On Spiritual Warfare

I'm feeling led to share about the topic of spiritual warfare. This is a controversial subject, even in Christian circles, but my experiences tell me that it is real, nonetheless. Since this blog is primarily to document my faith journey for my family, I think it is important to share this because it is a big part of my life.

I discovered early on in my Christian walk that one of my spiritual gifts is discernment of spirits. Particularly, I am able to sense and sometimes see when there are evil spirits (demons) present. This sounds unreal, but I have had many encounters, so it's pretty real to me.

When I was in junior high, I was particularly obsessed with the occult and the supernatural. I wasn't a Christian at this point, which made my obsession very dangerous. I participated in seances and used a ouija board. I watched horror movies and read horror novels. I basically filled my mind with garbage. I was terrified of the evil around me, but I was so drawn to it that I had to keep going. During one seance, my friends and I were in a basement laundry room, and a batch of hangers went flying from one end of their rod to the other. That scared us pretty badly!

When I was in high school, I became a Christian. Shortly thereafter, I awoke one night to find something on top of me. I was suffocating and there was a face right in front of mine. I prayed and prayed until this thing finally left. Then I prayed for God to bind all the evil spirits that I had unwittingly unleashed when I was doing all these satanic thing. He did.

Since then, I have been able to sense when something evil is around. If there is strong demonic activity, I can sometimes see them.

So why would I share this with my boys? I want them to understand that Satan is real. His demons are real. They are in a war with God over our souls. Although I am saved, Satan still wants to prevent me from living a victorious life in Christ and from seeing other people come to the Lord. But this is not something that should scare us, only make us aware. Victory is ours through Jesus Christ. When I see or sense demons, I am able to pray and ask God to remove them. And He does.

I pray every night for the spiritual safety of my children. Adam is now saved and sanctified and protected by the Holy Spirit himself. Noah is sanctified through my faith and Ian's faith. But Satan still wants to defeat them. It seems like a strange thing to be thankful for, but I am thankful for my gift because I know when I need to pray against Satan.

The other night, Ian was out of town, and as I walked past the bottom of the stairs, I had a strange chill. I looked up and I knew something was at the top of the stairs looking at me. I spent a long time in prayer and it left. I know Satan preys upon us when we are most vulnerable, and I am usually more fearful when Ian is out of town. That night, I slept like a log! It was so peaceful in our house!

Anyway, that's what's been on my heart to share. Our God is all-powerful. Nothing can stand against Him. And He's quick to rush in to save us when we need Him. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:12 - 13