This week we will conclude out discussion of ten indicators that you may be under spiritual attack.  

Indicator Nine

You are having unwelcome recurring or obsessive thoughts that do not dissipate, but rather, press in harder when you resist them.

Unwelcome thoughts pop into our conscious mind on a regular basis.  They may be thoughts of lust, revenge, anger, fear, self-loathing, judgments, bigotry, etc.  Some of those come from impressions made by the flesh or the world that bubble up into our conscious minds.  Some fly across the screen of our thoughts so quickly that we hardly notice.  Others drift by slowly until we notice them and say “No” to those thoughts with our mind or our heart.  As we do, they lose power and diminish in intensity.  When we declare the word of God over them, they tend to go away. 

There are other unwelcome thoughts, however, that are stronger and more intense, as if they are thoughts that have their own voice in our head.  As we resist these thoughts, they don’t diminish but actually press in harder – especially thoughts that create lust, bitterness, despair, self-destructive desires, or fear.  These thoughts have an obsessive quality and often have a component pushing us toward sinful or destructive actions.  These kinds of enduring thoughts indicate a demonic stronghold. Some believers find these thoughts to be so oppressive that they give in and cease to resist the thoughts because it takes so much energy to resist – even though they know the thoughts are destructive or perverse. 

Just trying to think something else will not overcome these thoughts because they have a demonic component. We must recognize the source, repent of our agreement with the thoughts, renounce the thoughts, and then command the spirit that is the source of the obsessive thinking to leave.  Remember, you cannot ask a spirit to leave or simply want it to leave…you must command it to leave.  Spirits of lust, pornography, sexual fantasy, perversion, fear, anxiety, suicide, rejection, condemnation, victimization, etc. are common.  If we think those thoughts simply belong to us, we will typically condemn ourselves for having the thoughts, which gives the enemy even more power over us.  Just trying to deal with the thought without going after the demon, is like treating symptoms without dealing with the cause.

Indicator Ten

 You simply sense that something demonic has attached itself to you.  Don’t simply dismiss that feeling or possibility.

Most people have no idea that they are under demonic attack, but there are also numerous individuals who sense that something beyond themselves is affecting them.  Maybe the Holy Spirit points out what is happening or the thoughts take on the form of “you are….” rather than “I am…” and that feels like something beyond the individual is in play. 

If we have been taught that Christians cannot be demonized, then we will dismiss the idea as irrational or unbiblical. The truth is that you can’t always know, but there is no harm in “covering that base” to see if a demonic spirit is involved. 

It is often wise to get others involved in commanding a spirit rather than trying self-deliverance.  When you are uncertain about the presence of a demon, command it to manifest and show itself.  Forbid it to hide or remain silent and continue to command it to reveal its presence.  If a spirit is present, the person should feel it manifest in their body or it can be seen in the eyes of the individual, or it will “speak” to the person as a thought.  If the spirit reveals its presence, go after it until it leaves. If no spirit manifests, then get busy working on your thought life or seeking more healing for past wounds.

When any of these ten indicators are present and persistent, you should suspect that you are under demonic attack.  When you sense an attack, take action. 

• Have others stand and pray with you.  See Ecc.4:12 / Lev.26:7-8 / Matt. 18:19 / James 5:16
• Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any open doors in your life that are giving the enemy a legal right to afflict you.
• Take an inventory of how you are spending your time, what you are listening to or watching on television, or who you are spending time with that may be infecting you with fear, doubt, cynicism, or condemnation. 
• Be aware that there may be individuals directing curses at you.  If you sense that, break and nullify those curses by the authority of Jesus Christ.
• Remember that you have been made to outlast the storm because you are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus.
• Remember who you are in Jesus. Return to confessing your identity in Him.
• Begin to confess victory again and declare the word of God (the sword of the Spirit) over your life.
• Exercise your authority over demons and circumstances (Luke 10:19).  If you don’t know how, find someone who does.
• Get mad at the devil not at God.  God’s plan is to bless you while the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

I hope this series on Indicators has been helpful. If this is an area in which you have little experience or theological grounding, I would encourage you to get my book, Born to Be Free, published by Morgan & James. You can find it on Amazon and I think it will be helpful.  

This week we will continue to discuss indicators that you may be under spiritual attack.  

Indicator Six

Old sins and temptations begin to surface again that you have not had to deal with for months or years.  The enemy will attack old places of vulnerability first.

A common experience for believers is a season of victory over sin and even thoughts about those sins, followed by the resurgence of recurring thoughts about the issues they have had victory over.  In other words, temptations that have faded away for months or even years suddenly return. The enemy will often return to test those places in your life for vulnerability. Those temptations might be to return to pornography, shopping binges, resentment or anger towards another person, thoughts about calling old friends that you know would draw you away from the Lord, etc.

When temptations suddenly recur and refuse to fade away when you resist the thoughts, demonic attack is indicated.  Our first thought is usually, “What’s wrong with me that I’m thinking that again?”  These should be treated first as demonic intrusions into our thought life.  We should first assess whether or not we have become careless in our actions and thought life regarding old areas of sin.  If so, we should confess that carelessness and shore up those areas with prayer and some kind of accountability.

