Insight into spiritual warfare through a dream?

Friends,

I want to relate some things I remember about a dream I just had and also some of my impressions from it. Please keep in mind this was a dream and I do not want to make too much of this. I had the feeling it might be helpfull to some of us.

I think I learned something about spiritual warfare tonight. I was dreaming, and in my dream I was walking home, or going somewhere, and as I did I passed by this strange man. As I passed him I remember turning back to look at him but wanting to keep going. He was muttering some things and I can remember sensing something spiritual and dark about him. The more I looked back the more he would mutter until finally he decided to follow me. I remember feeling like I didn’t want him to follow me. Eventually I felt like I had to turn and defend myself.

This is where it was strange. I would turn and he would utter some nonsense things. I would try to attack him in response but it was as though my attacks, or punches, were not hurting him. He would utter some more things, I would think I had a response and turn to attack him, but it was like it was having no effect.

The dream ended and I woke up. After I woke up I felt I had learned something about spiritual warfare in this dream: that sometimes the way you defeat these spirits is by leaving them alone to begin with. That is, by avoiding being enticed into fighting with them. I was trying to fight him with brute force, and I remember feeling confident that I could win and it was having no effect on him at all. And in the dream I remember thinking, by his physical appearance, I should have been able to beat him. But I think now it wasn’t about brute strength. I think it was about not fighting with him at all. Or at least not with brute strength?

May God help us and watch over us and teach us, and take away anything that is false or wrong from this also, in Jesus' name.

The dream ended and I woke up. After I woke up I felt I had learned something about spiritual warfare in this dream: that sometimes the way you defeat these spirits is by leaving them alone to begin with. That is, by avoiding being enticed into fighting with them...

The more I looked back the more he would mutter until finally he decided to follow me.

I think this is a good point. I have seen people so preoccupied with demons that they saw them around them all the time. The more they acknowledged them- the more they would see. They were near to insanity and many folk thought they [i]were[/i] crazy.

C.S. Lewis once said that there are two great errors concerning demonic spirits;

1) no belief in them at all
2) an unhealthy interest in them

Annie,

I agree with your post but have a question about this statement:

Seems the devil tries to engage us in conversation, besides just paying attention to his tactics at all

Did Jesus not talk with the devil while he was in the wilderness after his baptism? Do we not gain lessons from his dealings with the Enemy on what our battles with the enemy might look like?

Blessings,
ginnyrose

Chris,

After posting, I thought of something else....I wonder whether this dream may not have been meant to minister to you for a particular situation? I see red flags when one assumes there is a 'one size- fits- all" approach to spiritual warfare.

Paul tells us we are not ignorant of his devices. (2Cor. 2:11). In Ephesians we told to put on the armour of God. In this armour there are different pieces in which the body is clothed to protect itself from the many different devices the Enemy will send our way.

Jesus, when he was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4) confronted him personally, directly because the Enemy came to him, engaging him in a personal conversation. Later, Peter said something in which Jesus rebuked him by saying "Get thee behind me satan.." (Matt. 16:23).

In life one sees many evidences of devilish work, so how do we deal with it? One can get so enamoured in fighting devils he will go crazy because his fight is done in the flesh. The saying is "You must choose your battles wisely" and methinks this is wise because only the battles God wants you to engage will he enable you to win.

You see, brother, the devil has many devices at his disposal to attack anyone. And to assume these temptations can be won by simply ignoring them means someone else has won and it ain't you. To win the fight, one must walk with God (like Jesus did in the wilderness) and then he will give you the strategy on how to win that battle. We do not go out to look for battles to fight: they will come to us because the enemy is working against God through his children. God is more interested in seeing us win this battle against sin and temptation then we are and he will supply you with the technique on how it is to be won. We do not choose the technique.

Brother, one time I had a severe problem with evil imaginations. The short of the long is that I had to confront the devil directly. But God was the one who gave me that inspiration and power to do so. It was divine enablement, I could not win this battle by any other means.

I hope this will help...

Blessings,
ginnyrose

Hi everyone. And thank you all.

Ginny,

I too felt this was only one aspect of learning this warfare.

Thanks,

Chris

Chris, Wow that was amazing! Some dream! Yes we do seem to want to do harm to the devil.And I hope we can!
We do win. Because Jesus wins every time.
The devil looses every time.
I had a similar dream.
In my dream I was a ship.
I could see the ship so beautiful with sails and lots of cannons.[Similar to a ship from the 16th century}
It was magnificent.
The Lord spoke to me and said" You are a ship"
It made me really feel good about myself.
Soon another ship came into view,almost exactly like mine.
It was coming straight at me but about a mile away.
The Lord said"that's the devils ship"
It was like I knew exactly what to do.
I waited till he was along side and at point blank I opened up on him with my cannons.
It was like to cannon balls had zero effect on his ship.
A fear and dread and perplexity came over me.
Immediately I was caught up into the air.[like a helicopter ride]
The Lord let me see the devils ship from above.
It was most fascinating!
My ship was still firing and you could actually see the cannon balls traveling through the air at tremendous velocity.
But the devils ship was not a ship! It was similar to a billboard! Paper!
My cannon balls would go right through and then the rip would seal like a flap , leaving the impression that the cannons were missing the target.
I could also see the boat that the huge "billboard" was connected to.
It was a row boat!
The devil had a demon with him and the demon had a noisemaker that sounded just like a cannon.
You could hear it go Boom, Boom, when the demon would pull the string.

The devil is a bluff and a liar and a deceiver.
If he can get you to believe his lies and deception.........HE'S GOT YOU!

David

Hi everyone.

Psalm1 and Dorcas,

First Psalm1, that was an intense dream! And I appreciated it and what you shared.

Dorcas, thank you for the reply.

You are right, I didn't feel fear. I've had experiences when out, or out sharing the Gospel, that were as though I was being taunted or provoked, and I think that could have been what was happening in the dream with the muttering. As though it were a provocation.

As to other thoughts on ways to defeat these spirits, I think if I tried to answer that here, in this setting, I'd be going way out of my league. Sorry.

Would like to suggest this much though: am thinking more and more that meekness, that is, in the sense of restraint, is very important.

God's love to you all in Jesus,

Chris