PRIVATE BATTLE, PRIVATE DEVIL | When You Are Knocked Down by Dr. D.K Olukoya

PRIVATE BATTLE, PRIVATE DEVIL

Our individual experiences differ from one another. Individual battles are as varied as the number of the individuals going through the battles. No two people in life go through exactly the same types of problems. Satanic agents who are the brains behind the battles which people go through in life use different people. This accounts for the reason why most people are not willing to share the details of their personal battles with other people.

The general thought is “Nobody really knows what I am passing through. My experience is unique and different. My battle is personal. I dont think there is anyone who really understands the peculiarity of my battle. Hence everybody wants to fight his battles alone. Nobody wants interference from other people. However, the good news is that, the Lord God is a man of war. He is sufficiently aware of whatever you are going through today. He understands your private battles and He knows the private devil that is behind the battles.

Before I share a revelation with, you concerning this topic, I want you to get started on the right note by praying the following prayer points:

1. I refuse to be drained by satanic emptiers, in Jesus’ name.

2. I challenge every enemy of progress in my life, in the name of Jesus.

3. I challenge every enemy of prosperity in my life, in the name of Jesus.

4. I challenge my breakthroughs to appear by fire, in the name of Jesus.

5. Let God arise, and let my enemies be scattered, in the name of Jesus.

6. Make this personal confession of faith: My soul, rest in the Lord, in the name of Jesus.

There is a thought-provoking idea in Matthew 12:43-45: When the unclean spirit is gone out from a  man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. “Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. ‘Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

This passage shows that, just as battles are personal, the demons behind them have personal charges or assignments in people’s lives. In this passage, we discovered that the demon stated that he was going to return to this house, showing that he was the principal demon who had a personal responsibility over that particular office.

It is not enough to know that you are going through a particular battle. You must also know the specific devil or demon that is behind that battle. The moment you discover the strategy and the working of the spirit, it becomes easier for you to identify the personal devil behind your personal

battle. With that knowledge, your victory is sure. All you need to do is to make up your mind to fight and win the battle.

ACTIVITIES OF DEMONS

The passage which we have just read, also gives us another insight. Demons operate in different ways. Some are resident while others are not. The type we came across in that passage operates like a freelance. It comes in and goes out at will. After going out for some time, It decides to came back to its former place of abode.

A lot of people have failed to recognize this fact. They conclude that there is no problem simply because a demon takes a temporary leave. Such people will realize that they have been deceived when the demon returns to resume its wicked activities. That is why we sometimes find someone who behaves strangely only to become normal temporarily.

The kind of demon that goes on and off in its activities has deceived a lot of people. It plays hide and seek game in some families. At one time, it troubles the father then it leaves him and goes to attack the son.

The passage also shows us that, demons are very intelligent. They try to consolidate their hold on people’s lives. They know when to seek assistance. Also, they don’t easily give up. The deliverance ministry is fraught with a lot of dangers. We have had diverse experiences that have made us to take a lot of decisions. One of such decisions is that we are no longer going to waste our efforts on those who are not ready to keep or maintain their deliverance.

I get so many letters from other churches accusing us of being discriminatory in the manner we conduct deliverance.

They have an axe to grind with us because, we decided to conduct deliverance only for those who attend our house fellowship meetings.

Experience has shown us that it is dangerous to chase out one demon from somebody, only for such a person to go back into an environment where he invites seven wicked demons into his life. We believe that, if such a thing happens to people who have passed through our deliverance we shall receive more accusations.

Why should anyone cast out one devil from a person only for the person from whom the demon is cast out, to go into a worse state? Surely, it doesn’t make any sense. We do not wish to be accused of compounding anyone’s problem. I don’t want to be guilty of anyone’s blood. That is why I have decided to conduct deliverance only for people who I am sure can properly comply with the born again Christian principles and ideals for the maintenance of the deliverance.

Let us also examine another passage in the scripture which says the same thing in a slightly different manner.

