Disclaimer: I’m writing this blog on my experience with spiritual warfare but I’m also writing this to speak to anyone who is fighting battles from the enemy in their life. So, if this sounds preachy, #sorrynotsorry because I am fired up and ready to fight!
Have you ever been in the middle of a fight that you weren’t sure you could win? Maybe you went into it totally confident that you would come out without a scratch and then BOOM, you get hit with that first blow to the face and start thinking about what you need to do to end it before you really get hurt?
This is how I envision spiritual warfare is for Christians. Until you’re faced with a ruthless attack from the enemy, you’re confident that nothing he throws at you could shake your faith or make you doubt the path that God has called you to. Up until a month after I was accepted to the World Race, I was confident. I was confident of who I was in Christ, I was confident that I was finally on the path that God created me for, and I was confident that nothing and no one could steal the joy I was experiencing.
Guess what? I was sucker punched and for a while I didn’t know how to get back up. Honestly, I didn’t even recognize what was actually happening in my life until after I was laid up on a table at urgent care with an EKG machine hooked to me and crying for no reason other than the nurse asking me, “what’s been going on?”.
You’re probably wondering how I got to that point.. Well, let’s rewind. About a month after I had been accepted to the World Race, I became overwhelmed with thoughts of fundraising. Thoughts about what fundraisers I should do, how many I needed to have, how many people could help me plan them, how many letters I needed to send out, and if it was even possible to meet the insanely high fundraising goal set before me. This is what started my brief mental breakdown. (Don’t worry, the Lord prevails!)
While my brain was focused on fundraising, I was also managing a salon with only 3 stylist, working crazy hours every week, trying to workout 6 days a week, get a decent amount of sleep every night, and doing my best to spend time with my family and friends as much as possible.
I found a quote the other day, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy”. He succeeded. I was so busy that I was neglecting my time with God, so exhausted that I wasn’t taking time to talk to Him, and so overwhelmed by my schedule that I wasn’t relying on Him. I was too busy trying to figure out how to do everything by myself that I forgot why I was doing all of this in the first place.
I started having episodes where I felt like my heart was skipping beats, I couldn’t breathe, I felt lightheaded, and my limbs were going numb. During my first episode, I honestly thought my heart had stopped beating for a few seconds and I couldn’t draw in a breath. It was terrifying! Each episode was different and had a separate set of symptoms so I didn’t recognize it for what it was. Anxiety.
The enemy had placed a target on my back and was strategically attacking me for WEEKS before I realized it! Once I was aware, I immediately turned to the prayer warriors in my life, told them what had been happening, and asked them to pray for me. Within 5 minutes, I felt like an elephant had been lifted off of my chest and I could breathe freely for the first time in weeks!
Before this, I didn’t know much about spiritual warfare…but I do now. A very real enemy has been strategizing and scheming against you (and me, obviously), assaulting you, coming after your emotions, your mind, your future. He works overtime to destroy the relationships and circumstances you want to preserve. He laughs at your attempts to fix your own issues with timely words and hard work. In fact, he’s doing it right this very second. Right where you’re sitting.
“For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12
The bible tells us Satan uses many different strategies against us (seriously, there are a lot!) but according to a poll that Priscilla Shirer did, here is a list of what she believes to be the enemy’s top 10 strategies.
1. Against your Passion
He seeks to dim your whole desire for prayer, dull your interest in spiritual things, and downplay the potency of your most strategic weapons. (Eph. 6:10-20)
2. Against your Focus
He disguises himself and manipulates your perspective so you end up focusing on the wrong culprit, directing your weapons at the wrong enemy. (2 Cor. 11:14)
3. Against your Identity
He magnifies your insecurities, leading you to doubt what God says about you and to disregard what He’s given you. (Eph. 1:17-19)
4. Against your Family
He wants to disintegrate your family, dividing your home, rendering it chaotic, restless, and unfruitful. (Gen. 3:1-7)
5. Against your Confidence
He constantly reminds you of your past mistakes and bad choices, hoping to convince you that you’re under God’s judgment rather than under the blood. (Rev. 12:10)
6. Against your Calling
He amplifies fear, worry, and anxiety until they’re the loudest voices in your head, causing you to deem the adventure of following God too risky to attempt. (Josh. 14:8)
7. Against your Purity
He tries to tempt you toward certain sins, convincing you that you can tolerate them without risking consequence, knowing they’ll only wedge distance between you and God. (Isa. 59:1-2)
8. Against your Rest and Contentment
He hopes to overload your life and schedule, pressuring you to constantly push beyond your limits, never feeling permission to say no. (Deut. 5:15)
9. Against your Heart
He uses every opportunity to keep old wounds fresh in mind, knowing that anger, hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness will continue to roll the damage forward. (Heb. 12:15)
10. Against your Relationships
He creates disruption and disunity within your circle of friends and within the shared community of the body of Christ. (1 Tim. 2:8)
Are any of these strategies at work in your life? I don’t know about you but I recognize 5 of them in my life just within the past 4 months! And you mad yet? Do you see how the enemy has been deceiving you to place blame on other people or circumstances in your life? Are you ready to fight?
“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.”
Eph. 6:11
God tells us how to fight the devil! We use the only weapons that work. Weapons divinely authorized for our success in spiritual warfare: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, as well as the sword- the very Word of God. But we don’t stop there, because neither does Paul in his description of our spiritual armor in Ephesians 6.
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere, and pray.” Eph. 6:18-19
Don’t forget who the real enemy is but most importantly, don’t forget the One in whom your hope lies!
“At the end of the day, the enemy is going to be sorry he ever messed with you. You’re about to become his worst nightmare a million times over. He thought he could wear you down, sure that after a while you’d give up without much of a fight.
Well, just wait till he encounters the fight of God’s Spirit in you.
Because…
THIS.
MEANS.
WAR.“
-Priscilla Shirer, Fervent
