Spiritual Warfare

"The moment a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and receives God's Holy Spirit, that person is instantly and literally translated from the kingdom of darkness of this world into the kingdom of God's light by God's Holy Spirit of truth. The Apostle Paul describes this process as the "mystery" revealed, which is "Christ in you" the hope of glory.
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:27 to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
God rescued us from the power and bondage of the world, the flesh, the devil, and supernaturally.
Principalities, Powers, World Rulers of Darkness, and Spiritual Wickedness in Spiritual Warfare
Our Spiritual Warfare is Against "Principalities, Powers, World Rulers of Darkness, and Spiritual Wickedness in High Places"
What are the meanings of these terms?
A special note: The purpose for this teaching is that we may begin to understand the goodness of God as opposed to the evilness of the devil. These two parameters are often blurred and confused, whereby evil is wrongfully attributed to God, the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Understanding the goodness of God is first and foremost in spiritual warfare, in order to build the kind of faith that will move mountains and fulfill God's promise of victory in our lives.
The Apostle Paul tells us to put on our spiritual armour because our battle in this world is a "spiritual" one. A warfare that involves the trickery and power of the devil, as opposed to a human battle. Even though human beings will certainly play a role in line with the schemes of the devil, they are being used by these entities for the purposes of accomplishing evil. Evil spirits are the true power behind those who oppose the things of God (knowingly or unknowingly).
1 - Prepare Your Heart for Spiritual Warfare
The battlefield or realm in which our spiritual warfare takes place is in the mind of every believer in Christ. We wrestle, or strive and struggle in our minds against world systems, the flesh or the carnal nature, and the devil. The mind encompasses our thoughts (imagination, reasoning, and intellect) as well as our emotions and will. In all of these aspects lie the very heart of an individual. By our thoughts and feelings we determine our will and purpose for our lives. As Christians, we seek to live by the truth and power of God because they are our assurance of God's promised victory in each and every situation in life, and we are not ignorant of the reality of evil, and the destruction that surrounds our world on a daily basis. It is in this process that we will encounter a very real spiritual struggle in our thoughts, emotions and will because the adversary knows that these areas are directly related to. . .
2 - The Spiritual Armor of God
"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” (Luke 22:31)
The Spiritual Armor of God in Spiritual Warfare
When Christians make a commitment to trust their lives to the promises and power of God, they are still living in hostile territory that presently is under the influence and power of Satan, sin, and a fallen world. This leaves the Christian at a disadvantage, in which we are cautioned in God's Word to put on the whole spiritual armor of God, because like it or not, we are in spiritual warfare. As Paul has revealed to us, the true nature of this battle is against supernatural evil. The purpose of the armor of God is to equip us with the power of God, in order to stand against the evil schemes and deception of the devil, who has blinded the minds of those who believe not.
The power of God is released, as we utilize every piece of the armor of God against evil spirits, who are labeled by Paul as principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness on high. We are asked to prepare ourselves as soldiers in spiritual warfare, because as a forbearer of God's truth and power, Christians and God's work are targets of the devil for destruction. The intense hate of the devil, and his devil spirits against God's creation is unimaginable, but nonetheless real, he is cruel and merciless; however, he cannot defeat God, and therefore he uses trickery and deception to defeat believers, or draw them into vulnerable positions. Some of these positions are: fear, doubt, confusion, condemnation, temptation through pressure or pleasure, spiritual blindness, pride, affliction or persecution, intended to frustrate the purposes of God through His people. He is cunning and attempts to oppress us in our weakest areas (through our thought life or other people and circumstances), in which the "unaware" are led into chains of depression and other forms of bondage.
The Apostle Paul tells us that we actually wrestle against these forces of evil; Many times we will find ourselves in a literal struggle from within and without, described by Paul as hand to hand combat (direct contact) in order to overcome them. However, this wrestling is spiritual, in which the devil and his demons will take many forms in order to attack or distract us in our thought life, and disarm our faith and the power of God. If we believe their lies, then they succeed in gaining their foothold. The devil and his evil spirits have the power to manipulate the realms of the world and the flesh, in an attempt to obstruct God's truth. God has not left us defenseless, and as we will see, He has provided us with a greater power, providing everything we need to stand.
