Preview Dr. “B’s” Chapters of a New Book with Peter Hammond

Table of Contents

1. The Nature of the Spiritual World
2. The Inhabitants of the Spiritual World
3. The Origins of the War against God
4. The War between the Seeds
5. The Physical War against God’s Seed in History
6. The War and Direct Demonic Attacks
7. The War and Occultism
8. The War against the Soul
9. The War against God in the Intellect
10. The War against God in the World
11. Fighting the War and Winning

The Nature of the Spiritual World

God is a Spirit (Jn 4:24). Though every Christian knows the term “spirit,” we do not always fully appreciate what God meant when He chose that word to describe His nature. Part of the problem is that we can unintentionally impose modern concepts on the Biblical data. When God inspired the Scriptures to be written, He intentionally used the language and culture of His chosen authors. The Greeks and Hebrews were not modern academics, and sometimes the words they used to convey the wondrous truths He revealed to them did not always have the same degree of technical precision that we take for common today. Simply put, words were sometimes somewhat “malleable,” in that concrete terms could be stretched to fit more abstract concepts. Furthermore, in their writing, they did not always clearly distinguish between the two layers of meaning.

For example, both in Hebrew and Greek, the words we translate as “spirit” had meanings that ranged from “breath” to “air” or “wind”[1] and “life.”[2] Some linguistic scholars speculate that the word for “air” became associated with “breath”- after all, when we breathe, we can feel the air coming in and going out from our lungs.[3] “Air” and “wind;” are both something invisible that can be felt and the effects seen. It is then an easy connection from “breath” to “life” since one of the most obvious difference between a living person and a dead one is that the dead do not breathe. Thus, the ancients came to see “breath” as “the invisible essence of life” and by extension, that part of a man’s nature that makes his body alive and survives his death- his “spirit.”

The Bible itself uses just that imagery in God’s creation of man; after forming man from the “dust” of the earth He then “breathes” life into him (Gen 2:7). It is not a stretch then to see how this word for “invisible essence” could also come to include other “invisible” forces or beings.[4] Hence, “wind,” “air,” “breath,” “life” and “soul” or “spirit” are all related concepts because ancient people did not always clearly distinguish between them. In this view, human language was trying to make a connection between the physical world which can be seen and tasted, touched and smelled, to an invisible world that they believed to be just as real, but normally beyond our senses.

We can also argue this connection between “air” and “spirit” from a different direction; God created all things to reflect His glory, nature and being (Psalm 19:1ff, Romans 1:18-20, etc.). Therefore in His providence, He purposely intended there to be a connection between “invisible” but “powerful” forces such as air, breath, life and His own invisible yet powerful spiritual nature. In other words, part of the reason God created air, wind and breath was as an image or picture of His own being.

Without going too far afield, God reveals some things to us by analogy- the human mind, being limited, simply lacks the ability to comprehend certain aspects of reality other than by way of comparisons. Our understanding of the spiritual “world” may fall into this category; God in His creation, gave us pictures, images, shadows and types of a reality that is normally invisible to us, but which still affects our daily lives.

When faithful Christians read the Scriptures, they are often confronted with a certain degree of ambiguity (at least from our perspective) in understanding certain aspects of God’s revelation just because we are physical creatures. In some respects, God telling us about His invisible nature is like us trying to explain color to a blind man. We can convey true information to the person without sight; we can discuss the physics of light, how different angstroms affect color sensors in our eyes, etc., but that does not really help the person understand what we mean by “color.” In order to appreciate our description of a sunset, he needs to have sight (1 Corinthians13:12). Thus, any study of what God means by “spirit” will inevitably lead to some uncertainty and ambiguity for there are some things that are simply beyond our present ability to understand.[5]

Whether the association of “spirit” with “air” is a result of God’s providence in guiding human language, or a necessary fact of the revelation of His glory in creation, the Bible is clear that there is an “invisible” aspect to creation. God not only is a “Spirit” but created a “realm” distinct from the material world that we inhabit; “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Most Christians assume they know what the word “heaven” means and define it something like “the place where God lives.” Most think of “heaven” as a place of “bliss.” However, that is not quite the way Biblical cosmology uses the term (and in fact, many Christians unintentionally borrow their assumptions about “heaven” from Greek mythology; i.e., the “Elysian Fields”). God is omnipresent, filling every point of time and space with the entirety of His being; there is no “place” where God is “more” present than anyplace else (e.g., Psalm 139:7ff).[6] God existed before He created the “heavens and the earth.” Thus, the idea that God “lives” in heaven and looks down on the earth (e.g., Psalm 14:2) is probably better understood as a metaphor for something that otherwise may be beyond our ability to fully apprehend.

The word “heaven” and the phrase “heavenly places”[7] are perhaps better understood as referring to the “spiritual realm” rather than as “the place where God lives.” Granted the Bible itself does not always clearly differentiate between the physical “heavens” meaning the “sky, the sun, the moon, stars, planets” etc., and the “heavens” as being the realm of the spirit. Though the two words are often used almost interchangeably we do so in a similar way, even today. We can talk about the “heavens” poetically meaning the “sky” or about the “heavens” meaning the spiritual realm.

Perhaps the best way of understanding this is that our “physical” heavens (meaning the sky and all that it entails) are an analog, a picture of God’s “heavens.” The proper name of God is “I Am” (Hebrew YHVH) which is commonly understood to be a reference to His “self-existence” and “independence.” The God of the Bible depends on no one, or no thing for His own existence. He created all things to “reveal” His “glory” (e.g., Psalm 19:1ff). In fact, one definition of “glory” is the “visible manifestation of God’s invisible nature.”

Therefore, we ought to expect that every aspect of creation, in one way or another, reveals something about God and His nature (Psalm 19:1ff, Romans 1:18ff, etc.). Hence, in one sense, the physical “heavens” were created as a picture of the “spiritual” ones. If sometimes we confuse the picture with the reality, we are again faced with the very real dilemma of requiring human language to describe something that is by its very nature, outside of the normal experience of physical beings.[8] However, clearly, the Bible describes two “worlds” distinct from each other- the created material one that our senses can detect and the created spiritual realm which is normally invisible to us but nevertheless can and does affect us.

The Inhabitants of the Spiritual World

Furthermore, just as the Lord God made intelligent physical beings to inhabit His physical world, He also created intelligent spiritual entities to dwell in the “heavenly” one. Scholars are not agreed about just when in the creation process these spiritual beings came into existence; there are hints in Scripture that they were witnesses to God shaping and forming the earth (Job 38:7); so it is possible that He created them on the first day. However, since they are “created;” they did not exist in eternity with God. For our purposes, the real issue is that as “created beings” they, as the rest of creation, were intended by Him to glorify (i.e., to display or reveal) His nature.[9]

We commonly refer to these original spiritual beings as “angels;” which has caused some confusion for believers through the ages. The word “angel” is a transliteration of the Greek word “angelos” which simply means “messenger,” referring to one of their most common functions; they are often used in Scripture to convey “messages” to men, from God. However, it is just as legitimate to use this same term to refer to human messengers as well as celestial ones. Careful attention to context is necessary to properly understand to which type of “messenger” (celestial or human) the Scriptures are referring.[10]

As well as the Hebrew equivalent of “angelos” (malak – “messenger”), the Old Testament used two more specific terms to describe some of these spiritual beings; “cherubim” and “seraphim.” Cherubim (the Hebrew plural of “cherub”) are pictured in Scripture as being man-like, winged creatures often associated with guarding or protecting (e.g., the entrance to the Garden after Adam and Eve were cast out and images of them adorned the Ark of the Covenant).[11] While there are multiple references to Cherubim, Seraphim are mentioned only in Isaiah six.[12] Seraphim as well are described as winged (in this case, having six) man-like creatures and appear to have some function in the heavenly places of leading in worship.[13]

Since most of the references to Cherubim and Seraphim that mention their appearance occur in highly poetic or stylized passages it is debatable how much of their description should be taken literally. For example, in one place, Ezekiel describes Cherubim as having two faces, one of a man, the other of a young lion (Ezk 41:19) while in another, he describes them as having four faces and four wings (Ezk 10:21). Are these different types of Cherubim or just different poetical ways of describing spiritual beings? We are back to that analogical issue again; how well can finite creatures of flesh comprehend the inhabitants of the spiritual realm (creatures that by definition do not have bodies), without using some sort of metaphorical language? Thus, it is highly possible that the descriptions we are given are intended to be understood poetically; i.e., these are literary descriptions, not to be taken literally.

Though on occasion these celestial beings can take on human form (e.g., Genesis 18:2, 19:1-2, Judges 6:11-23, etc.) and appear as men; most commonly, the Bible assumes that their normal abode lies in the “heavens” from which they descend to the earth to fulfill their duties (e.g., note that they are still normally “invisible” unless God gives special revelation (e.g., Genesis 28:12).

The Origins of the War against God

The war against God began with a rebellion in this spiritual realm as some of these created, celestial beings chose their own pride over the glory of God.[14] They wanted to exalt themselves above God, to deny that He alone is the Lord of His creation. However, as celestial beings that had dwelt in the glory of God in the Heavens, this rebellion required them to suppress or deny what they knew to be true from their personal experience. Thus, inevitably, angelic rebellion had to begin with self-deception; self-consciously suppressing the truth they knew about God’s nature, becoming the “father” of lies.

When Paul was writing in Ephesus about this war, he was reminding Christians that their trials, tribulations, temptations and struggles were not just with the Roman imperial government or the idolatrous culture of the day, but with unseen spiritual forces in the “heavenly places.”[15] In effect, what we see here on earth in wars, persecution, idolatry, false religion, moral depravity or social injustice appear to be a manifestation of battles that are being fought in this spiritual realm. Hence, Paul exhorts us to use “spiritual” (invisible but yet powerful) weapons to fight this war; i.e., truth, righteousness, proclamation of the gospel, faith and confidence in our salvation.

Again, God in this passage is clearly using metaphorical language- the description of our “spiritual weapons” is taken directly from Roman military equipment and tactics. Roman soldiers conquered the known world not by being bigger, stronger or better warriors than their enemies. To the contrary, they were often considerably smaller (at least than their German ones), and wielded smaller weapons. Yet, the Roman legions routinely defeated the barbarians (who were on average a foot taller, much stronger and often armed with two-handed great swords) because they were equipped with the best armor available in the ancient world, and trained to protect and support each other in highly disciplined ranks. Man to man, the barbarians were usually better warriors; but the Romans (when led properly) were always better soldiers.[16] Paul’s point is that just as Roman soldiers, even when greatly outnumbered by barbarian hordes, could handily obliterate them, Christians could defeat their spiritual enemies by similarly trusting in their “spiritual” armor and standing together.

Yet implicitly, he is also telling us that just as the spiritual realm affects us, we affect what happens there! Our prayers, our submission to God, our faith in His providence, our dedication to truth, our faithfulness in proclaiming Jesus as Lord, in some way, is the key to winning the battles in the spiritual realm.

The war against God, though having begun in the “heavens” quickly manifested itself here on earth at the very beginning of human history. In Genesis chapter three, we have the first instance of direct human contact with these created spiritual beings in the Garden of Eden. One of them apparently possessed, controlled or manifested himself as (or even “was”) a “serpent;” that in turn, deceived Eve who then tempted Adam into sin.[17]

While we must be careful not to go too far beyond the actual words of the text, it is illuminating that the first earthly battle of this spiritual war the Enemy apparently worked through an intermediary, at least in some form. He worked through the Serpent to deceive the Woman. He worked through the Woman to tempt the Man into sin. Thus, we ought to expect (and we will find) that his normal mode of operation in this world is not by direct confrontation, but indirectly through deception and appeals to man’s pride. The Enemy had to lie to himself about who God was, and lied to his celestial peers, some of whom believed him. The Enemy then lied to Eve and deceived her. Once men accept his lies, they will then act consistently with those lies, fall into sin and bring God’s own judgment down on their heads.

The original sin in the Garden was not simply an act of theft or disobedience (giving the impression that God overreacted with His curse) but a human manifestation of this spiritual rebellion in the heavenly places. Adam deliberately ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil so that he could become like God, “knowing” good and evil (Gen 3:5). The “knowing” was probably not just “understanding” but rather “knowing” in the sense of “determining;”[18] in other words, Adam, wanted to replace God. Thus, his act was rebellion, a vain attempt to overthrow God and His rule and replace it with his own will. There is no direct evidence in the text that he understood at the time that he was joining in an angelic rebellion against God. However, we do know that he was not “deceived” about his intention (1 Timothy 2:11ff); he “knew” what he was doing. He wanted to become “as God.” His sin was the same as the original Enemy’s; to determine good and evil on his own terms, rather than God’s.

We should also note that the first temptation in the Garden was “occult” in nature. The word “occult” means “hidden” knowledge. The “Serpent” claimed that God was keeping important knowledge secret from Adam and Eve by forbidding them to eat from the Tree. To obtain this hidden knowledge, they had to believe lies about God, reject His Word and disobey His specific command. The reward would be “knowledge” and “godlike” power. This is the essence of occultism; that there is powerful knowledge that God wants to keep to Himself that can be revealed only to those initiated into its mysteries. The appeal of occultism in various forms has fascinated and haunted the human race ever since.

God’s reaction to Adam’s rebellion was to curse the Serpent, Eve, Adam and the very ground itself (probably meaning the entire physical creation). God specifically issued a death sentence against both the Serpent and the Man. However, He also promised that the Woman would be the means by which both the Serpent would be “crushed” and the Man redeemed (Genesis 3:15). God specifically declared that everlasting warfare would now exist between these two “seeds.”

Hence, at some point in time, perfect spiritual beings created by God, rebelled against Him. We can reasonably surmise that their motivation was the same as Adam’s; they wanted to be like God, and decide for themselves what was good, and what was evil. Their first recorded act in Scripture was to entice men to join this rebellion;[19] and everything else in human history in one way or another, is an outworking of this war against God. The human race forever more would be divided between the “seed of the serpent” and the “seed of the woman” at constant “enmity” with each other. The war in heaven was now a war on earth and every person would have to choose sides.

The War between the Seeds

Though the war against God began with a rebellion in the heavens by spiritual beings, the ultimate battle would be fought on earth; for it was here that the Serpent would be destroyed by the “seed of the woman.” Therefore, from the beginning, the Enemy[20] not only has hated anyone who does not side with him, he has also attempted to destroy the “seed of the woman” in a vain effort to deny God’s prophecy.[21] While the phrase “seed of the woman” is a direct reference to the future incarnation of the Lord Jesus, it can also be legitimately understood as a general term referring to those who side with God in this Great War, especially in the Old Testament. The Adversary cannot directly attack God; but He can attack His faithful followers.

Thus, ever since Eden, evil, spiritual forces, normally working through human intermediaries, have attempted to subvert, or destroy the “seed of the woman.” We find the next battle in this war when Cain murdered his brother Able. Cain though born of Eve, showed that he was of the “seed of the serpent” by refusing to offer a blood sacrifice to cover his sins (Gen 3:21).[22] In effect he was insisting that he would decide what proper worship of God would be. When his offering was refused, Cain was angry with God for rejecting his false worship, but he could not strike out at Him. He could however, strike out at his brother, who had offered the proper sacrifice.

Though there is no mention of our spiritual enemy in the text, Cain’s actions certainly fit within what we know from later revelation about how the Enemy works in the world. Note that Cain was the “first born” which in Biblical culture meant that he would have been the primary inheritor of the promise. Thus, when Cain allied himself with the spiritual rebels by refusing to worship God in truth the Enemy had already achieved a great victory; he managed to subvert what would have been the “natural” line of descent.

