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The Adversary: The Christian Versus Demon Activity
The battle is real, and you are involved whether you like it or not. The Bible plainly tells us that Satan schemes against us, he wants to devour us, and we struggle against Satan's highly organized kingdom. This battle will not go away, and ignoring it could be disastrous. But don't be afraid. Your victory is already won! No enemy is strong enough to overcome the God that lives in you. Now it's your responsibility to claim the victory. Learn the answers to such questions as: What is Satan's strategy in spiritual warfare? Can a Christian be oppressed by demons? Can demonic affliction be passed down through family lines? What are the symptoms of demonic activity in a person's life? This best-seller will help you aggressively plan your triumph by relying on the almighty and powerful Word of God.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
85 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Mark I. Bubeck
17 books15 followersMARK BUBECK is the founder and president emeritus of ICBC, Inc., now Deeper Walk International. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute and received his D.Min. degree from Talbot Theological Seminary and a diploma in Theology from Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary.
A pastor for more than 40 years, Dr. Bubeck is author of The Adversary, Overcoming the Adversary, The Rise of Fallen Angels, and Raising Lambs Among Wolves, now updated and re-published as The Adversary at Home.
He lives in Sun City, Arizona.
A pastor for more than 40 years, Dr. Bubeck is author of The Adversary, Overcoming the Adversary, The Rise of Fallen Angels, and Raising Lambs Among Wolves, now updated and re-published as The Adversary at Home.
He lives in Sun City, Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 13, 2011
The Adversary is a classic by Mark Bubeck and is a practical handbook dealing with the various aspects of spiritual warfare, answering questions about the nature of Satan’s designs and tactics and teaching readers how to claim the victory Christ has already won.
April 27, 2021
A must read for any Christian that wants (and should) know more about the unseen spiritual world! A lot of great (biblical) prayers for specific bondages. I will keep this book and use it for reference in future prayer battles!
February 16, 2018
In my top 2 all-time books on spiritual warfare. The sample prayers are amazingly helpful.
October 26, 2021
This book is a challenge, but also incredibly beneficial.
Spiritual warfare is a topic many Christians shy away from, but it is one that has always been of great interest to me. There is a belief that studying this topic leaves one prey to more attacks from the enemy, but I have always believed that God is stronger than any challenge we could ever face. Thus, I see immense value in studying spiritual warfare to better understand passages of Scripture, such as the command to don the full armor of God in Ephesians 6.
Although this book was first published in 1975, its relevance remains almost 50 years later. The sample prayers contained within its chapters are some of the most powerful I have ever read or encountered. This will truly change my prayer life and has encouraged me to incorporate God's Word into every prayer.
Spiritual warfare is a topic many Christians shy away from, but it is one that has always been of great interest to me. There is a belief that studying this topic leaves one prey to more attacks from the enemy, but I have always believed that God is stronger than any challenge we could ever face. Thus, I see immense value in studying spiritual warfare to better understand passages of Scripture, such as the command to don the full armor of God in Ephesians 6.
Although this book was first published in 1975, its relevance remains almost 50 years later. The sample prayers contained within its chapters are some of the most powerful I have ever read or encountered. This will truly change my prayer life and has encouraged me to incorporate God's Word into every prayer.
July 12, 2012
I gave it three stars mostly due to application.
The content is great. It is an often overlooked subject in the evangelical church. The adversarial nature of satan and his demons is often overlooked.
The author does a great job on how giving in to the flesh and the world lead to demon oppression (not possession) of the follower of Christ.
My problem with it is some of his tools to fight them. Obviously prayer is a huge part of spiritual warfare....but I always take issue with scripted prayers that an author says for his reader to recite. I may be over sensitive, but it seems to come dangerously close to making Christian mantras. Mantras will do no good in fighting the powers of darkness.
The content is great. It is an often overlooked subject in the evangelical church. The adversarial nature of satan and his demons is often overlooked.
The author does a great job on how giving in to the flesh and the world lead to demon oppression (not possession) of the follower of Christ.
