Issue 76
Kingdom Stewardship

To Succeed, Prepare for Spiritual Warfare

By Jeff Ahern

Translated by Lin Yu

【Successful Heavenly Enterprise】Series 12

In the previous articles in the series, we examined successful heavenly enterprises from several aspects: to see the kingdom of heaven operating in life and life, we must make a paradigm shift; to put ourselves in a position to succeed, we need to live out divine love, And you must obey and honor God and man; you must discover your heavenly mission and carry it out His way. As we continue our discussion of how to bring the Kingdom of Heaven into your business, let’s talk about spiritual warfare.

Spiritual warfare is kingdom warfare

Bad things happen to good people too. Have you ever thought that there is someone in the sky who just doesn't like you and wants to cause trouble for you? It's true! Your and my rebirth are actually born in the battle between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of darkness. Like it or not, we are called to be warriors in this heroic battle. The enemy of your soul will not surrender the moment you "invest everything" in the Lord. In fact, it is likely that the attacks will become more intense.

Spiritual warfare is a deeply divisive and complex subject for the body of Christ, the church.The purpose of this article is not to provide a teaching manual, but to help readers understand how the rampant evil forces and curses affect your life and business operations; know how to close the door and prevent the enemy from having a channel to attack your life and business. This minimizes attacks and damage. Understanding the enemy's plans, methods, tricks, and corresponding strategies and weapons not only allows us to defend, but also to attack, bringing the kingdom of heaven into our lives and businesses.

宥金和柯琳公司的員工，帶給他們很大的困擾，甚至有人因一些工作 環境上的小缺失，向職場安全衛生處（Occupational Safety and Health Administration，簡稱 OSHA）舉報。他們很難找到不輕易跳槽的優質員工；員工缺乏凝聚力， 猶如一盤散沙，而非同心協力的團隊。雖然花了很多時間，用各樣的評測篩選、面試新員工，似乎依然無法組成黃金團隊。

One day, as Yogin and Colleen walked around the company with intercessors in prayer, they began to identify some spiritual issues. One of the intercessors felt that there was a familiar spirit watching them on the beams of the company building; it seemed that this spirit was causing disputes and suspicions among employees. Not only that, when they walked to a table in the office to pray, the Lord not only revealed to the intercessor that the employee who had been sitting in this position had misappropriated company resources, but the intercessor also had a strong feeling that this employee had stolen company resources from the company’s computer. Watch porn videos.

With this discernment and finding out which door of the company the enemy came through, Yoo Jin and Kelin began to pray with intercessors for the offices, tables, chairs, buildings, and even the land where the company is located. They confess and pray for forgiveness for the transgressions of current and past employees, and for their own failure to treat employees with love and respect. They cut off all chains of strife, suspicion, secrecy, confusion, and pornographic images. They invite the Holy Spirit to blow into the company building a fresh and cleansing wind, blowing away all filth and uncleanness. They ask God to bless every employee and shower them with love, unity, and grace.

They quickly noticed changes in the company, especially on personnel issues. Troublesome employees leave; others become more committed to the company. Youjin and Kelin can also find new employees who embrace the company's vision and increase productivity. Spiritual warfare bears fruit; light enters the business and drives out the darkness.

What exactly is spiritual warfare? This is an invisible spiritual battle, a confrontation between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of darkness for power. Although the war belongs to the spiritual world, the impact can be seen in the real world and is shocked. Spiritual warfare requires the use of spiritual weapons, and the results of the warfare are manifested in the spiritual realm and also in real life.

So where do these “bad things,” that is, spiritual attacks, come from? Most spiritual attacks can be divided into two categories: curses and evil oppression. In the Old Testament, curses are usually related to judgment, oaths, and covenants. If one breaks a covenant oath, one will be cursed. Under the Mosaic Law, God gave a long list of specific curses for those who did not obey His commandments (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

Most of the spiritual attacks caused by curses do not come from what people say. As Proverbs 26 says: "No curse will come without a cause." There are indeed people in the world today who practice witchcraft and do evil to people and businesses. curse. Most of the time, however, witchcraft is not the source of spiritual attacks.

The second major cause of spiritual attack is evil oppression. Briefly, this includes temptation, deception, distress, bondage, and disaster. Believers and non-believers alike can be subject to such attacks.

While there are many curses in the world, most of the spiritual attacks Christians face come from evil oppression. Why? When Christians obey the Lord's commands and abide in Him, we are greatly protected from the curses that come from the world. But as long as we live in this world, it is difficult to avoid the suppression of evil. If you unknowingly give your enemy leeway, it will be harder to avoid an attack.

The enemy's attack path

In order to launch an attack, the enemy usually obtains an attack channel through our "open door". Once an attack occurs, these portals need to be immediately identified and closed.The “gateways” in life include: unforgiveness; personal sin; the sin of others; generational sin and curses; the sin of those in covenant relationships; and the Kingdom of God not yet manifested in your life or mine.

They will be explained one by one below.

unforgive 。這可能是給邪惡壓制留餘地最常見的根源。除非我們像神赦免人一般，我們其實並沒有真正饒恕人。馬太福音5章記載耶 穌的教訓：「⋯⋯在祭壇上獻禮物的時候，若想起弟兄向你懷怨，就把禮物留在壇前，先去同弟兄和好⋯⋯你同告你的對頭還在路上，就趕緊與他和息，恐怕他把你送給審判官⋯⋯你就下在監裡了。⋯⋯若有一文錢沒有還清 ，你斷不能從那裡出來。」

What the Lord Jesus is referring to here is that the offended person owes a debt and needs to quickly reconcile with the enemy and settle the account clearly. If you feel like you are being tortured by an enemy in a prison, whether you owe someone or someone owes you, be quick to forgive or ask for forgiveness. If you don't, you'll be trapped in a cage until every penny is repaid. The price of being in debt or being owed is something we cannot afford. Cancel these debts today through true forgiveness. This kind of forgiveness will close the enemy's channels to accuse and suppress you.

personal sin . Unrepentance and unrepentant sin is a second channel that evil forces often exploit. Sometimes we are impenitent because we are unaware of the sins we have committed. Many Christians have participated in occult activities (such as divination, tarot cards, etc.) or religious rituals of worshiping idols. Unless they realize that these are wrong behaviors, they do not know that they should repent.

However, what may be more serious than ignorance of sin is a hard heart; no longer caring about sin and accepting sin as a part of life. Not only individual believers, but the body of Christ, the church, began to accept behavior that was unacceptable to God. We should have allowed the Holy Spirit to continue the work of purification and sanctification in our lives, but we chose to find a flat spot on the mountain to camp and not leave. Such a hard heart creates unrepentant sin in a life that simply opens the door for evil to attack.

sins of others 。因他人犯罪而受害的人，難 道也會成為罪人？是的。這樣的情況還經常發 生；此類型的罪可稱為創傷之罪或受害之罪。 受害者沒有罪，是在之後處理創傷結果的過程 中，因為懷怨不肯饒恕，產生苦毒。不少來自暴力，或是酒精、毒癮家庭的人，之後也施 暴、成癮，過去受的創傷反倒傷害了他人。

處理靈與魂創傷的服事，稱作內在醫治（inner healing），或叫釋放事工 （deliverance ministry），最好由受過訓練、有預言恩賜的牧者來進行。除非把這些傷痛帶到神面前，得到深層、完全的醫治，否則 給仇敵留通路，挾制苦待原是受傷害的人。求公義、恩慈的神幫助，得到屬天的愛與饒恕， 放下過往傷痛，關上仇敵進攻的門戶，好讓我們能在祂預備的豐盛生命中，與祂同行。

Curses related to generational sin 。這往往是因祖先沒有悔改的罪所造成。咒詛會以傾向犯同樣的罪出現，好比成癮、淫行、怒氣等等。 也會以生活、家庭、財務的失敗或死亡出現， 因為仇敵找到入口，要殺害、偷竊、毀壞我們生命的所有。

Dealing with generational sin and the resulting curses, like dealing with sin associated with trauma, is best accomplished by seeking the help of a pastor trained in healing and deliverance. Confess these sins through the revelation of the Holy Spirit; then confess and repent for your ancestors and yourself. If already known or known through the Holy Spirit, identify the name of the sinful ancestor. Once you repent, these doors to the enemy's attack are closed.

與我們立約之人的罪 。這是另一種因 「他人之罪」而給邪惡勢力留餘地的形式。我 們和與我們立約之人，有著緊密的連結。當與我們立約之人犯罪，我們生活和企業的門戶也因此洞開，給仇敵正當的權利入侵。從企業角度來看，需要智慧選擇簽合同、立約定的對象；在建立這樣的生意關係前，需要從神而來的分辨力。

若是神要我們和非信徒達成協議，祂會賜下恩典，讓任務圓滿完成。相對來說，Nor should we rely on our status as Christians to assume that these corporate agreements will automatically be protected from the evil one.

Please remember that the above-mentioned covenants and agreements include: business ownership, joint ventures, real estate, financing, financial transfers, and major purchase contracts. Because those who enter into the contract are "equally yoked." Such an agreement is different from doing business with non-believers, such as buying materials from suppliers or selling products. Ordinary business transactions do not create obligations that are difficult to escape, and therefore do not leave room for spiritual attacks.

The kingdom of heaven has not yet been realized 。這是另一種讓惡勢力有機可乘的門戶。因為天國尚未完全在地上彰 顯，魔鬼在這個世界尚且握有權柄及勢力。讓我們從幾處經文思考：耶穌平靜風浪（參考路加福音8:22-28）；初代教會執事司提反殉道（參考使徒行傳6:8-7:60）；保羅身上的刺 （參考哥林多後書12:7-10）。耶穌、司提反和保羅，他們並沒有因犯罪而給邪惡勢力製造攻擊的機會，撒但卻能壓制、擊打，甚至殺害。

seduction and deception 。上述敞開的門戶，多是從罪衍生的脅迫壓制，因信徒或祖先犯罪造成。 這些罪是因為做了不該做的事，或是沒做該做的事。然而仇敵的攻擊還可能是引誘犯罪，欺騙人與神的真理反其道而行，或是直截了當的苦難。誘惑和欺騙，是屬靈爭戰中「內心之 仗」。此類型的攻擊，僅是魔鬼和邪靈在現今世界行使有限的邪惡能力與權柄。

Zhenling is a single woman who runs a professional services company. After meeting a Christian brother in the church, their relationship developed rapidly and they soon had a sexual relationship. Even though they all know that premarital sex is a sin, they don't take it seriously and don't understand the consequences.

Gradually, business decreased, financial challenges increased, and business began to decline. To turn the situation around, she decided to pray for the business with her prayer team. The intercessor discovered Zhen Ling's relationship with her boyfriend in time and let her know that this gave her enemies an opportunity to attack her personal life and business. Zhen Ling also realized that this relationship had no future, so she decided to break up with her boyfriend, if for no other reason than for the sake of the future of her company.

After ending a relationship that did not please God, the prayer team led Zhenling to repent, undergo inner healing and release, and close the door that had been opened by premarital sex. Within a few weeks, business began to pick up, issues with employees and customers were resolved, new opportunities emerged, and funding increased.

In fact, the enemy hopes to hide the consequences of unconfessed sins or unwillingness to confess them in secret; if we knew the true cost and consequences of sin, we might be able to commit fewer sins. Repentance and forgiveness are the cornerstones of spiritual warfare, bringing us back into a closer relationship with the Lord and protecting us from the enemy's schemes.

The greatest protection comes from the powerful and gracious Lord

In summary, the most effective defenses in spiritual warfare are repentance and forgiveness. Repentance means repenting and repenting of one’s sins; identifying and repenting of the sins of ancestors, family members, employees, and governments or nations. Forgiveness requires the elimination of other people's transgressions and a new beginning, just as the Lord has forgiven us. The offensive strategy of spiritual warfare requires prayers that declare binding (forbidding) and loosing (allowing). The mighty Lord has given us the power to set the standards for His government on earth through the authority to bind and loose (see Matthew 16:19, 18:18).

Finally, I would like to warn you not to blame every bad thing on your enemies.. It is actually a form of worship to blame the devil for things he did not do. We are called to worship God alone.In the midst of the storm, keep your eyes on Him and trust Him with all your heart, not just on the problems you encounter. Stop looking at the enemy; focus solely on Jesus. Regardless of whether the cause of the problem is an attack by evil forces, the answer can only be found in the Lord Jesus.

Over the years, Shan Mo and Hai Li's business has had its ups and downs. They saw a series of growth in sales and profits, but also a series of setbacks and failures. When times are good, they attribute it to their own integrity and God's faithfulness; when times are bad, they attribute it to the attacks of evil forces. The two received the inner healing and deliverance service, which seemed to strengthen the enemy's intention to cause them trouble.

So they hired intercessors to pray for the company, and they actually saw results in some aspects, such as the health of their families. However, the ups and downs of business, the cycle of success and failure, seem to continue. They are very sure that the source of the problem is not within themselves, but must be caused by someone else or something. However, the intercessors believe that the cause of these difficulties is themselves. From Sun Mo and Hae Ri's perspective, evil spirits are following them, eating away at the company's harvest. They also targeted family members with curses and witchcraft that they thought were New Age believers.

In the end, the intercessor received a revelation and discovered that what leaves room for evil forces is not attacks from outside, but attacks from within. The intercessor guided Shanmo and Haili to focus on the Lord instead of the devil and his minions. They need to seek the Lord with all their heart, mind, and strength, and not regard the pursuit of sales and money as the main goals of running a business; sales and money should come to them. Shanmo and Haili need to spend more time worshiping God and coming before Him with praise and thanksgiving. They need to focus on what the Lord has done and what He is doing, be thankful for it, and not complain about what they don’t get.

They need to ask the Lord for grace to love their customers, business partners, and employees as the Lord loves them. As business owners, what they should focus on is how to bless these people and add value to people's lives through the company's products and services. When Shanmo and Haili put more effort and attention into customers, business partners, and employees, they will be able to see more results from these people.

The couple listened to the intercessor's advice and stopped focusing on whether the attacks came from the enemy and spent more time looking to and trusting the Lord and what He was doing in their lives. It didn't take long for them to see that the situation had changed, and their lives and businesses were greatly blessed.

If we do not want to be attacked by evil forces, the greatest protection comes from abiding in the Lord, and the Lord is in us. By obeying in love and walking humbly with God, we receive the protection that only He can provide.

你的生活及企業是否曾經歷屬靈爭戰？你對屬靈的防禦和攻擊有何認識？若希望對這個議題有進一步認識，請參考拙作《成功的天國企業》（Kingdom Business Success，中文暫譯）。 若有任何疑問或迴響，歡迎與我聯繫：Jeff@BusinessHisWay.biz。

In the next article, let’s explore the Kingdom principles of financial success.

Ajifu （Jeff Ahern），著有 《成功的天國企 業》（Kingdom Business Success， 中文暫譯）， 《天國企業的策略》（Strategic Planning for Kingdom Business，中文暫譯），並在期刊上發表多篇文章。曾任海軍軍官，為「財富 500強」企業和政府部門提供管理與改善經營程序的諮詢服務逾 30年。創立屬靈顧問公司Business His Way （原Sozo Services）， 協助企業領導階層使用以聖經為本、聖靈引導的方案，達成個人和企業的目標。

To succeed, always stay in the truth

[Successful Heavenly Enterprises] Series 6 Translated by Lin Yu▲ To survive in the corporate world, is it necessary to lie and falsify? May the Holy Spirit enlighten and let...