Updated Spiritual Warfare Tactic - Jim Croft

Updated Spiritual Warfare Tactic - Jim Croft

(This article is superior to my sermon of 1/20/14 on the Omega Man Internet Radio Show)


It is my belief that the Scriptures hold what are for us are ever evolving strategies to combat satanic forces. I have been meditating on how to better help believers who have ongoing perplexities in particular areas of life. My customary approach has been to advise repentance from habitual sins; advise wearing down fleshly desires by denial of activation; and to treat exceptionally stubborn issues as demons that need to be expelled.

All of those are legitimate aspects of spiritual warfare, but there is another that could be of great help in some situations. It’s to go after a fallen angel that has been personally assigned to complicate the life of a believer at a particular juncture of life. The premise for this line of reasoning is taken from the hint in Matt 18:10 that God assigns personal guardian angels to people. With this in mind, it is feasible to imagine that the Devil mimics the practice by assigning evil fallen angels that commandeer earth’s demons to harass individuals.

To understand how this might work, let’s envision Satan’s kingdom like an earthly army comprised of enlisted rank demonic infantry and higher ranked officer fallen angels. The evil spirits, the demons live on earth which is within the 1rst heaven.

The evil fallen angels are headquartered in the 2nd heaven immediately above earth’s atmosphere. The 3rd heaven is the dwelling of the Triune God and his multitudes of holy angels. (2Cor 12:2-4) It is also populated by the spirits of the righteous dead who are waiting to be rejoined to their bodies in glorified form at the Coming of the Lord.

Demons are earthbound trench soldiers. They incessantly go wandering about looking for a human personality to inhabit and/or they perch in close proximity to an individual selected for a given type of harassment. Demons obey the warfare directives of officer fallen angles that dwell in the 2nd heaven. It is Satan’s headquarters as the Prince of the Power of the Air. (Eph 2:2-3)

Daniel’s Experience

The 10th Chapter of Daniel depicts that during Daniel’s and Israel’s captivity in Babylon that the prophet entered a period of prayer and fasting to learn about his people’s future. After 21 days, he was visited by an angel who was likely the Arch Angel Gabriel.

This powerful messenger told Daniel that from the first day of his praying that his words had been heard and that he had been sent to bring answers.

However, Gabriel explained that he had been held up for 21 days in making it to Daniel by warfare in the heavens with a fallen angel identified as the prince over Persia. At that time, Babylon was under Persian control.

Gabriel was not able to continue his journey to Daniel until the Arch Angel Michael came to assist him. He distracted the prince of Persia by engaging in battle with him and with the other evil entities that Gabriel had been battling singlehanded. (Dan 10:11-14) While Michael kept the powers of the principality over Babylon busy, Gabriel slipped through to Daniel.

Before Gabriel gave the requested answers to Daniel that are found in Dan 11, he gave him a glimpse into an aspect of the nature of spiritual warfare. He told him that he would again have to battle with the prince of Persia on his return to the 3rd heaven. He also informed Daniel that Babylon was due to come under the control of the Greeks next. (Dan 10:20-21) This happened through the conquering campaigns of Alexander the Great.

Change of Administrations

Babylon was first controlled by Chaldeans; then Persians; and then the Greeks. The entire region of the ancient Babylonian Empire is now under the primary control of Islam. This demonstrates that as years pass and circumstances change, that there are correlating changes of guard with the evil principalities over nations. Eph 6:11-13 admonishes believers that our wrestling match is with these powers in the heavens. But, our battle does not stop there.

We are also responsible to expel demons from the lives of those who have some area of life under demonic control. We are also to do the same for ourselves wherever needed. Previously, I saw battles with evil angels in the heavenlies as a separate issue from expelling evil spirits here on earth.

Spiritual warfare in the heavens was about wresting political control of cities and nations from evil earthly rulers who are manipulated by fallen officer angels in the 2nd heaven. Expelling demons was about delivering God’s people from various types of demonic control. Now, I suspect that there is a connection between assigned evil officer angels in the heavens and the evil spirits that complicate the lives of individuals here on earth.

