The Bible says we are not ignorant of the enemy’s tactics. Yet many Christians fail in this area because they simply do not recognize the works of the enemy or they are too distracted to learn how to actually fight against him. Even worse are those who know how to fight and for whatever reason they just don’t resist him or his attacks on our bodies and minds!
This will be a slightly longer than normal post. I encourage you to read it all for yourself and others. We have to begin to rise up and take a stand against the lies of the enemy.
This will be a very quick and basic overview of what, why, where and how to take authority everyday against the enemy. This is by no means all encompassing, nor is it meant to be. The Bible says “Study to show yourself approved and an approved workman/woman need not be ashamed!” You do not have to be destroyed because of a lack of knowledge. There is plenty of great info, starting with the BIBLE (lol, #obvi), on this subject. So let’s dive in!
1st: There is a real demonic enemy. He and his cronies exist in the very fabric this world is made of, the spirit world! This is where I lose some people when talking about the spirit world. But, I have personally seen and encountered it, in many forms and fashions, from seeing it literally manifest into a dark humanoid apparition, some would call a ghost, to its/their negative effects on us humans! Most of the times I saw these things I was not alone so others have seen them as well.
If you don’t believe this and you’re a Christian, you seriously just set yourself up for failure in any arena that requires faith for deliverance and healing. This is very real and this is precisely why Jesus came! He came to destroy the works of the devil. How did He do that?He healed the sick and He cast out demons! And what did He train His disciples, who became apostles, to do? Answer: heal the sick and cast out demons. And what do you think they (the apostles) taught those who came after them? What did the apostles teach their converts? Answer: to heal the sick and cast out devils! There is plenty else to learn, study and ponder about this conceptually. But a huge part of it, in its most practical form, is to identify what are the works of the enemy and how to fight them. That starts with believing the devil is real and he is a real threat to all those who don’t know the promises of God for themselves first and others second.
2nd: You must believe you have authority over the enemy and all his works. You must study to show yourself approved and that starts with reading the word of God. There you will find- if you read it and take it simply, like a little child at face value- that it is very plain who the enemy is, what he tries to do to humans, and what Jesus was doing to fight, fix, and repair the problems it caused in people! You need to know that Jesus loves you and He is the revealed will of the Father and you need to see that as He operated in the Father’s will, He healed all who were oppressed. He gave us VERY PRECIOUS promises that we can exercise, with authority, today in our lives and the lives of others. Jesus showed us that the effectiveness and operation of those promises is based on our knowledge and trust (faith) that He (Father/Son/Spirit) wants to do it in and through us by Jesus name as well! Just like JESUS SAID.
3rd: You must fight- that means thinking, speaking, and acting against the enemies attacks on your life or the lives of those God puts in your sphere of influence. It’s not enough to just know that you should resist- you MUST resist in word and deed! How you ask? First, in your own life and thoughts, as you build up your knowledge of what God’s will is in the area you need a miracle and you embrace His kingdom mindset and plan. Second, you must begin to let that come out in your speaking and actions!
I don’t let aches and pains just have their way with me, OR MY FAMILY! I don’t let thoughts and feelings of anxiety and depression just dwell in my heart and mind. I don’t just accept “those are mine”. I don’t say/speak/declare I have a cold or flu or sickness of any kind. I don’t let my words acknowledge I own sickness or mental problems as my own. You see I don’t HAVE a cold or flu or anxiety etc, and I don’t OWN any of those things. I may be battling it, or it may be attacking me, but I DO NOT own it!
Some people think that is dumb but we rarely get sick and when we do, it rarely stays long. And I have had numerous mini-miracles where aches and pains come and I pray against them and they leave immediately! So many Christians go around speaking I have this and that (even CANCER) etc, because they have owned it. I cringe when I hear them say it like that, like they have accepted it as their own. I don’t cringe in a judgmental or critical way but in a I feel bad because they don’t know way.
Even the medical world knows the importance of speaking like this. Terminology is important, the Bible says the power of life and death are in the tongue. When fighting sickness or cancer etc, it is important that you declare it’s a battle, an attack! That falls right in line with what Jesus revealed was the will of God for us. He came and showed us sickness is of the devil in all its forms and fashions and if Jesus was here and you had any kind of ailment and went to Him for it... HE’D HEAL YOU of it!
The words says He’s no respecter of persons, and He healed ALL who came to Him, WHO HAD FAITH, trust and belief He would and could. The apostles taught and exercised that as well! Heck even scary movie titles reveal it; “EXORCIST”. What do you think that means: exorcism/exercise/ practice- to exercise your authority in the name of Christ over ALL the works of the enemy!
The devil wants you to think it’s only about major demon possession but it is as simple as rebuking a headache or foot cramp you’re dealing with or for someone else you meet struggling with things like that. So number three is DO SOMETHING! Do something in line with God’s word and in Jesus name- exercise your rights in Him! You have the right!
Don’t let the world dictate what you can and should do, of course the enemy wants you to be afraid to do it and speak it. IT’S DESTROYING HIS WORKS AND PLANS so of course he wants you powerless and afraid! So “cast down” thoughts and mental attacks that come against you. Speak against them and lay hands on the sick,- even yourself- and declare healing in Jesus name. Be bold- that is how you see results.
