Proactive Spiritual Warfare

I want to talk to you about something that happened to me just last night, something that caught me completely off guard. You know, I’ve been walking with the Lord for a long time. I’ve written books like OPEN YOUR EYES: MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY where I share the gritty details of my past demonic encounters and how Jesus delivered me. Because of that history, I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking I’ve "arrived." I think I’ve reached a level of spiritual maturity where the enemy wouldn't dare try the old tricks anymore.

But let me tell you, spiritual warfare doesn't care about your past trophies. Last night, I was plunged into a nightmare that felt like a throwback to my early days of deliverance. In the dream, I was with my wife and our cat, Boaz, just going about life, when this massive, dark presence manifested. This wasn't some low-level imp. This was one of those heavy hitters—the kind that makes the air feel thick and your voice feel like it's trapped in your throat.

I did what I always do. I stood my ground and said, "Get out of here in the name of Jesus!" Usually, that’s the end of the story. The name of Jesus is the ultimate authority. But this time? The entity didn't budge. It just loomed there, mocking my complacency. It was a wake-up call from the Holy Spirit. I had become spiritually lazy. I had the gear on, but I hadn't checked my seals. I was relying on yesterday’s zeal to fight today’s battle, and the enemy saw an opening.

If you’ve been feeling a sense of apathy lately, or if you’ve noticed a lack of zeal in your prayer life, you are in a dangerous spot. The adversary is a master of the "long game." He waits for you to get comfortable, to stop being vigilant, and then he strikes. We cannot afford to be "frozen chosen" Christians who sit on the couch while the battle rages. We have to stay worded up and proactive.

The Vampire Rule: Why Demons Need Your Permission

There is a principle in the supernatural realm that I like to call the "Vampire Rule." You remember those old black-and-white movies where the vampire would stand at the threshold of a house? He was powerful, he was dangerous, but he couldn't step over that line unless the master of the house invited him in. Demons operate on a very similar legalistic framework. They are looking for a door—a point of entry that you’ve left unguarded.

The Bible tells us in Genesis exactly how this works. God was talking to Cain, long before the law was ever written down, and He said, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door" (Genesis 4:7 KJV). Think about that image. Sin is crouching right there at the entrance of your life, waiting for you to slip up, waiting for you to stop being vigilant so it can rush in and take over.

When we get lazy in our spiritual walk, we essentially leave the front door wide open. We think, "Oh, I’m saved, I’m good," and we stop doing the things that kept us safe in the beginning. We stop anointing our homes with oil. We stop consecrating our music studios and our workspaces. We might even start letting things back into our lives that we once burned—metaphorically or literally. I remember when I first got serious about Jesus, I had to take my occult books and my heavy metal CDs and get rid of them, just like they did in the book of Acts. That was being proactive. That was being vigilant.

If you aren't actively ruling over your territory, the enemy will try to move in. He is an opportunist. He doesn't need much—just a little apathy, a little bit of "it doesn't really matter what I watch or listen to." Before you know it, that thing that was "lying at the door" has moved into the guest room and is starting to wreck the furniture of your soul.

The Bigger the Level, The Bigger the Devil

One of the most important lessons Jesus taught us about authority is found in Matthew 17. The disciples were frustrated. They had been given authority to cast out spirits, but they ran into a situation they couldn't handle. They asked Jesus, "Why could we not cast him out?" and Jesus gave them a two-part answer that we need to etch into our hearts.

First, He pointed to their "unbelief." In the Greek, this often relates to a lack of trust and unfaithfulness. But then He added a crucial detail: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21 KJV). This tells us that there are rankings in the demonic realm. Just as there are principalities and powers in high places, there are levels of spiritual resistance that require a higher level of spiritual investment from us.

I call it "The Bigger the Level, The Bigger the Devil." As you grow in your calling, as you move toward those "exploits" Daniel talked about (Daniel 11:32), you are going to attract the attention of higher-ranking adversaries. You can't fight a Prince of Persia with a Sunday school level of prayer. Your giftings—whether it's prophetic evangelism, healing the sick, or words of knowledge—move in tandem with your relationship with God.

If you want to see the mountain move, you have to be in the mountain praying. Jesus had just come off a fast when He dealt with that spirit. He was dialed in. He didn't just have the title of "Lord"; He had the active, vibrating relationship with the Father that backed up the word. When I was in that dream last night, and "In the name of Jesus" didn't seem to work immediately, I had to start quoting the Word. I had to activate the Sword of the Spirit. Complacency had dulled my blade, and I had to sharpen it right then and there in the heat of the moment.

