A Riverfire Meditation on How to Overcome Evil Spirits Who Torment You

by James Harvey

Whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. (1 Samuel 16:23 ESV)

We are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. (Ephesians 6:12-13 GNT)

What do you do when you’re being tormented by an evil spirit?

This past week was terrible for me. A tormenting spirit came and oppressed me. I didn’t see it, it didn’t talk to me, but I felt its presence in my mind, tormenting me with terrible thoughts of doubt, worry, anxiety, fear, and despair.

I occasionally have all these thoughts from time to time, but not in a concentrated all-day-long way. I just couldn’t shake this spirit no matter what I did. I quoted Scripture, I prayed, I listened to an audio Bible, I talked to the Holy Spirit and asked for his help… Nothing worked. It was about five days of psychological, mental torment, and then it left.

This evil spirit had an assignment, and it had temporary access to my life to oppress me. Even though I don’t fully understand why the Lord allowed it to happen to me, evil spirits tormenting God’s people is all over Scripture.

After Saul failed as King of Israel, he became selfish, easily-angered, and started making up his own rules. When you read Saul’s story, you get the feeling that he was never a man of faith. He was tall, strong, smart, and brave, but he lived for earthly kingdoms, not heavenly. 

The Holy Spirit used to rest upon Saul as anointed king of Israel, but after Saul sinned against God and wasn’t genuinely repentant, the Holy Spirit left him, which opened him up to a tormenting evil spirit that God sent to him occasionally as a judgment upon him for not being faithful.

Young David the worshipper and song-writer was found, and they brought him to Saul’s throne. Whenever the tormenting evil spirit visited Saul, the court would send for David. He would come into Saul’s presence and play worship music and sing to the LORD. The evil spirit would leave, and Saul’s fragile peace of mind would return.

There’s a lot in this story to point out, but the focus today is on how to handle tormenting evil spirits that visit us. The key in this story is that worship and praising God is what drove the evil spirit away. The Holy Spirit was upon David in power, so when David entered into a space and began to sing worship songs, evil spirits had to leave because they hate sincere worship; they can’t abide in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

That’s what another Saul, whom God renamed Paul, wrote about in Ephesians 6. Missionary Paul reminds us that our enemies are not human; they are wicked principalities and satanic powers in unseen realms. You can’t defeat spiritual oppression with earthly weapons and manmade strategies.

The way I survived the spiritual onslaught against my mind this past weekend was to abide in the Holy Spirit and keep bringing all the lies I was hearing in my thoughts to the Lord. One particularly bad day, I literally had a headache from how intense the spiritual battle was being waged. It’s been a long time for me since spiritual oppression was that visceral. The last time this happened was more than 10 years ago when I was a church planter.

I kept coming back to God, talking to him, quoting Scripture. The Holy Spirit reminded me to count my blessings, so I started naming the blessings in my life and thanked God for each and every one.

I drank from the Word of God, listening to Scripture for hours. I reached out to a couple trustworthy friends and told them I was being tormented. They each sent me audio prayers that really encouraged my heart. I prayed in my prayer language for awhile. And I wrote down specific, big picture Truths that have always encouraged me, and read them over and over again.

Truths that Minister to my Soul

1. I’m not in my hands, or the world’s hands, or the enemy’s hands. I’m in your hands, oh Lord.
2. The perfect love of Jesus drives out all fear.
3. Wherever the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom.
4. Whenever I am weak, you are my Strength.
5. The Lord is my Shepherd, I don’t need anything.
6. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts always.

Practical Strategies for Psychological Torment

1. Listen to the Word of God
2. Listen to and sing worship songs
3. Go for a walk and pray in the Spirit
4. Reach out to trusted friends for prayer support
5. Count your blessings; name them one by one
6. Rebuke the adversary, plead the blood protection of Jesus

This recent torment wasn’t my first rodeo, but in many ways it was one of the worst because it just didn’t stop, and I didn’t know how long it was going to last.

Now that this recent battle is over, I’m so glad our Father allowed it. I always learn from spiritual warfare even though it’s really hard to endure. I am a prayer warrior, so I’m used to praying for others as they face their battles. This recent fight for me was a reminder that I’m not immune to my own spiritual warfare, and I need to continue to grow in faith and perseverance myself.

Let’s Hold Fast & Believe. Father, please grow our faith. Let us be a people of great faith. Not the “name it claim it crowd,” but a people who completely trust you, know with conviction that you can do anything, and trust you to fulfill your will your way in your perfect timing for your greater glory. Please continue to strengthen and bless us as your people. We need you now more than ever. 

Thank you for being our Strength whenever we are weak. We will get weak sometimes, it’s absolutely unavoidable, and there you always are to carry us until we are strong enough to walk again. We love you and bless you, Lord. Amen.

Much love & grace. Shalom, Maranatha. 

___________

Riverfire Life is an attempt to help you experience a daily friendship with the Holy Spirit. These meditations and stories are written from the hearts & experiences of global missionaries. 

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[Image credit: digital art by Christopher Powers, fullofeyes.com]