Shifting Atmospheres

by Dawna DeSilva

  The Bible makes it clear that sin hinders communication with God. Although He is willing to reach out and redeem those who are lost, when we practice sin it muddies and sometimes blocks free and personal communication with Him:

  We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him (John 9:31).

  When dealing with someone who has an open door, Sozoers partner with the Holy Spirit to help clients work through a process of repentance, renunciation, forgiveness, and acceptance of God’s truth. Each door covers broad categories and houses a myriad of other related sins.

  According to the Four Doors tool, behind the door of fear exists worry, unbelief, need for control, anxiety, isolation, apathy, drugs, and alcohol addictions. Behind hatred/bitterness is bitterness, envy, gossip, slander, anger, and self-hatred (low self-worth). In sexual sin is adultery, pornography, fornication, lewdness, molestation, perversion, fantasy, and rape. The last door, the occult, includes astrology, fortune-telling, tarot cards, séances, Ouija boards, manipulation, control, participation in covens, casting curses, and other witchcraft practices.

  Some of these doors may be hard for Christians to investigate. For instance, not many people want to admit they struggle with hatred or bitterness, let alone culture-shaming issues like pornography. Some of these areas are painful to investigate, but it is important for the person’s health that they bring these issues before the Father.

  Other terms used to describe open doors are hooks or pockets of darkness. The meaning is the same regardless of how you choose to identify them. Make sure any areas of your life that you feel are in partnership with sin are renounced and forgiven by Christ. Leaving something to fester will only lead to imprisonment. I have witnessed such breakthrough in people’s lives as they bring their sin to light, renounce participation with it, and receive Christ’s forgiveness.

  Any part of our lives not submitted to the blood of Christ has the potential to house demonic activity. The devil and his minions exist in areas of spiritual darkness, so any areas in our lives not surrendered to God have the potential to invite the demonic. Whether these holds on your life speak to you as doors, hooks, or areas of darkness, make sure you take ownership over yourself and bring any issues before God. Doing so will eradicate the devil’s footholds and set you up for success in spiritual warfare.

  Perhaps the most common tactic the enemy uses against us is lying. In fact, this is the first tactic the devil used to deceive Eve in the Garden. This tactic is how the devil uses deception to trick us into believing in falsehoods. When we agree with these unhealthy mindsets, we partner with sin and act out of our old, dead natures. We resurrect our old humanity and give it power to dictate our actions. The apostle Paul writes:

  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).

  Paul tells us to consider (or add up or come to the logical conclusion) ourselves dead to sin and new creations in God’s redemptive and restorative power. When we give our lives to Christ, we receive a new mind. Paul even goes so far as to tell us we are given the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). How then can so many Christians hear the enemy’s voice and backslide into sin? The answer is deception. The devil is a master of deceit and has been so from the beginning. In Genesis, the serpent’s words were:

  Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”? (Genesis 3:1)

  This was a direct challenge to God’s command just moments before and was almost the exact opposite of what the Lord actually told Adam and Eve.

  MAKE SURE YOU TAKE OWNERSHIP OVER YOURSELF AND BRING ANY ISSUES BEFORE GOD.

  Although we are given the mind of Christ, we are not given an invisible force field set up to ward off all of the enemy’s schemes. This is why Paul encourages us to put on and wear the full armor of God. While the shield of faith extinguishes the enemy’s arrows, our helmet of salvation, our breastplate of righteousness, our belt of truth, and our sandals of peace will protect us from any accurate missiles.

  Lies are the primary way evil spirits communicate with us. By tricking us into believing their mindsets, demons get us to partner with their schemes. This then creates behavioral patterns that result in action. As we agree with these agendas over time, warped mindsets develop. This is how strongholds form. Years of agreeing with lies like I am unworthy or I am stupid create cyclical patterns that manifest physically in the form of addictions, sins, and destructive life patterns. Soon we are acting against God’s original design for our lives.

  These lies typically exist at a subconscious level, sometimes stewarded from the time of birth or early childhood. Having such ideologies ingrained from a young age, people are often unable to identify their presence. Taking the time to allow the Holy Spirit to point out any ungodly mindsets helps individuals to ferret out lies and exchange them for the Lord’s truth. Until this exchange happens, the person will not be able to fully receive healing.

