"We see, in many a land, the proudest dynasties and tyrannies still crushing, with their mountain weight, every free motion of the Consciences and hearts of men. We see, on the other hand, the truest heroism for the right and the greatest devotion to the Truth in hearts that God has touched. We have a work to do, as great as our forefathers and, perhaps, far greater. The enemies of Truth are more numerous and subtle than ever and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. If we are not debtors to the present, then men were never debtors to their age and their time. Brethren, we are debtors to the hour in which we live. Oh, that we might stamp it with Truth and that God might help us to impress upon its wings some proof that it has not flown by neglected and unheeded." -- C.H. Spurgeon . . . "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31, 32 . . . . .

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Thursday, February 3, 2022

A TTUF Interview w/ Dr. Greg Reid on WAR of the AGES – PART 1 of 4


INTRODUCTION: This is an interview with Dr. Greg Reid, a youth pastor, speaker, author of many books, who has his own website, and is a former victim of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) and a man of GOD who understands spiritual warfare because it’s a reality for him.
So much so that he has written a book about it: WAR of the AGES: A Complete Scriptural Guide to Confronting and Defeating Satan’s kingdom (You can also contact Greg for a copy of this book, should you not wish to purchase it from Amazon).

The purpose of this interview is to excite interest and hunger in the readers to get this book into their hands and devour its contents, become familiar with and eventually adept at spiritual warfare – something that’s been forgotten in today’s modern American church and is terribly needed in this day and age, and the darkness that’s not only growing, but seeking to overwhelm and defeat those unprepared to face it.

TTUF has provided a summary of the book which you can read here (find his book summary in this listing);this was also produced to encourage Christians to get the book, and with an open Bible search these things out and determine where GOD has them positioned in His army.
This interview is published in four parts and is concluded with a statement by Greg Reid and a brief word from myself (James Fire).

UPDATE: 8/16/2023
From Greg Reids' podcast EXTREME TIMES: Truth In The Shadowlands - we have this message: BATTLE PLAN For The WAR Of The AGES
This message hit home so powerfully with me, that I'm going to listen to it again, and maybe even a third time!

So without further ado, let’s begin this interview!

Chapter ONE:

Q#1a: In one sentence, what is spiritual warfare?

A: Spiritual warfare is engaging in the invisible but real war between the satanic powers of darkness and the Kingdom of light through Jesus Christ.

Q#1b: When should we fear getting into spiritual warfare and when shouldn't we?

A: We should fear if we are arrogant or unprepared. We should not fear when we are under the full authority of Jesus Christ and fully armored with the armor of God as laid out by Paul in Ephesians.

Q#1c: In what ways can we overestimate/underestimate Satan?

A: We overestimate him when we think he can be everywhere – for example, people that might say, “I have a headache, Satan is attacking me.” He can in fact only be in one place at one time.

We underestimate Satan when we arrogantly assume that he’s a “toothless lion,” a teaching that was pretty popular in the 1980’s. He is not toothless, otherwise Peter would not have warned us to be aware of him that seeks to devour (1 PET 5:8).

Chapter TWO:

Q#2: How important is humility (as opposed to overconfidence or arrogance) in spiritual warfare and why?

A: Humility is paramount! We in fact have no power outside of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Satan does not fear us; he only fears Jesus Christ in us.

Q#3: "Because Jesus defeated the enemy in every way at every turn, so can we." Why then isn't the church making inroads and defeating darkness rather than the opposite?

A: Partly because believers are not taught that they CAN walk in spiritual victory. In fact, unfortunately, many believers are not taught that there is a battle at all. That is why so many believers live in bondage and defeat, struggling with hurts and addictions and many other things, because they are not aware that they have a real enemy that seeks to keep them there and away from a victorious walk in Jesus.

Q#4: In dealing with demonic possession, how soon into the extraction process should the spirit be forbidden to call upon other demons/higher authorities to make its claim on its victim resolute?

A: Immediately. Moving in fast and strong ensures the demon or demons are cornered and caught off guard, and should they even begin to call on outside demonic forces, they need to be silenced in Jesus’ Name.

Q#5: Explain how "legal right" works that enables a demonic/fallen angel to lay claim on a person or property? How important is it to understand this?

