Double-teaming
is an effective defense tactic employed in most team competitions and/or
military battles. Even kids who have played street ball learn early that in
order to stop the other team’s momentum, they have to go after the star players.
As Christ followers, most of us are unaware that this defensive ploy is also used
by our enemy, Satan, and his cohorts against God’s star players. Satan does
this by assigning a spiritual cabal against them to frustrate, discourage, and
eventually destroy them.
The American
Heritage Dictionary
defines a cabal as: “a conspiratorial group of plotters and intriguers; or a
secret scheme or plot.” In our context, a cabal is a group of spiritual
conspirators gathered for the purpose and devoted to the cause of destroying
its victim (us). A spiritual cabal is sent to counteract a movement in God’s kingdom.
This counter strategy brings about an effective defense—whether in the kingdom
of God or in your hometown basketball league.
Some
scriptural examples of double-teaming will help us to recognize its
significance—especially for those who are endeavoring to serve God and shine as
lights in this world. In this article, we will take a look at several biblical
examples of God’s people who were attacked by demonic cabals, namely Daniel,
Job, David, Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, Paul, and, of course, Jesus. We
will also look at some key New Testament truths that will show us how to break
these off of ourselves and other stars in God’s kingdom.
Ephesians
6:12 reveals that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood; therefore, we
understand that the conflicts we endure are caused by spiritual beings. Quite often
these are cabals of demons conspiring against the Lord’s anointed, meaning they
are targeting those who are effective and victorious. Isn’t it obvious that
these demonic cabals would go after the big scorers in God’s kingdom? Just as
the double-team tactic is used in sports to confuse the opponent’s offense and
take away the strength of their team, so are the demonic double-teams used
against God’s kingdom to confuse us and ultimately weaken the body of Christ.
Practically
speaking, I learned about the strategy of double-teaming as a kid when I used
to play basketball behind my house. However, I had no idea this was a spiritual
tactic being used against God’s people until my great friend and senior prophet
in the body of Christ, John Sandford of Elijah House shared it with me. Also,
John’s spiritual son, Henry Malone of Vision Life Ministries, mentioned it to
me as a type of advanced spiritual warfare tactic used against each of us at
one time or another. He actually helped me see one such cabal that had been
assigned to me. This was during a point in time when various strange things
were happening in my life: I had poisonous snakes in my house, my physical body
came under attack, and I felt as if my mind had reached its expansion limits. As
I was prostrate on the floor of my office thinking about death, I cried out to
Jesus. He heard my prayer and told me to call Henry.
Henry
explained to me what was happening; then he ministered to me and broke the
cabal off of me. Praise the Lord! Since then, I have learned the biblical model
and want to pass it along to you. When the demonic double-team that was
conspiring against me was stopped, it saved my life; so I know that what I am
about to share can save yours.
We
will first look at some examples of demonic cabals that were assigned to people
in the Old Testament and then move to the New Testament and see how to break
the assignments of these conspiratorial spiritual assassins.
Old Testament Examples
of Demonic Cabals/Double-Teaming
Each
of the Old Testament super heroes who had spiritual cabals assigned against
them had to handle them in their own way, especially since some had opened up
back doors that allowed the attacks to come upon them. These attacks are
sometimes so intense that death can be the consequence, as seen in the lives of
both Moses and Elijah (the two witnesses who God considered worthy enough to
show up on the Mount of Transfiguration in Mark 9:2–9). The one commonality in
the following examples is that these were all frontline starters on the kingdom of God
Note: The examples used here are only a sampling of the
heroes who were double-teamed in the Old Testament. When we consider the lives
of Joseph, Samson, and Solomon, it is easy to see that these men were also
targeted as were numerous others.
Daniel was a mighty
man of God whose life and influence spanned two world empires. Even though he
was a Jew, he was made chief counselor to the kings of both Babylon
and Persia
Daniel
was such a big hitter and superstar for the kingdom that he believed if he
would pray and fast, God would show him the future of the nation of Israel
He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I
must return to fight against the spirit
prince of the kingdom of Persia , and then against the spirit prince of the kingdom
of Greece
New Living Translation (NLT)
This
particular double-team that came against Daniel, made up of the two spirits of Persia and Greece Babylon
Job is another biblical
example of someone who was assigned a cabal. According to Job 1:1, Job was “blameless
and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” In verse 3 it goes on to
say that he was “the greatest of all the people of the East.” This is just the
kind of Godly individual that Satan loves to target and assign a double-team
to. In the process of writing a paper on Job for my doctoral studies, I
discovered that there was much controversy amongst the theologians over what
really happened to him and why. Regardless of the reason for Job’s misfortune,
Job 1:6–12 makes it clear that there was an evil plan perpetrated against him
by Satan himself, which involved a strategic array of attacks that were
executed in a deadly and timely manner (Job 1:13–20).
