NEIL ANDERSON - SPIRITUAL WARFARE QUOTES

BOOK ABBREVIATIONS:

DC - Discipleship Counseling

GPAWINY - God’s Power at Work in YoU

TCMH - The Common Made Holy

FFA - Freedom from Addiction: Breaking the Bondage of Addiction and Finding Freedom in Christ by Neil T. Anderson and Mike & Julia Quarles, Regal Books, Ventura, CA

SYCF - Setting Your Church Free 

TCCM - The Christ Centered Marriage 

HOFFIC - Helping Others Find Freedom in Christ  

WITL - Walking in the Light

STOTD - Stomping out the Darkness

LFIC - Living Free in Christ

VOTD - Victory Over the Darkness

BB - The Bondage Breaker

• “Having the right message and method is not enough. You have to have the right people who are dependent on God.” (Discipleship Counseling, 12)

• “I believe that the ministries of counseling and discipling are the same in the Bible, although too often they have become separate and unrelated disciplines in the Christian community.” (Discipleship Counseling, 13-14)

• “Discipleship counseling is an attempt to meet people where they are and help them resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts so that can be established alive and free in Christ.” (Discipleship Counseling, 14)

• Foundational Principles:

  • “Scripture is the only reliable source for faith and practice (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17)” (Discipleship Counseling, 16)

  • “I believe that the message and method of discipleship counseling must be based on the finished work of Christ (see Colossians 1:27-2:10)” (Discipleship Counseling, 16)

  • “I rely totally on the present ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15)” (16)

  • “We are limited by the faith of the counselees. We are not only saved by faith, we are sanctified by faith (see Galatians 3:1-5)” (Discipleship Counseling, 16)

  • “We all need the support of the Christian community and we all need to renew our faith and walk with God (see Hebrews 10:17-25)” (Discipleship Counseling, 16)

• “This battle between the father of lies and the Spirit of truth is fought primarily in the minds of all humanity” (Discipleship Counseling, 25)

• “There is no time when our minds, emotions, wills, personalities and relationships are not contributing factors. Likewise, our present condition always has some spiritual basis.” (Discipleship Counseling, 58)

• “There are a million ways into sin, but the way out is always the same” (Discipleship Counseling, 61)

• “Repentance and faith in God has always been the answer, so that means we have to take personal responsibility for our own attitudes and actions” (Discipleship Counseling, 62)

• “Whether the demonic part is 0 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent or 50 percent does not make any difference. The critical part is submitting to God. Resisting the devil is simple if there are no unresolved issues between us and our heavenly Father.” (Discipleship Counseling, 148)

• “To stay free, people need to know: (1) who they are in Christ; (2) the authority and protection of the believer; (3) the nature of the battle that is going on for their minds; and (4) how to walk by faith by the power of the Holy Spirit according to what God said is true.” (Discipleship Counseling, 167)

• “We are positionally sanctified by faith the moment we are born again because of what Christ has already done for us. We are progressively sanctified by faith when we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, which requires repentance and faith.” (Discipleship Counseling, 338)

• “I believe parachurch ministries like the one I founded are meant to come and go”(Anderson, Rough Road, 13)

• “our purpose is to equip the Church worldwide so they can establish their people, marriages, and ministries alive and free in Christ through genuine repentance and faith in God” (Anderson, Rough Road, 13)

•  “Neil dares to suggest that the spiritual world impacts all we do, and he equips us to deal with these challenges” by Sandy Mason (DC, 7)

• “Any part of my message that is true did not originate with me.  If it is new, it is not true, and if it is true, it is not new.” (DC, 165)

• “I turned another significant corner when I discovered the spiritual battle that is going on for our minds and learned why it is so important to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (BB, 5)

 Theology

• “my Western education has skewed my worldview, which left me with an inadequate understanding of the spiritual world.  Jesus did not come just to forgive our sins and give us life; He came to undo the works of Satan (see 1 John 3:8)” (DC, 8)

• “in my educational experience, Western rationalism and naturalism had dominated my thinking” (DC, 9)

• “If our theology is right, it should cause us to fall in love with God and one another, which is the great commandment” (DC, 40)

God

• “To resolve personal and spiritual conflicts, we need to understand that God is the Wonderful Counselor, and that He will minister to the whole person and take into account all reality.” (BB, 254)

