WE ARE AT WAR! Spiritual Warfare and Human Relationships

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there.

And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”

Luke 11:24-26

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to become irrational or unusually aggressive and hateful all of the sudden? Believe it or not, it is possible to experience the supernatural and not even realize it. Most times when a person lives in constant anger and resentment (whether for imaginary reasons or those that are real) they are unknowingly inviting evil influences to take over their thoughts and actions. Jesus spoke of this phenomenon in the Gospel of Luke, and we witness it in Scripture as he visits with the Gerasene man who was possessed by a multitude of demonic spirits (Mark 5).

Scripture repeatedly warns all of us about the sin of unforgiveness and the torment that occurs when we hold onto painful memories. Life can be painful when things go wrong in our lives and unfortunately it seems to be in our nature to hold onto resentment. If not dealt with properly, our thoughts and bad memories can, and in many cases do, keep us in bondage. These thoughts will rob us of healthy and loving relationships where we can build wonderful memories.

Jesus tells us to take his yolk because his ways will free us from the burdens of this world (Matt. 11:29-30). The apostle Paul also told his audience to take every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Paul knew the consequences of holding onto grudges and thoughts that are harmful to us as human beings.

We are often our own worst enemy, and when a demon sees this vulnerability in our behavior, we give him an opportunity to influence our thoughts and our actions. If we allow for grudges, hate, or unforgiveness to fester, we become self-destructive and demonic spirits are more than willing to help us in that destruction (1Pet. 5:8-9).

God has not left us helpless against demonic attacks, but we have to first understand what is going on before we can fight back using the right type of weapons (Eph. 6:12). Before you allow the enemy to destroy your relationships or your own life, seek guidance from mature Christians who can help you dismantle the lies of the enemy.

Choose _ Truth and live abundantly!