In our last article titled the “Tactics of the Enemy,” we saw how demons use a variety of different methods to ensnare Christians in their everyday lives to oppress them and throw them off in their walk with the Lord. We also covered briefly about how we can defend ourselves from these enemy tactics.

However, there are other spiritual warfare strategies to employ when it comes to the enemy. These are more advanced in nature, and you as a Christian can use these tactics as part of your everyday life. With these types of tactics, you can exercise the spiritual authority that God has given every believer in Jesus Christ.

Today, we will be going deeper into these advanced spiritual warfare tactics for the modern believer. Let’s get started!

Jesus Gave us His Authority

As Christians, we have to deal with a complex world, not to mention our enemy who may be hiding in plain sight but is unknown to us. As the apostle Paul puts it:

“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)

However, even though demons may have positions of power and hierarchical structures (Matthew 12:45) we know that Jesus has power over them all as we see in Matthew 28:18 where it says:

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

We also see confirmation of this where it says in Philippians that:

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)

The great news is that Jesus passes this authority onto us as believers as Jesus says:

^“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12)

We see that Jesus is referring to belief (faith) and works, as they walk hand and hand. When you use this spiritual authority in Jesus, you are putting belief and works into practice.

Advanced Spiritual Warfare Tactics and Strategies

While Jesus had his ministry here on earth, we saw that he encountered quite a number of demons and had either rebuked them or cast them out of the people. (Matthew 17:18, Mark 9:25, Luke 9:42, Luke 4:41, Mark 8:33, Matthew 4:10, Luke 11:14, Matthew 8:16, Mark 1:34, Mark 1:39, Luke 13:32, Luke 4:35, Matthew 8:31, Mark 5:8, Luke 8:29, Mark 9:25, Mark 7:26, Matthew 9:33, Mark 16:9)

We also saw that he talked about binding the strongman, referring to a demonic spirit. Let’s look at that verse in greater detail:

“No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.” (Mark 3:27)

Jesus goes onto say this:

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:18-20)

So based on this knowledge we have three strategies when it comes to demons (rebuking, binding, and casting out) and can be used regularly in our lives.

Spiritual Warfare Strategies of Rebuking, Binding, and Casting Out

During Jesus’s ministry here on earth, we saw Jesus encounter people who were demon-possessed and cast out these spirits. Jesus never directed his authority at the powers and principalities, rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places mentioned by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:12.

So how do we apply these spiritual warfare tactics that Jesus employed? We will now cover these steps below:

Rebuking

We see in Jesus’s ministry that he rebuked many different demonic spirits. As a reference, you can go back to the scriptures listed in the previous section titled “Advanced Spiritual Warfare Tactics and Strategies.”

We also see Jesus rebuked the storm that was mentioned in Luke where we see:

“And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.” (Luke 8:24)

We as Christians can rebuke demonic spirits and use our authority just like Jesus did. Please see our page: “Learning to Use Spiritual Authority in Jesus Name” for the several examples of how to rebuke both demonic spirits and the weather the way Jesus did. Please see examples 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

The key here is to use discernment to identify the attacking demon and use spiritual authority in Jesus name accordingly.

Here are three more examples:

Example 1

You are staying late at the office to make some more money for your family vacation. One of your co-workers flirts with you, and this isn’t the first time, even after telling them you are happily married.

You: I rebuke you spirit of Lust by the blood and name of Jesus Christ.

Example 2

You start having lustful dreams of other people trying to tempt you to cheat on your spouse. In reality, you love your spouse and would never cheat on them as you cherish your marriage.

Sometimes demons try to plant seeds of doubt in dreams, to which you can extinguish quickly by rebuking the dream upon waking.

You: I rebuke that dream I had last night by the blood and name of Jesus Christ.

Example 3

You have a date night planned with your spouse, and your boss insists you go out to go out with the sales team and celebrate. Your boss tells you it will be a lot of fun, but understands if you can’t make it. You start to think deceptive thoughts to tell your spouse, but realize what is happening.

You: I rebuke you lying spirits by the blood and name of Jesus Christ.

