Sunday morning, and as I sat in prayer and worship,
I was suddenly overwhelmed with love for their son, a young
man whom I had never met. I can’t even describe the strength of
that love, for it was stronger than I had ever experienced before.
The Lord than spoke to me and told me that I was engaging the
demons in a woman whom he had been previously involved with
and who had his child. Up until this point I did not recognize
engagement. From this point and throughout the next two years I
would know when those demons were moving through the girl in
an attempt to thwart or hinder the young man or his new family.
It was eighteen months later that the Lord told me the spirit that
moved through that woman was the spirit of destruction. That
74
spirit has been pushed back from over their family, and some
reconciliation and healing has occurred.
Preparation is required for all ministries, and prayer ministry and
intercession are no exception. True ministry expends both the
anointing and our own physical strength. There is a need for
physical and mental rest. To be fit to hear the direction of the
Holy Spirit, we need our minds clear and able to focus on the task
at hand. Paul speaks of a soldier not being entangled in the
affairs of life so he may please the Master.3 There is also a need
to spend quality time in the Presence of the Lord, allowing Him
to fill us, refresh us, and give us any needed insight. People who
work hectic schedules end up draining their own reserves, and
eventually everyone suffers. Jesus Himself drew away alone
often to be with the Father.
You must learn to know your own spiritual norm. Having a
prayer partner who knows you well is a great asset in this regard.
You may sometimes think you are fine, but your partner may
discern a change, which usually starts quite subtly and increases
slowly. This is especially important in warfare engagement
prayer. The enemy will move to retaliate, confuse and blanket
you with oppression. You need to be keenly aware to detect
when something is over you, or if confusion is working on your
mind. I have found one simple indicator helpful. If I find myself
agitated with no outward cause, it usually means there is an
enemy presence somewhere around me. I stop and pray and ask
the Lord if there is something of which I am unaware, and
remove the agitation before it is allowed to move me in a wrong
direction.
When I began to see the details of
control, it indeed resembled a spider web. Spider webs in nature
are intriguing in their various forms. They are connected in
varying patterns, depending on the species of spider that wove
75
them. Some webs are very symmetrical, others have specialized
shapes such as cones, and yet they are webs nonetheless.
Learning to recognize the different webs allows you to identify
the species of spider and the nature of his prey, even if you never
see the actual builder.
These same principles can apply to the networks of evil. If you
see the same networking you will know what demons are
involved. On the simple side, spirits tend to work in groupings as
I mentioned earlier in reference to witchcraft. I call them the
gruesome threesome, witchcraft, mind control and mind binding.
Fear is ever present to administrate in the atmosphere. It may
look different if mind control is the principle leading spirit, but
you will still find familiar spirit groups working in the
background. For an extreme picture, all you have to do is think
about young people caught up in the Moonies cult, which gained
popularity in the 70’s. They all looked alike, appeared
brainwashed and indeed were controlled. Parents of that time
had to employ psychologists to begin to break the mind control
by deprogramming.
A friend’s son was captured by an occult group in Israel and
drugged and controlled with mind control for several weeks. It
took months for him to return to normal activities, and he still has
serious problems at times.
Occult networks, in which these spirits are involved, work in the
secular world as well as Christian circles. In these cases, there
are political spirits working with them. Keep in mind that
religious spirits are the highest form of occult spirit. Why?
Because they present themselves as God, and we believe them!
With religious spirits, there are always political spirits. All you
have to do is think of people climbing the recognition ladder in
the churches, and you see an aspect of the political spirit at work.
Backstabbing and many other vicious works go with a political
spirit as well.
You might now be saying all this is just the flesh. Indeed flesh is
involved, but remember, flesh is the working material on which
76
the demonic breeds. These low-level spirits work for higherlevel spirits. If they can keep the church of Jesus Christ in
constant infighting, we will never rise up in the authority of
Calvary and bring down their systems. 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.4 We quote the scripture
often, and yet we allow the enemy to blind us to the amount of
activity that is fully demonic.
I have learned to identify some occult spirits by how they affect
my mind. When I sense a fog, I conclude some form of occult
network spirit is involved. Keep in mind that the higher level the
spirits, the subtler will be the attack. Base-level spirits and soul
power create a heavy, syrupy feeling. They are the “in your face”
things. They create strong feelings of oppression, depression,
confusion etc. With high-level spirits, you tend to think it is just
something wrong with you. Their suggestions to the mind are
more refined.