My problem with it is some of his tools to fight them. Obviously prayer is a huge part of spiritual warfare....but I always take issue with scripted prayers that an author says for his reader to recite. I may be over sensitive, but it seems to come dangerously close to making Christian mantras. Mantras will do no good in fighting the powers of darkness.
April 24, 2020
Very Encouraging
Great prayers to pray or use as guidance with your own prayers. The material is practical, down to earth. I experienced breakthrough with an issue that I'd been dealing with for awhile while using some of the prayers. Many of the things the Lord had spoken to me about and instructed me on were confirmed in this book!
Great prayers to pray or use as guidance with your own prayers. The material is practical, down to earth. I experienced breakthrough with an issue that I'd been dealing with for awhile while using some of the prayers. Many of the things the Lord had spoken to me about and instructed me on were confirmed in this book!
June 25, 2012
Not to be taken lightly.
July 2, 2022
We read this along with some other books as a survey of the topic. There is a lot of truth in here, pastoral advice and wisdom. In terms of criticism: I think the warfare approach may be overly formulaic, resulting in an over-emphasis on prayer at the expense of other spiritual disciplines; attempting to distinguish between oppression, obsession and possession lacks clarity and is not helpful; and the comments on “transference/ ancestral” are doubtful and not developed/ defended. These are small parts of an otherwise helpful book. I also note that it is “Christian living” and light on theology.
April 8, 2024
Someone please give this man antipsychotics. At one point he suggests that troublesome adopted children may have inherited generational demonic affliction from their birth parents despite the best efforts of their Christian adoptive parents
He also claims that his daughter’s chronic illness was instead an act of demonic possession
He also claims that his daughter’s chronic illness was instead an act of demonic possession
May 15, 2023
It's not like spiritual warfare changes, so this 1975 classic is still relevant. No-nonsense explanation of the realities of Satan and its activity in the world today, and the scriptures to resist that activity.
June 15, 2023
I was given this book by a friend and I think it has some great prayers for fighting against the devil's schemes. I agree that we are not fighting against people, but against principalities so knowing His Word and how to use it is huge.
July 1, 2017
A little dated in parts and full of prefab prayers, but a pretty good treatment of the subject I think.
April 16, 2022
A must-read for every Christian!! I love all the helpful prayers included in this book!!
December 9, 2023
This book was grounded in Scripture. Some teachings I am questioning/pondering. It was very practical in its helpfulness for application. I appreciated its short length and his biblical foundation.
November 4, 2024
A must read for every Christian!
This book is a must read for every Christian who is serious about spiritual warfare and the victory that we have in Jesus!
This book is a must read for every Christian who is serious about spiritual warfare and the victory that we have in Jesus!
June 13, 2025
This is a great foundation on spiritual warfare in the life of a Christian. The chapter where they just listed all the verses on Satan and his demons printed out in full was an eye-opener!
July 25, 2013
(nb: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley)
"The Adversary" would be a great name for a YA-Paranormal book. This book is most definitely NOT a YA-Paranormal book.
Another thing. It's difficult for me to review this book, simply because author Mark Bubeck's faith and interpretations are substantially different from my own. I am reviewing his book as a book blogger, not as a theologian. I was a Lit Major. If Dr Bubeck were writing an extended commentary on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," I might feel compelled to chime in, but on the topic of Spiritual Warfare, I happily defer to him. Seriously. I'm very happy he is doing Spiritual Warfare, because I could never do it.
Anyway, the self-same adversary referred to in the title is none other than Satan, once among the most exalted of angels, until he developed an "I want to be just like God" complex, and was cast out of heaven.
Since then, Satan and his fellow outcasts--demons, et al (Bubeck describes a hierarchy and ranks, much like the Army or the Navy. Satan is Commander in Chief of the Fallen. He has Generals, Colonels, and on down the line.)
And Satan's army marches among us, trying to lead us into evil, sometimes possessing us.
