Is what you are experiencing spiritual warfare, or ‘just life?’
For many months I blithely walked around my favorite local park, enjoying the gardens, the scenery, and my time out, oblivious to any dangers that might be lurking in the shrubbery.
Then one day I read a newspaper article about a boy who had been bitten by a snake in the same park just a few days before and had been taken to hospital.
We are Kiwis living in Australia. We don’t have snakes in New Zealand. We can walk in the bush in our ‘jandals’ without a care in the world.
On my next visit to the park, I was on high alert. Tense, and on edge, I watched the path and was alerted by every rustle in the bush. There seemed to be an awful lot of rustling! I did not enjoy the walk that day.
Sure enough, I soon settled down and was back to taking pleasure in my walks. However, I took some basic precautions; not veering off the paths and ensuring that I had my mobile phone with me if I was walking alone.
Balance in Spiritual Warfare
In Luke 10:19-20, Jesus said,
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
As my response to snakes in the park, there are two errors that we can fall into with regard to spiritual warfare. One is to ignore it altogether (2 Cor 2:11) and at the other extreme, to make too much of it.
Balance requires us to always step back and discern whether what we are experiencing is spiritual warfare, or just something happening that is physical and emotional, or a combination of both.
Our goal in spiritual warfare is not to draw or pay attention to what the devil is doing. It is to focus on God and pay attention to what HE is doing—and not put up with less than His best.
12 Signs you may be Experiencing Spiritual Warfare
Here are some signs of a spiritual battle taking place. Being alert to these can help you weigh up whether or not a situation is being affected by spiritual warfare.
1. Changes for the worse (especially sudden or severe) in areas of health, finances, relationships
Important note: When we are sick or when bad things happen to us, it is not always the devil that causes it
·It may be just physical
·Sometimes it is just life
·Sometimes (e.g. financial or relationships) it is others’ or our own wrong choices.
2. The temptation to sin—beyond the normal
Temptation originates with our own weakness and ungodly desires (James 1:13-15) but the enemy can use situations and people around us, to apply extreme or sudden pressure on us in these areas.
3. Pattern of recurring negative events
Note that this can also be indicative of a curse in operation.
4. Atmosphere – of pressure or oppression
In Rom 14:17, the Apostle Paul tells us that the Kingdom of God consists of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. When we are robbed of these things, we need to pay attention. What happened?
5. Severe discouragement
We need to particularly pay attention when the first signs of discouragement strike. Discouragement or confusion should be like an orange flashing light, alerting us to the possibility that we are in a spiritual battle.
According to Rick Joyner, the progressive ‘sting of witchcraft’ is: discouragement, confusion, depression, loss of vision, disorientation, withdrawal and despair leading to defeat. These are the signs we need to pay attention to when on the alert for spiritual warfare in our personal lives and ministry [1]. One example of this in operation is Elijah’s response after he was threatened by Jezebel. (1 Kings 19)
6. Crippling condemnation
The conviction of the Holy Spirit is specific and brings a conclusion through repentance, but condemnation is cloudy.
7. Intimidation and Fear (I Can’t)
This is especially so when the fear is pressuring you to stop moving in the direction of God’s revealed will for your life, or that of your family, ministry or church.
8. Confusion
The enemy thrives in confusion. We think it’s us. Everything gets hazy. Confusion is often an attack on our minds, but it can also be apparent in relationships where communication becomes distorted, perverted, and misrepresented.
9. Anything that brings pressure to bear AGAINST God’s revealed will for your life
10. Pressure (beyond the normal) on important relationships
11. Battle in the mind – negative ‘tapes’ playing
Our mind (and that of others) becomes a central battleground (2 Cor 10:5), where the enemy tries to sow messages that are contrary to the word God has spoken to us or revealed in the Bible underscoring feelings such as failure, fear, condemnation, hurt, or even attack and accusation of others.
12. Distinct start time,
With spiritual warfare, there is usually a distinctive time of onset. If you have an ongoing history in one of the above areas, e.g. fear, relational or sin issues, it is probably not warfare. It may be personal ‘baggage’ that you need to deal with.
The Battle Won
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, [Christ] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Col 2:15)
The good news is that Jesus has won the battle for us on the cross. We can apply the authority He has given to us and enter into His victory.
In the next blog post, I will begin exploring some ways to deal with spiritual warfare once you have discerned it taking place in your personal life, church or ministry.
Snakes Alive!
My first real-life encounter with a snake came later, in another park. My husband Malcolm (aka The Hunk) and I were exploring a trail when we came across a poisonous brown snake barring the way to our destination.
My intrepid husband crept closer to the snake doing his best Steve Irwin impression (‘Crikey! Isn’t it a beauty?)
I, on the other hand, dug my heels in and refused to progress any further, even when the snake veered off into the undergrowth. What if it was there again when we returned?
It seems that some things never change!
