And remember the five signs of spiritual warfare? To survive our few months of marriage, I had to be under the care of two mental health professionals: a trauma counselor who specialized in working with victims of narcissistic abuse and a certified Biblical counselor who focused my mind on fighting the spiritual warfare I was in the midst of without even realizing it. There is a battle happening in my life. 10:4) for use in the real conflict in the spiritual realm. Remember, at the beginning of this blog I told you how spiritual warfare symptoms are not visible to people and youre the only one knowing about them but spiritual warfare signs are observable by people while you yourself may not even notice them? We were in darkness, following our desires and not caring about God's will. What Are The Weapons of Spiritual Warfare? Whenever someone was tempted, the white angel appeared on one shoulder and the red devil with a pitchfork on the other. Priscilla believes the enemy often attacks us at points of strength, influence and weakness. Awareness of the spiritual battle around us is very important. I can experience the joy that is found in knowing God and depending on Him for strength. And no one and nothing, in this realm or the next, can deprive us of our peace provided and protected through His strength. I never believed in spiritual warfare or Satan or God. Be certain of your authority in prayer. 176. Prayer is the sacred key to activating the divine power of the armor of God. The weapons of spiritual warfare are determined by the ultimate outcome of victory, which is for you to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. You do it over and over again. How the shofar emerged as a weapon of spiritual warfare for some Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Areas of sin and fear and doubt that Im not super intentional about cleaning up and clearing out. Because he loves me, says the LORD, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Jobaccuses God of being unjust and not operating the world according to principles of justice, and his friends believe thatJobs sin caused his suffering. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith (1 John 5:4). I created a social media campaign and an online course about Jesus and sex, which attracted 45K viewers in its first few months, and nearly 1K students enrolled in my course globally. God is doing a stunning work through Christ by the energizing power of the Spirit: restoring peace to the entire creation in both heaven and on earth to their original condition of blessing prior to Satans fall in heaven and Adams subsequent earthly fall (1:9-10). As a result of my newly discovered Autoimmune disease, I had to step back from serving nearly everywhere. It can be tempting to blame the devil when we regret decisionsThe devil made me do it. Well, can the devil make us sin? They would prefer to be neutral and not be judged as a radical religious person. This post may contain affiliate links. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He longs to hear what is really on your heart. After all, God is our strength and shield of protection (Psalm 28:7). And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Without a doubt, the most detailed explanation of this conflict is in the book of Ephesians. If we think too little about spiritual warfare, we might be taking Ephesians 6:11 for granted by not being on guard against the schemes of the devil. I started avoiding church and any gatherings of believers. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). I can remember several Sunday mornings thanking God for helping me to choose Him by going to church or spending time with people who were not doing well. Healing Prayers to Heal the Body, Mind, and Soul. What Is Spiritual Warfare? - Christianity 26. Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:10-20) | Bible.org And while Paul and other New Testament authors do use military metaphors when instructing Christians on living faithfully to God and to His Word in an equally hostile culture, they point to a spiritual conflict between God and His armies and the massive, wicked spiritual forces led by Gods and our ancient enemy, Satan. She got me addicted to porn and sex. Do you know how to read it? 59:17), The shoes of the Gospel of peace (Isa. Then, I remember a verse like Ephesians 6:10 and confess ways I have chosen other desires above God. Why? The shield of faith is putting your faith in front of you as if you were shielding a blow from the enemy. 3. I dont do it by a mindless pep-talk. Rise up and protest? Heres the definition of spiritual warfare I created based on the Biblical explanation of this spiritual concept. Ill show you how spiritual warfare plays out in real life, so that you can be aware, alert, and armed properly for the battle. So, why do we war over the enemy, even our own flesh, to have victory? Because spiritual warfare symptoms are invisible, no one knows what youre going through. and the list goes on. When I did all I could in the battle with Satan and was exhausted, I was so tempted to give up. Your Bible study. My purpose is to encourage and empower you. Read the Bible. He was divorced with a different last name but he wanted to hide his divorce to maintain a good image, so he changed his last name right before we met, disconnected from his Venezuelan community, and created a whole new Facebook profile to start over, ensuring that people admired him. the 4 Ds to defeat believers in times of battle. 