 The following devotional is intentionally written by a fictitious character to illustrate common missteps in Christian resources. It is not an endorsement of these ideas, but a tool to help you practice discernment. As you read, look for ideas that don’t seem “quite right” or have weak biblical support. Fight the Spirits by Quill Meanwell There are seasons when we can’t seem to break the cycle of anger or hostility that hovers in our areas of influence. Are you frequently arguing with family, friends, or coworkers? Are your kids (especially teenagers) being difficult or disobedient? You may be at a loss to explain why these issues are recurring in your life. You have been praying, attending church, and serving faithfully, but you are still on edge. Peace and harmony seem out of reach. As we seek to understand what is happening, we can look to the Bible for answers to these difficult circumstances. Peter told his readers to be on alert for the devil’s tactics (1 Peter 5:8). There are negative and malicious spiritual entities that slowly creep into our lives and wreak havoc. These demonic messengers include territorial spirits and oppressive spirits. An angel was sent in response to Daniel’s prayer. This heavenly messenger was delayed for a time because he was hindered by the “prince of Persia” (Daniel 10:13). This was a territorial spirit that fought the angel to prevent Daniel from being comforted by receiving an answer to his prayer. The other type of spirits, oppressive spirits, work specifically against the five offices mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-16. They will weigh down your spirit and cause unwanted emotions like anger, hostility, pride, lust, and disobedience. But we do not need to fear these spirits or cower in defeat before them. We have powerful spiritual weapons to wage war against these prowling malevolent influences! Walk through your home or workplace and use the weapon of prayer. Name and rebuke the territorial spirits. Then pray the pieces of the armor to create a spiritual barrier around the place. For any oppressive spirits that are affecting your emotions, you can follow similar steps. Name the specific spirit and rebuke it while holding your Bible. If you have determined that a spirit is influencing another person, hold their picture on your Bible. Through prayer you can form a spiritual hedge of protection around yourself or the other person (Job 1:10). There is no need to live in spiritual tension. Use your God-given weapons to fight! Quill Meanwell’s devotional teaches us the steps we need to fight against spirits and demons. According to Quill, we can just identify the spirit, rebuke it, and make a spiritual barrier to be safe from those wicked spirits! These are similar steps that many spiritual warfare proponents confidently tell us what to do to get rid of territorial or oppressive spirits. Let’s find out if Quill leads us astray by examining the context of the verses mentioned as support for this spiritual warfare plan.
First Quill uses 1 Peter 5:8 to imply that demonic spirits are the cause of the problem. When we read all of chapter 5, we see that Peter is giving instructions to the leaders of the church. He encourages them to serve their flock. He reminds them to be alert because the devil is looking for ways to devour, but he does not mention any specific types of spirits. He also does not explain that the devil, or malicious spirits, are the cause of their suffering. This context does not support Quill’s theory that conflict and negative emotions are directly caused by evil spirits. Quill then talks about the angel and the spirit in Daniel 10:13 to illustrate an example of a so-called territorial spirit. From the brief mention of “the prince of Persia”, Quill (and others) have taken this to mean that every region has its own ruling spirit. Claiming that our homes and workplaces may be inhabited by specific spirits stretches the application of this Scripture passage beyond its intended purpose. Next we are led to believe that oppressive spirits exist to fight against the “five offices” mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-16. Ephesians 4 talks about the unity and maturity of the church. Christ has given these five leadership positions for the church, so they can guide and strengthen the church. Ironically, the passage tells us that, as we grow in unity, we will discern if we are being deceived by false teachers. Paul is warning us to be wary of people who promote cunning ideas —like Quill! It is interesting to note that Quill neglects to mention a passage that specifically talks about anger, hostility, and other relational problems. James 4:1-10 identifies our own motives, passions, and covetousness that are responsible for our conflicts. James tells us to submit to God, before he mentions resisting the devil. And then he tells us that we need to be humble and repentant. We are not told to rebuke spirits, we are entreated to mourn our sins and change our ways. Nothing in Scripture commands us to pray hedges of protection into existence. Because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we do not need to fear being controlled by evil spirits. When we are troubled by conflicts, we can look to Christ, who is the perfect example of how our lives should reflect the attributes of the gospel armor. *If you are struggling with anger, hostility, pride, lust, or difficult relationships, it can be helpful to speak to a biblical counselor. The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) has counselors who have gone through a rigorous training process and can meet with you to help. Biblical counseling is not a therapeutic, clinically based treatment process. Through customized discipleship sessions, we use gospel-centered, Scripture saturated encouragement and teaching to help you grow more like Christ! For more information about biblical counseling, email us at [email protected]. See also: Devoted Dorcas Series
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