As I stated earlier in this book, I tend to describe the nature of the
spirit rather than by a specific name. There are other books
available with descriptions and names of spirits. As you study,
work and pray, allow the Holy Spirit to show you what you are
dealing with and what spirits team together. My point here is
only to make you aware there are networks of evil. If you don’t
begin to break their interconnectedness, you will feel it is a futile
battle.
The spirit realm
is a legal system, even if it uses deception. When the working
conditions for demonic infestation are met, demons will move in.
When you work in intercession, you must learn to identify the
open doors in the spirit. In the case of an individual, doors are
opened through involvement with psychic activities like palm
reading, crystal ball gazing, card reading and a myriad of other
activities. Studying false religions and new age activities also
opens doors. Drugs violate spiritual laws by putting the mind in
77
a passive state. The mind also enters a passive state during
shock, trauma, and even surgery under anesthesia, so prayer is
necessary in these cases. The mind is the “gate keeper” to your
spirit. If you willfully remove the “gate keeper,” the enemy has
access to enter. These doors must be closed by repentance and
renunciation of all activities before or after salvation. Depending
on the level of involvement, deliverance may be necessary.
James 3:14-16 informs us that if we have bitter envying and strife
there will be a progression from earthly to sensual to demonic.
Where there is envy and strife, there is confusion and every evil
work. Every kind of evil work - think about that! We tend to
lightly dismiss strife. We had best keep a prayer watch on the
demonic networks that form out of clubs or cliques, which breed
envy and strife.
As intercessors, we must first discern if there is any demonic
activity. The second responsibility is to isolate the inroads, and
begin to pray and bind up the enemy’s access points. There are
people sent into groups on assignment. They may be actively
aware they are sent, or they may be open channels being used,
but unaware of this use. In either case, you must begin to bind
the outside spirits that are channeling through the person. You
must also bind what is resident in them from manifesting in a
meeting.
In a recent meeting, an intercessor came to me frustrated that we
were missing the “key” to break through the atmosphere. People
had come in distracted and burdened. We had addressed their
needs in prayer and explained the necessity to focus on the Lord,
but we still didn’t have a release in the atmosphere. I had been
unable to clearly hear the Lord, so the intercessor prayed for my
hearing. I immediately heard to shut down the spirits flowing
through one individual. Very shortly after I bound the spirits
from connecting with or flowing through this person, the whole
room opened up and we felt the presence of the Lord.
When there are two or three people with open access, there is a
potential of conspiracy of spirits and the double blind situation
78
(not knowing the true source of demonic power). This is a tool
for satanic forces. All they have to do is cause enough delay,
confusion or frustration for a breakup in the unity and focus of
the meeting.
God will not give to an individual what He will give to the body.
The enemy well knows the power of corporate prayer. He causes
people to rise up and speak, pray fleshly prayers and cause
disagreement. Fleshly religious prayer avails nothing, but
flesh can walk away satisfied, and so does the enemy. This
happens so often in corporate meetings that I have learned to hate
what we traditionally call prayer meetings!
Intercessors need to pray, worship and wait. Leadership needs to
allow a forum for hearing what God is giving to others. Then
they can direct the group into unified agreement and prayer or
warfare. It will take continued watching and prayer for leaders to
be able to teach and address the inroads of flesh, which give the
enemy ground. Leadership must be willing to address both the
demonic and the flesh without trying to “please” everyone.
We need to learn to enter a room with our
spirit man first, instead of our mind, emotion or mouth. We have
been so trained to be oriented to social order or self-conscious
thought that we need to retrain ourselves. Wait, listen and watch!
Whether it is with an individual on first meeting, or an entire
room of people, first impressions do count! I have walked into
rooms that were so full of the presence of the Lord that my
original plans had to be thrown to the wind. God suddenly
moved me in a different direction of prophecy and prayer.