One thing I found interesting is that Bubeck specifically mentioned "The Exorcist," and the controversy surrounding its release. (This book was originally published in 1975) His parishioners raised a fuss. My impression was that Dr Bubeck was dismissing "The Exorcist" out of hand as an evil force, because it exposed people to evil. There certainly was a lot of evil in "The Exorcist," I'll grant. In the end, though, it was two priests working like hell to drive this demon out of Regan MacNeil. They did so using a Christian Rite, interspersed with prayer and scripture.
My point is that "The Exorcist" absolutely confirms his theory: an unbeliever child starts screwing around with a Ouija board, and all hell breaks loose. Two holy men come in, say the right intercessory prayers, and the little girl becomes cute again. Rather than mention the film's subject, he said that "The Exorcist" frenzy was inviting demons to take up residence in people.
Bubeck comes from the evangelical faith-warfare school. Basically, the idea is that we should arm ourselves with extensive prayer before going out each day. Demon attacks aren't always as extreme as Linda Blair's character anyway. They can fill the victims' heads with violent thoughts--I should really kill my family with that knife, he offers as one example. Other manifestations are as simple as deep depression or anxiety.
The prescription is fervent, specialized prayer, mixed with memorizing certain Bible passages, so that we can ruminate on them wherever we are. Obviously, living a clean life is up there as well.
If you're wondering, the best place to find Satan-fighting instruction is Paul's Letter to The Ephesians. Indeed, there's a lot of Paul's work in the mix.
Bubeck recommends putting on your spiritual armor every day before you go out. This is another specific sort of prayer.
I won't go on--you should get the picture. The primary weapon is "warfare prayer."
As a reader, I learned a lot about the Spiritual Warfare movement, as practiced by evangelicals. One complaint I had with "The Adversary" is that many of the subjects Bubeck was describing as gateways to possession were very much mid-1970's phenomena. He identified the great spiritual experimentation that went on then, and wrote about the increase in drug use in more of a 1975 way than a 2013 way (ie, drug use was a new phenomenon).
"The Adversary" was originally written in an era with Watergate, Vietnam, the tail end of the counterculture. The idea was to reboot it for today, and in my opinion, there should have been much more about the Internet. Yes, I can find porn in about ten seconds. I could find devil worship sites with a little work, but I could also find online communities of believers, prayer chains, evangelical outreach sites, 24/7, and accessible worldwide.
Dr. Bubeck is probably a spectacular minister. I do not doubt his sincerity for one second. His writing style is authoritative but friendly, like a good preacher should be.
As a guide to evangelicals seeking help with possession, this book will be a most-helpful tool.
Me? I'd still want Max von Sydow slashing my legs with Holy Water, and bellowing the demon out of me.
"The Adversary" would be a great name for a YA-Paranormal book. This book is most definitely NOT a YA-Paranormal book.
Another thing. It's difficult for me to review this book, simply because author Mark Bubeck's faith and interpretations are substantially different from my own. I am reviewing his book as a book blogger, not as a theologian. I was a Lit Major. If Dr Bubeck were writing an extended commentary on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," I might feel compelled to chime in, but on the topic of Spiritual Warfare, I happily defer to him. Seriously. I'm very happy he is doing Spiritual Warfare, because I could never do it.
Anyway, the self-same adversary referred to in the title is none other than Satan, once among the most exalted of angels, until he developed an "I want to be just like God" complex, and was cast out of heaven.
Since then, Satan and his fellow outcasts--demons, et al (Bubeck describes a hierarchy and ranks, much like the Army or the Navy. Satan is Commander in Chief of the Fallen. He has Generals, Colonels, and on down the line.)
And Satan's army marches among us, trying to lead us into evil, sometimes possessing us.
One thing I found interesting is that Bubeck specifically mentioned "The Exorcist," and the controversy surrounding its release. (This book was originally published in 1975) His parishioners raised a fuss. My impression was that Dr Bubeck was dismissing "The Exorcist" out of hand as an evil force, because it exposed people to evil. There certainly was a lot of evil in "The Exorcist," I'll grant. In the end, though, it was two priests working like hell to drive this demon out of Regan MacNeil. They did so using a Christian Rite, interspersed with prayer and scripture.
