Conference yukon::christian_v7

	True spiritual warfare is never individual, rather it is corporate.
The armor in Ephesians 6 is to be worn by the church. It is true that we
can apply those principles in Eph 6 as individuals, however, the battle against 
Satan is won by His Body wearing the corporate armor.

ace

    Perhaps it would be helpful to have a Biblical definition?

    Ace,

    That's an interesting position to take.  My leading and experience is
    exactly the opposite -- that the warfare is conducted by individuals
    or groups of individuals properly gifted and armored and supported by
    prayer, much like white blood cells which attack and defend against
    foreign material in the human body.  It is generally a very private,
    personal matter, usually unsuitable for the involvement of an entire
    congregation, much less the entire Church, which is hardly unified at
    this point in time anyway.  Perhaps it is best exemplified by Jesus'
    own ministry in dealing with Satan and his demons, as well as that of
    those He sent out, to whom He gave authority over demons.

    Of course, dealing with principalities is another matter entirely,
    but even so, I would be curious to know how you arrived at your
    position.

    In His love,

				*** Daryl ***

    Sue,

    Good idea, especially at this point in the topic.

    Perhaps others might have different definitions which touch on
    aspects that may not occur to me as I write this, but speaking from
    the entirety of the Bible, the best way that I can describe spiritual
    warfare in my understanding is this (and please bear with me while I
    recap some common knowledge!  :-):

    Ever since Lucifer entertained the first sinful thought, sin has
    existed.  His pride and disobedience resulted in a battle between two
    factions: Lucifer and his followers, and God and his faithful angels.
    Lucifer lost, and he and his followers were cast out of heaven and
    down to earth, where they presently exist even now.

    When God created Adam and Eve, they were originally without sin.  It
    was through the temptation and lies of Satan that they too disobeyed,
    and through them sin and its consequence, death, entered the world.
    As a result, Satan is now the prince of this world, and all men must
    die in the flesh.

    Jesus successfully resisted Satan for the entirety of His life, then
    willingly laid down His life for us that He might bear all of our
    sins.  This had the effect of undoing Adam and Eve's original sin,
    rendering death powerless through His blood and sealing Satan's doom.

    Today, Satan and his minions stand defeated.  However, they have not
    yet been destroyed; that will occur later, at the end of this age.
    While he knows his end is near, he is working to do as much damage as
    the Lord will let him.  For the unsaved, this involves blinding them
    to the knowledge that they need to and can be saved through Jesus.
    For the saved, this involves doing his level best to make this life a
    living Hell so that we will never realize our full potential in Jesus
    -- that is, abundant, conquering, and victorious life of which Jesus
    and the apostles speak, and which so few of us realize, because he is
    very good at what he does.

    Spiritual warfare, then, is simply the acknowledgment that we are on
    a battlefield.  Every minute of every day, Satan attacks us, via the
    lusts of the flesh, via the enticements of the world, and via the
    spiritual realm itself.  In fact, this mirrors exactly the three
    areas in which he tempted Jesus in His walk in the desert (Matthew
    and Luke chapter 4).  One of Satan's favorite tactics is to blind us
    to this simple fact by desensitizing us to evil, so that we will not
    be aware of his assault.

    Spiritual warfare is thus an existing reality; the question is not
    whether it is real but rather whether we are willing to open our eyes
    to it.  If we open our eyes to it, then we must choose a side, and we
    must do this in each aspect of our lives, one by one.  There is no
    middle ground.  If we choose either not to join in the battle, or if
    we choose not to relinquish a "secret sin" in defiance of the Lord,
    then we stand defeated already -- even if we are saved, Satan has
    rendered us impotent and ineffective in the battle at large.

    The alternative is to put on our spiritual armor, truly desire to
    submit *every* area of our lives to the Lord as He reveals them to
    us, and stand and fight Satan with the Sword of the Spirit, which is
    the Word of God, even if it means that we must suffer and die in the
    flesh.  It empowers us, by the grace of God, to appropriate the
    authority He delegates to His children through Jesus and the Holy
    Spirit, and to challenge Satan on his own ground, claiming the
    victory which Jesus has already won.  By His grace and authority, we
    can recognize and resist Satan's influence in our own lives and teach
    and help others to resist him in their lives, so that they can do
    likewise, and so on.

    It is only if we are willing to do this that we can experience
    abundant life in this world, for there is nothing that Satan can do
    to us that God does not permit, and if we are armored, we will *know*
    the truth of Romans 8:28-39, which renders him powerless.

    Please understand that I haven't in any way mastered this yet!  But
    I'm learning, and to the best of my ability I do continually walk in
    the Spirit more and more of the time, so I know a little about the
    possibilities of abundant life; they are very real.  And having done
    battle with a respectable number of demons, both in my life and in
    the lives of others, I also know a little about the victory which
    Jesus has already purchased for us with His precious blood.

    Does this help?

    In His love,

				*** Daryl ***

    re: .4
    
    Thanks - I've extracted and will read.  But please...
    don't call me Sue ;-)
    
    I know I know...over the tube, we look so much alike...

	Question: What are Satan's burning missiles? (Ephesians 6:16)

	I know three of them, that are the same today as they were
	back in the First Century. But, I am interested in your 
	viewpoint.

	Phil.

