What is spiritual warfare? Part 1

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Spiritual warfare is anything that the enemy uses to try and pull mankind’s heart and mind away from God. Our enemy has blinded so many Christians to the realisation that we’re living in the midst of a violent spiritual war in an attempt to keep us unaware of the victory Jesus’ blood has already won for us.
(2 Corinthians 4:4)

The spiritual realm can be hard to grasp because we cannot see it with our earthly eyes. The Bible makes it very clear that there is a heavenly realm, also known as a spiritual realm. (Ephesians 1:3). While we are living on earth, we are unable to see this other realm, but we know it is as real as you and me. What better way to ensure that Jesus followers won’t fight back than to blind them into believing the war doesn’t exist.

Our spiritual enemy does not sleep. He uses his knowledge, deceit, and manipulation to wreak havoc on both men and women every single day. No matter what the enemy assaults you with, if you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, victory over the enemy is not just a nice thought; it is possible. (Ephesians 2:4-6)

How can we detect spiritual warfare and what are the appropriate way to fight back but using God’s way? Let’s find out:

Ways of detecting spiritual warfare

It would be impossible to win a battle against an enemy you had zero intel on. Our military would never want to be caught off guard by an enemy they were not prepared for. We must look at spiritual warfare the same way. We need to know who we are fighting against in order to be successful defensively and offensively.

Temptation is the most lethal form of spiritual warfare. Temptation is anything that lures our hearts away from God and His truth. Our enemy has studied each of us since conception in our mother’s womb, and we are no match for our enemy alone. Because of Jesus, we are more than conquerors to whatever he assaults us with. We have an enemy that not only knows our weaknesses, he enthusiastically exploits them. Our enemy’s primary focus is drawing as many hearts away from God’s love as possible. The book of Revelation makes it clear that our enemy’s future is set, but mankind still has time to choose theirs. (Rev. 20:10)[pullquote]And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.Revelation 20:10[/pullquote]

Regardless of the situation, temptation, or difficulty you experience, God always wants us to come to Him and His Word for clarity and guidance.

Once our eyes have been opened to the realisation that we are living on an active battlefield, we have two choices before us. One, we can close our eyes and allow the enemy’s lies and deceit to eradicate the desire to fight back God’s way. Option two, you can allow this information to stir your soul, put your armor on, and arouse the warrior God created you to be.

The enemy cannot hear our thoughts, only God can! But the enemy has studied you long enough that he has memorises your body language and can make educated guesses based off your past. Imagine as you sit reading this, there is an invisible soldier hurling arrows of insult and lies at your brain. This invisible soldier would be able to tell when one of those lies made contact and went into your thought cycle, based on your eye movement, your facial expressions, the words you said, and so much more.

This is exactly what our enemy does to each of us. Day after day, the enemy is hurling lie after lie at our hearts and mind in hopes of poisoning our thought cycle and leading our hearts farther and farther away from God’s love and truth but because of Jesus, we can stop the lies from penetrating our hearts and minds; we can experience victory against our enemy. Declare war on the temptation in your life!

There is a cost for every battle we lose. A consequence that affects not only ourselves but also our family, friends, community, and even future generations.

In 1 Chronicles 21:1-14 we see the cost King David paid for losing a single battle the enemy lured him into. David’s pride was intentionally seduced by the enemy, which resulted in the death of 70,000 people. We must remember that we are not exempt from the destruction that follows weakness and complacency.

Because of Jesus, you have what it takes to become a fierce and relentless warrior for God so that you can get off the sidelines and overcome the obstacles the enemy has been holding you down with. Victory over regret, depression, anxiety, shame, lust, worry, gluttony, addiction, and so much more is waiting for the warriors that are ready to sound their battle cry and put the enemy in his place. I am praying that you choose option two.

What are you wearing to war?

You have an irreplaceable role in the war, and the enemy does not want you to realise or accept this truth. Keeping you on the sidelines, complacent and living outside of your God-given potential, is his primary objective. By allowing complacency to disengage us from the war, we only further our enemy’s cause and make his job easier. There is no room for complacency
on the battlefield.

By studying the Bible, we learn everything we need to know about combating an invisible, lethal enemy. If you have put your faith and trust in Jesus, you have been given the armor necessary for combating our enemy within the spiritual realm.

The very first step in combating the enemy is to put on a garment of humbleness before God in prayer. Pray for strength, wisdom, and courage for the battle at hand.
(Hebrews 4:14-16).

Second, open your Bible and speak God’s Word out loud against the enemy. There are no words that you or I could say that contain the power to gain victory over our enemy, only God’s words can. When Jesus was at the end of a 40-day fast, the enemy went to the desert and tried three times to tempt Him into sin. The enemy intentionally waited until the last day of Jesus’ fast, guaranteeing that he would be at the weakest moment in His humanity (Matthew 4:1-11). When Jesus spoke against Satan, He used his Father’s words each time. And each time, it silenced the tempter.

The final step is to verbally command the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ to leave. The enemy cannot hear your thoughts, so you must speak audible commands or with sign language if you are unable to speak. It’s not our power that accomplishes this, it’s Jesus’ alone. That is why we always pray and read God’s Word prior to battling our enemy. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Prayer:

May God give us the power to overcome all battles.

Author: Mary Samuel Shofowora

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