Spiritual Forces Coming Against Believers:

• Believers have the life of Christ in them through the Holy Spirit — Colossians 1:27.
• We proclaim His life to a world that is dead in their sin — Acts 1:8.
• We bring the Word of life, hope, freedom, and the knowledge of Jesus Christ — John 8:36.
• We share the gospel with those who are in the kingdom of darkness so that the Father can bring them into the Kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ — Colossians 1:13.
• Believers in the Body of Christ, the church, have been commissioned to share the gospel and to make disciples — Matthew 28:19-20.
• We are the salt of the earth — Matt. 5:13.
• We are the light of the world — Matt. 5:14.
• We have been given the ministry of reconciliation, and we are ambassadors for Christ — 2 Corinthians 5:18-19.

• He sees things in the life of believers and he accuses them before God — Rev. 12:10.
• Believers sometimes open themselves to spiritual attacks —1 John 2:1; James 1:14-15.
• When we are in the middle of the attack, Jesus Christ is pleading our case before the Father, as our Advocate — 1 John 2:1; Hebrew 9:24; 7:25.

1. The spirit of religion and tradition:
• It came to attack Jesus many times during His ministry here on earth. The Pharisees and the scribes were controlled by that spirit and they even tried to stone Jesus many time because they claimed that Jesus was violating the Law — John 10:31; 8:59.
• Paul was attacked many times by groups of Jews who were under the control of the spirit of religion and tradition and who were angered by the fact that Paul was teaching that Jesus was the Messiah — 2 Cor. 11:25; Acts 14:19.
• Today, many congregations and believers are also under this spirit of religion and tradition and it stops the Holy Spirit from moving and bringing revival. These congregations and believers are fruitless in their work for the Kingdom because of a spirit of religion and tradition controlling them.


2. The spirit of the world:
• Warning from John — Do not love the world or the things of the world…For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2:15-16 (NKJV)
• A large number of congregations and mega churches are opening themselves to the spirit of the world—they look and sound like the world! They are bringing large crowds “of the world” but the warning from John is real — If the spirit of the world is controlling them, then the Spirit of the Father is not going to be there to change the lives of the people coming into the churches.
• Believers who seek after all in the world may be controlled by this spirit. They need to seek after the Father’s Spirit and be sure that they have received salvation by the Holy Spirit being in them. They have to be sure that Christ has given them eternal life because if their desire is to go after the things of the world, the Spirit of Christ might not be in them and they might be on their way to eternal condemnation.


3. The spirit of entertainment:
• The people of the world are always seeking to be entertained and amused.
• Congregations today are following the world in that concept by bringing the spirit of entertainment into the church.
• Great shows are produced on the church’s stage where beautiful young people entertain the church crowd with loud music and very sensual “Christian” songs — they are producing a rock concert, and the church people just “love it!”
• A WARNING FROM THE ALMIGHTY GOD:
• I hate, I despise your feast days,
  And I do not savor your sacred assemblies…
  Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
  For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
  But let justice run down like water,
  And righteousness like a mighty stream. Amos 5:21, 23-24 (NKJV)
  


4. The spirit of greed:
• Congregations and believers have been mesmerized by the spirit of greed in the false teachings of “PROSPERITY”.
• They are claiming the Word of God teaches that believers are going to be prosperous, rich, and having all they want — they are under a demonic spirit of greed.
• Jesus said: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21 (NKJV)
• Jesus said: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Mark 8:34
• Jesus said: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:31-33
• Paul said: But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:9-10


5. The spirit of sickness:
• Luke states: And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
• Jesus healed her: And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
• Jesus rebuked those who condemned Him for healing on a Sabbath: “So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it — for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” Luke 13:11, 13, 16 (NKJV)
• IMPORTANT: Jesus recognized that the illness was an attack from Satan keeping the woman under a spirit of infirmity for 18 years. But not all illnesses are from a spirit of infirmity and a person must have wisdom from God to pray for deliverance for the person who is sick.