.4>


    And having done
    battle with a respectable number of demons, both in my life and in
    the lives of others, I also know a little about the victory which
    Jesus has already purchased for us with His precious blood.

.4>


Daryl,
  Everyone, I believe agrees on the spiritual battle part; it is this
part about battles with demons that has people a little cautious and
curious as to where you would have this note go.
  Can you post more about "demons" and "angels"?  Didn't Billy Graham
have a book on this subject?  Has anyone read it?

Mark

    Sorry, about that, Steve! I checked Sue's ELF entry to see whether she
    was on POWDML but neglected to check yours as well...

    In His humility, :-)

				*** Daryl ***

    Phil,

    In my current understanding, Satan's burning missiles are simply
    those weapons with which he attacks us.  As such, they are probably
    innumerable, in that he tends to choose and tailor weapons for each
    individual, depending on his or her specific weaknesses.  It might be
    possible to categorize the weaknesses, and thus the missiles, but at
    this point I don't know whether it would be useful to do so beyond
    the three areas of flesh, world, and spirit.

    The important point is that the shield of faith, when worn and used
    properly, truly can extinguish them all.  When we have faith, we
    realize that everything that Satan does in our lives is permitted by
    God for the express purpose of bringing us closer to Him and giving
    us a greater revelation of Him, to His glory, through Jesus.

    In His love,

				*** Daryl ***

    Mark,

>  Everyone, I believe agrees on the spiritual battle part; it is this
>part about battles with demons that has people a little cautious and
>curious as to where you would have this note go.

    My intent in clarifying the nature of the battle was for the benefit of
    those readers who might be new to Christianity or curious about it.  I
    expect that everyone who has been a Christian for more than a few days
    has experienced the battle first-hand... (both :-) and :-()

    With respect to caution, I totally agree.  As I think you know, my
    standpoint is and will continue to be based upon the solid and
    unshakeable foundation of Scripture.  Anything which contradicts
    Scripture is to be rejected immediately.  Any experience about which
    Scripture is silent should not necessarily be dismissed but IMHO
    should rather be tested and examined in the light of the Spirit.  I
    do have some things of this nature to relate.

    And regarding battles with demons, what I would like to do is to
    share some of my experiences and perhaps hear from others who have
    had such experiences, so that we can better understand Satan's
    tactics, sin in general, what kinds of things might or might not be
    symptomatic of demonization, and what can be done for those who are
    demonized.  It is important to avoid looking for a demon behind every
    sin or temptation but also to acknowledge that all temptation is in
    fact demonic in origin, beginning with Adam and Eve.  It is also
    important to understand that sin does not necessarily lead to
    demonization but that the possibility is there; if we open the doors
    of our souls wide enough to sin, we can expect that one or more
    demons may take advantage of the invitation and come to make their
    home there, whether we are saved or not.

>  Can you post more about "demons" and "angels"?  Didn't Billy Graham
>have a book on this subject?  Has anyone read it?

    I haven't read Dr.  Graham's book but have read a few others.  Care
    must be taken in the choice of reading material -- not that Dr.
    Graham's book would be cause for concern, but as there are now so
    many books available on the subject of spiritual warfare and/or
    angels and demons, with more being published all the time, some of
    which are New Age, it would be wise to choose books that are both
    Scriptural and balanced and that avoid sensationalism and
    speculation.

    A bit later I'll post my current understanding of angels and demons,
    since you asked. :-)

    In His love,

				*** Daryl ***

    
    >The important point is that the shield of faith, when worn and used
    >properly, truly can extinguish them all. 
    
    Daryl,
    
        I believe as you do that there is more understanding to be gleened
    from these passages that describe the full armour of God. Could you
    describe to some degree the importance of each, and how it can be 
    "worn and used properly"??
    
    thanks,
     Yak

    Mark, it's uncanny that you should post Christian's battle with
    Apollyon at this time...  He (it) also goes by the English name of
    Destroyer and/or Destruction.  He is very, very real; I've
    encountered him in battle, and while all demons are evil, this
    particular one is one of the most purely evil, arrogant, and powerful
    demons that I have yet encountered.  Fortunately, by God's grace, I
    fared somewhat better than Christian and took no damage.

    A bit later, I'll post a list of the names of some of the demons I've
    encountered, but first I want to address Mark's and Dan's questions.

    In His love,

				*** Daryl ***

    In the interest of expediency, regarding angels and demons, I'll post
    the entries for them in the NIV Bible Dictionary (which I happen to
    have on my PC).  If nothing else, it will give us a basis for
    discussion and save me a lot of time in the process! :-) The entry for
    angels follows, and the entry for demons will be in the next note.

				*** Daryl ***

   ANGEL (Gr. ANGELOS, MESSENGER). A supernatural, heavenly being, a little
   higher in dignity than man. Their creation (Ps 148:2-5; Col 1:16) was
   certainly before the creation of man (Job 38:7). They are described as
   "spirits" (Heb 1:14). Their superhuman intelligence and strength is not
   unlimited (Matt 24:36; 1 Peter 1:12; Ps 103:20; 2 Thess 1:7; 2 Peter 2:11). 
   They are distinct from man (1 Cor 6:3; Heb 1:14), and neither marry nor die
   (Luke 20:34-36). A vast multitude (Rev 5:11), they are of various ranks and
   endowments (Col 1:16), but only one-- Michael-- is expressly called an
   archangel in Scripture (Jude 9). Both good and bad angels are highly
   organized (Rom 8:38; Eph 1:21; 3:10; Col 1:16; 2:15). 
       
