Have you ever wondered what to do if you experienced a demonic attack? You know, many people are curious about how to deal with demonic attacks and voices. And while there are many different tactics to deal with the enemy, I found that there are five steps that work very well in getting complete freedom from the attacks that we receive.
Being attacked by the enemy or demonic forces. Unfortunate is a very normal thing, and they can have varying levels of intensity. But whatever the case, I have found these steps to be very effective.
And these not only work for Christians under attack, they can also work for people who are unbelievers. and the reason why these five steps are so important, is because many individuals right now are being oppressed from spiritual forces. You see, being free from spiritual bondage is a very beautiful thing.
So let's go through the steps on what you should do. Should you be attacked spiritually? Step number one identify the lie.
Genesis chapter three, verses 2 to 4. And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden. God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.
Then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. In this passage, the serpent who is the devil, lies to Eve and tells her that she won't surely die if she eats the fruit. And then she goes and eats the fruit.
And here we see the fall of humanity. So whether or not Eve realized it. What happened here was her getting a spiritual attack from the enemy.
And the attack came in the form of a lie. Now look at John chapter eight, verses 31 to 32. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
in this passage, Jesus was talking to a Jewish audience, and he told them that if they abide or cling to His Word, then they are really his disciples, and that those people would know what's true and that this truth would lead to freedom. and what I want you to pay attention to in this passage, is the fact that truth brings freedom, which implies the reverse, that lies bring bondage. so, if you get attacked, the enemy will try to confuse and mislead you through lies.
And when this happens, you need to identify the lie. And it may take time to try to figure out the lie that the enemy has told you. So don't rush the process, because some lies can be recent while others can be hidden or deeply rooted in our past.
I love the quote. The strongholds in our lives are the lies we believe. So please know what the enemy will do when they attack you.
And they'll normally start by giving you a lie, and then they'll try to get you to believe the lie. And then this lie will act as a stronghold in your life. Think of it like a tree.
On a tree. You have a fruit, a branch, a trunk and a root. And I would say that the root is a stronghold.
So using this illustration let's look at someone being in bondage from porn. Watching pornography is actually a fruit in this case. The reason why someone would want to watch this is maybe because they feel alone and unloved, and this would be the branch and the trunk.
and the root, or the stronghold, or the deep lie that this person believes is I am unloved, so I need to go to a counterfeit version of what love is. and this is just an example. And I'm not saying that if someone struggles with porn, they're demon possessed.
I'm just saying that this person has a spiritual stronghold in their life, and there's a difference. Another example is regularly yelling at people, and this would be the fruit. And the reason why someone would regularly yell is because of anger, which would be the branch and trunk.
And the root can be unforgiveness. And the lie that is believed could be it's okay to be bitter and harbor unforgiveness. So please understand that the lies we believe in are the roots and strongholds that the enemy uses and takes advantage of.
And this is the enemy's greatest tactic, because the Bible says that Satan is the father of lies. So identifying these lies is very important. So how can you do this?
Ask yourself, why do I do this sin or action all the time and where is it coming from? What's the root? Again, take your time because depending on the depth of where the lie took root, it may take a while.
And when you do this, always pray first and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the root problem. and I would greatly advise you to get someone that you trust who loves God and is strong in prayer to pray with you through this process. Step number two repent from the lie.
Psalm chapter 51, verses 7 to 12. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
This is a prayer that King David said after he was overcome with lust and slept with Bathsheba and killed her husband, Uriah. and he prays that God would create in him a clean heart. And he asks God to restore him.
So notice the change that went on with King David. He lusted and gave in to his desires, but then he repented and turned to God. So you see, repentance to God is one of the most powerful tools that we have against the enemy.
The enemy will try to condemn us after we sin, but the truth is that true repentance makes us pure. And this is a truth that we have to come to regardless of our past and how terrible we think it is. we see David had just committed adultery and murder, and now he's asking to be white as snow.
And he is asking that God would make him clean and to renew his spirit. So after you identify the stronghold or the lie that you believe, name the lie and sincerely repent from it. In David's case, the lie was it's okay to be selfish and lustful and take what I want.
Step number three stand against the lie. Ephesians chapter six, verses 10 to 12. finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. In this passage, Paul tells the Ephesian church to be strong in God and to be in his strength so that they can stand and fight against the devil and other spiritual forces of darkness.
So look at the command, be strong in the Lord, and how the reason why he says this is so that they can stand against the devil. So after you repent from the lie, you don't just run away and hope the lie doesn't show up again. What you need to do is to take an aggressive stance against it.
and shortly after these verses, Paul even lists the armor of God so that believers realize that God has given them the strength to fight and take down the enemy. you see there needs to be confidence in knowing that you can be equipped properly for engaging in spiritual warfare. Look at James chapter four, verses 7 to 8.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Drw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts. You double minded. In this passage, James tells believers to bow in submission to God and to withstand, oppose, and resist the devil, and that by doing so, he'll flee from you.
and then James tells them to draw near to God, and that he'll draw near to them. So part of resisting and fighting against the devil is not only taking an aggressive stance and knowing that we have access to God's strength, it's also leaning in on the reality of the closeness of God and then actually drawing near to him in that moment. because the enemy will try to tell you that God is not close.