• “the invisible world is more real than the visible world” (WITL, 144)

• “the Holy Spirit enables us to discern good from evil” (WITL, 160)

Man

• “these hurting Christians had only one thing in common: none of them knew who they were in Christ” (DC, 9)

• “I am often asked if little children can come under attack.  The answer is yes.” (BB, 269)

 Sin Problem: Mind

• “There is no time when our minds, emotions, wills, personalities and relationships are not contributing factors.  Likewise, our present condition always has some spiritual basis.” (DC, 58)

• “just as our glands are regulated by our central nervous system, our emotions are primarily a product of our thoughts” (DC, 84)

• “God never bypasses our mind.  He works through our minds, and we are transformed by the renewing of our minds” (DC, 87)

• “our emotions are essentially a product of our thoughts” (DC, 88)

• “Contrary to popular thinking, the dominant function of the heart is not emotional.  Instead, the heart is first, the place that we think; second, where we will; and third, where we feel.  . . . Rather than understanding the heart to be the seat of our emotions, it is better to understand the heart as the seat of reflection.” (DC, 113)

• “There is a huge difference between intellectual knowledge and truth that has entered the heart.” (DC, 113)

• “The real disease of the heart is its deceitfulness (Jeremiah 17:9)” (GPAWINY, 138)

• “Let’s not waste such a precious resource that God has made available to us – our minds quickened by the Holy Spirit to be able to discern good from evil, right and wrong” (WITL, 169)

Identity in Christ

• “Understanding what it means to be a child of God is a core belief for every Christian” (DC, 69)

• “believers are called saints, holy ones, or righteous ones approximately 240 times” (DC, 71)

• “nonbelievers are called sinners approximately 340 times” (DC, 71)

• The “Being” Needs – “I am accepted in Christ,” “I am secure in Christ,”  “I am secure in Christ” (DC, 75-76)

• “before we received Christ, we were slaves to sin.  Now because of Christ’s work on the cross, sin’s power over us has been broken.  Satan has no right of ownership or authority over us.  He is a defeated foe, but he is committed to keeping us from realizing that.” (BB,11)

• “Tragically, most Christians never come to appreciate who they are in Christ” (LFIC, 7)

• “Without exception, all the people I have counseled have had some unscriptural belief the enemy has used to keep them in bondage” (LFIC, 7)

• “It is important to recognize faulty beliefs from our past, to renounced them as lies, and to reprogram and renew our minds with truth.” (LFIC, 7)

• “We are no longer products of our past.  We are primarily products of Christ’s work on the cross.” (LFIC, 10)

• “Renewing our minds does not come naturally . . . We have to consciously know the Word of God so that we can understand who we are from God’s perspective.” (LFIC, 11)

• “The most important believe we possess is a true knowledge of who God is.  The second most important belief is who we are as children of God” (LFIC, 11)

• “It is not what we do that determines who we are.  It is who we are that determines what we do” (LFIC, 11)

• “How do you live each day consciously aware and active as a child of God?  First and foremost, through Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship.  As well, this book can help you remember – on a daily basis – your wonderful position in Christ” (LFIC, 13)

Satan, Flesh, World – The Trifecta of the Enemy

• “Is Satan the cause of our temptations, or is the world, or our own sinful flesh?  Scripture reveals that it is difficult- if not impossible- to separate the temptations that aries from these three sources, and to so may be erroneous” (GPAWINY, 282-83).

• “Even though three enemies are involved in attempting to pull us away from God, it is important to note that the final responsibility for our sin rests on us” (GPAWINY, 284)

• “Don’t assume all disturbing thoughts are from Satan.  Where the thoughts come from – the television set, our memory banks, the pit or our own creative reservoirs – doesn’t matter as understanding that the answer is always the same.  Choose to think the truth.” (FFA, 291-92)

• “The father of lies can block your effectiveness as a Christian if he can deceive you in to believing that you are nothing but a product of your past – subject to sin, prone to failure, and controlled by your habits.” (BB,11)

•  “We should derive our methodology for dealing with the kingdom of darkness primarily from the epistles rather than the Gospels and the book of Acts” (BB, 255)

