Overcoming Woundedness

We all have wounds, and hopefully we’ve all come to agree that the Lord wants us healed from those wounds so that we can be free from that binding pain and live as the free spirit-beings He created us to be.

But there’s another reason we need to learn how to get healed.

Our fear of pain, of being wounded, often keeps us from pursuing the intimate, real relationship with our God out of fear of being hurt again. As we consistently overcome our past wounds, even the generational and self-inflicted wounds, we develop within our soul the willingness to risk making mistakes and/or accepting any assignment from Him, knowing we WILL be wounded in the process. We now know how to go to Him to get healed, and we become willing to accept and endure the pain (though we may not enjoy it) because we know He will heal us. We have overcome the notion that experiencing pain is an indication of sin, disobedience or displeasure.

So being willing to be hurt again is an indication that we have confidence in that area that we have learned how to go to Daddy to receive healing.

This makes us a true warrior available for service, and a true enemy of that ole curmudgeon, satan.

Overcoming the Devil ~ Part 7

Part 6

Overcoming

We are intentionally not going to get very specific here, as God tailors each person’s experience according to what is needed for them. But generally speaking, our warfare against the enemy falls into the following categories: Demonics, Strongholds & Curses, and Witchcraft and the Occult.

Demonics (Supernatural Critters)

Dealing with demons is something every believer needs to be able to do whenever the Lord requires. Just like every aspect of our new nature, as we depend on the Lord to train and teach us, He will provide exactly the situation and challenges we as individuals need in order to have our flesh exposed, wounds healed and in the process learn to depend more on Him for His life.

To start with, let’s make it very clear that there is no such thing as demonic “possession”; it is not possible for a demon to take up residence, or take control of a person’s mind, will or emotions, in either a believer or a non-believer. What they can do, however, is so confuse and intimidate a person’s soul that they are unable to distinguish between themselves and the force of the enemy, take authority themselves, or even ask for help. This is where others need to discern where to step in on their behalf, though the Lord often intervenes sovereignly. After a person is delivered from demonic oppression, influence or interference, the work of uncovering and healing the wound begins, so the person becomes impervious to being attacked in that area again. We don’t want to live being controlled by the fear that we have to be on constant watch of the enemy, but trust that our Watchman will give plenty of warning when the enemy tries to approach our gates.

God is not nearly as concerned about our language, our terminology, as we think. Neither is the enemy. He recognizes a loaded shotgun when he sees one, it is our aim and willingness to use it that we need to work on. God will provide the target practice as He sees fit, with a goal to be trained to use a high-powered rifle, specific and exact terminology, when necessary.

Demonic Attacks

Demonic attacks (either by a single demon or group) can be generally categorized in the following ways:

Attacks of Opportunity

As we’ve already mentioned, if we continue to walk after the flesh or accommodate the world system, we will be vulnerable to the attack of the enemy. Like bacteria, we must accept that these critters are out there, and will take the opportunity to bug us when they can. Again thinking of them as bacteria, if we cut ourselves, yet neglect to wash out the wound, it would not be a great surprise for it to get infected. Likewise if we don’t learn to recognize the voice of the spirit, bringing our attention to either an old or new wound, or if we ignore or postpone paying attention to the notice, we may well find ourselves coming under the attack of the enemy. Now, don’t get all self-condemning when this happens. Just as when our cut does get infected, we simply recognize the need for extra attention, and the protection of the area for a time, perhaps even restricting our activities until it heals. But we don’t take it as a measure of our character or our standing with God or with others.

Demons that Are Sent

Remembering that the greatest enemy to Satan is the Saint yielded and dependent on God, the more you learn to rest in, receive and extend His Life, the more you become a high-value target. Demons can be sent by those in authority in the demonic hierarchy, by believers and non-believers involved in sorcery (witchcraft & occult), and by God Himself. The best way to deal with a demon that has been sent is the same way as already discussed—ask the Lord! It is helpful, however, to find out if the demon has been sent so that you can be directed by the Lord, if it is His desire, to take the offensive and launch your own assault, as directed, against the enemy. Demons are going to be around on this earth as long as we are, and may be a force we will have to contend with in the next age, so we should go ahead and acknowledge the fact that we’re going to have to learn to deal with them.

Demons that Are Invited

Finally, we can categorize demonic interference as something we ask for in one way or another. This is an intentional request made by either a believer or non-believer (the demons don’t care which) toward the demonic to carry out a certain task. Demons may or may not be obligated to abide by these requests, but we treat their involvement in the same manner as above. As dependent sons, we must learn how much authority we have to bless and to curse, and be careful to speak and do only what we see and hear the Lord doing.

Spheres of Demonic Authority

Though we don’t want to go into too much detail here and get distracted from our overall emphasis (learning to depend on the Lord), we do want to recognize that the demonic has various spheres (time-related, geographical, soulical aspects, etc.) of authority depending on its source of permission. In all cases, demons have absolutely no spiritual authority; their only possible authority is within the supernatural realm and over the natural realm. Their sphere of influence is only as far as they are authorized to go by the Father. Even when we give them an in-road into our lives in one way or another, it is only because God has already set that up as a boundary and legal way for the demons to exist on this plane. So we don’t want to read too much into the presence or influence of the demonic—it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve missed something or are vulnerable. It’s always crucial that we inquire of the Lord as to how to proceed, and then to follow up until He says we’re done.

…to be continued

Get Ready, Stay Ready!

For those who have been experiencing a sense of anticipation, it is time to put your affairs in order so that nothing is lost and there is no hesitation when your orders to move are delivered.

Don’t worry that you don’t know what is coming, and don’t feel prepared. Daddy has been making you ready, and you will hear and know at the time of your calling.

Once you’ve finished that which you know you should be doing, check with Counselor to see if there is anything you’ve missed; not because you’ve missed something, but so you will know going into this next thing that you are free to devote your full attention to your future and He will oversee your past.