An Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare

AN INSIDERS GUIDE TO

Spiritual

Warfare

30 BATTLE-TESTED STRATEGIES

FROM BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Kristine McGuire

G(Unpublished manuscriptcopyright protected Baker Publishing Group)

_McGuire_InsidersSpiritualWarfare_NS_wo.indd 3 7/11/14 10:11 AM

Kristine McGuire, An Insider's Guide to Spiritual WarfareChosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2014. Used by permission.

2014 by Kristine McGuire

Published by Chosen Books

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Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

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Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

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recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception

is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on le at the Library of Con-

gress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-0-8007-9602-0

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New In-

ternational Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations identied esv are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

(ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

Scripture quotations identied nlt are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,

copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Gearbox

Author is represented by Glass Road Media Management, LLC

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

(Unpublished manuscriptcopyright protected Baker Publishing Group)



For my mother

the most faithful prayer warrior

and teacher of spiritual warfare I know.




Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.

Surely he will save you from the fowlers snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will nd refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that ies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, The Lord is my refuge,

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.




7Contents

Foreword by Becky McDonald 13

Acknowledgments 17

Introduction: Are You Battle Ready? 19

Part 1: Life in a Spiritual War Zone

1. The Battle Dened 25

2. Who Are Your Allies? 29

3. Know Your Enemy 37

4. What Is Spiritual Warfare? 43

5. What Not to Do 48

6. Claim Your Identity 55

Part 2: The Weapons of War

7. Putting on Your Battle Dress 63

8. The Belt of Truth 69




8 Contents

9. The Breastplate of Righteousness 75

10. The Shoes of Peace 81

11. The Shield of Faith 86

12. The Helmet of Salvation 92

13. The Sword of the Spirit 98

Part 3: Common Battlefields

14. Su

Contents

9

29. Praying from Gods Word 216

30. Living Behind Enemy Lines 222

Appendix: How You Can Help in the Wider Battle 229

For Further Reading 231

Notes 235

Index 237




11

Foreword

There is a group of famous warriors studied by armies the

world over to understand warfare. The Ghurkas, an elite

Nepali band of soldiers, are analyzed by elite forces for training.

These South Asian warriors have for centuries specialized in

going behind enemy lines to ght evil where it is most di=cult

to detect. They have learned to know their enemy, the strategies

of their enemy and the weapons to use against them. These

men are themselves a razor-sharp weapon, a unique circle of

protection with knowledge, skills and insights like few others.

As a little girl growing up on the Indian subcontinent, I

learned about these amazing warriors. And today the orga-

nization I lead, Women At Risk (WAR) International, ghts

the war being waged against women and children with a pas-

sion to give them a voice and be for them, like the Ghurkas, a

circle of protection. Our Nepali partners father is a Ghurka

who served the Queen of England with distinction, her own

personal bodyguard.




12

Foreword

In the same way, this book is to prepare you to be a circle of

protection to the attack of evil against you and your circle of

inuence.

Kristine McGuire, after years of dabbling with the dark side

and the shadowy evil that exists in our world, has found her

voice. After feeling silenced by other believers to hide her story,

she has found the courage to speak out and warn others to ob-

serve what I have long believed: that if you show attention to

evil, it will show attention to you. I am proud of Kristine for

using her voice to help others.

Her book focuses on the mind, where most spiritual warfare

happens. Rarely (though occasionally) in the West do we witness

apparitions or people levitating or getting thrown into walls.

These things happen more overseas. But fascination with the

paranormal in the West is growing, especially in Hollywood

and the youth culture. Most warfare starts with internal psycho-

logical combat. Kristines book addresses the need for spiritual

protection; for knowledge of the commands of Scripture, based

on Gods real promises; and for recognizing the lies we have

come to believe that keep us from being battle-ready.

