According to Hebrews 4, entering the Lord’s rest is labor or in other words “work.”
Yet, the irony is that we enter in by “ceasing from our own works.” I believe that we struggle or “labor” to enter in for one main reason. The enemy knows that in order to keep us defeated, he has to block our way by stealing both our joy, peace and our rest. So strategically, demonic entities have designed three main styles of deception. Demons revel in depression, oppression and vexation of spirit because these three (3) emotional conditions are open doors to relapse during the restoration process.
Pam Sheppard, A licensed therapist for 38 years.
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Depression is spiritually nurtured by a poor sense of esteem, dissatisfaction, and alienation—each rooted in a lack of patience. Evil spirits thrive on the three “d’s” of doubt, disappointment and despair to lower our physical energy and vitality. Their method is to entangle weeds of negative thoughts, emotions and attitudes into a stronghold or spiritual underground root system that develops into a solid fortress or base of operation from which demons can function unhindered.
Condemnation and accusations are central to the guilt experienced by the depressed.y to rest and peace. Oppression brings a sense of being smothered or weighed down with the burdens of a troubled, problematic life. In such cases, the demon assigned to oppress you is by metaphor a “monkey on the back”, hovering around and pressing you down with a persistent attack, until your spiritual back breaks and you fall or “relapse”. At times sudden and shocking, the demon will apply a steady and relentless attack with persecution and disarming calamities of all sorts.
Vexation of spirit ALSO takes several forms. Restlessness can lead to a feeling of annoyance or irritability. In this regard, evil spirits will employ sequentially ordered petty harassments to
cause worry and a disquieted state, akin to mild or even acute stages of paranoia. In the mental realm, vexation also brings confusion and disorientation. The demonic weapons of choice are fear and intimidation. Demons will use others close to us to create situations that incite our emotions. The
agitation we feel may become so intense that we might literally react compulsively and consequently lose control.
Attempting to control ourselves with human will power alone is an exhausting struggle that Satan will ultimately win. We need to humble ourselves to the fact that human will power cannot outlast Satan’s power. However, when we are able to rest in Christ by ceasing from our own works, the Holy Spirit empowers our spirits with strength that exceeds the capacity of our will. Ceasing from our own works will enable us to walk in the spirit and not fulfill the lust of our flesh without much effort because we have sought the kingdom and found righteousness.
The evil spirit’s goal is to take advantage of and condemn us for what we have been trained to perceive as past failures, coupled with worry and fear over the consequences we may face for our actions, causing us to cry over spilt milk. The demons are skilled at maneuvering the perceived failures to motivate a setback. Deliverance counseling can help you to place the past on the dung heap and press forward to the victory that truth brings.
However, when we are ignorant of Satanic devices, evil spirits can and DO repetitively and consistently employ the same strategies to defeat us, over and over again=== simply because we are ignorant to the fact that whatever failures and mistakes used by the devil to destroy us, God uses it ALL to employ us!”
A perceived failure is just another opportunity to struggle to “enter into His rest.” Once you’ve entered, the struggle is over! Satan won’t completely give up on you. However, once you become an overcomer,
you will find the enemy consistently “on the run.”
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