But that's a lie. God is always close, and we need to realize this when we're being attacked. and the perfect example of taking an aggressive stance against the devil.
is when Jesus rebukes Peter. In Matthew chapter 16, verses 22 to 23, Jesus has to rebuke Peter for trying to correct Jesus from the truth of his life. Mission.
you see, Jesus just got done telling his disciples that he needs to be killed and rise again. But Peter took Jesus aside and tried to rebuke and correct him and said, no, Jesus, that's wrong. And that'll never happen to you.
And look at Jesus's response in Matthew 1623. But Jesus turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan, you are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. And what Jesus says here is key for us when we fight against demonic forces.
You see, Peter at this moment was trying to prevent Jesus from his progress in accomplishing what God is calling him to do. and that's why demons attack us, to hinder and prevent God's work in us. So, like Jesus, we need to take a stand aggressively when we're being distracted or lied to.
So how do you make a stand against the enemy like Jesus? We need to be aggressive and then we need to rebuke them by the name of Jesus. my recommendation directly quote Jesus here and either say out loud or in your head, get behind me.
In Jesus's name. You are a hindrance to me, and you're getting in the way of what God wants from me. Another way to rebuke the enemy is to do what did when he was tempted in the wilderness.
And in Matthew chapter four, Jesus responded to each of Satan's temptations in lies with Scripture. So for you you can either quote Scripture from memory, or you can read a passage in the Bible that speaks of what's true and will speak against the lie that you're hearing. And let me remind you that this is done with confidence in God, and not necessarily the volume of your voice.
The louder you shout doesn't really make a difference. The point is that it's done with the confidence that comes from the authority that God has given you. Remember Romans 831 If God is for us, who can be against us?
Step number four. Replace the lie with truth. Matthew, chapter 12, verse 43 to 45.
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I came, and when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself.
And they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.
and this passage. Jesus is talking to the scribes and Pharisees, and he tells them about unclean spirits or demons. And he says that when an unclean spirit leaves a person, that they can come back to their house, and in this case, their house would be a person.
and when the spirit returns again, he'll bring even more evil spirits with him, and the person will be even worse. Now, this isn't meant to scare you, but it's meant to show you the importance of being defensive even after you're free from something, because the enemy will come back. And when they do, they'll try to rob us of our freedom, our joy, and we'll even lie or bring up the past in order to gain back the ground that they once had.
Deliverance is an amazing and joyous thing, but we have to fight back with truth because the enemy will return. So remember how demons were filling the house before? Well, once they leave the furniture, if you will, needs to be replaced.
People can't just be free and leave things empty. There needs to be new things that are added so that there's no room for the enemy to come back. So what do you add?
The lies opposite. Look at Galatians chapter five, verse 16 to 17. But I say, walk in the spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
For the desires of the flesh are against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh. For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. In this passage, Paul commands the church of Galatia to walk in the spirit, and then he talks about how the flesh and the spirit are opposed to each other, and how our flesh can make us, as Christians, do things that we don't want to do.
And later in this passage Paul lists the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit. So if you're fighting hate, replace it with love, depression. Replace it with joy, anxiety.
Replace it with peace. Quick temper. Replace it with patience, selfishness.
Replace with kindness. Evil thoughts. Replace them with good thoughts.
Fear. Replace it with faith. Harshness.
Replace it with gentleness. Fleshly desires replace them with self-control. Shame.
Replace it with honor. However, it's not enough to just identify the lies opposite. So pay attention to step number five.
Walk in truth. Psalm chapter 86, verses 11 to 13. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God. with my whole heart.
And I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me. You have delivered my soul from the depths of shale.
in this passage, David is asking God to teach him so that he can walk in truth, and he gives his whole heart to God and is confident in God's deliverance of his soul. You see, the truth of God is stronger than any lie or attack of the enemy. So moving forward, we must now walk in the truth that God has revealed to us and have confidence, like David, that God is steadfast in his love for us.
Because the more we walk in truth, the more territory we have over the enemy. So if you want more truth in your life, there's a couple of things you can do. I'd recommend that you start reading your Bible daily and learning to study it in more depth.
And we have videos on how to do that. If you need help. but what I really want you to understand, though, is that the reason why this is so important is because Jesus even says that God's Word is truth.
So by reading the Bible, we are literally being filled with truth itself. Another thing you can do is start being more committed to going to church and being surrounded by God's people. And I don't mean you just going to a Bible study.
I mean, you actually make it a point to truly connect with other people that truly love God. And the reason why I say this is because we walk in truth better if we have people around us that have and demonstrate the fruits of the spirit. You see, there's an importance to be accountable to each other.
because this is a spiritual war that has many battles. And no one goes into a real battle alone and unarmed. So if you are fighting a spiritual battle, it's time to fight back.
And the way we do that is by being filled with God's Word and by being surrounded by people who also walk in those truths. Okay, so what do you do if you face a demonic attack or thought? You identify the lie.
You repent from the lie. You rebuke the lie. You replace the lie with a truth, and then you walk in that truth.
On a final note, look at Galatians chapter five, verse one. For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
in this passage, it tells us what Christ did for us, and he set us free. You see, God desires our freedom. So know that you have everything you need to make a stand against the enemy's lies.
So don't just be burdened by sin anymore. Instead, make a stand for truth and know that the cross of Jesus is the defeat of the enemy. And remember that you have access to freedom and deliverance today because Jesus loves you.