My point is that "The Exorcist" absolutely confirms his theory: an unbeliever child starts screwing around with a Ouija board, and all hell breaks loose. Two holy men come in, say the right intercessory prayers, and the little girl becomes cute again. Rather than mention the film's subject, he said that "The Exorcist" frenzy was inviting demons to take up residence in people.
Bubeck comes from the evangelical faith-warfare school. Basically, the idea is that we should arm ourselves with extensive prayer before going out each day. Demon attacks aren't always as extreme as Linda Blair's character anyway. They can fill the victims' heads with violent thoughts--I should really kill my family with that knife, he offers as one example. Other manifestations are as simple as deep depression or anxiety.
The prescription is fervent, specialized prayer, mixed with memorizing certain Bible passages, so that we can ruminate on them wherever we are. Obviously, living a clean life is up there as well.
If you're wondering, the best place to find Satan-fighting instruction is Paul's Letter to The Ephesians. Indeed, there's a lot of Paul's work in the mix.
Bubeck recommends putting on your spiritual armor every day before you go out. This is another specific sort of prayer.
I won't go on--you should get the picture. The primary weapon is "warfare prayer."
As a reader, I learned a lot about the Spiritual Warfare movement, as practiced by evangelicals. One complaint I had with "The Adversary" is that many of the subjects Bubeck was describing as gateways to possession were very much mid-1970's phenomena. He identified the great spiritual experimentation that went on then, and wrote about the increase in drug use in more of a 1975 way than a 2013 way (ie, drug use was a new phenomenon).
"The Adversary" was originally written in an era with Watergate, Vietnam, the tail end of the counterculture. The idea was to reboot it for today, and in my opinion, there should have been much more about the Internet. Yes, I can find porn in about ten seconds. I could find devil worship sites with a little work, but I could also find online communities of believers, prayer chains, evangelical outreach sites, 24/7, and accessible worldwide.
Dr. Bubeck is probably a spectacular minister. I do not doubt his sincerity for one second. His writing style is authoritative but friendly, like a good preacher should be.
As a guide to evangelicals seeking help with possession, this book will be a most-helpful tool.
Me? I'd still want Max von Sydow slashing my legs with Holy Water, and bellowing the demon out of me.
December 10, 2021
During the years when Jesus walked among mortals, one of his regular earthly acts of mercy and compassion was setting people free from evil spirits. While demonic activity isn't as talked about in modern day North American church contexts, pastor and author Mark Bubeck asserts in his book that, "There are people all about us who are tormented and deeply troubled by the overt attacks of the powers of darkness against them." Much of his pastoral ministry has been dedicated to teaching the Word of God and equipping the saints for the work of prayer and calling upon the Lord of hosts.
Sound doctrine is essential in the life of a believer. According to the author, when it comes to spiritual warfare and understanding our truest condition, the first truth every believer must confront and accept is that he is a poor sinful being with an inherited depraved nature. The second truth is that our battle with the sinful flesh is often aggravated by a world that is also corrupt, perpetuating evil, and as the apostle John says, "lies in the power of the evil one". The third truth is that the evil one possesses his own set of armies and forces that exist alongside the world of the seen.
While the author states we must not develop a "demon behind every bush" mentality with every practical or spiritual problem we encounter, he also strongly believes that we mustn't be ignorant of the devil's tactics and hostility, particularly against the saints of God. He wrote this book with the conviction that believers need to be encouraged with truths to aid them in their Christian walk which can then also be used to help others. His desire is to see more believers walking in assurance, confidence, faith, and hope. Believers are to walk in the manner to which we have been called, specifically, walking in the victory, boldness, and blessedness (think beatitudes!) that is theirs on account of our Savior Jesus, that is ours because of his death on the cross and resurrection from that death. There is no victory over our enemies apart from the person and saving work of Jesus.
