DEDICATION
This edition is dedicated to the One who set us free!
Direct all comments or suggestions to:

Spear Ministries
P.O Box 161
Prescott, Az 86302
Tel: (928) 776-9649
E-Mail: smi@spearministries.org
Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. Joshua 8:18

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1987, 1988. Used by permission. Abbreviation, NASB.

Scriptures marked KJV, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scriptures marked NIV, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NKJV are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright 1979, 1980 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

CONTENTS

Introduction
Chapter 1 The Main Source of Harassment

Introduction
Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it... Hosea 7:9a NKJV

There was once a man who wanted to start a tree nursery. He bought some land, cultivated the soil, and planted ten thousand seedlings. He installed a special drip watering system, and fertilized the trees regularly.

Several years passed and the trees were an average of five feet tall. He was mighty proud of his nursery, but, tragedy suddenly struck. Numerous trees began to die. He watered more, thinking that the dry spell was taking its toll. No good. He fertilized more. Still, more trees died.

He cut off some branches and sent them to a lab, but they were unable to discern what was causing the problem. One day, while telling his woes to the clerk at a garden shop in town, a stranger overheard him. "Mind if I take a look at your situation," the rugged old timer said slowly. The discouraged nurseryman quickly jumped at the offer and soon they were standing, looking at the devastated acre of trees.

The old timer went over to a dead tree, yanked it up out of the ground, then got down on his hands and knees. He dug for a minute in the hole, then said, "Here, take a look at this."

The bewildered tree grower got down on his hands and knees and peered into the hole. He saw what appeared to be a series of tunnels. "Gophers," said the old man.

"Gophers?" replied the shocked nurseryman.

"Yup. That's what's been killing your trees. Gophers!"

"What can I do to get rid of them?"

"Two things. First put poison in their tunnels, then install one of those contraptions that make a lot of noise. They're like a small windmill, but they make a loud thumping noise that scares the gophers away."

* * * * * * *

Hosea said it so aptly, centuries ago, Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it... Our little story points out how the "unseen" can destroy a lot of hard work. This book is about different kinds of unseen destroyers that dwell in the spirit realm. Families are crumbling, sickness is soaring, every kind of abuse is at epidemic proportions, and few are treating the cause. Pour on more water, heap on more fertilizer...it's not working!

Most people today make fun of the devil. His minions, the demons, are given staring roles in scary motion pictures. Some blame this unseen host for their problems, but few are doing anything about stopping their destruction!

This book is about combating our unseen, but very real and exceedingly active enemy. The battlefield is our mind! There are very definite, effective things we can do to turn the tables in this war. From the story we opened with, we can make a lot of noise (praise), we can poison his haunts (saturate our minds with the Word of God), and we can lay traps that will catch them red-handed.

This material has been tried for years by desperate saints, with consistent, quick, effective results. The reason this material works is because it comes from the Bible. The Word of God is a two-edged sword! Use it properly, and you will win the inner war. Ignore the unseen foe, bypass the unpopular issue of demons, and you will waste a lot of time and energy trying to fix the wrong problem!

Not everything can be blamed on evil spirits. Each person must "farm" as effectively as possible. But, just as every nurseryman must know about insects and rodents, even so faithful Christians, must put on the full armor of God!

To know the battle strategies outlined in this book will do little if they are not practiced regularly until they become a habit. Once the mind is renewed to take every thought captive to Christ, the Christian life becomes full of joy and abundance. Hope surges in once frustrated, defeated saints when they experience the "easy yoke" of victory that Jesus promised.

There is a common factor to most of our conflicts in life, and the good news is that there is a simple solution. Please notice, I said simple, not easy. Though the answer is so uncomplicated a child can make it work, it will take determination and persistence to form this truth into new habits.

What a thrill it is to watch people gain insight and hope: once dejected faces, now beaming with a renewed zest for life! What can be said to someone who is in total despair that will pick them up and give them the courage to try again? Words! Simple, God-breathed Words from His Manual for Living--the Bible! He designed human beings with specific limitations and when we exceed the Manufacturer's stress limits or ignore His warning systems, we get into big trouble. When we follow the principles outlined in the Bible, we experience abundant life!

When folks see that they are not the big failure they were led to believe, when they come to realize that there is something they can do about the pressures of life, yes, then comes the confidence that they can win the inner war! I call the struggles of life the Inner War, because the battle is almost entirely won or lost in our thinking. There was a tremendous battle that Jesus fought for us on the cross; now the battle is in our minds to possess and enjoy what He paid for!