• “There is some disagreement among Christians about how much method and theology we should extract from [Acts] . . . I stress caution in using examples of demonic explusion from Acts as the sole basis for methodology . . . the Book of Acts does clearly rveal that demonic encounters continued after the cross and that evil forces continued after the cross and that evil forces continue to exist in opposition to the growth of the church.  But this book of history does not constitute the final word on dealing with those forces.” (BB, 256)

Salvation

• “There are a million ways into sin, but the way out is always the same” (DC, 61)

• “Repentance and faith in God has always been the answer, so that means we have to take personal responsibility for our own attitudes and actions” (DC, 62)

Sanctification

• “The next circle indicates a need to exercise tolerance.  People are in transition and at various stages of growth” (DC, 41)

• “There is no such thing as instant maturity.  Growth will take place when the root issues are resolved.” (DC, 140)

• “We are positionally sanctified by faith the moment we are born again because of what Christ has already done for us.  We are progressively sanctified by faith when we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, which requires repentance and faith.” (DC, 338)

• “our sanctification is first and foremost the work of God” (GPAWINY, 102)

• “When we fail to recognize the spiritual matters we are responsible for, then we set ourselves up for disappointment because we either think God isn’t at work in our lives or we are spiritual failures because things didn’t go the way we expected” (GPAWINY, 103)

• “Sanctification is the process of changing the heart, which is actually a change of the whole person (that is, the mind, emotion, and will or actions)” (GPAWINY, 116)

• “we are still contending with the world, the flesh, and the devil.  Because we were created in God’s image, we have the capacity to choose whom we will serve- the god of this world , or the one and only Creator of all things” (GPAWINY, 129)

• “Scripture teaches that we are changed or sanctified by the truth.  It is the truth that brings people to God and then bears fruit in them” (GPAWINY, 134)

• “Renewing our mind begins with genuine repentance” (GPAWINY, 136)

• “No matter how long you are a Christian, your need to remain dependent on Christ stays constant.” (GPAWINY, 211)

• “understanding God’s will is critical since God’s will for our lives is our sanctification” (BB, 10)

• “five areas of application for each level: spiritual life, mind, emotions, will and relationships” (STOTD, 198)

• “In each area there is both a point of conflict and a step of growth” (STOTD, 198)

• “The point of conflict identifies how sin, the world, the flesh and the devil interfere in the discipleship process.  The points of conflict indicate what must be resolved and replaced by specific steps of growth” (STOTD, 198)

• “help people experience freedom in Christ so they can move on to maturity and fruitfulness in their walk with Him” (STOTD, 205)

• “we need the peace of God by ordering our internal world” (WITL, 117)

Revelation

• “Special revelation refers to the written Word of God” (DC, 24)

• “Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of God” (DC, 24)

• “the deliverer is Christ, and He has already come.  Second, we should get our information from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, who will lead us into all truth, and that truth will set us free.” (BB, 257-58)

• the Bible is the only infallible source” (WITL, 14)

• “we need to integrate truth into the very fabric of our lives, not simply memorize it” (WITL, 102)

• “He can guide us only if we have the knowledge of God’s Word and His will established in our minds” (WITL, 174)

• “The Bible doesn’t just give us a message, it gives us a method as well” (HOFFIC, 63)

• “I made the personal choice several years ago to understand who we are and how we can live productive lives based solely on the Word of God” (HOFFIC, 62)

Mental Health and Theology

• “when research becomes prescriptive, implying what life and human behavior should be, it distorts the truth and becomes and enemy of the gospel” (DC, 27)

• “research may illustrate, but it does not validate special revelation” (DC, 28)

• “empirical research and rationalism have formed the basis for a secular liberal arts education in the Western world” (DC, 29)

• “Humanism in secular schools is being replaced by New Age philosophies” (DC, 29)

• “there are no absolutes in sociological, psychological or anthropological studies” (DC, 30)

• “We naturally interpret the world we observe from our own perspective.  Wisdom, however, is seeing life from God’s perspective.” (DC, 31)

• “I am less committed to my theology now than I was when I finished seminary, but I am more committed to the truth than I ever have been, because I have seen it set people free.  Theology is our attempt to systemize truth.” (DC, 32)