With Cain joining the rebellion, that left only Able as the seed of the woman. If the Enemy could remove Able, he could end the line that would one day destroy him. Therefore, regardless of what Cain thought his reasons were for murdering his brother, at least in some way he was being motivated or manipulated by the Enemy as the “seed of the serpent.” We might speculate that the Enemy used Cain’s jealousy, envy, arrogance and pride to entice him into murder. God’s plans however would not be denied and He gave the woman another son, Seth who would carry on the promised line of deliverance.

Notice however how this warfare was conducted; the Enemy worked through human envy and anger to accomplish his ends. A righteous man, just by being righteous was enough to make a wicked man seethe with murderous hatred. This will be a recurring feature of the “war between the seeds” throughout history; the allies of God are hated, oppressed, persecuted and murdered, not because of anything they have done, but simply for what they are.

As Biblical history continues to unfold, the war against God continues with an attempt to subvert the righteous “seed” by angelic beings cohabiting with human women producing monstrous offspring (Genesis 6:1ff) who in turn fill the earth with violence. Many modern commentators reject the idea that the Bible here is describing such human, angelic liaisons; and refuting that argument would take us on an interesting but ultimately profitless tangent.[23] But whether we have direct, spiritual interference or just godly men marrying ungodly, idolatrous women is really secondary to the point that one manifestation of the “war between the seeds” was a deliberate effort to eliminate the line of the “seed of the woman” by seducing (literally) the godly into idolatry and false religion.

This tactic appears frequently in the Old Testament; if the Adversary cannot destroy the seed of the woman by direct attack, he often subverts it with perversity and immorality. Illicit sexuality is the bait used to undermine allegiance to God (e.g., Solomon). The direct consequences of Genesis 6:1ff was a world so wicked, that God had to destroy it. Therefore it is not reading into the text to see this tactic as the Enemy’s attempt to entice men into such grievous sin that God would judge and destroy His creation. If God destroyed His creation, He would also eliminate the line He declared would destroy the Serpent. However, again God is greater than the wiles of the Enemy and preserved Noah and his family and repopulated the earth.

Yet immediately after the flood, the human race again is subverted into idolatry and wickedness. They wanted to consolidate their power and reach “heaven” by their own efforts.[24] God then confounded human languages, making it impossible for them to create a one world state or develop occult power. The nations are then dispersed across the face of the earth.

Within a few generations, it appears as if the Enemy has again won the war in the physical world. Idolatry and false worship are firmly established in every nation and even Abraham comes from a pagan family.[25] The Enemy’s lies seem to have been universally accepted; his victory in subverting the “seed of the woman” complete. Yet God calls Abraham out of an idolatrous culture and keeps him isolated from paganism by making him a nomad. God then promises Abraham a land for his descendants, and that through him, He would bless the entire world. God chose Abraham as the conduit of the “seed of the woman,” but twice his wife was kidnapped by idolatrous kings. If we read this account as a part of a connected story rather than as a series of isolated events,[26] it is not difficult to see this as another assault on the seed of the woman; i.e., an attempt to obliterate the promised “seed” by removing the woman God had chosen. Isaac later suffered the same problem, with both father and son being rescued by God. God therefore preserves the line which will culminate in the Enemy’s destruction.

Every child knows the story of Jacob and Esau; what we often fail to appreciate is that again, we have here the continued battle between the two “seeds.” Though God specifically said that the “older will serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23), Isaac refused to heed this prophecy and tried to give the blessing to Esau in defiance to God’s expressed will. When Jacob demonstrated that Esau was unworthy and had nothing but contempt for the blessings of God, Esau hated and persecuted him, driving him away from home. The “seed of the Serpent” thus continues to threaten and persecute the “seed of the woman.”

When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, Pharaoh (the epitome of the “seed of the Serpent,” an idolatrous, occult, despotic “god-king”) attempted to destroy the “seed of the woman” by executing newborn male children. Again God providentially preserves Moses, and uses the Enemy’s tactics against him. Moses is raised in Pharaoh’s own household, receiving a priceless education that would prepare him for his future role as the deliverer of Israel. Eventually God demonstrates His sovereignty by bringing judgment down upon Pharaoh’s entire kingdom.

However, the Enemy never stops his attacks. He deceives Israel throughout the Exodus by inciting them into idolatry, complaining and cowardice. Though the Enemy is not mentioned by name in these events, his hand can be seen in that Israel’s sins all stem from a failure to believe God’s promises. An entire generation never entered the Promised Land, simply because they did not trust God.

We can also see his tactics worked out in the situation with Balaam; though unable to directly curse Israel, Balaam showed king Balak how to have God judge them by having immoral women seduce them into idolatry (c.f., Rev 2:14, Nu 25:1ff, 31:16). During the time of the Judges, Israel fell repeatedly to foreign oppression by the hand of God as the “seed of the serpent” seduced the “seed of the woman” into false religion.

In many respects, all of Israel’s history is one account after another of the Enemy relentlessly attacking the “seed of the woman;” sometimes by outside enemies (Philistia, Moab, Egypt, Babylon, Assyria), more often by internal subversion as they fall into idolatry and false religion. Some godly men such as David are hounded and persecuted by demonically oppressed kings (e.g., Saul, 1 Sam 16:14) while others are seduced into idolatry (e.g., Solomon, 1 Kings 11:4-8). After Solomon, the kingdom is divided with the Ten Northern Tribes quickly falling into the most obscene idolatry, eventually being obliterated by the Assyrians in 721 BC.[27] Though the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin last a bit longer, they too eventually fell into occultism and false religion (2 Chronicles 33:1-6) with God destroying Jerusalem and allowing His own Temple to be leveled. Most of the remaining population of Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians.

With the destruction of the Ten Northern tribes and the Babylonian captivity, the Enemy may have thought he was winning his war of rebellion. The seed of the woman had repeatedly fallen to his lies, and God had apparently deserted them. By bringing the remnants to Babylon, he could further seduce them into occultism and false religion. However, God remembered His promises and returned a remnant to the Land. In one respect, the Babylonian captivity was a great blessing to Israel; being captives in a foreign land actually solidified the remnants of Israel as a specific people. Never again would they be tempted into idolatry. To preserve what remained of Israelite culture and religion after the return from captivity, Ezra gathered together the documents to form what we call today, the “Old Testament.” Nevertheless the pain and cost of idolatry was real; the Old Testament closes with the survivors weeping at all they have lost, entering four hundred years of prophetic silence.

During the time after the return from Babylon and before the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, the “Serpent” continued his tactics of subversion and genocide to eliminate the seed of the woman. The Greeks, under Alexander and his generals, introduced Greek philosophy, culture and perversity to Israel. Many Israelites succumbed, forming the group later known as the “Sadducees” who adopted some form of Neo-Platonism that denied the physical resurrection. When the despot, Antiochus outlawed circumcision (for the Greeks worshipped the human body and considered circumcision to be intentional mutilation) and murdered anyone who maintained the external mark of a covenant relationship with God, the Jews finally revolted.

However, though granted physical victory over their enemies, somewhere along the line the Israelites lost something central to their faith; they replaced true spiritual worship of God with external conformity to the tradition of the elders. The leading advocates became known as the “Pharisees” who changed the entire character of Old Testament religion. Both the “Sadducees” and the “Pharisees” would eventually form the main, theological opponents to the message of the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry. Both groups demonstrate how the Enemy had eroded God’s revelation from the inside by deceiving those entrusted with His Word. The Sadducees reinterpreted their Bibles from the perspective of Greek philosophy; the Pharisees created their own rules and placed them over God’s Law. As a result, the Enemy was able to blind both groups to the identity of the Messiah when He eventually came. They preferred their religion, to God’s.

Eventually, Israel was conquered by the Romans who installed an Edomite, Herod as their king. Herod, wanting to ingratiate himself with the Jews, rebuilt the temple, making it one of the wonders of the ancient world. Though Israel hated Roman occupation and Edomite dominion, nevertheless, they took great pride in this temple; again, confusing the majesty of an external building with having a proper “spiritual” relationship with God on His terms (e.g., see Mark 13:1, John 4:21ff). However, God also began to create a great spiritual hunger within Israel. Many longed for the Promised Redeemer; not all had been seduced into man-made religion or philosophical compromise.

The penultimate[28] battle between the seeds came in the form of the Adversary’s attacks against the Lord Jesus during his earthly life. First, the Enemy attempted to physically murder Him as an infant by inciting the egomaniacal, homicidal King Herod. Then, the enemy attempted to subvert the Lord Jesus into sin during the temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4:1ff).[29] Finally, the Adversary worked through one of the Lord’s trusted disciples, enticing Judas into betraying the promised “seed” to the current, apostate religious establishment. He then managed to pervert justice in both “church” and state to have Jesus declared a blasphemer and executed. However, though the Lord Jesus’ “heel” was “bruised” by his death on the cross, He was raised again, and in doing so, redeemed His people, “crushing” the Adversary’s “head” (cf. 1 Cor 15:54-57).

By seeking to physically destroy the “seed of the woman,” the Enemy attempted to deny God’s revelation about his own destruction. If he can show that God’s prophecy cannot be fulfilled, then he has demonstrated that God is not God – and “saved” himself at the same time. Yet, without realizing it, his very persecution of the righteous becomes the means of his own destruction. God’s plan cannot be thwarted; He declares the end from the beginning and works all things, to bring about His sovereign will. The Adversary must have believed that he had won the war when he had the Lord Jesus crucified.[30] Yet, the atoning death of Jesus was the only means by which God’s own righteous wrath against sin could be appeased. By killing Christ, the Enemy actually caused his own destruction!

Since that time, he has continued to subvert or attempted to destroy Christ’s body, the church. Perhaps he is in self-denial, refusing to recognize his own failure; maybe he is just so full of malice that he wants to bring down as many as possible before his own ordained destruction. Either way, the war against God continues to follow the same pattern; deception, subversion, and outright persecution; yet the Lord is able to use even what appears to be the greatest defeats, to bring about His greatest victories.

The Physical War against God’s Seed in History

After the ascension of the Lord Jesus, the Enemy turned his attention to attacks against the church that composed His body (1 Corinthians 12:27). Unsuccessful in destroying the King, perhaps now part of his motivation is simply to impede the growth of God’s kingdom by any means possible. After all, the Lord commissioned His holy Apostles to “disciple” the nations; if they failed in that task, then God’s word would be overthrown.

Working through both a tyrannical state and an apostate “church,” the Adversary immediately began having Christians arrested, tortured, and murdered; Stephen being only the first of a long and honored line of martyrs. The situation of Saul, however demonstrated the grace of God in that He can and will convert His fiercest enemies into faithful sons; which provides a model of how He plans to bring the nations under the Lordship of King Jesus.

Undeterred, the Adversary continued to use every means possible to stamp out the infant church. He first tried direct persecution which simply spread the gospel from Judea, to Samaria and Antioch (and through them, throughout the Mediterranean).[31] Undeterred, the Enemy, beginning with the depraved emperor Nero and lasting until the fourth century, used the Roman state to harass, oppress, and martyr tens of thousands of Christians. Yet especially in the second century and beyond, as jaded, perverted Roman crowds watched Christians going to their deaths with hymns of praise on their lips, God used the courage and faith of His people to convert pagans to faith in Christ. Eventually, Rome bent the knee to King Jesus, formally declaring itself to be a Christian Empire in 325 AD.

However, this victory is short-lived. Starting in the later part of fourth century, Rome was first besieged and then fell to various barbarian invasions. The Goths, Vandals, Visigoths, Huns, Saxons, and other pagan nations invaded now Christians lands, looting, pillaging and devastating the remnants of the Empire. Was it a mere accident of history that at the exact same time that Rome (and her provinces) acknowledged Jesus as Lord, it was immediately attacked on every side by pagan forces deeply entrenched in shamanism and occultism?

Based upon what we know about the strategy of the Enemy as recorded in Scripture, it is not unreasonable to see the barbarian invasions as simply a continuation of the war against God. Roman paganism could not stand against the power of the gospel and the entire “civilized” world acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord. Roman civilization allowed the gospel to travel freely and easily the length and breadth of the known world.[32] The barbarian invasions however, essentially destroyed the Empire, cutting Europe into a multitude of tiny, isolated fiefdoms. The barbarians created a “dark age” that lasted almost five hundred years and impeded the development and application of the gospel.

Yet, even here, God’s plan can be seen. As the barbarians looted and pillaged, they enslaved many thousands of Christians. These slaves did not lose their faith in Christ because of the difficulty of their situation but shared the gospel to their pagan captors. Many of these barbarians then converted to Christ, including their kings and princes![33] Once again the Enemy attempted to destroy the seed of the woman only to have them conquer his own “seed” with the power of the gospel!

Meanwhile, as barbarians invaded the West and were being converted, a new danger arose in the East. In the late sixth century, in many of the lands that had first acknowledged Jesus as Lord, many “Christians” adopted heretical beliefs, some falling into idolatry and outright demon worship. Others, though holding to more orthodox doctrine, nevertheless fell into the error of the Pharisees by replacing true faith with external religious ritual.

During this time, a caravan trader named Muhammad (570-643) began receiving strange visions from an “angelic” presence in a cave. At first he thought he was going insane, but was later convinced by his wife that “God” was speaking to him. He then began a new “faith,” which he called “Islam” (submission) which saw both Judaism and Christianity as imperfect and degraded forms of true religion. Islam would force “submission” via military campaigns for the next thousand years.

Islamic forces quickly conquered the Mideast and North Africa; lands that had been at least nominally Christian for nearly three centuries. They invaded Spain and seemed unstoppable until Christian knights providentially defeated them at the battle of Tours. For the next seven hundred years, Spanish Muslims (called “Moors”) would harass and persecute the remaining Christians. In all the lands conquered by Islam, Christians were oppressively taxed, forbidden to build new churches, and often had their children enslaved. However, if they converted to Islam, they could become full citizens under the new laws and escape these oppressions. Once adopting Islam though, it was a death sentence to convert to any other faith. Sadly, this attempt at subversion worked; though vestiges of Christian communities survived in Islamic nations, right down to the modern day, the gospel seemed to have been largely snuffed out.

The Crusades in the 12^th century and beyond were not, as commonly thought, aggressive wars of religious conversion started by Christian Europe. Instead, they were defensive wars to protect the “holy” sites in Israel as well as the thousands of pilgrims who journeyed there. The territory controlled by the Crusaders, even at the height of their power, was only a narrow strip of coastland bordering the Byzantine Empire in the North (the last remnant of the old Roman Empire) and Egypt to the West. We are not here trying to justify, rationalize or excuse the Crusades; just put them into perspective. Christians must see that world events are not random; that history is not just the product of economics, politics, trade rights, or whatever other explanation secular historians may provide.[34] There is a spiritual dynamic that affects how history unfolds.[35]

Islam was an all out frontal assault by our ancient Enemy on Christianity using invasion, conquest, murder, slavery and coercion in an attempt to suppress and destroy the gospel. And it almost worked. Though we must be humble when speculating on the providence of God in history, a strong case can be made that at least part of the reason why so many nations fell so quickly to Islam was that the Christianity believed and practiced was more ritualistic than heartfelt and sincere. Once again, the Adversary enticed Christians into false religion so that God would judge His own people.

In the 15^th century, Islam finally conquered the Christian Byzantine Empire and swept westward all the way to the gates of Vienna before finally being stopped. It is interesting that in roughly the same period, after seven hundred years of war, Spanish Christians finally managed to eradicate the last Moorish strongholds. However, the cost had been horrendous; the nation was so impoverished that the queen had to sell her own jewels to finance Columbus with three ships to explore new trade routes to the East.[36] Even as Constantinople was being sacked, God was already beginning the process of evangelizing and settling the New World.

Humanly speaking, one of the reasons why Christendom was able to stop Islam in the 15^th century was because the Tartars (i.e., “Mongols”) had invaded wealthy Islamic nations in the East in the 13^th. The Tartar hordes, though focused on India and China, still had sufficient forces left to obliterate entire Islamic nations in their western advance. In God’s providence, the attacks by the Tartar hordes was at least partially responsible for weakening or even stopping the Muslims.