I have also walked into places where, even though no attention
was being directed toward me, I felt like every move I made was
being watched. I didn’t even want to cross my legs, being sure
that I would be addressed for breaking some rule. This usually
indicates strong control spirits coupled with watching and
scanning spirits. Those spirits know the entrance of people who
can discern them as well as those with authority over them. If,
79
however, you are just a visitor, listen to God for direction. Just
because we discern something does not mean we have authority
in that place.
Remember to remain attentive to the atmosphere, even if the
situation is familiar and you know the people present. I was once
teaching a Bible study for almost a year. The study met at a
couple’s home and they were involved in leadership and
regularly held a prayer meeting in their home for the church. On
this occasion the owners were on vacation, but the Bible study
went on as usual. While we were in intercession before the
meeting, a spirit spoke to me. What I heard was a challenge to
my authority. This voice informed me that it was the authority in
this house! Puzzled, I returned the challenge with statements
back about my authority to lead that was given to me by the
owners of the home. I thought no more of it and went on with the
class.
After the class someone asked if I had heard what happened that
previous Friday at the prayer meeting. She informed me that the
owners had an impression of death come over them and the
meeting. Thinking this was God’s will, they agreed with the
death spirit and cancelled the intercession for the church. I now
realized that same spirit that had addressed me had been given
authority, through deception, over that house on Friday night! I
did have higher authority and informed the owners on their
return. They quickly deposed the spirit.
Another situation at the same location is worth noting. Again I
walked in while intercession was going on. People were praying
in tongues. From the time I put my hand on the door to enter, I
just felt like turning around and leaving. That feeling got
stronger and stronger. What could this be? I went to the phone
and called an intercessor friend. She immediately told me it was
witchcraft and broke it. This released me. I remained puzzled
for quite a while. Several weeks later God exposed what had
happened. Apparently one new person, a friend of the owners,
had a reputation for bringing destruction wherever she went. I
did not know that the owners were warned by church leadership
80
not to get involved with this woman. She had been praying with
them in their home and the Lord showed me that her prayers were
being “directed at me” in the spirit. It was obvious there was a
strong occult network coming through her. She ultimately
succeeded in breaking up the long-running Bible study.
I have learned the hard way that
ignoring my first impression in the spirit can have devastating
consequences. On one occasion I was to coordinate a team of
intercessors for a multi-church conference. I called each church
to send intercessors for a pre-meeting in preparation for the
event. As is my usual custom, I prayed for each individual at the
end of the meeting. As I prayed for one individual, I knew she
was on the prayer ministry team of that church. My first
impression in the spirit as I prayed was “she’s on prayer ministry
team?” I discerned withdrawal and emotional problems. Later
she came to our meetings. Then months later she ended up being
the strongest leader in the group that helped empower the lengthy
occult assignment over me. Had I kept that first impression
before me I would have been saved much grief.
Another case involved just the opposite. I was asked to pray for
someone who from all outside appearances had some major
issues. I was told that a deliverance session had been handled
badly and the person did not want to be touched. She in fact
could hardly stand still even for prayer, ready to bolt and run at
the slightest inclination of trouble. What was my first
impression? I had never sensed such purity in anyone before!
The enemy worked hard over the months to remove this person
from our ministry. I am grateful he failed, as she is now my
friend, personal intercessor and traveling companion!
I spoke earlier of authority. In this section I
want to address an overlooked aspect of teams. This relates to
the unique gifting in individuals and how it can interplay on
teams.
81
God distributes gifting and anointing in conjunction with the
individual and their personality. He also coordinates all their
lives to cause a very unique manifestation of Him through them.
As individuals sense they are valued, with all their uniqueness,
they will open up more to God and the team. They will
contribute more, even when they are unsure, presenting it for
consideration and discernment. Let us present an atmosphere
where discovery is possible.
Because we view things from a very subjective place, we need to
learn to communicate in a language that is separate from our
common worldly tongue. What I may mean, or what the Lord
may be showing me through something, may mean something
totally different to someone else. Due to these dynamics,
spiritual language needs to be developed among people that work
together. This is no easy task and takes time and patience. I have
found using a movie to convey an idea has greatly hastened the
process of understanding. I have had a team sit through a movie
together to discuss concepts that can be gleaned. Our precise
understanding of how things work in the spirit realm is not
necessary. What is important is agreement, the authority of the
Word of God and the Holy Spirit’s direction.
