Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)
It is important to understand how Satan and his minions respond to your attempts to walk with God. There is opposition in all things:
For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. (2 Nephi 2:11)
When you attract the attention of heaven, you also attract the attention of hell. Hell’s response is often not only more obvious to you than heaven’s, but also can seem to happen faster and to a greater extent. The reason for this is that the devil’s primary operating area is the body, where your perception is welldeveloped, while God’s primary operating area is the spirit, where your perception is under-developed. If your eyes were open to the spiritual realm, you would see how extensive, immediate, and mighty heaven’s reaction can be to even your faintest attempts toward God.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15)
There are several ways the devil reacts to your attempts to come to God, and understanding the devil’s tactics gives you power over him. First, he counterfeits the interactions with God that you seek. Any form of interaction with God can be counterfeited by Satan: thoughts/impressions, dreams, voices, open visions, visitations, and so on. How frequently does this happen? Because there is opposition in all things, anyone who has had interactions with God has also had interactions with Satan. If you have had experiences with God, and don’t know of any experiences you’ve had with Satan, you should prayerfully re-analyze your situation, because it is very likely that at least some of the experiences you think came from God were actually from Satan.
The easiest way to derail a seeker of truth is to provide them with some spiritual manifestation that surpasses their previous experience. The devil, having obtained great power and knowledge in the presence of God before his fall, can counterfeit almost anything that God can produce. He can give you impressions. He can speak to you. He can appear to you as an angel of light, and can even appear to you claiming to be God. He can work miracles.
The best time for Satan to try to pawn false experiences on you is when you are new to a certain class of experiences. When you feel impressions from the Holy Ghost for the first time, that or the next time is the most likely time he will send you a fake impression. When you hear the Lord’s voice for the first time, that or the next time is the most likely time he will give you a voice based revelation. He does this because you are unfamiliar with how revelations from God operate in that channel, and he is most likely to deceive you. The second best time is when you are particularly desperate for a connection with God, such as if you have sinned and are seeking repentance, or if it has been a while since you’ve heard from God.
Without great discernment, new and experienced believers alike have been led astray by spiritual counterfeits. Once Satan has enticed you with a demonic spiritual encounter, he can teach you false doctrine that will keep you busy with what you think will bring you to God, when it is actually keeping you from him. A great example of this is found in the story of Cain and Abel, where Cain was enticed by Satan to make an offering to God in a form other than what God had commanded.
How can you tell the difference between a spiritual manifestation of God and one of the devil? Spiritual manifestations from God “inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.” (Moroni 7:15)
But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil... (Moroni 7:17)
All men have been blessed with the spirit of God to discern good and evil, but that discernment must be developed. You must learn to evaluate truth not with your bodily senses, but by the power of the Holy Ghost. “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5) When an experience comes from God, it is always accompanied by the Holy Ghost, which will create a sensation in your spirit that is completely distinct to anything this world has to offer, but is closest to what we call love.
Because this sensation is practically impossible to describe, the best way to learn to recognize it is by experience. Over time, you train yourself to recognize the Holy Ghost by taking note of the sensations you experience in the spirit in moments where you lived God’s word as found in the scriptures and as given to you in spiritual manifestations.
The Holy Ghost can have a sanctifying effect on your body when your soul heeds it, but it operates directly on your spirit, not your body. Do not understand this to mean that the Holy Ghost manifests as a feeling in the body. It is common for the body to react to the Holy Ghost with sorrow, fear, or even anger, because the natural man is an enemy to God, and because what God teaches us usually causes pain in the natural world. Always be incredibly wary of feelings and emotions in your body. For example, the subtle distinction between compassion in your spirit and passion in your body can mean the difference between working a mighty miracle of intercession and being tempted to use the Lord’s name in vain by seeking or proclaiming a blessing that is not his will to give. The lust of many men and women who pray for God to justify the desires of their flesh has been mistakenly called inspiration from God. Though God was telling them “no,” they could not hear because the volume of their bodies was so much louder than the volume of their spirit.
