Spiritual Warfare-Who Are We Fighting?

Ephesians 6:12 says “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Principalities are evil satanic princes assigned to control nations, states or large political units. They are 1st hierarchy in the enemy's power structure. Their influence can affect earthly rulers, kings, presidents, government officials, legislatures, party politics, and parliaments, and all that have political rule.

The devil knows that if he has influence over a particular political power or unit, he has control over the people. These satanic princes' influence reaches commerce and trade; they give men false gods, and they influence tribes and races. They supervise activities of the Rulers of darkness and ensure Satan’s promotion.

To battle you must battle the princes of a large region before battling the lower levels. (i.e. spiritual mapping).

Ask the following:

• What are the reasons behind what they do?

• What do the leaders (elders do at the beginning of the year, beginning of farming season, before harvest time?

• What happens when adolescents come of age?

• When marriages are contracted if that?

• When the dead are buried?

• What beliefs do they have when crops are planted and harvested?

• What do they believe helps the crops?

• What gives them fertility?

• What do they do when sickness occurs?

• What do they fear the most in the land?

• What are some taboos in the land?

• How did they come about?

• Who established them?

• What do they honor?

• Are the physical members, members of a cult or secret society?

• Do they swear oaths?

• What is the initiation process?

This line of questioning will enable you to confront the ruling spirits before talking to the people.

Next there are powers. An example of this would be: Before Moses could get the children on Israel out he had to confront the powers behind Pharaoh. If you try to free someone without dealing with the powers you can cause more enslavement. You must deal with these principal spirits holding people in bondage to get total deliverance. (Matthew 12:29- “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.”) You must bind the powers of the strong man to set the people free.

Powers are ruling spiritual forces in the 2nd division of Satan’s hierarchy.They control geographic areas and regions (Princes control states, countries and continents). This may be a group of spirits that make up an evil power in a region.They want to dictate policy, manipulate lifestyle, economy, business, and spiritual climate of a territory under them. They cause people to be promiscuous, antagonistic to anything righteous and fight whatever will bring them into liberty. They are behind indecent and immoral behavior, and are in strong large cities around the world. They release lesser demons of gambling, stealing, high life, lying and deceit. They cause unstable marriages, because of a loose lifestyle.They influence ministries that are less prayerful and cause them to lower their standards to keep members in their church (watered down gospel). They cause some to acquire property and monies just to keep up with economic and social standards. Wage a war with knowledge and wisdom-know your enemy well and know his strengths and His weaknesses so you can properly wage war against him. (Ex: Samson and the Philistines) Deal with the strongman to set the captives free-in order to do this you must know you are stronger than the strongman. You must be genuinely born again and have Jesus in FULL control of your life. (1 John 4:4-You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.) Diana (the goddess of Ephesus) a principality. Read Acts 26:19-when a principality is dealt with and help in captive the people’s minds that are in captive can be released to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Rulers of Darkness are the 3rd hierarchy of the devil-They function through thrones, and royal dynasties in community and city levels. They control local customs, establish wicked traditions in families. They inhabit families and are interested in influencing government/parliament, and those in decision making positions.

Spiritual wickedness in high places is the 4th hierarchy of the devil.As their name implies they are wicked spirits who function as the police in Satan’s kingdom. They focus on intruding on highest level of religions (churches). They begin as angels of light but they grip ministers and influence them into false doctrines. They are most prevalent among cults, spiritist churches, and the “white garment” or "Aladura" means "Praying People" in Yoruba.

Churches known as Aladura churches emphasize the power in praying and believe in faith healing and various elements associated with Pentecostalism. Most of the founders of the churches were associated with Anglicanism, though some Methodists joined the movement as well. The churches despise the power of traditional African religion, because they deem that power to be basically malign. Therefore they sometimes burn cult images as "idols" and oppose both polygamy and witchcraft. Unlike Kimbanguism, the churches tend to avoid politics and focus instead on the "holiness movement".

The Aladura Movement started at Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria in 1918. This movement later metamorphosed to Faith Tabernacle and finally to Christ Apostolic Church. Today, many churches in Western Nigeria can be correctly called "Aladura". The first Aladura Movement emerged from St. Saviour's Anglican Church, Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria in 1918 after the Sexton, Ali, had related a dream to four Elders of the church, J.B. Sadare, E.O. Onabanjo, D.C. Oduga, and E.O.W. Olukoya.A revival took place in 1918 during the outbreak of influenza epidemic. The group filled with the Holy Ghost used prayer to save many lives affected by the influenza epidemic. This consolidated the formation of the prayer group. There are several other churches that stemmed out of Christ Apostolic Church. Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim Moses Orimolade, who was later called Baba Aladura, or Praying Father founded the Eternal Sacred order of Cherubim and Seraphim society in 1925, also as a prayer group within the Anglican Church. Captain Christiana Abiodun his later adopted daughter fell into a trance from which Moses Orimolade, who was already an itinerant evangelist and teacher, was the only one who could awaken her. By 1928 they had left the Anglican church to become independent. Their most distinctive ministry was to openly ferret out and challenge witches on their long evangelistic journeys through the countryside. These long trips were typical of Seraphim (as they are most commonly called) evangelists and missionaries. Today the church is one of the most popular, most attractive and most influential of the Aladura churches worldwide. Celica Church of Christ was established on November 15, 1992 at Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria by Prophet Adetunji Adeonigbagbe and was announced to the world via a press conference on that day. The International Headquarters of the church is located at Km 7, New Ife Road, Ibadan. The church has branches in Nigeria, England, United States of America and South Africa. The church can be distinguished by its chant of hosanna and the mode of dressing, a white garment with a blue cross at left hand side of the garment. The logo of the church is an eye, a cross and bible. The church believes in the efficacy of prayers and guidance by the Holy Spirit in all its programs. -White garment churches: In Akwa Ibom State, we have over 150 children who have been thrown into the streets by pastors who claim the children are into witchcraft. They even attempted to burn some children alive in the state. We’ve rescued children who have been almost burnt to death on the basis that they are into witchcraft.”Still talking on the need for strong family ties, Gov Akpabio went down memory lane, and recalled how he was brought up solely by his mother, having lost his father early in life. He said he took such good care of the mum later in life, and she blessed him on her death bed at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. “She said that if she came back to the world, she would ask God to give me back to her as a child. Otherwise, she would ask God to allow her to be born to me.” “All these white garment churches deceiving and destroying families should stop what they are doing. I intend to address the entire church congregation in the state. I’ve arranged with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to talk to the churches because they’re destroying many families. In Akwa Ibom State, we have over 150 children who have been thrown into the streets by pastors who claim the children are into witchcraft. They even attempted to burn some children alive in the state. Children who have been almost burnt to death on the basis that they are into witchcraft. Very recently, shockingly, a man threw two of his twins into the pit toilet on the basis that a pastor said the twins look like children who will bring him "misfortune". He said from the eyes of the children, they will cause his death unless they are destroyed. And he threw them into the pit toilet. We’ve arrested him, and he will be charged with murder. “And sometimes they come to you and say your mother is into witchcraft, your father is into this, and they’ve destroyed so many homes. They won’t even allow some pregnant women to go to the hospital. They tell them this is not hospital matter; you have to deliver inside the church. So many maternal mortalities have been recorded as result of deceit from the church. -They are errand spirits of fetish priests, diviners, and occultists. They send the spirits on errands, to execute their evil plots in governments, causing violence, prostitution, and drunkenness. They cause in families domestic violence and usually have witches and wizards that carry out their plots.