Secondly, we need to recognize that many sins that have addictive components are simply ways we medicate old wounds or areas of emotional need.  We can ask the Lord to continue to heal those wounds or meet emotional needs in godly ways.   We can then bind and command any spirit that is indicated by the temptation coming our way. 

Indicator Seven

You find yourself pulling away from godly people in your life and feel drawn to people who aren’t committed to Jesus or old friends who are not believers.  You find yourself becoming cynical and critical of the church and you are having thoughts that life before Jesus was better.

Anyone who came to Christ after a life of sin as a teen or adult may experience these temptations. These kinds of thoughts can originate from a spirit of anti-Christ or a spirit of error that inserts doubts about the truth of God’s word or truths about Jesus.  Influence from cults, nEastern, or new age philosophies may also fuel those doubts.  

A spirit of condemnation or unworthiness may also work towards making us feel unworthy and disqualified to serve God and receive his blessings. The thought that “even God can’t love me” will often drive us back to old friends and old ways when that spirit convinces us that we will find love and acceptance there.   When these spirits attack, we need to fight them with the Word of God, call them liars, and command them to be silent and leave. We need to draw close to Christian friends and spiritual family during these times of attack as well, 

Indicator Eight

You find yourself being drawn to things of the world more than things of the kingdom…not things that are sinful in themselves, but sports, recreation, travel, hobbies, family activities, etc. so that those things are getting much more time and attention than the Lord.

 Believers must always be aware of distractions.  Satan loves to fill our lives with distractions and “good things” that we would never define as sin.  Americans, especially, are in love with busyness.  We seem to find our significance in the abundance of our activities and we have imparted that value to our children.  There was a time when schools and little league would schedule no games on Sundays or Wednesdays because those were traditional times for church.  Now many families are only seasonally active in churches.  They may be gone weekend after weekend in the name of family time at the lake, sports, and other extracurricular activities for their kids.  Careers and career development can easily take precedence over the things of God.  Our goals of close families, children feeling loved, and financial security are worthy goals, but Jesus said we must love him more than family or possessions if we are to be his disciples.

Because family togetherness and financial security are “good,” we would never define what we are doing as sin. Yet there is a sense in which we can put these things before our relationship with God or serving in the Kingdom and so these activities and our busyness can become idols.  Spirits of distraction, idolatry, materialism, etc. will help us define these distractions as good and even godly.  We need to keep an eye on the busyness and distractions in our lives and prayerfully assess what is godly and what is not.   Any kind of idolatry is a very wide open door for the enemy to camp out in our souls and a trigger for curses to be released over our lives.

Final Indicators Next Week

We are continuing a discussion of indicators that we may be under spiritual attack.  As believers, we are always subject to temptation by the enemy.  But there are also times when demonic spirits get an assignment to afflict or oppress us.  If we don’t recognize the strategies of the enemy, we may not engage the enemy directly with the divine weapons God has provided for us and the attack may continue for a very prolonged season.  So, let’s continue to look at the indicators.

Indicator Three

You are experiencing a “lack attack” in which everything is breaking down at once, one thing after another is failing, unexpected expenses keep draining your accounts, you experience a very unexpected job loss, etc.  

Again, these kinds of experiences are often just “life happening to us.”  But prolonged financial challenges when you are managing your finances in a reasonable way may indicate that something more is going on.  

In Deuteronomy 28:28-44, financial lack, poor harvests, others getting promotions instead of you – even though you are working hard, etc. are characteristics of a curse. The first thing you may need to assess is whether or not something in your life or family line has given Satan some authority to afflict you.  Unrepented sin in your life or the lives of your ancestors may be giving the enemy that authority.  In Malachi 3, God releases a curse on Israel for not tithing or for not honoring God with their finances.  If you have lacked integrity in any financial or business dealings or have had ancestors who have cheated people out of money, you may need to repent on their behalf or for your own failings, even if those were years ago.  

If you have spoken poverty or financial failure over yourself, you may need to renounce those words and begin to declare the blessings of God over your wealth.  We don’t all need to drive Mercedes and live in huge homes, but poverty and lack is not God’s intention for his people.  He wants us to have enough to meet the needs of our family and to have more than enough so that we can give to the kingdom and help the poor. Prolonged lack may take some prayer, fasting, the breaking of curses,  commanding the enemy and declaring the blessings of God over us.

Indicator Four

You experience constant disruptions and distractions when you try to pray or read the Word.  You are having recurring thoughts that you do not welcome.

There are spirits that love to distract you and keep you from quality time in the Word or quality time with the Lord.  Spirits of stupor will cause you to become very drowsy every time you try to read or pray.  Spirits of error and spirits of anti-Christ will argue against the truths you are reading and try to introduce doubt into your faith.  Spirits of sexual immorality or sexual fantasies may inject unclean thoughts into your imagination so that your time with God seems defiled and so on.  If you are getting enough sleep, Treat the fatigue and drowsiness as a spirit and command it to leave.  Do the same with other unwelcome thoughts that you did not invite onto the screen of your imagination.