Spiritual warfare is one of those subjects that feels like a relief to hear someone else talk about. Reading this also felt like a missed but long forgotten form of "coming home", like I was finally hearing the words of my native country again. As a kid, the devil and his demons were just part of the world, as common to human existence as our pets and the trees. The missionaries came back and told us about them, how a demon-possessed man came sommersaulting down the village church aisle at seemingly lightening fast speed. I don't remember what happened to the man. I was fascinated, and yet, thought nothing about it. Demons were in the Bible, so they had to be real.
His frequent use of the word "victory" often made me uncomfortable. I'm so used to walking around in the state of "now and not yet", where we often have to believe things are true even without them feeling that way. We at times must live in defiance against even our five human senses. Growing up has a way of complicating our worldviews as they ever expand to accommodate our growing piles of experiences and seeming contradictions. For example, though we have been fully bought back and redeemed by the blood of Christ, coming into life in Christ is not a once and done free-for-all, where we no longer experience trials, afflictions, oppressions, or temptations. In fact, as sure as these came upon our Lord Jesus Christ, we can be certain these things will come to us, just as certain as they fall upon the entire human family. But now, joined to Christ, we face none of the things apart from him. With complete love and trust in the provision and care of our Heavenly Father, we face our demons in the same way Jesus did; with the Word of God and prayer.
Sound doctrine is essential in the life of a believer. According to the author, when it comes to spiritual warfare and understanding our truest condition, the first truth every believer must confront and accept is that he is a poor sinful being with an inherited depraved nature. The second truth is that our battle with the sinful flesh is often aggravated by a world that is also corrupt, perpetuating evil, and as the apostle John says, "lies in the power of the evil one". The third truth is that the evil one possesses his own set of armies and forces that exist alongside the world of the seen.
While the author states we must not develop a "demon behind every bush" mentality with every practical or spiritual problem we encounter, he also strongly believes that we mustn't be ignorant of the devil's tactics and hostility, particularly against the saints of God. He wrote this book with the conviction that believers need to be encouraged with truths to aid them in their Christian walk which can then also be used to help others. His desire is to see more believers walking in assurance, confidence, faith, and hope. Believers are to walk in the manner to which we have been called, specifically, walking in the victory, boldness, and blessedness (think beatitudes!) that is theirs on account of our Savior Jesus, that is ours because of his death on the cross and resurrection from that death. There is no victory over our enemies apart from the person and saving work of Jesus.
Spiritual warfare is one of those subjects that feels like a relief to hear someone else talk about. Reading this also felt like a missed but long forgotten form of "coming home", like I was finally hearing the words of my native country again. As a kid, the devil and his demons were just part of the world, as common to human existence as our pets and the trees. The missionaries came back and told us about them, how a demon-possessed man came sommersaulting down the village church aisle at seemingly lightening fast speed. I don't remember what happened to the man. I was fascinated, and yet, thought nothing about it. Demons were in the Bible, so they had to be real.
His frequent use of the word "victory" often made me uncomfortable. I'm so used to walking around in the state of "now and not yet", where we often have to believe things are true even without them feeling that way. We at times must live in defiance against even our five human senses. Growing up has a way of complicating our worldviews as they ever expand to accommodate our growing piles of experiences and seeming contradictions. For example, though we have been fully bought back and redeemed by the blood of Christ, coming into life in Christ is not a once and done free-for-all, where we no longer experience trials, afflictions, oppressions, or temptations. In fact, as sure as these came upon our Lord Jesus Christ, we can be certain these things will come to us, just as certain as they fall upon the entire human family. But now, joined to Christ, we face none of the things apart from him. With complete love and trust in the provision and care of our Heavenly Father, we face our demons in the same way Jesus did; with the Word of God and prayer.
February 16, 2017
This book was great - a handbook on spiritual warfare that's neither hysterical, speculative, or defeatist, but hews close to the Word of God ("Sound doctrine is absolutely essential to victorious spiritual warfare over Satan," Bubeck insists) and is uniquely, refreshingly practical.