One example of lack of communication happened many years
ago. I was working with a youth pastor whose background was
psychology. My degree is in “spiritual” workings. God had
brought us together, and we were in agreement on natural and
spiritual problems at this large church. I did not understand the
need for understanding another person’s language. He expressed
over and over that he would not “play politics.” One day, I
approached him with a warning about a spirit moving through
someone that had a strong potential to cause problems. He nearly
exploded and with a loud voice in a public place said, “I won’t
play politics!” That was the first time I realized what I called
“warfare” he called “politics.”
82
There is great need for the
development and deployment of specialty teams and networks.
Specialty teams operate much the same as teams in the military.
They consist of individuals who specialize in one area but are
versed in multiple areas. On the best team, each member is able
to do the job of the other, should one person be disabled. They
have also built relationships of mutual trust and support
necessary for a heavy battle.
I refer to network members as eagles. Eagles are rather solitary
birds that nest in high places. So too are some of God’s specialty
workers. These eagles labor primarily alone, with corporate
work being secondary. When needed, they are available for
consultation or to come on site for assistance. Our present
religious system does not seem to have openness to these
ministries. They are connected and interrelated with the body,
but not under the usual local manmade rules. Anyone truly
working at higher levels has relationship and accountability with
others.
Beyond the need for the developing of these teams and networks,
there is a need for the Body of Christ to be open to God’s
bringing teams into different locations. Much of what happens
today is clannish, fear-based suspicion, leading people to
consider someone dangerous and guilty until proven otherwise.
People have not been taught to discern by the Spirit, but instead
have learned to lean wrongly on leadership opinion and doctrinal
agreement.
That has not stopped God however, and He is raising up and
developing Special Forces to work on behalf of the church. These
teams and those who will deploy them have been in a special
training themselves. They have been taught to discern, train and
equip individuals with very different gift mixes. Some Special
Forces people have had a demonic assignment on their lives,
which may have caused an impure mix. This mix can be purified
making them very valuable to the Kingdom. Keep in mind that
God trained Moses in the highly occult society of Egypt!
83
No matter what team God puts you on, whether you are deployed
in ground warfare (army) or front line attack (marines) or aerial
(air force) or in some deep submarine location (navy) or inserted
deep within enemy territory as Special Forces, we all need to
remember this fact: ONE WINS AND WE ALL WIN! Become
a team player.5
1
2
3
4
5
1 Cor 13:1
Winn Worley, Battling the Hosts of Hell (Indiana: 1980).
2 Tim 2:4
Eph 6:12
Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12
84
Much work in prayer takes good old-fashioned detective work!
Some things are really obvious if we just think! There is logic in
working in the spirit. We must ever be aware that the Holy Spirit
will lead us and enable us to gain the understanding. It can be
learned, so do not eliminate yourself because you feel inadequate.
Remember when you moved to a new school and it seemed
overwhelming, but lo and behold, you continued up the ladder
nonetheless. At first glance, it can also seem overwhelming in
matters relating to spiritual warfare. Here are some things to
keep in mind as you progress.
Remember… work that is truly occurring in the spiritual realm
will manifest eventually in the natural realm. (If it is only a
figment of imagination, it will wield no power.) There may be a
waiting time to see the manifestation, but it will manifest and can
take on many forms. In the book of James we see this
progression with earthly wisdom. It states that where there is
envy and selfish ambition that such wisdom does not come from
above but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. It can come from
the flesh or be the suggestion of demons. It manifests with
“every evil work” in the natural realm.1 Demonic power
accumulates great strength when it comes through a human
being.
Sometimes it is easier to
look at the natural realm and work upward to see what is
happening in the spiritual realm. I worked closely with a woman
for several years who would look at a situation that was
happening and proceed to tell me what spirits were moving in
and around the circumstances. I worked just the opposite. I
would close my eyes and see in the spirit what was maneuvering
and how it was affecting the physical world. We worked
wonderfully together. I did learn that it was possible to read the
85
natural if you had spiritual understanding, and that is an
encouragement for those who don’t function strongly with
visions and other gifts.
For example: You are working with a group of people and you
see people paring off into cliques. Everything seems fine for a
while, till there is a sudden burst of contention. Things return to
normal, but you sense an underlying resentment of one group for
another. This goes on for a period of time with an unexplained
resignation by several people, followed by a change of leadership
over the ministry. All seems fine, only to see the same scenario
begin again. What are you looking at?
