Many of you reading this are familiar with the term spiritual warfare. Others are in the process of learning about this level of intercession. In order to place us all on the same plane of understanding, I want to begin with a definition.

Spiritual warfare refers to an invisible battle in the spiritual realm involving a power confrontation between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. My experience concurs with the teaching of Peter Wagner in his book What the Bible Says about Spiritual Warfare, that spiritual warfare occurs on three levels. They are ground-level, occult-level and strategic-level spiritual warfare. Let’s investigate these further.

Ground-Level Spiritual Warfare

This is the practice of deliverance ministry, which involves breaking demonic influence in an individual.

It occurs on a personal level. As one who functions as a deliverance minister, I have seen incredible breakthrough occur in individual’s lives through this ministry. I have also found that this level of warfare includes spiritual warfare prayer over individuals and situations.

I have witnessed obvious breakthrough over individuals as I have entered into warfare prayer over life situations. The following is an example of ground-level warfare intercession.

As a young mother of three, I remember being bound to the house with a daily routine of feedings, diaper changes, laundry, cooking, kissing little hurts, baths, cleaning and bedtime stories. Those years were precious and I would not exchange one minute I had with my three beautiful daughters. Even so I had a burning desire to know the Lord intimately and to see the lives of the hurting and lost transformed.

During that season of my life, I used the children’s naptime for my times of prayer and intercession. The Lord began to place an intercessory burden on my heart for the lost mothers in our neighborhood. One thing I have learned as an intercessor is that the heartbeat of the Father is lost souls. There was one mother that I began to pray for on a daily basis. God is so incredible! As I began to pray for her, she began inquiring about God and seeking council from me concerning issues in her home. Asking me to pray when difficult situations arose in her home became a normal occurrence. God was obviously drawing her to Himself.

One day the doorbell rang. I opened the door and there she stood. She asked if we could talk. I welcomed her instantly into our home. She told me that she and her husband were separated and that he was filing for divorce. I told her that I would begin praying that the Lord would restore their marriage. Her reply was, “I do not think that prayer and God can work through these hurts and wounds.” I responded, “No hurt or wound is too big for God.” I then prayed with her and asked the Lord to restore that marriage, to bring healing to all hurts and wounds and to carry her family through that difficult time.

Over the next few months I prayed for her and her husband. Not only did I ask the Lord to restore their marriage, but I warred over their marriage and began to break every scheme and curse the enemy had placed on this couple. I prayed against division, unforgiveness and every deception the enemy was perpetuating. In the name of Jesus, I broke the lie that this wound was too deep to be healed by God.

Soon our lives went in different directions. I took a part-time job and she took a full-time job.

Even so I continued to pray. One evening we passed each other driving through the neighborhood. She motioned for me to stop and roll down the car window. She then exclaimed, “Keep praying! It is working!” I gladly agreed and continued to pray. Two months later the children and I were swimming at the neighborhood pool. She and her children arrived at the pool and she approached me excitedly.

“Your prayers have worked!” she exclaimed. “My husband returned home last week and he destroyed the divorce papers! God is good. Thank you for praying.”

I was thrilled. Not only did God restore the marriage, but this woman also began to attend church and to seek after the Lord. We moved to Colorado several months after this occurred, but I firmly believe that she and her family are on the right track and that God will be faithful to bring each of them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Occult-Level Spiritual Warfare

Occult level spiritual warfare involves opposition to a more structured level of demonic authority. Warfare prayer at this level focuses on witchcraft, satanism, Freemasonry, New Age beliefs, Eastern religions and many other forms of spiritual practices that glorify Satan and his dark angels. Obviously this involves a higher dimension of warfare prayer. I would like to share a powerful example of spiritual breakthrough that occurred in the city of Houston.

Marilyn Manson, a popular heavy metal rock star, travels around the world with his band singing to and glorifying Satan. All band members are required to make name changes. The first name has to be one of a famous actress and the last name one of a known serial killer. The name Marilyn Manson, for instance, was inspired by actress Marilyn Monroe and murderer/cult leader Charles Manson. Mr. Manson is also an ordained minister in the Church of Satan. The late Anton Lavey, who founded and served as high priest of the Church of Satan, was the officiating minister in the ordination.