How easy would it be for an enemy to make us angry or miserable? All they would have to do would be to make us think things were worse than they really are, or suggest to us such high ideals that no one could ever attain them. Don't look now, but the Bible clearly describes an aggressive foe of humans who prowls around sticking pain-causing thoughts in our heads. Yes, there is a devil and he and his assistants are very busy. In the chapters ahead we'll look more into how they work and how to shut them down.

Our mind mulls over, ponders and examines information all the time. We think about what we are seeing, feeling, and hearing. We may contemplate old pains from the past with a view to understanding what caused the pain, how could things have been done differently, "Why did this have to happen to me?", etc. Think of the great damage that can be done by merely putting into someone's mind lies or half truths as they are going through this reflecting process. All our enemy has to do to produce great mental anguish is to distort our thinking. I call his input stinkin' thinkin'.

Emotional freedom will result as we learn...

...where negative input comes from,

...how to compare our thoughts with God's Word,

...how to eliminate destructive thoughts,

...how to consistently considering godly, positive thoughts.

Hurts from the past can be greatly amplified by a nagging spirit that tries to drive us crazy with replays and reruns. If we don't consider the enemy as a factor in our thought life, we'll be tempted to say that our self-talk seems to dwell on past hurts, turning over every rock to see why people did what they did and how we might have responded differently. Often the inner chatter is like a recording, playing hurtful, embarrassing memories over and over. It is my understanding of the Bible that when we do not want such brain-pain, the source of the irritation is more than likely from an ancient foe--the devil! If this is so, then little will be gained by paying attention to him rehashing our embarrassing memories, and much relief will be quickly enjoyed by chasing him off.

The typical response to negative thoughts is to take the blame for them. The question I would ask is, "If you don't like the memories, and you don't enjoy pain, then why are you bringing them up?" If you don't like them, then maybe it's not you! Who could it be?

You may disagree with some of the things that are written in this book. Set them aside for now. You may want to ponder them later after you finish the book. The clear Scriptural teaching that works for you, share with others! Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it... Hosea 7:9a NKJV

There was once a mad scientist named Serpetus. He was brilliant, powerful, but very cruel. He wanted to be in control of everything and everybody.

Serpetus took great delight in sabotaging people's lives. He arranged for them to have auto accidents by tampering with their cars at night. He would access banks' computers and alter people's account balances, thus causing much turmoil. He even put diabolical viruses in the city's water supply and caused thousands to get very sick.

The one nemesis of Serpetus was that he couldn't get the people to stay sad. Somehow, after each tragedy, they would band together, encourage each other, sing a bit, dance around, and go on their way as though nothing of any significance had happened. This infuriated Serpetus. When they turned his evil into an occasion for joy, he was livid! His sinister mind was bent on hurting people, and he continually pondered new, diabolical ideas.

One day it came to him. "Ah yes, I will invent a small receiving device, so microscopic that it will be undetectable, and I will plant it in people's ears. Then I will whisper all sorts of crazy thoughts to them and drive them mad!" He was absolutely thrilled with his new project and worked around the clock inventing a microscopic micro-chip that would act like a imperceivable radio to deliver his devilish input to each citizen in the city.

Because he was such a brilliant and powerful scientist, the task was soon finished and it was an easy matter to install the devices in each person's inner ear. He would put a special sleeping gas in their air conditioner and when they were unable to awake, would enter their house, install the devices, and then be on his way. He was having a ball.

The once happy city soon had a different atmosphere. People were suddenly rude, hateful, stingy, and always fighting. Serpetus would spy on a family and begin to make suggestions to the different family members via his implants. One couple, newlyweds, were so much in love, and they, in particular, drove Serpetus crazy. He took them on as a unique challenge. Could he get them to hate each other? Could he break them up?

Willy and Barb were so much in love that they would sometimes sit and just look at each other. They enjoyed the same things. They went out of their way to make the other one happy--the ideal couple. But, thanks to Serpetus, things started changing. Willy began to notice things that Barb did, that irritated him. He knew she was not always the neatest housewife, but now, that seemed to be a big deal. He caught himself thinking, "What a slob; she never cleans anymore." Things were just like always, but now it seemed to matter to Willy.