You end up going home to spend time with your spouse on your date night.Y

Binding

When Jesus had his ministry here on earth, he never had to bind any spirits because he was the Son of God and the demons already knew his authority. We see this in the example when Jesus dealt with the two demon-possessed men in Matthew 8 where it says:

“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:28-29)

However, Jesus did inform his followers what to do when it comes to binding demons. As we saw earlier Jesus tells us:

“No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.” (Mark 3:27)

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20)

When it comes to believers binding demons this should be used to bring relief of oppression and spoil the strongman’s house. We have to remember that the enemy blinds the minds of unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 4:4) What better way to spoil his house to bring salvation unto that person so they become followers of Jesus as well.

You have to remember that you are only directing Jesus’s authority to bind these demon(s); you’re not casting them out of a person. The casting out of demons in deliverance requires a person’s free-will agreement. Depending on a demons strength and a person’s free will, the demon(s) will only stay bound for a specific period of time before they get loose again. We talk more about this in the next section about “Casting out Demons.”

Example 1

Let’s say you are having a hard time with a co-worker, neighbor, or classmate who seems to always make fun of your Christian beliefs, mock you at work, criticize you, or even steals from you. You never did anything to this person, but they seemingly always attack you. The key here is to identify the demon in that person who is provoking you. It’s best to pray about it and ask the Lord using discernment to what demon is working through that person, whether that is a mocking spirit, a spirit of dishonesty, etc.  You have to remember that you are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against demons operating through the flesh. (Ephesians 6:12)

You: “Demon of (mocking, greed, dishonesty, etc.) operating through (person’s name), you are bound and muted by the blood and name of Jesus Christ. You will not be able to speak around me or say any (blasphemies, mocking, me, theft, etc.) in my presence in Jesus mighty Name. I loose the fruits of the Holy Spirit of love, joy, peace upon (person’s name) in order that they may find Salvation in Jesus Christ.

Example 2

You have tried to get through to your good friend Bob for many years about Jesus, but it seems like you hit a brick wall every time you bring it up in conversation. Bob seems like he has a problem with bitterness when it comes to anything that has to do with God.

You: “Spirit of Bitterness that is tormenting ‘Bob’ you are bound by the name and blood of Jesus Christ. You are commanded in Jesus name that you will not be active and not torment “Bob,” and you will not communicate nor draw strength from any other spirits. I loose the Holy Spirit upon Bob that You will reveal your great love for him, the truth about the Bible and salvation through Jesus.”

(When you use your spiritual authority against a demon(s), its best to direct authority away from yourself to Jesus directly as this works well with more powerful demons. You also need to speak this out loud, preferably away from the person. However, if you can’t get away from that person, you can whisper it out loud; when you speak even at the lowest volume it echoes in the spiritual realm.)

Casting Out Demons

A Christian walking with Lord cannot be possessed by demons as that person is filled with the Holy Spirit. However, a Christian can be oppressed by demons if they continue walking according to the flesh. We see this in Romans where it says:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

When it comes to casting out demons, a person has to want to be free of the demon(s) that torment them, and this requires their free will. If that person is a Christian, they need to repent of whatever doorway of sin they might have opened and restore their relationship with the Lord. We go into this in great detail in our last article titled “Tactics of the Enemy.”

If that person is not a Christian, then there should be caution taken. That person needs to be sincere about not going back to the same path they are on. That person should want to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and you might have to explain the plan of salvation to them. The reason for this is explained in scripture where it says:

“When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

If the person is truly serious about wanting to be free from demonic oppression, and willing to come to Jesus as their Lord and Savior and repent of their lifestyle, then this is the first step. However, it might be a good idea to check back in on them in a couple of weeks to see how they are. If they are still having problems with demons, you can proceed to the next step, which involves first binding the demon(s) as we saw above when Jesus said in the gospel of Mark:

“No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.” (Mark 3:27)

Again, we also see that:

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:18-20)

Sometimes you will want a brother or sister in Christ to help you with the deliverance as it goes along with what we see above where if two shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall, ask it shall be done for them. However, we also see that a single person can use their authority in Christ to cast out demons as we see with the apostle Paul in Acts 16:18.