Ghurkhas understand this. During World War II they would

take out just one of a pair of Nazi sentries keeping watch. Killing

the one awake and leaving the one asleep to awaken and nd his

dead comrade created a lie that would cripple many.

Lies today are no di

Foreword

13

In my experience, each battleeld comes with a lie:

Battlefield Lie

Suffering I deserve it.

Worry I cant fight this.

Anger I hate myself or the people who did this to me.

Lust I need this and have a right to it, no matter what it does to others.

Laziness I am powerless to fight this; I give up.

Gossip This isnt my fault; someone else is to blame.

Strife I will lash out at whoever scares me to protect those I love. I also want to hide in a bubble, even if Im isolated.

Kristines strategy points remove fear. And her powerful clos-

ing section is a call to live with courage in a broken world.

Warriors teach that courage is not the absence of fear but

the control of fear. Whether you, like Kristine, love the Word

of God, or whether you simply recognize evil in the world,

you need a plan for exercising courage in your life. It begins

for you, as for the Gurkha, with knowing yourself and your

enemy. You alone know your unique story that generated the

lies you believe, whether they were perpetrated by your own

wrong choices, by the unfair attacks of those you trusted, or

by choices that were taught and caught in the cultures of

the world.

And if you have never been wounded that deeply, you surely

know and love someone who has, and you can walk that journey

with him or her.

You need tools to understand the brokenness in the world

around you; to know how to ght the lies that brokenness in-

evitably leads us to believe about reality; to know the weap-

ons, strategies and techniques available to ght in hand-to-hand

combat with courage in the face of fear; and to recognize the

ever-changing yet repetitive strategies that the cultures of the




14

Foreword

world use continually in both the normal and paranormal worlds

to demean, degrade and destroy joy, love of life, e

15

Acknowledgments

Setting out to write a book on spiritual warfare has been

an amazing and sobering experience. As I have studied

the Bible, researched and sought guidance from respected Chris-

tians, I am thankful the Lord equips and strengthens those He

calls.

With profound appreciation I must thank those who have

assisted me with their talents, supported me with their friend-

ship, held me up in prayer, shared spiritual insight and otherwise

been an encouragement throughout this project:

Thom McGuire: Beloved husband and companion in life.

Thank you for all you do to care for, support, spiritually chal-

lenge and spur me on as your wife and as a writer. I thank God

every day for bringing you into my life more than 25 years ago

and that He set you aside for me. Love you with all my heart.

Rebeca Seitz, Glass Road Media Management: Manager,

agent, friend, cheerleader, head bopper (metaphorically speak-

ing) and editor. Your dedication to serving God through sharing

stories inspires me. Words cannot convey how glad I am for your

presence in my life. Thank you.




16

Acknowledgments

Jane Campbell, Editorial Director, Chosen Books: Thank you

for taking time out of your busy schedule (at a conference no

less) to meet me and learn my story. What a remarkable meet-

ing! I am thrilled and blessed to be working with you and the

amazing sta< at Chosen Books and Baker Publishing Group.

Becky McDonald, Women at Risk International: Several

years ago I heard you speak at my church, where you presented

the stark reality of human tra=cking and spiritual warfare.

It challenged my view of the wider world. I have been blessed

to witness your mother-heart in action through my brief time

working at Women at Risk International. I have learned much

from your vast knowledge and experience. You have become a

mentor to me, and I am grateful for your example of what it

means to be a woman of God.

Nancy Geertman and Karen Bartholomew: The most engag-

ing, encouraging and informative discussions on spiritual war-

fare in which I have ever participated have taken place with the

two of you, as we sat around the kitchen table with our cups of

tea or co

17

Introduction

Are You Battle Ready?

What is spiritual warfare?

My eyes widened in surprise as I gazed at the

questioner, wondering about the seriousness of his question.