 Luke 11:24: When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

The only thing I want to add here is that demons will never rest until they secure a place. Even if it took them months or years they would never give up.

The need to be watchful is higher today than at any other period of human history. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 that Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

I also want you to note that the devil does not just pounce on anybody he sees. He carefully looks for those who can be devoured before striking them. This means that, the devil only strikes and devours those who make themselves his prey. Unless you make yourself a candidate for the devil, he really cannot harm you. Therefore, he must go about seeking whom to devour because not every life attracts his destruction.

PERSONAL BATTLES

There is an air of an individuality in the battles which people go through in life.

When we talk about personal battles, we refer to problems or battles which are not shared with other people. A personal battle does not involve communal experience.

It is a battle which is limited to you.

A lot of people have internal warfare which they go through in their lives. This internal warfare often becomes so terrible that it develops into serious sickness. If you ask those who are going through intense personal warfare what is really wrong with them, they will not be able to give you any tangible answer. Some of them become so sick that medical science is unable to proffer any solution. Doctors refer to such mysterious sickness as psychosomatic problems.

Many people today are suffering from silent frustration. Examine the problems of a lot of people and you will discover that they go through internal turmoil which they cannot explain to other people.

Most of the people who walk in the streets today are mentally demented. There are lots of incomplete human beings in our streets. These people are fragmented in their personalities. They are not wholesome in any department of their lives. They easily get upset. They flare up at the slightest provocation. Their hearts are more besieged than the most terrible war zones on earth.

We should pray for our nation more than ever before. A lot of people are so tensed up that they are ready to explode at any inconsequential incident.

Experience has shown that people no longer have the ability to endure the smallest problems. We have witnessed violent reactions over insignificant matters. People have destroyed houses, property and lives when there was no reason for it. The riots which we have witnessed in Nigeria in recent times show that a lot of people are so embattled that a little push makes them to behave like thugs.

Many people today are ready to vent their spleen and explode because of the cloudy problems in the nation. If somebody comes to the centre of the road today calling fellow Nigerians to take over the streets and destroy as many cars as they can find, many people who are already frustrated will jump to the streets to destroy vehicles, break windscreens loot stores, destroy government buildings and property, steal money, rape ladies and go into other destructive acts.

Why do we experience such sudden outbursts of anger and wickedness? It is simply because many people are demonstrating externally, the kind of battle which they already have internally.

Soldiers who go to war are generally serious-minded. They cannot fight successfully if they are battling with lots of internal problems. To win the battles of life, you must first deal with your inner battles lest they become a hindrance to, fighting and winning your external battles.

It is unfortunate that most people today are destroyed by, their inner bathes. A lot of people have been killed by what floes on in their private lives rather than what happens in the t, larger society. The moment somebody is destroyed by internal battles, tie is already gone. External battles will  only give a helping hand and perfect the destruction.

Nobody ever loses an external battle unless he loses the internal one. Therefore, when you want to fight as a Christian, you must first give attention on your personal spiritual warfare. The Bible tells us that, the Christian is a soldier. He has battles to fight. As a soldier, you must fight intelligently. You must examine the nature of the internal or personal battle that is set against you. You must also discover the kind of weapon used in order to defeat the enemy.

I have discovered that the most effective type of prayer a believer can pray is corporate or united prayer. God has put a lot of power in corporate prayer. When a company of believers come together with one faith and one mind, a special corporate anointing is released. With that anointing, God responds specially. Many people’s problems have been solved by merely participating in a corporate prayer. A lot of people have ,experienced relief after participation in combined prayer sessions. The anointing which God releases to the congregation of His people has given people miracles which they couldn’t receive by praying alone.

However, some people who have received anointing during corporate prayers have gone back to their homes rejoicing only to discover that the personal demon that is responsible for their problems is awaiting them at home.

A lot of people go for counseling. Again, there is tremendous power in a person-to-person counseling.