I have come to the opinion that a reason that many people have to repeatedly fight the same demons again and again is because the evil officer angel that marshal earthbound demonic forces against them have not been dealt with. Therefore, I heavily suggest that it would be best to first discern and shackle the mouth of a particular officer angel in the heavens. This will stop it from issuing commands to demons within the person before the person receives deliverance ministry to expel the demons from their life.

In a similar manner in which there were administration changes of the fallen angels over the Babylonian Empire, there can be changes in the evil officer angel over a person’s life. Most every Christian has had the experience of changes in the nature of his spiritual battles as he advanced in age.

In teen-life it might be fears of rejection and awkward feelings about personal characteristics. In early marriage, it might be temper tantrums and temptation to divorce. In later life, the struggle is commonly with demons of depression fueled by regrets about broken relationships and life’s other tragic happenings.

Howbeit, if an individual has never learned how to effectively wage spiritual warfare, there can be long range consequences. They can carry the excess baggage from every administration of fallen angel assigned to their life and the particular demons that each administration sent into their lives. This need not be so.

The Process

Prayerfully evaluate the current stage of your life and what issues you suspect are of demonic origin. If you have not ever received deliverance ministry and/or have not conducted self deliverance, take your past struggles under consideration also. The chances are that substantial demonic holdouts from previous administrations are still lurking. Name the evil spirits that might be in you or harassing you from a close proximity perch.

Their names are their function such as fear, rejection, laziness, addictions, abusive language, hatred, unforgiveness, and so forth that correlate with most every negative emotion and physical malady.
It could be that you will notice that the categories of demonic troubles changed from one period of your life to the next.

A given category can serve as the name and nature of the fallen officer angel assigned to commandeer that particular category of earthbound demons during a given period of your life. Examples might be that the fallen angel over a teen could be sexual fantasies; over an adult, bitterness; and over a senior, short-term memory loss.

Whatever the case, first command the mouth of the commanding officer angel in the heavenlies to be shut from issuing commands to demons. Then shackle it with chains of confessions about the blood of Jesus’ powers and with the manacles of the high praises of God. According to Psa 149:5-9 and Rev 12:7-11, you have the authority to do so.

Psa 8:2 conveys that praises from a mere spiritual babe can silence the enemy. Afterward, proceed to expelling the demons while calling them by the descriptive name of their function.

I’ll give you a testimony of a dear member of my church who practiced what I have outlined in this article. At one time, he had a boss who was given to irrational emotional outburst at importune times. He identified the evil officer angel over the man’s life as one that commandeered a demon of insanity within the man.

Prior to interaction with his boss, the Christian would first shackle the mouth and function of the evil angel of irrational mood swings in the heavenlies. It worked and the man became far easier to deal with.

Years passed and the boss retired, but he still owned the facility that housed the business of which my church member had become president. In a recent year, the rental agreement had to be renegotiated with the owner.
The negotiations were disrupted by the owner’s bombastic irrational demands. Everyone’s blood pressure became elevated by the agitations. What happened? My friend forgot to deal with the fallen angel over the man before going into the boardroom with him.

My hope is 3-fold. It is that you will try the tactic I’ve outlined in your own circumstances and when dealing with others that need help. Foremost, I hope the advice that I’ve given is an asset in your spiritual weaponry. One way or the other, there is no harm in experimentation as spiritual warfare is not an exact science. We learn by trial and error that has precedent in the Word.

Why Are So Many Pastors Committing Suicide? - Jennifer Leclaire

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Why Are So Many Pastors Committing Suicide?

12/11/2013 JENNIFER LECLAIRE

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More than 2 million adult Americans made a suicide plan in the past year, and about half that many went through with the plan. (Stock.xchng)

In another church tragedy, Pastor Isaac Hunter—the son of the spiritual adviser to President Obama—has reportedly taken his own life. Hunter’s death is making national headlines because of his megachurch father Pastor Joel Hunter’s influence on the White House, his marriage troubles and an undated suicide note found last year, but his death is far from the only pastoral suicide in recent months.