[1] Rick Joyner, The Surpassing Greatness Of His Power, 1996, Whitaker House: New Kensington
Spiritual Warfare Online Course
I have just launched my first new online course, ‘Spiritual Warfare 101: How to Identify and Overcome Spiritual Attack’ and I warmly invite you to join me!
This course includes around 30 mini-lectures on video and is full of Biblical wisdom and strategies to help you overcome in time of battle. There is also a downloadable full transcript in PDF version.
And once you’re in, there is no expiry date.
The Bible has great news. If you have discerned signs of spiritual warfare, you do not have to be weighed down by spiritual oppression or put up with pressure and attack! Find out more about the course, ‘Spiritual Warfare 101: How to Identify and Overcome Spiritual Attack’ here.
Related Posts:
Responding to Spiritual Warfare Pt 1: Identify the Enemy’s Strategy
How to Wage Spiritual Warfare: Specific Strategies You Can Use
6 Reasons Why Moving in the Opposite Spirit is Powerful
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries—in the David McCracken Ministries family
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
God bless you for the informative work you are doing.
I have a situation which I am wondering if it could be due to spiritual attack or witchcraft. Please help me.
I used to have a good job and a happy marriage. Everything fell apart when I lost the job. We moved into my in-laws house.As days, months and years went by without me getting a job, my beloved wife with the influence of her father kicked me out. Everyone has turned their backs against me, including friends and family. I am all alone.
I cannot find a proper job. I tried to start a business and everything fell off along the way. Im back to where I started from and in debts. Nothing is working in my favor. I am desperate.
I have been going to church for the past three years, and still no improvement in my life. I pray everyday.
Could this situation be a curse or a lost spiritual battle? I will gladly accept your opinion and help. Please advise on how this situation can be turned around.
Looking forward to your god-sent advise.
God bless you.Thank you in Jesus Christ’s name.
Hi Boyce, I’m very sorry to hear of the trials you have been through. I can’t judge whether or not it is spiritual warfare from this distance. However a good way to approach it in several ways: 1. Pray about the spiritual warfare or possibility of a curse and get someone to pray with you. Build in the area of your faith and relationship with God. 2. At the same time, do what you can can to get equipped and empowered to move positively forward with a job and relationships. Don’t give up. God has a way ahead for you.
I’m having a very difficult time in my life and have been since year 2011 and things seem to keep getting worse little by little. I lost the love of my life to a car accident in 2011 and let me tell you things just went downhill from there. After he was killed strange things/noises started happening I was not only heartbroken, feeling as though my soul was dead but I was becoming very frightened every night. I kind of thought OK maybe something is wrong with this house, I’ve since moved but it hasnt stopped, at nights while struggling to sleep I’ll hear what sounds like pots in the kitchen being banged (no one in there). There have been a few times it has sounded like someone was trying to break in I would hear noise at living room window and it would sound as though someone actually came in (feet hitting the floor) again no one there. I’ve woke up out of a dead sleep terrified to see giant black spiders coming at me, a dead looking woman coming through my bedroom window onto my bed just looking at me. I’ve woke before and seen what appeared to be a tall, black, slender man standing over me I’ve seen that more than once anytime I see anything like that I jump up flip the light on and nothing is EVER there. There have been times I’ve felt like my bed is shaking, I wake up in a pillow soaked in sweat.lastnight I seen a man by my closet door, this time I could not move, he faded but it felt as though something had pressure on my chest, it was hard to breathe but it eventually went away. After this stuff started happening, my personality changed. I do not want to leave my house, I don’t even want to leave my bedroom, I don’t go around family or friends anymore I’m a prisoner to my room. I’ve became extremely depressed, easily agitated just plain hateful. Recently I’ve found myself searching the internet for witch craft spells and photos of dead bodies, THAT IS NOT ME I am not into those types of things. I don’t know what is wrong with me I don’t know what to do. Please if you have any idea as to what could be happening. Please help me.
My heart goes out to you! I can’t imagine what it must be like to live this way!
I’m no expert, but this sounds like spiritual attack to me. I am assuming you are a Christ-follower, since you are seeking advice on this site. First and foremost, ask for help in Jesus’ name. Prayer, no matter how difficult, is an essential tool. Second, I would ask someone with strong faith to bless your home, particularly your bedroom. These things need to know they aren’t welcome there. Your imprisonment will only continue until they are banished. It doesn’t have to be a priest, but holy water helps.
Christ has full dominion over these things. Ask Him for help, and ask another person to cleanse your home. I will be praying for you!
J. of Michigan
Great thoughts, thank you Jeremy
Hi Lisa, I’m sorry to hear of the troubles you have been experiencing. Do you have a church or understanding Christian leader who can help and pray for you? We are not meant to battle these things alone.
I believe prayer ministry would be helpful.
