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Though there are several different causes of persecution, there is only one source: Satan.

In Revelation 12:10, we are told that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. God is not the accuser of the Church or Christians. People who continually accuse Christians are siding with the devil, even though they often don't know it.

Though Satan is the source of all persecution, he attacks in two ways: through demon spirits or through the people he influences.

Demon Spirits
A good example of satanic persecution through demon spirits is the account of Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:1-9). Paul's thorn in the flesh was a messenger sent from Satan to buffet, or harass, him. Paul said this harassment came because of the abundance of revelations he had received (v. 7).

Everywhere Paul went to preach, the devil stirred up people against him. Satan wanted to stop Paul from sharing and preaching the revelations he had received from the Lord.

In the book of Acts, there is the account of a woman with a spirit of divination who was used of the devil to hinder Paul's ministry (Acts 16:16-18).

Most of us have probably experienced satanic persecution to one degree of another; but I think ministers and pastors probably experience it to a greater degree because, above all things, the devil does not want the Gospel preached. Therefore, he brings harassments to hinder the effectiveness of a ministry. Let me give you two good examples.

Going to San Diego
The first occurred to me years ago when the air controllers were on strike. I was the opening-night speaker for a four-day convention in San Diego. Because of the strike, the airline company could not tell me whether or not my flight would be cancelled, so we decided to fly my plane.

The first problem we encountered was finding maps for the trip. Nearly everyone was out of maps, and it took several hours to locate the ones we needed for the trip.

Then there were several boxes, too large to carry, that had to be shipped. Finally, after searching for an hour to find a store open where we could buy tape to secure the boxes, we packed the car and drove to the airport.

When we arrived, we found that the plane still had not been pulled out of the hangar or filled with fuel. After another delay, we were off the ground and everything seemed fine. However, after an hour or so in the air, I noticed that one of the radios was acting strange. Within a few seconds, all of the radios and most of the electrical equipment quit completely. So we had to return home, flying with an alternator out.

I recognized that this was harassment of the enemy, and I refused to act in frustration. By the time I arrived in San Diego, however, I had been given several opportunities to rejoice in persecution!

Turning Up the Heat
The second example was a situation that happened to my father. During a hot summer while Dad was still farming and ministering part-time, he had four tractors with air-conditioned cabs.

Within only a short period of time, all four air conditioners quit working. Then the air conditioner in his truck went out; and at the house, the central air unit had broken. One day when Mother and Dad got into their car, the air conditioner in it wouldn't work!

A few days later they were on the way to a speaking engagement when the plane's air conditioner failed. When they landed a gentleman picked them up at the airport in a car that had a broken air conditioner.

Dad held a three-day seminar in that city in the heat because the air conditioner in the auditorium had quit working! (I know this sounds ridiculous—it was! But it's true. I was around when part of this happened.)

A week or so later after a rest at home, they left for another meeting. When they checked into the hotel, they had to change rooms three times because the air conditioner didn't work in two of them! To get away from their hot room, they went to a restaurant to eat. While there, all the power in the restaurant went out—lights, air conditioning, everything!

When telling this story, my father says, "And then my lightning-fast mind caught on! We were being harassed by a demonic spirit."

When he and Mother went back to the hotel, Daddy rebuked that spirit by saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command you to get out of here and leave me alone! You'll not touch another air conditioner where I'm going!"

Since then, he has never had another one go out. You see, the devil is not nearly as powerful as he would have us believe. His purpose is to stop the Gospel from being preached or keep you from hearing it. If he was so powerful, he would have kept my Dad from ministering. Because he couldn't do it, he just tried to harass and frustrate Daddy.

You may have encountered harassment when going to a meeting. That's because a messenger of Satan was sent to hinder you from receiving the Word. The devil doesn't want you to receive any higher revelations. He doesn't want you to find out how powerful you can be.