   Angels were created holy (Gen 1:31; Jude 6), but some fell into sin before
   Satan tempted Eve (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Their fall was due to a deliberate
   rebellion against God which resulted in their loss of holiness. They became
   corrupt and were confirmed in evil. Some are in hell until the Day of
   Judgment (2 Peter 2:4); others are left free to oppose the work of God for a
   time (Matt 25:41). 
       
   Good angels stand in the presence of God and worship him (Matt 18:10; Heb
   1:6; Rev 5:11). They assist, protect, and deliver God's people (Gen 19:11;
   Ps 91:11; Dan 3:28; 6:22; Acts 5:19; Heb 1:14). They guided Philip to go
   into the desert (Acts 8:26) and encouraged Paul in Corinth (27:23-24). 
   Sometimes they interpret God's will to people (Dan 7:16; 10:5, 11; Zech
   1:9, 13-14, 19), and execute God's will toward individuals and nations (Gen
   19:12, 13; 2 Sam 24:16; Ezek 9:2, 5, 7; Acts 12:23). The affairs of nations
   are guided by them (Dan 20). God uses them to punish his enemies (2 Kings
   19:35; Acts 12:23). 
       
   Angels had a large place in the life and ministry of Christ. They appeared
   to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, and ministered to Jesus after the
   temptation (Matt 4:11). An angel strengthened him in the Garden (Luke
   22:43); one rolled away the stone from the tomb (Matt 28:2-7); and they were
   with him at the Ascension (Acts 1:10-11). 
       
   In order to oppose God and to try to defeat his will and frustrate his
   plans, evil angels endeavor to separate believers from God (Rom 8:38) and
   oppose good angels in their work (Dan 10:12-13). They hinder man's temporal
   and eternal welfare by a limited control over natural phenomena (Job
   1:12-13, 19; 2:7), by inflicting disease (Luke 13:11, 16; Acts 10:38; 2 Cor
   12:7), by tempting man to sin (Matt 4:3; John 13:27; 1 Peter 5:8), and by
   spreading false doctrine (1 Kings 22:21-23; 2 Thess 2:2; 1 Tim 4:1). They
   cannot, however, exercise over people any moral power independent of the
   human will, and whatever power they have is limited by the permissive will
   of God. 

   DEMONS (Gr. DAIMONIA). Evil spirits (Matt 8:16; Luke 10:17, 20; cf. Matt
   17:18 and Mark 9:25). The immaterial and incorporeal nature of both Satan
   and his demon hosts is discussed by Paul (Eph 2:2; 6:12) and John (Rev
   16:14). 
       
   As purely spiritual beings or personalities, demons operate above the laws
   of the natural realm and are invisible and incorporeal. However they may be
   glimpsed (2 Kings 2:11; 6:17). John in apocalyptic vision SAW the awful
   last-day eruption of locust-demons from the abyss (Rev 9:1-12), as well as
   the three hideous frog-like spirits that emanate from the satanic trinity
   (the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet) in the Tribulation to muster
   the world's armies to their predestined doom at Armageddon (16:13-16). 
       
   As spirit personalities, demons have an intellectual nature through which
   they possess superhuman knowledge. Scripture features the shrewdness of
   demons. They know Jesus (Mark 1:24), bow to him (5:6), describe him as "the
   Son of the Most High God" (5:7), entreat him (Luke 8:31), obey him (Matt
   8:16), corrupt sound doctrine (1 Tim 4:1-5), conceal the truth of Christ's
   incarnate deity and sole saviorhood (1 John 4:1-3), and comprehend prophecy
   and their inevitable doom (Matt 8:29). Demons are consulted by spiritistic
   mediums, who allow themselves to get under the control of evil spirits for
   oracular purposes (1 Sam 28:1-25; Acts 16:16), as is seen in both ancient
   and modern spiritism, erroneously called "spiritualism." 
       
   In their moral nature all demons (as fallen angels) are evil and depraved,
   in distinction to the good spirits (the unfallen angels), who are sinless. 
   They affect their victims mentally, morally, physically, and spiritually,
   and are frequently described as "unclean" (Matt 10:1; Mark 1:27; Luke 4:36;
   Acts 8:7; Rev 16:13 KJV; NIV renders "evil"). They cause fleshly uncleanness
   and base sensual gratification (Luke 8:27), and gross carnality and sexual
   sin (2 Tim 3:1-9; Rev 9:20-21). 
       
   Demons possess terrible physical strength, imparting it to the human body
   (Luke 8:29) and binding their victims as with chains and with physical
   defects and deformities (13:11-17) such as blindness (Matt 12:22), insanity
   (Luke 8:26-36), dumbness (Matt 9:32-33), and suicidal mania (Mark 9:22). 
       
   Demons are of two classes-- those who are free, with the earth and the air
   as their abode (Eph 2:2; 6:11-12; Col 1:13), and those who are imprisoned in
   the abyss (Luke 8:31; Rev 9:1-11; 20:1-3). The abyss is only the temporary
   prison; their final end will be the "lake of fire" (Matt 25:41), the eternal
   abode of Satan, demons, and unsaved human beings. 