4th: Patience and timing. So many stop here, they try it once and it doesn’t work instantly, or they encounter a battle that takes longer than they thought is should and they let their faith fall. It’s a battle folks. Sometimes it happens instantly, sometimes it takes a day or two or a week/s, sometimes it takes months and years!
There is always mystery to God and we are working from an imperfect platform, speaking of our own selves but faith has to be tried and tested to be grown and God allows us to be tested as well to grow us.
It takes time for babies to learn to walk and soldiers go through boot camp and years of continual training. Special forces were once great soldiers who have become elite fighters amongst all their peers! And some of those are the best in the world at what they do. Your probably not casting out demons folks, lol! You don’t need spec ops spiritual skills right now.
But, do you get headaches? Or are you prone to sickness? Have you had any major ailments or mental attacks? Well lay hands on yourself and declare your self healed and delivered IN JESUS NAME. Do you suffer from anxiety? Start speaking out loud “these are not my feelings and I don’t want them, God would not want them on me, so they are of the enemy. I take authority over these attacks in Jesus name and command them to go now and never return to me, or anyone in my family.” Keep declaring this and don’t stop until it goes, no matter how long it takes, see yourself free from it, and after you’ve had healing and if it tries to return, do it again! Stand your ground. This is war!
And, if some of these ailments come from an emotional wound you received in childhood or somewhere in life, ask the Lord to reveal it so He can heal it. Do the work necessary to get your healing and it will come. There are ministries who specialize in inner healing and it isn’t kooky or weird. It helps you process and heal your past which in turn heals many physical and ailments that you may be facing today! We all have stuff from our past and it’s okay to get help processing it. The thing with inner healing is that it helps uncover those things that we are not even conscious of even more because of the minds natural defenses. It works. Jesus helps and He heals.
It will be a fight and it may leave and return. It may be a battle that you have to persist in for as long as necessary declaring the works of Jesus and the will of God the Father- your Father!!
My grandmother was laying in bed DYING at the death ward of a hospital. She had an incurable disease and she was in final stages of life swollen and on life support. She had a tracheotomy in her throat with a ventilator. Through prayer (this is the quick version) she was healed and raised up off the death bed! The nurses all were crying saying “it’s a miracle”. They had not seen anything like that before I’m sure!People who came in their left for the morgue but she did not! She left and went to shop the rummage sales- one of her favorite things to do. They had a going home party for her, not her “home in heaven” but her earthly home with us all, her family! People, listen, you need to get this. Sometimes it’s a battle and you gotta go right up to the fiery furnace and maybe even into it declaring the will and ability of the Father in Jesus name!
Sometimes we have done all we feel we can, confessing and acting in faith, yet it seems we are just getting worse and the devil sends stupid ignorant people to us, that say there was so and so who died declaring faith, you better stop! I laugh at that! I will never stop- God has healed me so many times and I have seen so many miracles even if sickness was overtaking me I would know it’s not God’s failure or fault. I would not say I must have been wrong to follow God or believe it’s His will for me and others to always be healed... NO NEVER!
Jesus said to pray the Fathers will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There’s no sickness in heaven or depression or suicidal thoughts or addictions or perversions. Come on people! I don’t understand it all, God is mysterious but I understand enough to know His revealed will for many things and I trust Him with the rest. If I hadn’t stood my ground I would not have seen so much and for me, He is true and anything that goes against that is a lie!
We need to let faith and courage in HIM overtake us. Our God is well able to save us but even if He doesn’t we will still declare His will and truth. For His word is true and all else is false! His word says let God be true and all others be a liar.
So many will argue with me and debate these things, like they did Jesus, Who Himself said “I’m numbered with the transgressors”. Who are the transgressors? They are those that do not fit the “church world” model. Those who think healing and deliverance has been done away with. Or that the “age” we live in is the age of such and such. I just have to laugh, when I look at them and I hear the spirit saying to me “unless you become as a little child, you can in no way enter the kingdom of heaven!” He loves the little children and He said “let the children come”, childlike faith. He said it so I believe it!
I’m sorry for those of you who tried it and it “didn’t work” but you have wrongly stopped, and it wasn’t Gods fault that it didn’t work. We live in a fallen world and sadly so many have twisted and tangled the world with human intellect and knowledge that it has no faith left in it and they wonder why it doesn’t work.
Those who come to Him must believe He is who He says He is and without faith it is impossible to please God. Jesus said at one time to those who were his “oh ye of little faith” because they had seen the miracles He’d done and gotten afraid and doubtful and let fear cause them to react in ways that were not faithful. And He said of another “oh ye of great faith I’ve not seen such great faith in all of Israel.” He said that about a Roman soldier who UNDERSTOOD AUTHORITY!
So, while this has been a long article, it is really just a short snipet of the revealed truth of God for this area. I hope it inspires you and that you rise up and start to walk in your faith and authority and begin a journey to gain wisdom and knowledge of God’s will in this area. I hope you begin to read the Bible and I suggest starting with the New Testament first... and don’t stop!and FYI, you should expect an attack on your faith in this area; it is God allowing you to be tested and to be grown. You could be special forces someday!
Love you all and I speak a blessing of great faith come to all those who have read this! Blessings to you my family, in Jesus name, let it be! All Glory to God!!!
Shane and Kara McLean