But the gentleman was looking at me with an earnest curiosity

that caught me o

18

Introduction

It was not until then that I saw how unprepared I was to

answer the question. It never occurred to me that Christians or

anyone else might not have the vocabulary to dene spiritual

warfare as it is understood in the Bible. It never occurred to me

people might not have any concept of the spiritual battle that we

all nd ourselves in, or how that battle impacts our daily lives.

That gentlemans question compelled me to learn how to

be prepared to give an answer (1 Peter 3:15). It put me in the

process that led to writing this book.

The reality of spiritual warfare is there for anyone who is

enabled by the Holy Spirit to see it.

As I began thinking about how to write this book, a heinous

act of murder and violence rocked America. I believe it illustrates

how evil can inuence a person as surely as Gods goodness is

able to do (even in those who do not yet know Him as Savior

and Lord). Each one of us on this planet is engaged in spiritual

warfare, even if we do not realize it.

The morning of July 20, 2012, my husband and I were return-

ing home to Michigan from a Christian Booksellers Association

conference in Orlando. I was feeling pretty upbeat after a week

of meeting publishing professionals, getting some books signed

by their authors and even meeting some celebrities who were

promoting their work in Christian lms. Even so, my husband

and I were ready to be home. But it is a long drive from Orlando

to Michigan, so Thom and I had stopped in North Carolina to

catch a few hours of sleep in a hotel.

As I walked out of the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, I saw

Thom sitting at the little desk staring at his laptop. He then

turned to me, a look of shock and horror on his face.

Youre not going to believe whats happened, he said.

Thoms eyes lled with tears as he explained. Inside a movie

theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of

The Dark Knight, twelve people, including a six-year-old girl,

had been gunned down. A man armed with an assault rie, a




Introduction

19

shotgun and a handgun had kicked in a door at the back of the

theater. He wore riot gear and body armor and released tear

gas canisters into the crowd. And then started shooting. Besides

those who had died, dozens had been wounded.

As we nished packing, I felt an urgent need to pray for the

surviving victims and families. My heart broke for them.

Honestly, I questioned God. What madness, what evil, could

beset anyone to plan and execute such violence and terror? As

I formed the thought, the answer came to me from the Holy

Spirit through the words of Matthew 24:12 (nlt): Sin will be

rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

This act was the result of our spiritual enemys inuence.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that the gunman

is not culpable for his crime. The man performed a heinous act

and bears the burden alone. He made a choice at some point.

His true mind or motive may never be known, but he chose to

commit murder, and with frightening attention to detail.

Nevertheless, Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.

We live in a world currently under the control of the prince

of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2 esv). The enemy. Our

enemy. The Church tends to take two approaches to this reality:

ignore the problem or spend too much time and attention on it,

as if every little thing were the result of a demon.

Neither view is helpful or e

20

Introduction

more determined to seek God for discernment in recognizing

spiritual warfare as it occurs daily around us.

So what say you?

Ready to pick up your armor? As they say, there is safety in

numbers.

Why dont we take a walk through this spiritual battleground

and have a look at it together.




Part 1

Life in a Spiritual

War Zone

(Unpublished manuscriptcopyright protected Baker Publishing Group)(Unpublished manuscriptcopyright protected Baker Publishing Group)



23

1

The Battle Defined

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he

created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27 esv

Lets start this journey at the beginning.

God created everything, everywhere. Time. Space.

Matter. And the laws that govern these things. Also, all named

and unnamed elements of the physical universe exist because

God spoke them into existence out of nothing.

The Bible also explains that God created spirit beings to serve

Him. These beings exist in an unseen world that surrounds our

physical one. Hidden. Veiled. But they are as real as the air we

breathe, the ground on which we stand and the people who

intersect our lives every day. This unseen world is of a di

Life in a Spir itual War Zone

24

Point of fact, the unseen worlds existence does not depend

on our personal belief or acknowledgment.

It simply is.

The next question, then, is what is going on in that hidden

world that seeks to thrust humanity into spiritual warfare?

In a word: rebellion.