Just days ago, a pastor who was grieving his dead wife reportedly shot himself in front of his mother and son, expressing that he was hearing his dead spouse’s voice and footsteps. Pastor Ed Montgomery and his late wife, prophetess Jackie Montgomery, served at the Full Gospel Assemblies International church in Hazel Crest, Ill.

In November, a Georgia pastor killed himself in between Sunday services. Larrinecia Sims Parker, wife of the Rev. Teddy Parker Jr., found the pastor in the driveway of their home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Houston County coroner Danny Galpin reports.

Why the sudden rash of pastors committing suicide? Suicide is not a new problem among clergy, but three known suicides in less than two months begs a deeper look at the issue.

There is no lack of statistics about pastors and depression, burnout, health, low pay, spirituality, relationships and longevity—and none of them are good. According to the Schaeffer Institute, 70 percent of pastors constantly fight depression, and 71 percent are burned out. Meanwhile, 72 percent of pastors say they only study the Bible when they are preparing for sermons; 80 percent believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families; and 70 percent say they don’t have a close friend.

The Schaeffer Institute also reports that 80 percent of seminary and Bible school graduates will leave the ministry within five years. It’s not clear how many commit suicide, but it is clear that pastors are not immune to it. Psychologists point to several reasons why people commit suicide, from depression to psychosis to stressful life situations. But one thing is certain: Whatever drives someone to take their own life ultimately begins in the mind. Suicidal thoughts precede suicide.

“Suicidal thoughts have numerous causes," according to Mayo Clinic. "Most often, suicidal thoughts are the result of feeling like you can’t cope when you’re faced with what seems to be an overwhelming life situation. If you don’t have hope for the future, you may mistakenly think suicide is a solution. You may experience a sort of tunnel vision, where in the middle of a crisis you believe suicide is the only way out.” 

As it turns out, suicidal thoughts are not uncommon. Nearly 8.3 million adults age 18 and older in the United States—that’s 3.7 percent—had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, according to a study called "Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Adults > 18 Years" released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although some suicides are impulsive, most are planned out. More than 2 million adult Americans made a suicide plan in the past year, and about half that many went through with the plan.

Again, suicide starts with a thought. Indeed, every action we take starts with a thought. As one who struggled with depression for years, I am not trying to oversimplify the solution, but rather merely point out one contributing factor. Many of the harmful actions we take originate from the seed of a thought Satan whispers to our souls. That seed grows as our minds reason out the benefits of acting on the thought. For those contemplating suicide, I believe the seed grows in their minds as they reason themselves out of living because life’s circumstances are too overwhelming.

When the enemy plants a vain imagination in our minds, we have two choices: cast it down or meditate on it. When we meditate on vain imaginations, we tend to connect demonic dots that create skewed pictures of reality. Believing what we see in our thought life is real, we talk ourselves into taking action based on a wrong perception. Although there are issues of chemical imbalances, I believe this is what happens with many suicides. The enemy plants a seed in the form of a thought that an already distraught soul doesn’t discern as a demonic attack on their life.

If we want to win the battle against suicide in the pulpit and the pew, we need to, among many other things, take ahold of Scriptures that instruct us about the battle in our mind. Paul told us, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Cor. 10:4-6). No one can take your thoughts captive for you, but you can take your own thoughts captive, and it starts with girding up the loins of your mind (1 Pet. 1:13).

Paul also offered this advice: “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9). If we do what the Word says—if we meditate on what the Word tells us to meditate on—the enemy’s seeds won’t take root in our souls.

If you see your pastor or anyone else struggling with depression or hear them speak disturbing thoughts that aren’t in line with the Word of God, pray and ask God what He would have you do. Then do it. Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and the enemy is targeting our spiritual leaders in this hour. Let’s rise up and battle against this disturbing trend in the name of Jesus.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

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