Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 4/17/2004

Question
Hello Rev. Woods,
I had a brother I loved very much who committed suicide in the early 80s from gambling addictions. He had attended church very regularly for years and had a lovely wife and three very beautiful little girls, but the weakness got to him.
Afterwards, I developed an intense hatred towards Satan and his demons and wanted and continue to want revenge on them for doing my brother in. I don't expect to have the power to fight Satan or his demons in this mortal life here, but I do often pray to God that he will give me the power, somewhere in the spirit world, after I pass on, to inflict as much damage as possible on Satan and his demons, to equal the damage they have done to my brother and humanity.
My question is: Are my prayers to God to give me the powers to attack and punish Satan and his demons after I pass on, a wrongful or even a dangerous type of prayer, or should I reconsider this prayer in a different context? I even find myself ,at times, telling Satan he's a coward for not picking on someone his own size. I realize we should love our enemies, but does this apply to Satan and demonic forces as well? Thank you very much.
Mike Eidson, LAc.

Answer
Blessings and thank you for your questions.

Spiritual warfare is something that every Christian is called to do.   The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

We pray against Satan and his ways now.  We have authority over them through the blood of Jesus.

I would encourage you to go to your local Christian Bookstore and look in the Charismatic Book Section.  You will find a lot of good resources on Spiritual warefare.

I would recommend the following books:
Rick Joyner, The Final Quest
Alves, Elizabeth, Becoming a Prayer Warrior
Bolz, Shawn, The Throne Room Company  
Jackson Jr., Harry R, The Warrior's Heart Rules of Engagement for the Spiritual War Zone
Frangipane, Francis, The Three Battlegrounds  
An in-depth view of the three arenas of spiritual warfare
Pierce, Chuck, The Future War Of The Church