Spiritual Warfare is not an elective, it’s a fact of life for the Christian.
Rom 13 –instructs us to “Cast off the unfruitful works of darkness, put on the armor of light, walk Honestly, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and do not fulfill the desires and lusts of the flesh”.
Gen 4:7 introduces us to the principles of OPEN DOORS: Gen 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."
Open doors gives our adversary full and unhindered right t take advantage of us. The nature of sin is that it is progressive. For most of us, we spend hours binding symptoms, but Jesus taught the “Seed Principle””
Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they
said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
Mat 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Mat 12:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Mat 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
According to the wisdom of Jesus Christ, the problem is not the fruit…its the root! Until we are able to “lay the axe to the root”, we spend our time and energy picking away at the fruit to only have it reappear.
Dealing with the Strongman
Below is a brief list of strongmen that show up to wreak havoc in our lives and ministries.
FAMILIAR SPIRIT/SPIRIT OF DIVINATION – TIED TO YOUR BIRTH AND GUIDANCE IN LIFE
1. They work together – dispatched at birth
2. Leads people to seek satanic intelligence for guidance in their lives instead of God and His Word
3. Aided by well doers, usually parents that ask questions like “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
4. Breaks the 1st Commandment and invokes God’s Curse to the 3rd and 4th Generation (Ex 20, Ex 24, Jer 32:18
Practices:
DIVINATION (Acts 16:16 and Ez 21:21): Defined…The practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means.
Symptoms and Fruit: Passive mind states (unable to concentrate), daydreaming, necromancy (consultation of the dead), clairvoyant, yoga, psychic powers, mind altering drug use (including alcohol), transcendental meditation, esp (extra sensory perception). Mimics the power of prophetics. (false prophecy)
FAMILIAR SPIRITS (Lev 20:27 and I Sam 28:7-8): Uses Mechanical props such as tea leaves, tarot cards, palm reading horoscopes, Ouija boards, crystal balls, occult games, levitation, hypnotism, handwriting analysis, biorhythm and biometrics, etc.
These skills are often passed on from one generation to another within a family line (familia)
SPIRIT OF JEALOUSY Numb 5:14 - 30
Root – HATRED, ENVYINGS, COVETOUSNESS, DIVISION, UNMERCIFUL, DEBATE AND STRIFE, FIERCE (HOMOSEXUALS)
Fruit – Murder, revnge (spite), anger-rage) cruelty, extreme competitiveness, contention, always causing division, boasters.
LYING SPIRIT
Root: Untruthful, Whisperers, foolish talking, backbiters, covenant breakers, extortioners.
Fruit: Flattery, Strong deception, accuses-accusations, gossip/backbiting, false teaching, hypocrisy, superstitious (old wives tales), lying and excuses
PERVERSE SPIRIT: Isa 19:14 The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
Root: Unholy, homosexual, fornicator effeminate, sodomy, heresies, vain imaginations (including masturbation), Inventors of evil
Fruit: Wounded spirit, hater of God (atheist), filthy mind, rebellion, sex perversions, twisting the word, doctrinal error, repulsive (dirty, filthy, bodily uncleanness)
SPIRIT OF HEAVINESS (IS 61:3) INCLUDING DEPRESSION
ROOT: Bitterness, lack of praise, unthankful
Fruit: Excessive Mourning, sorrow or sadness (grief), self pity, depression, heaviness, suicidal tendencies, inner hurts/bruises, despair, rejection and hopelessness, insomnia yet extreme fatigue, Insanity (Saul)
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