Copyright 2002 by Charles Gilmore
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Except where noted, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984; International Bible Society.
Used by permission
Light for Living, Inc.

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When you became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you were transferred from the kingdom of Satan into God’s kingdom. You have all the benefits of God’s kingdom — a promised inheritance and eternal life with Jesus — but you must still live in enemy territory the rest of your life. So you need to learn how to live in victory over the enemy — that is what this study is all about.

It is impossible to win the battles of life by human strength. The Apostle Paul explains, "I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles, I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3 – 4 TLB). Paul gives more details in Ephesians chapter six: "I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against strategies and tricks of Satan. For you are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies — the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic being and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks; and when it is all over, you will still be standing up" (verses 10 – 13 TLB).

Guide to Victory

Your Bible is called the "Sword of the Spirit." Therefore, you should learn to use it effectively. You will find the Scriptures in this guide very helpful as you learn to resist the enemy whenever he attacks.

Jesus Christ
Delivered us Colossians 1:13
Spoiled principalities Colossians 2:15
Destroyed power of darkness 1 John 3:8
Hebrews 2:14
Has all Authority Matthew 28:18

Jesus Dealing with Demons
Luke 4:18; 13:11–16
Mark 1:23–27; 5:1–20
Acts 10:38

Jesus’ Teaching about Demons
Believer’s Authority Colossians 1:13
Believers shall cast out demons Mark 16:17
Do not forbid casting out Luke 9:49, 50
Power over enemy Luke 10:19, 20
Demons can return Luke 11:24, 26

Believer’s
Position Ephesians 2:6
Weapons 2 Corinthians10:4
Armor Ephesians 6:10–18
Authority Luke 9:1; 10:19
Adversity 1 Peter 5:8, 9
Obligation James 4:7
Deliverance 2 Corinthians 1:8–10
Matthew 6:13
Psalm 144:2
Acts 26:18
Protection 1 John 5;16
Obedience 2 Corinthians 10:5
Light (let it shine) Matthew 5:16
Truth (put it on) Ephesians 6:14
Freedom John 8:32, 36
Forgiveness 2 Corinthians 2:10,11
Matthew 6:14, 15

Blood
Cleanses 1 John 1:7
Overcomes Revelation 12:11

Binding Satan
Authority to bind Matthew 12:29; 18:18

Strongholds
Divine power to destroy 2 Corinthians 10:4

Sin
Source of 1 John 3:8
James 3:14, 15

Satan’s Ground or Advantage
Man’s love for sin John 3:19
Man’s sinful mind Romans 8:7
Man’s sinful nature Ephesians 2:3
Man’s sinful cravings 1 John 2:16
World under control of Satan 1 John 5:19
Man’s disobedience Ephesians 2:2
Blinded minds 2 Corinthians 4:4

I want to thank the following people for their help in developing this Bible study. Bertha Mainwaring typed the original manuscript. Bette Gilmore spent many hours proofing, rechecking and evaluating the text. Newman Betts set the type and prepared the manuscript for printing. Peg Harvard designed the cover.

Author, Charles Gilmore

by Charles F. Gilmore

1. Who created angels and spirits?

More and more Christians are being faced with the fact of a spiritual, invisible enemy who can attack in the most unsuspecting ways. This is an enemy who has the ability to use friends and loved ones in a most devastating manner, yet hide his identity so that you seldom suspect the real culprit. Remember your warfare is not with flesh and blood, but "against the [master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere" (Eph. 6:12 Amplified Bible). If you have gone through some traumatic experience in which the enemy was the stimulus and the behind-the-scene planner, this study is for you.

Not all of God's creation is visible. Genesis records visible creation, but sometime before that God created a realm of invisible beings referred to in the Bible as, "angels," "spirits," "seraphim" and "cherubim." These are real living beings with personality, mentality, and volition. They have many of the same characteristics that humans have, but do not have physical, visible bodies.

In Job 1:6 and 2:1 we read about the "sons of God" who came to present themselves before God. It is apparent that these "sons of God" are angels. According to Hebrews 1:14, angels are "ministering spirits" who serve God by assisting those who are "heirs of salvation." You will find more information about them in Matthew 18:10, Revelation 5:11 and 22:8, 9. A study of their activities indicates that they work under the supervision of God and could be called, GOOD SPIRITS. But you will notice that someone else came with them. His name is Satan.

Where did he come from?
What are his activities today?
How powerful is he?
Is there danger of Satan overcoming God?

Satan was created by God and is dependent upon Him for life and existence. This is quite clear from a study of Ezekiel chapter 28. In verses 12 through 19, Ezekiel is commanded to take up lamentation (expression of grief) over the king of Tyre. He was known as a very evil king, but the language appears to be describing one who is the unseen power behind this king. The Eden mentioned here is described as a place of precious stones, jewels, and gold, which fits the description of heaven given in other passages, not the Garden of Eden.

It is evident from verse 14 that Satan was created by God for a place of service in heaven and given a high position as "anointed cherub." He was created perfect and remained that way for a time. His name, "Lucifer," means the bright and shining one THE LIGHT BEARER. Some Bible students think that angels' bodies consist of light, therefore, they cannot be seen in the absence of matter.

We learn from Isaiah 14:12-17 that Lucifer led a rebellion against God and his light was put out. Thus, darkness becomes the symbol of evil and sin. You might say that Lucifer was the first revolutionary leader to lead a rebellion against God. Satan was the first to exercise a will opposed to that of God. Isaiah chapter 14 records five "I wills" which are really a part of Lucifer’s declaration of independence as he declares war on God.

(1) "I WILL ascend to heaven."
(2) "I WILL raise my throne above the stars of God."
(3) "I WILL sit enthroned on the mount of assembly."
(4) "I WILL ascend above the tops of the clouds."
(5) "I WILL make myself like the Most High."

Satan was not alone in his rebellion and fall. He was the leader of a vast group of rebellious spirits who declared their independence from God. No one really knows how many rebelled, though some speculate that it involved one third of all created spiritual beings, making the total number in the billions or trillions. Since this rebellion there has been two groups of spirit beings - GOOD and EVIL. Evil spirits are those who chose to be self-centered, independent and out of harmony with God as they joined Lucifer in his rebellion. Evil spirits are called demons. Good spirits are called angels. See Subject 6 for more information about angels.

Find the answers to these questions as you study.

What are good Spirits called?

The Bible refers to Satan and the devil as one and the same person. These names are never properly used in the plural. There is only one. His followers and assistants are called demons. Some theologians refer to demons as disembodied spirits; a term that may be misleading since they never had bodies. Though the Bible gives little information about the origin of demons, it is evident that they are NOT spirits of dead humans. They are pure spirit without bodies or visible form. They are fallen angels who joined in Satan’s rebellion. They are Satan’s helpers serving under his authority.

They are the spiritual beings who remained God-centered and in harmony with him. Angels were created by God long before the creation of the world They are pure invisible spirits and are NOT spirits of deceased Christians. Hebrews 1:14 explains by asking this question: "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" The Greek word for "Angel" means "messenger". There are many examples in the Old Testament where God used angels to deliver his message to his chosen ones. They are God’s helpers. He sends them to protect believers. "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them" (Psalms 34:7).God uses angels to protect you. "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands . . ." (Psalm 91:11– 12). Luke 16:22 suggests that angels have a special ministry to believers at the time of their death. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. . . ."

Man’s sin problem began in the Garden of Eden where Satan tricked Adam and Eve into joining his rebellion by disobeying God's command. Man was created both a spiritual and physical being with the capacity to love and have intimate fellowship with God. He was created God-centered (Genesis 3), but became self-centered when he followed Satan's advice for obtaining knowledge, freedom, and independence. The result was spiritual death which took place when God the Holy Spirit vacated the human spirit leaving a great void. Because the human spirit is basically a receptacle for the Spirit of God, the absence of the Spirit left man in a deplorable condition. Without God he was incomplete. Satan moved quickly to fill that spiritual void and the Old Sin Nature was born. This Sin Nature remains a snare to men even after being restored to fellowship with God through the new birth.

God had declared that the penalty for sin was death, so He could not overlook man's sin. He had a plan. It involved a substitute dying for man's sin. God Himself provided the substitute in Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished much more than a solution to man's sin, however. His resurrection was a proclamation of victory over Satan and his forces. Too few Christians realize that God has already defeated Satan (see Heb. 2:14-15 and Col. 2:15).

Although the victory has been won and Satan sentenced to eternity in Hell, he is still loose on bond, so to speak. Until he is incarcerated, believers are faced with spiritual warfare and need to be prepared with the "whole armor of God" as described in Ephesians 6:11 – 18 .

In view of the need for a thorough understanding of God's provision for this warfare, I would like to encourage you to study the following scripture passages and find the answer to each question.

Ephesians 6:11-18 God has provided the armor.

Colossians 1:13; 2:15 The believer has been rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light. In whose territory must we live while on this earth? _________________________

Hebrews 2:14-15 We need to understand that Christ’s death and resurrection sets us free from the fear of death which Satan uses to harass believers.

2 Timothy 2:23-26 We must not get involved in foolish arguments that create enemies. Instead, we must be kind, and gentle while patiently and courteously explaining the truth the Holy Spirit has revealed to us.

Acts 26:17,18 To whom was Paul sent _____________, "to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God" (New Living Translation).

Revelation 12:11 Who did they overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony? ____________ (see verse 12).

1 John 3:8b; 5:18 Who do born again believers need to be kept safe from? ________________

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons God provides for the believer have divine power to destroy the strongholds of the enemy. What kind of power do our weapons have? "_____________ power."

James 4:7 What happens when we submit to God and resist the enemy? ____________________________

Romans 8:37 Through whom do we become more than conquers? _____________________

1 Peter 5:8-9 What are we told to do when our enemy prowls like a roaring lion to frighten us? "_______ ____ standing ________ in the faith."

John 8:32, 36 Whose teaching has the truth needed to set you free" _________________

1 Timothy 4:1 Whose teaching causes some to abandon the faith? ______________

1 Thessalonians 2:18 Who did Paul say stopped him from coming to visit the Thssalonian Christians? _____________.

Can occult practices give Satan ground in a believer’s life?

What should we do with fetishes, symbols of demon gods, etc., brought home as souvenirs from our world travels?

Some years ago when, my wife, Bette and I were visiting one of our mission fields, one of our missionaries, whom I will call Rose ( not her real name), told us about a lady who came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through her ministry. Since accepting Jesus, life had become chaotic. She was plagued with depression and serious problems had developed between her, her husband, and their daughter. The family was being torn apart, so there was no joy or peace in the household. In fact, the Christian life was not what she expected — it was a frustrating disappointment for which she was crying out for help. Rose asked us to go with her to visit the lady.

As we entered the house, I could see that it was the home of an upper class professional. The lady welcomed us and showed us through her house as she shared some of her problems in her native language. Since neither Bette nor I spoke her language, Rose interpreted for us. When we came to her bedroom, I observed a pyramid suspended on a wire. Under it was a glass of water and some bits of food, etc. The lady explained that she drank this blessed water for her health. I immediately explained to Rose that we must ask the lady to renounce this occult practice. Rose interpreted as I led her in a renunciation declaration. We then went from room to room asking her to renounce every symbol of the occult we found. When we returned to the living room, I observed a very large popular religious picture on the wall and knew that it could be an object of worship also. I explained to Rose in English that we should ask her to renounce this also. Rose was a little reluctant because she knew how sacred this picture, "Mother of God," was to the people of this culture. Finally she explained to the lady why she should get rid of this picture and she agreed to renounce it also.

In less than a month her whole household was transformed. The husband, daughter, and a sister who lived with them, had accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. Satan does not give up the battle and call off his forces of evil when a person trusts Jesus as Savior. Sometimes, he steps up his attacks, especially if he can maintain a foothold through some sin or activity as in the case of this lady who was dabbling in occult practices.

We must never forget that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against . . . spiritual forces of evil . . ." (Ephesians 6:12). Take courage in this fact. Jesus Christ defeated Satan by rising from the dead and now lives at the right hand of God to intercede for you, making it possible for you to live the Christian life. It was a triumphant victory. Satan is a defeated foe.

Hebrews 2:14-18, declares that Jesus became man, "so that by his death he might destroy him who has the power of death — that is the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery . . . For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." The word, "destroy" does not mean to put out of existence. It means to render powerless. Satan is powerless in the face of Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can appropriate his power and victory. He has never lost a battle. Nearly two thousand years ago, Satan was defeated at the cross when Jesus Christ arose from the dead. So, Satan went underground. Since that time, he has been conducting guerrilla warfare. His work thrives on deceit and he is the master of lies. We are living in a time when guerrilla warfare has been used effectively by many revolutionaries. So we should not have difficulty understanding how Satanic forces work. Let us look at some of their methods.

A. Infiltration.

Satanic forces use deception to infiltrate the lives of believers, while presenting themselves as angels of light. Deception is one of their greatest advantages. We would not be so easily deceived if we knew our real enemy. Many believers do not recognize demonic activity when they see it. Somehow, we have become accustomed to thinking of demons as horrendous looking beings, but that is not necessarily true. In fact, they have no form in themselves. They are spirits. Satan is a beautiful being. Isaiah 14:12 (Amplified Bible) asks, "How are you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and day-star, son of the morning!" He is a deceiver. He does not always present himself as an evil, repulsive bully, bent on leading you into sin. He often comes presenting the good life. He invites you to follow him and be free from all inhibitions and enjoy a full life. From 2 Corinthians 11:14 & 15, we learn that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness." He needs to get your attention in order to gain control in your life. Therefore, he seeks to present himself as an angel of light.

Satan is a bully! He can attack with such fury and boldness that some individuals draw back in fear. If you stand up and resist him, he may change his tactics and appeal to you in a more sane and reasonable way. He is very versatile. He knows your weaknesses and is a master at designing a temptation that will knock you off guard. In I Peter 5:8, the believer is exhorted to "Be . . . alert. Your enemy the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The next verse, (verse 9) tells what a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, should do when the enemy attacks this way. "Resist him, stand firm in the faith. . . ."

Many years ago, I visited some areas where the presence of the enemy was so great it was impossible to pray. It is very easy to be overcome with fear in a place like that. I have actually known Christian workers to get sick under this sort of pressure, so that they were unable to function. This is why we recommend that missionaries not work alone in a demonic dominated area. Spiritual warfare should be a team effort.

Where there are Christians in an area, Satan seems to have much less freedom to work, especially out in the open with boldness. When the Holy Spirit is in control of the majority of people, Satan is hindered. But, according to II Thessalonians 2:7, there will be a time when the Holy Spirit will be removed from this world with the Christians, then all Hell will break loose. I do not want to be here then, and I don't expect to be because 1 Thessalonians 4:17 teaches that those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will be snatched out of this world by Jesus Christ. This "great snatch" is called the Rapture. It is going to be a terrible time for those who do not know Christ, because Satan will be in complete control. There will be no one to hinder him. A series of books and Christian movies have been produced by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins detailing what those who are left behind can expect after the Christians and the Holy Spirit are removed from this world. There will be seven years of tribulation which is referred to in Scripture as the Tribulation Period.. The last half of this seven years is known as the Great Tribulation when satanic forces appear to be in complete control of the earth. See Revelation 12:7 – 9 and all of chapter 13.