• “”Ma’am, do you believe in evolution?’  Startled, she said, ‘Of course not.’  I continued, ‘You mean to tell me that you don’t accept the scientific explanation for the origin of species?’  Again she assured me that she did not.  Then I asked her, ‘Do you accept without question the psychiatric explanation of mental illness?’  ‘Yes, I do,’ she answered.  …Although she did not buy into the scientific theory of evolution, she was willing to place her trust in secular psychiatry and psychology and dismiss the possibility that he son could have a spiritual problem. Secular psychiatry can alleviate some suffering related to the natural realm, but without the aid of divine revelation, how can secular psychiatry and psychologists give us an adequate understanding  of who we are and why we are here, explain the nature of our problems and describe a wholistic answer?” (DC, 43)

• “anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem in the world today…depression is the common cold of mental illness and the second-most-common mental health problem” (DC, 66)

• “values and attitudes about life are formed in their minds in two primary ways.  . . .prevailing experiences . . . traumatic experiences” (DC, 79)

• “most people do not have a healthy sense of who they are and many struggle with a poor sense of worth” (DC, 81)

Discipleship

• “I believe that the ministries of counseling and discipling are the same in the Bible, although too often they have become separate and unrelated disciplines in the Christian community.” (DC, 13-14)

• “Discipleship counseling is an attempt to meet people where they are and help them resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts so that can be established alive and free in Christ.” (DC, 14)

• Foundational Principles:

• “Scripture is the only reliable source for faith and practice (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17)” (DC, 16)

• “I believe that the message and method of discipleship counseling must be based  on the finished work of Christ (see Colossians 1:27-2:10)” (DC, 16)

• “I rely totally on the present ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15)” (16)

• “We are limited by the faith of the counselees.  We are not only saved by faith, we are sanctified by faith (see Galatians 3:1-5)” (DC, 16)

• “We all need the support of the Christian community and we all need to renew our faith and walk with God (see Hebrews 10:17-25)” (DC, 16)

• “integrating God into the counseling process sets discipleship counseling apart from secular counseling” (DC, 96)

• “Caring and growing together as Christians is what being Christ’s disciples is all about.” (STOTD, 196-97)

• “Discipleship is the intensely personal activity of two or more persons helping each other experience a growing relationship with God” (STOTD, 197)

• “We have the awesome privilege and responsibility to be both teachers and learners of what it means to be in Christ, walk in the Spirit and live by faith.” (STOTD, 197)

• “In the same way, every Christian has the opportunity to be a peer counselor and to receive counsel in his Christian relationships.” (STOTD, 197)

• “A Christian cannot have an effective walk (Level III) if she is not moving into maturity (Level II), and she cannot approach maturity if she is not first rooted in Christ (Level I)”  (STOTD, 198

• “If your curriculum isn’t based on the Word of God and your program isn’t relational, then what you are doing isn’t discipleship” (VOTD, 216)

• “The missing link in discipleship is usually the personal interaction” (VOTD, 216)

• “Discipleship is a process of building the life of Christ into one another” (VOTD,217)

• “a good disciple is a good counselor, and a good Christian counselor is a good disciple” (VOTD, 217)

• “Paul refers to three levels of maturity in Colossians 2:6-10 . . . rooted in Christ . . . built up in Christ . . . walking in Christ” (VOTD, 220)

• “Discipleship requires mental discipline.  People who will not assume responsibility for their thoughts cannot be disciple.” (VOTD, 223)

• “The first goal of discipleship is to help those you disciple become firmly rooted in Christ” (VOTD, 222)

• “The second goal of discipleship is to accept God’s goal of sanctification and grow in the likeness of Christ” (VOTD, 223)

• “the third goal of discipleship is to help others function as believers in their homes, on their jobs and in society” (VOTD, 225)

“Christian counseling seeks to help people resolve personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance and faith in God.” (VOTD, 226)

five practical tips:

•       “help people identify and resolve root issues” (VOTD, 226)

•       “encourage emotional honesty” (VOTD, 228)

•       “share the truth” (VOTD, 228)

•       “call for a response” (VOTD, 228)

•       “help them be a part of the Christian Community” (VOTD, 229)

•       “help people move from conflict to growth by encouraging them to develop healthy, supportive relationships” (VOTD, 229)

•       “Progressive sanctification is a process that cannot be accomplished apart from the Christian community” (VOTD, 229)

• “Discipleship is an intensely personal experience between two or more people in the presence of Christ and centered in the Word of God” (HOFFIC, 63)

