Protesting Leviathan

Hellish demons are wreaking havoc in ways that I have not previously experienced. While they have surely been at work since the fall of satan, it seems they are more stirred than ever. They know their time is short and they are trying to make the most of it. Additionally, increased population and the speed of communication has made it easier than ever for the hordes of hell to spread their venom from coast to coast and continent to continent. Social Media assures that we have ample opportunities every minute of the day to engage our sinful natures and damage the hearts and minds of ourselves and others with our words and memes.

During my prayers and meditations for the past few years, I have become increasingly concerned about our culture and the spiritual enemies waging war all around us – even in our churches. Through members of my faith-family, I was reminded of Leviathan. In the Bible, Leviathan is seen as a Venomous Sea Serpent, Dragon, and Monster. According to Job 41, it:

· Is unable to be captured

· Is immensely powerful

· Has terrible teeth

· Smells repulsive

· Has impenetrable scales and skin

· Shoots flames from its mouth

· Stirs chaos & fear

· Has a heart as hard as a millstone

Ironically, despite all these horrible attributes, Job also tells us that Leviathan is graceful in form. In other words, it is not an obvious enemy and instead causes us to see its activities as reasonable and legitimate. But in scripture we see that it is a master of lies and partial truths. It can manipulate our perception to see things differently than intended.

The Hebrew word for “Leviathan” can be broken down to reveal the power of such a spirit. It can be interpreted to mean that it joins itself to us or that we are joined to the serpent or dragon. Either way, we can clearly see the way it distorts and manipulates covenants for its own evil ends. In many ways, we see that Leviathan acts in a way that is completely opposite of grace, love and truth. It stirs and works best in environments of:

· Pride

· Self-Righteousness

· Spiritual exclusivity

· Narcissism

· Dishonor

· Control

· Anger

· Offense

· Lies

· Miscommunication

· Misunderstanding

· Accusation

· Slander / Gossip (Secret Whisperings)

· Irritation / Frustration

Does any of this sound familiar? If not you have been hiding in a hole. So how do we counter such a powerful and evil force? We must use the law of opposite actions. Jesus said, “If you want to be first, you must be last… if you want to lead you must be servant of all.” In order to deal with the Leviathan spirit, we must:

· Pray for right attitudes, wisdom, discernment and victory over the enemy. (The Lord’s prayer is a great place to start. – Matthew 6:9-13)

· Humble ourselves before God and others (James 4:10)

· Realize that our righteousness is like filthy rags before God. (Isaiah 64:6)

· Realize that even the wisest among us only see the Kingdom in part. There is much we don’t know and may be wrong about. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

· Value others even above ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

· Honor the people around us. (Romans 12:10)

· Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)

· In our anger (we will be angry sometimes) avoid sin. (Ephesians 4:26)

· Overlook offenses. (Proverbs 19:11)

· Search out truth, knowing that it will make us free. (John 8:32)

· Be quick to hear and slow to speak. (James 1:19)

· Seek understanding and hope for and expect the best in others. (Proverbs 4:7, 1 Corinthians 13:7)

· Realize that satan is the accuser and we don’t want to agree with him. (Revelation 12:10)

· Protect others rather than slander and uncover them. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

· Resist anxiety with the knowing that God has everything under control and cares for us greatly. (Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7)

If you would like to know more about the leviathan spirit – how we can recognize and combat it – let me know. If there is sufficient interest we will delve into it more deeply.

Shalom!