Overcoming Spiritual Attacks Intro: Have you ever had a time in your life when suddenly everything seems to be going wrong? Chances are you’re probably in the middle of a spiritual attack. Join me for todays podcast where will talk about these type of attacks. Hello and welcome to the Folly’s End podcast. I’m Jessi Markee and today we’re going to be talking about spiritual attacks. Let’s start with the basics. A spiritual attack is normally a series of events that come to make trouble in your life. I say a series of events because the odd bad thing happening is probably just life or our own stupidity. Your car suddenly getting flat tyre is just life probably. Or suddenly running out of petrol is just my own stupidity for ignoring the petrol light. On the flipside of that having a series of events is likely to be an attack. For example, having someone accuse you of something or threaten you, at the same time as having an illness suddenly hit your body or things suddenly breaking etc. well that could be a spiritual attack. Taking a moment to step back and ask “is this just life or is something coming against me” is time well spent. Someone once said to me that they didn’t think Satan was that bothered about them anyway. That’s not what the bible says: John 10 v 10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy. But I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. 1 Peter 5:8 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Jesus talked a lot about the evil one. Don’t be deceived into thinking that you don’t matter because you do. Attacks come to get the word of God out of our lives. Mark 4 v 17 says that tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake. Often attacks come when you’re about to do something new. So a new business, project or outreach, or maybe you felt like God was telling to work with someone and then all of a sudden all hell breaks loose! Sometimes I’ve heard people ask if it’s God telling them not to do something or if it really is the enemy trying to get them off course. Its not a stupid question but I don’t believe God makes trouble for us to get our attention because it’s not biblical. In Matthew 7 v 7 Jesus says: “what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” James 1 v 4 “Every good and perfect gift is from above” Psalm 18:19 19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. Zephaniah 3:17 17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” There are so many verses that tell us how much God loves us. He doesn’t cause trouble for us. So how do you know if it’s God telling you something? The bible says it’s a voice that tells you where to go: Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left. 1 Kings 19:11-13 God’s Revelation to Elijah 11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. God speaks us, he doesn’t blow up our washing machine or strike with illness to get our attention. If you want hear from him you need to settle down and listen to his voice. The peace of God is our guidance. Have you ever made a decision and in your heart to of heart you knew it was wrong? I know that quiet voice giving me guidance is God speaking to me. I’m learning to give it space and listen to it. It takes practice. It’s that peace that is from God and it needs to be your guide: Colossians 3:15 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts Rule as to make a decision. Ok so now we know the difference between God speaking and the enemy trying to get us off track. So how we withstand an attacked? Firstly you need to recognize that even through it might be people who are shouting at you it’s coming from a spiritual position. 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (flesh) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, Our battle is not with flesh and blood but spiritual and once you know where it is coming from you can defend yourself. The bible calls the word of God The Sword of The Spirit. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We need to know the word of God. It has to be our defense and our weapon. Don’t be condemned I’m not saying you need to know it quote it, I can’t without a quick google search but knowing what you’re looking for will help you defend yourself against all attacks. If you’re dealing with illness search bible verses on illness, or google defense verses. The Internet is brilliant for finding bible verses. So many Christians start by asking God to save them. “Oh God step in and stop this attack”. But that’s not what God told us to do. That’s religious teaching and it’s not biblical. God will never answer a prayer for something he told you to do yourself. Mark 11:23-24 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. God told us to speak to the mountain and tell it to be removed – not ask God to remove it for you. You need to speak to your mountain. Luke 10 v 19 Jesus says this 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” There’s two parts to this verse – firstly you have authority over the enemy. You tell him to back off. You stand in the authority that Jesus gave you; Authority over your life; your husband or wife (you’re one flesh remember); over your kids; your home or business. If you’re thinking ‘well he was talking to his disciples; I’m not as good as them’. You’re wrong. When Jesus said this he was still on the earth. You could only be saved after Jesus died so his disciples weren’t saved when he said this. They where just men. They didn’t even have the Holy Spirit then. You’re saved now. You have the Holy Spirit if you’ve asked for it. You have something better than they did! You have the same power in you that raise Jesus from the dead! Romans 8:11 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [a]through His Spirit who dwells in you. Secondly Jesus says Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Don’t focus on the spirits but focus on your salvation. There’s a phrase in the world that says “where attention goes, energy flows”. Don’t give them more energy then needed. Take your authority and tell them to back off. Am I really sure that God gave us the authority? Absolutely! Genesis 1 v 26 God gave us the authority in the earth 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over [g]all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” I’m telling you now these spirits are creeps. You have authority over them. We have the authority to rebuke the devil but we don’t use it. We sit putting up with rubbish in our lives asking God to remove it for us. That’s not what he told us to do. We need to use our voice and stop him his tracks. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18 v 21. We need to speak it out. If someone suddenly appeared in your garden and was opening your tool shed and taking things you’d shout “hey! What are you doing? Stop” You wouldn’t sit there praying that God would stop them. You’d do it. It’s the same thing with trouble. If you have pain in your body tell it stop: “Pain stop, Get off my body”. It doesn’t matter what words you use. What matters that you take the authority and you stop it. Jesus said in Matthew 10 v 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. You have been given a gift through Jesus Christ, he died and paid the price. Don’t put up with the enemy running a muck in your life. You don’t need fancy words you just need to believe God’s word and speak to the mountain. Until we speak again, God bless, be kind to each other and yourself.