 The spiritual realm is real. Demons are real. And I want to show you from Scripture the seven ways that demons attack believers. Before I begin, make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV on YouTube and click that notification bell when you do subscribe. You can also follow us wherever you're watching us. Demons deceive. The primary way the enemy attacks the believer is through deception and there are many forms of deception. Spiritual warfare is simply the fight to believe God's truth over the enemy's lies. The Scripture says in John 8.44 For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character for he is a liar and the father of lies. So the primary strategy against the believer from the demonic realm is deception. John 8.32 says, And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The believer does not become bound by demons. They become bound by lies and deception. When you know the truth it's like turning on a light in a dark place. When that light goes on the darkness dissolves instantly and when you know the truth you're liberated from demonic deception. Now before I describe the different ways that the enemy does attack the believers let me explain to you some of the limitations that the enemy has. Now demons are very powerful beings. Jude 19 says, Yet Michael the archangel when contending with the devil in a dispute about the body of Moses did not dare to pronounce upon him a railing judgment but he said the Lord rebuke you. So we mustn't be apathetic in our approach to spiritual warfare because demonic beings are highly trained spiritual assassins who know humanity's weak point. So we have to take the spiritual war seriously. But with that in mind we must remember that they also do have their limitations. First of all, demons cannot read minds. First Kings 839 says, Then here in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to everyone according to all his ways whose hearts you know for only you know the hearts of the sons of men so only God can read minds. Demons cannot see the future. Isaiah 46 9-10 says remember the former things of old for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. So the scripture says that there's no one like God who can describe the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. Only God can see all things. Only God can see the future. So how then do psychics get their power? Well demons make what I call educated guesses. As I mentioned just a moment ago, demonic beings understand human nature in ways we probably can't even fathom. And looking at human nature, they check political conditions, climate conditions, economic conditions and they can make predictions about what will happen in the future based upon what they know about humanity and the world. So they make educated guesses. This is why psychics are mostly wrong but sometimes do get some things right. Number three, demons cannot be omnipresent. Job 1-6-7 says, Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and the adversary also came among them. And the Lord said to the adversary, From where have you come? Then the adversary answered the Lord saying, From roaming on the earth and walking up and down on it. Now here we see that the adversary traveled. Remember Jesus said when an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it goes what? Through the desert. It roams through the desert. It moves about. If you're omnipresent, you by definition can't move anywhere because you're everywhere at all times. So the fact that the adversary moves, the fact that demons move about the earth is proof that they are not omnipresent. So those are demonic limitations. They cannot read your mind. They cannot see the future and they cannot be omnipresent. So how do demonic beings attack the believer? Well, we know, biblically speaking, that Christians can't be possessed. Other words for possession are demonization and oppression. So Christians can't be possessed. We can't be cursed because you can't curse what God has declared blessed. And whatever word someone speaks against me, God's word speaks something greater. But this doesn't mean that demons can't affect and influence and attack the believer. So number one, they use accusation. Revelation 12.10 says, Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens. It has come at last salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. The Bible calls the enemy the accuser. Have you ever been going about your day full of joy and peace when suddenly you get a flashback or a memory about something you did or thought? That's the accusation of the enemy working against you, trying to get you to focus on the shame of your past, trying to get you to identify with your past sin. It's time to be free of this assault. It's time to recognize that God has forgiven you and He's put your past where it belongs. This is an assault that is very common against the believer because the enemy does not want you to have peace. The enemy wants you to live in shame regarding your past. The enemy wants you constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering if the past is going to catch up to you and destroy your life. No, that is the accusation of the enemy and it's time to live in the peace of God. Number two is temptation. In Genesis chapter 3, we see that the enemy tempts Eve and later of course Adam fell into the same sin. But when the enemy went to tempt Eve, the first thing he did was challenge the word of God. This was the result, Genesis 3-6. The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it too. Demons are like salespeople for sin. They sell sin. They present sin. They try to get you to fall into sin. And remember this, they're never going to present you with something that you're not interested in. When the enemy tempts you, he's going to tempt you with things that you find tempting. He's going to exploit your weakness. So this is an assault of the enemy for sure. This is one way that the enemy has destroyed marriages, families, ministries. It's through temptation. And temptation really is a form of deception because temptation says, this sin is worth my integrity. This sin will give me permanent pleasure. This sin will fulfill me. And it's the lie of the fulfillment in that sin that really gets you because you wouldn't fall for temptation. You wouldn't sin if you didn't think that it would fulfill you in some way. So that's the great deception behind temptation. So temptation is a form of deception. Number one, accusation. He accuses you of your past sin. Number two, temptation. And isn't it interesting how the enemy works with these two? He'll tempt you, tempt you, tempt you, tempt you. And once he got you, he'll start to accuse you, accuse you, accuse you. It's funny how when you're walking clean, he doesn't use accusation, but he talks about how wonderful sin is. And the moment you fall into sin, he