•  “Most people’s problems are not primarily external, which could be resolved by learning to behave better.  They are internal and resolved by being established in Christ, choosing to believe the truth and walking accordingly by faith.” (HOFFIC, 78)

• “Our first concern in discipleship/counseling is to get people connected to God.” (HOFFIC, 80)

• “Christ can resolve the conflicts that are keeping couples from having wonderful relationships together in Christ” (TCCM,  19)

• “If you are ready to put Christ back into the center of your lives and the center of your marriage and home, there is great hope for you” (TCCM, 19)

• “When we look to our marriages and families to find our sense of identity and worth, they become potential enemies.  When we look to God to discover who we are and why we are here, then our marriages and families become the primary instruments God uses to conform us to His image.” (TCCM,74)

Responsibility in Christ

        Individual

• “We are limited by the faith of the counselees.  We are not only saved by faith, we are sanctified by faith (see Galatians 3:1-5)” (DC, 16)

• “whose responsibility is it to resist the devil, put on the armor of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ?” (DC, 101)

• “People’s lives are like houses where the garbage has not been taken out for weeks and spills have not been cleaned up.  This attracts a lot of flies.  The natural tendency is to focus on getting rid of the flies, because they are so distracting.  People tend to swat flies instead of getting rid of the garbage.  . . . A better solution is to get rid of the garbage and ignore the flies that will leave when the garbage is gone.  Repentance and faith in God have been and will continue to be the answer in this present church age.” (DC, 108)

•  “Even though three enemies are involved in attempting to pull us away from God, it is important to note that the final responsibility for our sin rests on us” (GPAWINY, 284)

• “People must assume personal responsibility for their actions to find their freedom in Christ.” (FFA, 292)

• “Because there are not instructions in the epistles to cast out demons does not mean that Christians cannot have spiritual problems.  It means that the responsibility for living free in Christ has shifted from the specially endowed agent of authority to the individual believer.” (BB, 256)

• “Unless the individual assumes responsibility for his own freedom, he may end up like the poor fellow who was freed from one spirit only to be occupied by seven others who were worse than the first (Matthew 12:43-45)” (BB, 257)

• “I believe in intercessory prayer, but not if it takes the place of the individual’s responsibility to pray” (HOFFIC, 66)

        Counselor

• “Having the right message and method is not enough.  You have to have the right people who are dependent on God.” (DC, 12)

• “Fear has prevented many Christian encouragers and even pastors from dealing with this spiritual issue” (DC, 107)

• Regarding power encounters…”In this type of deliverance ministry, the deliverer is the pastoral agent and is getting information from the demons.  Why would we believe them? . . . The deliverer is Christ and He has already come.” (DC, 109)

• The counselor/encourager “will lead the counselees into all truth, and that truth will set them free.” (DC, 109)

• “Setting a captive free is better understood as a truth encounter because it is the truth that sets the captive free, and it is never our responsibility to defeat the devil.  Jesus has already done that.  The encourager has the privilege of facilitating this truth-encounter process.  This may explain why there are no instructions in the Epistles to cast out demons” (DC, 109)

• “the encourager is more like that of a facilitator who has the ministry of reconciliation” (DC, 110)

• “Discipleship counseling is not just a technique we learn; it is an encounter with God, who is the wonderful counselor.” (DC, 110)

• “I believe every committed Christian, especially pastors and counselors, can do what I do to help others resolved their personal and spiritual conflicts.  Helping others find their freedom in Christ does not require the exercise of a special gift; it requires the loving application of truth.” (BB, 253)

• “The primary prerequistes for helping others find freedom are godly character and the ability to teach” (BB, 259)

Church

• “God conveys himself and His truth to us through other believers”  (GPAWINY, 236)

• “According to Scripture, we are not designed to grow in isolation from other believers; God intends us to grow together as part of a community” (GPAWINY, 236)

• “The relationship between fellowship and growth toward holiness becomes more obvious when we consider 1) our real nature as human persons, and, 2) how our personal growth is intertwined with that of others” (GPAWINY, 237)

• “Christian growth seeks the progressive conquering of the sin that alienates us so that God’s intention of human community may be more fully realized” (GPAWINY, 240)

• “Spiritual growth, then, is more than personal; it is communal” (GPAWINY, 247)

• “One of the ways in which we can minister to each other is through prayer” (GPAWINY, 250)