Something strange happened when he shared this new insight with Barb. She seemed hurt. Inside her head, the simple "insight" Willy shared, was as big as an atomic bomb. She found herself thinking, "What's going on here? Have I been fooled all along that Willy really loved me for who I was? Maybe Marge was right when she told me our relationship could never last like this."

When Willy came home from work the next night, he was shocked to see the house more of a mess than it ever had been. No supper aroma filled the air. Barb sat curled up in front of the TV watching a panel of racists being interviewed by a show host. She glanced up and said, in a very detached manner, "Hi hon. I was tired and thought that maybe we could go out and get something to eat."

Why was this so different? Willy was so angry inside. He heard himself saying things to Barb that he didn't really believe. Where did the anger come from? Where did the feelings come from? What had changed their "ideal" relationship? Soon, Barb was crying and threatening to leave and go to her mom's.

We have a very angry enemy and his pleasure comes from destroying people! What he can't do by attacking our health, finances, etc., he has been able to do quite easily by whispering things to us. No, he doesn't use micro-chip implants; he uses his demons. The fallen angels, because they are spirits, can pass through us, virtually unnoticed, and whisper all sorts of weird things. If we are ignorant of how they work, we will more than likely receive their input as though it was our own "original" thought. This devilish "insight" is deliberated in our mind, with stinkin' thinkin' being the typical outcome! This is how many of our perspectives are formed. And, along with perspectives come feelings!

Have you ever sensed the enemy's input? Have you caught a thought that popped into your head and it was something you did not want? Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't you!

There are four very important things we must understand if we are going to win this inner war...

1. We have an aggressive enemy that whispers all sorts of things to us. His lies can only hurt us when we believe them and act accordingly.

2. If we're a Christian, we're a new person in Christ. We no longer want to do hurtful, wicked things; therefore, when gross stuff pops into our head, it must be from the enemy.

3. Something must be done, not only with the harmful thoughts that pop into our head, but also with the messenger that delivers them! Serpetus' implants must be removed!I must resist the thoughts and bind the messenger!

4. New thinking patterns must replace old ones. Selfish, self-protective thoughts must be replaced with prayer, praise and pondering the life-giving promises of God's Word!

Later we'll examine in more detail the second point, that, if we are a Christian, we really do not want the trash that suddenly appears in our brain! If you have been banging on yourself or some other person because you thought they were your problem, please declare a "cease fire" until I can present my evidence! Then if you don't agree with me, go back to your beatings. Or, in terms of the example with Willy and Barb, don't assume the honeymoon is over until you hear me out! Fair enough?

I don't presume that everyone who reads this material is a Christian. If you are not sure where you stand with the Lord, please read Appendix "A" in the back of this book and respond accordingly. The things we'll be talking about only work for those who have entered into a special relationship with the Lord. Although God loves people who don't believe in Him, He's careful not to push His will on them. He gave us a free will; He's not going to turn around and snatch it away. God offers some fantastic blessings, but the price tag is that we must make Him Lord over every aspect of our life.

LOOKING FOR THE IMPLANTS

Now, let's look at some Bible verses that show that the destructive thoughts that pop into our head are from the enemy. When I use the term "enemy," I'm not referring to the devil, per se, but to the angels that fell from heaven with him. These are demons or evil spirits. And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon . . . and his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. Revelation 12:3,4a

This passage of Scripture is giving us a little bit of information on where demons came from. They fell along with Lucifer. The devil was once an honored cherub, serving God Almighty, but pride entered the scene and caused him to be thrown out of heaven. Ever since, he's been the "mad scientist" intent on destroying everything precious to God, mainly, human beings. Demons are the "implants" that the mad scientist used on Willy and Barb.

The devil can only be in one place at a time, but he has his minions, the fallen angels. He is called "Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons" (Matthew 12:24). The term "enemy," therefore, can apply to this whole bunch, Satan and his imps.

God could have easily eliminated Satan when he rebelled, but instead, He retained him to do what God could never do...tempt us with evil! Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone ["with evil"]. James 1:13

Why would people need to be tempted with evil? To see what is in their heart! When equipment is manufactured, engineers test the product to see how it will hold up. How much pressure and use can it withstand? The tests usually push the equipment to the breaking point to determine its limits. Satan is allowed to push us, harass us, etc., to see what is really inside us. Will we quit the minute things get rough? Will we react selfishly when certain situations arise? How do you know what's inside a person until they undergo the devil's stress tests? God won't allow the devil to push us too far, and He will provide a way of escape from all temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Temptations reveal what is in our heart (James 1:2-4 and 1 Peter 1:6,7). Our enemy is a specialist when it comes to temptation! He enjoys his work! His input is the opposite of God's Word, and we are thereby presented with a clear choice. When we see where the demonic wisdom is coming from, and as we get to know what God says in the Bible, it will be easier to pass each temptation.