    Daryl,
    
    re: definition of SW
    
    If you would, please do for your definition (.4 was it?) what you did
    for your definition of angels & demons - namely, support each of your
    statements with Scripture.
    
    Not posted as a challenge, but for the purpose of identifying what it
    is you are saying...
    
    Thanks,
    
    Steve

Markem,

    Billy Graham did indeed write a book titled "Angels".  I've read it 
three times and will probably read it again.  It's available at 
Christian bookstores and I even saw a copy in the Salt Lake County 
library, no less.


Sandy

�    Billy Graham did indeed write a book titled "Angels".  

I appreciated his one on the Holy Spirit as well, giving a very level 
introductory persepctive, for a renegade brought up a cessationist ;-)

									'rew

    I am very interested in learning from your experiences with fighting
    spirits and principalities.  It seems lately that God has been bringing
    it to  my attention that this is what my fight is against.  Please help
    me learn from your experiences.
    
    Fran

    Perhaps I missed it, but I just reread all of the previous notes. What
    seems lacking so far is anyone providing Scripture which tells the
    believer how to conduct spiritual warfare. In looking for ammo myself,
    the only references I've been able to find are James 4:7 and 1 Pet.
    5:8-9. Both of these passages tell us that we're "simply" to *resist*
    the devil (as opposed to attempted exorcism, casting out, binding,
    etc.). Are there some important doctrinal passages that I've
    overlooked?
    
    	BD�

Hi Barry,

The places where I believe that demon submission is shown, is by example in
the gospels, rather than by specific doctrinal command.  It is omitted, for
instance from, the list of 'elementary teachings' in Hebrews 6:1-2. Clearly
this is an area which should not be taken lightly, and a first prerequisite
is a very careful walk with the LORD, as per John 16:12-15 ... 24.  I guess 
the second would be a very certain witness from the LORD leading to any 
involvement.

The main examples are in the commisioning and reports of the twelve and the 
72, in Luke 9:1..., 10:17

Matthew 16:19 is sometimes considered to be relevant as well:
  "..whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you 
   loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Then there's always Mark 16:17:
  "These signs will accompany those who believe: In My Name they will ... 
   drive out demons...."

That the early disciples were involved in casting out demons is clear - 
they were even copied, to devastating effect in Acts 19:13-20.

According to John 14:12, "anyone" who has faith in the LORD Jesus can 
expect to do what He has been doing (as well as the "greater things", 
presumably of post-resurrection salvation, and large scale ministry).

A certain level of the miraculous seems to have been the norm - as if faith 
involving spiritual operation was more active close to the presence of the 
Creator on earth.  As His return approaches, I believe that the spiritual 
battle is hotting up again, in accordance with the sense of the parable of 
the wheat and tares growing together, and with the desperation of the 
enemy, as recorded in Revelation 12:12.

The interesting aspect to me is that He has won the battle already - John 
12:31, 1 John 3:8, John 19:30.  The enemy is 'on a leash'.  he can only 
move where his scope is permitted.  he has to ask, before he can affect the 
saints (cf Job 1:12, 2:6, Luke 22:31).  We can be tempted - but we CANNOT 
be FORCED into sin - which is, I believe, a part of 1 Corinthians 10:13, 
but that would be right off topic...

							love
								Andrew

>Clearly
>this is an area which should not be taken lightly, and a first prerequisite
>is a very careful walk with the LORD, as per John 16:12-15 ... 24.  I guess 
>the second would be a very certain witness from the LORD leading to any 
>involvement.

I would like to echo this.  It is not something for MOST of us to dable
with.  Consider the seven sons of sceva who were throughly beaten by
a demon[-possessed man].

While I'm willing to learn about this, should I ever *HAVE* to deal with
it, I realize that MOST of us never will have to deal with an exorcism,
because we will not be called to do so.  It is *extremely* important that
we don't walk in without the direction of God presuming that "I've
got Jesus on my side, read my Bible, prayed a few hours, and am ready
to do battle."  We will be counted the fool if God does not do it, if
God does not get the glory.  And for those who may venture thus
presuming, I pray that the Lord will bring you safely through it, 
though you may learn the lessons of the sons of Sceva (ref. Acts 19:11ff)
without eternal harm.

    Rebecca and I were talking together about nightmares and wondered if
    they could be considered as a form of demonic attack against
    Christians.  Both of us have experienced these and come out of them
    feeling extremely tired (because of lack of GOOD sleep) and shaken. 
    Any thoughts or spiritual guidance?
    
    Thanks,
    Fran and Rebecca

    Please forgive me for not responding for the last few days! I should
    have anticipated that in opening this topic, Satan would not be pleased
    and would turn my heart into a battleground, which he has done, quite
    aside from anything written in here.  Without the Lord as my refuge and
    strength and the provision of His armor, I do not wish to contemplate
    what might have happened.  Even with Him, I am in significant pain,
    though I do now see the Light at the end of the tunnel.  Once again,
    Satan's flaming arrows are being used for God's purposes. He is *so*
    good!