C. White Magic.

White Magic usually involves satanic work that may appear to be morally good, such as healing or performing of miraculous events which seem to be beneficial. We must not confuse this with genuine divine healing. There is a difference. Satan usually demands pay for anything he does, so there is a price to pay for those who are healed by White Magic. This often involves some kind of bondage and blindness to spiritual truth, so it is extremely important for us to be alert to Satan's methods and tactics.

Christians do not need to be concerned as much about being deceived by Black Magic because it is usually associated with evil. It is often grotesque or repulsive to the believer. Those who practice White Magic are often proud of their abilities and many White Witches advertise themselves as being useful to society. But, those who practice Black Magic are more likely to play down their activities publicly. I expect that we are going to see more and more Black Magic as the interest in the occult and the use of hard drugs increase.

This is likely the most used method against believers. It may take the form of falsehood or condemnation, remorse for some sin that has already been confessed and forgiven, pressure to do certain things that are morally good but not necessarily God's will, but which tend to keep the believer from spending time with his family or with God.

It could come in the form of doubts, fears or unbelief that keep you from trusting God or taking Him at His word. The flaming arrows mentioned in Ephesians 6:16 seem to describe harassment. "Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." God has given us protection from Satan's flaming arrows. That protection is the shield of faith. Satan's arrows cannot penetrate the shield of faith.

F. Deception.

In verse 11 of Ephesians 6 we are told, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." The word scheme describes how crafty, clever, and deceitful our enemy is. The truth does not mean anything to him. In John 8:44 we have a record of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to some of Satan's followers. Listen to what he says, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." In fact, Satan is the one who invented the lie. He was a liar from the beginning. You will find this true if you read the account in Genesis of Satan persuading Eve to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden.

If you will look carefully at the many political revolutions that have taken place in our day, you will see how they parallel the activities of Satan. First there is guerrilla warfare working underground. Then after a time, they come out in the open proclaiming that their purpose is to set everyone free. Now, I am not arguing the point that there have been many inequities in governments that have been overthrown. There has been much injustice, but what is gained by exchanging a bad political system for one that is worse, one in which men lose their freedom in the name of freedom? If men were really free under these systems, why do they have to build fences to keep them in, or walls to keep men from escaping from their so-called freedom regimes? Communists built such barriers as the Berlin wall to keep those living under East Germany’s communist regime from escaping to the freedom of West Germany. Now that Communism has failed, there is no need for walls.

In II Corinthians, chapter 2, the apostle Paul warns believers against holding grudges or failing to forgive others "In order that Satan might not outwit us." (v. 11). We have been observing some of the methods Satan uses. This is not a complete list, Satan has many schemes he uses against believers. Paul declares, "We are not unaware of his schemes." Obviously, Paul was alert to Satan’s schemes, but I am not sure that the average Christian today has much knowledge of his activities. We find two extremes in orthodox Christianity today:

(1) One takes the position that every believer is safe in Christ. Therefore, the enemy cannot touch him. The reason given is that since the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer there is no room or place for Satan.

to work. This ignores the fact that every believer also has an old sin nature which is the result of Adam and Eve's sin that has been passed on to all men. When man sinned, spiritual death took place as God predicted. This means that God the Holy Spirit vacated the human spirit, leaving a great spiritual void. Satan took advantage of this by filling the void with a sin nature. Every person born since that time has been born with a sin nature. The sin nature that you possess is actually a part of the character of Satan himself. If you have experienced spiritual birth or rebirth (as described in John 3) you have a new nature. This new nature gets its character from God the Father. In another study we will go into more detail about this.

(2) The other extreme is placing such emphasis on Satan and demonic activity that Satan is actually glorified. Those who follow this extreme will blame everything on Satan. Satan becomes sort of a scapegoat because all their sins and shortcomings are laid to his charge. They actually give more time to Satan than they do to God, and it is quite easy to get the impression that victory depends solely upon our activity and warfare against Satan. I believe the real truth lies somewhere between these two extremes.

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