Yet at the very time that God saved Christendom from external enemies, the Adversary had been effectively undermining the “seed of the woman” from within; from especially the 12^th century and beyond, the Roman Church had concentrated wealth and power in the papacy and ecclesiastical bureaucracy. Since wicked men are motivated by wealth and power, they used every wile to capture high positions within the Roman church. As a result, much of the Christian church forgot her mission, lost the gospel under a mountain of man-made rituals, becoming corrupt and depraved. However, in God’s providence, just as the church was in danger of smothering the gospel, the Reformation began in Europe.

The success of the Enemy in subverting the seed of the woman can be seen in that Luther was really not saying or doing anything in the 16^th century that other faithful men had not preached or practiced since the very beginning.[37] However, for political and social reasons, the church that guaranteed his safety at the Diet of Worms, sought to assassinate him; the age old attempt to murder the promised “seed.” God however used Luther (and some German princes), to begin a theological and spiritual revival that changed the world.

The Reformers, whether German, French, Swiss, Hungarian, Dutch, Scottish or English, differed in many important areas; but they all agreed that salvation was by faith alone in Christ, and not by religious works. They published the Bible in the common languages of the day, and encouraged the average Christian to read and study it as a counter to superstition and man-made religion. The Enemy then incited merciless persecution and slaughter of Christians for the next hundred years. Even as many parts of Europe unwittingly joined sides with the Serpent, God used that very persecution to send tens of thousands of believers to settle new lands where the gospel could flourish.

By the nineteenth century, new Christian nations were working out the implications of a consistent Biblical worldview and building healthy, happy, productive societies where liberty and justice were intrinsic to their cultures. These Christian nations then sent missionaries to areas untouched by the gospel for hundreds of years.[38]

However, even though the physical threats to the “seed of the woman” from the barbarians, Islam, the Mongols and even the Catholic Church were devastating, the real danger was always from within as the Enemy subverts the Faith. From the 18^th century and beyond, Christian “scholars” began to adopt some form of Humanism in opposition to revealed religion. Beginning initially as the logical outworking of Biblical presuppositions,[39] over time Christian humanism evolved into an idolatrous faith in the supremacy of reason over revelation. The first target was a concerted intellectual attack against the integrity and sufficiency of Scripture.[40] This “Enlightenment” then directly led to man attempting to create societies based on what seemed good to them, rather than God; the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The first nation to succumb to the new rationalism was France in the late 18^th century. Reason was enshrined as a goddess and Christianity suppressed. Eventually falling into tyranny and the “reign of terror,” the French Revolution set the standard for other revolutionary movements that would precipitate the most horrendous wars in history. Nation after nation attempted to overthrow the old established “Christian” order and create a “new” and “improved” society based upon some form of “reason.”[41] Literally, “heaven on earth” was promised if only people would adopt the new revolutionary religions. It did not matter what they called themselves, Socialists, Anarchists, Marxists, Fascists, Humanists, Feminists, nor is it significant for our purposes to dwell on where they disagreed. The one thing they shared in common was a hatred for God, contempt for His Word, and an unrelenting drive to destroy His church.

By the time of the twentieth century, Germany, Russia and China (as well as their puppet states in Africa and Asia) were responsible for murdering tens of millions of people in the Enemy’s latest attempt to stamp put the “seed of the woman.” Every Christian who remained faithful to Christ was a direct threat to the humanist agenda. When men believe they can determine good and evil apart from God, they place their faith in the ultimate expression of human power on earth; the State. This humanist state cannot allow a rival to its claim of being “god.” Therefore, it must suppress Christianity because our primary loyalty is to God, not them. If the State cannot coop the Church, it will persecute and attempt to destroy it.

Christians in the West must understand this dynamic; we have lived for so many generations in lands permeated by the gospel that we have forgotten that the Enemy hates us and wants to destroy us. A healthy, vigorous, committed church is a direct threat to his power and influence; if he can subvert it, he will. But if he cannot, he will seek to destroy it. Thus far, in the West, subversion has worked; most “mainline” denominations fell to the Adversary a century ago adopting Liberal Theology. Each generation has seen more people abandon the faith, and in some nations, there is but a tiny remnant of Christendom left.[42] When consistent humanists came into power in places like Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia and Marxist Eastern Europe, Christians were hounded, harassed, imprisoned and murdered.

Yet, even where Christians have been attacked the most viciously, God always preserves a remnant. It is not an exaggeration to say that faithful Christians behind the Iron Curtain were pivotal in defeating Communism. Fifty years after the Communists in China expelled all Western missionaries and murderously suppressed the indigenous Church, the gospel grew a hundred fold. Even in poor, beleaguered Africa, whip-sawed between colonial paternalism (replaced by Marxist oppression) and its traditional occult paganism, has experienced a great revival of religion.

Though the physical attacks have caused untold grief and misery through the centuries they have never achieved the Enemy’s goals of eliminating the “seed of the woman.” To the contrary, where persecution has been the most severe, the church has often been the most pure. Perhaps his hatred for God and us is so intense that he simply cannot resist any opportunity to hurt us, even if in God’s providence it is inevitably counterproductive.

The War and Direct Demonic Attacks

The Adversary has on occasion used other, more perverse and direct tactics in his war against God. Though almost unknown in the Old Testament, by the time that God was about to bring His Son into the world, some attacks by the Adversary now took the form of direct demonic possession.[43] Inimical spiritual forces were able to actually take control of human bodies, dominating the personality inside. Those who were possessed appeared to have superhuman strength and supernatural knowledge, while also suffering various mental and physical afflictions.[44]

Yet as dramatic as these accounts of direct demonic possession might be, the number of afflicted people was always limited. The real work of demons appears to be to deceive men and entice them into false religion, not directly take possession of their bodies. If the heart of this war is the attempt to deny God the worship, honor and service that is His due, then convincing foolish men to worship something other than God is all that is needed to keep them as the “seed of the serpent.” He does not have to actually “possess” people to mislead them.

It is difficult to know what purpose demonic possession accomplishes for the Enemy; after all even the most hardened atheist is shocked and afraid of someone controlled by a demon. Certainly, there is a hint that some demons prefer possessing a person (or even animals) rather than the alternative (Matthew 8:31). However, if demons want to confuse men, why reveal themselves so directly? Perhaps part of the reason is that outright possession creates a condition wherein men are so afraid of the Enemy they are susceptible to the false comforts of idolatry and occultism. Or the answer might be as simple as that their enmity towards us is so great, that the pleasure of tormenting us through possession is occasionally worth revealing their true nature.

Though God does not give us all the details our human curiosity might want about how demons actually work in this world, we do know that as the “Father of Lies,” the Adversary distorts and suppresses the truth of God and His revelation. From the very beginning, he has worked through intermediaries to spread lies about God. He uses unlawful sexuality as a means of tempting men into far more serious blasphemies (e.g., Romans 1:24-27).[45] He ensnares men in error (2 Timothy 2:26) to do “his will” rather than God’s and blinds their eyes to the truth of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). Demons are called “deceitful spirits” and the content of their lies the “doctrine of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Idolatry and false religion are actually a form of worshipping demons (1 Corinthians 10:20, Rev 9:20).

It is almost certainly erroneous and overly simplistic to assume that a “demon” is behind every sin or that the Adversary is personally involved in trying to lead the individual believer astray. James says, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished it brings forth death…” (James 1:14-15) Our hearts are black with that inner orientation, inherited from our father Adam, to want to be as God, determining good and evil for ourselves. We then use the reasoning abilities God gave us to rationalize, justify and excuse our behavior. How the spiritual realm interacts with this process, or causes or influences it must in large part be left to speculation. However, no one can ever say, “the Devil made me do it” as an excuse.

Yet, demonic entities are directly involved in certain aspects of the war against God. In one such battle, Daniel was praying, asking God for aid but the angel sent to answer his prayer was delayed for three weeks by a demonic force called the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” (Dan 10:12ff). Eventually this celestial messenger had to call on “Michael” one the “chief princes” for assistance. Though caution needs to be exercised lest we make too much from this one, brief episode, it does offer a tantalizing glimpse into how this spiritual war affects the physical world. Apparently, there are spiritual forces (some of which are associated with specific human kingdoms- Dan 10:20) battling in the spiritual realms. And at least in some cases God’s providence allows those battles to interfere with an answer He is giving to the prayer of a righteous and “highly esteemed” man! On occasion even holy angels have to call on more powerful angels for assistance!

Thus, in some way, the problems, trials and difficulties we have in this life may have a spiritual dimension that we can never see, unless God Himself were to give special revelation. Perhaps one of the ways that evil kings, despots and dictators are able to achieve earthly power is due to unseen spiritual forces working in the back ground (i.e., how many other nations have wicked spiritual “princes” associated with them?). One might even argue that sometimes, when we ask for deliverance from sickness, adversity, persecution or disasters we do not always receive the answers we seek because of these same spiritual battles being fought in the “heavenly places.”

However, Christians need to remember that God deliberately did not give us a great amount of detail about this aspect of the war. He gives us hints, glimpses, and tidbits of information, enough to show us that such battles exist and are important. But the vast majority of His revelation has little or nothing to do with spirits, either celestial or demonic but with living in humble submission to His Holy will. In the Ephesians’ passage, Paul does not instruct Christians to go around “binding” evil spiritual forces or “casting out” demons; instead he simply reminds them that righteousness, truth, faith, obedience, and trust in His gospel were the means God gave us to fight and win this war. In some way, these ARE actual, spiritual armor and weapons that have an effect in this spiritual war; and the ones we are called to use on a daily basis.

No, this is not as “glamorous” or “exciting” as “casting down” demonic forces with a “word of power”- but it is the normal, usual way that we are to battle evil. It is significant to note that the sovereign Lord promised to forgive His people and heal their land if they simply humble themselves, pray, and seek His face (1 Chronicles 7:14) NOT if they “cast out demons.”

People have actually died under the hands of sincere but sadly ignorant Christians who tried to “exorcize” someone they thought was demonically possessed when it was more likely that the individual was suffering from some biochemical form of schizophrenia.[46] While not ruling our direct possession even in the modern world, an old adage is “If you hear hoof beats in the distance, think horses, not zebras.” In other words, we ought to expect to find common causes for common events; not leap to uncommon causes as an explanation. Strange behavior is sadly, all too common. Demonic possession however, even in Scripture, is unusual. Therefore when we see people acting strangely, we ought to look first for an explanation in “common” causes (such as sin, chemical imbalance, brain injury, etc.), rather than “uncommon” causes such as direct demonic affliction.

It is interesting to note that claims of demonic possession were almost virtually unknown in the modern Western world until the movie “The Exorcist” came out in the early 1970’s. However once those powerful images came into the mainstream of American culture, literally within just a few months, thousands of people claimed to be “possessed.”[47] Since that time, literally hundreds (if not thousands) of books, films, and TV shows have featured occult themes and demonic activity.[48]

Many sincere Christians solemnly testify to witnessing or even having suffered from similar direct demonic possession or affliction; accounts which are often either too quickly accepted by the overly credulous or contemptuously dismissed by those who find the whole subject slightly embarrassing.[49] However, “possession” is probably not the normal way that the Enemy conducts his war against God through us.

First let us realize that simply because a person may be thinking or acting bizarrely does not necessarily mean that demonic possession is the cause of it. There are many organic brain dysfunctions that can result in hallucinations, feelings of being “possessed” and what is called “religiosity;” a pathological condition of extreme religious mania. While the exact nature of how the “soul” interacts with the body is probably best left alone for right now, we do know that what happens physically to the brain can have a tremendous effect on a person’s thinking and emotions. For example, if someone drinks too much, the alcohol paralyses a portion of his forebrain associated with making moral judgments. When drunk, that portion does not work as well as it should; and the person may start saying or doing any number of inappropriate things as a result.

People who suffer from certain traumatic physical injuries to the brain may not be able to think as accurately or control their emotions as well as they could in the past. In the same way, in many forms of “schizophrenia,” the body produces certain chemicals that distorts the way people think and feel and perceive the world. Medication can restore this balance and help the person function more “normally.” A basic rule of thumb might be that if a person gets better when treated by psychotropic drugs, he probably was not demonically possessed.[50]

Some Christians think that we have a demon assigned to us personally to lead us into error, as say in C. S. Lewis’s wonderful but gritty fairy tale, “The Screwtape Letters.”[51] Well, we need to consider that though we do not know how many celestial beings God created, it was a finite number. Most scholars are agreed that “angels” were created as a “host” without the capacity for generation (one of the ways they differ from physical beings).[52] In other words God made just so many angels and we have no indication from Scripture that He has created any more since.[53] A specific number of that original host then “fell” into rebellion.

Taking these facts together, even if we do not know just how many angels were created initially, only a minority joined the rebellion and we simply have no idea how many of them are personally involved in specific battles against us as individuals. And of the number that originally fell, some have already been judged and “bound” (Jude 6) in “darkness.”[54] This means that the popular idea that every person has a personal demon tempting him into sin is probably unrealistic. There is every reason to think we greatly outnumber demons, and therefore since they are created, dependant beings, limited in time, space and power, they may not be as common as many people assume.

Much of the popular understanding of demons comes from the Medieval Roman Church. And while we do not mean to criticize, few of their conclusions were actually based on real Biblical data but on speculation influenced by Greek philosophy and mythology. One can see this in how angels have been traditionally portrayed in religious art; many artists painted them as females when Scripture is clear there are only males! And everyone is familiar with “cherubs” (the singular of the Hebrew word “cherubim”) pictured as little fat babies with wings![55]

Though hostile spiritual entities are real and dangerous, we must never give them too much credibility; their knowledge, abilities and powers are limited. Since they once dwelt in the spiritual presence of God, their knowledge of Him, in some ways, is probably superior to our own (e.g., James 2:19?); yet we also know that there are certain aspects of our situation that are beyond even holy angels’ comprehension (e.g., 1 Peter 1:12). Just because they are spiritual beings does not mean that they know everything; it is even possible that angels and demons may be as confused about us, as we are about them.

On some level, the enemy and his minions must know that their rebellion was doomed from the beginning and the fate that awaits them. But they continue in their futile war anyway; perhaps like foolish men, they suppress the truth in unrighteousness- refusing to recognize their own inevitable judgment. Perhaps it is even as simple as “misery loves company;” maybe they are just so full of hatred all they want to do is hurt as many of us as they can, before the Lord God finally destroys them.

The War and Occultism

Christians often become most uncomfortable with books and films with occult themes even though any serious analysis shows that demons have rarely (if ever) acted the way that they are popularly portrayed. While the Medieval church certainly believed in witches, wizards, werewolves and vampires, et. al., there is no credible evidence that such demonic phenomena has ever actually occurred.[56] Remember, just because a person claims he saw Big Foot is not in itself proof that a seven foot tall hairy ape lives in the Pacific Northwest!

As mentioned earlier, occultism has existed from the very dawn of human history. Even in the Christian West, witchcraft, in the form of dim remnants of the older pagan religions, continued to survive (mostly in rural areas) even when suppressed by culture, church and state. Shamanism, witchcraft and superstition are usually found in areas where the Christian gospel has not thoroughly penetrated the culture.

Occult practices differ from culture to culture but they all share something in common; the belief that men can control “god-like” powers if they possess “secret” knowledge, by undergoing the “right” sort of indoctrination and training. Most commonly, someone has to be “initiated” into such knowledge by some “higher authority;” and the “secrets” are usually hidden from the “average” person. Many men have claimed to have the ability to call up spirits of the dead, conjure spiritual beings, possess supernatural knowledge of the future or control “mystical” powers to control natural events or other people.

