Keith shares a few notes on recognizing the need for spiritual warfare. A
Whether you believe in evil spirits or not, whether you feel qualified to help or not, when confronted by someone affected by evil spirits, the least you can do is recognize the situation for what it is and pray. There may be mistakes made in offering help, but to do nothing will be disastrous for the affected person.
Noticing there’s a problem
It could take on a few forms including:
a disruptive event or person at a camp or a retreat.
Someone who suddenly has an unexplained need for psychological counseling.
Spiritual attacks at church prayer meetings or other services.
A tormented person who comes to you personally for help.
The natural initial reaction might be to take the affected person to someone with more experience for help. For example, a more experienced pastor, teacher, counselor etc. Seeking guidance and experience is always a good thing. But when a person comes directly to you, they are doing it for a reason.
When a person comes to you to seek help from spiritual attack, they may see you as the only person who can help them. And their eyes, to turn them away is an admission that you don’t actually believe in the power of Christ. Some people will die, either spiritually or even physically, if no one is there to free them from the torment that may drive them to kill themselves.
Sometimes a mental illness, depression, illness or suicidal thoughts are just that, a mental or physical ailment. However, sometimes they’re more. Seek medical attention, but don’t discount the need for spiritual warfare.
Where does the spiritual attack come from? How does it start?
Even a well-educated, modern thinking Christian person can find themselves troubled by evil spirits. A common way is through coming into contact with occult practices. Even a passing encounter can open the doorway to being bothered by an evil spirit. Other pathways to introduce evil spirits come at times of abuse, trauma and other outside sources.
The best offense
Pray. Read the Scripture. Pray for guidance and deliverance. Pray for God’s grace. Praying, knowing you have the authority of Jesus Christ, and the power supply to you as a believer by the Holy Spirit. Be assured that that authority and power is real, and don’t be afraid to command an evil spirit to leave and not come back.
Just remember this difference. We pray asking God for wisdom, guidance, and his power. A command is not a prayer. Because of his authority we can command. Without that authority, we may be opening ourselves to the same danger from that evil spirit.
Evil spirits are real
Of course, there is only one God. Lord of lords. King of Kings. However, it doesn’t take much reading of Scripture to see the many times that Jesus confronted and cast out demons. The same is said about the apostles. If demons were not a real threat, there wouldn’t be the need in the Old Testament to repeatedly warn about worshiping the many other lesser gods of foreign lands.
Jesus came to confront sin, sickness, affliction from evil spirits, nature and death itself.
Paul advised people to not be fascinated by angels. I would also add not to be fascinated by devils. Always give God the glory for his grace, forgiveness and salvation.
Be skeptical
These days we often explain away certain diseases such as epilepsy, or psychological episodes by identifying them through medical sciences. While a disease might just be a disease, sometimes it’s not. As described in New Testament accounts, demonic activity expresses itself with these types of medical symptoms.
Where sickness or illness exists, seek medical treatment. But it doesn’t discount the wisdom of prayer for healing, possibly a spiritual healing and deliverance. It would be wise to not see a demon behind every door knob, but consider there might be one doorknob hiding it demons. A healthy Christian outlook on evil in the world is needed.
We need to understand that evil is real and supernatural.
Jesus came for the purpose of overcoming the evil which we mere humans cannot overcome on our own.
Through prayer, we can claim healing and deliverance for ourselves as well as others.
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