Start at the beginning. Demons move in on carnal behavior.
Those cliques formed, more than likely, with the help of spirits of
pride and division. Everyone seemed to accept this and it stepped
up a level. This time spirits of jealousy moved into the cliques,
causing a competition between the groups, which eventually
manifests in open contention. Again, no one has taken note of
the growing “group of demons” nesting in their midst. Those
jealousy spirits start to use the mouths of the unsuspecting
members of the groups, causing oppression and frustration to
increase within the work. Several people, feeling the oppression,
just walk away. Now the leader is targeted by demons. What
kind of leader is he/she; what progress is this ministry making?
Why are people leaving? These thoughts and spoken words
create natural and spiritual pressure on the leader and they are
either removed or they resign. Still no one knows that the
greatest source of the problem is the fuel that is being added by
demons and so they begin again, only to bring more destruction
by repeating the cycle.
The obvious solution is to walk in the spirit and give no ground
for the enemy. We are, however, all still in need of growth and
demons are ever ready to take advantage of our immature and
sinful behavior. Demons, however, can be exposed, bound and
cast away if we are vigilant. They must be stopped before they
work their destruction. Start to look at situations from this
vantage point and begin to take the victory. When a problem
86
begins, ask yourself what demonic work may be adding to the
problem. Bind those demons before they begin to build a nest!
Stay vigilant! Like any other pest, they don’t give up easily and
will return until they are convinced they will find no entry. They
will then start another tactic and again you must block their
entrance. If this sounds wearying remember that God gave Adam
charge of the Garden to keep it. That keeping meant he was to
guard against enemy intrusion. God has given us charge of areas
as well.
Another important tactic is to remain
objective, not allowing soulish emotions to sway your
discernment or judgment. Nothing can be taken personally - not
anything. It does not matter if it is about yourself or those you
care about. I once watched a movie about a great detective. He
said what makes a great detective is “the two ob’s”, observation
and objectivity! Once you lose your objectivity you lose your
ability for clear sight and thinking. Once it is a personal issue the
enemy already has an inroad to hook into your emotions and
natural defense systems. Remember, our enemy is not flesh and
blood. Even if we must look at people, good intercessors know
they are fighting for those people and against a very shrewd
enemy.
Don’t be predictable in how you move, how you pray or how you
do anything. Be led in everything you do by the Holy Spirit. In
natural military warfare a sniper can easily take out a person who
leaves and returns by the same path!
There are whole networks of
evil in heavenly places. The human eye cannot see these
networks. One very effective weapon against them is what is
called “dissemination,” or scattering of the enemy’s forces. As
intercessors pray on location, their prayer causes the enemy to
scatter, weakening the structures he has built. As this continues it
“brings down” upper level powers that are directing evil, much
87
like knocking out the pillars of a house would bring down the
upper floors. This once high-level network is brought to a lower
level so that warriors can see it and attack it with prayer.
I have seen this happen in one of our meetings. We started by
warring against the oppression in the atmosphere. As we
ascended in worship and intercession, I became aware of
something that was empowering the oppression from a higher
level. The real power source was being exposed through
dissemination, by erosion of the foundation, so that it lowers the
higher network into the warriors’ view.
This happens on the broader spectrum as people, standing in
individual locations, create interference to the enemy’s darkness
and oppression. You can sometimes feel the weight of the
darkness you are standing against. Many times this is your
hometown or city. Our intercession for one another and our
networking together multiplies the resistance. We become
“pillars of light” standing amidst the “pillars of darkness.” How
should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight,
...2 That unity is feared and fiercely fought.
Once you understand how spirits
work through an individual, you can then apply that information
to the larger arena. For instance, spirits can work through whole
groups of people as is obvious through religious cults and
fanatics. In the book, Twilight Labyrinth,3 George Otis, Jr. does
an exhaustive investigation of why evil dwells where it does. He
researches the worship and religious practices of people groups
who continue to keep areas fertile with demonic spirits. Again,
this is a legal right. In their fear based actions to appease the
gods they continue to reinstate demonic right to dwell in those
locations.