Many yokes have been broken, hopeless situations have been turned around, people who have given up every hope have come out with a sense of purpose and vision, while many people who thought that they had come to the end of the road have suddenly experienced wonderful changes in their lives.

There is no denying the fact that problems are solved through counseling. However, some people have received solutions to their problems only to go back home to discover that the superintending demon in charge of their battles is awaiting them at home.

The internal rage continues: the battle also continues.

There is tremendous power in deliverance ministrations. But many people are under very stubborn demonic control. Others lack sufficient faith. Others do not have the authority to overcome demonic oppression. Again, there are those who are under the control of very wicked hereditary strongmen. Other deliverance candidates are living in secret sins. These and other reasons make some deliverance cases extremely difficult if not impossible. Personal deliverance is also good and very effective. Yet it cannot be effective in every case.

What I have stated so far shows that there are thousands of believers who have not been able to find solutions to their problems as a result of the fact that their cases are peculiar. This group of people have failed to experience victory in their personal battles because they lack the knowledge of how to weaken the positions of their enemies.

COMPLEX PROBLEMS

There are many people (Christians inclusive) who find it very difficult or impossible to share their personal problems with others.

A white pastor recently shared an experience which he had. He wanted to phone a fellow white minister but he mistakenly dialled the wrong number. As soon as the man at the other end picked the phone, the pastor heard, “Wrong number.”

The man tried to drag the pastor into a conversation but he couldn’t. He simply said: “Bye, bye, wrong number”. He discovered that the man kept on talking. He said; “What a shame? I have not found anyone to talk to for more than two weeks now. When you dialled my number, I was somewhat happy thinking that I had got someone to talk with”. The pastor was not interested in that discussion, he simply hung the receiver. That was how he lost the opportunity of reaching out to somebody who was extremely lonesome.

Later, the Holy Spirit rebuked him: “You ought to have reached out to that man. That is how some people have committed suicide simply because they are tired of life”.

There are thousands of people like that man. Although they ride good cars, live in posh houses, rub shoulders with the high and the mighty and parade excellent credentials, yet they are lonely. They have no friend, no acquaintance and no colleague to provide company for them. When their problems become brimful and there is no one to talk to, they explode. They either become disturbed mentally or they become so tired of life that they think of ending it all.

Some have people with whom they can share their problems but, find it difficult to open up. This is simply because, the details are so horrible that they are ashamed of letting them out. There are people who cannot share what they are going through with any human being on earth. That kind of situation, often leads to terrible problems.

The moment what you are going through becomes so bad that you are afraid of letting others know about it, nobody can predict what may happen next. That is why people are generally encouraged to find a minister in whom they can confide. A problem shared is a problem partially solved. If you are able to speak out to a trusted minister, you discover that the weight of the bikden will begin to reduce.

A man got married to three wives, but unfortunately, all the three ran away. The problem was so embarrassing to him that, he could not tell a living soul about it. Therefore nobody knew what happened to him. One day he decided to open up.

What was his problem? He had an abnormal desire for sex. Although he had three wives, it was his practice to sleep with each of them at least three times a day for the whole month. He never cared whether the women were having their monthly period or whether they were pregnant. They had to run away, one after the other, when they discovered that they could not cope with his excessive demand for sex.

He decided to consult a herbalist in his attempt to find solution to his problem. The herbalist was funny, and told him: That is not a problem. There is a very simple method of controlling that kind of abnormal appetite for sex. All you have to do is to buy a duck and bring it to me. Then, leave the rest to me. I will surely solve your problem”.

The man ran to the market, bought a duck and brought it to the fetish priest who collected it, took it into his shrine and performed some rituals. He then gave the duck back to the man saying: The duck is now your wife as a temporary measure. Go back to your house and begin to sleep with the duck the way you were sleeping with your wives”.

The man returned home and started to sleep with the duck in an attempt to solve his problem. Of course, that did not solve his problem. Tell me how such a man would narrate his problem to another person.

