The first level of spiritual warfare is temptation. That will be our first encounter with the enemy.  It will not be a frontal assault but an invitation to find our comfort, our significance, or our provision in sources other than God.   Matthew records the showdown between Jesus and Satan in the 4^th chapter of his gospel.  The text says, “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan” (Mt. 4:1).

In those temptations, Satan was simply trying to draw Jesus outside of God’s will.  The first temptation was about food. In essence, he was saying, “If you really are the Son of God, do your thing.  Don’t wait on God’s provision but turn these stones into bread.  Does he not care that you’re hungry? Take matters into your own hands and provide for yourself.” 

The second temptation was about calling out God to keep his promise of protection.  “Throw yourself off the temple wall and prove you are the Son of God and that he loves you.” In other words, make a demand on his goodness on your terms.  Again, Satan is tempting Jesus to take matters into his own hands rather than to be led by God.

Finally, Satan offered Jesus a shortcut to fulfill his life’s purpose. He took Jesus upon a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world.  The destiny of Jesus is to rule over all the earth and Satan offered him that destiny without suffering.  All he had to do was bow down and worship Satan.  He offered him a crown without a cross. 

Satan tempts us all to take things into our own hands…to run ahead of God and decide what is best for us, rather than waiting on him. He tempts us to make demands on God by deciding how and when his promise should be answered in our lives.  If he doesn’t meet our expectations (demands), we take offense.  He tempts us to take shortcuts in fulfilling our destiny.  We enter into relationships without prayer and marriage without wisdom. We manipulate circumstances to get what we want before we are ready to steward the blessing or the promotion. 

In each of these temptations, Satan is whispering that God is taking too long or that he can’t be counted on. He tempts us to take control, manage things ourselves.  If God has promised it,  then grab it now…there is no need to wait. Yet the mark of Jesus’ ministry was to do only what he saw the Father doing and say only what he heard the Father saying. He waited on the Father’s provision and timing and trusted him in those decisions.

When we give in to the temptation, we are coming into agreement with Satan, just as Adam and Eve agreed in the garden.  To do so gives the enemy a legal right to afflict us, torment us, or oppress us because our actions accuse God.  We usually start our spiritual warfare when we feel the torment or oppression, but we should recognize it begins with the temptations and cut it off there.

Here is the thing.  Satan rarely offers us things that are clearly sinful.  Often they are good things, but the sin is in our choice to get those things apart from God, his direction, or his timing.  Adam and Eve saw that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a source of wisdom…which God wants us to seek.  But they sought wisdom from another source other than their creator. We sometimes become like children who know they have an inheritance waiting for them but choose to steal it from their father or demand it rather than waiting on his timing and his judgement about what is best for them.  The “Prodigal Son” comes to mind (Lk. 15).

Jesus cut off the temptation attack in two ways.  First of all, he was absolutely convinced of his Father’s love and that his Father’s directions were to be trusted at all times for the best possible outcomes.  In other words, he trusted God to be good to him and to do so at the right time.  Secondly, he had stored up the Father’s Word in his heart so that he could draw from that storehouse to inform his decisions when temptation came his way

The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). When we engage the enemy, we should do so with the sword.  Satan is always seeking a legal reason to afflict us.  Revelation calls him “the accuser of the brethren, who accuses us before our God day and night.”  When we declare the Word of God, obey it, and stand on it, we establish that we are law keepers rather than law breakers.  It disarms the enemy in the courts of heaven and keeps him at bay.  After Jesus invoked the Word of God three times, Satan abandoned his assault.  That does not mean he won’t come back, but he left Jesus for a season waiting for another time when he might find Jesus vulnerable.

We need to understand that resisting temptation is our first and foremost strategy in spiritual warfare. Renewing our mind daily by meditating on the Word is essential.  We cannot wield God’s sword if we do not have it in our heart and mind.   Being quick to acknowledge sin, confess it, and repent of it, is also essential.  It is persistent, unrepented sin that most often opens the door for Satan to get a foothold.  It is also imperative that we monitor our own thought life so that we may make every thought submit to Jesus.  It is our recurring thoughts and the enemy’s rationalizations for choosing to step outside of the will of God that we must diligently guard against. 