Indicator Five

You are in a prolonged season of feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances and feelings of hopelessness are beginning to creep in.

Discouragement and despair are some of Satan’s greatest weapons against God’s people.  Isaiah speaks of a spirit of heaviness or despair that can come on God’s people (Isa.61:3).  It comes typically when we are tired or weary after facing circumstances that are emotionally draining.  Immediately after Elijah’s great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, he was threatened by Jezebel and quickly succumbed to depression and despair. The enemy clearly took advantage of  his being emotionally and spiritually depleted after a day of battle.  

When we have been facing a challenging season, the enemy whispers that things will never change or that life no longer holds any promise for you. He reminds you constantly of your limitations and whispers that God’s promises are empty or, at least, empty for you.  Often, he will whisper that you don’t measure up and that all you have done in your life or ministry counts for nothing. His goal is to get you to give in and give up. 

During these times, praise and thanksgiving are important weapons to use against the enemy.  Choose to believe in spite of your emotions.  Find a promise that addresses your discouragement and begin to declare it over yourself, your family, or your circumstances. Remember who you are in Christ and declare that truth against the enemy as well as commanding spirits of despair, discouragement and even fear to leave. You cannot be passive but must take the initiative against the enemy.  Get help from those versed in spiritual warfare if you feel like you are too depleted to fight.

More Indicators Next Week

I posted a version of this topic a few months ago, but felt prompted to bring it back with some additions and some discussion that I believe will be helpful.  In order to do that, I will present this as a series of blogs rather than just one.  Some of these thoughts were framed from an excellent article by Jentzen Franklin, while much of it will be my own thoughts and observations.

Clearly, not every obstacle in life is a demonic attack.  Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble.  Many of our troubles are just the consequence of living in a fallen world in which we will face hard circumstances that we simply have to deal with or outlast.  However, Paul also said that we should not be unaware of the devil’s schemes and that our real struggle is not against flesh and blood but the spiritual powers of darkness.

There are times when demonic forces are actively attacking us and divine weapons will have to be employed to overcome those forces.  This series will present ten indicators that you or others you know and love may be under spiritual attack, if these conditions are prolonged.   Being passive will not get you the freedom or victory you need. Even prayer alone may not be enough because we have been ordained to trample on snakes and scorpions (demons) and to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). We are called to heal and cast out demons not just pray about it, so many times we must take the fight directly to the enemy if we want victory.

At times, we will not be sure whether or not we are facing a spiritual attack. The devil is most effective when spiritual attacks come on us slowly so that we begin to feel that the oppression or affliction we are experiencing is simply a natural condition. If we were to experience these things suddenly, we would probably see them as the spiritual attacks they are.  But when these things creep up on us over a period of months, we begin to think it is just our “new normal” and begin to simply live with it rather than fight it.  We should pause from time to time to evaluate the challenges in our lives to see if we simply need to endure something for a season or go face-to-face with the enemy.  The following indicators may help you with that evaluation.  These indicators are not arranged in any particular order of importance.

Indicator One

Your spiritual passion and desires have subsided.  You find yourself without the desire to read the Word, pray, worship, attend church, or even serve in your calling without any apparent reason.  You are marked by apathy and indifference and can’t seem to shake it.

We all go through seasons of depleted passion, burnout, and distractions.  But if the season drags into months rather than weeks, you may be under attack.  There are a number of spirits that can attach themselves to us in order to drain our energy, passion, and commitment.  Spirits of stupor, discouragement, fatigue, or heaviness can affect us physically or whisper thoughts that all our efforts have accomplished nothing or that our prayers make no difference.  Sometimes the enemy discourages us through others, who judge us and criticize us so that we feel condemned and begin to doubt ourselves. When we find ourselves in this place, we need to begin to rebuke the enemy and command him to take his hands off of us. In the name of Jesus we should cancel any assignment of the enemy against us and command any unclean spirit to leave and never return. If we feel that we cannot muster the faith or the righteous anger to stand against the enemy, then we should ask others to command the enemy on our behalf. 

Indicator Two

You are experiencing a season of physical and emotional exhaustion, even though you are being reasonably responsible with your health.   Maybe you are experiencing lingering illnesses that are not clearly diagnosed and for which treatments have not been affective.  Perhaps, you get treatment, feel better for a while, but then revert back to the symptoms you have been dealing with.

In the gospels, men and women were often afflicted by spirits of infirmity that mimicked real diseases and conditions and gave life to those things while attached to the person. Blindness, deafness, muteness, seizures, back trouble, etc.  were all dismissed and the person healed through deliverance.  Others with the same symptoms were healed from physiological conditions or disease, but it seems that nearly as many were afflicted by a spirit of infirmity.  No treatment will bring lasting healing as long as the spirit is present.   If there have been traumatic injuries from violence, abuse, a car wreck, etc., sometimes spirits of trauma settle into the wound or injury and keep in from healing correctly as well. It is always wise to command a spirit of infirmity to depart whenever there is an illness or infirmity in a person.  Sometimes, we cannot be certain if a spirit is operating, but it is wise simply to cover that base to see if any spirit is present. 

More Indicators Next Week