Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil. He is talking about demons in our earthly realm as well as those in the second heaven.
At Above & Beyond, we equip our clients with findings from the Arno Profile System (APS). This powerful tool pinpoints a person’s inborn temperament, with associated strengths and weaknesses so they can engage more fully in personal spiritual warfare?
(Note: If the term “APS” is new for you, click this link, Arno Profile System, to learn more this valuable tool. You will gain the maximum benefit from this article if you do.)
The battlefield is the mind, and our counselors, armed with this knowledge for each client, can help them to discern and resist the devils.
For those who have gone through deliverance, they need to be prepared for when the demons seek to return to the house they were evicted from (Matt. 12:43-45).
We begin by emphasizing that when the spirits return they will:
- Put thoughts in their mind
- Stir up past memories in their soul memory
- Work through others (actions and words) to initiate thoughts and memories
- Instigate life situations to get us to revert to the old stinking thinking.
There are not demons behind every problem, and we are careful to clarify that with our clients. Each person has a free will and must take responsibility for their actions and behaviors. While we see deliverance ministry as a powerful tool in our arsenal, we are adamant that it is not a quick fix nor “magic bullet.”
Each person has a responsibility to walk deliverance out and act upon biblical counsel as they move forward in their walk with the Lord.
We emphasize the importance of gaining control of one’s thought life and how thoughts can originate from a variety of sources, including demon spirits. Paul urges us to remember that our struggle is against demons so we must know their tactics. They are fine-tuned depending upon their target’s temperament.
Battlefield of the Mind
When we understand a client’s background and presenting issues, we can coach them to prepare for a specific scenario they are likely to encounter when the demons return. The process (not the recipe) generally goes as follows. They are to:
- capture the thought/memory
- identify the emotion that the thought generates
- discern the likely spirit that is tormenting
- command it to leave, and
- speak the Rhema word over the situation to build up their faith.
Here are some examples of each temperament:
Melancholy
They have active minds that do not shut off, and there is a tendency to relive the past. If the memory of an abusive parent’s actions keeps coming back, we encourage the melancholy to analyze the thought, discern the emotion it is stirring (say, rejection) and respond in a manner as follows:
“I have forgiven and released judgments against my father/mother. You spirit of rejection you get out of here and leave me alone, in Jesus’ name. I am a daughter/son of the King, and You will never leave me nor forsake me”.
Supine
Guilt over past failures and sins is often an issue for supines. Demons are masters at stirring up past memories so the client must be ready to deal with this everyday tactic. We encourage the supine to respond as follows:
“Yes, I did that, but my Father has forgiven me, cleansed me of my sins and remembers them no more. You spirit of guilt and shame, you get out of here and leave me alone in Jesus name. There is no condemnation for those found in Christ, and I am found in Him.”
Sanguine
If a lover has rejected them and they have sought comfort in the wrong places, they will be tempted to seek out that love again. We encourage the Sanguine to adopt this type of approach:
“Yes, Joe did abandon and reject me, but I have forgiven him and released all judgments. I am a daughter of the King, and He has a godly husband for me. You spirit of self-pity (or whatever else they discern), you get out of here and leave me alone in Jesus name. Thank you, Father, that you will meet all of my needs out of your glorious riches. You will be my husband, Jesus until the chosen one comes into my life.”
Choleric
Cholerics have little grace for dealing with the emotions or weaknesses of others. They can learn how to move in that area (“fake it until you make it”) but it begins with consciously discerning the tendency to dismiss or move on when the situation arises. We encourage the Choleric to declare:
“Lord help me to see Hank as you do. Thank you that I have your heart for him Lord and I will respond to Him as you would. You spirit of impatience, you get out of here and leave me alone. Thank you, Lord, that you have taken out my heart of stone and given me a heart of flesh.”
Phlegmatic
Stubbornness and passiveness associated with phlegmatics make them ideal targets if a spirit of stubbornness seeks to return to the house. They are actively motivated to cope and do as little as possible. When they discern that, we encourage the phlegmatic to counter as follows:
“Thank you, Lord, for setting me free. I am yielded to the Lordship of Jesus in my life, and I recognize that I am under the authority in this office. Mary is my supervisor, and I purpose to clean up my office (or whatever) as she has asked me to do. You spirit of stubbornness, you get out of here and leave me alone in Jesus name. Lord, I obey this directive as unto You.”
Once again, these represent examples of the process we employ. They are not formulas we follow blindly. We can tailor specific counsel to the client because we know their life history and the demonic strongholds that have been tormenting them.
If you are reading this and have not had your temperament analyzed (or gone through deliverance with us, for that matter), I encourage you to consider that. You will benefit significantly in every area of your life, and this knowledge can help you be more effective in waging spiritual warfare.
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