3 - Evil Angels Cohabitating with the Women of Genesis? Fastening the Belt of Truth in Spiritual Warfare.
Are the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 fallen angels?
Since it is God's light that dispels the darkness, then as part of our spiritual warfare it is important to work through even some of the most controversial and difficult Scriptures, at least to the best of our ability. Otherwise, we can easily be misled and mislead others into superstitions and other false beliefs of spiritual consequence. For example, if we believe that God sends evil spirits to afflict His people in order that they may grow spiritually, then why resist the devil since it is God's will? If we believe that everything that happens to us is God's will, then why pray for deliverance since it is God's will? When we reflect on these ideas, we begin to realize the implications and significance of fastening the belt of truth, as we know, the devil's greatest weapon is "deception."
4 - Abiding Under the Shadow of the Almighty in Spiritual Warfare.
Perhaps there are some of you who are struggling with the same issue as part of your personal spiritual warfare; I would think that some of us may find ourselves dancing with devils because we are still holding on to or trusting in the arm of the flesh. The flesh I'm speaking of is the fallen nature that we all have to deal with as Christians. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and this is a very real struggle and a part of our daily spiritual warfare. If you are concerned about your spiritual condition, then the Lord is working in your heart and is drawing you to Him. Listen to the sweet voice of the Lord Who said,
Isa 30:21 "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
5- The Power of Praise in Spiritual Warfare
Psalm 149: 5-6, "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand."
The Main purpose for writing this post is to emphasize the power of praise in spiritual warfare, an expression of one of the highest forms of faith, prayer, and worship, and described in God's Word as a "two-edged sword" for the saint.
Isa 59:19 " . . . When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him."
1Pe 5:9 Whom [devil] resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
A Prayer of Petition for the Lord’s Help! “The effectual and fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (Ja. 5:16),”
Psa 34:7 - The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Important Principles Learned
Aside from verbalizing the name and blood of Christ, declaring the Word of God and equipping ourselves with the whole armor of God, below is a summary of some of the most important principles I learned in spiritual warfare.
1. If you are unsure if God is directing you in a certain situation, then ask Him for a sign (silently in your mind not verbally). He always confirms His guidance.
2. Remain diligent and watchful against the schemes of the devil, especially after winning a victory, this is when you become the most vulnerable.
3. One remarkable technique the devil uses is to get us in the flesh. He wins these battles and is his means of distracting us by catching us in a snare. We cannot lean on our own understanding, or give in to our emotions, or fight back with our carnal nature. We need to stay on track and trust God in these situations. We become more skilled with practice. When we fail we don't dwell on our failures, but we learn from them.
4. The devil has his minions all over the world, we may even meet one or two on a bus, a train, or a street corner. Remember that the eyes are the mirror of the soul. One might encounter an evil that doesn't reflect anything we know of a human soul. Pray and praise God for His protection and move on, and if need be rebuke that presence under your breath using the name of Jesus Christ.
5. Always look to God and not your circumstances.
6. Don’t be surprised if a disproportional number of misunderstandings occur in some social situations.
7. I would suggest not telling anyone what the Lord is planning to do in your life, because then, you just told the devil too!
8. Always be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit within.
9. When you feel that you are under an attack “praise God,” praising God in faith is a two-edged sword in your hand.
10. When your not sure if you are under attack, or if there is really an evil presence, then praise God and if there is an evil presence you will know it in some way.
11. Do your best and trust God to do the rest.
12. Every worrisome thought that crosses your mind, give it to God in prayer and let His peace rule your heart!
13. Understand that God’s power is according to the situation at hand, if you are experiencing great power then you are also experiencing a great task.
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