A: The best example I can give you is when I was about 28 and my mother called to see if I wanted tor renew my life insurance policy or cancel it and get the cash. I had no idea they had even taken out a policy on me! Nevertheless, it was a legal document that had legal implications on my life.

In other instances, people open doors to sins and destructive things, and by doing so, demons have a degree of legal right to affect us. Satan is a legalist. If we put our hands on things not from God, he has a legal right to harass us, or worse. The same is true for property and sometimes possessions. Some people have a hard time with believing that objects can have demonic presence. But even occultists know this: “sympathetic magick” is doing a spell on an object to send out a curse or some other “intention.”
And in the world of spiritual warfare, one of the primary rules is, “If you call them, they will come.” There is a reason God told the Israelites to destroy the objects from pagan countries!

Chapter THREE:

Q#6
: Regarding the armor of GOD - what exactly is it? A figurative analogy, a literal 'spiritual armor' that suits our spirits, or the various virtues of Christ imputed to us that are impregnable by evil?

A: I think it’s all of that. Like Jesus’ parables, Paul drew from the world around him things that would solidify spiritual truths. He understood the nature of spiritual warfare, and he meticulously chose elements of Roman armory that would clearly illustrate the war as it was in the Spirit.

Before I wrote War of the Ages, I had a bit of a shallow understanding what that armor was. But the more I studied Roman armament, the more I saw how precise and instructive each element of the armor was. For example, the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. I was always drawn to the dramatic, Lord of the Rings type swords – long, heavy and dramatically wielded But in fact, in the Ephesians use, it is a DAGGER. Which means it is short, which means real spiritual warfare was not a keep-your-enemy-at-a-distance-by-length-of-sword battle but was instead a grab the enemy by the throat in order to hurt him. That’s really up-close-and-personal, isn’t it?

Q#7a: Re: the Belt of Truth - How will our effectiveness against Satan's kingdom be when we are yielded to the Holy Spirit in obedience to the truth compared to merely believing the truth of biblical doctrine?

A: As with most everything in our walks, believing and acting on something can be two different things. I am reminded of a man whose specialty was walking across Niagara Falls with a wheelbarrow. He said to the crowd, “How many believe I can make it across safely?” One man raised his hand. “OK,’ the man said. “Get in the wheelbarrow.” That’s the difference between a believer and a do-er. Only when we yield to the truth and take on the armor knowing we must DO warfare do we learn how effective it is.

Q#7b: Has Satan's plot in promoting sexual impurity caused serious damage to the Christian's ability to conduct spiritual warfare?

A: I think this is THE issue of the day for believers. When a hotel in Dallas that hosted a pastor’s conference reported that a full 80% or more of the attendees downloaded adult content in their rooms, we know we have a real crisis. The Internet has changed everything, distorted every normal sense of godly sexuality, and scarred and damaged two full generations.

And it all has its roots in spiritual warfare. Satan and his demons know if they can get a foothold in our sexual lives, they have a major stronghold that affects every area in a believer’s life – prayer, relationships, guilt, condemnation, everything. It has crippled a whole generation of warriors. May God break these bondages!

Q#8a: The Gospel Shoes - What would the condition of the church and the world at large look like if Christians made the biblical Gospel foundational in their lives and job #1 - the primary mission?

A: There would be a lot more people saved - and swifter persecution!

Q#8b: The Breastplate of Righteousness - As one who in the last two years has become a pastor, I am astounded at the numbers of Christians I've heard from who believe that they are unqualified for ministry: "not good enough...a disappointment to GOD..." how many of these have their breastplate in a sense, 'pierced' by the lies of the enemy or in comparison simply, truly aren't living in righteousness (i.e., compromised lives)?

A: This is a huge struggle. The breastplate is HIS righteousness, for we have none on our own. “He that knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Him” (2 COR 5:21). He took all our sins – and imputed all of His righteousness. That is TRUTH.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He is always trying to accuse us before God. ZECHARIAH 3 is a beautiful picture of the battle – Joshua the High Priest, standing in shame before the Lord in excrement-bespattered garments – and Satan standing by to accuse him. And the Lord stepped in, rebuked Satan, and gave Joshua the High Priest new clean garments.

“There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” ROMANS 8:1. No means NO. If believers would write this across their breastplate of righteousness, then even when they fall they can raise this truth banner and Satan has to stand down.