    Lord willing, I hope to be back on track very soon, perhaps with a
    personal testimony to spiritual warfare in my own life.  Please bear
    with me and pray for me as you feel led.

    In His love,

				*** Daryl ***

	re.23

	Fight the battle in the Body. 

	Never engage alone.

	One can be sifted, two with difficulty, three nearly impossible, etc.

ace

Dreams are certainly an area of spiritual communication.  Not 'all' dreams 
are significant, but one is usually aware when they are, because of the 
impact upon the spirit.  

Remember how anxious Nebuchadnezzar was to get the correct interpretation
for his dream about the statue?  He *knew* it was important, so he said
'It's not enough for you to just think up some nice placatory story to line
your pockets.  I want proof.  First you've got to validate your insight by
telling ME what my dream was...  Or I'll zap you all as frauds." 
 
That whole deal is so exciting - God majestically overcoming His enemies in 
their own land, where His own people were exiled for apostacy...

Sorry - wandering off topic.  But there's some dreams from the LORD 
recorded (Joseph, the butler, the baker and Pharaoh; Joseph who adopted 
Jesus had plenty around His birth).  These were significant times, but 
we're also told that they occur 'afterwards', in Joel 2:28.

But dreams are a 'tool', which either side *can* use.  I have heard both.  
And the one that left me in a sweat had a tone that I learned to recognise 
as alien.  Not my Father.  Not to be feared.  To be covered against by the 
Blood.

But this is an area that you should be protected in.  Psalm 127:2 says 
"...He grants sleep to those He loves"  Not saying He doesn't love you - 
but that we have to reach out to take it sometimes (here, I'm sitting 
typing at 12:23 a.m.... not giving Him the opportunity just now ;-).

But sometimws I've found sleep *very* difficult, and pleaded that one - 
seemed in vain, for days, before I've got to the right place.  And I *KNOW* 
He loves me, all along.

But you can certainly ask for the covering of the Blood against an incubus.
I'll pray for you too.  Any special times? - It could be after, say, being
open to a wrong influence (some film or television program, a personal
contact or task, etc that *seems* innocent enough generally).  You need to
check around all the circumstances, because plugging one outlet isn't going
to help long term if the enemy's gained an unknown access... 

Laying on of hands can give a spiritual healing, but similarly in that, all 
the root causes have to be explored and cleaned out first, so that the one 
ministering doesn't incur sin by effectively overlooking them and sealing 
them in...  (1 Timothy 5:22).

						God bless
								Andrew

    As a warrior who seems to be called to serve on or near the front
    lines of the battlefield, it is imperative that I suit up every
    morning.  It is almost always my very first waking thought, which is
    good, because if I went out onto the battlefield unarmed and
    unarmored, I would be very likely torn apart; Satan and his minions
    are totally without mercy and greatly enjoy slow, agonizing torture.
    I don't know when in my Christian life all this first occurred to me;
    it seems to have always been with me.  In all likelihood, it was
    immediately impressed upon me after reading Ephesians 6 for the first
    time.

    Also as a warrior, it is absolutely crucial to have an understanding
    of the function of each component of spiritual armor/armament.  Each
    is probably worth at least a lengthy response by itself, but for now,
    I offer a quick summary of the understanding which has been given to
    me, an understanding which, I might add, only deepens with time and
    use, just as any warrior becomes more and more familiar with his (or
    her) gear with time and use.


    The Belt of Truth: The belt is worn at the very center of the person
    and serves to bind all of the other components together.  The Truth
    is Jesus Himself, Who is also the Way and the Life.  With Him at our
    center, our Way and Life are assured, as is our ultimate victory,
    because He has already won.  Without Him at our center, everything
    else false apart. We must believe upon Him and His Words.

    The Breastplate of Righteousness: The breastplate represents the
    righteousness of Jesus -- not our own righteousness, but His, for we
    have none apart from Him.  Only He is worthy before God, and only in
    His Name can we approach God.  The breastplate guards our vital
    organs, the most important of which is our heart, which we are told
    is deceitful above all things, yet it is also the wellspring of life.
    We are told to guard it, and only the righteousness of Jesus can do
    so adequately.  We must shed our filthy rags and clothe ourselves with
    His righteousness.

    The Feet Fitted with the Readiness that Comes from the Gospel of
    Peace: There is much here...  True peace comes only through the
    Gospel, that is, through knowledge of what Jesus has done for each of
    us personally, by knowledge of why He had to do it (our complete
    sinfulness), why He chose to do it (John 3:16), and by our reception
    of Him as our personal Savior.  When this has been accomplished, He
    will begin to prepare us to do the good works which He prepared in
    advance for us to do.  This may require us to simply stand and resist
    Satan, to flee him, or to travel as the Spirit leads to do good works
    of faith, as He leads.  In all of these cases, we must always be ready,
    with our footgear in place, secure in the peace of the Gospel.

    The Shield of Faith: Above all else, our faith shields us from
    Satan's attacks.  Rest assured that, if you are a Christian, Satan
    *will* attack, and only our faith in God is capable of extinguishing
    all of his flaming arrows.  Without faith it is impossible to please
    God, and everything that is not done by faith is sinful.  The shield
    is in reality a state of mind; Paul demonstrated its use when he
    related that he had discovered how to be content in all
    circumstances.  Jacob's son Joseph also demonstrated it in his
    attitude throughout his slavery and imprisonment.  We are even told
    to walk by faith and not by sight, denying our own senses but
    trusting God.  This requires a very close walk with Him, but with
    such faith, it is even possible to walk on water.

