Equipping - Heavy Lifting & the Holy Spirit.
The father led the young child through the forrest. As they turned the corner, they found their path was blocked by a large fallen log. The only way forward was to remove the log.
The father then said, "child if you use all the strength available to you, you can move this log from the path."
The child pushed and pushed and then gave up declaring that the log was too big.
The wise father then said " child listen carefully .. if you use all the strength available to you, this log will move"
Perplexed, the child sat and thought for several minutes. Then the realisation happened.
"Father, would you help me move this log please?"
Then they worked together and moved the log so they could continue their journey.
Step 3: Spy out the land
Before the Israelites could go into the promised land, the fortress of Jericho stood in their way, and it had to be destroyed before they could move forwards. The stronghold was so strong that had Joshua decided to attack it head on, the Israeli army would have suffered a terrible defeat, and perhaps would have been destroyed.
There was only one way it could be destroyed - by God's hand.
Firstly, God had Joshua send spies into Jericho to spy out the fortress and the land. Joshua had to know what he was up against.
The fortress you will be up against is the evil stronghold governing that nation, and the evil spirits within it. The Holy Spirit is your perfect ally here. Ask the Holy Spirit to identify the the spiritual stronghold and the spiritual strongman governing it. If you cannot discern any, call on someone who has the gift of discernment, and can find out who is the strongman over that fortress, and any other spirits that can be discerned.
If the nation has an online presence, use the internet to find out more about the atmosphere of that nation. The enemy can be arrogant and loves to brag, and it is amazing what you can learn. See if you can discover the attitudes and beliefs of that nation.
Investigate the leadership, the committee, and the langauge used to commincate with.
For example, a nation that has continual great success may suffer from pride and or arrogance. These attitudes and traits may reveal their stronghold(s).
Remember to do this quietly as you are spying out the nation!
This does not need to take long, but you do need to know what you are up against, and over time as you discover more about the nation, other strongholds may be revealed.
Step 4: Take down the stronghold.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6: 12)
In the battle of Jericho, Joshua was given the instruction to be obedient to God for seven days. After that period of obedience, God Himself took down the fortress so that the army could move in and remove all the evil forces ... the ruler, the authorities, and the powers.
Whatever nation we go into we are not fighting against the human beings within. Our battle is against the evil spiritual rulers, evil authorities, and evil powers and the name of Jesus Christ is our weapon. (See Philippians 2:9-11)
Using the infomation gleaned in Step 3, cast out the stronghold(s) that are apparent, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You will need to repeat this for other stongholds that are revealed as you progress in cleaning that nation of evil spirits.
Step 5: Cast out evil spirits.
Whenever you go into that place, building, or location, find a private space where you can clear the area of any evil spirits, and then invite the Holy Spirit to fill that area, building or location with His presence. You can do it from a parked car nearby, or perhaps just outside, or if there is nothing else use one of the toilet rooms!
The main thing is that you do it with confidence and speak out the words even as a whisper. The spirit world will hear you. Where possible be specific and direct with your commands. You do not need eloquent prayers. When commanding spirits Jesus used very few words... "get up", "leave" "be quiet" "come out of him", and so should we.
For example:
"Lord I come into your presence through the blood of Jesus, and by the authority of the name of Jesus Christ, I cast out all evil spirits from this building, and I command them to leave now, and not return. I invite the holy spirit to dwell in this place and minister to the people within. Lord please do not allow any evil to enter into this place, and I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Be strategic about others seeing you make these commands. This is not the time to reveal what you are doing to anyone else other than those who are guiding/mentoring you.
It is important to listen for the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit as He may give you specific instructions on what to pray for as you progress.