Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare

Kristine McGuire

Description

Behind the backdrop of our daily lives, a hidden war is raging. The players are as powerful as they are invisible. What's on the line: your very heart and soul.Are you ready for the battle?After spending years as a medium, witch and ghost hunter, Kristine McGuire emerged from behind enemy lines to reclaim her identity in Christ. She brings unique insight, revealing Satan's 7 favorite battlefields as well as the most effective tactics he employs in the battles we face everyday.In this essential guide to the spiritual war zone, you will learn 30 battle-tested strategies for victory from a spiritual warrior who has been there. Kristine's simple but powerful insights will empower you to engage your enemy without fear . . . and, in the power of Jesus, to win.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 30 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441264701
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 2014 by Kristine McGuire
Published by Chosen Books
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.chosenbooks.com
Chosen Books is a division of
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 system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without 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 file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6470-1
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified 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 identified 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
“In An Insider’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare , Kristine McGuire gives us a fresh look at spiritual warfare. She shares her wisdom on the subject in an honest, authentic voice that allows you to feel as though you’re sitting across the kitchen table from her discussing the topic. Her refreshing style will engage you and get you excited to learn along with her as you read this book.”
Jill Hart, president, Christian Work at Home Ministries
“Because of her past experience in occult activity, Kristine is particularly equipped to share on the subject of spiritual warfare. I believe this book will be a great help for those interested in spiritual warfare.”
Pastor Duane Vander Klok, lead pastor, Resurrection Life Church, Grandville, Michigan; author, 21 Things the Devil Cannot Do
“Truth be told, there is a spiritual war taking place in our world for the souls of humanity. It only stands to reason that Christ’s followers would be armed for the battle. Kristine McGuire prescribes for us a biblical success strategy for victory over the enemy’s advances. Thank you, Kristine!”
Dr. Charles J. Thomas, senior pastor, the campuses of First Baptist Church, McDonough, Georgia
“Kristine opens up about her own spiritual battles and the resulting damage, losses and victories with an honesty and vulnerability resulting in a voice that partners with, rather than preaches to, the reader. The brevity of the chapters provide the right amount of material for retention, reflection and action.”
Frank Breeden, managing partner, Premiere Authors Literary Agency
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 L ORD , “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies 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 L ORD 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 L ORD , “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.”
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Psalm 91 6
Foreword by Becky McDonald 11
Acknowledgments 15
Introduction: Are You Battle Ready? 17
Part 1: Life in a Spiritual War Zone 21
1. The Battle Defined 23
2. Who Are Your Allies? 27
3. Know Your Enemy 35
4. What Is Spiritual Warfare? 41
5. What Not to Do 46
6. Claim Your Identity 53
Part 2: The Weapons of War 59
7. Putting on Your Battle Dress 61
8. The Belt of Truth 67
9. The Breastplate of Righteousness 73
10. The Shoes of Peace 79
11. The Shield of Faith 84
12. The Helmet of Salvation 90
13. The Sword of the Spirit 96
Part 3: Common Battlefields 103
14. Suffering 105
15. Worry and Fear 112
16. Anger 119
17. Lust 126
18. Laziness 135
19. Gossip 141
20. Strife 146
Part 4: When Supernatural Meets Natural 153
21. The Subtle Influence of a Pagan Culture 155
22. By Whose Authority Do You Speak? 164
23. Opening and Closing Spiritual Doors 171
24. Dealing with Familiar Spirits 179
25. Why Are There Ghosts? 185
26. Tearing Down Strongholds 195
Part 5: Take Back Your Ground 201
27. A Christian’s Best Strategy for Spiritual Warfare 203
28. Overcoming Warrior Weariness 208
29. Praying from God’s Word 214
30. Living Behind Enemy Lines 220
Appendix: How You Can Help in the Wider Battle 227
For Further Reading 229
Notes 231
Index 233
About Author 237
Back Cover 238
Foreword
T here 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 fight evil where it is most difficult 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 organization I lead, Women At Risk (WAR) International, fights the war being waged against women and children with a passion to give them a voice and be for them, like the Ghurkas, a circle of protection. Our Nepali partner’s father is a Ghurka who served the Queen of England with distinction, her own personal bodyguard.
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 influence.
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 observe 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 psychological combat. Kristine’s book addresses the need for spiritual protection; for knowledge of the commands of Scripture, based on God’s 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 find his dead comrade created a lie that would cripple many.
Lies today are no different. Much of the power of evil silences us with fear. Feeling alone in this inner battle, we communicate fear to our families and circle of influence. And we fall next into apathy a euphemism for doing nothing.
Kristine has chosen in this book to focus on the biblical perspective on spiritual warfare. Hers is not a book about séances, spells and witchcraft. It is a book of promises from Scripture, about armor straight from Ephesians 6 and about the most common battlefields where we find lies cropping up, declaring their victory long before the battle is even fought.
In my experience, each battlefield comes with a lie: Battlefield Lie Suffering “I deserve it.” Worry “I can’t 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 isn’t 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 I’m isolated.”
Kristine’s strategy points remove fear. And her powerful closing 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, whet