Spiritual Warfare

Many have heard the term "Spiritual Warfare," but it can be misunderstood. To understand this term let us first define warfare or the more commonly used term, battle. According to the Webster-Merriam dictionary, battle can be defined as "Involving combat between two persons, between factions, between armies, and they consist of any extended contest, struggle, or controversy." As Christians, we are in an endless spiritual battle, and each battle consists of varying degrees. Every battle in the spiritual realm is not always a grand battle. Spiritual Warfare or battles can be as simple as small disruptions throughout your day. Simple battles not conquered, however, can manifest themselves into a much larger disruption causing havoc in your day to day routine. Many times when battles occur, we tend to put our focus on the fight itself and not on God. In Ephesians 6:12 it says, "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." How then can we tell that we're under attack?

One of the ways that we can identify being under attack is when the devil attacks us in the weaker areas of our lives, which I like to call "Our sore spots." It is the area of your life that can be the most fragile, triggers pain, or cause some hurtful and unpleasant times that have occurred in your life to come back to remembrance. Well, the devil did the same thing to Jesus. He attacked Him during a weak moment. In Matthew 4, Jesus teaches us best how to respond when we're under attack. I would encourage you to read this chapter in its entirety because it will bless you tremendously. For now, I will give a brief overview of the chapter. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. While He was on the mountain, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights becoming very hungry. The devil tried to get Jesus to fall into his traps by using scripture in His moment of weakness against Him. In verse 3, the devil says to Jesus "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." However, Jesus responded "No! The Scriptures say People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Jesus used Scripture to fight off the devil, and it caused him to flee. What's significant about Jesus and the devil's exchange was the devil tempting Jesus to use the power that He possesses against God. Yes, Jesus had the power to turn the stones into bread, but then He would have taking matters into His own hands instead of trusting God to sustain Him while on the mountain.

Take this lesson straight from Jesus. He shows us how to resist the devil when we are under attack. He also shows us that we aren't exempt from the devil's schemes. Since he was once an angel, he knows scripture just like us. Therefore, when you're under attack, understand that it can cause spiritual, mental, emotional, and even, physical exhaustion, but don't be discouraged, instead, fight back! When you're under attack declare and decree the word of God over your situation. Remember, Jesus did not try to fight the battle Himself, but He utilized the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within Him. That same power that Jesus used on the mountain, know that you have the same access to that power because the Holy Spirit dwells within you! Be encouraged and keep fighting!