This week’s blog may seem a little “out there,” if you have not been involved in spiritual warfare or have not been actively engaged in the fight for very long.  For those of us who have been involved in deliverance and house cleansings and have studied the spiritual realm for years, this seems matter-of-fact.

The spiritual realm is very real. The Word of God confirms that reality.  The Apostle Paul declared, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph.6:11-12).

Notice several things from this passage.  We (all believers) struggle against the powers of this dark world (witches, warlocks, satanists, etc.) and spiritual forces of evil. The word translated “struggle” means close, hand to hand combat. We will have, close personal encounters with demonic forces who intend to kill, steal, and destroy.  We encounter these forces as a result of Satan’s schemes against us.  The word translated “scheme” denotes a well-studied and implemented plan of attack.  Satan develops and releases a logical and studied strategy to destroy us. 

The most successful demonic strategies against us are subtle.  There is no horned entity breathing fire with saber-like teeth and dragon wings trying to break down the door. These strategies come in the form of temptations that wear us down day after day and draw us away from God’s will a little at a time…a little drink with friends that over time becomes several drinks and eventually dependence on alcohol.  A gradual flirtation in the work place that eventually erodes boundaries.  You begin to imagine an intimate moment with the other party but dismiss it, knowing that would be not only wrong but catastrophic. But the month both of you are having trouble at home, you take the next step and Satan pulls the trigger. Satan is patient.  If the process takes a year or two, he doesn’t mind.

The strategy designed to take you out is so gradual you would never think of it as a demonic plot against you.  These attacks also come in the form of slight depression, a little anxiety, a little resentment, a steady whisper that you are always being victimized, an occasional glance at porn, not feeling your best, but over time…it becomes more than a little depression, fear, resentment, anger and pornography. You assume these issues are part of life, having a bad day, living in a fallen world, etc.  And that is true, but many times there is also a demonic component to your struggles.

You may seek prayer, counseling, accountability partners, support groups and medications, but, if the root is spiritual attack, these will not solve the problem.  You may be able to “manage” your issue most of the time, but the enemy will work tirelessly to undermine your “managing.”

I want to talk about a specific strategy the enemy uses against many believers. It’s invisible.  It’s silent.  It happens at night. I have heard this strategy revealed by several former witches and Satanists who used to carry out assignments against believers.  I have had personal conversations with those who were once steeped in occultism but became followers of Jesus. Nearly all of them came to Jesus because they found their occult powers could not match the powers of Jesus or they had a “love encounter” with the Christ that filled the emptiness they were trying to remedy through witchcraft.  After their encounter with Jesus, they were quite willing to talk about the strategies Satan uses against God’s people.

Witches and Satanists partner with demons to do the bidding of Satan.  Active witches’ covens and satanic groups are extremely prevalent in our nation right now.  One of their tools is astral projection by which their spirit leaves their body and travels about. Frequently, they enter the homes of believers to carry out assignments against them.  The prime time for these visits is between midnight and three in the morning…the time when the barrier between the natural realm and spiritual realm seems to be the thinnest. Clearly, not every believer is going to be visited, but leaders in churches would be the most likely targets or other believers at vulnerable times in their lives.  This strategy may be detected when believers are experiencing emotional, relational, or health issues that don’t seem to make sense and cannot be adequately explained.

Sometimes they simply observe, moving through the house seeing what is there and what might give Satan a legal right to afflict these people.  They sometimes function as monitoring spirits simply doing reconnaissance to help develop schemes against you. Sometimes, they stand over your bed and whisper things into your mind or dreams that create fear, doubt, sadness, depression, resentments, distrust, etc.  You wake up feeling off, down, anxious, etc. without knowing why.  They may reinforce temptations to drawn you away from Jesus.  They may instigate nightmares or distrust between spouses because you are asleep and, like hypnotic suggestions, your critical thinking defenses are not operating. They may instigate health issues that are not easily diagnosed or treated. They may assign demons to continue the strategies they helped develop including spirits of infirmity (sickness) and fatigue.

One former witch said she carried out these night time visitations for over a decade.  Now, as a believer she pleads with Christians to be aware of these schemes and to take steps to prevent these witches, warlocks, and demonic spirits from entering their homes. As we live in these end times, demonic activity against Gods’ people is ramping up. I want to give you a plan to resist these schemes. The former witch said when she came to believers’ homes that did not do these things, she was able to move through the house freely.  When she was assigned to homes where these strategies were practiced, she could gain no entrance.  Sometimes the house seemed to be ringed by fire and, at other times, angels were standing guard.

1. Never go to bed before asking the Lord to protect you and your family from the evil one. Ask him to set sentries (angels) around your home and establish a hedge of protection.

• Each night, verbally dedicate and submit your home and your family to the Lordship of Jesus. 

• Declare protective scriptures over your house nightly…Psalm 91, Isaiah 54:17, etc.

• Perform regular house cleansings, commanding spirits to leave your house and property in the name of Jesus and anointing each door and window with oil (olive oil).

• Remove any objects in your house that do not line up with the holiness of God… occult objects, occult keepsakes, music that does not honor God, videos that do not honor God, etc.  This may include freemasonry tokens, dream catchers, astrology charts, even cultural artifacts that were used in the worship of false gods or that were dedicated to those gods.

• Avoid television, video games, and streaming that is violent, pornographic, or occult.

• Play praise music or the audio Bible softly at night somewhere in the house.

• Keep your relationship with God fresh, your forgiveness up to date, and your confession and repentance current.  These things take away the enemy’s legal right to afflict you.

I want to encourage you to be more thoughtful and intentional about the enemy’s schemes against you.

Don’t be fearful but wise.  Be proactive in your spiritual warfare and know it is a very real thing. 

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.