Q#9: The Helmet of Salvation - Disorientation, distraction, division, are all tools of the devil. The enemy has a great advantage over us when we aren't apprehending 'the battle plan' from JESUS - how does one reverse this?

A: I fight this battle as well. The main weapon against this for me is to commit the first moments of my morning to Jesus and His Word. It settles my thoughts and clears out so much of the distraction and disorientation.

Q#10: The Shield of Faith - These shields are all-encompassing: body shields. What are some things that weaken our faith, and thus, make us vulnerable?

A: Not paying attention! We can’t put the shield down [even in] weariness; Elijah fought a great battle, but then ran from Jezebel. He sat under a tree and wanted to die. But God didn’t condemn him; he knew he was exhausted. So, he gave him a nap and a snack. We need to take care of all the areas in our life – physical, emotional, nutritional, etc. to stay strong and be able to keep our shield up.

Q#11: The Sword of the Spirit - There is a difference between stating biblical truth (quoting Scripture) and living biblical truth? Is this another reason why the church today is so weak and ineffective in our stand against the enemy?

A: Again, proclaiming a truth and wielding it in real daily life are two different things. Many Christians know some scriptures, but obeying those truths is the way they become real to us and part of us.

Chapter FOUR:

Q#12
: The Holy Spirit resides in and "seals" the heart/spirit of the born-again Christian, so we are called the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Yet our minds require sanctification so that we can grow in holiness.

"Taking possession" back of our minds from carnal, sinful thinking resembles how Israel was to "take possession" of Canaan land from the pagan nations. Is sanctification key to protecting our minds from demonic oppression, influence, demonization? Is a Christian who is more sanctified less apt to suffer such attacks than one who is less sanctified?

A: Yes, absolutely. And really, the battle for our mind is a matter of what we put into it. The old computer adage – GIGO – “garbage in, garbage out” is very pertinent. If you put spiritual junk and fleshly carnal rot into your mind, that is what will manifest in your life. Fill your mind with the Word of God, and all good godly things, and sanctification of the mind will happen.

Q#13: How central is discipleship for the process of sanctification to work?
Note to readers: Two excellent books on discipleship by William MacDonald are True Discipleship and The Disciple's Manual.

A: As young believers, we need to be taught, nurtured, raised up – taught how to follow Jesus as a disciple. And that produces a lifelong following-on, which produces sanctification – it’s the “from grace to grace” maturity in Jesus.


Q#14: Related to Q#12, To the degree that 2 CORINTHIANS 10:5 is put into practice, to the same degree will Satan find it difficult to lure us into a place where we allow a "door" to be opened, and potential demonization?

A: Absolutely. And it is clear that implementing casting down imaginations and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ is a true discipline. It doesn’t happen automatically. One Bible commentator said, “We must spear our thoughts and make them prisoner to Jesus Christ.” It requires constant vigilance.

Chapter FIVE:

Q#15:
Regarding Satan - One way that I explain spiritual warfare is the contrast between the heart of the LORD Jesus and Satan's:

Jesus said: "Thy will be done" GOD's kingdom principle.
Satan said: "My will be done" Satan's kingdom principle.
Thoughts, comments?

A: It goes back to Satan being the original sinner, and the original sin was, “I will.” All sin springs from that rebellious proclamation.

Q#16: Another way of explanation: there is one of two foundations: truth or deception. Satan's primary objective is to destroy the foundation of truth. How effective has Satan been in achieving this in the world? Do you see a crucial point in our modern society where this began to happen?

A: I do a whole portion on “the progression of deception” for my classes. Everything in this decline we are witnessing started somewhere. I think in our modern age, especially in the states, it began with Madeline Murray O’Hair taking prayer out of the schools. On the heels of that came abortion, growing acceptance of divorce; then in the 60’s, a flood of occultism, the breakdown of sexual barriers, and drugs taking over the youth culture. The scriptures say a “threefold cord is not easily broken” – you can see the satanic triad of occultism, sexual perversion and drugs damaged a whole generation – which turned out to be much of our modern [and current] ungodly political and social leadership today!

Q#17: What are Satan's primary weapons against the church today and how can we combat them?