Personal Reflections: When the Speaker Gets a Wake-Up Call

I have to be honest with you guys—Jesus had to correct me big time. I’m the guy who wrote Overcoming Night Terror: Making the Demons Leave. I’ve spent hours teaching others how to stand their ground. Yet, there I was, getting comfortable. I had reached a place where I was more focused on the work of the ministry than the God of the ministry.

A friend of mine who does prophetic evangelism once told me something that really stuck. He said, "Conrad, for a while I was seeking God's hand to move in my life, but I wasn't seeking His face." That's a trap many of us fall into. we want the gifts to increase. We want to see the miracles. We want the power. But seeking God for the sake of the gifts isn't seeking God at all.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a "rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (KJV). Not those who seek the power, or the fame, or the "exploits," but those who seek Him. If you aren't excited about God Himself, you aren't seeking Him diligently. You might be seeking a result, but you aren't seeking the Person.

My nightmare last night was a direct result of me burying my talent in the sand of apathy. Jesus tells the story of the unprofitable servant who was afraid and hid his talent. He still called Jesus "Lord," but he didn't do what the Lord commanded. The result? Total loss. We have kingdom keys to deliver people from drugs, alcohol, and broken homes. But those keys only turn when they are held by a hand that is connected to a heart on fire for Jesus.

Biblical References to Proactive Warfare

The Bible isn't just a book of stories; it's a manual for survival in a world that is fundamentally spiritual. We have to move from being Christians in theory to being Christians in practice.

• Ephesians 6:10-18: This is the ultimate blueprint. Paul tells us to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (Ephesians 6:10 KJV). He doesn't say "hope for the best." He says "Put on the whole armor." The armor is there because an attack is guaranteed. You don't put on a helmet if you don't expect things to be thrown at your head.
• First Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (KJV). A roaring lion is looking for the weak, the isolated, and the sleeping. If you are spiritually asleep, you are on the menu.
• James 4:7: This is the chronological order of victory: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (KJV). You cannot resist the devil effectively if you aren't first submitted (under the mission) of God.
• Revelation 21:8: This one is a gut-punch. Jesus puts the "fearful and unbelieving" (KJV) right at the top of the list with murderers and sorcerers. Fear of rejection or fear of the enemy is no excuse to stop moving forward in your authority.

Key Takeaways

• Complacency is a Target: Thinking you have "arrived" makes you an easy mark for the enemy. Stay humble and keep reaching forward.
• Legal Grounds Matter: Sin "lies at the door." Be vigilant about what you allow into your home, your eyes, and your heart.
• Relationship Over Gifts: Your spiritual authority is directly tied to the depth of your personal relationship with Jesus, not just your knowledge of the Bible.
• Prayer and Fasting Are Not Optional: Higher levels of spiritual resistance require a more disciplined spiritual life.
• Use the Word: When the name of Jesus feels like it's being resisted, draw the Sword of the Spirit—the specific Word of God for your situation.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Brothers and sisters, the days of being a "frozen chosen" Christian are over. We are in the Bible Belt, and yet I meet people every day who have no idea what it means to be born again. They are perishing for a lack of knowledge because the watchmen have fallen asleep on the tower.

Don't be the servant who buried his talent. Don't let apathy rob you of the authority Jesus died to give you. If you’ve been under attack, or if you feel that heavy cloud of spiritual laziness settling over you, it’s time to wake up. Anoint your house. Consecrate your life. Get back into the presence of God not for what He can do, but for who He is.

If this message stirred something in you, please share it. We need to wake each other up! Leave a comment below about how you stay "worded up" in your daily walk. I love hearing your testimonies.

And if you want to dive deeper into these topics, check out my books on Amazon: OPEN YOUR EYES and Overcoming Night Terror. They go into much more detail about the mechanics of the unseen world.

God bless you, and until we meet again, dig deeper and go higher!

Action Items

• Audit Your "Doors": Look through your home and your digital life. Is there anything—media, objects, or habits—that is giving the enemy "permission" to hang around?
• Schedule a Prayer Walk: Don't just pray in your closet. Go out into your neighborhood or your workplace and "sew" the Word of God into the ground.
• Commit to Fasting: Start small if you have to, but begin incorporating regular fasting into your week to dial in your spiritual sensitivity.
• Memorize Authority Scriptures: Pick three verses (like James 4:7 or Luke 10:19) and memorize them this week so they are ready on the tip of your tongue when an attack comes.
• Consecrate Your Space: Physically anoint the doorposts of your home with oil and dedicate every room to the service of King Jesus.