Tactics of the enemy III: Impressions
Tactics of the enemy III: Impressions
The enemy, Satan or the devil, is as old as the world. He has been around from the beginning of times, waging war against everything that represents God
He was there in the Garden of Eden. He was the deceiver, the sneaky and crafty serpent that deceived Eve and made her disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-24). He made Adam and Even sin, an act that is the root cause of the problems in the world today.
His mission is simple and consistent - to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). And he has devised numerous subtle tactics to creep into the midst of God's children as he did in the Garden of Eden to cause confusion and destruction.
One of these tactics is impressions. It is the false identification of things and people, causing you to move out of the design of God for your life. This particular enemy's tactic is an attack on the mind of a believer with evil thoughts, desires, and passion. The enemy uses various ways to tempt believers and negatively influence and pollute their minds using their environment, internet, people, etc.
When the devil approached Eve, he used impressions to lure her into sin. God had told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or else he would die (Genesis 2:17). However, the serpent or the enemy created a false impression that the tree would not kill them but make them be like God (Genesis 3:4).
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve ate from the tree and died afterward. They experienced a spiritual death which resulted in a separation between them and God and other consequences, including physical death (Genesis 3:14-19).
Understanding some of the ways the enemy still employs this tactic to attack believers today is crucial. There are three ways the enemy uses impressions to manipulate a believer's mind and push them into sin. They include impulses, vibrations, and transmissions.
Impulses
Have you ever had an uncontrollable or irresistible urge to do something bad? Then, that is the enemy using an impulse to force you into sin. Impulse is a sudden strong urge or desire to sin.
However, this negative impulse has a root cause. They are often a result of what has been stored in our minds or what we have fed our minds. It is saddening to state that the enemy has almost taken over both the traditional and new media. Television shows and radio programs, newspapers, and magazines have become propaganda tools the enemy uses to spread sin into the world. The internet has been so corrupted by nudity and lust. Lewd content has become the order of the day.
Immorality is now a culture and lifestyle. Abominable acts are gradually becoming the norm. We can't deny we have become passive consumers of this evil in the media. That is why we often have an uncontrollable urge to sin.
But we are God's children. Redeemed by His blood and set apart. We cannot allow our lives to be polluted by the evil the enemy has put on the airwaves. Therefore, we must be deliberate about renewing our minds using God's Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, purifies and tear down every stronghold of the devil in our lives (Romans 12:2, Hebrews 4:12).
We must also ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to focus our minds on only things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8)
We must also become forces of light, shining and showcasing our good works in a dark world to influence others and show them the way to eternal light (Matthew 5:16). We must not bow to evil. Instead, we must overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
Vibrations
These are generally widespread beliefs or strongholds affecting territories and the people living within a geographic location. There are certain mindsets the enemy infuses into the hearts of people living in specific locations and evidence of sins common in those areas. For example, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah seemed to be plagued with sexual immorality and perversion to the point that the men wanted to have sex with the angels God sent to deliver Lot from the impending destruction of the city (Genesis 19:4–5).
In today's world, the United States seems to have become the hotspot of all manner of sexual perversions. The LGBTQ movement is spreading like wildfire; the trans community is thriving, abortion has almost become the norm among young adults, etc. It seems the enemy has gained ground in the country. That is clearly how the enemy uses vibrations to capture people's minds in a location and turn them against God and His purpose.
What do we do as believers to pull down the enemy's stronghold? We must first put on the whole armor of God. We must engage in spiritual warfare with the enemy and not stop until we are victorious and reclaim territories. According to Ephesians 6:14-18, the weapons of warfare to stand against the wiles of the enemy are the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer.
Transmissions
Transmission is the inability to identify and have dominion over self-defeating thoughts, hopelessness, depression, family strongholds/patterns, etc.
There are moments in our lives when we become helpless and hopeless. We see ourselves sinking into the quicksand of negative thoughts and emotions without help on sight to hold tight. That is the enemy playing tricks with our minds and trying to mess with them. The prophet Elijah had his fair share of transmission. Jezebel threatened to kill him after he had executed the prophets of Baal.
Elijah was gripped by fear which metamorphosed into depression. The great man of God, whom God had used to perform miracles, prayed for death. However, God intervened and delivered him (1 Kings 19:1-14).
The enemy is not afraid to attack anybody or family. He doesn't care about your spiritual status or position in your local church. All he is interested in is finding a chance to capture one's mind and imprison it with negative thought patterns and emotions. He has also ravaged families with generational curses and evil patterns like sicknesses, addictions, death, poverty, etc.
However, the good news is that Jesus has come to set us free from every form of the captivity of the enemy. He destroys all prison doors and chains. Psalms 107:16 records that "For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two."
He has power over every form of oppression. And the Bible says that whoever He sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Therefore, when you sense that the enemy is invading your mind with negative thoughts and feelings and your family with strongholds and patterns, call on the name above every other name, Jesus, and the enemy and his demons would bow and flee from your life (Philippians 2:9-11)