Leviathan — Warnings Against Direct Confrontation

Some teachings on deliverance include prayers in which a person addresses Leviathan directly and declares that they are cutting off his head, destroying his scales, or burning his body with spiritual fire. Some ministries that practice deliverance, however, warn against this approach. They distinguish between praying for a person’s deliverance and engaging in direct warfare against spiritual principalities.

An example of such a confrontation appears in Alexandra Mendez’s article “The Ahab Spirit”, published on Isaiah35One. The author discusses marital problems in the context of her teaching on Ahab and Jezebel. The prayer she includes begins by asking God for forgiveness and for order to be restored in the home. The person praying then turns to addressing Leviathan directly:

“Leviathan, I cut off your head and tail.”

The passage goes on to describe burning the severed parts, piercing the scales with a spear dipped in the blood of Christ, and burning his body. Here, the person praying declares that they are personally carrying out spiritual actions against Leviathan.

Above & Beyond Counseling raises concerns about direct confrontation in its resource “7 Keys to Successful Deliverance Ministry”. This ministry teaches deliverance while also emphasizing the need to understand the limits of the authority entrusted to believers. In the section devoted to this subject, it explicitly warns against engaging spirits it describes as belonging to the “second heaven”. It names Leviathan and Python as examples.

According to this resource, the command to cast demons out of people does not automatically authorize believers to attack principalities in the heavenly realm. The author distinguishes between these two areas and warns against entering a battlefield without the appropriate calling and preparation. He also refers to John Paul Jackson’s book “Needless Casualties of War”, which addresses the consequences of engaging in spiritual battles to which a person has not been called. This warning comes from within a ministry that practices deliverance, recognizes the need for it, and also identifies its limits.

Eric Isaiah Gondwe develops a similar position in his book “Major Spiritual Warfare Principles: Biblical Do’s and Don’ts of Warfare”. In the chapter presenting arguments against direct confrontation, he writes:

“Only God deals directly with Leviathan.”

Gondwe interprets Leviathan as a representation of Satan. Drawing on Job 41, he warns against trying to bring him under one’s control or issue commands to him in the spiritual realm. He emphasizes that the enemy remains under God’s rule and cites Isaiah 27:1 as a declaration that the Lord Himself will bring the matter to its decisive conclusion.

The author recognizes believers’ authority to cast demons out of people. However, he opposes extending that authority to taking it upon oneself to confront spiritual principalities. His warning therefore concerns going beyond the scope of one’s entrusted responsibility and taking actions for which, according to his understanding of Scripture, God has not granted authorization.

Jennifer LeClaire also warns against directly confronting Leviathan. Her position, which emphasizes leaving the outcome to God, is presented in greater detail in a separate article.

The statements cited here are not direct responses to Alexandra Mendez, but they address an issue evident in her published prayer: personally engaging in confrontation with Leviathan. These warnings repeatedly distinguish between ministering deliverance to a person and taking offensive action against principalities. Their shared emphasis is on respecting the limits of spiritual authority and entrusting to God what these authors understand to be His work.