What Are The Spiritual Forces Of Evil

We are fighting principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world, as well as spiritual wickedness in high places, rather than flesh and blood.

Before You Continue...

Do you know what is your soul number? Take this quick quiz to find out! Get a personalized numerology report, and discover how you can unlock your fullest spiritual potential. Start the quiz now!

What are the different types of spiritual warfare?

Spiritual warfare is the Christian concept of combating supernatural evil powers at work. It is founded on the biblical belief in evil spirits, often known as demons, who are thought to meddle in human affairs in a variety of ways. Although neo-charismatic churches emphasize spiritual warfare, other Christian denominations and groups have adopted behaviors based on spiritual warfare notions, with Christian demonology frequently playing a crucial role in these practices and beliefs.

Prayer is one of the most prevalent forms of “spiritual warfare” used by these Christians. Exorcism, the laying on of hands, fasting with prayer, praise and worship, and anointing with oil are examples of other practices.

What are principalities and powers of darkness?

What are these darkness' principalities, powers, and rulers? Angelic powers, whether benign or terrible, are simply referred to as principalities and powers. However, when the rulers and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places are mentioned, the verse becomes dismal.

What is praying in the Spirit?

For this is God's will, that you may silence the ignorance of foolish men by doing good (living in love) — 1 Peter 2:15.

HTML tutorial

God's will is for you to be sanctified in this way (purification from sin, so capacity for love increases)… 4:3 — 1 Thessalonians

But you, friends, recall what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said before: how they warned you that there would be mockers in the last days who would act according to their own wicked desires. These are sensual people who generate divisions because they lack the Holy Spirit. But you, beloved, keep yourselves in the love of God, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (beloved, pray in a way that helps you avoid ungodly lusts and helps you remain in the love of God so you can love others and inherit eternal life), looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life — Jude 1:18–21.

The whole of the evidence from Christian Scriptures reveals that whether we are praying in the Holy Spirit is determined by the character with which we pray and the extent to which our desires and requests are not lustful, but rather aimed at increasing our capacity to love others. Given that none of us is flawless in character, or possibly even in the purity of our aspirations and petitions, we will always need the Holy Spirit's intercession in the presence of our heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you want to pray in the Holy Spirit, you want to build Jesus Christ's love character, and you want to shape your prayers around desires that aren't sexual, but rather desires that grow your capacity for love. This means that desires for professions, wives, children, material goods, and so on are all based on love rather than lust.

What happens when you have a spiritual awakening?

As Kaiser argues, this is the start of your spiritual journey, as you begin to doubt everything you previously believed. You begin to purge certain aspects of your life (habits, relationships, and outdated belief systems) in order to make room for new, more meaningful experiences. You may sense that something is lacking, but you aren't sure what it is. It's common to feel disoriented, confused, and down during this time.

What does spiritual conflict mean?

  • Over the last 30 years, psychological study on a number of spiritual issues has been done. Spiritual problems are one spiritual issue that has garnered a lot of attention.
  • People are affected not only psychologically, socially, and physically by major life challenges, but also spiritually.
  • Natural disasters, accidents, sicknesses, and other stressful circumstances can put people's spiritual lives in jeopardy or cause them to struggle spiritually.
  • Spiritual coping problems are attempts to protect or transform people's relationships with whatever they consider precious, such as their connection to God/Higher Power, spiritual identity, and religious community connections.
  • Terminology. Many studies on spiritual difficulty use the phrase “negative religious coping,” but we and other researchers have started to use the term “spiritual/religious problems.” Why?
  • Spiritual conflicts can be watershed moments in human development or “forks in the path.”
  • According to several research, persons who are able to resolve spiritual conflicts over time gain and grow from them.
  • Others may choose to temporarily or permanently withdraw from spiritual challenges.
  • Others who are stuck in their troubles emotionally and physically deteriorate.
  • Even atheists and non-religious people may deal with spiritual issues such as feeling distanced from, unhappy with, angry with, or abandoned by God.
  • See Constructs/Our Measures for more broad background information on spiritual problems.
  • Spiritual conflicts refer to disagreements with God/Higher Power, oneself, and others over spiritual topics. Distressing feelings and doubts about one's spiritual journey in life arise as a result of these tensions.
  • Internal/intrapsychic spiritual conflicts—inner conflict about spirituality or religion
  • Spiritual conflicts with other family members, friends, clergy, community members, or the greater culture concerning spirituality or religion are interpersonal/communal spiritual challenges.
  • The 7-item Negative Religious Coping subscale from the Brief RCOPE is most typically used to assess spiritual problems (Pargament, Feuille, & Burdzy, 2011). For the entire Brief RCOPE and lengthier scales to more fully examine spiritual problems, go to Constructs/Our Measures.
  • For additional information on how we define these two overlapping concepts, see Defining Religion & Spirituality.

What comprehensive empirical research on Spiritual Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems has been conducted?

  • Despite substantial research on spiritual issues in other areas, there has been essentially no systematic research on spiritual struggles in marriage. Nonetheless, the Relational Spirituality Framework emphasizes that serious or persistent marital issues, such as infidelity, can lead to private or communal spiritual challenges with God.
  • Prior research on spirituality and marital problems has relied on indirect indicators to determine if people feel spiritual struggles as a result of marital problems, such as frequency of religious attendance or overall value of religion in everyday life. We employ definitions and measurements of spiritual challenges established in past research on non-marital stressors to stimulate more in-depth study on spiritual struggles with marital problems (e.g., natural diasters, health problems).
  • In practice, we have concentrated our research on Divine Spiritual Struggles rather than Internal or Interpersonal Spiritual Struggles in relation to marital issues.
  • When it comes to interpreting and reacting to marital problems, we characterize Divine Spiritual Struggles with Marital Problems as having a confrontation with God. It's helpful to define conflict before delving into this definition. We define conflict as an individual's internal or external conflicts over his or her life goals and/or paths to achieving those goals. When troubles emerge, humans can be in conflict with God, just as they might have internal or interpersonal conflict. Problems in marriage can jeopardize life ambitions. An individual may have a disagreement with God about why marital difficulties have arisen and what should be done to resolve them. These conflicts with God might lead to negative feelings and thoughts regarding one's relationship with God.

For psychological research, how do we measure Divine Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems?

  • We used the following three sub-scales (three items each) from Pargament's R-COPE to assess divine spiritual struggles with marital troubles in our transition to parenting study. These nine items were mixed in with R-COPE sub-scale items from other sub-scales. For additional information on the history and development of the R-COPE and Spiritual Struggles Sub-scales, see Constructs/Our Measures.
  • Instructions for dealing with marital troubles include the following: The sentences that follow outline particular ways that people might manage with the inevitable marital problems that arise from time to time. When you think about the challenges you've had in your marriage, how much do you use each of the following to deal with them? When I'm having marital issues, I…

How might Divine Spiritual Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems benefit or hinder a marriage or couple relationship?

  • To the best of our knowledge, our study on the transition to parenthood is the first attempt to investigate how much married couples experience spiritual struggles as a result of marital difficulties, and what impact these divine spiritual struggles have on the marriage and each spouse's psychological or spiritual well-being. We are presently doing analyses and will report back when we have more information.

What is the definition of a spiritual stronghold?

The Spirit of God desires each of you to break free from any demonic strongholds that are holding you hostage.

HTML tutorial

I believe it would be beneficial to think about the metaphor's metaphorical element a little further.

9:9 (Psalms) The LORD is a stronghold in times of adversity for the oppressed.

Because it is high and inaccessible to adversaries, a cliff might be used as a stronghold.

1 Samuel 23:14; 1 Samuel 23:15; 1 Samuel 23:16; 1 David lingered in the fortresses of the desert and the highlands of the Ziph Desert.

and my deliverer; my shield, and the one in whom I put my trust; the one who subdues my people under me

Why would a “high thing” want to elevate itself by hanging out in a high cliff or a high tower?

It's considerably easier to drive an adversary away from a fortress on a high vantage point.

In the history of Israel's conflicts, you can learn about the strategic value of strongholds.

It's just off the main route leading up to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and the airport.

HTML tutorial

The problem with this location was that it was a stronghold located along the main roadway.

The Arab Legion held the fortress of Latrun when the War of Independence began.

They could pick off the caravans delivering supplies up to the Jews in Jerusalem from this vantage point.

This was a stronghold that needed to be conquered!

It had a suffocating grip over Jerusalem!

The fledgling Israeli Defense Forces attempted to take it five times in five different ways.

The Arab Legion—the greatest, British-trained warriors on the Arab side—has proven itself time and time again.

As a result, the Israelis construct a “Burma Road” around the bastion, traversing tough terrain.

Until 1967, the Arabs controlled this fortification, which was located just five kilometers from Ben-Gurion Airport.

