How Demons Attack

23rd March 25 l Ava J Dearden

Spiritual warfare

What is spiritual warfare? What are demonic attacks and how do we recognise them? Why do demons attack and is there a way to fight back? If you are a Christian and living for God, then you will almost definitely experience demonic attacks on your Christian Journey. The attacks, also known as spiritual warfare are often personalized to exploit an individuals fears, weaknesses and circumstances.

God is Spirit...so is the devil

Demonic attacks - also known as spiritual warfare — Demonic attacks - Also known as spiritual warfare

Ephesians 6:12 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places

Can non Christians be demonically attacked?

Yes, to keep them away from God through manipulation and other worldly distractions. Non Christians tend to blame the incidents however on natural occurrences or coincidences.

What are demonic attacks?

Demonic attacks are a means for Satan and his minions to afflict torment, oppression, depression, anxiety, sickness and pain...They never cease and if they do, its only while the demons take time out to devise new and inventive ways to harass us. Although the attacks come in many different forms, the battle is generally fought in the mind.

Why do demons attack, what is their goal?

The devil hates mankind, mostly because we are made in God's image and he hates God. He inverts everything good that is of God by creating his own evil, opposing version. He doesn't want people to be saved because God wants none to perish. He wants to inflict misery and suffering because God offers joy, love and peace. He wants to take as many souls as possible to hell with him because God wants to save souls so that they may live with Him in Heaven for all eternity.

Satan's goal is to depress, cause anxiety, fear, chaos and disruption. He wants Christians to give up on their faith, to turn away from God, to 'throw in the towel.' If that doesn't work, then the devil and his demons make Christians lives as miserable as possible so that maybe, if they keep the pressure on for long enough, in time they will sin, fall away or rebel against God.

Don't give up on your faith

The devil wants Christians to give up on their faith and for non believers to stay non believers

1 Peter 5:8-9 - Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world

How do you know if you are being demonically attacked?

Atmospheric changes - The atmosphere changes, It becomes thick and heavy and you may start to see and hear differently, with spiritual eyes and ears.

Feelings of doom and oppression - a dark cloud of oppression descends over every part of your body and mind. You may become physically weak and mentally drained.

Feeling overwhelmed - similar to a computer DOS attack, they fire thoughts at your mind in rapid fire succession until you are completely overwhelmed. They may be random or focused thoughts with an intent to exploit fears and anxieties.

Relentless torment - the devil may assign a demon possessed / oppressed person or people to torment you by various means. They are completely relentless in their devastating demonically inspired behaviours.

Examples of demonic attack

Blasphemous thoughts	Towards God
Unforgiveness	Thoughts that God won't forgive us our sins and we struggle to forgive others
Health	Sudden unexplained or prolonged sickness
Finances	Job loss, sickness or other
Bullying / mobbing / persecution	Demons will cause people to rise against people
Accidents	In the home, breakages or injury to person
Marital attacks	Temptations of affairs, causing rifts
Mind games	They can make things disappear, appear or reappear, which can cause us to question our own sanity
Depression / anxiety	To cause sadness and despair
Faith and hope attacks	Targets faith to bring about complete hopelessness
Body dysmorphia	Distraction tactic to focus on self rather God and others
Temptations	Many and varied
Pride	Keeps us away from God or fully acknowledging who God is
God doesn't love us	From the pits of hell to cause despair, doubt, anxiety. To question everything that we know to be truth
Condemnation / guilt / shame	Fear provoking thoughts to cast doubt on our salvation and God's forgiveness
thoughts of unworthiness	To keep us away from God and living in a state of sadness or depression
Unbelief	Attacks on the very foundation of our faith

Faith and hope attacks

"If you are a strong Christian, demons will first attack your faith in order to bring about hopelessness. Being in a state of hopelessness can become weakness in our fight against temptations, as we desperately reach out for any kind of hope."

DON'T GIVE UP!

Ephesians 6:10 - “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

Not all demonic attacks are obvious

In order to fight the enemy, we must be convinced that they exist and understand their methods of warfare. There may be seasons of peace and comfort in a Christian's life which are undoubtedly when we are most susceptible to these insidious offensives. We must be ready and alert both in and out of season. The following are just a few examples of how attacks may go unnoticed as we perceive the thoughts to be our own;

"My ex wasn't that bad really, even if they aren't equally yoked, God can change them."

"I can go out for drinks with my old friends, I'm strong enough in my faith to not make a habit

of it."

"There's no harm in spending some time away from prayer and reading God's Word. A little bit of worldliness will do me good."

"Has God really said that?" I'm not so sure now, maybe I heard wrong.

Yes, God really said that!

Satan causes us to doubt the infallibility of God's Word

Genesis 3:1 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The subtlety of Satan and the downfall of man

Can we blame everything on demonic attacks. What about coincidence, mental illness and other diseases?

Christians who are mature in their faith know the reality, that there are no coincidences. God either allows or orchestrates every tiny detail in His children's lives, including their health. Sickness 'can' be spiritual in nature. Jesus healed people from various diseases and afflictions by the casting out of demons.

Mark 9:25 - When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and , mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.

The Bible however doesn't say that all sickness is caused by Satan. Since the fall of man, we are prone to disease due to the natural ageing process, genetics and other reasons. We can also cause our own sickness by falling into sin or not taking care of our bodies as we should.

How do we fight demonic attacks

Pro-active actions to help fight demonic attacks;

Read and study His Word - Get to know God. He reveals many things about Himself in His Word. How He protects us and fights for us in our battles. The Bible also contains the necessary Scriptures to fight the fiery darts of the devil.

Pray without ceasing - stay in close communion with God always, under his wings and protection.

Be ready - where possible meditate on God's Word. Find and memorise Scriptures that combat his common assaults against you. For example, if he attacks your health, find Scriptures on how God heals.

Stay away from sin - walk in the Spirit not in the flesh. If we give in to sin, it opens up a whole new portal of attack. He will condemn and cause feelings of guilt and shame. The demons will tell us that we can't be forgiven, that God hates us, which of course are all lies to keep us away from our Heavenly Father.

Put on the armour of God - We won't fully understand the spiritual reality of our existence until the glorious day we are home with our Lord and Saviour. But when we follow His instructions by putting on the full armour of God, Scripture tells us that we will be able to stand against the devil's schemes.

Put on the armour of God

Ephesians 6:10-12 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world...

Reactive response and actions to help fight demonic attacks;

Pray for help - sometimes difficult when we are overwhelmed but God has helped me through some debilitating attacks with a simple "please help me Lord."

Take every thought captive - Easier said than done in the midst of battle, but God commands that we take our every thought captive to Christ. Compare the thoughts with Scripture and if they are not in line with His Word, they are not from God who will never tempt us. They are either from the enemy or our own sinful flesh.

Retaliate with Scripture - it's what Jesus did in the wilderness when He faced the devil's temptations. Matthew 4:4 - Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Flee from the devil - if he is coming at you with temptations, flee, run, don't give in and he has to leave.

Don't give in to temptation

Be like Joseph at the first sign of temptation. Run, flee and the devil has to leave

James 1:14 - Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

God is still in control. He loves us and will turn all things around for good

In every situation, whether we fall or fail, God is with us. He uses demonic attacks to grow our faith, endurance and understanding of His Kingdom revelations. We can also see the condition of our own hearts. Do we grumble and moan or do we fight the enemy with God to guide us. Do we cry out to friends or do we call out to our Heavenly Father, the only one who can truly deliver us from evil. Do we understand the spiritual nature of attacks or are we still walking in the flesh?