    The Helmet of Salvation: The helmet, of course, guards the head, in
    which the mind resides.  The majority of spiritual battles are done
    in the mind; it is there that Satan builds his strongholds through
    which he actively blinds this generation, Christians and
    non-Christians alike.  For the former, he blinds us to areas of sin
    in our lives, but they are revealed by the Holy Spirit in His time;
    for the latter, they may see only if they accept their own inherent
    sinfulness.  All dysfunction has its roots in the mind, for our
    beliefs and convictions are formed and reside there.  With the helmet
    of salvation in place, we can *know* the truth of our salvation, that
    no power in all the universe can separate us from the love of God,
    which is ours in Jesus.

    The Sword of the Spirit: Scripture often refers to the Word of God as
    a two-edged sword; indeed, this is the only weapon we have against
    Satan, and it is the only one we need.  Jesus used it when Satan
    tempted Him in the desert, and Satan left.  Several verses in
    Proverbs tell us to write the Word of God on our very hearts, so that
    He might become part of us.  The Bible is the written Word of God,
    and to the extent that we diligently study it, embrace it, believe
    it, meditate upon it, claim its promises, and make it a part of us,
    we will be doing just that; this is the sharpening of our Sword.  As
    Michael Card said in one of his songs, "on this battlefield there are
    no rusty swords." In other words, if my sword is rusty, Satan will cut
    me down very quickly.

    Prayer in the Spirit: The final "component" of spiritual armor is not
    so much a component as it is a medium of communications.  We are told
    to pray in the Spirit on all occasions and with all kinds of prayers,
    without ceasing.  The more we pray, the more attuned to the Lord we
    will become, and the more sensitive to His commands.  But when we pray,
    we must be willing to listen for His response; we must not close our
    ears for fear that His response might be painful to us! Prayer in the
    Spirit is guaranteed to be heard, and there are certain conditions
    under which we can render ourselves unable to pray in the Spirit, so
    care is needed to maintain a godly life and a clear conscience.  In
    many cases, it is through prayer that the Sword of the Spirit is most
    effectively wielded; for example, some demons only come out through
    prayer (and perhaps fasting).

    This is going over 100 lines, so I'll end this now.  Let me know if
    there are any questions!

    In His love,

				*** Daryl ***

    Daryl,
    
    THANKS so much for entering your note.  I'm anxious to hear more.  I
    was so happy to see your note.
    
    Smiles,
    Fran

    
    Daryl,
    
    WOW! What a powerful message. I too am awaiting more on demons 
    and sound advice on protecting ourselves from the "roaring lion"
    who prowls "looking for someone to devour". (1 Peter 5:8)
    
    In Christ,
    
    Rowena

    Hi Daryl,  
    
    Did the other Daryl contact you re this subject?  I suggested you to
    him.  
    
    Peace!
    
    

    Although I am like a child in the kingdom of God, I cannot relate
    scriptures yet, but if you are interested in this information read on.
    
    For two books that will help you in Spiritual Warfare;
    
    	HE CAME TO FREE HIS CAPTIVES FREE - Dr. Rebbeca Brown
    
    	PIGS IN THE PARLOUR - forget the authors name at the moment.
    
    Dr. Brown's book is great, and includes scripture. She has written two
    other books which I have not gotten yet because they sell out.
    
    	The PITP book talks about alot of things and includes some
    scripture. There is a section on skitphrenia (spelling!). My next entry
    will relate some of my own warfare thus far that may prove to be
    helpful.
    
    Donald

    	In my own personal dealings with spiritual warfare, most of it has
    taken on the form of dreams. Dreams are perhaps our spirtitual
    "excercions" that we do at night. I do not know if that is true but
    that is what I believe in. The week after I accepted Jesus and God into
    my heart, I had a dream in which the devil approched me outside of a
    dark building. He was in human form and had no signs of the horns and
    stuff. He asked me matter-of-factly if I would come back, and I told
    him "No" In several other dreams I have been attacked by him and one of
    his deamons, and both times I commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ
    to depart. Both times it worked, althougth the second time it took a
    longer time. We should not kid ourselves that he, or it, will disappear
    at the first utterence of the name of Jesus. Remember that the devil
    himself knows the bible just as well if not better than any Christian.
    He will try to use it against you. I prayed for for my younger brother
    who is into the occult and other sexual practices. I did this one night
    on the way home from work and the following morning I woke up with a
    great deal of pain in my left wraist which increased to unbelieveable
    levels by the end of the day. In the weeks that followed, two pieces of
    information where given to me. My paster told me that based on that
    information, it would seem to him that I had gotten the pain because of
    my prayer. That is not to say I should not have prayed for my brother
    but rather because of it, the forces of evil struck back at me. The
    second bit of information just came to me out of the blue, which I
    believe was told to me by God. "Stephen (my brother) is protected by a
    very powerful deamon."
    