One other important strategy for proactively keeping the enemy outside the walls is to find out more about our family line.  It is amazing how many of us have little to no history on our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents.  Satan often gains access to believers through their bloodlines. Remember,  Exodus 20 declares that the sins of the fathers will be visited on the children to the third and fourth generation.  The guilt is not passed down but the consequences are passed down which may include curses that have been incurred due to unrepented sin in the bloodline.  Many bloodlines are stained with adultery, molestation, witchcraft, violence, racism, and so forth.  These issues need to be discovered, if possible, and then renounced and repented of on behalf of our ancestors to keep Satan from using them against us and our children.  The holidays might be a great time to ask about family history…the good, the bad and the ugly.

Again, many times we don’t engage in spiritual warfare until the enemy is pummelling us.  It is much better to realize we must always stay on a war footing with the enemy and detect when he us trying to draw us out of God’s will in our thoughts or actions. The man who taught me the most about deliverance always said, “It is better to realize that someone is trying to break into your house than to realize he is already inside.”  Proactive prevention is the best strategy for spiritual warfare.  We don’t need to be paranoid, but we do need to be wise.  Ask the Holy Spirit to alert you to Satan’s attempted intrusions and keep the doors locked and the lights on.

This is the political season. I say that with the knowledge that the political season seems to be twelve months long now.  Politicians seem to go from one campaign to the next and only govern from time to time if they get the chance.

For the most part, politics is a war of words.  The down side is that, in this day and age, everything a person has said seems to be recorded in one way or another…videos of speeches given years ago, copies of emails, text messages, I-phone recordings, and articles written in an obscure paper or journal but now easily accessed by search engines.  Some of these were public records while others were obtained by someone hacking into a personal database.

When confronted with their past words, the typical result is denial, embarrassment, spin, and every other deflection the man or woman can think of to avoid the consequences of their verbal declarations.  Some statements seem to represent a policy decision they say they no longer believe.  Others seem have the scent of racism or bigotry or hate toward a group or an individual. Then the person, confronted with their own words, claims they were taken out of context or they didn’t really mean it. Failing at that, they simply issue a general apology for their totally improper remarks (which typically means I am sorry I got caught).

The truth is, most of us speak with little thought for the consequences that might spring from what was spoken.  If we are angry or frustrated, we blurt out whatever comes to mind before thinking at all. We find those words are hard to take back when the result of our speaking is not in our favor.  When confronted, we are often offended that someone is trying to hold us accountable for what we thought we could say without repercussions. We seem to live as if our words don’t matter…like bubbles floating into the air and disappearing.  Occasionally, I need a reminder that my words do matter…very much.

The Word of God puts a great deal of weight on what we say and paints those who blurt out whatever comes to mind as foolish people.  Wise men and women weigh their words.  They think before they speak.  They assess the consequences, for themselves and others, of the words they are about to let slip out.  One of the most sobering passages about our words was spoken by Jesus himself. “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:35-37).

First of all, Jesus taught that our words are indicators of the content of our hearts. “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them (Matt. 18:15). After saying something that embarrasses us later, we often say, “I don’t know why I said that.  That is not who I am!”  We must admit, however, that is was part of who we are or it would not have come out of our mouth. I admit demonic spirits can prompt us to say things that are “not who we are” or who we want to be, but then we need to deal with that spirit.

Rather than denial, blaming, or deflecting, if we would own what we said and submit that patch of darkness in our heart to the Lord, the Holy Spirit could do some scrubbing.  David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51).  I have had to offer that prayer on many occasions, and I think my heart is better aligned with the Fathers heart now than in was in the past.

Men will sometimes hold us accountable for our words, but the spirit realm will always hold us accountable.  Somewhere in the spirit realm, something or someone is recording every “careless word I have spoken.”  That phrase from Matthew 12, which is translated empty or careless is not just talking about bad language, cussing, or using the Lord’s name in vain.  It is talking about words we speak without thinking.  He is not saying our well thought our words expressing hate or lust will not be judged but he is saying that we will not be able to stand before the Lord and say, I couldn’t help it!” or “I didn’t mean it.” I am convinced Satan frequently gains a legal right to afflict us through our “careless words.”  A strong thread that runs through the book of Proverbs teaches over and over to be slow to speak, to hold our peace, and to carefully measure our words.  Just because we think something, we do not have to speak it. 