There are currently several books on the subject of territorial
spirits and mapping available. I would only add a few thoughts
in regard to territories. When God sends you somewhere on
assignment, you have the authority to go there. Be sensitive to
88
the Holy Spirit’s leading as to when and how He will show you
the assignment. Sometimes it may be on site; at other times you
may need to stay out of the jurisdiction of those territorial spirits.
We have been directly led to not cross a state’s boundaries, but to
get a hotel room just on the border. In the morning, God gave
very specific directions for the location to which we were going.
He showed us a vision of several snakes under the main house
and a snake under the cabin we would stay in. I did wonder how
I would tell someone I had not met that I saw snakes, since it was
a revered place for prayer and hearing God. We were, in fact, to
be in one cabin the owner felt was greatly anointed. The first
night we were up long before dawn taking communion. We
happened to encounter anything but God in that place. God is
good though, and the owner appeared at our door in the morning
telling that she and others had troubling dreams of snakes. That
opened the way for conversation and permission to do the
intercession that would be needed. When someplace is known
for prayer, the enemy works double time to pollute the ground.
Another significant point is having someone who is a “land
owner” with you. That person has staked roots in the area, city or
state. When they welcome you they “lend” so to speak their
jurisdictional authority to you, which adds to your own.
Demons have networks for carrying information, and they are
listening to our communication. We have to be alert when we are
driving for we have found warfare in the form of clouding the
mind, inability to pray, sleepiness and general shut down which
sometimes starts long before we reach our destination. This has
so successfully worked that, on one trip, I didn’t know if I would
accomplish anything I was called to do.
In this context it is taking something apart to
understand its components. It is important to understand all the
parts and there interconnections to be more effective in prayer.
Low-level warfare involves demons whispering and
communicating to the individual from the earthly plane. A good
89
image of this is the familiar picture of a demon sitting on
someone’s shoulder.
An image of the next level of demonic involvement could be a
cartoon showing someone walking with a dark cloud above his or
her head. It conveys the idea of the brooding they are walking
around under. That dark cloud could be coming from the
demonic realm.
Moving up from the one-on-one engagement of demonic
suggestion and low-level atmospheric influence, there is then a
next higher-level of involvement. At this level, you will
encounter control spirits often using occult power. The
assignment flows through a chain of command, and eventually
back down to familiar spirits or other low-level demons, which
then influence the people.
God used a movie for another intercessor to communicate a
picture of a very high-level powerful intervention through a
person. The movie was “Independence Day” and the picture was
of a “mother ship” from outer space. This ship was extremely
large and obviously gave the visual of great power. In this case
scenario the person through whom the power was coming was
not intelligent or clever enough to be manipulating and causing
such destructive work without outside help. The real power
source, the mother ship, was empowering the demons working
with this person who was like an empty channel. Remember, if
1+ 1 does not equal 2, something is wrong someplace.
In your mind, you must separate the person, their personality, and
their strong and weak points. Don’t be deceived into thinking
that if someone is a believer, they cannot be used in the same way
as the unsaved. In the above scenario the human “channel” was
unsaved, had previous occult involvement, was extremely selfcentered and used everyone and everything around her to gain her
own ends. The power was being networked from the “mother
ship” down through the low-level demons and finally through the
person with the intent to destroy a Christian family.
90
Demons must follow the legal structure God has set in place. If
we violate God’s laws, we open a door through which they may
enter. Those doors must be discovered and repented of to close
them. The son who became the victim of the above attack, had
opened the door through alcohol, drugs and sexual encounters
which resulted in a child being born. That child became the
wedge for the enemy to use.
At this point you may be saying, “cause and affect, sowing and
reaping,” and I would agree. Remember though, Satan and his
demons are masters at manipulating and hiding behind the scenes
to extract vengeance and wreak havoc. This work of destruction
behind many “circumstances” needs to be discerned and
confronted through the Holy Spirit and prayer.
Here are some case scenarios that need to be separated to see a
complete picture:
•
•
•
•
•
Family situations with children, young and old, whose
behavior is bizarre or extreme given the circumstances of
growing up in a relatively stable family life (Selfdestructive patterns, extreme bitterness, hatred, inability
to forgive, suicidal tendencies etc., especially when it is
out of the range of understanding of natural cause and
affect.)