However, there is a significant difference between someone claiming to have supernatural powers and actually having them! Many Christians are perfectly willing to accept the claims of psychics, shamans and witches as true; but this is more a testament to their own credulity than to any actual evidence that men have ever had genuine supernatural abilities. So called “psychics” have at best, an accuracy rate for their predictions that is roughly equivalent to random chance. But when they do get one right, they conveniently ignore all the wrong ones, making it appear as if they have “occult knowledge.”[57]

Now, God specifically forbids astrology, divination, necromancy and witchcraft in the strongest possible terms (e.g., Deuteronomy 18:10, 14, 2 Kings 21:6, etc.); therefore we must abhor such practices. But we never need fear such claims nor do we have to give the Adversary any more credibility than the Biblical data warrants.[58] It can be argued that those practices are abominations just because they are blasphemous attempts to be “as gods.”[59] There are some “powers” that God did not give to us and He forbids us to seek them because they belong to Him alone. The unlawful attempt to possess such powers is just another manifestation of wanting to be God. But condemning the unlawful attempt to obtain or use “occult” powers is a completely different issue than whether any man has actually possessed those powers! Demons can achieve their ends just as effectively by lying to men as they can by actually empowering them.

Consider this; we know from Scripture that idolatry and false religion are the equivalent to worshipping demons (cf. Deuteronomy 32:17, 1 Corinthians 10:20, etc.). So, demons were always, in some way, the power behind idolatry and somehow involved in promoting and supporting ancient pagan beliefs. However, modern archeology has discovered what they call “god machines” in temple ruins from Egypt to Greece. These were clever mechanical devices (using steam or water power) that would “mysteriously” open temple doors, emit strange sounds as people entered the sanctuary or even cause “tears” to flow from the eyes of idols when a sacrifice was offered. These machines became especially popular in the third and fourth centuries AD as Christianity grew to be a serious rival to the “old” religions. In short, Christians doing real miracles meant that the pagans had to invent some means to at least appear to be able to do the same things.

Now if these demon-inspired religions could manifest genuine supernatural phenomenon, why would they have to resort to shams, scams and simple mechanical tricks? One very reasonable answer is that false religions never could do what they claimed, even when they were most consistent with worshipping demons.[60] They were forced to use the same kind of deception that every stage magician does today[61]- except they insisted it was real! And sadly, many people then and now were willing to believe them. After all, when the pagans went to their temples, the doors opened of their own accord, their “gods” cried out with eerie moans and their idols wept in appreciation for their sacrifices! But it was a fake, a trick, a sick, sad joke perpetrated on simple, credulous people.

Right down to the modern day, those claiming to possess supernatural powers cannot demonstrate those powers when subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny; it turns out that when they have tried, they are exposed as using those same simple tricks which only deceive the uninformed and gullible.[62] Now we are not saying that genuine occult phenomenon does not exist; just that apparently, it is extremely rare.

Why should demons who are limited in power and space (i.e., they cannot be every where at every time) waste that limited power when men are so willing to believe lies and tricks? For every genuine instance of demonic possession or demonstration of occult power, how many tens of thousands of people have simply been deceived? However, even if most “examples” are just shoddy tricks, the demons have still achieved their purpose of turning people away from God and His revelation. If men believe that shamans, psychics, spiritualists, diviners, astrologers and witches have real power, some, even Christians will turn to them rather than God and His Word. And not one demon actually has to manifest itself or use its power in the physical world to accomplish this.

Certainly there is genuine demonic activity in the world today;[63] but it certainly also fits into the strategy of demons to confuse, lie, and distort the evidence. People who refuse to think wisely and logically about the world open themselves up to all sorts of errors. Why then should demons allow themselves to be subjected to human rationality when they can perfectly accomplish their goals[64] with confusion and lies?

Thus, Christians ought not to give undue credibility to the occult claims. Children are not likely to inadvertently conjure up a “demon” by reading Harry Potter (or the Chronicles of Narnia).[65] Even if the music industry did hire Satanists to attach a demon to every record they sell[66] there is no evidence that any actually took the contract. Playing with “Ouija” boards, conducting séances and the like are clearly forbidden by God; even though it is unlikely that a real spirit is ever contacted that way.[67]

Furthermore, since demons want to deceive, it is extremely valuable for them to either terrorize some Christians with fear of the supernatural, or deceive others to focus on casting out imaginary “spirits” rather than teaching the truth of God’s Law. After all, a man known for being able to cast out “demons” will be highly regarded in the Christian community. But if there are no real demons available a man might be tempted to invent a few imaginary ones so that he will continue being highly regarded.[68]

And if he believes the lie about the demons even being there, it might just become easier to believe other lies, like justifying and rationalizing how he spends his time, and money, subtly transforming his ministry from the glory of God to making his pride the main focus. Perhaps he comes to think the rules of morality no longer apply to him, that he deserves to be treated not only with respect but also some financial rewards which means having an expensive new car, plush home, perhaps even a good looking secretary who thinks the “Great Man” is not understood or appreciated by his wife…

Lies are always dangerous and believing them always leads to trouble. We might escape the consequences for a while; but eventually, we will “reap what we sow” (Galatians 6:7). Meanwhile, the “exorcist” is not teaching a person how to handle their sin Biblically, live in love and harmony with others or how to rightly divide the word of truth. Instead, by blaming a demon and “casting” it out, he inadvertently allows the plagued Christian to go right on living his life based on what he thinks is good and evil…

The War against the Soul

We know that demons (fallen celestial beings) exist, are in rebellion to God and in some way, interact with and influence events in the physical world. We know that in the Old Testament, on occasion, evil spirits specifically deceived and afflicted certain men, driving them into deep depression and paranoid rages (e.g., 1 Sam 16:14, 23, 18:10, etc.).We know that at the time Jesus came into the world, there was an unprecedented outbreak of demonic activity where they actually possessed some people, driving them “insane” (Mark 5:1-5). We also know that Jesus demonstrated that He was the Messiah with authority over the spiritual as well as the physical realm by casting out such demons. He also gave that same authority to His 12 Apostles (Mark 3:15).

The question remains though, since the coming of the Lord Jesus and His victory over them at the cross, how do they affect us today? We can begin to answer this with the assumption that since the Enemy and his minions are spirits without material bodies, their primary attacks against us will also be immaterial; i.e., through the “soul.”

The word “soul” translates the Greek “psuche” and is another of those terms that theologians and scholars have struggled to define. The word is sometimes apparently used interchangeably with “spirit” meaning “living being, life principle…”[69] Generally speaking, the word “soul” is used to describe the immaterial part of a man that is united to a physical body giving it life while the word “spirit” can mean “the special gift of God which places man in relationship to Him.”[70]

Neither “soul” nor “spirit” was used precisely the way we would categorize them today. In English, we can distinguish between the “mind,” the “emotions,” the “will” as well as “soul” from “spirit.” It is not clear that the Biblical authors saw these categories quite as distinctly as we do, and it is questionable how accurately our words actually overlap in meaning with the Biblical ones. Perhaps since “soul” and “spirit” both refer to “invisible” aspects of man the ambiguity is a necessary consequence of that which by nature cannot be seen?

However, both words certainly point to an inner part of a man, that which makes him in the image of God. Therefore, our “soul” or “spirit” is that which distinguishes us from animals; we have a moral sense, we have a conscience, we are more than just the products of certain bio-chemical processes.[71] Something of us survives death and will be reunited with our resurrected bodies at the end of time. There is a part of us that has intelligence, emotions, will, and distinct personality.[72]

Thus, the soul, the immaterial, “spiritual” aspect of a man would seem to be a prime area for attack by the Enemy who too is a “spirit.” In 1 Peter 2:11 we are warned to “…abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” In the immediate context of the passage, Peter is not necessarily exhorting believers to moral purity in the face of sexual temptation. While certainly including avoiding immoral desires, it should not be limited to it. The word “flesh” is used in Scripture as a general metaphor, referring to man placing his desires above God’s; we want, what we want, regardless of whether God says it is lawful. While the word “lust” certainly conjures up the image of illicit sexuality, it also means an overwhelming, passionate desire for something. Therefore, while “fleshly lusts” certainly applies to the temptation of immorality, it also includes the idea of people being dominated or controlled by any strong desires, especially those desires that are contrary to God’s will.

In this passage, it is not the Adversary per se that causes problems for our souls but our own “fleshly lusts” (which reminds us of James’ exhortation). Yet, nevertheless, there certainly appears to be a connection as the Enemy deceives us into sin by convincing us that we must have what we desire, regardless of whether those desires are lawful or not. He may not be responsible for giving us the desire, but he can convince us to allow our feelings to dominate our thinking.

We see something of this in the case of Saul who was afflicted by an “evil spirit.” The “spirit” drove him into dark depression and homicidal rages; somehow it was able to affect both his thinking and his emotions; i.e., his “soul.” Saul was already depressed and despondent because God had withdrawn His blessing. Saul knew that his own sin had brought about God’s judgment; and though he was “sorry” about having to face the consequences of his sin, he was never truly repentant. The “evil spirit” then was able, in some way, to make Saul feel even worse. However, the underlying issue was that Saul always lived according to his feelings; and as a result, there came a time when he was no longer able to control them. His “fleshly lusts” had nothing to do with sexual immorality; but everything to do with being controlled by his passions.

The music played by David could “soothe” Saul. Music can affect the production of certain brain chemicals; stimulating us in some ways, depressing us in others. However, since the “music” David played was probably some form of the Psalms he was composing at the time, glorifying God certainly must have some adverse effect on evil spirits!

If the main work of enemy spiritual beings is to distort or hide the truth (e.g., John 8:44), then we ought to expect them to use a multifaceted approach that will include the entire spectrum of human knowledge and experience. The last thing the Enemy wants is for anyone to think about any area of life from God’s perspective. Hence, at every opportunity, the Enemy attempts to destroy the credibility of God’s revelation and encourage sinful men to base their life, values and morals on what seems good to them, rather than God.

For example, when people sin, they will feel bad-at least if their conscience has not been seared. Because people do not enjoy feeling bad, they try various ways to feel better. God’s way is found in Genesis 4:67 where He confronts Cain; when his sacrifice was rejected, Cain’s “countenance fell” - meaning he felt depressed and angry. God told Cain that to “feel good” (to have his “countenance lifted up”) he needed to “do well.” In other words, to “feel” good, according to God, we have to “do good” (bad grammar notwithstanding). However, Cain rejected God’s counsel, wallowed in his bitterness and envy, and then murdered his brother. Saul did the same sort of thing; he never dealt properly with his guilt through repentance, which was then used by the Enemy, in some way, to motivate him to attempted murder of David.

One of the most effective ways that the Enemy wages war against our souls is by deceiving us into finding some other way to deal with those bad feelings than trusting in God’s gracious provisions. Nothing else can work, of course; because God created life, life must be lived on His terms. However, that does not stop sinful men from trying to live on their own terms, making a total mess in the process. Not every person of course goes as far as Cain and Saul; however, we still use the same “defense” mechanism.

Cain, like his father Adam, felt “bad” because of his sin. Adam had blamed Eve and God, (i.e., “the woman You gave me…”), Eve had blamed the Serpent,[73] but neither of them took responsibility for their sin. They tried to cover their “nakedness” with leaves; which can be understood as a futile attempt to “cover” their own sin. After God pronounced His curse, He atoned for their sins with an animal sacrifice.

Cain had a moral duty to offer a similar kind of sacrifice to atone for his sins. It is not idle speculation to assume that Cain was “feeling bad” even before God rejected his sacrifice because all men sin and fall short of the glory of God. Perhaps he tried to suppress those bad feelings; therefore he might have told himself that he had no need to make an atoning sacrifice; but the guilt was still there. Maybe he thought that as a farmer, his sacrifice ought to as good as Abel’s who was a shepherd. Regardless, he did not do what he was supposed to do and God did not forgive him. Consequently, he felt even worse.

Then, reading between the lines, he attempted to shift the blame to someone, or something else for why he felt bad despite God telling him precisely what had to be done. Somehow (perhaps with demonic assistance though the text does not say) he convinced himself that it was Able’s fault -so it was Able that was making him feel bad, not his sin. Therefore, if he could get rid of Able, the bad feeling would go away! Saul did exactly the same thing with David; he had lost God’s blessing because of his own sin. However, rather than take responsibility for that sin and truly repent, he blamed David. Therefore, he tried to “kill” his guilt by killing David.

If this sounds “insane” that’s because it is! Yet, people, even Christians routinely believe the same kind of lies every day; that someone or something else is making them feel bad; something other than their own sin, selfishness and pride. And once their thinking goes wrong here, it becomes ever more perverse and bizarre.[74]

Thus, from the beginning, we all have tried to find some way to deal with the pain of sin (anger, fear, loneliness, anxiety, bitterness, envy, jealousy, depression) through blame-shifting, denial, self-atonement, etc. We live in a moral universe governed by a sovereign moral God. When we do not “do well” (i.e., keep His commandments), we really do “feel bad.” The righteous are not holier by nature than the wicked; they are just those who handle their sins properly by trusting in God’s grace. The “wicked” on the other hand, are always trying to find some other means of dealing with the emotional, physical and spiritual pain of their sin than trusting in God’s provision.

The doctrine of “total depravity” does not mean that every person is as depraved as they could be; just that sin affects the “totality” of our being- including our minds, emotions, motivations, will as well as our bodies. The more consistent we are in rebelling against God, the more “depraved” or “bizarre” we become in our thinking (Romans 1:22, 28), passions (Romans 1:26), emotions (Romans 1:29) and actions (c.f., Romans 1:29-31). Like Cain, when men reject God’s revelation, their minds can and will lead them to rationalize and justify the most outrageous actions.

When Christians feel bad about their sins, some will be tempted to blame a demon- that way the problem is not their sin but some hostile spiritual being![75] Then using the amazing ability of humans to rationalize and justify our own actions, such people can suppress the painful truth and never have to deal with the real issue. Adultery, fornication, homosexuality and other formerly “shameful” sins were often at the root of the problems of people I have counseled over the years; especially of those who claimed to be “possessed.” In reality, they were doing exactly what James said men do; they were enticed by their own lusts until it gave birth to sin. As a result, they felt miserable, depressed, and sometimes even suicidal.

The problem though was not caused by a “demon” but of giving in to a sinful desire and then not dealing properly with the ensuing guilt. The demonic influence might be better found in the lies such people accepted that “they must give in to their feelings” or “you won’t be happy until you do what you really want to do” or even “It’s not your fault; they should not have treated you that way…” The desire to sin belonged to the person, the lies that justified, excused or made the sin “necessary,” may well, in some way, have been demonically inspired.

This tactic brilliantly serves the Enemy’s purpose; not only does unrepentant sin bring God’s judgment against His own people at the same time it effectively removes a warrior from our side. A Christian torn apart from guilt, who is depressed, despondent, angry, bitter, and confused in his thinking, is useless in fighting against the Enemy or extending God’s Kingdom. He feels terrible and takes up limited time, energy and resources in the church as they have to minister to him rather than reach out and minister the gospel to the world.[76]

Furthermore if we allow ourselves to be deceived about why we feel “bad” we are playing into the Adversary’s game; he has every incentive to make our lives as miserable as possible. In turn, that misery undermines the credibility of the gospel; after all, if Christians are psychologically traumatized, full of repressed sins, hostile, cold, embittered, confused, play mind games, etc., than why should anyone take our message of hope seriously (e.g., see 1 Peter 3:15-16)? Furthermore, when we are torn up inside with guilt and emotional pain, we cannot love and encourage others, destroying the one aspect of life that brings the most joy and peace; our love for one another.

