One of the underlying themes in Mind Binder, Book 1 in the Halls of Abaddon Trilogy is the concept of spiritual warfare.

Spiritual what?  Many have asked this question when I (mistakenly) rattle off a quick summary of my book to people who don’t speak “Evangelical Christian.” I take two steps back and say that Spiritual Warfare is really nothing more than the age-old battle between Good and Evil, God and Satan.

Satan. Another uncomfortable word. The name evokes fear in some, fascination in others. Some Christians say they don’t believe in Satan and only prefer to talk about God. Others see Satan in every circumstance, every thought, and every word.

As C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors …”

So, if Satan exists, spiritual warfare must be a thing, right?

The Bible says it is. In Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) Paul writes, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Seems straight forward to me. There is a devil. And he is set to attack.

I know, I know, literary metaphor, right?

If you are convinced that the devil exists as nothing more than a literary metaphor, consider this:

Have you ever sensed a sudden change in the atmosphere around you? A growing tightness or tension? Or had a premonition that something bad was about to happen? I’m no expert on spiritual matters. I am not a pastor, nor do I hold any position of authority within God’s church, but I am a believer. And although it’s taken me years to let go of my intellectualism and to allow my brain to absorb what I’ve been taught about things unseen, I do have some personal experience that has helped me to recognize danger signs and respond to spiritual attacks.

Jentezen Franklin says in his book, The Spirit of Python, “There was a time when someone suffering from a heart attack had little chance of survival because he or she didn’t know what was happening and ignored the symptoms until it was too late. Medical advancements began identifying common warning signs such as discomfort and pressure in the center of the chest, pain in one or both arms, and shortness of breath. Spreading awareness of the warning signs has greatly increased the survival rate for heart attack victims. In a similar manner, many Christians seem to be blindsided by spiritual attacks. When it comes to a spiritual attack, it is crucial to recognize the warning signs for survival.”

Are you Under Attack? Recognizing the Signs

Warning Sign #1: Loss of Focus and Purpose

The goal of any spiritual attack is to turn you away from what God wants to do in your life. That’s why one of the first warning signs that the enemy is near is a loss of focus and purpose. When I first started writing Mind Binder, I was confident that this was the book God wanted me to write. I was going to expose Satan’s strategies and help young people recognize when they were under attack. I knew the enemy would try and stop me from writing, but I thought I could handle him. What I didn’t count on was the succession of disasters that threatened to drag me down from the moment I started this book.

First there was the devastation of Hurricane Maria, which brought chaos and fear to the residents of my adopted home, Puerto Rico. Then there was post-traumatic-stress-induced anxiety as we endured months without light and water. Living in darkness for so long was a cruel consequence of post Hurricane Maria and brought with it much suffering. Add to that dynamic marital problems, then a series of destructive earthquakes, followed by the isolation of a world-wide pandemic. And then at the worst possible time—during the height of the Covid 19 crisis—my husband and life-long partner was diagnosed with cancer.

Challenge after challenge, I forced myself to sit at my computer, but there were days I could barely write. Every word was a struggle, every keystroke painful. Why? Because here’s what I was hearing in my head: You’re a failure. It takes you FOREVER to write. No one’s going to read your book. Why would they? Who are you? Nobody. You are nobody.

If that doesn’t sound like utter defeat and a total loss of purpose, I don’t know what does. I knew I was under attack, but I ignored the symptoms. I was too tired, both emotionally and physically, to fight back.  

Warning Sign #2: Physical and/or Emotional Fatigue

The second warning sign of a spiritual attack is physical and/or emotional fatigue. I know that doesn’t sound “spiritual,” but let’s be honest. When our body or mind is tired or weak, we can’t concentrate, we have no energy, and we want nothing more than to curl up in a corner binge watching Netflix with unhealthy amounts of high calorie comfort food. 

Warning Sign #3: Feeling Overwhelmed and Helpless

When circumstances feel overwhelming, and everywhere you turn there is another problem, and another problem, and another problem, that’s when the enemy infiltrates and sinks his dagger into your heart. He implants destructive thoughts such as, “What’s the use? Why even try? Nothing is changing.”  He floods your mind with poison. Frustration takes hold. And then it doesn’t take long for feelings of being overwhelmed to lead to hopelessness. You just feel like giving up.

But here is the most obvious warning sign of all: an insidious and oppressive change in the atmosphere. 

Warning Sign #4: A Change in th Atmoshpere

As Jentezen Franklin says, “Scripture teaches that there are spiritual battles taking place all around us because we live in two atmospheres at the same time. One is a physical atmosphere that we can see, smell, hear, touch, and taste. The other is a spiritual atmosphere. We cannot see it with the natural eye or experience it with the rest of our natural senses, but it is very real, and it is vital that we understand more about it.”

I can relate to this. I can literally feel oppression in my home. It’s like a dark shadow, hovering over my house. The atmosphere feels heavy. There’s an unexplained tension in the air. And always, deep inside of me, brews an ominous, underlying fear that something unsettling is about to happen.

Pastor Franklin compares the feeling to that reported in several studies done on prison guards. These studies show that many of the older guards have developed strong instincts from years of experience in working with prisoners. They can tell when a fight is about to break out because they can feel a change in the atmosphere. They have an innate sense that something is not right.

How to change an Oppressive Atmosphere

It is important to understand atmospheres and your ability to change them because YOU CAN! I have. And believe me, it took me awhile to get to this point. Before I saw that I could lift a cloud of darkness and bring back the light, it sounded too “out-there.”

But it was Jesus himself who authorized and empowered us to rebuke the darkness. In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” 

Sounds good in theory, but in practice, how do we lift that oppression from our homes and minds?

Pastor Franklin says that we have to start by changing the atmosphere. He advises us to keep a spirit of prayer and praise in our lives. It creates the right atmosphere around us. For those of us who are more spiritually stubborn, think of it this way. Stop focusing on your misery! Find one thing to be grateful for, just one thing, and focus on that. Your prayer can be as simple as a word of thanks.

And then do this: YELL AT YOUR ENEMY. Give him a sound verbal thrashing. Sounds crazy, I know, but I promise you, it works. Just as Jesus said in Matthew 4:10 (NIV), “Away from me, Satan,” you can use the exact same words. AWAY FROM ME. “Then the devil left him [Jesus] and angels came and attended Him.” (Matthew 4:11, NIV)

That’s how to change an oppressive atmosphere! With faith, anger, and authority.  

“Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (NIV)

Do I believe that spiritual warfare is real?

Absolutely.

Am I afraid to speak the name of my enemy?

Not at all. Satan has no power over me.

But I will be alert and watch for the signs of an attack. There is an enemy out there. He seeks my destruction. And this is war.

As Paul says in 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV), “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”