I remember the first charismatic prayer meeting I went to, about 3 months after I was born again and filled with the Spirit (I didn't even know what happened at that time because I didn't pray a "sinner's prayer" and I was alone.)
I went to this meeting as it started, and the leader there said, "In the name of Jesus, I command every demonic spirit to leave this room!" Let me tell you, without any forethought at all, I felt something leap off of my shoulder like it was pushing off.
It's actually very common for Christians who will deal with the enemy (though intended from a standpoint of victory) to deal with devils. They're not going to give up without a fight. We don't see them, but from the fruits we're experiencing, we can know that they are often the cause of many of our problems. Without giving them an ounce of glory, if we don't recognized their wicked input into our lives, we won't use the weapons given to us as believers and banish them from our lives. Of course, they will come and try us. Our victory in Jesus is supposed to be daily, with much glory.
The Word of God (reading it to them like a riot act), the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus (powerful!), are all incredible weapons of warfare which are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
Jesus once told this one minister that if you don't do anything about the devil, many times, nothing will be done. Jesus did everything He could do to defeat them, and it is up to us to follow what the scriptures say, using the name of Jesus, telling them the truth of the Word of God "It is written..." just like Jesus did. Making sure we don't give place to the enemy by allowing him in our gates. As a new Christian, our very lives were recently dominated by the enemy and there's some ground to take in the spirit realm (Canaan land) that is already ours.
It's important to belong to a church that teaches you about effectual spiritual warfare. Victorious spiritual warfare. Not to get in a ditch about it, but if you were in a war and the entire world was the battlefield, and we were the prize, and you didn't hear preaching on how to enforce the victory that was already won (leaving the enemy to afflict you mercilessly), I would say that it is time to graduate into a fellowship where they are more closely following the plan of God (as indicated by the scriptures).
Jesus spent more time dealing with the enemy than telling us about Heaven, Paul and Peter and James and Jude and John ALL told us about how to deal with the devil and we should learn how to do these things and appropriate the power in the Word and in the Spirit to walk victoriously.
We cannot act like these things aren't going on. When I experienced what I did, it opened up a whole new understanding that someone else couldn't just explain away. It violates some folks' theology, but sometimes this is needed. As soon as I entered into really learning about how to effectively come against the enemy in my life and in the lives of others, the war was on! I was a serious threat and they are terrified of us! That's why they attack us, because they are terrified of their "inheritance" and if we find out what is ours and walk in it, the Kingdom of God will be magnified, seen to be more real (something else they fight to keep from happening), and God will be glorified.
I strongly encourage you to pray about where you fellowship and begin learning (find some teaching) how to engage in victorious spiritual warfare so that your life isn't spoiled by the enemy, who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But Jesus has already defeated Him and has given us mighty weapons to defeat him. Learn to use them!