You will also want to remember that demons tend to be clever, so it’s best to silence them right from the beginning.

Examples of Casting out demons:

Example 1

For this example, we are going to use a hypothetical friend, which we will call Michelle. Michelle has had problems with several forms of addiction through her life. Michelle has been having horrible nightmares that seem so real about creatures tormenting her.  You lead Michelle to Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and she repents of her lifestyle. She gives up the drugs that she was using and her life seems to be getting better, but the nightmares are still occurring.

You pray for discernment about your friend and receive a word from the Holy Spirit that the problem is the spirit of addiction.

Remembering what we learned earlier about binding the strongman before spoiling his home, you and your helping brother/sister in Christ will want to say:

“Spirit of addiction that is tormenting Michelle, you are bound and muted by the shed blood name of Jesus. Michelle has given her life over to the Lord Jesus and has repented of her sins, and who Jesus Christ sets free, is free indeed. You have no legal right to her life anymore and are commanded by the shed blood name of Jesus to leave her and never to return.”

(This can be done with numerous demonic infestations of a person. If you don’t get a word from the Holy Spirit, you can be general about binding whatever demons may be in that person causing problems by the name and shed blood of Jesus. Then proceed to cast out the demons in the same way mentioned above.)

Example 2

Let’s say for this example, someone comes to you pleading for help. Their friend is demon possessed and is stark raving mad. They hurt themselves and try to hurt other people. You can use the authority in Christ to first bind the demon and bring order to the person for a short period of time. We are reminded of this in the following scripture:

“No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.” (Mark 3:27)

The person should be able to think clearly and speak after you bind the demon. As a reminder demon(s) will only be bound for a short period of time. Demons have rights to someone based on sin from their life or even a generational curse (Exodus 34:7) based on the fact they don’t have Jesus as their Lord and Savior and are under the old covenant.

By binding the demon this should give you enough time to talk to the person about giving their life to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and repent of their sins and lifestyle. That person should also be more willing to hear the good news about Jesus as we are reminded that the enemy blinds the minds of the lost from 2 Corinthians 4:4. Since the enemy has been bound we can now spoil his house.

Most sincere people would want to be free of any demonic bondage. If this person gives their life to Jesus, then proceed onto casting out the demon(s).

Before even attempting to go over to help this person, you should pray that God gives you discernment from the Holy Spirit on how to proceed.

Binding: Demon who is in (person’s name) you are bound and muted by the name and shed blood of Jesus Christ. (Binding should have an automatic effect. Again, this should give you enough time to talk to that person sincerely)

If the person decides to dedicate their life over to Jesus that’s great, you can proceed to cast out the demon similar to the last example. However, if that person doesn’t want to accept Jesus, the demon that is bound will eventually get loose, and that person will return to the state they were in. If you cast that demon out, and that person doesn’t come to Christ, then there is the danger that we saw earlier in scripture that whatever demon was cast out will come back with seven more wicked spirits to take up residence in that person making their life worse.

Casting Out: “Demon that is tormenting (person’s name), (person’s name) has given their life over to the Lord Jesus and has repented of their sins, and who Jesus Christ sets free, is free indeed. You have no legal right to their life anymore and are commanded by the shed blood name of Jesus to leave them and never to return.”

Final Thoughts

As Christians, we should always be growing in our relationship with Jesus daily. We must put on the full armor of God every single day as mentioned in Ephesians 6:11, so we can stand against the schemes of the enemy. We also need to be aware of the enemy’s tactics and use the spiritual authority we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to rebuke, bind, and cast out demons. We should never be afraid of demons as followers of Jesus. Jesus reminds us as believers that:

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has given each of us gifts and his authority to carry out the assignments he has given us. Isn’t it about time we as the body of Christ use these tactical strategies to move forward, winning souls for Jesus while taking back territory from the enemy. After all, we as Christians should be seeking those things which are above mentioned to us in this verse:

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:1-2)

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