Unfortunately, that same man would go to church on Sunday and pretend that all was well. In fact, you might find him in front of the pulpit reading the lesson, yet he had problem. After church service, the duck would be waiting for him at home.

There are many people, today, who are like that man and his duck. They are afraid of telling anyone about it. Some who want to share their problems with other people do not know which pastor to share the problems with. Some who discuss with pastors do not receive any help. They therefore get used to keeping to themselves whatever they are passing through, which is what the devil wants. He knows that if he can create internal turmoil in your heart, he has succeeded in defeating you externally. Then he would go ahead to send household wickedness to attack you.

By the time the internal and the external forces join hands to fight against you, you will have no strength to fight against them, and you will be defeated.

Today, many people are reluctant to open up their hearts to those who can help them. They are afraid that their embarrassing problems might become public knowledge. Such people have, therefore, vowed not to tell anybody what they are going through.

Recently, I was praying with two ladies who happened to be twin sisters. They came to me because they had a strange problem. They said, Doctor, we have a strange problem. Any time we see a man we don’t see the dress he puts on. We see him stark naked, This is because we have x-ray eyes.

The two ladies were actually strange human beings. They were seeing what others were not seeing. Of course, such ladies will find it difficult to marry any man. But how can ladies with that kind of problem be able to speak out? Most of them have decided to suffer and die in silence.

I pity women because, they generally suffer in silence. Those who are married go through the worst suffering. Some of them have wicked husbands who refuse to allow them go out and look for help. A man comes home drunk, bringing some demons with him. Yet such a man would beat his wife mercilessly if he ever gets to know that she is going out to look for solutions to her problems. Some of those women have actually died in silence.

To tell you the truth, many people are actually going through terrible personal battles which they cannot disclose to those who are close to them. When someone discovers that his internal battle has become extremely tough and the enemy seems to be having an upper hand over him, he must realize that something is terribly wrong somewhere. If that describes your situation then you must realize that some demonic spirits have decided to make your life their habitation against your will.

There are some steps which you must take. Jesus made us to understand that the human body can be a house or a dwelling place for evil spirits. The evil spirit we read about at the beginning of this chapter referred to the human body as my house. The human body can be likened to a house with plenty of rooms. That is why it is good to be completely broken and let the Holy Spirit possess you. If you leave any area of your life empty, evil spirits might come to take over that area.

It is not reasonable to listen to the false teaching that the moment you are born again every demon spirit in your life jumps out. That is a great fallacy. It is your spirit that gets born again. Your body does not get born again. The human body which has a countless number of incisions on it, which has slept with 20 women and has engaged in smoking and drinking before you became born again, cannot be rid of demonic spirits unless you go through deliverance. If all the available rooms in your life are taken over by evil spirits then it is clear that you are possessed.

DEMONIC PROBLEMS

Let me say a word or two here about demonic possession. There are various levels of possession. There are millions of people who are possessed without the slightest indication of having any evil spirits in them. They appear nice, normal and easy going. The presence of evil spirits in their lives is not manifest because they do not behave in any strange or violent manner. They are peace loving, kind, intelligent, good looking and harmless. When some of these people attend Christian gathering they do not respond in any violent way. They are quiet and they go along with the rest of the worshippers as if there was no problem.

Men and women who are possessed willingly are always clever in shielding their spiritual state from friends and acquaintances. In fact, they are the nicest people you can ever come across. I have discovered that hard-core demonic agents do not allow anyone to know anything about them. They are friendly with neighbors, cooperative, benevolent, supportive, amicable and really nice to everybody. Do you know that the most wicked fetish priests in town do not put on dirty dresses? Rather, they put on three piece suits. They are corporate in their outlook.

They drive flashy cars and live in exotic houses. When you meet such people, you will never think that they are fetish priests. They are quite polished in their manners. Such people know what they are doing and they can conceal their identities for many years.

