Are You In A Battle? (part 3)
In previous posts, we learned about spiritual warfare, who the opposing armies are, and some information about weapons. I explained that as believers we have been given a number of weapons for our use as we battle our enemy, Satan.
Remember that the enemy’s goal is to destroy Christians by rendering them ineffective and causes them to doubt God and all they believe of Him that is true. He works in the hearts and minds of unbelievers to keep them from coming to the truth and faith in Jesus. He never gives up!
After giving your life to Christ, you may find that a battle ensues and continues in your mind. This battle for your mind is referred to as spiritual warfare. It is waged for the control of your mind by the enemy so that he can control your actions.
Here are seven types of spiritual warfare today; how we wage the war against the enemy.
The Power of Praise and Worship
“He inhabits the praises of His people.” (Psalm 22:3). Praise invites God into our lives and situations as He lives with those who praise Him. Praise and worship are powerful weapons that make the enemy flee. It blocks the lies and attacks of the enemy and dispels darkness.
God fights our battles for us when we praise Him.
We praise God when we sing songs of praise to Him; when go to Him with a spirit of gratitude for His goodness and faithfulness; and we can also use music and dance to celebrate His victory and power.
The Word
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, a powerful weapon to defeat the enemy’s lies and attacks. Speaking scripture out loud, as Jesus did, relevant to a particular situation you are facing is a powerful way to counter the attacks of the enemy. The enemy hates the Word of God and has no defense against it.
When we declare God’s word over our circumstances and lives, we win the battle against demonic mindsets, false beliefs, and negative thoughts that the enemy is speaking into our minds.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16).
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).
The word builds our faith and dependence on God. It keeps our hearts guarded and our minds “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).
The word builds our faith and dependence on God. It keeps our hearts guarded and our minds on Him.
The Holy Spirit
God gives us the Holy Spirit as a gift to strengthen us and give us wisdom and discernment in our war against the evil one. We never fight the battle in our strength, but the Holy Spirit fights the battle for us.
He gives us power and a fresh filling, which we need every day for whatever comes into our lives. The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer. The Spirit at work in every believer is the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. This power is received when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26).
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).
Obedience To God
A Christian must choose to obey God in a world that is constantly calling us to walk in the ways of the world and desires of our hearts. We must be willing to put God first in our lives and die to our desires to win the spiritual battle. This does not automatically happen because we chose to live for Christ. It is a choice we have to make daily. Our flesh and selfish desires wage a war against us every day. We must be willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
We must submit to God the Father and hate sin just as much as He does. When we resist the evil
one, he flees from us.
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
(2 Corinthians 10:5)
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).
The Armor of God
“Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
heavenly places. Take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:11-17).
It is best to be prepared and equipped for battle every day as you wake up. Only the whole armor of God can help us against the enemy’s wiles. Each armor part serves a particular purpose and is designed for defense or offense. Putting on the full armor makes us fully ready for any attacks. (See Part 4 for details about this mighty armor).
The Blood of Jesus and The Word of our Mouth
Christ defeated Satan when He went to the cross; therefore, those who are in Him are able to defeat him as well. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God, the Bible tells us in Col 3:3. Where we are hidden, nothing can touch our souls. We have a new identity in Christ through His shed blood when He died on the cross. We belong to God, bought with the high price of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. His forgiveness and grace cover us. We are victors.
There is power in the blood of Jesus and the words we speak.
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Revelation 12:11).
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Prayer
In prayer, we build our relationship with God by spending time in His presence and getting to know Him more. There is power when you pray. The word tells us to pray without ceasing in 1 Thess 5:16-17. When we pray in the Spirit, the Spirit intercedes for us. God always cares for us
and desires to fellowship with us. He fights for us and protects us even when we are not aware.
“…The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” (James 5:16).
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18).
Every believer faces the reality of spiritual warfare. The battle is fierce and ongoing, and our enemy is relentless, ruthless, and cruel. But God has not left us alone to fight our battle. He has equipped us with everything we need for spiritual warfare today.
However, for the person who is not a belielver in the Lord Jesus Christ and your thoughts align with the values of the world (the organized system that opposes God) and the culture around us and if you have the attitudes and morals of society and a mind that is against God, all is not lost. God is merciful and gives us grace as He is longsuffering. Through faith in Jesus Christ, you can be reconciled to God and take your place in the ranks of the winning army! You can walk today in victory over the enemy and have eternal life when this life is over!