• “It is too difficult for us to stand alone and be bombarded with the lies of the world” (GPAWINY, 252)

• “to see the truth modeled in another life can be more powerful than simply knowing it intellectually” (GPAWINY, 253)

• “the believer’s response to the flesh must begin with the recognition that the power to resist the self-centered life cannot come from self” (GPAWINY, 264)

• “just as sin can have detrimental effects in the lift of an individual, it can also have disastrous effects to a corportate group” Dr. Robert Saucy, (SYCF,9)

• “the group can also sin collectively by failing to confront the sins of individuals and thereby engage in disobedience to the Lord of the Church” Dr. Robert Saucy(SYCF,9)

• “we believe that individual freedom must come to the leadership before organizational freedom can be accomplished” (SYCF, 15)

• “the unity of the true Church is essential to accomplish our mission on planet earth” (SYCF, 16)

• “we have often stressed our personal relationship with Christ at the expense of our corporate relationship to Him” (SYCF, 16)

• “the primary battle is not between differing theological schools, it is between Christ and Antichrist” (SYCF,17)

• “there is unity in the body of Christ because the Holy Spirit has made us one” (SYCF, 65)

• “as with individual disciplines, church disciplines must be centered in Christ as well” (SYCF, 59)

• “the problem comes when our confidence and dependence upon God shifts to confidence and dependence upon programs and strategies” (SYCF, 60)

• “many churches are in bondage; like people, churches need to resolve the issues that are critical between the church body and the Head of the Church” (SYCF, 42) 

Spiritual Warfare

• “When I have asked Christian audiences all over the world if they have had a fearful encounter with some spiritual force, at least 50 percent have responded affirmatively” (DC, 52)

•  “The Bible gives no indication that it is ever safe to take off the armor of God. ..Yet our tendency is to polarize into a psychotherapeutic ministry – which ignores the reality of the spiritual world – or some kind of deliverance ministry that ignores the total person and individual responsibility.  I do not believe either paradigm is sufficient to deal with the whole person.” (DC, 58)

• “Whether the demonic part is 0 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent or 50 percent does not make any difference.  The critical part is submitting to God.  Resisting the devil is simple if there are no unresolved issues between us and our heavenly Father.” (DC, 148)

• “what enables victims to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7) is essentially a process of repentance”  (BB, 6)

Spiritual Oppression

• “This battle between the father of lies and the Spirit of truth is fought primarily in the minds of all humanity” (DC, 25)

• “Fear is the natural emotion we fear when our physical or psychological safety is being threatened” (DC, 51)

• "To eliminate a fear object in your life, all you have to do is remove one of its attributes.  For instance, physical death is no longer a legitimate fear object for us, because God has removed one of the attributes.  Although death is still imminent, it is no longer potent because 'death is swallowed up in victory' (1 Corinthians 15:54)" (DC, 51)

• “Physical life is not the ultimate value – spiritual life is” (DC, 51)

Power Encounter

• In counseling the spiritually oppressed…”When we lack the expertise and the patience, we resort to some kind of power mode to correct people of circumstances.” (DC, 173)

• “I have not attempted to cast a demon out of someone for several years.  . . . I no longer deal directly with demons or dialogue with them.  Nor do I permit their manifestation in counseling sessions.  I only work with the person by helping him or her to assume responsibility to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7).” (BB, 258)

• “Dealing with the demonic should be seen as a truth encounter rather than a power encounter” (BB, 258)

• “God does everything ‘properly and in an orderly manner’ (1 Corinthians 14:40)” (BB, 259)

Truth Encounter

• “In one sense, it does not matter whether the thought originated from the television set, your memory bank, your imagination or from the pit, because the answer is the same: We need to take ‘every thought captive to the obedience of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5)” (DC, 49)

• “Anxiety is a fear of the unknown or fear without an adequate cause” (DC, 50)

• “Authority is the right to rule.  Power is the ability to rule.” (DC, 105)

• “I am a child of God, the evil one cannot touch me.  Sit down.” (DC, 106)

• “They fear being exposed and are scared to death that someone may find out what is really going on inside.” (DC, 151)

• “The only way we can overcome the father of lies is not by human reasoning, nor by scientific research, but by God’s revelation – His truth” (GPAWINY, 141)

