Ephesians 6:12: 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.
2 Corinthians 10:5: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of GOD, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of CHRIST;
GOD is in the business of renewing the minds of those who surrender to HIM. But we have an enemy who is real and you have a choice of who to listen to. When I first began to really question my lukewarm faith and just how very lukewarm I was, I began to pursue GOD more than ever in prayer. I would have these nice times of prayer and afterward, I would hear in my mind the most foul words. I was confused, how could I be thinking these thoughts when I just spent time in sincere prayer with GOD? The LORD led me to a book called The Invisible War by Pastor Chip Ingram about the demonic.
And then I came to Pastor Ingram’s question: Have you ever just had a wonderful time in prayer with the LORD only to have evil words going through your mind and wonder what’s going on? And then Pastor Ingram revealed that this was the demonic. I was stunned. I was in a church that never talked about such things because they were run by the demonic they were so lukewarm.
So after I received a prayer language, I was with a friend who just received the gift of interpretation (she prayed for it so she could interpret my language and got the gift). We were praying together and she was interpreting my language. Then suddenly I heard in my mind the most foul words. I did not say a word to her about these words I was hearing. Then she interpreted my language and the interpretation was this: DEMONS, DEMONS! I was stunned because she had not heard the words I heard in my mind. So immediately we prayed against this attack.
Another occasion, we were on vacation and just came into the place we were renting to stay for the week. Again, I wasn’t in the place long and I began to hear all these fowl words being said. Well someone turned the TV on and the news was playing and they were talking about people cussing on TV. I thought that’s a confirmation and so I prayed against the enemy.
The Bible says to cast down imaginations because many of these are attacks by the enemy. How serious is all this? EXTREMELY. Everyday people are NOT casting down their imaginations–they are going with it. They are doing all kinds of evil because they are under attack. Young people deciding to go to school to shoot fellow students…young and old alike choosing to take their own lives…mothers choosing to kill their own children…husbands choosing to have affairs…and on and on. And the demonic seem to be having more and more influence over people daily. The lukewarm church wants you to believe it’s all mental illness. The Bible I read talks about a man that was so tormented by a legion of demons that he went wild and cut himself. There was another man who Satan entered into who betrayed JESUS CHRIST for thirty pieces of silver. I would rather believe that humans are under the influence of the demonic than to believe they could commit such heinous acts apart from the influence of Satan and yes we are all imperfect until we come under the perfection of CHRIST. There is only ONE way to fight against out-of-control imaginations that need to be cast down and that is a FULL SURRENDER to CHRIST and a submission to the Will of the FATHER, repentance and a full measure of the HOLY SPIRIT. Until the human submits to GOD like a child the powers and principalities of the air have access to the imaginations of men.
