Spiritual Place

Place is important in spiritual warfare.

Jacob discovered this when he camped a night at Bethel and saw angels ascending and descending from heaven. The reason the vision was so clear, was not that the Holy Spirit was there more than in other places. The Holy Spirit can go anywhere that he is invited. The difference was that there was no intervention from negative spiritual forces. Jacob had stumbled on a place where they were not active, so he was able to see and hear more clearly.

When the people live in rural settings, the activities of the spiritual forces of wickedness tend to be spread evenly across the countryside wherever there are people. They will not will be gathered in particular places.

Spiritual forces may have a stronger presence in the villages. This is why Jesus told his disciples to look at the Person of Influence when they went to a new village (Matt 10:11). If the Person of Influence has authority over the people of the village, but he has rejected God, he will have determined by his behaviour and attitudes which evil spirits authority to be active in the village. Apostles can gain a quick sense of the spiritual atmosphere in the village from the attitude of the head person. If he does not welcome them, then they are better to leave and seek a village where hostile spirits have not been released (Matt 10:14).