Overcoming Spiritual Attack: Identify and Break Eight Common Symptoms

by Ryan LeStrange

A spiritual attack is a series of events coordinated by the demonic realm to oppress a believer, abort promises, shipwreck faith, and stall out destiny.

The kingdom of darkness aligns accusations, plans, persecution, and circumstances to move the believer outside his destiny and assigned place in God’s kingdom. Its evil forces move with great strength and stealth. Their goal is to operate under cover, just as an invading power would when entering the airspace of another nation. They do all they can to remain undetected.

If the enemy wants to abort the destiny of a ministry or group of people, his strategy is simple: defeat the leader. To counter plans of destiny, he begins to release plans of division, disruption, and disunity.

You must get into the presence of God and wait on Him to speak to you. Then get up and run toward the instruction of the Lord.

Part of his scheme is to “naturalize” an attack by convincing us that we are having just a bad day or a difficult season.

One goal of a spiritual attack is to overwhelm the mind and emotions of the person in order to put him completely out of sync with the authority God has freely given him.

Moving into deeper levels of communication with God, however, requires the understanding that prayer at its highest is a dialogue, not a monologue.

To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, for the carnal mind is hostile toward God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.

My spiritual father, Dr. Norvel Hayes, states simply yet profoundly in his book How to Cast Out Devils that the enemy searches the inner thought life and emotions of human beings, studying their habits, desires, and frustrations, looking for a way in (Calvary slammed the door on the devil, but he can come in if we open the door to him by our own

Prophets

Although there is too much that I could write about it to communicate here, it can be described as an anti-anointing spirit that constricts and chokes out life.

Part of the attack by the spirit of heaviness is a temptation for you to simply buckle under the pressure. Demonic forces are exerting extreme pressure to get you to buckle. You feel the heaviness all around you, and quitting seems like a better option in that moment than enduring. That is all part of hell’s plans. One of its chief plots is to get you to withdraw from spiritual disciplines and kingdom service. Simply put, the enemy wants to pollute and halt your prayer life. He then can get you to sit down and put your destiny aside in order to accept a life of spiritual mediocrity and defeat.

service. You exit one elevation in order to rise even higher. It is in this process that there is an intimate provocation. Something deep inside you comes alive, and truth resonates throughout your being.

have seen people who were in a period of stagnation and then made a change after becoming enlightened to particular truths, only to come under a torrent of evil lies and

One of the first moves is to release a wave of adverse circumstances that directly counter the truth of God’s Word in specific areas.

Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].

Too many Christians give up and quit at the first sign of trouble. One of the first things they do is question what God has already spoken to them. We must develop a deeper root system of faith in our lives.

In contrast, when passion is subsiding, people often

grow offended.

The enemy twists it all up while convincing them something really deep has happened that is worthy of their offense.

The sad reality is that the person who is most affected by the offense is the offended person. What has upset him is usually not even the real issue. The real issue is the lack of Holy Spirit oil in his life and the loss of his passion. People like this need a personal revival!

Sometimes we grow weary and frustrated because we don’t see progression, but destiny is often a journey marked by many seemingly small, insignificant steps.

As the fire dims, a person under attack often lets go of assignments and disciplines that would bring the breakthrough.

Frustration is defined as “a feeling of anger or annoyance caused by being unable to do something: the state of being frustrated.”1 I mentioned that multiple demanding situations will