And it's not just about the devil, either: the chapters on the world and the flesh are incredibly convicting and encouraging, and the prayers provided are a brilliant help on how to pray generally, not just for spiritual warfare purposes.
I'd recommend this to every Christian but especially anyone who's evangelising, ministering, counselling, or dealing with family members in persistent sin.
And it's not just about the devil, either: the chapters on the world and the flesh are incredibly convicting and encouraging, and the prayers provided are a brilliant help on how to pray generally, not just for spiritual warfare purposes.
I'd recommend this to every Christian but especially anyone who's evangelising, ministering, counselling, or dealing with family members in persistent sin.
January 4, 2016
Books on spiritual warfare tend to fall into 2 categories -either they are dry theological tombs with little practical application or they are sensationalistic spending vast amounts of page space dazzling the eyes with fantastic stories of battles with creatures form the Abyss. Fortunately, Mark Bubeck straddles these two extremes and hands us a book that is thoughtful, Biblical, and practical. The Adversary is a great book to begin your study on spiritual warfare and how to implement strategic prayer in your life. He spend a good deal of the book laying the Biblical foundation for this practice and discovering who the Enemy really is. But the crux of the book is not what the Adversary is doing or what formulas we need to overcome him. The focus of the book is ultimately on Jesus and what He did to overcome the forces of destruction. Highly recommend this book.
August 2, 2013
Very informative on the reality of demonic activity and how the enemy works to defeat followers of Christ. Packed with scripture references, making it an excellent reference book as well. I don't agree with his views on the evidence of the Holy Spirit, Pentecostalism, etc. I'm a firm believer that the moving of the Holy Spirit on the early church and the gifts of the Spirit (Acts chapter 2, I Corinthians chapters 12, 13, 14 are examples) are the same today. I do agree that we must test the spirits (I John 4)to see if what is being presented is truly from God (if it contradicts the Bible, it isn't from God). Otherwise, great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2014
I had a hard time rating this book. It was interesting, but did I like it? No, not really.
It's an aspect of religion I have mixed feelings about... which I won't go into here... however, what I will say is that the biblical quotations and the application of them was interesting. The logic in the application is sound, and read as a text I would say that it not only brings up aspects and notions that I had previously not considered when reading the text, but it also causes one to reflect on what is written. It isn't a novel to read it one sitting, it's a text that will make you delve not only in yourself but in the text (this one or the bible).
It's an aspect of religion I have mixed feelings about... which I won't go into here... however, what I will say is that the biblical quotations and the application of them was interesting. The logic in the application is sound, and read as a text I would say that it not only brings up aspects and notions that I had previously not considered when reading the text, but it also causes one to reflect on what is written. It isn't a novel to read it one sitting, it's a text that will make you delve not only in yourself but in the text (this one or the bible).
May 2, 2016
The Adversary: The Christian Versus Demon Activity was a thought provoking read, although not really one I loved reading - just because of the subject matter. I liked how there was a lot of scripture quotations in the book and even more scripture passages where you have to look them up yourself. It shows that the author did a lot of research.
All in all, I liked this book and if you're looking for a book on Christians and demonic activity, then I think this is a good book.
*I received a complimentary eBook copy via NetGalley for my honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*
All in all, I liked this book and if you're looking for a book on Christians and demonic activity, then I think this is a good book.
*I received a complimentary eBook copy via NetGalley for my honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*
August 7, 2013
This is a good book for anyone interested in spiritual warfare. It will help prepare you for the battle and lead you into victory. The book will show you how the spiritual battle plays out in your life and ministry. It will enrich your life and draw you into deeper fellowship with the Lord.
November 27, 2010
My #1 book on spiritual warfare. Biblically based. I didn't think his second book on the subject was as good because he reiterated so much of what was in the first.
March 5, 2014
This book was very informative and helped with my sporotual struggles going on in my life right now. The examples Mark gives a better insight.
May 21, 2014
Very good book.
Read
September 15, 2011very interesting and a good reminder that we are key players in the war between good and evil.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews