Spiritual Warfare and Spiritual Mapping

[bahBR]

Have you been to a Spiritual Warfare and Spiritual Mapping workshop or seminar?


What are your thoughts on these topics?


Here are mine:

I recently attended a Spiritual Warfare workshop, the presenters included Spiritual Mapping as a key ingredient in Spiritual Warfare. The presenters seem to be nice people and committed Christians; and I have nothing against their character.

I believe Spiritual Warfare is essential but we need to be balanced about it. I understand that all human problems are demonic in nature because of the temptations that Adam and Eve fell into and because of the temptations that we fall into. I also believe that we sin because we wanted to and we choose to; therefore we have multiple results of sin (problems, depression, anger, lust, corruption, etc.) - the fallen human nature. These encourage multiple other sins and their results. And if Christ did not rescue us we are to be pitied forever. So my balance is yes demons do attack and attract (tempt) us; but human responsibility also should not be ignored in Spiritual Warfare (like simply, deeply and genuinely loving God and our neighbours would solve most problems, sinful habits and sinful tendencies).


About Spiritual Mapping: I think it is not Biblical even though the people who propose it do use a lot of Bible Verses to defend it.


At the workshop that I attended the presenters seem to be teaching that many Christians suffer because they have not done proper Spiritual Warfare but they (the presenters) are successful because they do active Spiritual Warfare through Spiritual Mapping.


What annoyed me was the fact that one of them used 1 Peter 5:9 to prove that we can resist the devil etc. (which I believe) but failed to mention about verse 10 that seem to speak about our suffering for a while (which is natural and expected for Christians - in all of history and in all geographical areas).


Another annoying teaching was the teaching on many cups (cup of love, cup of humility, cup of faith, etc.) They focused particularly on the cup of faith. It seems that God revealed to the presenter that there is a cup of faith. In this cup of faith our faith is collected whenever we have faith or exercise our faith. The cup will eventually fill up and when it overflows that is when miracles will be manifested in the physical realm. This, to me, seems to be going against the teaching of Jesus about faith that is as small as a mustard seed that can move mountains.


During the workshop I prayed that the Holy Spirit help me understand these matters. I felt the Holy Spirit say, "I agree that not all of it is accurate. What if some of it, even the Spiritual Mapping part, is led by Me? Would you reject the whole teaching just because of the inaccurate parts." Or something like that. So I took everything in with a grain of salt.


What do you think of these topics?


I might be wrong. I hope I did not misrepresented the presenters. But I am looking for Biblically sound teaching on these matters. Yes, I am willing to learn and change my mind.

 

[Blain]

From what I can tell these presenters are not presenting properly. Basically from you have said it seems like they are saying you are suffering because your faith is not strong enough but ours is. It is true that it faith is the key ingredient in spiritual warfare but believe me when i say it only takes a mustard seed, also it isn't the amount of faith we have that is what makes the difference it's who our faith is in. I mean faith isn't a currency where if ours doesn't fill the cup fully we are overtaken by demonic forces if that were the case then a lot of us would have been overtaken long ago.

Have you ever seen those exorcist movies? They are a prime example of this, if they do not recite scripture verses like some kind of powerful spell and if their faith wavers even the slightest or if their faith is weak at all the demon they are trying to exorcise overtakes them and possesses them. This is the basic your faith is too weak agenda instead of relying on God himself and offering him what little faith they do have they rely on the themselves and the amount and strength of faith they themselves have.

 

[Nehemiah6]

Have you been to a Spiritual Warfare and Spiritual Mapping workshop or seminar?

No. And I would avoid it.

I believe Spiritual Warfare is essential but we need to be balanced about it.

Not "essential" but "unavoidable". Christians are within the Kingdom of God, which is the Kingdom of Light. The Devil and his evil angels are within the Kingdom of Darkness. Therefore conflict is unavoidable.

I understand that all human problems are demonic in nature because of the temptations that Adam and Eve fell into and because of the temptations that we fall into.

"Some" human problems are demonic in nature, not "all". The sin nature of Christians has not been eradicated at the New Birth, which means that there is an internal conflict between the "flesh" and the Spirit. Study Galatians 5.

So my balance is yes demons do attack and attract (tempt) us; but human responsibility also should not be ignored in Spiritual Warfare (like simply, deeply and genuinely loving God and our neighbours would solve most problems, sinful habits and sinful tendencies).

You've hit the nail on the head.

About Spiritual Mapping: I think it is not Biblical even though the people who propose it do use a lot of Bible Verses to defend it.

You've arrived at the right conclusion. Ignore it.

At the workshop that I attended the presenters seem to be teaching that many Christians suffer because they have not done proper Spiritual Warfare...

According to Scripture, Christians suffer because that is what God allows and what He sees as beneficial to His children. Study Hebrews 12.

Another annoying teaching was the teaching on many cups (cup of love, cup of humility, cup of faith, etc.) They focused particularly on the cup of faith.

This sounds like pure baloney.

Just put this behind you and in future beware of "seminars".

 

[tourist]

I would stay clear of anyone who claims to be spiritually superior to yourself. I believe that those conducting this seminar are seriously misguided and egotistical.

 

[Dino246]

I know personally one individual who teaches extensively on spiritual mapping; I have at least one of his books. I can see the wisdom and biblical soundness of it. I consider it to be one of many tools that God uses to set us free from the work of the enemy.

At the same time, I understand why people may be skeptical of it. By all means, take it with a grain of salt, but don't reject it out of hand without doing some open-minded investigation.

 

[7seasrekeyed]

maybe define spiritual mapping first

Question: "What is spiritual mapping?" SOURCE

Answer: [FONT=&quot]Spiritual mapping is a relatively new technique to try to identify where demons are at work and then attack them. Spiritual mapping assumes the existence of “[/FONT]territorial spirits[FONT=&quot],” the concept of certain demons ruling over certain geographical areas. Once a territorial spirit has been identified, its territory is mapped out, and then the spirit is engaged in battle. For example, some Christians attempt to do battle with the “spirit of greed” that rules over a casino-rich city or the “spirit of lust” that holds power over a city’s red-light district.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Some promoters of spiritual mapping identify three levels of [/FONT]warfare[FONT=&quot]: “ground-level” warfare, which involves casting demons out of individuals; “occult-level” warfare, which tackles more organized spiritual wickedness; and “strategic-level” warfare, which directly battles the “territorial spirits” over a broader geographical area. Territorial spirits are thought to answer directly to Satan and are responsible for coordinating all demonic activities within their purview. Sometimes, these high-level territorial spirits are called the “strongman” of an area, and the goal of spiritual mappers is to “[/FONT]bind the strong man[FONT=&quot].”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The Bible does not teach anything about spiritual mapping. Anyone who teaches the necessity of spiritual mapping is doing so without biblical warrant. The Bible never instructs Christians to seek out demons to engage them in battle, and it never categorizes demons as spirits “of lust” or “of greed,” etc. The idea of “binding the strong man” comes from a misapplication of Jesus’ parable in [/FONT]Mark 3:27[FONT=&quot] (according to the parable, Jesus is the One who does the “binding,” not us). [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Spiritual mapping is usually practiced among those who are involved in “[/FONT]apostolic ministry[FONT=&quot]” and who claim that apostolic gifts and roles are being restored to the church today. Scripture is clear, however, that the apostles’ role was to lay the [/FONT]foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:19–20), and foundations only need to be laid once. There are no apostles today. Spiritual mapping is also associated with dominion theology or Christian reconstructionism, which seeks to usher in the fullness of God’s kingdom worldwide.

Christians are told to resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7) and to stand firm against the schemes of the devil by using the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18). Our weapons of warfare are the Word of God and prayer (Ephesians 6:17–18). The battle belongs to the Lord (Proverbs 21:31), and He has already defeated Satan and the evil rulers of this world (John 12:31). The Body of Christ is secure, and we need not fear demons. Neither do we need to name them, talk to them, or map them.