It
was no coincidence that he was initially attacked simultaneously by at least
four different spirits at the same time—a double
double-team! First, the Sabeans stole all the oxen (taking away a big source of
his food) and killed his servants; second, fire fell from heaven and burned up
all his sheep (more food and perhaps clothing) and more servants; third, the
Chaldeans stole his camels (commerce and travel) and killed even more servants;
fourth, a wind destroyed the building where all ten of his children were partying,
resulting in their deaths. As if these disasters were not enough, he was then smitten
with boils, goaded by his wife to curse God and die, and ended up cursing
himself—and then he had to put up with the religious spirits of condemnation
who showed up at his door.
Job
was assigned a serious cabal. What this group of spirits was able to pull off
was much bigger than what one demon could have accomplished. This string of
catastrophes was not coincidental, and the following verse reveals the culprit
who masterminded it.
So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has
is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” Then Satan went out
from the presence of the LORD. Job 1:12
David was a worshipper
and a warrior who was passionate to defend his God and His interests—a man
after God’s heart as well as the slayer of Goliath. This combination definitely
drew the attention of demons and a double-team/cabal. We see this initially
with Saul’s jealousy and his consistent assassination attempts on David’s life,
which forced him to live on the run for a number of years; then, once he became
the official king of Israel, he was successfully tempted into adultery and even
murder; then, against God’s will, he conducted a census of Israel to measure his
strength; and eventually, his house was divided by his own son, resulting in
the deaths of thousands of Israelites. David lamented over the effects of this
spiritual cabal in Psalm 18:4 when he recorded, “the pangs of death encompassed
me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.”
Moses also had a cabal
set up against him when he was called to go back to Egypt
And thou thyself knowest what He spake unto thee on
Mount Sinai, and what prince
Mastema [Satan] desired to do with thee when thou wast returning into Egypt Egypt
It
is understandable that Satan would form a confederacy against Moses, who was
God’s chosen man to free the Israelites from their slavery. In Exodus 4:24–26
there is an account of Moses’ failure to circumcise his son that may have left the
back door open for a spiritual attack. This record shows that Moses’ life was
on the line, but he was saved when his wife grabbed a sharp stone and performed
the ritual on their son.
Elijah seems to have
had a cabal fashioned against him after the incident at Mt. Carmel
But he himself went a day’s journey into the
wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he
might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better
than my fathers!” 1
Kings 19:4
Paul of Tarsus, the apostle,
confessed that the messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him (2 Corinthians
12:7). He likewise penned the truth in Ephesians 6:12 that we wrestle not
against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, and he probably
knew this from experience as well as by revelation. Again, it is rather
predictable that if spiritual cabals exist, certainly, Paul would get a double-
or perhaps even triple-team against him.
Jesus the
Messiah
was obviously double-teamed probably more than once, but most notably in the
hours leading up to His crucifixion. There are a couple of verses in Psalm 22
that prophesy of the cabal set against the Messiah during this time.
Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. Psalm
22:12
For dogs have surrounded Me; The assembly of the
wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My
bones. They look and stare at Me. Psalm 22:16–17
A
powerful truth that is often overlooked is that Jesus descended into hell in
His spirit body and paid the spirits imprisoned there a visit; in fact, 1 Peter
3:19 says that He preached to them. I
believe that the chilling message He preached to them was that He paid for the
freedom of all those who call upon His name.
Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once
for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us
safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in
the Spirit. So he went and preached to
the spirits in prison—those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited
patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from
drowning in that terrible flood. Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to
God, and all the angels and authorities and powers are bowing before him. 1 Peter 3:18–20 and 22 NLT
During
His visit to the prison of spirits, Jesus not only showed off His victory over
them but He also established the rules of engagement. He made a way for us to
break these cabals; but in order to do it successfully, we must follow His
instructions.
How to Break a
Spiritual Cabal
The
key combined element in breaking a spiritual cabal is the authority we have in
the name of Jesus Christ along with the blood He shed for us. Anytime His shed
blood is mentioned in faith, evil spirits cut and run. The sacrifice of the
perfect, sinless blood of the Lamb of God legally became the substitution for
all those who call upon His name.