talks about how horrible your sin was. That's how these two attacks work together. Number three is distraction. Ephesians 6-12 says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The enemy wants to take your mind off the supernatural world. He wants to keep you consumed by entertainment and music, and all of the distractions that this world offers. He wants to keep you focused on the carnal, not on the supernatural. He wants to keep you focused on the temporary, not on the eternal. He wants to call you to battles that don't matter. He wants you to give your tension, time, and energy to things that aren't going to matter years from now. He wants you to get involved in that argument. He wants to get you stuck on that Netflix series. And of course, watching television is not sinful in and of itself, but if it becomes all consuming in your life, that, of course, is something you should be careful of because that's the trap of distraction. He gets you consumed by these things. He gets you fighting all these battles that don't matter. He gets you thinking about things that you shouldn't think about. He gets you involved in things that consume too much time. That is an assault, and you must recognize it. And it's funny to me that we're not losing people, Christians. We're not losing churchgoers to the occult, not necessarily all the time. Most of the time we're losing people to baseball. Most of the time we're losing to people, people to entertainment, to the things and cares of this world. We must be aware of the distraction of the enemy. Number four, depression. Now, it's important to remember that mental illness can be caused by demonic beings, but that doesn't mean that every mental illness is caused by demonic beings. It can happen, but that doesn't mean it's always the case. For example, I had a friend who was one way, but then after suffering an injury to his head became a completely different way. The brain injury affected his personality in many negative ways. Now, was that a demon that was attached to his brain? By no means. He had suffered a serious accident. So mental illness can come about as a result of natural things in this world. That doesn't mean, however, that demons can't use it. So sometimes demons can cause mental illness, but that doesn't mean that every mental illness is caused by a demonic being. In the same way, demons can affect mental illness, but that doesn't mean that every mental illness is affected by demonic beings. Now, what I mean by that affected is that demons will see someone suffering with depression, and they will intensify and prolong that depression. Let's say a parent loses a child. Well, if a parent loses a child, of course they're going to experience some form of depression, a lingering sadness over them. But the enemy can get involved in that situation and intensify that depression and even prolong that depression by continually telling them lies. So we can't be dogmatic and say every single time, oh, that's definitely a spirit. And we can't be dogmatic the other way and say every single time, well, that's mental illness. It's not a demonic spirit. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't. And sometimes it's a combination of the two. But one of the ways that demons affect the believer is through depression and that depression comes about through deception. They believe a lie, a lie as simple as, I'm alone. They forget the truth where God has said, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. And they embrace that lie. And so once they believe they're alone, they feel alone. Once they feel alone, they act alone. And once they act alone, that becomes a behavior pattern. That behavior pattern is what we would call a bondage, but it's all rooted in the mind. They don't need an exorcism. They need to come to know the truth that God is with them and that would liberate them from depression. That's just one example of how one lie can cause depression. But there are many lies that can cause depression. Lies like God hasn't forgiven me. Lies like God has rejected me. Lies like nobody loves me. Lies like my life isn't worth living. These are lies that become rooted. But that lie is deception. And that deception causes depression. So sometimes it's demonic. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's both. But we must be on the alert to identify these lies that we might be set free from this attack of the enemy. Number five, intimidation or anxiety. 1 Peter 5.6-7 says, Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. One of the ways that the enemy used to attack me severely was through anxiety, constantly lying to me telling me that the worst case scenario would be my reality. Isn't that amazing how the enemy does that? He whispers to you, worst case scenarios telling you this is going to happen or this is going to happen or that bad thing will occur. You're going to definitely lose that love when now we understand that as believers we face tragedies, we face heartache. But this is really overkill to think this way, to think worst case scenario and that's how the enemy wants to keep you living. He's going to constantly be suggesting the worst possible outcomes. And if you're not careful, you're not going to identify it. And if you don't identify that lie, you can't reject that lie. And if you don't reject that lie, you by default embrace that lie and therefore you live in this paranoid anxious state where you're always very tense and on edge and just about to lose your mind and people can sense it around you. That is an assault of the enemy. Anxiety like depression can sometimes be rooted in the natural world, can sometimes be caused by a demonic being and can sometimes be a combination of both. Number six, affliction or mental torment. 2 Corinthians chapter 12 says this beginning at verse 5 that experience is worth boasting about but I'm not going to do it. I will boast only about my weakness. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so because I would be telling the truth but I won't do it because I don't want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message. Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. So Paul the Apostle here is writing of demonic mental torment that he was suffering with. Now nobody told him, oh Paul you should undergo an exorcism because as we know, Christians don't need exorcisms and Christians should never undergo anything that even resembles an exorcism. We're set free by knowing the truth, living a holy life, surrendering to God, repenting, asking for his forgiveness, not by rituals and superstitious approaches. So Paul was never told, oh that's a devil, you got to get it cast out of you. Instead this is what happened. Verse eight, three different times. I beg the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, my grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. Now here we see that the solution to affliction if you're a believer is not exorcism, it's grace. You see the enemy is going to be constantly assaulting your mind with thoughts that are tormenting, maybe thoughts that are violent or highly sexual in nature or thoughts that make you fearful. This is different than intimidation because it's not just about putting fear in you, it's about putting confusion in you. It's about getting you to second guess your walk with God. It's about getting you to feel like you're not grounded. It's about getting you to be tormented in the mind. And demons say things about your future, about your past, about your present, about who you are, about who others are around you, about reality, about God. They lie about everything they can in order to get you to become tormented. But the response here is grace. But be aware of that because when you find your mind is not at peace, you find your mind all over the place and you feel that torment in your mind. Be aware that that is an assault of the enemy. It brings on cynicism, this really dark sense around you. That is the assault of affliction or torment. Finally, number seven, indoctrination. Galatians 3.1 says, Oh, foolish Galatians, who has cast an evil spell on you or who hath bewitched you? And in the Greek, this literally means who has deceived you. For the meaning of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. So here the scripture is describing this deception coming over the Galatians, getting them to believe a different gospel. 1 Timothy 4, 1-2 says, Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last time some will turn away from the true faith. They will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars and their consciences are seared. So indoctrination is another form of assault of the enemy where the enemy gets us to believe doctrines that are distracting, doctrines that are tormenting, doctrines that are bizarre or unbiblical and Christians become obsessed with these doctrines that in the end don't even really matter. You know the Christian life though it's not always an easy one is rather simple. Anything that's spiritual is simple. Anything that's religious is always going to be complex, complicated. When you follow Jesus, you love him, you live clean, you love others, you worship God, you devote yourself to the word, you devote yourself to prayer, these are simple things. But sometimes the enemy can bring torment by means of indoctrination and those two assaults work very well together by getting you to believe certain doctrines it can bring about certain mental torment. So if you believe at any moment I as a believer can have a demon in me, well guess what? You're going to have a very paranoid existence and you're going to be constantly wondering about demons and you may even feel like you're possessed because you have convinced yourself that you are. For example, I one time was reading the book of Romans. This was early on when I was born again. You know, I looked at that portion of Scripture that described vessels of wrath and I thought that that meant that God created certain people to be condemned forever and I thought, what if I'm a vessel of wrath? So that doctrine, that indoctrination that didn't come from the Holy Spirit but another Spirit tormented me and the enemy, here's a crazy thing. The enemy will use Scripture sometimes to torment you. Not the Scripture itself but the twisting of the Scriptures to torment you. So that is an attack of the enemy. The solution for all these is very simple. 2 Corinthians 10.5 Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. It's casting down these imaginations by means of truth. Get these thoughts to subject themselves to the authority of God's Word. If you want to defeat the deception of the enemy, if you want to defeat these attacks first, identify the deception. How do you do that? You know the Word. Compare your thoughts and what's in your head with what's in the Word. That's how you identify lies. Once you've identified the lie, choose to believe the truth. Thoughts are the actions of the mind. You choose what you believe and once you've chosen to believe the truth, freedom follows and the attack of the enemy is defeated. Father, I pray you help us do it. Help us to see the assaults of the enemy. Holy Spirit guide us. Thank you, Lord, for exposing the devil and his plans. Help us, Lord, to live in truth, to embrace the truth that we might be free. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. And I want you to say it because you believe it. Say, well, that is it for the message. Here now is a question for conversation. Which of these demonic attacks do you most often have to deal with in your life? Let me know in the comments section right now. Now, here are some comments from a previous video titled Have I Committed the Unpardonable Sin? The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit Clearly Explain. In that video, I asked, did this message help you to better understand the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? How so? Damarius Pagan wrote, Yes, it did help me. When I was a little girl, I was always scared of committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Now I'm 44 and this is the first time I've heard a clear explanation of this topic. Thank you so much. Rachel Abouza writes, I thank the Lord for answering my question. After I watched this video, it became clear to me how a person commits the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. So now, the devil won't be able to lie to me again. I love that. Gladys Perez writes, since the age of 12, I have lived with the fear of committing this sin. But out of nowhere, I saw this video on my Facebook feed. This video has truly brought clarity to this subject. Thank you. And the final comment I'll read from this video comes from Cho Karyaga who writes, Yes, I am always terrified of having blasphemous thoughts because I fear that God won't forgive me. But through this message, I learned the truth about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. One more time, don't forget to subscribe to EncounterTV on YouTube and do click that notification bell so you can receive notices when we put out new content. You can also follow us wherever you're watching us. And remember, make sure to get involved with this ministry. Help us to win souls and build believers all around the world through events and media. Your support, one time or monthly, helps to fund the media, the live streams, the events, the Holy Spirit School. It all makes a difference. It's all for Jesus. It's all for souls. Get involved. You've been blessed by the ministry. You believe in what we're doing. I know you love the Lord. I know you believe the gospel. I know you want to win souls. So help us do it. 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