One way to recognize counterfeit spiritual experiences is that they support staying as you currently are. Satan lifts you by telling you how great you are. Satan’s interactions with you will gratify your pride and make you feel like you do not need to change. Experiences from God are uplifting, but also paradoxically harrowing. When God reaches out to you, he rarely does so only to encourage you. He will frequently also chasten you in love and invite you to progress further through repenting, abandoning sacred cows, accepting deeper doctrine, and taking on previously insurmountable challenges. God’s interactions with you will lead you to greater experiences with him and will change you for the better. They will subdue your natural man and lift you up by humbling you. God lifts you by showing you how great he is.
Counterfeit spiritual experiences are common. You should be very careful to watch for them, but you should not fear them. Instead, you should rejoice when God helps you identify them and regard their presence as a sign that you are on the right path. Satan does not send counterfeit experiences to those who are not a threat to him. It is better to let those people continue to believe there is no devil, that anything goes with God, or that there is no God. It is only when people repent and attempt to come to the Lord Jesus that Satan needs to send them spiritual experiences. This is reminiscent of how a military plane will deploy “chaff”—a confetti of metal pieces—to distract an incoming missile from its original target. The plane will not just randomly deploy the chaff. It waits until it is in imminent danger.
Satan tends to employ other people to attack you when you decide to follow God. Satan has an incredibly large network of people on this earth who are within his power. When we think of the demon possessed, we think of very extreme cases. The vast majority of people who are influenced by demons are not even aware of it, because it is something that happens by degrees. In everything we do, we are enticed by God on the one hand, and the devil on the other. What this means is that practically every moment of every day provides us the opportunity to be an agent of the devil, even temporarily. This can come in ways we do not even perceive. I might say something that is totally innocuous to me, but triggers some unknown temptation in another. Of course, this can happen on a much larger scale and in less innocuous ways. The moment we turn away from God in the slightest, we open the door to demons, and they will get progressively worse if we don’t repent.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1)
The fact that most people on this earth either deny God or refuse to come to him means that heeding Satan’s voice is the default position. Does that seem an extreme statement? Perhaps you think that, were that to be true, we would live in a world where terrible things are done by normal people on a daily basis. It may seem to you that the world is not quite there yet. The truth is that it is, but Satan wisely hides most of the evil from public sight as long as it suits his purposes. Christians are largely blissfully ignorant of just how evil “normal” people are.
Satan is like the ultimate mafia boss. When you attempt to walk with God, Satan starts calling in his favors with those around you. They hardly ever have any idea what is going on. You will not see Satan’s power over seemingly normal but ungodly people until it suits his purposes. Consider a prison situation. It is easy to ignore the power wielded by the warden and his associates until an inmate tries to escape. The inmates seem to have a peaceful experience, until someone threatens the system. Then all hell will break loose. The same goes with you when you try to challenge Satan’s system, the fallen world.
The moment you set foot on God’s path, you will see just how many and to what degree people in your life are influenced by Satan. You will find yourself without any reliable human support. Your church will not support you. There is no place for men and women who love the Lord Jesus and are willing to do what he actually said in any modern Christian sect. It may surprise you to see just how much of a hold Satan has on people who spend so much time and money in what they suppose is the service of God. Your family will not support you. The Lord Jesus was rejected of his own family, and taught “And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matthew 10:36) Even those who have no idea of your spiritual life will be used by Satan to upbraid you. People at work, school, or other associations will persecute you without knowing why, and make active attempts to trigger sin in you. This may come in the form of unfair treatment at work, severe persecution in spite of doing good things, inappropriate sexual advances, or any number of things that you’d never expect.
This is spiritual warfare, but most of the few Christians who really turn their life over to God do not know what to expect or how to react to the opposition that will come. How long will a soldier last who doesn’t understand that the enemy is trying to kill him? Will a soldier who doesn’t know how bullets work think to stay behind bulletproof barriers? Use this understanding of what is happening to construct your battle plans. Get on your knees and intercede for these people. Ensure your behavior in the natural world is above reproach. React to persecution with kindness. Avoid even the appearance of evil.
Satan does not work alone. Satan presides over a host of demonic assistants. Demons will work on you directly (through thought) and indirectly (through proximity). Most people are familiar with how Satan tempts us through thoughts. When you get random, external thoughts of doing evil, this is a demon trying to influence you. When you consider their message, you admit them into your soul. When you follow their inspiration, it affects your spirit. When you die without undoing these effects through repentance, those changes to your spirit remain even when your body is separated from your soul and spirit.