On the other hand, since many modern Christians no longer think in Biblical categories, some will try to find an explanation for their afflictions that fits more comfortably with modern cultural standards. Today, the psychologist or psychiatrist has become in most people’s mind, the experts in showing us how to enjoy happy and productive lives.[77] Where in ages past, a person suffering from strong, negative feelings would immediately seek out his pastor- today people (even Christians) are more likely to go to a therapist or counselor of some type. What were once seen as problems of the “soul” are now regarded as “diseases” of the “mind;” and there is an ever changing “diagnostic” manual that explains to the “professionals” how to treat people with “psychological” or “emotional” problems.

It is not too much of an exaggeration to state that the entire discipline of modern psychotherapy is just the latest attempt to deal with the consequences of sin by some means other than the gospel. People generally go for “therapy” because something is not working properly in their lives and they feel “bad” about it. They may be lonely, fearful, depressed, or anxious. They may think that life is meaningless and have no hope. In short, happy, successful, well-adjusted people normally do not seek out counseling. Every counselor and every school of counseling is pushing its own formula for how to live a productive, meaningful and rewarding life; in effect they are offering their own definition of “good and evil.”

Jesus said, “I came that men might have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). There can be no true meaning, purpose or fulfillment apart from being right with God through Christ. Therefore, the Adversary must deceive people into thinking that they can have the abundant life Christ promised, without having Christ! When people feel bad, they are open to reevaluate what is really important to them. For the first time, they may be willing to recognize that their problems are caused by their heart- something wrong at the very center of their being. If the gospel is presented in a gentle, loving and comprehensive way, there is a window of opportunity here (if God gives grace) for that person to now see the real source of all their problems; their own rebellion against God and repent, trusting in Jesus.

Though every man is born as rebel, Christians are those who by the grace of God have been enabled to surrender to King Jesus and accept His amnesty. This is a different way of understanding the gospel than it is usually presented but in many respects it is not only a legitimate, but better explanation. Far too often the gospel is offered merely as a way of living a better life, dealing with one’s negative feelings, or as a means of escaping from hell. But this view implicitly makes man the center of the gospel.

However, from God’s perspective, wicked men have joined with demonic forces in a rebellion against His sovereign majesty and rule. As a result of that rebellion, they are living under God’s curse and suffer from all sorts of terrible problems. But the issue is not that people feel “bad” but that they are in sin! To borrow medical terminology; the “bad” feelings are a symptom of the problem, not the cause of them. Instead of destroying these rebels as justice demands, God chose to graciously redeem them by paying the price for their sins through His Son. “Salvation” requires that men admit and repent of their rebellion and accept God’s terms of peace by submitting to “Jesus as Lord” (Romans 10:9-10). To confess “Jesus as Lord” implicitly means that no one else, including man, is or can be Lord- that man is not God and cannot determine good and evil apart from Him. Hence, in essence, the gospel returns us to Adam’s position before the Fall; where he rebelled against God (and we all rebelled “in” him), Christians are those who have been given grace to repudiate that rebellion and acknowledge that God alone is God!

It is only once God has resolved cause of our problems (our sin) that the consequences (our emotional pain) can be dealt with. But God will not allow Himself to be used as just a way of feeling better. He is the Lord; He created us for His glory. Yes, the gospel will make mournful hearts glad, give peace and hope but only as rebels lay down their arms and accept the King’s amnesty on His terms!

Sometimes, when the gospel is presented from a “man-centered” approach, Christians can become very disillusioned when they find that “bad” things still happen to them, and life is not always easy, joyous and peaceful. They fail to appreciate that though “the serpent” has had his head crushed we are still hated and persecuted by those same inimical spiritual beings and their physical allies. The definitive battle has already been fought and won by the Lord Jesus at His death and resurrection. However, the “war” will continue until the Lord Jesus returns; and we ought to expect the Enemy to use the same tactics he has always used against us; physical attacks, subversion, betrayal and persecution. The Christian is no longer at war with God; but he has now earned the enmity of the Enemy.

This Enemy will do anything he can to prevent men from knowing, believing and acting on the fact that his counterfeit kingdom has been overthrown and that amnesty is now available. First he “blinds” the eye of the unbeliever so that they cannot see the glorious provisions of God (2 Cor 4:4ff). Then, like a wild bird he attempts to pluck the freshly sown seed before it can sprout and take root (Mark 4:15). He must get people’s eyes off the real cause of their problems; usually by showing them how like Adam, they can shift the blame to their parents, their friends, their bosses, their spouses, poor socialization, inadequate behavior reinforcement, low self-esteem-anything or everything except their rebellion to God. And even though he cannot prevent God’s grace from entering a human heart and changing a rebel into a son, he can and will attempt to make us as miserable or as useless in the war as possible. If he can convince Christians that their problems are caused by emotional “problems” that can only be solved by “professional” therapists, he has successfully blinded them to the real source of their pain.

Now again, we are not sure of the precise mechanics of this spiritual process; but the Lord Jesus said that “by their fruit you will know them” (Matt 7:16, 20). All psychotherapies are based on psychological theories, which in turn are derived from various humanistic philosophical assumptions about the nature of man. All agree that man is an evolved animal; most ridicule the thought of a “soul” being distinct from the physical body. And all have their own determination of what constitutes good and evil; a determination that seldom has anything in common with what God said in His Word. The “fruit” here certainly looks familiar so it is not difficult to figure out where it came from.

Though not wanting to deride or deny the complex and meaningful work of empirical psychologists,[78] secular psychotherapies routinely reject the only real solution for human problems- the gospel of Jesus Christ! Yet nevertheless, many of these false ideas were picked up and brought into in the church; the Adversary scored a major victory when we allowed the Humanists to reinterpret our Bibles!

Our “bad feelings” are caused by sin, not psychology; and demons afflict us in leading us to believe lies about why we feel bad, and what can be done to make us feel better. Perhaps it is as simple as helping create a climate where certain true ideas are suppressed while false ones are encouraged until they pervade every aspect of culture; it is easy to accept utterly false ideas when everyone else believes them; “Do not be conformed to the world…” is a recurring Biblical theme. Then, because we cannot live a rich, productive, peaceful and joyous life apart from God’s divine will, we inevitably suffer the emotional and psychological pain of sin. The Enemy then feeds us other lies on how to deal with that pain, which leads to feeling even worse… and the cycle, repeats ad infinitum.

The Enemy’s war against the soul also includes distorting our basic attitudes which in turn affect every other area of life. James contrasts two sorts of “wisdom;” one that is “earthly, natural demonic” with that which is from “above” (James 3:15) that is “pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy.” “Demonic” wisdom is characterized by bitter jealousy, selfish ambition and arrogance (Jas 3:14). It is possible that James here is using the word “demonic” in a more metaphorical than literal sense; i.e., since demons are selfish, arrogant and bitter, when Christians allow these emotions to control their actions, they are acting like demons (with no necessary thought that demons “cause” these attitudes).

However, either way, Christians are supposed to understand the differences between these two ways of “wisdom;” repenting of the one, and embracing the other. In other words, if a person is angry, depressed, anxious, bitter, jealous or full of enmity towards others, he may not need to have a demon cast out of him, but he does need to repent of his “demonic” attitudes. He is thinking like the demons think, and if he does not repent, he will act as they act. This should make us all tremble when we find ourselves consumed with pride, jealousy, or bitterness.

Nevertheless, one of the most successful tactics of the Enemy has been to convince Christians that they should live according to their feelings, rather than the will of God. This belief is now deeply rooted in our collective psyche; e.g., the popular movie Star Wars exhorts the young Skywalker to “follow your feelings, Luke.” When asked for an opinion about something important, the question is often not “What do you think about this…” but rather, “How does that make you feel?” Worship services in most large evangelical churches are self-consciously crafted today to generate a certain emotional response; the preaching may be a bit light, but oh, how we can “Rock with Jesus.”

Christians just want to “feel” a certain way and that becomes the criteria by which they judge everything else; i.e., “If something makes me feel good, well, it must be good! And if something makes me feel bad, then “it is bad!” This in turn carries over into how they handle life problems, deal with conflicts and conduct their relationships with others. For example like Cain, they assume that just because they are angry, someone else caused their anger and therefore are justified in lashing out, striking back, slandering, gossiping, tale-bearing or whispering (1 Peter 3:9). Many Christians do not have a “sober” self-evaluation, being unable to honestly and sincerely examine their own motives and attitudes (Romans 12:3). Thus, when their pride is hurt or they feel threatened by another in some way, they give in to these “demonic” feelings using their reason to justify why it is OK to have these attitudes, rather than acknowledge their sins and take God’s solution. Marriages are destroyed because a couple “fell out of love;” relationships are ended because “I can never forgive you for hurting me.”

Often, Christians end up being miserable, lonely, and frustrated because their feelings “told” them to act some way contrary to God’s will. Their life then consists of the things they can buy, mind numbing entertainment, or even what “experiences” they can have. They may not officially abandon the faith, but they never develop their spiritual gifts, and become effective warriors for the Kingdom. They settle for something that is far less than the rich new life in Christ God promises us in the gospel.[79] They accepted the lie, “I must follow my feelings” and caused untold damage to their own souls, and to the souls of others.

Now, it is not as if emotions are wrong; it is just that they are not a reliable guide to living an obedient and abundant life before God. Biologically speaking, our emotions are caused by various chemical compounds produced in our bodies; and our bodies can produce chemicals that make us feel a certain way, regardless of whether those feelings are the appropriate response to a situation.[80] Just because we feel sad, does not mean that we ought to be sad. Just because we feel angry, does not mean that we have a right to be angry; and just because life may at times look bleak, our prospects dim and we see no hope for the future, does NOT mean that God has forsaken us or His promises and provisions are not true. We are to live by faith, not by sight.[81]

Yet, it certainly appears that one of the ways that the Enemy successfully confounds, confuses and adds to our misery is in deceiving us into believing that we have to follow our feelings, rather than the clear teaching of God’s Word. Words like “duty” and “honor” have little meaning for even the average Christian today; the idea that there are some things that we must do, simply because they are the right thing to DO, is not a commonly accepted concept. Instead, many Christians assume that they must do what they feel, regardless of whether their solemn duty as a child of God demands something different.

For example, Scripture says “confess your sins one to another” (James 5:16). This is not precedence for being absolved by a priest or minister, but in context, a requirement to be honest and humble with each other, admitting our failures and frailties. We are supposed to confess to our brother so that we might be forgiven for our sins against him, just as we forgive him his offenses against us. But in my experience, the average believer will do almost anything rather than admit that he sinned against another. We will whine, complain, find fault, bicker, gossip, slander, whisper, excuse, or shift the blame (sound familiar) rather than simply say, “I have sinned against you-please forgive me.”

Here is a quick test to determine whether you have fallen prey to the Enemy’s lie; if married, how many times a week do you have to confess to your spouse that you sinned against them? I routinely ask this question of people coming for marriage counseling; and normally, people will respond with something like, “Well, maybe once or twice a year” usually over some major blow-up. However, do they really think that two sinners living in intimate proximity with each other so seldom sin against each other? A healthy Biblical marriage should have Christians confessing and repenting to their spouses multiple times every day!

But watch how the Enemy deceives us here; we know sin is “bad” and no Christian wants to think of himself as bad! So, either we can become really, “super” righteous “saints” who never sin (an impossibility-see 1 Jn 1:8) or we have to confess our sins and ask forgiveness on a regular basis. But admitting that we sinned, that we fell short, that we did not do what God required in a certain situation makes us feel bad because it hurts our pride. So, most Christians, rather than confess their sins, suppress them; pretending they did not happen, justifying or excusing them-most often blaming the other person. But if the sins are not confessed they cannot be forgiven; and unresolved sin inevitably leads to bitterness, frustration and contempt that can eat away at a relationship.

Often, marriages can be “saved” almost overnight, simply by teaching a couple to confess their sins to one another on a daily basis. This tends to make them keenly aware of how often they are offending the other party, and removes the self-deception that we use to excuse ourselves or blame others. Furthermore, both have to learn how to forgive by faith; to forgive simply means to “remit the penalty for an offence.” However, some people who are controlled by their emotion still feel hurt, wounded, angry, etc., and refuse to forgive. When this becomes evident, the counselor knows he is on track to identifying the real problem that is destroying this marriage. Forgiveness is non-optional for Christians; we must forgive because we have been forgiven. If we are not forgiving others, there is something fundamentally flawed in our relationship with God. By teaching people how to take time every day, to confess, and repent and forgive each other’s sins, we can actually helping build a couple’s relationship with God which in turn restores and strengthens their relationship with each other. Suddenly, a couple becomes tender, gentle, and kind- all the fundamental qualities needed in a strong Christian marriage.

The Enemy must rejoice over the folly of Christians; first he convinced them that they had to live according to their feelings. Then he twists them up in futile attempts to protect their silly pride, and thereby destroyed the greatest joy, comfort and hope we enjoy in this life-our loving, intimate relationships with one another.

In a similar way, in my experience over the past thirty years as a pastor, seldom do people leave a church because of actual doctrinal error or a failure on the part of the elders to properly govern the congregation. Almost universally, they left because they felt “bad” about something; maybe the pastor forgot to announce their birthday, maybe they had a disagreement with another person, perhaps they did not get their own way in a church business meeting- the reason does not matter.[82] Something “made” them “feel bad” and that was enough to justify them walking away (or even worse, walking away and trying to take as many other people with them as possible). As I was told in seminary thirty years ago “People do not come to church to feel bad;” we were actually encouraged not to preach too specifically against sin because it would convict people![83] Far too many Christians are perfectly willing to abandon good churches, and lose wonderfully intimate and loving relationships, rather than just work through the bad feelings and do what is right.

The Enemy also attacks our souls by burdening us with false guilt. The word “Satan” means “adversary” or “accuser” and refers to his role in accusing the brethren. The term actually means something like “prosecuting attorney.” When we sin, our conscience is convicted by the Holy Spirit; this is true, moral guilt and is a warning from God that we need to repent. However, if we are not careful, we can also become susceptible to suffering from false guilt. Even true moral guilt can lead to depression if the underlying sin is not dealt with properly. False guilt though is the sense of utter condemnation that comes from the Adversary; it is often associated with lies such as “you have committed the unforgivable sin” or “no real Christian could ever have thought that (or “said” that or “done” that).” Quite commonly false guilt manifests itself in ways such as “What’s the point, you will just sin like than again- you are just a miserable failure.” Or even, “Face it; you have sinned one too many times, God is fed up with you.” False guilt implicitly removes hope and denies peace, even when the believer has repented and confessed his sins.

Now, because every aspect of our nature is affected by sin, including our minds, Christians may not always know how to handle their sins in the proper Biblical way. When they are overwhelmed by the guilt of genuine conviction, they may try to atone for the sin by trying to do something “good” to make up for what they did wrong.[84] Some just “wallow” in the guilt; they think that they need to feel “bad” to pay for their sins.

These techniques do not and cannot work, and open us up to the attacks of false guilt; the only way to remove true moral guilt caused by sin is through genuine repentance, humble confession (1 John 1:9) and sincerely trusting in the complete sufficiency of the Lord Jesus who died in our place (1 John 2:1ff). Once we have done that, we ARE forgiven!

But the Adversary does not want us to believe God’s promises. Often, even though we have confessed our sins, we still do not feel forgiven. The Enemy then lies to us, continues to pour on the guilt and many sincere believers can become so twisted up inside that they can no longer function. Some become so depressed, that they simply withdraw from the battlefield. Others spend so much time looking inward that they have no resources left to minister to others. Either way, the Enemy has won a victory by removing another of our soldiers from the war.

