The Territorial Spirits
Satan does, in fact, designate a demon or demon army to each geopolitical entity in the world, and that they are among the principalities and powers against which we wrestle. This enables us to acknowledge the actuality of high-level spiritual conflict.
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I've come to understand a long time ago that Satan does, in fact, designate a demon or demon army to each geopolitical entity in the world and that they are among the principalities and powers against which we wrestle.
"We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against...the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12 NKJV)
This enables us to acknowledge the actuality of high-level spiritual conflict.
For instance, Jamie Buckingham reported detecting the presence of a specific evil force in Prague. In addition, he asserts that former United States Secretary of the Interior James Watt perceives specific dark angels designated to the White House due to the occult sensibilities he acquired through his past involvement. Such insights could have implications for social justice, peace, national righteousness, and evangelism.
In Daniel chapter 10, the names of three princes are provided. Two are malevolent princes, the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece, and one is a good prince, Michael, referred to as one of the principal princes. A lesser, unnamed angel, sent by God to minister to Daniel, fought the Prince of Persia for 21 days but was unable to defeat him until Michael came to his aid. If we accept this account at face value, we can begin to grasp the awe-inspiring magnitude of power that these world rulers of darkness can wield (see Daniel 10:10–21).
Here are some examples of territorial spirits' manifestation at work.
Individuals who were resistant to the gospel on the Uruguayan side of a border town's main street became receptive when they crossed into Brazil.
When a patient traveled to the United States, her mental illness symptoms disappeared, but they reappeared upon her return to Costa Rica. Rita Cabezas, the Christian psychologist of the patient, was informed by one of the demons that they were confined to their territory and could not enter the United States.
Paul Yonggi Cho attributes the difference in gospel receptivity between Germany and Korea to the spiritual victories won by Korean Christians through their prayer ministry.
1973 was the year in which Youth With a Mission's Loren Cunningham describes an incident. While 12 coworkers were praying and fasting for three days in Los Angeles, the Lord revealed to them that they should intercede for the downfall of the prince of Greece. The same message was sent to comparable groups in New Zealand and Europe on the same day. All three factions complied and converged on the principality in question. Within twenty-four hours, a political coup changed the government of Greece, allowing YWAM workers for the first time to proclaim the gospel on the streets.
John Wimber shared a report from Vineyard pastor Steve Nichols in 1985 when he was a doctoral instructor. Steve had served as a minister in the Evanston, Illinois area for six years with little to no fruit. Few of the sick were healed despite their prayers. Steve then engaged in a period of fasting and prayer. At one point, a monstrous being appeared and asked, "Why are you bothering me?" It eventually revealed itself to be an entity of witchcraft with jurisdiction over the area. In the heat of conflict, Steve named the streets that surrounded the territory he claimed for the Kingdom of God. The spirit said, "I don't want to give you that much." Steve responded that through Jesus, he was commanding him to relinquish the territory.
The spirit debated with him and then vanished. The sick began to recover immediately. In a little over three months, the church's membership increased from 70 to 150, the majority of whom were former witches who converted. As they were being saved, almost all of the new believers needed to be delivered from demons.
Dealing with territorial entities is the pinnacle of spiritual combat. It is not something to be undertaken lightly. Essentially, prayer and an intimate relationship with the Father. Prayer must accompany every effort we make TO ESCAPE the territorial spirit that holds captive our lives, enterprises, families, and ministry.
Nothing could be more foolish than attempting to break the power of territorial spirits if the time, place, and manner are not God-ordained. Only as we develop a close relationship with God will we develop the spiritual discernment necessary to know His will in any given circumstance. Without it, we are defenseless against the forces of evil.
In our world where everything seems to be constantly changing, many Christians sometimes feel very uneasy. With the Fact of holding beliefs and adopt living a Christ-Centered life, how does one apply them into today's world?