Steps to Freedom in Christ

• “Establishing our freedom in Christ is one thing, maintaining that freedom is something else.  Paul says, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).  In other words, we can fall back into legalism.  We can also fall back into license” (DC, 166)

• “To stay free, people need to know: (1) who they are in Christ; (2) the authority and protection of the believer; (3) the nature of the battle that is going on for their minds; and (4) how to walk by faith by the power of the Holy Spirit according to what God said is true.” (DC, 167)

• “Who sets them free is Christ, and what sets them free is their personal response to Him” (DC, 201)

• “Their freedom will be the result of what they choose to believe, confess, forgive, renounce, and forsake.  You cannot do these things for them” (DC, 217)

• The “Steps to Freedom in Christ” serves to “enable us to process our issues in the seven major areas where Satan robs us of our freedom”  (FFA, 143) – Mike Quarles

• “Freedom is the assurance that your needs for security, significance, love, acceptance and worth are always met in Christ.  They can’t be taken away by changing circumstances or personal bondages.” (FFA, 143) – Mike Quarles

• “you can work through them [the Steps to Freedom in Christ] on your own, because Jesus truly is the Wonderful Counselor” (BB, 6)

• “I was searching for a wholistic answer, rooted in God’s Word, centered on Christ and usable for all Christians everywhere.  The tool that resulted is called the Steps to Freedom in Christ” (BB,6)

• “That is the primary purpose of the Steps to Freedom, to resolve the issues that are critical between ourselves and God” (HOFFIC,  80)

 Methodology

• “Some people do not want to resolve anything; they just want to argue.  We cannot fall into the temptation of wanting to win the argument.” (DC, 110)

• “The deceiver will take a deceived person down 1,001 rabbit trails.  We have to avoid going down these trails with them.  . . . Experienced encouragers have learned to stay focused and keep the session moving in a meaningful direction.” (DC, 111)

• “What they are doing is just a result of what they are thinking and choosing to believe”( DC, 151)

• “If people are confronted with the truth and they do not repent, they either run from the light or try to discredit the source of the light.” (DC, 174)

• “Every work of Satan and every way of Satan has to be renounced in order for repentance to be complete.” (DC, 221)

False Guidance – Counterfeit vs. Real

• “I have had many people under the influence of Satan say that Jesus is Lord, but when I ask them to say ‘Jesus is my Lord,’ they simply repeat ‘Jesus is Lord.’  The devil knows that Jesus is the Lord of the universe, but he will not profess Jesus as his Lord, nor will his followers.” (DC, 223)

Deception vs. Truth

• “freedom does not come from swatting flies, it comes from taking out the garbage” (DC, 243)

• “there are many ways in which Satan, ‘the god of this world,’ seeks to deceive us. Just as he did with Eve, the devil tries to convince us to rely on ourselves and to try to get our needs met through the world around us, rather than trusting in the provision of our Father in heaven.” (BB, 21)

Bitterness

• “usually somebody they need to forgive and something they need to confess and renounce” (DC, 169)

• “We forgive in order to heal.  . . . Forgiveness is a hard choice that includes (1) allowing God to surface the name of every offending person with their painful memories, (2) agreeing to live with the consequences of the other person’s sin without seeking revenge, and (3) letting God deal with the offending person in His way and His time.” (DC, 266)

• “Bitterness is to the soul as cancer is to the body.” (DC, 268)

Pride

• “Suicide is the final expression of control over one’s own life.  The deception is the belief that death is the solution, the escape or the end of everything.” (DC, 323)

  Habitual Sin

• “People do not have sex problems or drug problems or family problems; they have life problems that affect their relationship with God.” (DC, 149)

• “I was free to choose.  I learned that I could say yes to sin or no to sin, but I quickly discovered that I didn’t feel dead to sin.  Many times I felt very alive to it;  but the truth is based on what God says, regardless of my feelings.” (FFA, 143) – Mike Quarles

• “We experience freedom when we choose to believe God, then act on the basis of the truth regardless of our feelings” (FFA, 144) – Mike Quarles

 Ancestral Sins

• “We are not guilty of our parents’ sins; but because they sinned, we will have to live with the consequences of their sins and will likely live the way we were taught by them unless we repent.” (DC, 145)

• “We are not guilty because of our parents’ sins.  Yet because they sinned, we are vulnerable to what they have taught and modeled for us.” (DC, 332)