    	Now going back to several other notes here;
    
    	From information given to me by several sources (my paster, my
    in-laws, a brother in Christ who is gifted, and the books I mentioned
    in the last note)
    
    	Dreams are a area that the devil can strike at you. The best thing
    for that is to pray (or include in your prayers) before going to bed to
    Jesus and ask him to protect you while you sleep. If your spirit is
    strong and you truely have the spirit of God and Jesus in you heart,
    you will encounter the enemy, but you will need to fight them off as I
    have done. Perhaps that will give you better sleep and dreams, it has
    worked for me.
    
    Donald
    

    And other hand if you don't remember your dreams.....????
    
    Let's be careful what we suppose *is* Satan's medium.  While I believe
    that Satan can attack us in our dreams, I wouldn't go as so far as to
    say BEWARE children of God for whether you know it or not the devil is
    playing havoc in your dreams... Satan uses an individuals weak 
    points regardless of where they are and you don't have to be asleep
    to be provoked by Satan.
    
    ECKankar is a religion where worship is in the dream life.  They believe
    the key to all spirituality is in dreams.  You are given your gifts by
    teachers [who have had many past lives] that instruct you in your
    purpose in this life via dreams.  They also believe in spirit travel,
    or out of body expeiences, where when you sleep, your spirit can travel 
    into other places.
    
    Now, I don't want to be naive by saying dreams are not spiritual, 
    but what I do want to say is that dreams are not the *key* to
    spirituality or spiritual warfare, your FAITH in CHRIST is the
    key to your Spirituality and the Bible says, "Hide the Word in 
    your heart that you might not sin against God." 
    
    Nancy
    
    
    
    

    Grace,

    Which Daryl is that? I think there are three of us now, which if true
    is more than I've seen together in one place in my entire life. :-)

    To answer your question: No.

    In Christ,

				*** Daryl ***

    Donald,

    I too have had occasions where spiritual warfare occurred in my
    dreams, both on my own behalf as well as that of others.  It is an
    almost indescribable thing to wake up immediately after such an
    encounter filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  But most of the
    warfare in which I've been called to be engaged has occurred during
    my waking hours (though I have had to pull more than one all-nighter
    at the Spirit's leading during an intense ministry session, when to
    take time out to sleep would have left doors open for Satan to
    attack).

    Dreams, like so many aspects of the human mind, are not well
    understood, but God does make use of them, and it is reasonable to
    conjecture that Satan can as well, within the limits God imposes.
    While I hesitate to say that they are our nocturnal spiritual
    excursions, it is clear that they do have a spiritual component.
    Personally, I have found Psalm 91 to be very helpful to my daughter
    and to other children at bedtime, not to mention myself.  :-)

    One thing regarding spiritual warfare in general: it requires
    experience and sometimes direct discernment from the Lord to tell the
    difference between a person who is suffering from demonic affliction
    and one who is suffering from a psychological disorder (such as
    schizophrenia, for example) or a medical disorder.  While I believe
    that all illnesses and disorders are indirectly demonic since the
    Fall (through the flesh, as opposed to the spirit), only some are
    directly so (vice versa).  Discernment is needed so that the
    diagnosis and treatment may be correct -- is deliverance needed, or
    just healing?  And sometimes, both are needed.

    I would encourage you to continue learning, and not just about
    spiritual warfare, but most importantly about Christ as He reveals
    Himself to you in the pages of the Bible.  In this way, you may grow
    in the understanding of what it means to be His disciple, which may
    be perhaps the most important area for you at this time.  I believe
    that He has given you a calling, and in His perfect time, He will
    reveal it to you.  Later still, after He has trained you, He will
    then call for you to be set apart for His service.

    Above all, I would encourage you to strive to discern His voice and
    to be obedient to Him always, and to read 1 John 4 at this time and
    take it to heart.  Though defeated, Satan is still extremely powerful
    and deceptive, and he will do all that he can to injure you and lead
    you astray.  Trust in the Lord, though, and always remember Romans
    8:28 and Philippians 4:6-7. I do hope this helps!

    In Christ's love,

				*** Daryl ***

    RE: .35
    
    	Thank you Daryl;
    
    	Sorry if I ment to imply that dreams are an absolute mediem of our
    spiritual self, I believe that they play a part. From all that I've
    been told and from one vision I was given during a very intense
    prayer, deamons are always around us, and thus will as you said, try to
    gain entry through any "doors" that they find open. Dreams are on way.
    Sins that we commit can cause others. I think gaining strength in the
    spirit will help resist attacks from the enemy.
    
    Donald

    Donald and Daryl,
    
    Thanks for entering the notes about dreams.  Until someone experiences
    these type of dreams, it may be hard to imagine that Satan can work in
    this way.  However, if you can imagine the type of fear and anxiety these 
    dreams instill, you will know from whom they come.  I appreciate the
    wisdom you give from experience.
    
    Regards,
    Fran
    

    The following is from Catherine Marshall's book, Something More, In
    Search of a Deeper Faith, written in 1974. It's an excellent book,
    covering everything from praise in all things, to the sins of the
    fathers, to forgiveness, obedience, dreams, spiritual warfare, God's
    supply, the Holy Spirit, etc. 
    
    I'm entering here a list she drew up to help identify Satan and 
    "to help us know what God wants for us against Satan's aims."
    
    Rebecca
    
    
    
             Satan                                Jesus
    
    Seeks to do his own will.           Always obeys the Father's will.
    