  This minefield of the mind is where the enemy sabotages us. It is why Paul writes in Second Corinthians:

  For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For our weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

  These flaming arrows thrown at your mind must not be partnered with. We must free ourselves from the lies we believe and walk free from the devil’s deception.

  The Bible defines these lies as arguments and lofty opinions. Some translations even use the word imaginations. This is why Paul admonishes us to take every thought captive. The devil wants to plant his lies deep into the soil of our subconscious. Doing this ingrains his false mentalities that, unless uprooted, develop into destructive mindsets.

  It is amazing how many Christians fail to seize and take every thought captive because they fail to realize that not all the voices speaking to them are their own. These thoughts just might be whispers of deception coming from evil spirits, which must be renounced.

  Be careful to test your thoughts and feelings throughout your day. If you struggle to discern what is from God and what is not, write down what you hear. When God is speaking, even when He confronts us, we will feel His character of love coming through. If you ever find yourself confused in your ability to discern whose voice is talking, remember that anything that does not lead you closer to Jesus is from another kingdom:

  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

  WEAPONS OF WARFARE

  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

  —2 CORINTHIANS 10:4-6

  The Bible provides a storehouse of weapons for us to use in spiritual warfare. Apart from what we have already discussed (spiritual armor, discernment, and God’s Word), weapons like worship/praise, prophetic declarations, prayer, tongues, the fruits of the Spirit, and encouraging one’s self in the Lord all help us to defend and/or take ground from the enemy. The Bible tells us Jesus has all authority. Therefore, we can be confident that His love will cover us as we progress through our learning of spiritual battle.

  One of the greatest weapons in our arsenal is worship/praise. When using this technique, we quell the enemy’s attempts to infiltrate our minds and hearts. We focus on our original assignment (relationship with God) and deflect the devil’s attacks.

  Human beings are designed to worship. We see this all throughout history. When humans choose not to worship God, they replace this need with other forms of worship. The Israelites in the wilderness proved this point by w
orshiping a golden calf after Moses had departed (see Exod. 32:1). I find that when we are not worshiping God wholly, we begin to worship other things—ourselves, relationships, fame, money, possessions, or any other natural or abstract desire. Worship is core to man’s nature, and we must aim it at God alone.

  ONE OF THE GREATEST WEAPONS IN OUR ARSENAL IS WORSHIP.

  One night while on a trip, my friend Susan experienced a demonic attack. Sound asleep, I felt God’s prompting to wake up and protect her. I turned to ask if she was okay and felt an evil presence standing at the foot of her bed.

  “Are you alright?” I asked.

  “No,” she said. “There’s a demon telling me all sorts of lies and I’m struggling to not give in to them.”

  As I sat up to confront the demon, my head started to spin. Feeling like I was about to vomit, I laid back down. Still trying to wake, I had difficulty not drifting back to sleep. Again, the Holy Spirit prompted me to wake.

  As I rose, I began to softly sing, “Who is like unto Thee?” The vertigo loosened its grip as I continued to sit up. I next declared, “Oh Lord among the gods, who is like unto Thee?” My stomach churned, but I continued to sit up and sing even louder until I ended on, “Glorious in Holiness. Fearful in praises and doing wonders. Who is like unto Thee?” As I finished the song, the atmosphere lifted. The demon, frightened by my worship, vanished. The feeling of torment shifted to peace and we both fell fast asleep.

  God takes the subject of worship so seriously that He incorporated it into many of His warfare strategies. In Second Chronicles, we saw this demonstrated during the reign of Jehoshaphat:

  And when he [Jehoshaphat] had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

  Placing musicians on the front lines, Jehoshaphat magnified God’s praise. Though a risk, he took the time to create an atmosphere of praise and experienced one of Judah’s most miraculous deliverances:

  And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another (2 Chronicles 20:22-23).

  In this passage, praise confused the enemy. Sent out as a disruptive signal, worship confounded the enemy’s ranks and destroyed them so completely that the armies of Judah spent three days collecting spoil:

  When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much (2 Chronicles 20:25).