However, our faith must be in the facts of God’s promises, not the strength of our feelings. If God says we are forgiven, we are forgiven, regardless of how much additional guilt the Enemy wants to pour on us. If we believe his lies that we have to live according to our feelings, at best, we will become miserable and depressed; at worst we can become so bizarre in our thinking that it affects every aspect of our lives.[85]

When we turn to Christ and the forgiveness He purchased for us on the cross, there is “no condemnation” (Romans 8:1). No matter how many times the “Adversary” accuses us, “You call yourself a good Christian and you …!” it is always a lie. If we listen to those accusations, we are accepting his lies before God’s truth- the age old problem again. We need to realize that of course we sinned! “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

However, we have an Advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1), the Lord Jesus Himself who mediates His own sacrificial blood shed on our behalf which “covers” (”atones for”) all our transgressions. Yes, when we sin, we should feel “bad” because we have offended a holy and righteous God. But once having confessed those sins, we are forgiven, and there is no one who can condemn us (Romans 8:33-34). But if we allow the Enemy to deceive us into lacking confidence in God’s promises, we can try to relieve those terribly painful feelings by the all the false mechanisms we noted above.

Furthermore, once we believe one lie, we are more susceptible to believing other lies. There is a tendency over time, to become consistent with our most basic beliefs.[86] Humans are not computers and none of us thinks as logically as we should and could; but once we accept something as “true” that belief will eventually work itself one way or the other in other parts of our thinking. Thus, when we accept the Enemy’s lie at one point, it tends to lead us further and further astray. It is not unlike trying to follow directions to some place one has never before visited. If you mess up one of the directions and turn left, when you should have turned right, every other direction will only lead you further and further astray.

When Christians get it wrong in dealing with sin, they cannot restore broken relationships or heal one another’s wounds. Even if they are “sincere” in wanting to help another, often, they simply make matters worse. Countless relationships have been broken, marriages destroyed, churches ripped apart by controversy and schism, with the name of Christ blasphemed amongst the Gentiles because Christians did not know how to deal with their sins or resolve problems Biblically. Rather than confessing, and repenting and letting “love cover a multitude of transgressions” instead, they bite and snap and destroy each other (James 4:1-10). The self-righteous Pharisee blind to his own hypocrisy is not just a problem the Lord Jesus dealt with in the first century; we have those same people with us today because they listen to the Enemy and do not trust in the forgiveness God has freely given us in Christ. In their own mind, they THINK they are doing the “right” thing but in reality they are acting as agents of the Adversary.

The solution begins with simply not basing our lives on our feelings but rather according to the unchanging standards of God’s Word. We all sin, frequently. We cannot hide from our sins or blame them on others. All we can do is confess them and throw ourselves on the mercy of a gracious and compassionate God. Since He forgives us, we have to forgive others, treating them with the same kindness, gentleness and grace that God treated us. This forces us to live more humbly, to be less judgmental, and to be kinder and gentler with one another. And we demonstrate that we truly are His disciples because we “love one another” (John 13:35).

The War against God in the Intellect

The term “philosophy” is a compound Greek word meaning “love of wisdom.” But as James points out, there is godly wisdom, and the demonic kind. From the beginning, the war against God was manifested in the intellectual realm by denying the truth of God’s own revelation and a futile attempt to find “knowledge” and “wisdom” apart from Him. Though God’s nature and glory is clearly revealed in His creation (though our sin distorts that image), wicked men refuse to acknowledge Him, because then, they would have to worship and serve Him.

Instead of using the rational facilities God gave them study to His creation and so glorify Him, sinful men lie to themselves and each other, trying to rationalize, justify or excuse their rebellion. Paul tells us that sinful men “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rms 1:18) and warned us that “professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rms 1:22); when men reject the knowledge of God they end up believing all sorts of foolish, ridiculous things.

In antiquity, some men redefined His nature, making him a part of His own creation as in eastern pantheism. Others split up His divine attributes into separate individual “gods” or confused Him with His angels (polytheism) and then crafted an image that would “represent” that aspect and worshipped it, rather than the Truth (idolatry).[87]

In the modern era, men first tried to remove God from the “phenomenal” realm of fact, history and science, etc., and restrict Him to the “noumenal” realm of “spirit, idea, and morality.”[88] In effect, they asserted that God could not interact with the physical world (Kant, Deism, etc.).[89] Strict materialists then took the next logical step and denied His existence altogether, relegating faith in the spiritual to be the product of emotional or psychological pathologies (e.g., Freud, modern atheism).

In the 19^th century especially, the demon inspired attack against the intellect was two pronged. On the one hand, some scholars attempted to undermine confidence in the integrity of Scripture by developing “Higher” or “Literary Criticism.” Men asserted that they could demonstrate how the Bible was “really” written; in effect Man would sit in judgment over God’s word. Many were eager to embrace Higher Criticism just because it meant that they if they could reject the Bible, they could dismiss the Bible’s God. If they could dismiss God, then they can discard His Law. If they can discard His Law, then THEY can determine what is good and evil; it always seems to come back to that first temptation, doesn’t it?

The other approach was more direct; materialism tried to show that God was simply irrelevant because the scientific method was sufficient to understand reality without reference to the supernatural. After all, if everything we see can be explained as purely the result of natural forces, plus time, plus chance, why do we need a Creator? And if there is no Creator, Man is left as the sole proprietor of the earth; in effect, Man becomes God. Why do we need a “god” in “heaven” anyway when “Man” was developing “godlike” powers (by learning how to manipulate and control “natural” forces) on earth? For a while it must have seemed the ancient rebellion was finally successful; God could be safely set aside because Man and his reason had replaced Him.

Sadly, many Christians were seduced into these errors, even conservative ones. We thought we could establish a détente with Humanism by relinquishing the fields of science to the rationalists. But they did not stop there; we lost our best and brightest universities and seminaries to Liberal Theology because we required our future scholars to receive their education from institutions controlled by the materialists. Eventually, even our own schools and colleges hired professors that taught the Bible was just a human book and who openly doubted whether Jesus ever existed at all. The gospel had to be “de-mythologized” to make it acceptable to modern, scientific men. The “true” essence of “religion” was to give man a certain “feeling” of being “close” to the “Transcendent.”[90]

Please note the logical progression of these intellectual attacks; if one removes the supernatural from the Bible, it is no longer God’s Word to man, but rather, man’s thoughts about God; man then becomes the focus of religion, not God. Thus, God is not who He said He was, did not do what He claimed to have done and the scientists would now lead us to a perfect world of peace and harmony based upon their increasing power over the natural world.

At the risk of beating an already “dead horse;” notice the parallels with the first temptation; in the Garden, the Enemy began by calling God’s credibility into question. He cast doubt on the truthfulness of what God had said, and what the consequences would be in defying Him. Rather than trust God, man believed the Adversary, and brought sin and death into the world.

In the 19^th century, after fifteen hundred years of Christian civilization, the Enemy again successfully called God’s integrity and credibility into question – with whole cultures accepting his lies and rebelling against God’s authority. Ideas have consequences; what we believe really does affect how we see the world, and how we live in it. Within just a few decades, revolutions, massacres, and maniacs appeared and the seeds were sown for the chaos we see daily around us. Every non-Christian philosophy must suppress the truth of God’s revelation but in doing so they inevitably have to distort other aspects of their reasoning as well to remain consistent. The Enemy’s main focus has always been to lie about God, but once having accepted that lie, men’s thinking becomes distorted about every area of life. When men logically follow the implications of that flawed premise (“for in Him we live and move and breathe…”), they create belief systems that go further and further into absurdity.[91]

The schizophrenic we mentioned earlier suffers from the inability to properly interpret what his senses are telling him. Because his brain is not functioning properly, he may see things that are not really there, he may feel as if somebody (the CIA, the “government” or even “space aliens”) are secretly watching him or trying to persecute him. He may suffer from incredible mood swings that take him into the heights of creativity at one moment to the depths of suicidal depression in the next. The schizophrenic acts “strangely” because, in his mind, all these things are “true.” And he has a point of course; if the government WERE trying to kill you, you would feel threatened, insecure, frightened and take appropriate steps. It is not the actions that are “strange” but rather the belief system behind them that is not true to reality.

For example, in the 20^th century alone, tens of millions of people were murdered by their own national governments, with at least a hundred million dying in wars between various humanistic ideals.[92] It took six years to defeat the occult driven Nazis militarily; the demonically inspired Marxists continued to destroy the souls of entire nations almost to the end of the 20^th century before finally self-destructing.

This is what happens when men believe demonic lies and reject God’s revelation. They no longer see the world as it really is and though from their perspective they are acting “rationally” in reality, their attitudes and behaviors become increasing bizarre. While with hindsight, we can easily recognize the errors of National Socialism and Communism, we must not forget that at the time, both philosophies were highly regarded intellectual philosophies; it was only after the implications of their views became apparent that now modern men reject them.[93]

The trick is to expose the implications of a certain line of reasoning before it destroys entire civilizations. For example, most modern men accept in one form or another that Man is a product of random chance plus time; that human personality is simply the interaction of various chemicals. It is then not a far step to believe that people have no inherent value other than what the dominant powers give them. If the State has the right to determine good from evil, they also have the right to determine who is a “person” who is a “non-person.”

For example, Jews, Gypsies and Christians became “non-persons” in Nazi Germany and were executed for the “good of the State.” Royalist, Capitalists and Christians became “non-persons” in Russia and China being imprisoned or executed “for the good of the Revolution.” Babies in the womb can become “non-persons” in any modern nation, and “removed” with a quick lunch time stop at the local abortion clinic for the “good of maintaining the right of a woman over her own body.” And how long before the elderly who have “outlived” their “usefulness” are considered a “drain” on overburdened socialized health care and declared to be “non-persons?” Right now, every Western nation is considering legislation to murder the elderly or the brain damaged because treating them is too expensive (especially with a declining younger population). How long before they are actually rounded up and given a “sleeping pill” to “ease their suffering” for “their own good?”

All of these monstrous practices can and do flow logically and necessarily from the underlying demonically inspired philosophical belief that God is not God. If there is no God, there is no absolute good; just different choices with each man determining what is good in his own eyes. Therefore, there is nothing to restrain human evil, tyranny, oppression; the two most consistent humanist thinkers in history were the Marquis De Sade and Adolf Hitler. Neither recognized any definition of “good” other than their own will; both believed that “might makes right.” Both went down in history as monsters. Thankfully, most humanists are not consistent, yet, with their beliefs; a remnant of Christian morality still inhibits them. But if they continue to believe the Enemy’s lies, eventually, they will work out the implications of those lies in social policy, cultural values, and political programs creating “hell on earth.”

And in the war against God, the Enemy was able to win all these victories by convincing Christians that Jesus was not Lord of every area of life; just maybe the personal or the “spiritual.” We let the Materialists, the Humanists, the Marxists, the Socialists and the Feminists redefine our faith, capture our institutions and transform our culture according to their determination of good and evil. We lost these battles, at least partially because so many Christians, feared the “giants” of rationalism and materialism, and replaced the comprehensive redemption promised by God with a subjective, personalized religious experience. A Christian faith that is reduced to just obscure points of theological speculation or personal “spiritual” comfort is not the historic Biblical gospel that transformed the world.[94]

The War against God in the World

Since the dawn of time, the Adversary had been successful in deceiving the nations, leading them into idolatry, false religion, and political tyranny. As men believed his lies that they were little “gods,” they built splendorous cities and extensive empires based on the underlying assumption that the “God-King” was the intermediary between the spiritual and the material worlds. Authority was concentrated in the State as the supreme expression of Man’s power on earth; with the “God-King” ruling as a tyrant.

However, “god-kings” tend to be jealous for their own glory and so inevitably they battled amongst themselves for power and dominion. The history of the pre-Christian world is implicitly the story of sinful men acting out what it means to determine good and evil in defiance of God. Since one man’s definition of “good” may differ from another’s, the two cannot live in harmony unless one submits to the other. Idolatry served an important social function in providing a way of tying the individual to the “greater good” of the State; which of course required political tyranny, social repression, economic monopolies, forced conversions, and outright subjugation or destruction of one’s neighbors. We really do not appreciate just how wicked a nation can be when it has not been influenced by the gospel-Romans 1:20ff was written specifically to demonstrate that cultures without the gospel are truly “demonic.”

During antiquity, the “seed of the woman” consisted of a small, insignificant nation often overwhelmed by her larger, wealthier and more powerful neighbors. Israel would hardly rate a footnote in the annals of human history apart from the sovereign grace of God protecting, nurturing, and using her to bring His Son into the world.[95] However, with the coming Christ, for the first time, the gospel broke out from ethnic Israel and began to convert the nations. Satan’s long dominion over the world was broken as nation after nation repented of their sins and acknowledged Jesus as Lord. Though demonically inspired heresies infiltrated the church almost immediately, and Roman despots horribly persecuted and oppressed believers, Hell itself could not withstand the advance of God’s church (e.g., Matt 16:18).[96]

The Adversary no longer has the same power in the world today that he had before the Lord Jesus came. Yes he is real, but the gospel of Jesus Christ has been overthrowing his counterfeit kingdom for more than two thousand years; this is just what we have seen historically where the gospel has been preached. Incidents (real or imagined) of overt demonism tend to disappear when the gospel thrives in a society; first in Israel, then the Mideast, then North Africa, Greece, Rome and pagan Europe, the gospel literally expelled the demons and demon inspired worship. Over the past two millennia, whole continents converted to faith in Christ and sought (albeit inconsistently) to bring their lives into submission to His will.

And as a result, idolatry, occultism and paganism retreated into obscurity while morality, prosperity, justice and liberty flourished. This is a fact that most Christians just do not seem to appreciate; the gospel changes lives and those changed lives change the culture. Like leaven, the gospel is slow but eventually thoroughly permeates and affects every area of life (Luke 13:20-21).

However, when a culture that once had the blessings of the gospel rejects God, they in effect invite the demons back in. The modern world began as sinful men wanted the blessings of the gospel without having to submit to King Jesus. The Adversary has been tremendously successful in convincing foolish men that they can have liberty, peace and prosperity apart from God. Yet, every attempt to create a “utopian” society based on anything other than Biblical principles has quickly degenerated into chaos, revolution, tyranny, poverty and death.

The rise of Enlightenment Humanism in the 18^th and 19^th centuries was associated with the popularity of occult societies, especially in the formation of the various anarchistic and revolutionary movements that assaulted 19^th century European civilization.[97] Even as many in the West embraced a strict materialism, occultism (sometimes under a different name) was growing behind the scene. Darwinism was in many respects, simply a repackaging of ancient pagan Greek concepts of evolution. Nazi Germany was notorious for the promoting and adopting occult beliefs and practices; and few would doubt that Hitler was influenced by demonic forces.

Stalinist Russia, even though supposedly devoted to strict materialism, demonstrated that their beliefs and monstrous practices were fully consistent with demonic influence by murdering millions of their own citizens, especially Christians. Furthermore, the old Soviet Union spent considerable resources in “scientifically” researching various forms of occult activity such as telekinesis, precognition, “psychics” and the like. “Paranormal investigation” is just old fashioned occultism with a new scientific sounding name; and it was rife behind the Iron Curtain.

Most modern Western nations have embraced some sort of socialism; whether outright Marxism, some form of Fascism or the more “benign” form of the “nanny state” that promises to provide for every area of life. Men have been deceived into believing that the State can and will meet all their needs. It begins with envy; poor people are taught that they are the victims of the rich- therefore legalized theft (oppressive taxation) is practiced by the state.[98] At first, free education and health care, government retirement programs, generous welfare benefits and subsidized national industries that guarantees everyone a job seem like great blessings. However, over time, every socialist state eventually destroys itself as it penalizes productive, diligent citizens and subsidizes sloth and irresponsibility. The more consistent it is with its anti-God premises, the more quickly it self-destructs.[99]

Socialist nations often obtain power by promising “liberty” by which they mean “freedom to sin;” in other words, they appeal to the basest instincts of a people. Hence such nations often allow abortion, pornography, sodomy, adultery, etc. while actively suppressing or destroying the family. The promise of “liberty” though always comes at a price; personal freedom. The State will tell you how to raise your children, how to educate them, and will gladly confiscate your hard earned money in taxation to support what they think is “good.”