A: Deception, Wordlessness, ignorance of the last days, careless ease and prosperity. I think a good dose of real persecution should fit the bill to correcting all of that.
For an article on gauging how effective our 'deception detector' is, check out this article by Greg!

Q#18: Please explain how "twinkies leads to violence" (pg. 89; wink)
Seriously, Can we view the Millennial Reign of Christ as GOD's 'social experiment' conducted for the human race's benefit: to show that even in an ideal environment, man's heart is prone to sin?

A: It’s hard to know the larger purposes of God for that time period, but I would suspect that in part, it would be that; and also so that all the sins of mankind that come from our natural sinful bloodline will finally “give out” and reach the end of its reign and further reach, allowing the last to be redeemed to enter into the world without end.

Chapter SIX: JOB, DANIEL, JOSHUA the High Priest

Q#19: Regarding Job: Satan believed he knew Job better than GOD did but didn't (obviously). We saints believe we know GOD better than Satan - and do we? What is the tactical advantage we can employ in this?

A: Mainly, as we read His Word and spend time with Him, we learn about His character – His grace, His mercy, His chastisements, His encouragements, His warnings, His steadfast love. Satan always counts on us not knowing those things, so he tries to bury us in guilt, condemnation, insecurity, fear, etc. When we know the truth about who God is, Satan will fail at getting us to accept lies.

Q#20: Regarding Daniel's GOD-given insight into the spiritual/angelic realm reminds me of Frank Peretti's books, This Present Darkness and its sequel, Piercing the Darkness. In those stories we see where the prayers of the saints overlap and meld together with the angelic ministries, both working in tandem against the kingdom of Darkness.

How vital is it that we as Christians are aware of this dynamic while conducting spiritual warfare?

A: I think it is of the utmost importance. One of the things I constantly come up against is believers who say, ‘You don’t need all this emphasis on spiritual warfare. Jesus won the victory at the cross.” At which point I refer them to the Ephesians passage on the armor, and ask,

Did you think this is for decoration?
Daniel is a key book because it shows the vital dynamic of Daniel’s fasting and praying and the struggle in the invisible world for the prayers to be answered.

Q#21: The spiritual armor is real because the spiritual warfare is real - and dangerous! Thus the need for this armor! Can you relate some circumstances in which while being engaged in spiritual warfare, you greatly appreciated the armor of GOD granted to you?

A: Always, ALWAYS – I am thankful for the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” So many extractions where the breaking point was the consistent reading out loud of the Word of God. They really, really, hate the Bible. Just the sight of one usually sets them wailing.

Q#22: I've been asked this myself: Since Jesus died, was buried, resurrected, and has ascended to the right hand of the Father, having all authority in heaven and earth - having crushed the head of the serpent and stripping the dominating power of the realm of darkness (COL 2:15), what need is there for spiritual warfare? Wasn't the victory Christ won for us sufficient?

A: Having answered this already in Q#20, I’ll just reiterate: the fact is, the COMPLETED victory is secured – but the skirmishes we are involved in to bring that victory to lost souls who are still captured is still ongoing.

Just because WE personally have obtained that victory, how selfish of us to think we should just keep it to ourselves when the whole world is lying under Satan’s lies and bondage, and we have the key to set those captives free. But it does not happen without a battle. Yes – the victory is ours, but as long as Satan can keep others from knowing it, they remain slaves. So it is crucial that we press the reality of that victory in the battlefield wherever people are enslaved to sin and death.

Q#23: Regarding Joshua the High Priest: our identity in Christ as well as Jesus Who is our Advocate must be understood and claimed by faith because if Satan can convince us that we have no true identity in Christ, and that He is NOT our Advocate, he can wreak terrible damage on us.
How can we as Christians keep sharp focus on who we are in Christ? In what way can we avail ourselves to the defense from our Advocate?

A: I think knowing the scriptures that tell us who we are in Jesus and who He is in us is the way we stand firm and stay strong. The devil tries to lie to us daily. But when he says “this or that” then I quote the truth to defeat that lie. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (ROMANS 10:17). There is something powerful about speaking the Word out loud every day.

Check out this recent interview (likely the first of many) between Cindy Hartline of
LOVE For The TRUTH Radio and Dr. Greg Reid on his book, WAR of the AGES - Part One:

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