Demons can possess you indirectly as well, through proximity. The Lord’s angels can as well. Consider the example of how the spirit of prophecy came upon Saul merely because of his proximity to righteous prophets under the spirit of prophecy:
18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. 23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? (1 Samuel 19)
If the Spirit of God can cause the spirit of prophecy to fall upon a wicked man through proximity, it is possible for evil spirits to infect righteous men through proximity. When others come around you who are possessed by demons, they are like a parasitic dog shedding ticks. Lying propagates lying. Greed propagates greed. Adultery propagates adultery. Suicide propagates suicide. Homosexuality propagates homosexuality. There are both physical and ideological strongholds of demons. Demons can also travel through thought. This is why those who watch violent movies tend to be more violent, and why news reports of school shootings or suicides increase the number of both. Thinking about sin invites sin. Being around those who sin invites their sins into you.
How do you avoid infection? You would do well to avoid the places that you shouldn’t habit, and treat places you can’t avoid (like work or school) as you would a radioactive site. You protect yourself from radiation through protective gear, minimized exposure time, and vigilance. Your protective gear against evil is the time and effort you spend in communion with God. Your relationship with God is what determines how strong your spirit is. The stronger your spirit, the more you will broadcast light rather than absorb darkness. You must also learn to decontaminate. Take care that you don’t import demons from work or school into your home. As you leave an environment where demons abound, you’ll notice the influence of that environment abate. Demons will cling to you when you go into these places, but they will flee from you over time as you resist them, especially when you actively participate in communion with God. Demons are driven by their hunger, and they will flee an unaccommodating host relatively quickly in order to search out a more willing host. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
Demons feed on the acquiescence of their human hosts. Prior to the fall of Adam, demons had no need to torment mankind. Satan tempted Adam and Eve out of his own wickedness, not for any need to. As a result, God cursed “the serpent” to eat “dust” (see Genesis 3:14). In literal terms, demons were cursed to have a constant, tormenting hunger that can only be satisfied— and only temporarily—by feeding on the evil acts of men that they inspire. Peter said:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)
Demons prowl around opportunistically—seeking to satisfy their tormenting hunger as quickly as possible—and also tactically—seeking to strategically reduce the righteousness on earth. Plan accordingly. Opportunistic strikes are something you always have to be ready for. Strategic strikes are something you can sometimes anticipate. If you are on the cusp of a personal achievement or project that will advance the kingdom of God, be extra vigilant against the demons you can count on coming. Sometimes, we pray and pray for a breakthrough with God, and don’t realize that many times that will come in the form of an increased demonic temptation. Realize that when you ask for an increase of light, you are also asking for an increase in the darkness Satan is allowed to tempt you with. Be prepared for it.
The strategic sophistication of demons is evident from the account of the Lord exorcising demons from the man of the Gergesenes:
28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. (Matthew 8)
Note how all the demons’ behavior was focused on maximizing the damage to the kingdom. They knew they would no longer be able to terrorize a whole city, but they thought by destroying a herd of swine they could cause enough damage to minimize Jesus’ ministry in that town. They successfully persuaded the city to ask Jesus to leave. The demons did not directly possess the townspeople. Instead, they worked through third parties (the man and then the pigs) to get them to sin in rejecting the Lord’s ministry.
Do not underestimate the sophistication and power of demons! There are multiple ranks of demons. The Lord Jesus is:
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet... (Ephesians 1)
All believers in Christ have authority to cast out the lower ranking demons. However, to cast out the next rank of demons, it requires prayer and fasting. This is not reactionary prayer and fasting, but preventative prayer and fasting. If you are not regularly fasting, you are willingly exposing yourself to demons that are more powerful than you are. Still higher ranks of demons are beyond the authority of most men. It is not our job to rebuke these higher ranking demons, but to call upon the Lord and have him rebuke them.
Understanding the opposition that will come as we turn to God is vitally important to resisting it. Satan is powerful, but the Lord Jesus is more powerful. His tactics are effective, but they are also well documented. As we trust in the Lord, adhere to him, and study his word, we will increase in our ability to withstand all the blows of the devil and his armies in the spiritual and physical worlds.