However, those who are to be pitied are those who are forcefully conscripted into demonic societies. There are a lot of people who were forcefully led into witchcraft, when they had no such intentions in their lives. How did it happen? Whenever such people sleep in the night, a witch comes to fly them to a witchcraft meeting. Initially, such people would refuse, but repeated attempts by witchcraft agents will overpower them and turn them into apparent witches or wizards

I remember the story of a sister who was taken into a witchcraft coven. She found the experience strange, baffling and frightening. She was sleeping quietly on her bed when somebody woke her up and picked her on a mat. It was indeed strange that the mat turned into an aircraft and flew the two of them to an unknown destination. Somehow, she regained consciousness and shouted: “Drop me, in the name of Jesus”. By the time she opened her eyes she found herself on her bed. Then she discovered that her housemaid who was sleeping on the floor beside her bed was placing her legs on the wall.

That was how the sister discovered that her young housemaid was the witchcraft agent who had been assigned the responsibility of taking her to the meeting every night. Whenever the housemaid succeeded in taking her to the meeting the sister would always wake up the next day feeling sick and tired.

OBSESSION

There is a more terrible state of demonic possession. This condition is referred to as obsession. The victim is so possessed that he can no longer live an independent life.

The other day, I was counseling a converted prostitute. I asked her some questions:

“Were you married before you decided to go into prostitution?”

“Yes”, she said.

Then I asked her the next question: “Was that marriage blessed with children?”

“Yes, two boys and two girls”, she replied.

Then I asked her the third question: “as your husband wicked to you in any way?”

“No” she countered. “My husband was extremely nice and gentle”

“Why then did you choose to become a prostitute?” I asked her.

She grew pale and became silent.

“What then was the problem?” I probed further? Then she decided to open up: “Sir, the truth is that one single man can never satisfy me. I need as many as possible. That was why I decided that prostitution was the best option. I didn’t really need the money, I needed the men who came to me regularly.”

That was a clear case of a demonic obsession.

A lot of people have come to me to make a lot of mind-boggling confessions. Some people leave church services and head towards drinking spots. They are simply obsessed with alcohol. Such people find it difficult to quit drinking. Of course, they know that the Holy Spirit and alcohol have nothing in common. They discover that there is a very strong pull towards alcohol.

Such people who are obsessed with alcohol will be embarrassed on the judgment day. The Holy Spirit will be on one side and a bottle of beer will be on the other side. The man would be asked, “You spoke in tongues. Didn’t you? You prophesied? Didn’t you?” He would probably say “yes” to the two questions. Then the verdict would come: “You knew the truth but decided to break the law of God. You are hereby condemned”. You can be sure that the bottle of alcohol will also rise up to condemn the man.

Jesus likened the life of a man to a house. What is the topmost part of the house? The roof.

What does the roof represent spiritually speaking? It represents our submission to God and our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the roof is our covering or protection. It becomes clear therefore that a house without a roof is exposed to all elements of nature. The weather, animals, birds, insects, crawling creatures and thieves will have free access to that house because it is unprotected. Very soon the building will become useless. The absence of the roof will make the house unfit for habitation. That is why the Bible says, “Submit yourself under the power of God”. You must submit yourself and stay under the protection of the blood of Jesus and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the house of your life must be safe, you need that kind of roof over your head.

Demons do not just enter peoples’ lives. They are very selective. They know how to pick their candidates. For example, demons of gluttony cannot just take hold of a person’s life. They would only come in after discovering that the person loves eating too much.

There is no problem when a thought filters into your mind and you quickly reject it. But there is a problem if you allow the thought to settle in your heart and produce evil fruits. It is wisdom, therefore, to send bad thoughts back to where they came from – the pit of hell. After rejecting negative thoughts you must go ahead to fill your heart with positive thoughts.

“Nature abhors a vacuum” they say. The human mind cannot be blank. It is either occupied with evil or good thoughts. What you allow in your heart depends on you. You must saturate your mind with godly thoughts. That is the only way of barricading the window of your heart so that evil thoughts do not enter therein.

If you allow your thoughts to wander from one evil idea to another, then you have willingly submitted yourself to demonic infiltration. Some people whose thoughts are centered on evil ideas from morning to evening. They are negative through and through.

 If that describes your condition. then you must go for the deliverance of your mind. Looking at things and situations from a negative standpoint amounts to allowing the devil to possess your mind. You must avoid interpreting what you hear negatively.

A lot of people get defeated right from the moment they wake up early in the morning. They entertain evil thoughts and would not believe that any good thing would happen to them that day. When such people go into the activities of the day, they discover that their thought affected them negatively.

Why must you meditate on the negative information given to you by the devil? Do you know that the devil is an early riser? He wakes up very early to plant his demonic seeds in the lives of unsuspecting victims. If he comes through the window of your life without prior invitation, you must send all his arrows back to him. But if you decide to give evil thoughts arousing welcome, then the devil will come in and do terrible havoc in your life.

The battle of the mind is the greatest battle to be won. If you lose this battle, you have lost everything. For no one can fight and win a battle without a wholesome mind.

Your mind must be sound if you want to be a victor. That is why seasoned students in the school of spiritual warfare know that the battle takes place at the arena of the mind. All those who lose the war in that territory will hardly win any other war. That is why the Bible says: ‘Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life”. The heart is the deciding factor of total victory in any warfare; internal or external.

THE FRONT DOOR

Every house must have a front door. The front door is the main entrance into the building. Through it, residents go in and out of the house. It is the official entrance to the building. The front door represents the flesh. It is through the sins of the flesh that demons gain entry into our lives. It could be a parental or personal sin. Ancestral sins are part of parental sins. If you want to protect the house of your life you must watch over the front door.

There are various ways of knowing whether that front door is closed to demonic powers. They are as follows:

• If you do not become jealous when you see a fellow believer succeeding in an area where you have failed, then the front door is closed.
• If you don’t become angry when another person gets the promotion which you actually deserve, the front door is actually closed.
• If you do not become envious when somebody has received or acquired the same thing which you always wanted to buy but you didn’t get, the front door is closed.
• If you do not become bitter when you work so hard and you are not appreciated, the front door is closed.
• If somebody you love, admire and respect, fails or disappoints you and you bear it as if nothing happened to you, the front door is closed.
• If somebody takes advantage of you and you are not worried, bearing no grudge, the front door is closed.

When you can receive insults, slander and ridicule without becoming vindictive, the front door is closed.

– On the other hand, if you react violently saying: “Yes, I got angry because I was insulted”, then it is clear that anger is still resting in your bosom. If you are actually free from anger you will be calm no matter what people say or do to you.

If you can receive criticism and correction from a younger person (someone you think you are older than in faith) without feeling bitter, then the front door is really closed.

If you invested time, energy and money in somebody and he turns against you, and you still go ahead to forgive him. then the front door is closed.

But if anyone offends you and you flare up in a cantankerous way, it is an indication that you are not broken. You get angry with those who are above you and those who are below you. You are not happy when somebody has money and you dont. You are not happy when those who are below you are promoted. Are you unhappy when someone gets married to a lady or a man who appears better than you? If so, the door is thrown wide open.

The moment you allow the roof, the windows, and the door of your life to be thrown open for private demons to take hold of your life, many things will begin to go wrong.

It is good to take a look at attitudes which invite private demons. When you understand the manner with which private devils try to manifest themselves, you will know how to get rid of them.

PRIVATE DEVILS – UNFORGIVENESS

You must forgive anyone who offends you. You must pray the spirit of unforgiveness out of your life. If there is somebody you have decided not to forgive as you are reading this book, it is clear that you have decided to retain a private devil in your heart.

Recently, I met a 75-year-old man who was so wicked to his children that he cursed all of them saying that none of them would ever become richer than him. One of his children was so bold to challenge him. The elderly man replied the son,

The head of your mother is not correct”, He was so angry that he disowned the boy and went as far as removing his name from his will.

One day, the man suddenly became sick and discovered that no hospital was able to cure him. That mysterious sickness drove him to Jesus.

Surprisingly, he was told, ‘There is someone you do not want to forgive”. He admitted cursing his son and said: “If my healing depends on forgiving my son and revoking the curse that was placed upon him, I would prefer to die’. That was the elderly man’s private devil.

BITTERNESS

Bitterness has become the private devil of a lot of people today. Many people are so bitter that they don’t mind killing fellow human beings. Some are bitter against their friends. Others are bitter against their wives or husbands. Such people go about with the gall of bitterness without giving a thought to the implication of such a terrible state of mind. Bitterness is dangerous. It has led men and women into terrible pits.

You often come across people who are bitter about everything in life. Often, the reason behind their bitterness cannot be pinned down. They are bitter against their children, husbands, wives, friends and neighbours. Such people are ready to part with anything but not with bitterness.

JEALOUSY

This is another private devil. Some people are jealous of everything which others have. They show their jealousy in diverse manners. They pull other people down because they are jealous. Others assassinate the characters of fellow human beings because they are jealous. Unfortunately, jealousy can hardly be hidden. It will always rear up its ugly head no matter what people do to conceal it.

DEPRESSION

Heaviness of heart is another private devil which resides in the lives of men and women today. If you allow the spirit of depression to take over your heart or life, you can no longer rejoice in the Lord.

Anything, that tries to prevent people from praising God is a private devil. When you fail to rejoice in the Lord always as the Bible says. you have allowed the spirit of depression to rule your heart.

DISCOURAGEMENT

Discouragement has destroyed many peoples lives today.

I read a very interesting story recently. A missionary went into a village to preach and somehow came across the oldest man in the village. The old man decided to tell him a story.

Unknown to the oldest man, he was preaching to a preacher. He said: “My son, you are welcome. Our grandfather told us a particular story. Let me tell you the story. A long time ago. God summoned the devil and told him: Satan, the weapons you are using are too numerous. I am going to withdraw all the weapons. However, I will give you the opportunity of choosing only one. In other words, I am going to leave you with only one weapon with which you are free to attack or destroy human beings. According to the story, the devil stood up, walked back and forth, thought about the particular weapon and then said, Give me the spirit of discouragement and I wouldn’t need any other weapon That was how the devil chose discouragement as the most effective weapon”.

Of course, that is not a Bible story. But it shows us that discouragement is, indeed, a great weapon.

Discouragement is the most expensive weapon in the satanic market. When discouragement sets in other things will join in its trail. Worry will come in, followed by doubt, fear and depression. Other spirits like household wickedness would also creep in. David knew that discouragement was dangerous. That was why he decided to encourage himself in the Lord. He decided to shun every invitation to discouragement and despair. You must also make up your mind to encourage

yourself in the Lord. Why don’t you tell yourself: I shall encourage myself in the Lord.

CONFUSION

The spirit of confusion is a terrible spirit. When a man or a woman is confused, such a person is under the control of a very private devil. There are people who are 45 or 50 but have no sense of direction in life. Such people do not know what to make out of their lives. They try so many things without holding to a particular one. They become Jack of all trades and master of none-. They are blown by every prevailing wind. People dictate what they do in life.

There are many confused people in the modern age. There

are confused intellectuals, business executives, scientific experts, millionaires and respected men and women in the society. There are also confused families, confused companies, confused establishments and confused institutions. That is why most of the people who are in such establishments are also confused.

IMPATIENCE

A lot of people are restless. They cannot have patience in any area of their lives. Such people are always in a hurry and worry about everything. They are specialists in rushing everything. They are not willing to wait patiently on God.

A professor of psychiatry was invited to handle a specialized seminar some years ago. He gave a beautiful lecture. However, he made a strange statement at the end of the seminar. He said, “Gentlemen, I have come today to tell you that almost everyone in this country is mad; including myself”. Here was a professor of psychiatry, someone who had undertaken a lot of research into why people suffer mental problems. Why was he a professor if he himself was also mad?