HTML tutorial

Nasser dispatched Egyptian troops to Jordanian garrisons shortly before the 1967 conflict.

includes an impressive display of Israeli army tanks that were purchased, manufactured, or captured.

For the past two decades, that location has posed a threat to our people's safety in the heart of the country.

How long has a stronghold in the center of your thinking life jeopardized your safety?

Is it possible?

Hey, David conquered Jerusalem and established it as his capital!

Joab unlocked the citadel's gates by breaking through a tunnel that led to a spring.

“Even if Babylon climbs the sky and fortifies her lofty stronghold,' Jer 51:53 declares.

by diverting the city's river and marching into the city on the riverbank!

God is well-versed in strongholds and understands how to overthrow them — and he'll show you how.

Do you ever want to quit up when you come up against a stronghold in your life?

Individuals who are willing to battle, people with courage, capture strongholds!

God will assist you if you ask for it. The Bible and the Holy Spirit will show you how. Amen?

One thing to remember about a stronghold: it's a location, not a person.

The mind is the castle of the soul, and Satan and his henchmen aim to capture people's minds.

“Have nothing to do with the unproductive deeds of darkness,” Ephesians 5:11 exhorts us.

If you wish to allow God's light shine on the darkness, you must have a humble attitude.

“Test me, O LORD, and try me, probe my heart and my intellect,” David begged in Ps 26:2.

After you've identified the stronghold, repentance is the next stage in bringing it down.

Honesty before God is the best policy, and humbly allowing the Spirit to reveal the stronghold in the darkness is the best policy.

It's possible that you'll have to mute the tiny lawyer who emerges from a dark corner of your mind.

A frontal assault on a stronghold doesn't always appear to work.

So, what are your options?

With a frontal attack, Jewish warriors attempted to take the Old City of Jerusalem.

From the east, I've seen a photo of Israeli generals looking down on the Old City!

They were able to cut off supplies and reinforcements after encircling the city.

After that, the Israelis were able to enter the city with little resistance.

What was the game plan? March for seven days around the city, then blow your trumpets!

How can you encircle a fortress of pessimistic thinking and old rumours?

How about some compliments?

32:7 in Psalms. “You are my safe haven; you will keep me safe from harm and surround me.”

Praise God by singing psalms and spiritual hymns around the fortress.

There's a powerful technique to surround every bad stronghold with God's contrary truth.

If you're fighting a stronghold of rejection, surround it with Abba's acceptance.

If you're having trouble dealing with unresolved anger, try surrounding it with forgiveness.

Surround yourself with the knowledge of God's love if you're battling with a stronghold of fear.

If you're fighting a failing fortress, surround it with the triumph of the resurrection!

Once you've recognized a stronghold, go to the Bible and look up the contrary truth that God has revealed.

If rejection is your stronghold, read everything the Bible says about God's acceptance.

His resistance will swiftly wane, and if he isn't already gone, he will be soon!

Please forgive me for making a compromise. Give me the guts to demolish every stronghold I own.

I bind any evil powers within me that were encouraging compromise and sin.

I submit to the light of the Spirit of Truth in order for any sin strongholds in me to be exposed.

I declare that every satanic stronghold is being demolished by the great weapons of the Spirit and the Word!

I intend to envelop this demonic stronghold in praise and affirming truth from God's Word.

I intend to capture every negative thought pattern and bring it into submission to Messiah.

By God's grace, I intend to persevere until even the ruins of this stronghold are razed.

I intend to consider everything that is genuine, noble, right, and pure.

If there is anything charming or admirable—if there is anything worthy of praise—

By God's grace, I intend to construct one fortress within my mind and heart:

“The LORD's name is a strong fortress; the virtuous will flee to it for safety.”

How do you pray against the enemy?

I command the storm of destruction to gather upon every satanic power that is against my health IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS! I decree and declare great casualty upon witches and wizards operating in my neighborhood, the judgment of God shall torment the powers of darkness working against me both at night and in the morning, the night shall carry terror and anger against all satanic powers that are standing against me, the night shall carry terror and anger against all satanic powers that

RIGHT NOW, IN THE NAME OF JESUS, my prayers have become earthquakes and storms in the devil's camp that is against my life; the Lord shall gather his armor against powers that are against my intellectual growth; all sickness in my life, known or unknown, receives heavenly storm; all conspiracy against any part of my body receives destruction now!

I order the deep wells inside me to be freed and broken forth in the name of JESUS!