How to pray during demonic attacks and spiritual battles

Practical guidelines
1. 2. All of us, every Christian and all people, are involved in a spiritual battle with the evil one. The evil one wants to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) It is even more important that we should know, with our whole being, that Satan is a defeated foe. Christ defeated him at the cross and broke his power. We should live in the victory Christ achieved and not try to achieve the victory ourselves. With this spiritual battle in which we as believers are involved, we must never rely on our emotions or feelings and look at circumstances. The Word, the truth of the Word and the promises of God should be our anchor. We must understand who we are in Christ. The devil will always try to conceal Gods promises and the true character of God from us. The devil will resist us, but in persevering, we as Christians will break his power. When the devil attacks us we have to be sure to confess all known, unconfessed sins to ensure that the devil has no foothold in our lives. We should learn how to discern between the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice and the modus operandi of the devil. Satan manipulates, the Holy Spirit motivates. Satan intimidates, the Holy Spirit inspires. Satan dominates, the Holy Spirit directs. Satan abuses (misuses) us; the Holy Spirit wants our co-operation. The voice of Satan is loud and demanding; the voice of the Holy Spirit is a soft, internal voice. Satan forces, the Holy Spirit prompts, encourages and invites. When Satan speaks, there is always an element of hastiness, the Holy Spirit is never in a hurry, there is enough time to consider and make sure. Satan accuses and condemns; the Holy Spirit convicts. When Satan speaks to us he condemns us and tries to convince us that there is no forgiveness for us, that theres no way out of the situation, except to sin even more and become more ensnared. He wants us to believe that there is no hope. When the Holy Spirit speaks to us there is always a way out, forgiveness of sin, deliverance and hope for the future. Jesus himself is the armour of the Christian in the spiritual battle. We have to count on the spiritual power of God that is at work in us through the Holy Spirit. (Eph.1:19) Satan is powerfulGod is almighty. The theologian Karl Barth once said: to fold your hands in prayer is the beginning of a revolution against the confusion in the world. The biggest concern of the devil in the spiritual battle is to keep Christians from praying. He does not fear prayerless studies, prayerless spiritual work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our hard work and scoffs at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray. Prayer is war. To start praying is half the battle, to continue praying is the other half.

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Portions of Scripture for prayer

For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. (Deut.20:4) It is not by strength that one prevails (1 Sam.2:9) With him (the king of Assyria) is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles. (2 Chron.32:7-8) He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. (Ps.18:16-17) With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. (Ps.18:29) Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. (Ps.24:8) The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (Ps.34:7) No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me, declares the LORD. (Isa.54:17) But the people who know their God will firmly resist him (the enemy). (Dan.11:32) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matt.6:13) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matt.16:19) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. (Luk.10:19) My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. (John 17:15) If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us allhow will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Rom.8:31-32; 35; 37) God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Cor.10:13) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know ...his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Eph.1:18-21) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth 2

buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph.6:10-17) For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. (Col.1:13) But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thess.3:3) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:7-8) The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work. (1 John 3:8) You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4) Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev.1:1718) They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev.1:11)