Many
Christians correctly believe that demons have no rights over them because of
the blood payment of the Righteous One; however, when has the devil ever kept
the rules? He is known as the deceiver and the father of all lies; He is a liar
from the beginning and no truth is in him. We must understand that we have
authority to enforce our rights to that blood payment so that the deceiver does
not overstep his boundaries.
Jesus’
blood was shed for our forgiveness, making it illegal for evil spirits to
attach themselves to anyone who calls upon His name for salvation. By our
continued application of that blood, we enforce that law. If we do not
understand and act upon that authority then we will remain
defenseless against any cabals he assigns to us. We have authority in the name of Yeshua the Messiah to dissolve and
abolish these cabals. The following verses in Colossians contain truths
that can help us.
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having
wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was
contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the
cross. Having disarmed [“spoiled” in the King James Version] principalities and
powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians
2:13–15
Simply
stated, sin is what gives demons and spiritual powers a way into our back door.
Jesus shut the door and painted it red with His blood, legally making us off-limits
to demons and principalities and powers. However, the devil and his minions do
not abide by the rules unless we enforce them. The body of Christ and those
suffering under demonic double-teams need a fresh revelation on the blood of
Jesus.
In
the Old Testament, total repentance was required to break these cabals; and it
is still required today. However, unlike the Old Testament where animal
sacrifices were a necessary part of their repentance, Jesus’ blood was shed
once and for all and must be “reapplied” to our lives within our repentance.
His blood is the payment that is necessary to enforce the eviction of the
trespassing demonic cabal.
After
personally experiencing some cabals in my own life as well as seeing my
brothers and sisters suffer under their attacks, I have learned a little about counterattacking
these double-teams by enforcing the law to make them obey the rules.
Remembering that Jesus Christ is our defense attorney or advocate is an
absolute must.
My little children, these things I write to you,
that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous.
1
John 2:1
These
cabals get assigned to those in God’s kingdom who are bright stars for
Him—those who are following Christ and proclaiming His liberty through their
words and actions—but yet have sinned in some way that has opened a back door.
Remember the Old Testament “stars” mentioned earlier in this article, like
Moses, Job, Elijah, and David. These were all wonderful servants in God’s
kingdom and yet there was an open door somewhere in each of their lives that
allowed these cabals to negatively affect them. Just as Job cried out for His
redeemer to save him (Job 19:25–27), they probably each cried out in a similar
way for that same Redeemer—that Advocate—who they knew would come. They knew
from the prophecies that this Redeemer would pay the price for the forgiveness
of their sin and expunge their guilt, making it illegal for demons and
spiritual powers to come against them.
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall
stand at last on the earth. Job
19:25
We
can probably all agree that we have enough sin for demons to come against us;
and Jesus even made an interesting statement in Matthew about agreeing with our
adversary quickly.
Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on
the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand
you over to the officer, and you are thrown into prison. Matthew 5:25
Therefore,
we do not plead or even claim our innocence; however, we do claim righteousness and forgiveness by the blood of the Lamb as
presented by our Attorney, Jesus Christ the Righteous. When His blood is
presented in the courtroom, the case is over.
Applying the
Blood of Jesus in Prayer
If
you have discerned that there is a spiritual cabal assigned to you, the
following prayer can help you to apply the blood of Jesus and enforce the law
that will evict these trespassers off your property. (This prayer can also be
used when ministering to a brother or sister who is being double-teamed.)
Father, I come
to you in the name of Jesus Christ and commit my ways to you. I confess my sins
and weaknesses and stand in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not my works. I
have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but Jesus did not; and He is my
payment and Redeemer. I agree quickly with my accusers that I have sin, but I
claim my righteousness in Jesus Christ. Because I am righteous, no demon or
evil spirit has any right over me. I dismiss this cabal in the name of Jesus
Christ because all principalities and powers have been disarmed and defeated by
the cross and the blood shed there for me. I abolish this assignment and demand
that all spirits cease and desist at the threat of being put in the pit until
the day of final judgment. I abolish this spiritual cabal in the name of Jesus
Christ and by the authority given to me by Him.
In
addition, partaking of Holy Communion afterward and consistently for a while will
help you to remember that His blood paid for you. It reaffirms your
righteousness and promised protection under the covenant
blessings you received through the new birth when you first called upon the
name of the Lord in faith.
In
the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new
covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:25
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and
by the word of their testimony. Revelation
12:11a
Summary
The
Lord has given us what we need to overcome our enemy, regardless of any
strategy he uses against us. It is time to look at our lives and consider if we
have been double-teamed and, if so, to walk in the authority He has given us,
claim our blood-bought rights, and be set free from any and all spiritual
cabals!
