Awhile ago in 2011 I was newly on fire for God, being new to prophetic things, and was eager to advance the kingdom. I had read some things about spiritual warfare and about how rather than simply fight the earthly battle, it is better to take authority over the principality first and cast it down.
Being young and full of enthusiasm one day I decided why not take authority over the regional principality to cast it down. That evening I focused on getting the atmosphere covered and prepared by speaking in tongues and doing some worship.
I waited until after midnight, where the barrier between the spiritual and natural world is at its thinnest then stood up, preparing to do battle with the Prince of the Air. I boldly spoke in authority, commanding the regional principality to leave our area and telling it it has no authority to operate in our atmosphere. Only less than one minute after making this authority speech, it actually descended and appeared at the edge of my room. Its head poked in at the upper corner vertex of the room facing the outside, the corner where the wall meets the ceiling. It was invisible, but had the most intense presence of fear and murderous rage, you felt like you were being blasted from standing in front of a furnace of fear and rage. I tried to stand my ground and keep speaking its defeat and “in Jesus Name” that it must leave my region, but I could discern that it was not even being weakened in the slightest, it was not losing at all. It could not hurt me but I could not hurt it either. After a few minutes of standoff, I ran out of the room in fear and repented to God for being so prideful and foolish as to interfere in an area I had no understanding of. After about 15 minutes the spirit was gone from the room. Later on I came to the understanding that only Apostles are allowed to actually cast down principalities, and only when they receive direct permission from God to do so. Anything else we are just inviting unnecessary demonic warfare into our lives with no benefit to the kingdom. A principality can only be cast down when there is a plan to establish God’s kingdom in that area. Otherwise it will just bring seven more spirits like itself to reinforce its defences of the territory:
Matthew 12:43-45 “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”