    Aims to bind and blind men.         Yearns to free men and open our
                                        eyes to see.
    
    Lies interminably.                  Is the Truth.
    
    Takes himself very seriously,       Often uses the light touch.
    cannot bear taunting or levity.
    
    Wants us to live in darkness and    Wants us to live in the light.
    hide portions of our life from
    others.
    
    Wants us to doubt and disbelieve    Longs for us to have faith that
    God's word.                         He always keeps His word.
    
    Works to make us ignore, dis-       Steadily assures us that the 
    believe, or choose for ourselves    the Scripture is the Word of God.
    what to believe in the Scripture.
    
    Pushes us to disobey God.           Says, "If you love Me, you will
                                        obey my commandments."
    
    Urges us to use God for selfish     Longs for us to be used by God to
    purposes.                           help others.
    
    Tells us, "My body belongs to       Tells us, "The body is the temple
    me."                                of the Holy Spirit."
    
    Wants sickness and disease.         Wants wholeness of body, mind, and
                                        spirit.
    
    Spares no effort to bring us        Wants our joy.
    sorrow and grief.
    
    Desires our death.                  Eagerly bestows life stretching on
                                        into eternity.
    
    Condemns and accuses us.            Assures us, "I came not to judge
                                        the world, but to save the world."
    
    Pushes us toward self-contempt.     Assures us that each man is of
                                        infinite worth to Him.
    
    Fosters discontent and              Urges contentment and praise in
    grumbling.                          all situations.
    
    Urges us to think that we can       Desires that we depend on Him
    get virtue in one big slug for      minute by minute for what we need
    life.                               and claim our "daily bread."
    
    Urges us to concentrate on the      Tells us to look at the beam in
    sins of others.                     our own eye and remove that first.
    
    Wants us to hang onto               Tells us to forgive others in the
    resentment and bitterness.          same way God forgives us.
    
    Urges us to have our fun now,       Influences us to pay now in time
    try to forget about paying for      or effort, then fun later is
    it.                                 assured.
    
    Attempts to get us to hide our      Wishes us to run to Him, bring our
    sins and make excuses for them,     sins into the light and have them
    thus encouraging their              forgiven, cleansed, and forgotten.
    festering within.
    
    Labors to have us believe that      Assures us that temptations rightly
    temptation is sin.                  handled strengthen us.
    
    Wants us, when we fail, to          Encourages us in failure to ask
    wallow in discouragement or         forgiveness, accept it, rise, and
    despair.                            go on.
    
    Aims for us always to wear a        Plants in us the desire to be true
    mask and act a part; be all         to ourselves; to let others know
    things to all people.               where we stand.
    
    Wants our faith always to be        Wants us to cultivate a present
    for the future.                     moment faith.
    
    Seeks steady procrastination.       Teaches us that "Now is the
                                        moment of salvation."
    
    Strives to have us preoccupied      Is concerned with what we do in
    with "what ifs?" (what might        the present; wants us to offer up
    happen); to be hagridden by         the present moment to God.
    the future.
    
    Urges us toward a false, lofty      Wants us to live out daily
    superspirituality.                  "Without Me ye can do nothing."
    
    Delights in a "moderate"            Wants the total man - "Thou
    religion with no extremes.          shalt love the Lord thy God with
                                        all thy heart and with all thy
                                        soul and with all thy mind."
    
    Works for churches to be            Leads us toward unity amid
    divided into "clubs" or factions    diversity of gifts of the Spirit
    with "party spirit."                amongst the people in the Church.
    
    Wants us to see all morality as     Insists that He is the Way, the
    relative, no final truth or         Truth and the Life; God's laws are
    falsehood.                          are absolute.
    
    Labors to destroy all law, God's    Fulfills the law and the prophets
    and man's.                          and adds righteousness to it.
    
    Labors for war.                     Desires peace, the fruit of
                                        righteousness.
    
    

	Thank you, Rebecca, for entering that!

	Karen

    Here's an excellent book on spiritual warfare, which I've found to be
    both scriptural and practical:
    
    	George Mallone: "Arming for Spiritual Warfare".
    	published in the UK by Eagle/IPS 1991 and by a different publisher
    	in the USA.
    
    On the subject of dreams, there is a new book on this which seems to be 
    good:
    	Russ Parker: "Healing Dreams". Published in the UK 1993.
    
    Russ Parker is an Anglican pastor who works in the Acorn Healing Trust,
    an independent organisation that seeks to equip people in healing etc
    through the work of the Holy Spirit.  The basis of the book is that God
    uses dreams to speak to us, whether we are Christian or not; it talks
    of how to open ourselves to this communication, and how to interpret
    it.  It also sees dreams as part of the tools God uses to help up grow
    into the likeness of Christ, deeveloping an understanding of ourselves
    and of how we need to grow.
    
    My own two-penny-worth:
    We're open to dreams from the enemy as well as from God.  We need to
    pray for protection in this respect, and to ask God to allow us only
    the dreams that we need from him.  And then we need to pray for
    ourselves or a friend to have gift of interpretation.  Last thing to do
    is to keep a pen and paper by the bed - if you don't write 'em down
    straight away, you lose 'em!
    
    God bless,			Richard