  If you find yourself in the midst of an impossible situation, worship may be your greatest weapon. In the midst of discouragement, praise can be the very thing that brings you into tomorrow’s blessing. Habakkuk depicts this beautifully at the close of his book. During a time of crisis for his people, Habakkuk exercised faith and praised the Lord for the blessings he had not yet seen:

  Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food…yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places (Habakkuk 3:17-20).

  This prophetic foresight displays the creative power of praise. Sometimes worshiping God in the midst of our trials actually creates the breakthrough we are looking for.

  This mixes well with one of the other weapons God has placed in our arsenal—prophetic declarations. This is a helpful tool that allows us to seize God’s promises that may feel distant or out of reach. In times of warfare, it is imperative we cry out and proclaim God’s truths over us. It is a weapon even Job reflected on during his time of difficulty:

  You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways (Job 22:28).

  When we prophetically partner with God’s promises (those that have been declared but not yet realized), it creates in us the capacity to receive hope. This is the act of faith Jesus described to His disciples:

  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it (John 14:13-14).

  Jesus Himself made prophetic declarations. In Mark 4, Jesus imparted peace to the storm. His inner reality became the atmosphere by which everything else shifted. The result was an instant calm and a pervading fear of God’s glory.

  WHEN WE PROPHETICALLY PARTNER WITH GOD’S PROMISES, IT CREATES IN US THE CAPACITY TO RECEIVE HOPE.

  Last year, I took a stroll through my neighborhood. It was after the third year of a drought, and most of the lawns had died due to lack of water. The lawns had turned yellow, and it seemed the neighbors’ motivation to keep them pretty had died as well. Staring at the mummified remains, I thought, Well, there goes the neighborhood.

  I heard the Lord say, “It can, but it’s up to you.”

  I thought for a minute and replied, “Lord, I don’t have time to paint the outside of my neighbor’s house, fix their roof, or water their lawn.”

  His only answer was, “You know how to do this. You do teach this stuff.”

  From then on, I declared life into the neighborhood—this home will be repainted, this roof will be fixed, this lawn will be watered. When I got home that night, the lawn across from my house was being lavishly watered. It was the first time in months the sprinklers had been on.

  By declaring God’s opposite (life and beauty), the spiritual atmosphere of dryness shifted. Eventually, the drought ended. Now there is an array of green lawns and refreshed homes dotting our cul-de-sac.

  Returning to Jehoshaphat’s story, we see another powerful weapon of warfare—prayer and fasting. In Daniel’s case, it led to many visions and revelations being imparted. For Jesus, it led to thousands of documented signs and wonders. In Jehoshaphat’s case, prayer and fasting led his kingdom to an astonishing victory:

  Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:2-4).

  And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah…in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:14-15).

  The lesson to glean from this is the power of bringing our feelings, problems, and situations before the Lord. As a loving and perfect Father, He is never ashamed of our thoughts or issues, He simply wants to deliver us. As Stephen De Silva says, “God is a deliverer by nature. It is not if He will deliver us but when.”1

  Prayer is powerful. It helps us gain God’s perspectives and receive His strategies. Although we will discuss intercessory prayer in the last chapter, for now realize prayer’s importance and work to improve its frequency in your life. Three wonderful messages you can listen to on prayer are Stephen De Silva’s “Shirtless in My Offering”2 and “Praying It Forward”3 and my message entitled “Praying from Power.”4

  AS A LOVING AND PERFECT FATHER, HE IS NEVER ASHAMED OF OUR THOUGHTS OR ISSUES, HE SIMPLY WANTS TO DELIVER US.

  The gift of tongues is an effective yet sometimes frowned upon weapon for spiritual warfare. It is sometimes seen as a time-specific gift, but it nevertheless serves as an important form of prayer. While I
do not wish to argue points of theology, below are some Scriptures that support its use:

  Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church (1 Corinthians 14:1-4).

  Translations for the phrase builds up include “to build a house, erect a building, to build (up from the foundation), to restore by building, to repair, found, establish, to promote growth in Christian wisdom, affection, holiness.” While Paul states prophecy is used to grow the church in wisdom, grace, and holiness, tongues is the private form of communication between a person and the Lord. This is why Paul encourages us to learn how to translate tongues. If we do so, it makes the individual blessing corporate:

  Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up (1 Corinthians 14:13-17).