We live in a word thta is shaped by what we see. It is also shaped by what we don’t see. It is happening, right now. We are familiar with the weather. The wind, the sky, the sun. But what about the spiritual climate that is all around us? Atmospheres, or the idea of it is not just meteorogical. It can also refer to the spiritual environment. The unseen influces. The voices and beliegs that hover around us and shape us. It shapes our relationships, emotions, thoughts, and our entire communities.
Dawna DeSilva, speaker and author, oversees a”Sozo” inner-healing ministry. She has built a framework that she has coined “Shifting Atmospheres.” It is a way to identify, engage with , and transform the spiritual climate around you.
What Does it Mean, Shifting Atmoshpere?
According to DeSilva, Shifting Atmospheres is the displacing the spiritual forces around you by discrening the spiritual forces around you.
Let’s break that down:
Discern: Be mindful of what spiritual climate is broadcasting and in operation. An example of these could be criticism, hopelessness, fear, competition that dominate a home, church, workplace, or city.
Displace: Once the hostile or oppressive spiritual climate has been identified, the next step is to purposefully bring in the Kingdom of God’s truth – love, joy, peace, patience, peace, liberty, life – to replace whatever has been dominating.
Shift: Change the orientation. Change the position. Actively and deliberately change, or shift the atmosphere.
Our spiritual climate is real. The spiritual realm is active, and as believers, we have authority. This is not just a philosophical notion.
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against pricipalities, against powers,…against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Let’s look at some of the major pieces laid out by Dawna DeSilva’s model:
The Spiritual Real is Real. You have to recognize that something exists and is real beyond the physical before you can shift anything. Acknowledge that is is very real. “Atmosphere” is not just a mood or a culture. It is spiritual.
Know The Enemy Tactics. There are specific tactics, or rather spiritual broadcasts, or hidden patterns of thinking and feeling. These come from hostile spiritual forces. There are very much tactics of the enemy.
Authority & Weapons. Prayer, and knowing your identify in Christ, along with knowing the Holy Spirit are keys to the authority to engage these forces. Our Spiritual Authority is our weapons of warfare.
Shift the Atmosphere by Discerning. It is an action.
What is going on spiritually? What is the voice, the mood, the air of a place, a situation?
Declare, decree Kingdom Truth
“I see you, atmosphere of hate. I do not partner with you. I sent you back in Jesus’ Name. Jesus, release Your message of peace in this place. Amen”
Apply: Home, Region, Self. The model is not limited to what is in your mind. You can shift the atmosphere over yourself, your home, your region and even you cities. The shift is not limited
Why It Matters
In a region plaqued by suicides among teenagers, a team of leaders who were atmosphere shifters, partnered with a local church. They partnered to follow some of the steps above to shift the atmosphere in the area. Later, the suicides reportedly stopped.
Whether you accept the supernatural dimension (spiritual world) fully or not, there is a striking illustration of atmosphere-mindset-environment interaction. This is real.
Personal Freedom: Often times we can start to feel trapped by patterns, moods, burdens, generational and family strongholds. This model gives identity to it and a path to shift them all.
Healing & Transformation: There is so much potential for emotional, relational, and physical healing by engaging the spiritual climate for change.
Greater Impact: If you accept that there is a spiritual atmosphere to be influenced by taking the authority of Jesus’ name, influence in churches, homes, workplaces, and cities can happen. Shifts can impact community culture, highten hope, and bring revival in the region.
How To Start Practically
Inpsired by DeSilva’s teaching, here are some simple steps you can take:
Pause and Listen. Start by askin the Holy Spirit. “What is the spiritual climate here?”
Note Feelings or Words: heaviness, fear, competition, condemnation, or opposite: hope, light, peace, community.
Declare Truth: It begins in using your voice. You voice has authority. “In Jesus’ Name I shift this atmosphere of ____ into ___”
Partner With Others. By practicing with others, discernment gets stronger.
Move Outward. Don’t just focus on your mind. Pray for others, your home, your workplace, your city.
Keep Growing. Take a more indepth class, or read some of Dawn DeSilva’s teachings on Discerning Spirits
Here are Some Resources to Learn More:
Book: Shifting Atmospheres: A Strategy for Victorious Spiritual Warfare
The idea of shifting atmospheres has long been practiced. This invites us to expanded our thinking. There is an unseen world out there. The Ephesians 6 tells us that we do not struggle against flesh and blood (what we see), but against the rulers, the authorities and again the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
If you are facing a storm inside of you or seeking to change the environment around you, recognize the spiritual climate, refuse to partner with hostile forces and release life, truth, light and love.