In addition to revealing our hearts, our words carry authority that releases power. The familiar proverb says, “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21).  Your words have power…not just in the natural realm, but in the spiritual realm as well. The fruit of our lips can be sweet or bitter.  We can impart blessings or curses.  They can command healing or command destruction.  Our words are seeds sown in both the natural and spiritual realms around us.  One of God’s immutable laws is that we will reap what we have sown and harvest what we have planted.  Our words are seed that produce life, blessing, abundance, peace and success or that bring forth death, weakness, lack, failure, and torment…in the lives we have spoken over and in our own life as a harvest of what we have spoken over others.  

As we watch the pundits and politicians broadcast their words this political season and try to disown words they have already spoken, let it remind us that we are not to be careless with our words for we will have to give an accounting for them.  When our words tip us off that something dark is in our heart, take it to Jesus.  When we find ourselves popping off without thinking, ask the Holy Spirit to shut our mouths when we are about to speak careless words hurtful words, or offensive words. Pray that the Lord will make our mouths a fresh spring that extrudes life and blessings and not a spring full of salt that kills everything it touches.

God is serious about our words and we should be as well.  Our prayer should be, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight” (Ps. 19:14).

Halloween is springing up everywhere…in stores, neighborhood decorations, people wearing costumes early, and, of course, all over the internet. When I was a kid, it was just about my favorite holiday and according to some researchers, it is America’s favorite holiday next to Christmas. I guess the draw was the idea that I could put on a costume and move unknown from door to door scoring candy.  There was also the scare factor of some houses going all out to make the environment creepy and then coming to the door in creepy character.  Of course, television rolled out all the scary movies associated with Halloween and so we all eagerly jumped in to participate.  I no longer participate.

Twenty plus years of helping people deal with demons and spiritual attack have informed me that there are very real forces in the spiritual realm looking for open doors and access to the lives and even bodies of people…even God’s people. The enemy is called the “accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10) iand we see several instances in scripture were Satan is standing in the courts of heaven bringing accusations against God’s people.  He is constantly searching for a “legal right” to afflict those he is accusing.

When ministering deliverance, we first look for the “open doors” that have given Satan and his demonic representatives a right to afflict the person to whom we are ministering. Those open doors can be unrepented sin, unforgiveness, occult involvement, and sometimes generational curses that have opened a door.  Those must be removed before the spirit can be expelled.  Here is the thing…we often create an open door without even realizing we have done so.  

When I was a kid, Ouija boards became the rage at parties.  They were passed off as fun and games and if you had a spooky experience that was a bonus.  We had no intention of coming under the power of Satan but because we were actually connecting with the occult, an open door was created for Satan.  If you cross a boundary unaware and enter into enemy territory, you are still in danger, even if you did not intend to cross that line.  When I was young and even when I was older, I was quite unaware of the spiritual realm.  Of course, I saw all the horror shows but they tended to convince me that supernatural events and things that go bump in the night were imaginary and existed only in fiction.  The rational part of me rejected their reality so I was careless with things that might connect me to the demonic realm.

In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul was writing to believers who once offered sacrifices and participated in special days dedicated to their pagan gods.  After becoming believers, they still had friends, relatives, and business associates who would invite them to participate in their celebrations.  However, Paul declared, “but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:20-21).  Even if they were only pretending to honor the false god by their presence, their participation still aligned them with Satan because they were willingly sitting at the table of demons.  

According to many Satanists and former Satanists, Halloween is the highest day of the year witches, warlocks, and those who participate in the occult.  They prepare for it, celebrate it, and offer blood sacrifices on Halloween.  The day called Halloween was begun by Celts centuries ago as a day that spirits wandered the earth.  The Catholic church coopted the day and called it All Hallows Eve when the saints were to be celebrated.  However, it belonged to Satan first and the traditions of costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and so forth have continued.

My view now is that when we participate in Halloween rituals, we are sitting at the table of demons whether we understand that or intend that or not.  We risk crossing a boundary into enemy territory which gives the enemy the right to afflict or torment us.  We may think it is harmless fun, but many believe tarot cards, Ouija boards, and psychic readings are harmless fun as well.  But each of those leads us into enemy territory where demonic spirits are waiting to lay claim to us.

I’m not saying that participating in Halloween is the unforgivable sin, but I am saying it may well put you and your children at spiritual risk.  Anything that honors Satan, intended or unintended, invites demons. I have talked to and heard the testimony of numerous men and women who were once high-ranking Satanists, but have now come to Jesus.  Without exception, they all say any participation is Halloween creates an open door for the enemy to attack you, torment you, or oppress you and your children.  They are totally baffled by any Christian who would take part in Halloween.