This band decided to come to Houston and the response of the church in the city was remarkable. Many churches held 24-hour prayer vigils leading up to the concert. They paid for commercial time on Christian radio stations asking people to pray. Prayer groups across the city gathered together and the potentially disastrous effects of the music became the intercessory cry. It was known, for instance, that several youths who had attended concerts by this band had returned home to commit suicide. It was incredible how a corporate burden for the youth of the city came into focus.

I sought the Lord and asked for my intercessory assignment and marching orders in this situation. He told me to form a team and to pray onsite at the theater that was hosting the band’s visit. On the day of the concert we went early in the morning to pray. As we prayed the Lord began to impart to us a burden to pray for the salvation of Marilyn Manson, all of the members of his band and the youth attending the concert.

Then the Lord shifted us into warfare prayer. We began to pray that the sound equipment would not work and that the concert would not succeed or be performed to completion. We proclaimed that this music dedicated to Satan would not be sung over the youth of the city. We proclaimed confusion in the enemy’s camp and broke every lie that Satan is to be worshiped. I need to add that when we are involved in warfare prayer we never pray against a person but ask the Lord to touch the hearts of those lost in darkness and to bring them to salvation. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12, kjv). It was an awesome time of prayer.

The night of the concert was an incredible sight. Many Christians were handing Gospel tracts to the youth. An outdoor Christian concert was held across the street. The Lord assigned several pastors and intercessors to pray inside the theater.

The concert began and during the second song something occurred that is still hard to believe. One of the fans accidentally spilled his beer on the soundboard. The whole sound system was ruined. As the microphones no longer worked, the instruments could not be heard; nor could Mr. Manson. It became impossible for him to continue. He became so upset he threw his microphone to the floor, stormed off the stage and never finished the concert. This is not meant as gratitude that a young person was drinking beer, but the incident was a powerful answer to prayer. Within a short time the mayor and city council convened and established a city ordinance forbidding that type of concert in the city. Yes, Lord!

Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare

This is focused prayer dealing with high ranking principalities and powers assigned to geographical territories and social networks. These demonic forces are usually referred to as territorial spirits. The primary focus of this book will be strategic level spiritual warfare and guidelines for those who desire to move forward in this dimension of prayer. Let’s look at an example of strategic-level spiritual warfare in Scripture and then a present-day example.

PAUL AND SILAS IN PHILIPPI

According to Greek legend, the Greek god Apollo killed Python, the terrible earth serpent who lived in the caves of Parnassus in Delphi. He killed Python in retaliation for its harassment of his mother while she was looking for a place to give birth to her twins. Because of his act Apollo is at times referred to as Pythian, predictor of future events.

During Paul’s day the people in the region of Philippi believed that Apollo or Pythian was the influencer of events. The term python was used to refer to those through whom the python spirit spoke. We read in the book of Acts that Paul entered into spiritual warfare by casting out this python or fortune telling spirit from a slave girl (see Acts 16:18). This caused great turmoil in the city of Philippi. It is my belief that the response and activities that occur as a result of Paul’s prayer indicate that the spirit operating through this young woman was indeed a territorial spirit. Let me explain what I mean.

Acts 16:19 says that when the owners of the slave girl realized what had occurred they became greatly disturbed. It ruined their opportunity to make money from those seeking information about the future. They seized Paul and Silas and brought them before the authorities in the marketplace. In verse 20 the slave owners stated, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar” (emphasis added). I find this accusation highly interesting. Paul addressed a demonic spirit operating through a young girl. Next he was accused of throwing a whole city into an uproar. I have prayed deliverance prayers over many individuals, but never has it resulted in a city uproar.

Then we read in verse 22: “The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas.” Not only was the whole city in an uproar, but now a crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. Why would casting out a demon from one girl cause a city uproar and a crowd, who knew nothing of the deliverance, to turn against Paul and Silas? The python spirit operating through this slave girl or spiritist was a territorial spirit that gripped the city of Philippi.

The magistrates ordered that Paul and Silas be beaten, flogged and thrown into prison. Locked in an inner cell with their feet fastened in stocks, Paul and Silas began to pray and worship God. Let’s investigate what occurred next. “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:26, emphasis added). Wow! As a result of casting out this demonic spirit in a slave girl, a violent earthquake occurred over the region. Not only were Paul’s and Silas’s chains released, but everybody’s chains came loose.

When effective spiritual warfare prayer has occurred, signs of what has transpired in the spiritual realm will also manifest in the physical realm; thus, the earthquake. God was shaking the foundational worship of Apollo in that region. The earthquake resulted in everybody’s chains releasing.

Another indication of effective spiritual warfare prayer is the release of the people of the region from the darkness that has gripped them. They are then free to understand and experience the truth and love of God. Note the breakthrough that occurred in this spiritual warfare encounter in Philippi:

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

Verses 29–34

The most significant demonstration that spiritual breakthrough has occurred over a region is the salvation of those who have been trapped in spiritual darkness by a territorial spirit.

Let’s review this spiritual warfare encounter. Paul cast out a python spirit, also called a spirit of divination, from a slave girl. The resulting actions were a city uproar, an angry crowd, the imprisonment of Paul and Silas, a violent earthquake that released everybody’s chains and the salvation of the jailer and his family. It is obvious that the spirit in this young woman was indeed a territorial spirit that held this region in darkness.

“GENTLEMEN’S CLUBS” IN HOUSTON

Isn’t it exciting to read about spiritual breakthroughs over a region? Now let’s bring it to present day issues. The following is an example of a breakthrough the Lord worked in the city of Houston.

I was serving as prayer coordinator of Houston House of Prayer, the church we attended while living in Houston. The church was experiencing wonderful times of corporate prayer and intercession. The Lord began to speak to the pastors and me about a new prayer assignment for the church. He was directing us to pray over the “Gentlemen’s Clubs” in the city. There was a particularly dense population of these clubs in the Richmond area of Houston. The Lord then revealed a prayer strategy. We were to pray onsite at these establishments and break the assignment over this territory that the enemy had established through perversion and whoredom.

Wednesday evening was the scheduled time for corporate prayer and intercession. For two months this prayer time took a particular direction. I broke the adults into groups of four to five with a designated prayer leader. Each individual group was assigned a Gentlemen’s Club as their prayer focus for that evening and then drove to those particular establishments. I gave specific instruction that we should pray in the parking lots and not go into the clubs. Praying from inside the car was preferable because this was not the safest area of Houston.

One Wednesday I was leading a team of women at our assigned location. As we prayed, our faith level rose and we began to ask God to cause conviction to fall on the men who were going into that particular club. We prayed and declared that the men would not be able to stay in the club, that they would have a strong desire to leave. I learned never to underestimate the power of prayer! As we prayed, a man drove into the parking lot, got out of his car and entered the club building. We were disappointed but not for long. Within ten seconds this same individual abruptly exited the club, ran to his car and quickly drove away. We all wondered if our prayers had affected the scene we had just witnessed.

As the next man began to walk toward the club, our level of faith was definitely high! We prayed that the Lord would cause conviction to fall on him, that his heart would turn toward the Father and his family, and that he would turn and not enter the club. As soon as we finished praying, he approached the entrance. He reached for the door and began to open it, but then he froze. He stood perfectly still for thirty seconds as if in a struggle. Suddenly he turned, ran to his car and drove away so quickly that he left tire marks in the parking lot! “Go, God!” we shouted.

Over this two-month period, we saw exciting, undeniable answers to prayer. Gentlemen’s Clubs became the big story on the evening news. Connections and corrupt practices were exposed between the Gentlemen’s Clubs and city officials. This forced the closure of several establishments. New laws were put into action. It became illegal for a man to touch or get within three feet of a dancer. To physically place money in a dancer’s costume was forbidden and could result in tough legal consequences. The clubs were zoned and not allowed to be built near neighborhoods, schools or churches. This caused business to decrease and the closure of more clubs.

The most exciting news, though, was the breakthrough for evangelists in the city of Houston. Before we prayed onsite for these establishments, few of the women dancers had been reached with the Gospel and brought to salvation. After this season of focused prayer, they began to respond to the Lord and many accepted the gift of salvation. This was the most powerful answer to our prayers.

While some of the Gentlemen’s Clubs are still in operation in this area of the city, the demonic structure over this region was weakened as a result of warfare prayer. We were obedient to our assignment, and when it is the Lord’s timing He will raise up another group of warriors to break further the darkness in this territory.

Isn’t God faithful! Luke 10:19 states, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” It is an awesome thing to see the schemes of the enemy dismantled and God glorified. You too can pray and see territories experience transformation.