How could a perfect God create something as wicked as the devil? He didn't make Satan evil. When God created a creature with free will, He thereby produced something that could choose to go opposite of His nature! When God was all there was, there was no opportunity for sin to exist. Only when a second being existed, was there the possibility for "other than God" (sin) to exist.

Is the enemy really able to stick thoughts into our head? Isn't our brain a private place? Oh, wouldn't that be nice. If our brain was a safe place, then God couldn't be called our Refuge, our Shelter, our Fortress. No, there's only one safe place, and it's not between your ears! If you have questions as to whether a believer can have serious problems with demons or not, please look at the verses in Appendix "B" in the back of this book.

How could someone tempt us if they were unaware of our responses? Some people say the devil only knows what comes out of our mouth, but, the devil doesn't have ears! Only people with ears can hear what we say out our mouth! Spirits are in the same dimension that our thoughts are in, the spirit world (see 1 Corinthians 2:11 in the New American Standard Bible).

Have you ever found yourself in a tug-of-war in your mind with something that obviously wasn't you or the Lord? If it was the enemy, then wouldn't they have to be able to know what you were thinking to tug against what you were thinking? All I ask is that you try resisting the enemy's input in your mind, in the name of Jesus, and watch it work!

DOES COUNSELING WORK?

Counseling will not work very well or for very long if it assumes that we are the only problem. Some counselors are totally ignorant of an active enemy pumping our brains with stinkin' thinkin'. Can you imagine the time a counselor would have with Willy and Barb? If he was unaware of the mad scientist, Serpetus, and his diabolical implants, his task would be Herculean!

Frequently, parents are blamed for serious problems their children manifest, without looking behind the scenes for the possible intervention of a tempting, harassing spirit. Could the irritability and anger of people be instigated or aggravated by unseen tormentors? When we hear someone say, "That man was acting crazy," or that certain people are strange, they may be picking up on the activity of trouble-making spirits.

The Bible is clearly saying that we have a real, aggressive enemy that is out to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10), but, because he's invisible, most of us totally ignore his existence. Yes, we can get overzealous in "demon hunting," but for most people, the imbalance goes the other way.

If a counselor was aware of what took place, then he could help Willy and Barb remove the implants, and then train them in how to guard against any future attacks. This is what we must do. I believe that once you see what our enemy is up to, you will be more than able to shut him down! Good feelings follow good thinking, and if we destroy the source of negative input, we will enjoy an abundance of good feelings. As we do, the presence of inner peace will make it even easier to spot the enemy's negative input in the future!

I don't want to say without reservation that you're not a creep, but the chances are (especially because you're doing something to grow in your spiritual life) that you are nowhere near the "bad guy" that the enemy has led you to believe. But, you do have a very nasty enemy! And, he's hyperactive! Because most of us have been unaware of the extent of his intrusions, we have taken his bait and gotten into trouble.

THE ENEMY'S TARGET--OUR WILL

The bottom line with Satan's devices is that he must trick us into using our own will against ourselves. If we get hooked by our adversary, the harder we pull in ignorance, the bigger the trouble we'll get into! If what I'm sharing is correct, then you can expect to be able to cut the line and free yourself from the enemy's harassment, very soon! What you should experience before too long is relief, success with mental hassles, and new vitality! If you stop beating on yourself and others, and start whipping on the real enemy (unseen), your bruises will heal, relationships will mend, and peace will come in like a flood! Joy, ah yes, precious joy is also a byproduct!

Is it a copout if we blame the devil for the junk that pops into our heads? Probably not, but, why take my word for it. Consider this verse and ponder Appendix "B": Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'" Genesis 3:1

The first pull toward evil that the human race experienced came from the fallen being called Satan! It was an outside voice that Adam and Eve listened to. They obeyed outside input! But, it was their will that moved their hand to take the forbidden fruit and eat it! The exercise of their will got them into big trouble!

In the next chapter, we'll look more at what the Bible tells us we can do with this enemy. Get ready for some amazing results!

Remember to read through the Appendix on How to Become a Christian, if you're not sure where you stand with the Lord. This is an eternally important matter!