7. How are we doing with putting on the full armor of God? If we cant avoid them, ask God for wisdom and help in honoring Him. I find true joy in spending time in nature. Satan wants you isolated and alone. Silly. 4 Truths About Spiritual Warfare | Lifeway Christians are not the only ones who have historically been interested in or aware of a spiritual realm, the existence of angels and demons, and those forces that interact with our world. Dont fear anything. What if the distractions keeping you from listening to sermons are an act of spiritual warfare? Do you believe that we are all caught in the middle of this great spiritual battle for the souls of mankind? 7 Summary Helpful Resources Seven Original Spiritual Warfare Prayers Four Spiritual Warfare Prayers for Protection Three Powerful Spiritual Warfare Prayers Two Deep Spiritual Warfare Prayers I never believed in spiritual warfare or Satan or God. Is gloriously displayed in His church in His peoples relationships with other believers (4:1-3) and in their marriages (5:22-32), homes (6:1-4), and vocations (6:5-9). Interceding in community is vital to the Christian life. God has equipped us with armor and weapons and He Himself fights for us! Sound familiar? "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealeda righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. (Romans 1:17), Admittedly, the topic of Satan and spiritual warfare is one that some Christians find challenging and even difficult to consider. So I wrote out Gods Words and repeated them to myself often. Help me be still and not be afraid. Staying grounded in Gods word and who He says I am saved my life. I have strongholds in my life. (excerpt provided by Madeline Kalu, How Do We Know the Devil is a Liar?). And the most detailed instruction about how to fight is in 6:10-20. And I practice loving-kindness with even greater zeal today. Here are eight things you absolutely must know about Satan. The Scriptures reveal God as the leader of an undefeatable army whose name Lord of Hosts literally means Lord of Armies! Abused, I was enduring cruel trauma. click to join in the live. What does it mean to be in spiritual warfare? Trustworthy, Christian perspectives on life. Sadly, many Christians have adopted and adapted this strategy to deal with the massive brokenness and conflict in almost every segment of the culture around us. When I asked for help, he told his neighbor Jerry to help me. In her Bible study "The Armor of God,"Priscilla Shirer explains how God has provided everything you need to live victoriously. We are either victors or victims. The shalom that Satan broke was reestablished at the cross (Eph. 14.39. The bottom line is that, eventually, Job was questioning if God was good and why He would allow such adversity to fall on His faithful servant. 5. Your prayers can help prevent bad things from happening to people and usher good things into peoples lives. I became very open about my testimony because its one of the strongest and most powerful weapons of spiritual warfare against Satan. Spiritual warfare takes place in the unseen, spiritual dimension, aka heavenly realm and high places. On thecontrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Spiritual warfare is real. The Truth About Spiritual Warfare and Why It's Important to Pray - Lifeway I focused on Gods Promises and who God says I am. God sees behind enemy lines and tells us all we need to know to not be ignorant of Satans designs. The most referred to spiritual warfare example is described in the book of Job. But if we are to fight for Christ and His Gospel successfully, we first need to know why we are fighting and where the real battle is. Because we have been translated out of Satans realm, the domain of darkness, and have been made members of the kingdom of Gods dear Son (Col 1:13-14), we have access to all of this divine champions strength (Eph. We, as children of God, cannot go into war alone, just as an army does not go to the front lines alone. He was waiting there for me. We go forth in the armor of faith because we know that God is already there with us. Spiritual Warfare DefinitionSpiritual warfare is a battle against Satan, which takes place in the unseen, spiritual dimension and is faught with the weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds, all while youre resisting Satan, standing firm in the faith, remaining strong in the Lord, and pursuing the ultimate victory of demolishing arguments against theknowledge of God and taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. The Blood of Jesus: acknowledge the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice for you personally, cleansing you from all your sin. Spiritual warfare is a struggle, a battle, a war. Of course, he never wanted a family to begin with but I didnt know it then. We may not see it, we might forget it's there. I have. Share Gods love. Learn more about becoming a Strong Prayer Warrior And Why.
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