Furthermore, the family and church are both direct threats to their power and authority because they represent rival claims; the humanist State must either co-opt or destroy both institutions. [100] The State promises free education for your children, only if they provide the content of that education, which always has as its main goal indoctrinating them with their propaganda. Churches are commonly required to be registered (sometimes by offering them subsidies), and then forced to preach and teach what the State demands; or else the church will be shut down.

Ideas have consequences; a culture that rejects Christian morality in one area, will find that they have also lost something vital in another.[101] By embracing immorality, every modern, industrialization has seen their populations develop deadly values; e.g., sexually transmitted diseases are rampant amongst women under the age of 25, sodomites have a life expectancy something like thirty years less than heterosexuals, women demanding to have a career often find that they are often too old to have children. “Those who hate me love death…”

So, one does not have to have demonic possession to have demonic domination. If the real work of demons is to deceive and lead people away from Christ, then surely, any philosophy, any religious beliefs, any social system can be used for that purpose. In short a man does have to even believe in demons to be manipulated by them to suppress the truth.

In all these areas, the battles are often subtle; most Christians are easily deceived into “going along to get along” because never are the implications of adopting humanist assumptions worked out. The population, as in ancient Rome, is kept entertained with “bread and circuses” such as mindless television, sporting events and immorality so that they do not have time to actually see what is happening to the culture.[102] Since those who reject God implicitly believe that they ought to determine good and evil, obtaining and maintaining power becomes their primary goal in life. When the culture degenerates into lawlessness because Christian morality has been destroyed, the State will insist they need more laws, and more policemen to enforce those laws, yet never actually take the steps that would inhibit criminals. While crying over the plight of the poor, politicians will actually endorse and subsidize the very immoral behaviors that create poverty; while at the same time, they use the poor to vote themselves, and their friends, cushy, comfortable lifestyles at the tax-payers’ expense.

Over time, people have to work harder, and longer, for less and less real money. Poverty becomes more common with all the attending ills. Children grow up in divorced or single parent homes, essentially being raised by the State; and often becoming unrestrained, selfish and sexually promiscuous. Since all power is thought to be invested in the State, factions and schisms break out in society as various groups vie for control. Without Christian morality as the foundation of a society, the entire culture just cannot function; people do not work, they take bribes, they steal, they lie, they hate and murder. The State, not satisfied with the amount it extorts through oppressive taxation, must inflate the currency, making its money worthless, impoverishing the entire nation. Dissenters, or just anyone who points out that the “emperor has no clothes” are harassed, arrested, tortured, imprisoned and murdered. Eventually, the entire society either falls into revolution, factional warfare and crime as people battle over the few remaining scraps. Sometimes, they are invaded by a neighbor who wants their natural resources, but not their population. Hence, massacres and even genocide can occur.

The more capital a nation has, the longer it can survive before falling into chaos; just think of a profligate son living on his inheritance. For a while, everything may seem fine as he spends his inheritance. But one day, the inheritance is gone and he will be reduced to eating with the pigs just to survive. Men who reject God may appear to flourish for a while as they spend the capital laid down by our Christian ancestors; but the rot is already becoming terribly apparent in every Western nation. Our culture is in the process of imploding right before our eyes, because we have believed the Enemy’s lies.[103]

Fighting the War and Winning

The war in the spiritual realm demands that Christians fight certain battles in the physical one. For most of church history, Christians have insisted that their faith in Christ MUST manifest itself in changing the world around them. We were the ones who rescued exposed babies, built schools, started universities and created the very idea of a hospital; we established charitable institutions, ended slavery, restrained kings in their power, and protected a man’s right to his life and private property by creating free, safe and prosperous societies.

At least part of our battle against the Enemy means calling all men, in every area of life to submit to King Jesus. That means the politician making laws, the scientist in his laboratory, the businessman in his factory, the artist in his studio, all have a divine obligation to do their work for the glory of God; and we as Christians have an obligation to “disciple” them, teaching them to “observe all that I commanded you…”

In the 19^th century, whole cultures were deceived into believing that they could have the blessings of Christian civilization without having Christ. The church was ill prepared for this battle. We had reduced the Christian faith to a set of theoretical propositions, empty rituals, or emotional experiences, allowing the Enemy to undermine our faith from the inside. As the battle heated up and we began to see the cultures we built disintegrate into chaos (as per God’s warning in Romans 1:18ff) many believers decided to “opt” out of the war altogether and wait for the Rapture.

The great defeats of the 19^th century that enshrined Humanism, Darwinism, Marxism and Socialism were merely the latest manifestation of the original spiritual warfare in the heavens. Yet, many Christians chose to sit these battles out because they had accepted another of the Enemy’s lies; there is no victory in this world- only in the world to come.[104] In the end, we handed the Adversary all of Western Civilization hardly without a shot fired in return. If you want to know how our society became such a cesspool of wickedness and vice, look no further than Christians refusing to act as “salt and light” in the world.

Consider the most popular passage in the Bible for evangelical Christians-John 3:16 “For God so loved the world…” Most Christians know this verse so well they assume they understand what God meant here, without considering what the words actually say. This verse does not say that “God loved some people in the world” but that He loved “the world.” The word “world” in Greek (kosmos) means “pattern” or “system of things” and more specifically, the current order that is opposed to God.[105] Yet even though this “system” is in rebellion, the Lord God sent His Son to save it from its own sins. God is not just going to save some people; He promises to save “the world.” He will restore His entire creation to its original perfection through His Son’s atonement for sin. Just as He cursed the world because of Adam’s sin, He will save it through His Son’s righteousness; and the whole creation is eagerly awaiting its redemption (Romans 8:19-21).

His means of saving the “world” is through the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) in which He commanded His Apostles to “disciple the nations” teaching them to “observe all that I commanded you…” Again, many Christians misread this text as meaning something like “preach the gospel in foreign lands” but it actually says that we are to teach the nations how to obey King Jesus, to order every area of life to His glory as opposed to Man’s will. It is not just saving an occasional brand from the fire; but winning the nations themselves for Jesus. This view is quite foreign to most evangelicals today; but it was the motivation for the expansion of the early church and the evangelization of the pagan tribes invading the Roman Empire; this belief built Christian civilization in Europe, contributed to the discovery and settlement of the new world, and gave birth to the modern missionary movement.

In the past forty years, a small but growing number of Christians have rediscovered the importance of pressing for the crown rights of King Jesus, especially in the social and political realm. These believers know that for all its faults, inconsistencies and failures, Christian civilization is the only hope for a free, stable, safe and prosperous world. They have protested against pornography, abortion and attacks against the family. They put pressure on politicians, educated the public, and had some effect on restraining certain aspects of humanist civilization.

Yet, if we do not appreciate the spiritual nature of this war, many battles will be (and have been) needlessly lost. A nation will not be saved from calamity by changing the government, electing the “right” politician to office or having the “right” social programs enacted.[106] It certainly will not occur by taking up arms against the various tyrannical civil governments of the world.[107]

Instead, our “weapons” are “spiritual” in that as we live our lives humbly before God and proclaim Jesus as Lord of every area of life, and then work out the implications of that confession, He will give us victory. Remember, “All authority” has been given to King Jesus; and He will prosper and bless His people if they “humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.” It is the gospel that transforms the individual, his family, and his community, destroying “…speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God… taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

This means that to win the battles we are called to fight in this world, Christians must first get their own personal lives in order, governing their families according to God’s Word and learning how to live together in peace and harmony in the church; we have to learn how to stand together. Yet, all too often, as our demonically inspired cultures degenerate into wickedness, tyranny and oppression, we bicker, slander and whisper against one another, tearing down rather than building up.[108] An army at war with itself is no threat to the Enemy. When we do not put on our spiritual armor, stand firmly together, and wield the actual weapons that God commanded us to use, the Enemy can and will steamroll over us. Yet rather than repent for our pride, arrogance and endless foolish conflicts with each other, we comfort ourselves by saying that “this is the way God ordained history to be.” It is easier to study our prophecy charts than actually DO something He commanded; live in humble obedience, self-sacrificial love, and gentle peace with each other.

Yes, we need to organize marches, join lawful protests, form political action committees, write books and newsletters, using all of the tools in a good activist’s arsenal. All of these “techniques” are public confessions that Jesus is Lord and every knee must bow to Him. However, all too often, the reason why such efforts do not seem effective in halting the onslaught of the Enemy is because Christians are jealous, envious, arrogant, disruptive, selfish and motivated only by their own gain.[109] Some Christian leaders refuse to work together because of their own pride and arrogance; helping a brother just might make him more popular. Others gleefully look for any failure or imperfection in a brother and attempt to use those to destroy “competing” ministries. Some Christians will destroy a church, ruin a pastor’s reputation, and even attempt to have him removed from the ministry just because they did not get their own way. Churches are often split into factions, parties and cliques where they spend more time fighting each other than battling the Enemy.

Until we learn to live together in love, and be humble with one another, and put our brother’s interests before our own (Phil 2:1ff), we cannot possibly hope to win the spiritual war in the heavenly places where the real battles are being fought (1 Peter 5:5ff). Only God though can remove the calluses from a hardened heart, or the scales from a blind eye. We desperately need the Lord God to give us a great revival of true religion; but until pastors and leaders understand what true, Biblical Christianity is, why should God entrust us with His precious saints if we are only going to mislead them?

The biggest threat to the early church was not the perverted, murderous sodomite Nero and his oppressive idolatrous Empire, but the long standing enmity between the “seeds.” Corrupt Roman civilization was simply at that time the current battlefield in the war against God. We won those battles by preaching and living the gospel. The early church for all its flaws, failures and flirtations with heresy (the “doctrine of demons”) was still able to demonstrate that the gospel was real and powerful by the way they were kind to one another, loved one another, lived in peace and served one another (Phil 2:1ff, Eph 5:1ff, etc.). God then blessed that church and the demons fled in fear.

What God did in the past, He can and will do again in the future. The demons may have returned, but they can be defeated, if Christians are simply willing to stand together, remain faithful, and use the divinely powerful weapons He has given us. But that means that we need to regain a comprehensive Christian faith; a faith based upon unconditional surrender to the Lordship of Christ. God’s victory is assured; however, whether we or our children will experience the blessings of that victory is another issue. Eventually, all His enemies will be subdued under His feet; but each and every one of us is going to stand before the Lord God on the Day of Judgment and give an account of whether we did our part in the war against His glory and rule.

First, clearly, we have no power in ourselves; God did not choose the strong, the noble or the wise to be His warriors but the weak and base and foolish (1 Cor 1: 26ff). Let there be no mistake here; God does not need our talents, wisdom or skills to be put down this rebellion against His righteous rule. God alone is the only one who can drive out demons, open blind eyes, and grant men repentance that they might acknowledge Jesus as Lord and know the joy and peace of the gospel. The Lord Jesus has been given all authority and rules the nations with His rod of iron, subduing His enemies; our victories in this world come about from His sovereign choice.

Yet, because of God’s grace and mercy, He chooses to work through us as the means by which His great victory is seen in time and eternity. Therefore, we begin by living humbly before Him, trusting in His Word and depending upon His kindness and mercy. As the battles rage around us, our primary task is to “stand firm” trusting in His providence protecting the brothers on either side.

Then, God is pleased to subdue His enemies as His people pray “without ceasing” (Ephesians 6:18). The Lord God promises to work through our prayers according to His will; He literally “delights” in the prayers of His people (Proverbs 15:8). However, the secret life of disciplined prayer though fundamental to basic Christian living, is something that many believers find extremely difficult to develop or maintain. For some, rather than as an expression of the amazing, intimate, personal relationship we are granted with Him, prayer can become a formality or a ritual, not much different than a “magical” incantation that people use in an attempt to manipulate or control God. Over the years, as a pastor, I have noticed that most Christians, no matter how knowledgeable they may be of doctrine, or fervent in service, often have deplorable habits of what was once known as “secret worship.” Many Christians pray irregularly at best. When they do pray, it is formulaic, like reading off a shopping list and seems done more for the feeling of comfort it engenders, rather than any real confidence that God will providentially hear and respond to our requests. Few seem to pray with passion and commitment that God can and will work through our petitions to change the world for His glory.

And the ones most committed to public “prayer” meetings, seem to be the worst at having “secret” worship. Like the Pharisees, some Christians love being seen as “prayer warriors” and are always demanding more “prayer meetings” but the content of those prayers seem more like self-aggrandizement than humble obedience. Furthermore, when Christians pray, it seems many assume it is an alternative to obedience; they have genuine concerns but the problem is that they are not living in submission to God. And in all these situations, the more vocal a person is in public prayer, the less (at least in my experience) committed they are to “secret worship.”

Secret worship is simply you, as a believer, ensuring that you spend quality time, every day, with the Lord in prayer and the Word. Prayer without taking the required, constructive action commanded by God is wasted effort. “If you love me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Prayer is not just asking God for something we want, but rather true, spiritual communion with the Living God where He works on us, changing us, strengthening us, convicting us and bringing our wills into conformity with His.

We are told in Scripture that we must “meditate” on God’s word, “day and night.” This is not the emptiness of eastern mysticism, but rather a focused attention on God’s Word wherein we study it so that we can by His grace, conform our ways to His (Josh 1:8). This kind of disciplined, prayerful meditation directed towards practical application is sadly, rare amongst many Christians today.[110] Instead, may Christians are perfectly happy to read into Scripture whatever meaning they want to find, to find some passage that gives them a feeling of hope and confidence without regard to actually doing what God commands. Our prayers are often not answered, because we are asking for the wrong things, in the wrong way, with the wrong motives. And we do not know any better because when we open the Word, we do not let God teach us what is wrong in our own lives.

“Secret worship” is not about praying a shopping list or conducting a doctrinal study of some obscure theological point; it is about giving to God the praise, adoration, and obedience that is His due, as God. Secret worship is often convicting as the Lord uses that time to strip away the lies the Enemy has convinced us to accept. Secret worship humbles us as we are faced with how far we have fallen short of His glory. However, ff we do not regularly seek to bring our wills into conformity with God’s revelation, our thinking can quickly go astray. We might begin to distrust God’s promises, doubt His love, and think we know better than He how to live our lives. And whether we realize it or not, without regular Secret Worship, we open ourselves to believing the Adversary’s lies. I even know some ministers (very successful ones too) who have NEVER done a personal Bible study; all the great wisdom they possessed came from borrowing from the “secret worship” of others.

When we do not have regular, quality time with God, sins are not dealt with properly, problems with others are not resolved kindly, and bitterness, frustration, depression and can grow uncontrollably. If we are not careful, we can easily excuse, justify or rationalize disobedience because we are severed from our spiritual lifeline to the Lord. Therefore, when we are called on to fight a particular battle, we are weak, untrained and ill-prepared. When we lose that battle, we then become discouraged from fighting other battles- and the Enemy wins by default.

Part of the problem as we noted previously is our failure to properly handle guilt; if you are in sin and do not want to repent, then the last thing you want to do is spend time alone with God where those sins will be exposed. No, it is far easier to suppress those guilty feelings for a while- maybe read a good book- do something for the church, cut the grass, anything other than actually deal with the issue. So many believers never have secret worship simply because it makes them feel “bad.”

An even more subtle error is to regularly read the Bible, but already have your mind made up what it must say; ensuring that the Bible can never tell you anything that you do not already believe! Many Christians have been taught to read whatever meaning they want into the Scriptures and can become quite offended if their “interpretation” is not accepted despite the fact that it may contradict the language, grammar, syntax, or vocabulary of the text itself. Whether they realize it or not, they have actually isolated themselves from the Lord’s correction, all the while thinking that they “study” the Scriptures! In effect, they will decide what God means in Scripture by what seems good to them! Without even realizing it, they have fallen victim to the most ancient of lies!