 

[7seasrekeyed]

not into it but I know about it

I have wondered through the years, (because it has been around awhile) why perceived demons are not defeated over cities and territories

the Bible indicates wickedness (demonic activity) in 'high places' and indicates that our enemy is supernatural

however, the Bible does not identify so called 'spiritual mapping' as an exercise for Christians to defeat the devil

much like the term 'deliverance minister', it does not exist.

are there demons? yes

do we sometimes have to deal with attacks? yes

should we chase them down and corral them? not that I can see...we have no power over them; only in the name of Jesus

I think alot of their power lies in deceiving Christians and leading them down the wrong path, including putting all your focus on these liars. they are defeated...but not by us.

some people get so caught up in this stuff and yet it is not a calling identified by scripture. Paul states there is the gift of discerning of spirits...but not the gift of ongoing warfare with invisible beings who are basically making you think you are achieving some great victory...that victory has already been won

people basically attract to themselves the things they have to deal with. get rid of sin and immerse yourself in the word and believe what God says to us through that word

 

[Nehemiah6]

Spiritual mapping is a relatively new technique to try to identify where demons are at work and then attack them.

*Attacking* demons has no biblical basis. Casting out demons from those who are demon-possessed certainly does. Resisting the devil is certainly Scriptural, and using the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit against evil spirits is definitely biblical. That is how Christ resisted the Devil in the wilderness, using words from the Torah.

 

[Locutus]

This is an old theory which in my opinion is without merit.

 

[Roadkill]

*Attacking* demons has no biblical basis. Casting out demons from those who are demon-possessed certainly does. Resisting the devil is certainly Scriptural, and using the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit against evil spirits is definitely biblical. That is how Christ resisted the Devil in the wilderness, using words from the Torah.

I conduct demonic war fare in an almost weekly time line. I can not attack demons, that's the Angel's job. I can torment and provoke them into attacking me. It's like when the Marine's are escorting a Truck convoy in Iraq. They slow down in the bad areas to get some bad guys to attack and then they pursue them. It's called Trolling. I'm the bait. LOL
God's word causes them severe pain as does prayer. It also antagonizes them into attacking me. Without God giving them the OK attacking me gives the Angel grounds to put them under darkness. I've gotten a lot like this.

 

[blue_ladybug]

Wrong, wrong, totally wrong.. The angels do NOT attack satan or his demons.. Satan and the demons CANNOT attack you unless GOD allows them to.. Angels have nothing to do with satan. And you're absolutely foolish to antagonize them into attacking you..

I conduct demonic war fare in an almost weekly time line. I can not attack demons, that's the Angel's job. I can torment and provoke them into attacking me. It's like when the Marine's are escorting a Truck convoy in Iraq. They slow down in the bad areas to get some bad guys to attack and then they pursue them. It's called Trolling. I'm the bait. LOL
God's word causes them severe pain as does prayer. It also antagonizes them into attacking me. Without God giving them the OK attacking me gives the Angel grounds to put them under darkness. I've gotten a lot like this.

 

[7seasrekeyed]

I conduct demonic war fare in an almost weekly time line. I can not attack demons, that's the Angel's job. I can torment and provoke them into attacking me. It's like when the Marine's are escorting a Truck convoy in Iraq. They slow down in the bad areas to get some bad guys to attack and then they pursue them. It's called Trolling. I'm the bait. LOL
God's word causes them severe pain as does prayer. It also antagonizes them into attacking me. Without God giving them the OK attacking me gives the Angel grounds to put them under darkness. I've gotten a lot like this.

thanks for providing this classic example of what not to do

please supply the scripture you have to back up your comments

quite the imagination...hollywood would be pleased

 

[20]

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work ... KJV1John3;8 8." He that committed sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." The children of the Lord do same as Jesus did KJVEphesians6;11-12 11. "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12. 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."