He even made more astonishing statements during the question and answer session. One of the participants asked him: “Prof., can you explain the reason behind this phenomenon? Nigerians are highly impatient whenever they are in this country. They rush for everything, but whenever the same Nigerians travel abroad they stay on the queue patiently waiting for their turn. What is responsible for that change in behaviour? Why are such people not willing to queue up here in Nigeria?”

The professor replied: “To start with, queuing is a white man’s disease. The African’s disease on the other hand is rushing”. With that kind of reply, it became clear that the professor’s long association with those who suffered from insanity had taken a heavy toll upon him. His views smack of mental imbalance.

I have often wondered why so many people are in a hurry to get nowhere. Why are people bent on rushing everything they lay their hands on? Tell some people to be patient in the area of marriage. They would tell you: “Me? Patience? Count me out. I must get married this month. If I do not come across a believer, I will just go ahead and marry an unbeliever. Then,  I will backslide and do whatever I like. It is either I have my way or never”. Impatience!

I remember a sister that I prayed for many years ago. She suddenly disappeared. We looked for her everywhere but we couldn’t find her. Suddenly, I ran into her one day and was surprised. She was heavily pregnant. I asked her, “Madam, how are you? So you are married now? When did you get married?”

She answered: “Marriage? I gave God a three-month deadline. God disappointed me. That is why I decided to opt for an unbeliever”.

“So you did not wed in the church?” I said, “Oh, no”.

She said, “The man is already married with three wives. I decided to get married to him anyway and I made up my mind that I would no longer be a Christian immediately I packed into his house”.

She thought that she provided a solution to her problem not knowing that she was only hopping from frying pan to fire.

Her problem started on the day she was about to deliver. Unknown to her, the man’s three wives were witches. They all appeared in the hospital. She was seeing them while no other person was seeing them. They were commanding the baby in the womb not to come out. The woman began to shout. “See them! See them!’ The doctors and the nurses were surprised. They tried to calm her down saying, “Take it

easy madam, why must you become mad on your delivery  day?” The woman replied, “This is not madness, look at them.”

At that point, it became clear to her that she was reaping the fruit of disobedience. “Oh God, if you will forgive me, I will never disobey you again”. God delivered her but she lost the baby. That was how she traced her steps back to God.

FILTHY THOUGHTS

Evil thought is another private devil. The thoughts in the hearts of so many people are so bad that they would be shocked should God decide to expose what is in their hearts.

PRIDE

The spirit of pride is another private devil. There are many people, today, who are filled with pride and manifest it in their speech, comportment and behavior.

UNTEACHABLE SPIRIT

The problem of most people today is that they are unreachable. They do not want to be corrected. Whenever they are given a slight correction, they react sharply. That one is an unreachable spirit and it shows that there is an invisible devil in their hearts.

GOSSIP

There are many people today who have accepted to become the devil’s broadcasting stations. They go about telling half truths, distorting facts, spreading rumours and knocking people’s heads together. They also indulge in backbiting.

IMMORALITY

This is another private devil. A lot of people have succeeded in concealing terrible immoral practices which they go into privately. All those who hide their immoral thoughts and behaviours are hiding their private devils.

ANGER

Anger is a private devil that cannot be successfully hidden by men and women. You must get rid of it.

SOLUTION

Make up your mind that you will not allow any private devil to occupy any space in your heart. Take the following steps:

1. Confess your sins to God.

2. Forgive all those who have offended you.

3. Renounce every manifestation of ungodly behaviour.

4. Command satan to depart in the name of Jesus.

5. Begin to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to win your private battles.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Let every internal warfare, be quenched, in the name of Jesus.

2. Let every internal thief, be exposed, in the name of Jesus.

3. Anything, planted within me by the enemy, come out with all your roots, in the name of Jesus.