Marriages with excessive control or abuse (Especially
take note when those couples are Christians seeking to
follow God’s Word.)
Sudden and unexplainable behavior changes or mood
swings (Be aware that sometimes there were many hidden
things that are now being revealed and it may take
investigation much deeper to find the root issues.)
Long-term problems such as lying, lust, perversion,
jealousy, etc. (This person cannot seem to overcome their
problem by standing on the Word of God for victory.)
Atmospheres of control or oppression (As an example,
you may see someone as overpowering in personality
91
when in reality there are demons of intimidation,
manipulation, control etc. working behind that person.)
This separation takes time in prayer with God and at times
counsel from others. But, unless there is separation, we will
continue to either see little freedom, or worse yet, live in
oppression and failure.
1
Jas. 3:14-16
Duet 32:30
3
George Otis, Jr., The Twilight Labyrinth (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
2000).
2
92
We have all heard the expression: “you can’t see the forest for the
trees!” The meaning is readily apparent; when we are too close,
we cannot get a perspective of the whole of a matter. Throughout
my life, I believe I have struggled with this problem. Being
analytical by nature and gifted with discernment, I am often
unconsciously separating and observing. This, however, is easier
if you are some distance away to see the forest. From that
vantage point I approach this chapter. I find it interesting that
where I started, when I was first born, again has come full circle.
I am working with, and interested in, those same components that
I was originally drawn to, but the process I have worked through
has caused my present views to be firmly set in place.
I have spent an extensive time trying to explain control. I felt this
was necessary because we cannot give the Lord our lives as a
living sacrifice if so many other forces control us.
I have addressed this book to those from whom I hear the heart
cry, “there has to be more.” It is that “more” for which I too am
striving. I believe it is found in such close association with the
Lord that we see through His perspective and hear His
heartbeat for the hour. I believe the dynamics of warfare I
have presented can be used in any arena into which you may
be called.
What do I see God doing? I see Him shaking everything that can
be shaken1. He is shaking man’s ideas of church and causing
many to come out into the wilderness with Him. Those who are
truly hungry and obedient will find themselves in that wilderness,
albeit through a very painful process. In that wilderness He
begins to address those things that are within us that can be used
by the enemy to intertwine us in the world’s ways, the political
posturing, the wanting to be seen of men, the desire for status, or
even the true desire to help others. God calls us out of this world
93
(cosmos) so that we can find our identity in Him, all our needs
met in Him. He is indeed to be our all in all.
It has been said that evil is not the enemy of most Christians;
good is. Adam and Eve were free to eat of the tree of life and
forbidden to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Good is the enemy of God. If we are deciding what is good
independently of God we put ourselves in the place of God; we
will determine, we will judge. From this place our own mind
(soul) assumes control. This must be broken so our spirit man
can take its rightful position, thus allowing the Holy Spirit to
govern our lives. If not, we will often find ourselves moving,
praying or even intervening in opposition to God’s plans and
purposes.
Ministry that is pure comes from a person in whom ministry is an
act of movement directed by the Holy Spirit. God can send us
and we will not be easily moved by fear of man and other traps.
We can pray or give a word of ministry and walk away with no
need to control the results. We are not validated by the success or
the failure of the person we ministered to. We are just the vessel
for the Holy Spirit to use.
I began in 1975 by being drawn immediately to prayer for
individuals. It started with discernment of the source of the
problem and involved emotional and physical healing, as well as
deliverance prayer. I was thrust into spiritual warfare, and I
continue to be drawn by a desire to understand how things work
in the spirit. I still do believe, that all things have their source in
the spirit realm before they manifest in our lives. My road
progressed from a specific focus, which used my spiritual gifting,
to a variety of other works. After many years, I realized that
where God drew me in the beginning could not find a place in the
traditional church but rather, I would become a pioneer to open
the way for others.
I in no way claim that I am alone. God calls out forerunners for
the sake of His Body and we only choose whether or not to obey.
In that obedience, it has become clearer to me how intricate the
94
demonic web is, how our own sin and soul life gives the enemy
much working material, and how God is using all things to draw
out a people unto Himself.
COME WITH ME AND LET US ESCAPE…
1
Heb 12:26-27
95
96
97