SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2025
THE STRATEGY OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY
MEMORISE: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:11
READ: Hebrews 5:12-14
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
INTRODUCTION: THE TRANSITION FROM DISCERNMENT TO STRATEGY
Over the past two days, we have established the absolute necessity of the gift of the discerning of spirits. This gift is your supernatural defense system, enabling you to pierce through the disguises of Satan and his agents—the wolves in sheep’s clothing, including those who operate with the spirits of witchcraft and divination. We established that the first step to victory is revelation: you must be able to identify the kinds of spirits controlling the people around you.
But mere identification is only half the battle.
Today, we shift our focus from identification to strategy. How do we move from knowing who the enemy is to executing a spiritual maneuver that guarantees their defeat without giving them a counter-advantage? The devil, as our memory verse warns, is always looking to “get an advantage of us” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Our spiritual victory is secured only when we are “not ignorant of his devices.” Ignorance is dangerous; premature action is equally dangerous.
The wisdom required for this strategic warfare is directly linked to the spiritual maturity described in our text, Hebrews 5:14: the ability to handle “strong meat,” belonging to those who, “by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Dealing effectively with agents of darkness requires moving beyond the spiritual kindergarten and stepping into the battlefield as a mature, strategic warrior of Christ.
I. THE SPIRITUAL MATURITY REQUIRED FOR BATTLE
The Apostle Paul, in Hebrews, draws a sharp contrast between spiritual babes (who rely on “milk”) and those of full age (who consume “strong meat”). Spiritual warfare against entrenched forces like witches and wizards is not a “milk” assignment; it requires strong meat.
A. Milk vs. Strong Meat
Milk (Spiritual Infancy): This includes the fundamental principles—salvation, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:1-2). A believer dealing with milk has a great heart but is often unskillful in the word of righteousness (i.e., the practical application of Christ’s authority). They are easily tossed about by every doctrine, and in warfare, they often react with carnal anger or fear instead of strategic power.
Strong Meat (Spiritual Maturity): This belongs to those whose senses are exercised—meaning trained, practiced, and put to habitual use—to discern both good and evil. They do not just know what God promises; they know how to apply it surgically. They move with quiet confidence, understanding that the battle is won in the realm of the Spirit before any physical manifestation.
The moment you discover a witch or wizard around you, you are instantly handed a “strong meat” assignment. The strategic steps you take next determine whether you walk in victory or fall into the enemy’s trap.
B. Revelation Secures Protection
The popular saying, “Once God has shown you your enemy, that enemy can no longer kill you,” is rooted in profound spiritual truth.
Revelation is protection. The enemy operates best from the shadows, relying on secrecy and ignorance. The moment God pulls back the veil and shows you the agent—whether they are operating a spirit of witchcraft, division, or occultic control—that individual loses their primary weapon: covert access. God reveals the plan so you can circumvent it. Your job is to honor that revelation with strategic obedience.
II. THE DANGER OF PREMATURE CONFRONTATION
The most critical strategic rule for a mature believer is this: Once you recognize witches or wizards around you, your first reaction shouldn’t be to confront them or send them away. Do not even let them know about your discovery.
This directive is not based on fear; it is based on strategic wisdom—the very wisdom Satan uses, which Paul says we must also know (2 Corinthians 2:11).
A. Denying the Enemy an Advantage
When you expose an agent through physical confrontation or by shouting their name, you give the devil a crucial advantage:
1: Immediate Shift in Tactics: The moment they know that you have discovered them, they will find alternative ways to attack. They will move from subtle infiltration (poisoning the well from within) to direct warfare (physical illness, financial assault, orchestrated division outside the church).
2: Operational Replacement: If the devil knows a pastor has discovered his agents among a congregation, he will replace them with new ones. The pastor is then forced to waste valuable time and energy praying to discover the new agents all over again, creating a cycle of reactive spiritual warfare.
3: Carnalizing the Battle: Confrontation based on fleshly indignation can open the door for lawsuits, division, and slander, turning a spiritual battle into a carnal, public spectacle.
The strong meat strategy is to keep quiet about the discovery, thank God for the revelation, and then take the right, silent spiritual actions directed by the Holy Spirit. This ensures they cannot carry out their evil plans and that “no damage [is] done.” You neutralize the threat without wasting energy on a protracted public fight or giving the enemy the opportunity to regroup. [Image symbolizing the strategic devices of Satan like traps and snares hidden beneath appealing surfaces, illustrating the need for strategic silence]
III. THE QUIET POWER OF SPIRITUAL ACTION
The correct response to discernment is not confrontation, but covert spiritual warfare. This is the mature way to deal with satanic agents—by using the power and authority given to us in Christ, executed in secret before the throne of God.
A. The Strategy of Spiritual Silence and Inquiry
When you discern a dark agent or a spiritual attack, your immediate, silent steps should be:
1:Thank God for the Revelation: This establishes that the knowledge came from the Holy Spirit and immediately attributes the victory to God. This anchors your faith in divine power, not your own strength.
2: Seek God for Exact Steps: This is the most crucial step. Never assume the action. You must ask God for the grace to be spiritually sensitive at all times so that beyond detecting them, you will also be able to know when they plan to execute their evil plans and what you must do to stop them. The Holy Spirit will give specific instructions, which might include:
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- Binding the Spirit: Using the authority of Jesus to bind the spirit of witchcraft or divination operating through the person, preventing the execution of the evil plan.
- Praying Protection Over the Target: Setting a hedge of fire around the church, the family, or the individual being targeted.
- Releasing Counter-Anointing: Preaching a specific message or leading a specific worship song that breaks the enemy’s yoke.
- Direct Confrontation (The Exception): Sometimes, as in the famous convention example, God directs a public action for the purpose of a demonstration of power and immediate deliverance.
B. The Convention Example: When Confrontation is Commanded
The story of overhearing the witches planning to “strike” during the convention illustrates the difference between carnal reaction and spiritual direction.
The key phrase is: “Thank God I was sensitive to the revelation from the Holy Spirit.” The sensitivity not only revealed the plan but gave the timing of the strike. The subsequent public action was a direct command from God to demonstrate His power and bring salvation to the captives. When the confrontation is God-directed, it results in deliverance (as one witch confessed, “It is the thing within me that was pushing me”) and the enemy loses the soul entirely.
This shows that the highest level of spiritual maturity is not in knowing the enemy, but in knowing and obeying the Holy Spirit’s precise instruction in the heat of the moment.
IV. THE LIFESTYLE OF CONSTANT SENSITIVITY
The ability to operate in this level of high-frequency spiritual awareness—hearing the devil’s strategies and receiving God’s counter-instructions—is not a sporadic event. It is a result of a consistent, dedicated lifestyle.
A. The Mandate for Holiness
Holiness is the foundation of spiritual power. Sin dulls the spiritual senses and gives the enemy a legal opening. If the believer is living in compromise, they cannot reliably receive the pure revelation of the Holy Spirit. You must live a holy life dedicated to constant fasting and prayers so you can stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and know what to do to disarm and deal with satanic agents.
B. The Power of Fasting and Prayer
Fasting and prayer are the “strong meat” disciplines that sharpen the spiritual senses (Hebrews 5:14).
- Fasting Clears the Receiver: Fasting subdues the flesh and elevates the spirit, acting as a spiritual amplifier that allows the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit and the inward witness to be heard clearly above the noise of the world.
- Prayer Maintains the Shield: Consistent prayer ensures that the spiritual protection God granted upon revelation is continually reinforced. It is through persistent intercession that the believer thwarts the enemy’s attempts to “get an advantage” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
- Spiritual Exercise: These disciplines provide the “reason of use” mentioned in Hebrews 5:14. Like physical training, spiritual discipline makes your senses quick, reflexive, and accurate in discerning evil.
The more you practice these disciplines, the less time it takes to move from identifying an enemy to defeating their plan. This maturity ensures that the enemy’s work is constantly dismantled without them ever knowing what hit them.
CONCLUSION: WALKING IN STRATEGIC DOMINION
To deal effectively with witches, wizards, and all agents of darkness, you must be a strategic warrior.
Do not be a babe in Christ, responding with fear, anger, or carnal exposure. Be a mature believer:
- Receive the Revelation with quiet thanks.
- Maintain Spiritual Silence to deny the enemy a chance to change their tactics.
- Execute the Holy Spirit’s Precise Instruction through focused prayer and the authority of Jesus Christ.
The victory over Satan is not in being more powerful than he is (Christ already secured that); it is in being more knowledgeable and more obedient to the Holy Spirit than he is. May God grant you the grace to be spiritually sensitive at all times so that the enemy will not take advantage of you, but rather, you will operate in continuous, quiet dominion over every one of his devices.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to remain sensitive to You, granting me the strong meat of revelation and strategy so that the enemy will not take advantage of me, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 10-11