One of the most powerful spirit beings that God created to

worship and serve Him had other plans. He rebelled against

God and brought throngs of like-minded spirits with him, to

turn from Gods purpose to his own.

He wanted to subvert what God had created. Everything.

And it was his seeing of incomprehensible love that got the

rebellion going.

This brings us to the story of Adam and Eve. God designed

them, a man and woman, to be in relationship with Him. The

details of the story in Genesis 2 and 3 show that God provided

everything Adam and Eve needed. They had a beautiful garden

in which to live and to tend. Animals as gentle companions.

Food in abundance from every tree and seed-bearing plant. In

this idyllic setting God brought them together in the relationship

of husband and wife. Two becoming one esh, companions in

life through His covenant of marriage. It was to be life without

shame lived in innocence and joy.

God had a single stipulation for them.

Adam and Eve were not to eat from a specially designated

tree in the garden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and

Evil. If they ate from it, they would die.

The spirit being who led the rebellion against God became

the adversary of humanity by tempting Adam and Eve to eat

from the forbidden tree. He appeared to the woman in the guise

of a serpent and lied to her. He twisted Gods command. He

told Eve she would not die if she ate from that tree. He said she

would become like God Himself. It was the very thing the spirit

being wanted for himself but could never achieve.




The Battle Defined

25

The woman, and then the man, chose to disobey God and eat

fruit from that tree. Because of that choice, sin broke through

into the good world God had created. The legacy of their dis-

obedience is the pain, struggle, decay and death around us all

the time.

God had no choice but to throw Adam and Eve out of the

perfect garden.

Tarnished with sin, they lost the privilege of abiding in Gods

magnicent presence. They could no longer enjoy the intimate

fellowship they had known with God because sin cannot reside

where He is.

The enemy has been using similar tactics against us ever since.

Adam and Eve chose the rationale of evil over the loving in-

struction of their Creator. As a result, the world became a place

where the enemys inuence is unmistakable, as witnessed in

Aurora, Colorado, and just six months later at the Sandy Hook

Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Choices made to do terrible evils.

Now, are you ready for the good news?

As inuential as our adversary may be, he is not equal in

power to God. Some people fear that he is equal to God. But

that is propaganda, which the enemy is more than happy to

conrm through deceit. People look around and see opposites.

Male and female. Birth and death. Positive and negative. Good

and evil. So Satan must be Gods opposite, they think, and as

powerful as God.

That is a common misunderstanding.

Satan certainly does oppose his Creator, but he already lost

the war. God pronounced judgment against him long ago. Hu-

manitys freedom has been secured. As it is stated in 1 Thes-

salonians 5:9 (esv): For God has not destined us for wrath, but

to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The problem is that the enemy will not yield without a ght.

Satan wants to take as many of the Creators beloved (you and




Life in a Spir itual War Zone

26

me) as he can into the eternal punish-

ment prepared for him and the spirit

beings that have rebelled with him, the

fallen angels.

Even so, God has given the authority

of Jesus Christ to all those who have

sought His forgiveness. Our sins are

then covered by His shed blood and

our relationship with God is restored.

As Christians, as His adopted children, we have the right to call

out, Abba! Father! (Romans 8:15 esv).

God really is our Daddy.

Yes. A spiritual war is raging. An unseen battle is taking

place around us every day. We are ground zero. Gods enemy

is our enemy.

Satan hates us and seeks our utter destruction.

But we are not in this battle alone!

God is with us. And He has given us defensive armor and a

weapon sharper than a two-edged sword (see part 2).

Your Turn to Reflect

1. Why do you think God created human beings for intimate

fellowship with Him?

2. Have you ever considered what it means to be in a spiritual

battle?

3. How do you dene spiritual warfare?

4. What are some examples of spiritual battles you have faced?

5. How did you respond to the struggle?

STRATEGY POINT #1:

As Gods adopted

child, you have the

right to call out,

Abba! Father!




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An Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare