Before I came to the Lord I never took the concept of the devil seriously. I didn’t believe in a spiritual adversary against all of mankind. A place of eternal punishment and burning in hellfire for the rejection of God seemed hard to understand, along with the description of demons and true evil. These teachings are all true and found in the Holy Bible, with Jesus and the disciples casting out demons from those who were demon possessed. As I came to Jesus the reality of spiritual warfare and the nature of our very real adversary became impossible to ignore.
It seemed as if I poked the hornet’s nest of my spiritual life by finally again saying the name Jesus that I had avoided saying since I was younger. There was a clear barrier between me and the truth and it was difficult to even say the name of the Lord. I began to have nightmares and a feeling of overt spiritual opposition for a time that was strange and difficult to handle. What began to makes sense was the Scripture in the Bible in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”. The reality of a true spiritual war against evil was not just a concept or theory or something I had heard of from the Bible, I was actually experiencing it.
The enemy attacks but God is our strength
It is one thing to believe the devil and demons are real, and believe in the Word of God about our spiritual enemy, but it is another to directly experience them and know for certain they exist. What someone else may write off as nightmares or an active imagination could never be a satisfying explanation for the things I saw in dreams after I started coming to the Lord. It was as if a violent spiritual enemy was all of the sudden loosed and didn’t care about finesse or being hidden anymore, but was actively revealing itself in an effort to stop me going any further in my walk in the Lord. Dreams of demonic harassment by demons can be serious, fearful and feel overwhelming, when evil things you have never imagined start attacking you. I had comfort and strength though those times by the true and reliable promises in the Word of God.
The deliverance of the Lord Jesus
We are told in Scripture to “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James chapter 4 verse 7 to 8). We are also told power lies in the mighty name of Jesus Christ against evil, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons…” (Mark chapter 16 verse 17). I began to call upon the name of Jesus in my dreams and when I felt negative and dark energy in my presence, especially at night, praying to the Lord. One of the most astounding personal proofs of God I have in my life is the enemy fleeing upon the name of Jesus! While experiencing something that was unknown and fearful to me in my journey to the Lord, it actually resulted in a rejoicing and celebration at the power of God and His deliverance in my life!
Submitting to the power of God
One of my favourite passages in the Bible is in Philippians chapter 2 verse 10 to 11, the power of the name of Jesus and who He is, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. I cannot emphasise enough the truth of this. When I began to finally submit myself to God, come away from wilful sins and truly desire to please Him in seeking to abide in Him and His Word, the attacks upon me spiritually were not the same anymore. I was not fearful like I used to be, but began to be bold as I knew that God was with me. I knew that the demons fear God and tremble (James chapter 2 verse 19) and I knew I was using my authority as a child of God by calling on and relying on the name of Jesus our Saviour.
The whole armour of God
The Bible encourages us as soldiers of God (2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 3) who are called to fight the good fight of faith until the end. We are not left defenceless in our battle, for we are told to be confident in the Lord and in the power of His might, and to take up the whole armour of God to resist the devil, described at Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 to 18. I found reading the Word, seeking God and praying for the whole armour of God to be incredibly helpful. Remember and trust in the mighty power of our God and the name that is above all names, Jesus Christ! That holy name has delivered me time and time again in my dreams and in my life. I am so glad and blessed to have come to the Lord. The Word is so true and glorious and has been proven to me over and over, “For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans chapter 10 verse 13).
Christopher Harris is a 28 year old from Victoria. He confessed his faith in Jesus Christ in 2016 and has sought to set his focus on the Lord. He makes videos on his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/JESUSisLORD and believes the world is living in those times prophesied by the Holy Bible as the last days.
A link to Christopher’s other articles: https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/christopher-harris.html
Christopher Harris is 29 years old and confessed his faith in Jesus Christ in 2016 and has sought to set his focus on the Lord. He makes videos on his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/JESUSisLORD and believes the world is living in those times prophesied by the Holy Bible as the last days.
A link to Christopher’s other articles: https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/christopher-harris.html