Isaiah 61:3 Ministry
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isa 61:3 KJV)
What is Spiritual Warfare?
I didn't find any one set of guidelines to answer the question: What is spiritual warfare? I imagine that most people have heard of exorcism, and many have also heard of deliverance. But I discovered that the arena of what is termed spiritual warfare goes beyond either exorcism or deliverance. From my perspective, it covers not only casting out of devils, but also resisting the devil and he will flee from you. It also includes knowing our rights and/or authority as believers in Jesus Christ. It may also involve the Holy Spirit giving us an unction to pray for someone else.
It also involves not giving the devil a place to re-enter our lives once we've discovered his presence and sent him packing, or perhaps throwing him out again a 2nd or 3rd time, or however many times it takes. It also involves allowing God's love and mercy in to heal us and guide us, and help us develop new habits; and then passing that gift on to others as we feel lead to do that. It can also be the simple, yet sometimes very difficult act of moving forward with something God has put on your heart to do, when your fears are screaming something else at you. It is walking by faith, and not by sight.
There is a lot of information available on the topic, both in books and on the internet. I'll combine information from both sources. As I mentioned in the Introduction, (to the e-booklet, see the download page) there is a lot of information I haven't included, because I want to keep it mostly relevant for use with EFT tapping.
Not a physical war
First, from a book titled: Spiritual Warfare by Joseph Prince:
“Spiritual warfare is a vital part of our walk with God. There is a war going on around us that is invisible. You can't see it in the physical. But it is real. Once you are born, you automatically have an arch-enemy dedicated to your destruction. His name is Satan. He is the enemy of every man, woman and child. Whether you are a Christian or not, he hates you because when God made you, He made you in His own image.He can't get God because God is too powerful for him, so he goes after God's image – you and I. But the difference is this: When there is an attack from the devil, if you are a Christian, God's Word tells you how to stand victorious in the victory that you have in Christ. On the other hand, if you are not a believer, then you are under the devil's dominion and he can pick your number any time.” [i]
From my own experience and research, I believe that the devil's lies are very much tied into trying to influence one's emotional state, and / or that a negative emotional state is, to a greater or lesser degree, what gives the devil / evil spirit 'grounds' or a 'legal right' to stick around. The negative emotions are frequently tied to one or more beliefs based on a lie. Reducing that negative feeling makes it easier to discover the lie and replace it with a new belief. Or, as stated in the New Testament:
Romans 12:2 (KJV):
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Here is an interesting excerpt from C.S. Lewis, from his book Mere Christianity:
One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe - a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin. The difference is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong. Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel.
Enemy occupied territory - that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going. He does it by playing to our conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery. I know someone will ask me, 'Do you really mean, at this time of day, to re-introduce our old friend the devil, hoofs and horns and all?' Well, what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. But in other respects my answer is 'Yes, I do.' I do not claim to know anything about his personal appearance. If anybody really wants to know him better I would say to that person, 'Don't worry. If you really want to, you will. Whether you'll like it when you do, is another question.' [ii]
Invisible Enemy
What it boils down to is that, for most of us, the devil and other demonic entities are invisible. The battleground is in our mind and emotions, which can also affect us physically. I recently wrote a blog article about a psychologist that has discovered that many times our negative thoughts are given to us by demonic entities and that they then feed off of the negative emotions that are generated by those thoughts. It can be challenging to learn new ways of thinking, but it can be done and using EFT tapping as a tool can make it easier.[i] Prince, Joseph Spiritual Warfare © 2005 by Joseph Prince, Published by 22 Media Pte. Ltd. Singapore, pg. 7-8.
[ii] Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity, Copyright renewed © 1980 C.S. Lewis Pte. Ltd., HarperCollins Edition 2001, pg.45-46.
If you'd like some coaching or have any comments or questions please see my contact information below.
copyright © 2024 by Cia M. Watson
Contact.
You can send a message through my contact form or find other contact information on the image below.
