Spiritual Battles

The devil desires to steal your focus from God and place it on him. Don’t allow him to do that. Since your attacks are coming at night here’s a few things you can do to help:

Pray each night before bed. Pray Psalm 91. If you’re feeling anxious you can add the prayer I shared as well. Ask others to pray for you too. Add your name to the church prayer list if they have one and the prayer wall here.

Purchase or download an audio bible. You may begin with Genesis. I often have the Psalms playing while I sleep. The words minister to my spirit and give me peaceful rest.

In light of your situation, I think these resources will help:

Secrets of a Prayer Warrior by Derek Prince
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
Dressed to Kill by Rick Renner
Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough by Elmer Towns

When I endured spiritual battles early in my walk, prayer and fasting were great comforts. I saturated my environment with the word and eventually they ceased.

Derek has some wonderful articles you may enjoy. Start praying through the Psalms. The word is the best defense you have.

Please ignore.

Ghostjunkie said:

I have been going through a spiritual battle, at least this is what my pastor called it. Seems the more I read and study the word, the more supernatural things assail me. I have been having lots of religious dreams, some beautiful, some scary. The morning I was to be baptized a couple days ago, I woke up speaking blasphemies against Christ. The words were not my own, and exalted other gods. I pray at my home shrine every night. I ask Jesus to protect me. I ask him to watch over me as I sleep. I ask him to cast out these evil spirits. I ask him to forgive me my impure thoughts. I ask him for strength and wisdom. These are, of course, in addition to my normal prayers of praise and blessings. Nevertheless, these dreams persist.

Click to expand...

Have you yielded yourself to him as a vessel for his use (2 Timothy 2:21)? Have you presented yourself a living sacrifice to him (Romans 12:1)? Have you been living in moment-by-moment surrender to him every day (Romans 6:13)? God does not want merely to give you spiritual things - powers, and shields of protection, and guardian angels - but Himself. He wants to use you as His conduit in whom and through whom He communicates Himself, not an improved, more spiritually powerful you. But the more you are filled with Him, you see, the less room there is both for you and for the demonic that would assail you. This is how God protects His own, not by giving them protection with things but by being their protection Himself. And He is so most fully in the life of one who has humbled him/herself before Him and yielded up him/herself entirely to Him.

Ghostjunkie said:

I have eschewed sins of the flesh, and have practiced total abstinence for some time now. It was difficult at first--lots of impure thoughts and temptations--but eventually my mind and body adjusted to the change. I remember congratulating myself for this yesterday.

Click to expand...

And this is why God is not in whatever change you've managed to make. When God does the changing, only He gets the glory.

Ghostjunkie said:

That's when I tell the devil to stick it, and remind myself that it is our job to endure and overcome.

Click to expand...

No, it is your "job" to yield to, and humble yourself before, God, to get out of His way, and allow Him to transform, and renew you, and conform you to the image of His Son. The more you attempt to do for God rather than letting Him do for you, the more corrupt the result and the less God is in it.

Ghostjunkie said:

I begin to question why Jesus will not protect me. Why he won't cast out this spirit. Why he won't take these impure thoughts from me. Has he forsaken me to the devil? Does he even love me?

Click to expand...

I suspect he wants you to start operating in your relationship with him in his way, not yours, with him seated firmly, unequivocally, on the throne of your heart, not merely sharing it with you. To the degree this is not the case, to that same degree you remain vulnerable to the attacks of the devil, the impulses of your own flesh, and the pressures of the world.

Ghostjunkie said:

I asked Him for the strength to rebuke him, and I realized strength is EARNED!

Click to expand...

Absolutely false! No where in Scripture is this ever said. No where. Instead, the message of Scripture is that you are weak, weak, weak (John 15:5; Romans 7:18-19; Romans 8:6-8). And you are, in and of yourself, evil (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23; Matthew 15:19), just like the rest of us. Without God, without the transforming work of His Spirit (Romans 8:13; Philippians 2:13; 1 Peter 5:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Titus 3:5), you will never be the person He wants you to be.

Ghostjunkie said:

Fear is the absence of trust and love. Fear is the devil; and the devil HE IS A LIAR! I call to my Lord. I praise my Lord. In the name of Jesus I rebuke this spirit. When I reach for the name of my Lord, the name of a false god drifts into my mind, begging me to call it out. The devil is nothing if not persistent, but he will find no home here.

Click to expand...

In Scripture, one must first be submitted to God before one attempts to resist the devil:

James 4:7
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

When a person is submitted to God, it is God the devil encounters when he attacks and so the devil flees. Instead of shouting at the devil, I would strongly suggest asking God to be in charge of you, to order your thoughts and desires, to communicate Himself in and through you. And when He does, the devil will flee. Right now, all the devil is dealing with is a loud and frantic human, trying to do for God rather than letting God do for him/her. Easy meat, as far as the devil is concerned.

Ghostjunkie said:

I have been going through a spiritual battle, at least this is what my pastor called it. Seems the more I read and study the word, the more supernatural things assail me. I have been having lots of religious dreams, some beautiful, some scary. The morning I was to be baptized a couple days ago, I woke up speaking blasphemies against Christ. The words were not my own, and exalted other gods. I pray at my home shrine every night. I ask Jesus to protect me. I ask him to watch over me as I sleep. I ask him to cast out these evil spirits. I ask him to forgive me my impure thoughts. I ask him for strength and wisdom. These are, of course, in addition to my normal prayers of praise and blessings. Nevertheless, these dreams persist.

I have eschewed sins of the flesh, and have practiced total abstinence for some time now. It was difficult at first--lots of impure thoughts and temptations--but eventually my mind and body adjusted to the change. I remember congratulating myself for this yesterday. Last night, I dreamed of doing very inappropriate things with a very inappropriate person. To the point that required a wardrobe change. It seemed as though the devil--this evil spirit that has beset me--was intent on mocking my spiritual growth. As if he was leading me toward thoughts of regression. "It is just my abstinence and repression that is forcing these things--these unclean thoughts and dreams." That's when I tell the devil to stick it, and remind myself that it is our job to endure and overcome. The devil he is a liar.

I begin to question why Jesus will not protect me. Why he won't cast out this spirit. Why he won't take these impure thoughts from me. Has he forsaken me to the devil? Does he even love me? I remember Job. I go back to prayer. I praise God. He reminds me that I prayed for strength and wisdom to see the devil and rebuke him. HE ANSWERS PRAYERS!!! I asked Him to show me the devil and He did! I asked Him for the strength to rebuke him, and I realized strength is EARNED! I felt a terrifying fear come over me, as if something evil was standing right behind me, breathing down my neck. Fear is the absence of trust and love. Fear is the devil; and the devil HE IS A LIAR! I call to my Lord. I praise my Lord. In the name of Jesus I rebuke this spirit. When I reach for the name of my Lord, the name of a false god drifts into my mind, begging me to call it out. The devil is nothing if not persistent, but he will find no home here.

Maybe this testimonial (tmi as it may be) will help or encourage someone. Maybe someone has encouragement to offer me. Nevertheless, my God is an awesome God. Praise be His name.

Click to expand...

If I can be upfront and blunt. Don't take pride in 'your achievements'. They are not yours to be had. All praise and glory to God, The Son, the Holy Spirit. Chew on that for a bit and submit yourself to Christ in all.

Remember you are being baptized in the Holy Spirit and Fire. What is Fire? I think it's temptation. Grudem may disagree with me or call it a false doctrine so please do not take my opinion as gospel and speak with learned scholars to confirm.

God bless you and ease your pain through these trying times.