But the Lord will not be mocked. I suspect that in however the Adversary does his work in the spiritual realm, there must be considerable effort spent in trying to keep us from this spending quality time alone with God- time not just of academic, intellectual study but of earnestly bringing our hearts before the Lord in humility and repentance. “Secret worship” is more than prayer and a Bible study; it is the essence of our personal relationship with God wherein He works on our own heart, our own attitudes, our own weaknesses and sins, confronting and convicting us so that we might grow in grace and godliness. Secret worship is the source of our strength because it builds our walk with God.

Christians have offered a gamut of excuses why they cannot do regular secret and family worship; they are too busy, too tired, it seems too “legalistic;” but the reality is that, quite often, they value something other than God. They want God to protect them, provide for them, and comfort them; but they still want to live their lives according to what seems good to them. Therefore, they do not enjoy spending time alone with the Lord. Since we can do nothing of ourselves, and it is only His grace that can defeat the Enemy then when separated from God, we either become ineffectual, or may even fall into serious sin. An incompetent enemy is every general’s dream! Even better is one that goes out to battle with any ammunition![111]

And perhaps part of the problem is that Christians just do not appreciate the spiritual nature of the war against God, and us. They have been deceived into thinking, like the humanists, that life is purely a result of “natural” forces so they come to depend on “natural” means of living it. They do not appreciate that every day they are the targets of hostile, hyper-dimensional alien entities who seek their destruction by deceiving them into thinking they can live pretty much as they want. Christians then blame the weather, bad luck, poor choices, lack of opportunities, or other people for their problems.

Without trying to create unnecessary fear, if more Christians realized just how much the Enemy hates us, they might be better motivated to spend more time and effort to make sure they are well armored, and well trained in their weapons. After all, if you know that a ravenous, dangerous animal is prowling around your property, you will make sure you are armed before you leave the house (1 Peter 5:8). Every time you pray, and diligently meditate on God’s Word, repent of your sins, and treat your brother kindly and lovingly, you are protecting yourself from the beast lurking outside your door…

Speaking of weapons; our weapons are not of this world, but they are still weapons and it will take time and disciplined effort to become proficient in using them. Do not be discouraged if you find it difficult to schedule consistent secret or family worship, or if sometimes the Scriptures seem “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). You have God’s Holy Spirit and He will open His word to you if you are humble, and teachable -but it will take work (cf. Proverbs 2:1ff). Paul said, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim 4:7) and discipline is never easy or “fun.” Worship can be wonderful, doctrinal studies can be fascinating, fellowship can be warm and encouraging but godliness will take some time and effort. Therefore, do not give up hope, especially in secret worship- God will give grace and power!

We must also appreciate that the realm of the “spirit” is more than a place of intellect or idea; as important as having true ideas may be- that is not the end of the matter. There are real hostile spiritual entities opposing us; battling the demonic is more than holding the right theological opinions or winning an intellectual debate. When people are deceived by the Enemy, it is not the clarity of our position or the cogency of our arguments that will open blind men’s eyes. Only God can grant repentance (2 Tim 2:23ff); and therefore, we need to trust in His grace, mercy and providence.

However, often, we are tempted into trusting something else. The Apostle Paul warned about the danger of those who placed too much emphasis in their knowledge of doctrine (1 Corinthians 8:1ff). Granted, God is truth and the pursuit of truth honors Him. Yes, the Enemy excels in lies; but how subtle his deception to convince us to focus on one truth, at the expense of other truths that may be just as important? We must recognize that we can fall prey to Enemy ourselves if we allow our love for truth to become a source of pride and arrogance. There are too many of the brethren who are haughty, contemptuous, and condescending towards those not quite at their “exalted” level of understanding. They can become impatient, frustrated and annoyed at others who do not immediately see things as “clearly” as they do. The issue is not whether they may have a better understanding of abstract theology, but whether or not their attitudes, their words and their actions demonstrate Christ-like character.

On the other hand, others of the brethren need to remember that truth IS something we must strive for in humility and love. There are too may believers today who think that being sincere is a substitute for truth- however, being sincerely wrong, is still being wrong! Yet I have known a great many of the brethren who are “proud” of their ignorance and like the fool of Proverbs, refuse to be corrected by any one at any time![112] The Enemy thrives where there is error and since he is the father of lies, he wants us to believe wrong things. The more confused we are in our thinking, the more lies we accept, the easier it is for us to go further and further astray. Therefore, the more arrogant he makes us in our ignorance, the less likely we will ever benefit from the wisdom of our brothers (Proverbs 27:17).

Thus, to protect ourselves from both errors requires us to have a love for truth, and a love for one another. These are both a necessary implication of loving God; and if one does not have both, one has neither (1 John 4:20). Some Christians deceive themselves by using their reason to justify or excuse being mean-spirited, envious, contentious, argumentative, jealous, or cruel to others. They think because they have won the argument, that they are right before God, even if they had to destroy a brother in doing so. The Apostle Paul has much to say about this kind of attitude (Titus 3:10), and this kind of Christianity (Romans 14:1ff). Others in an attempt to be gracious and kind, allow people to affirm and accept all sorts of serious doctrinal errors; and God has some things to say about that as well (e.g., Ephesians 4:15, 5:17, 1 Corinthians 5:8, 2 Corinthians 13:8, etc.).

There is simply no substitute for regularly hauling out our hearts and taking a good, long look at why we believe what we believe, or do what we do. Do we love the truth because it reveals God, or because it makes us look smarter than our brothers? Do we love the brethren because we love God and His truth, or want the approval of men? Either way, there is no excuse for not being kind, gentle and humble towards one another (cf. Gal 6:1ff, Eph 5:1ff, 2 Tim 2:23ff, etc.).

God wants us both to have both true knowledge of His will, as well as true application of that knowledge in humble, loving living. We need to recognize that arrogance and pride are the tools of the Enemy. In so far as it depends on us, let us strive to live at peace with all men, trusting in God, and doing what is right (Romans 12:17-18). If Christians simply learned how to live in love and kindness with one another, we could withstand any onslaught of the Enemy, destroying his forces and winning great victories.

Since the spiritual realm interacts and affects the physical realm, we all need to be aware that some of the problems, trials, fears, etc., we all suffer may have a spiritual component- i.e., we are more than just creatures of flesh and more than the flesh influences us. Therefore, when we are wearied of good works, depressed about various situations, tempted to give up hope, we must recognize that sometimes the enemy may be behind it. Granted, all these things may also be symptoms of physical or emotional exhaustion. Sometimes, like Elijah, we need to take some time off, rest and recuperate. However, at other times, it is possible that these extreme negative feelings, especially the ones that call God’s promises into question may be stimulated, in some way, by the Enemy’s lies. If we recognize this as an attack, we are less likely to believe him. We do not have to berate ourselves over failures or let false guilt side track us for “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.”

Furthermore, we need to remind ourselves daily that we are in a real war and wars are tough; people, even good people will get hurt. Therefore we must not be dismayed when our side takes casualties; especially if we are one of them! A man may die “before his time” or lose an important position from which he could have done great things for the Kingdom; God is in control. There will be times when we will have fought hard and long, and suffered great wounds; it may take time to recover until we ready for the next battle. Sometimes, people will hate us without reason, friends will stab us in the back, and even “good” churches will commit the most outrageous injustices; battles are always chaotic and “friendly fire” is always a danger. All these things can wear us down, tempt us to give up and withdraw from the battle- but we need to fight on anyway.

It has been said that wars are not won by destroying an enemy’s soldiers, but destroying their will to fight. The way to win a fight is to get up one more time than you were knocked down. We must realize that even though some of our best and brightest may fall, that sometimes, we may see humiliating defeats, the ultimate victory has already been won. Therefore, no matter how hard we have been hit, we just need to get up, one more time.

We must also appreciate that in this war, our fellow soldiers are not all heroes; sometimes they will be less than perfect- just as sometimes we are “less than perfect.” Yet God is still pleased to work through them (and us) to fight this war. So be kind to one another and help one another and do not be shocked or surprised when Christians fail you, disappoint you or even sin against you. Forgive others, just as you are forgiven, help when you can; and if you cannot help, at least stay out of the way of the heroes. Never worry about the overall strategy. God will do what needs to be done according to His own will; pay attention to the little bit of the battle right in front of you and do your duty.

And since this is a real war, the righteous ought to expect that the Enemy really does hate us, just for being righteous (cf. 1 Peter 4:12). Somehow many Christians assume that everyone, including the world, should love and approve of them, even though Jesus specifically told us to be wary when “all men speak well of you…” Christians often irrationally fear being ridiculed by non-believers; some are devastated just by not being accepted by them. Therefore they tend to “blend” in to the background, not wanting to “make waves” and are intimidated to never talk about the power of the gospel. We need to get over this. Sure, we certainly do not need to be pompous, hypocritical, arrogant or judgmental in our demeanor or relationships- but remember, the Lord is pleased to work through your witness to convert the wicked. If you deny Him before men, He will deny you before the Father (2 Timothy 2:12). Therefore, be strong and courageous, boldly proclaiming that Jesus is Lord without compromise; even if it means that some people may not “accept’ or “like” you. Certainly do not allow yourself to follow their example or determine your values; “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals.”

We must also never fear persecution or oppression. Remember, God is sovereign and regardless of what the Enemy thinks he is accomplishing, God allows it for His own glory and our purification (1 Peter 4:1). Every time the Adversary thinks he has won a battle, God turns that “defeat” into an even greater victory. Therefore we can live each day righteously and hopefully, despite affliction and adversity because God is working His will and glorifying His name regardless of circumstances.

Many Christians lose heart when the Enemy appears to have won some battle and of course, we need to take this war seriously; God really does work His will through our faithful, humble obedience. If we do not get out there and fight, we automatically concede that battle to the Enemy. But even if we lost every single battle God called us to fight in this life, it still would not change the fact that God is in control. It is very possible, that even in our greatest “defeats” He has placed the kernel of some unimaginable future victory. Just remember; when the seed of the serpent crucified our Lord, they must have thought they had won the war; but in reality, they lost everything.

In line with this, we must also keep in mind that since God decided that He would suffer for His people, as His children, being formed into His image (Romans 8:29) we will also suffer in this life (1 Peter 4:12). Every Christian will experience pain, hardship, adversity, disappointment, disease and death. Some Christians will be specifically targeted by the Enemy (or his human dupes) for intimidation, oppression, persecution and even murder. Others may find themselves suffering from poverty, hardship or ill health. But since we have God’s own promise of redemption, we can endure; even prosper despite affliction, because we will live not just for a few score years on earth, but with our Heavenly Father forever.

Therefore, we need to be courageous and face adversity with confidence and trust in the Lord-”Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (cf. Josh 1:9). Every Christian needs to be intimately familiar with Peter’s first epistle and refer to it constantly. Many Christians, especially in the comfortable West, assume that the gospel is about Jesus solving every problem so they can enjoy a life of ease and comfort. But that is not what Peter says; we will suffer, we will have hard times, things sometimes can and do get really bad. Our hope is not in escaping suffering, but in persevering through it to the glory of God. The pain comes first, and THEN the eternal rewards.

In the meantime, be thankful every day for the blessings that God has given you (Phil 4:6-7); rejoice that your spouse loves you, be content in the good work that God gives you to do with your hands, delight in your children and appreciate your parents, (despite their failures). Enjoy the wonderful Christians God gives you as brothers; honor the elders who teach you, and take comfort in your salvation. Take a walk and watch a sunset, savor a good meal, be happy that you have a roof over your head, and clothes on your back. Rather than focusing on what you do not have, take delight in the good things God has given you; and if in His providence, He decides to take some of these good things away for a while- then still rejoice, for you have been found worthy of an even higher calling and even greater wonders await you! “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation…” (1 Peter 4:12). God owes no one anything except death (Romans 3:23); therefore be thankful every moment for every good blessing that He does give you and be content (1 Tim 6:6).

Even though the Enemy hates us, persecutes us and attempts to destroy us, our main threat has always been when we allow ourselves to be deceived into sin. Unrepentant sin brings God’s judgment (e.g., Hebrews 12:4-22). Job is clear; the Enemy can do nothing to us apart from God’s will. However, if we believe his lies, we can put ourselves into a position where God as a loving Father will discipline and correct us; and that correction is painful. Never fear the Enemy, always fear God. Therefore do not stray into sin, and when you do, repent as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, never, ever argue with God when He allows something “bad” to happen; God is God and may do whatever He chooses to do. Of course He does things that you do not comprehend! He is God; to understand why He does what He does you would have to be God-and that is original sin all over again. Often in His providence He may not answer our prayers the way we would like them answered or deliver us from trials as quickly as we would like to be delivered. Many times, He may place us in difficult, even traumatic situations where our faith is stretched and tested.

Do not be like the “foolish women” and doubt His grace and goodness; “Should we indeed accept good from God and not adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips…” (Job 2:10). Yet many believers actually demand that God explain Himself because they are outraged that He would allow something “bad” to happen to them! Sometimes, because they cannot strike back at God, they lash out at their brothers, blaming them for the actions of God. When God humbles them in some way, they slander, gossip, whisper or backbite; perhaps the reason is that if they can put others down, they think they will not look so bad in comparison. But all this accomplishes is to destroy the unity of the faith and weaken the army of the Lord. Let a brother stumble in some way, and a pack of evangelical jackals will appear to rend him to pieces; and the reason is that often, God has been doing things in their own lives that threatens to humble them.

For limited creatures of flesh to question the actions of the Sovereign Lord God Almighty is arrogance indeed. Therefore, recognize these temptations for what they are; and when the Lord brings something “unpleasant” into your life, thank Him and trust Him. God can only do what is right, even if it really, REALLY hurts at the time. Do not blame Him, or your brother; accept His rebuke, learn from His correction and receive His forgiveness.

Which leads us to this; maintain an honest, sober self-evaluation; if you are not honest with yourself, you have opened the door for the Enemy and invited him into your life. Pride, arrogance, envy, spite, meanness, hatred, bitterness and malice towards others, regardless of whether there is a specific “demon” behind them, are inherently demonic traits. Recognize these demonic attitudes in yourself, and in others- and do not allow them into your life. Never try to justify, excuse or shift the blame; learn to take responsibility for your sins, and take the right actions. Do not concern yourself with what others are doing, or should be doing, but on what God wants you to do (John 21:21-22). In doing so, you thwart the Enemy’s most successful tactic; you remain at peace with God and others.

At the same time, cultivate kindness, gentleness, compassion, patience, forbearance and allowing love to cover a multitude of transgressions. This is how God treats us, and how we are to treat one another. This is how the world knows we truly belong to Him, because we love one another. Do not gossips or slanders steal your joy and peace; seek peace, be kind, and relish the love of the brethren. Discovering how to live in that love is one of the greatest blessings of belonging to God and gives us a taste of the eternal bliss that awaits His holy ones. It is also a large part of our strength and hope when the days are darkest. A Roman soldier separated from his legion was easy prey on the battlefield. In the same way, if Christians are separated from one another, or embittered against each other because of unresolved problems, the Enemy will devour us piecemeal. Isolated, we quickly fall; standing together, we cannot be defeated.

Finally, never let the Enemy steal your hope. Keep your faith focused on God and His glory, not on your trials and never on other people. Things will go wrong, people will hate you, sickness and adversity will surround you because we live in a fallen universe where demonic spirits battle God and us. Yet the victory is assured; the Enemy has been defeated- in the sovereign providence of God, he has ALWAYS been defeated. Trust in God, live humbly, obey His Law, and be kind to one another. Since our Adversary deals in lies, immerse yourself in our Advocate’s truth, rest in His forgiveness, and rejoice in your deliverance. Put on your armor, stand together, speak the truth in love, and eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father Almighty.

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