You can check on the ‘spiritual warfare’ and ‘discernment’ categories on this blog, too as there are articles that can help you. For example, this one: https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2014/11/11/discernment-9-ways-to-banish-fear-of-evil/
I am 51, have always believed in God. But I never read nor spoke about the Bible. Things went horribly wrong for me, by my own doing. I struggle everyday. I have been praying long and hard, talking to God on my way to work. I have noticed that the intensity of my prayers have become frequent My head is clear I hear nor see anything but a bright light durning prayer. My thoughts are not wondering, I’m focused . I feel a lot of the load I was carrying has been somewhat relieved. But what I feel
Is I have gave God my heart and soul through prayer. And he has taught me not to carry it, or in the long term I will be no good to anyone not even myself
Hi Alissa, it sounds as though your prayers and cries to God are drawing you back into relationship with Him.
I encourage you to find a church and group of people who love Jesus and where you can belong and grow even more.
Know that He loves you, no matter what has taken place in the past His plans for you are good.
Dear Helen, I recently went through a prayer program, and have since observed certain physiological experiences I can’t comprehend. It’s about to do with the fact that, I wake up from sleep with lots of electric pulses running through me. Sometimes, I need to rest for 10 – 15 minutes for it to subside. In the office, it picks up around mid-day and lasts for about an hour or 2. Beyond all this, I tend to have 3 to 4 dreams, sometimes 6 before waking up. Is all this normal, is it spiritual attack? What is really happening to me? I urgently need your feedback please. Even as I send this note, those electrical pulses are picking up.
Hi Chris, with any manifestations, check the fruit (outcome) and what is happening as a result, and also if you can sense what is happening in the atmosphere. If you are associating it with God’s Presence, it could be the Holy Spirit. The best thing to do is to find someone close at hand, a church leader for example, who can pray with you.
I can’t tell if this is spiritual warfare, a deep depressive despair, or a combination of the two.
I’m going through some really difficult times and I can’t tell if this terrible heartache I feel is a spritual attack to cause me to despair or if I really am “legitimately” depressed. A relationship to a man I thought I’d marry ended about a year ago and I’ve been struggling to forget him and banish this heartache, which literally feels so heavy in my chest and it’s not because of any actual heart problems. This heavy achy feeling is accompanied by feelings of utter despair for my future, not just because of losing this guy but because of my employment (lack of decent paying and enjoyable) prospects and financial state, which has never been stable because I just don’t and never have made enough to save or have any decent quality of life.
I’m just really tired of it. Every year, I keep thinking the next year will be better so I keep hanging in there, hoping that God will come through but I feel like my prayers are being heard, but ignored by God. It’s becoming to the point where just putting one foot in front of the other and taking it day by day as people advise, just isn’t gonna sustain me anymore.
The emotional pain I feel in my heart and chest despite prayers and begging to God to lift it refuses to budge and I am thinking of turning to alcohol to numb the pain since no amount of Bible reading and crying out to God and sharing my pain with others is relieving this pain. Antidepressants caused me so many side effects years ago when I first tried it that I could not live with the side effects so I stopped.
It has been an ongoing battle and I am really losing hope. I used to be more hopeful when I was younger despite being very depressed but I am just weary now. My dreams of the kind of life I want looks like it’s never going to come true and by the time it does, it will be too late because of my age.
So how do I know if I am under spirtual attack or if I am truly going through a true depression and unresolved grief?
Hi Sophie, I’m so sorry to hear of what you have gone through. It is a very good question – the reality is, we are triune beings (body, soul and spirit – 1 Thess 5:23) and depression can have an impact and cause in each of these areas.
The way to tell whether it is spiritual warfare is – does waging spiritual warfare make a difference? This could include receiving prayer ministry (info here https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2012/09/11/prayer-ministry-ideas-and-guidelines/ or having someone pray with you, or your own personal praise/warfare prayer. Does it make a difference or even shift it for a period?
Also sometimes we need to treat our souls and bodies as well. I have experienced the unresolved grief for 3 years a long time ago, counseling didn’t seem to shift it, but an encounter with God, His Presence and His joy healed my soul and set me free. (I mention that here https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2013/05/28/shekinah-why-seek-the-presence-we-already-have/
Another time I came through burnout and depression, spending special time with God in one of my spiritual pathways helped bring me back to life. https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/07/05/how-to-discover-your-spiritual-pathway/
Sophie, I pray that you are encouraged and uplifted, that you experience the sweet Presence of God, His breath, and know that this will pass. Keep persevering and resist the temptation with the alcohol. May you discover the keys to the new life your Heavenly Father has for you.
I had a very good learning on your enliven blog on discernment. It took me 10 years looking back where it’s all exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally. Because, of the wrong choice and options I made. Now, it made me realized that the heat of the battle made me hunger for the Almighty and took me to a place where Christ can make me safe from now on. May your wisdom be a grace to life’s surprises.
Hello Cher, I’m glad the blog has been a blessing to you. May you continue to glory in the safety of the shelter of His wings (Psalm 91)