I realize this seems foolish and “hyper-spiritual” to those who do not take the spirit realm seriously.  It all seems like harmless fun.  But Satan appears as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and traps are always baited with the things that seem delicious and harmless.  I don’t intend this to be a judgment on those who participate, but a CAUTION for every believer to consider.  I encourage you to think about and pray about it before jumping in this year, because participating could well be hazardous to your spiritual health. 

One of Satan’s great tools to handicap God’s people is the tool of condemnation. In fact, there are spirits of accusation and condemnation that are attached to many of God’s people with the sole assignment of making them feel unacceptable to God.

I have known faithful believers who knew the Word but never felt fully forgiven nor acceptable to the Father. In fact, they could read through such affirming books as Ephesians and Philippians and still walk away with a crippling sense of condemnation. Something in them filtered out every positive promise and every affirming word about their identity.  Even if they understood what they were reading, they believed those promises and affirmations were for other believers, but not for them.

Condemnation seems to carry the message that not only have you done some things that are wrong, but you are defective, you are rejected, you are not enough.  Of course, the good news of Jesus is that, by his death, he has taken away our defectiveness, taken away rejection, and he has made us enough in the eyes of God.  

The writer of Hebrews declares, “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being madeholy” (Heb. 10:14).  Notice the fact that you have been made perfect in the eyes of God by that sacrifice.  The verb is past tense.  It is not something we can earn or strive for or beg for.  The blood of Christ has already given us a standing of perfection in heaven while we are yet imperfect.   

So, does God then simply ignore the sin in our lives, the failures, the imperfections.  In one sense, the answer is “Yes.”  He ignores it in the sense that he does not hold those things against us or even see us as being defined by those things.  We may define ourselves by those things but God does not. We are defined by who we are in Christ and those weaknesses and failures (past and present) no longer have any condemnation attached to them.

In addition, although those things bring no rejection or condemnation from God, he is faithfully working to make us holy.  This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  He isn’t doing this in order to make us acceptable, but simply to make us everything we can be in Jesus.

Satan’s ploy is to get us to focus on every past sin, every imperfection, and every failure.  The old axiom is, “We become what we behold.”  What we focus on defines us and we typically live up or down to the view we have of ourselves.  God’s strategy is to get us to focus on who we are in Christ…children of God loved and forgiven; citizens of heaven walking in power and authority, representatives of Christ on the earth with a destiny established by God; the forgiven, the cleansed, the perfected, saints of God on this earth with an unimaginable inheritance waiting for us in heaven.

As we consistently focus on those realities, we become them – those realities define us. Knowing that, Satan continually whispers condemnation in our ears, speaks it through the broken people in our lives, and keeps us in a constant state of self-rejection and insecurity.  

As a result, we never feel the love of God, never have faith that he will answer our prayers, and never step into significant roles in the kingdom that God has ordained.  As long as we are bound up by condemnation, Satan wins.

But Paul put condemnation to rest in his letter to the Romans.  He said, “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 7:21-8:2, emphasis added). 

Notice, Paul still struggles with sin and often does what he doesn’t want to do and feels the frustration of living out that reality.  However, he stands on the truth that the blood of Christ covers those failures and weaknesses in the courts of heaven.  He boldly declares to us, to himself, and to Satan there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.  That must be our answer to every condemning thought that trickles across our minds.  

Some of those thoughts are our own. In that case we need a renewed mind where God’s truth replaces our habitual thoughts that do not line-up with his thoughts.  We must constantly say what God says about us in Christ. Some of those thoughts are from broken people.  Maybe we need to distance ourselves from them, if possible. 

Some or most of those thoughts are from Satan. Because you are a child of God with power and authority, you need to call Satan out when those thoughts immerge in your mind.  Call him a liar, renounce the lie he has spoken to you, and then command him to be silent and depart. James tells us, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Ja. 4:7).  We submit to his truth about us by giving his Word more authority than our feelings or thoughts. We them must actively resist the devil by declaring God’s truth and exercising the authority you have in Jesus.  Command Satan’s demonic representative – the spirit of condemnation to leave and he will.  

If you struggle with condemnation, stay in the Word, submit your mind to God’s truth, and constantly say only what God has said about you.  Jesus himself told us we will know the truth and the truth will set us free (Jn. 8:32).  When the enemy comes, pull out the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit and contend for God’s truth about you!