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Understanding the Devil's Schemes and Spiritual Influence
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The devil has a clear mission and vision, which is summed up in three things: to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Everything that God has blessed you with—your present possessions and your future—the devil seeks to destroy. Just as every business has a mission statement and vision, so the devil has his schemes.
The important question is: does the devil change his schemes over time? The answer is no. The devil is a counterfeiter of everything God has given us for good. He changes joy into sadness. Just as Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the devil's schemes remain constant. He used the same schemes thousands of years ago before Jesus died and gave His salvation. He uses the same schemes today, and he will use the same schemes tomorrow.
"The Bible says that we should not be blind of his schemes. The word of God gives us the authority and knowledge to deal with the schemes of the past, to deal with the schemes in the present, and also to deal with the schemes of the future."
We often only see the outcomes of the devil's work: marriages falling apart, children being destroyed, businesses suffering, and various occasions of killing, destroying, and stealing. But how do these situations come about? What is the driving force behind these schemes?
The Bible reveals this in the Book of Daniel. Daniel was praying for the spirit of understanding, and God sent an angel to answer his prayer. But something remarkable happened:
"For 21 days the spirit Prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit of the Prince of Persia."
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When Daniel prayed, God sent someone to fulfill his request. That messenger was a spirit—an angel sent to Daniel. But there was also another spirit blocking Daniel's prayers: the spirit of the Prince of Persia. This reveals a spiritual battle: spirit against spirit.
In the Book of Hebrews, it says regarding angels:
"He sends his angels like wind, his servants like flames of fire."
Angels can take any form. An angel was sent to Daniel like a man, meaning spirits and angels can manifest in ways God sends them forth to become. Everything you pray for is sent to you in the form of a spirit—a form that will influence you. The only thing that can influence the physical is the spiritual world, because we are spirits living in bodies.
When Jesus was ascending back to Heaven, He said:
"I will send you an Advocate, the Spirit of Truth... a Helper, a Spirit of Truth."
Jesus did not say He would give us a helper who is a maid, a mechanic, a parent, or a spouse. He said He would give us a spirit—a spirit who translates the mind of God to us. The only means by which God influences and helps us is by giving us a spirit.
A spirit can be understanding. A spirit can be truth. A spirit can be joy, peace, fulfillment, wealth—everything you have prayed for. Everything that happens in our lives is influenced by spirits. Everything that manifests in the physical is influenced by a spirit.
Wisdom is a spirit. The spirit of wisdom enters you, influences you, and changes you to become a certain type of person. When the spirit enters you, it changes who you are.
Consider the story of the demon-possessed man in Mark:
"They arrived at the other side of the lake in the region of Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles, he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him."
This man had a legion of spirits—6,000 demons. These spirits made him so strong that no one could subdue him. The spirits influenced him to cut himself with stones. Evil spirits influenced his thinking, speech, communication, emotions, and behavior. The spirits separated him from his family and made him live among the dead.
Evil spirits can influence the way you think about other people. They can influence your self-awareness, making you too shy to interact with others. They can influence your behavior without you even realizing it.
The only way we receive information as human beings is through the five senses: touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste. What you see, you will eventually believe. What you say repeatedly, you will eventually believe. What you touch, you will believe.
Through these same five senses, the devil can influence you. You don't have to be demon-possessed, fall on the ground, or cry out in church to be influenced by evil spirits. The devil influences you through what you hear in everyday life:
There are families where members suffer from compulsive theft—stealing spoons, cars, or other items from their own homes. This is an influence of a spirit. It started with the touch, and now the evil spirit drives them to see everything as a potential target for theft.
The Bible teaches us:
"Whatever comes from the heart of a man, that is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of men come malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, adulteries, acts of greed, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, and strained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander, profanity, ignorance, and poor judgment."
All of these are spirits. But how do they enter your heart? You have seen and heard these things so many times that they become familiar. They enter your heart, and then they come out through your behavior.
Consider lying. Some people are pathological liars—they can't stop lying even when it's obvious. Lying is a spirit. Consider slander: some people can't stop speaking badly about others, whether they know them or not. Slander is a spirit. It doesn't ask your permission to influence you because the devil knows his time is short.
Your thoughts are influenced by a spirit, and they become a certain nature depending on your five senses—what you hear, see, touch, and believe. When these things become part of your heart, they translate into your thoughts.
The Bible says:
"Guard your heart above all else, because it's where the springs of life come from."
Why? Because what comes from your heart determines your behavior. When you see something too many times, when you hear it too many times, it becomes familiar. It enters your heart and comes out through your actions.
Just as evil spirits exist, so do holy spirits. In Isaiah:
"The spirit of the Lord will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."
These are all holy spirits. The spirit of wisdom is not just an invisible object—it is an actual being. From Daniel's experience, when he was praying, a man came to him—an actual being, a physical person. Daniel was trembling before this spirit.
Just as the demon-possessed man had 6,000 evil spirits, you can have 6,000 holy spirits giving you understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and the fear of the Lord. You can have 6,000 spirits influencing you to have power. If the devil can have 6,000 evil spirits that made a man separated from his community, cut himself, and act violently, then 6,000 holy spirits can transform your life completely.
When you have holy spirits in you, you become another person. There is a change in your life. You become wiser.
We pray for the spirit of wisdom, but the more you pray, the more you receive. The Bible says:
"Pray without ceasing."
Each time you pray for the spirit of understanding, you receive another spirit of understanding. The next day, when you pray again, you receive another. The more you pray, the more you receive. The more you knock, the more He will open doors. The more you call, the more He will answer.
Some of the most successful people have success in one area—business, for example—but fail in others like marriage. They have the spirit of understanding about money but lack the spirit of understanding about marriage, family relationships, or how to treat people. The more you pray in different areas, the more spirits you acquire in those areas.
Speaking in tongues acquires spirits. You acquire God's understanding, God's knowledge, God's wisdom. It's like going to the gym: the more you work out, the more results you see. The less you do it, the less results you will see.
Why? Because five minutes of prayer equals five minutes of power. Two hours of prayer equals two hours of power.
The devil is not ignorant of his devices. He works day and night to ensure that your family is destroyed, your car breaks down before you get to church, your children are affected, and you wake up stressed. He works every angle to make sure that everything that gives you joy no longer gives you joy. He works to ensure you are not in a state of peace, satisfaction, or financial stability.
Don't just say, "I'm so forgetful—that's just how I am." That is a spirit. The devil is stealing your ability to remember. Don't say, "I'm so clumsy—I just break everything I touch." That is a spirit. Everything you touch you destroy because a spirit is influencing you.
Everything in our lives is influenced by the spiritual realm. How we operate, how we conduct ourselves—it all depends on what is happening in the spiritual realm.
We are not ignorant of the devil's schemes. If there is an area of your life where you're struggling, don't think, "This cannot be a spirit. This is just me. This is my behavior. This is just the way I am. This is just how people say I am. These are just my thoughts."
Every time a thought comes to you that does not derive from the mouth of God, say, "Not today."
The word of God says:
"I am a conqueror and more than a conqueror through Christ the Lord."
When a voice in your mind says that you cannot do something, that you're weak, that you're not confident, that you can't talk in front of people, say, "It is written: I have not been given the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, love, and sound mind."
Just as Jesus responded when the devil spoke to him:
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
You do not live for your job alone, your spouse alone, your money, your bank account, or your children. You live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
If God says you are a conqueror, tell that voice in your head: "I am a conqueror and more than a conqueror." If you're feeling pain in your back or stomach, talk to that pain and say: "By His stripes I am healed." If there's a thought saying you're not good enough, you don't know well, you're weak, say, "He has given me an advocate, a spirit of truth, that will teach me of all truth."
Counter every spirit with the word of God. Say:
"It is written: By His stripes I am healed. Pain, you have no power over my life. Spirit of pain, you have no power over my child. This fever has no power over their health because they are healed. When the Lord sets you free, you are free indeed. His word is strong, alive, and active—sharper than any double-edged sword."
Think of every situation as a spirit. The way your boss talks to you disrespectfully—that is a spirit. When there's no favor over you at work, that is a spirit. The Bible says:
"Grant me success, that I may be favorable to the king."
You can pray for the spirit of favor:
"God, I want to be favorable in front of my boss. Present me favorably to the people I appear before. The spirit of favor—God before me, God behind me, God beneath me, be in me. I need the spirit of favor. When I speak, when I open my mouth, let wisdom flow from my lips."
The Bible says that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, love, and sound mind. Fear is a spirit, but so is power. When people speak with power, that is a spirit. Love is a spirit. When you're kind and understanding, that is a spirit.
Sound mind means being able to understand things said to you in a calm manner, responding logically and calmly. Panicking is also a spirit. Some people, no matter how you explain things, don't understand. They lack the spirit of sound mind—the ability to receive information calmly, to understand, and to respond calmly.
Pray for the spirit of sound mind that the Lord may give you the capacity to receive information and respond in a calm, understanding way.
For every situation that troubles your mind, every care and burden, counter it with the word of God. Declare:
"It is written: I will live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The word of God says I'm strong. The word of God says I'm wealthy. The word of God says I'm healed."
Pray against every spirit counteracting your behavior, every spirit influencing your thoughts. Pray against laziness, hatred, unsatisfaction, poor judgment, and temperament. When the enemy comes with thoughts, you come with the word of God.
Declare over your life:
"No weapon formed against me shall prosper. Every evil spirit devised as a weapon to bring me down, to shame me, to embarrass me, to make me fail—you shall not prosper. You shall not prosper over my family, my work, my business, or my health. In the mighty name of Jesus, I bind you and cast you out. Leave this place."
You are to counter every spirit with the word of God. Your life is determined not by circumstances, but by the spiritual authority you exercise through God's word.
