We discussed in the blog “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” in great detail that we
are in spiritual warfare with the enemy.
There is a battle between faith and fear, they both take the same ingredient
to operate, FAITH. This is not a game,
we are literally fighting for our lives, both spiritually and naturally. Every committed soldier puts their life on
the line because they are committed to a cause, as soldiers in the army of God,
we are no different. It goes without
saying that not only do we want to win, but we want our families and loved ones
to win as well. For those of us who have
drawn the line in the sand making it abundantly clear that there is no
surrender no retreat, we fight because we love God with all of our hearts,
minds and souls and we would rather die than to give up or give in.
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with
all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind (NLT)
There are people that are committed and there are people
committed to the commitment but the latter group is lethal to the enemy. That committed commitment is the fuel that
causes us to dig down deep and hold on to hope when there is nothing else to
hold onto; it helps us shut our mouth when we could cut so deep with our words
that it would take years for people to recover; it keeps our hands to ourselves
when we could slap the stupid off the face of the haters and then serve it to
them on a platter and make them eat it; it keeps us on the front line warring
with the enemy until we are plumb woe’ out from fighting but when we call on
Jesus he infuses us with Holy Ghost helps us to stand firm and hold the
line.
Precious, this kind of fight ain’t for the faint at
heart, weak-kneed, temperamental, hold my hand, pray for me ‘cause I got a
headache, whining “religious” high-minded deep Christians that think warfare is
passing out tracks at a convalescent hospital.
The devil is a lie. The soldiers
that I’m talking about ride deep, hard and they don’t play when it comes down
to “they” Daddy. I realize that I’m
using a few more ebonics than I generally do, but I need you to feel me
today. Feel me?
OK, Tania, we feel you, but how do we fight? When do we fight? What do we use? How long do we Those are all great questions, I’ll do my
best to answer you.
1. How
do we fight? We fight in the spirit with
our eyes wide open, praying and asking God for his direction and
protection.
Fight the good fight for the true faith.
Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have
confessed so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NLT)
The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and
worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers. (Psalm 34:7 AMP)
2. Be
ready and on guard for whenever a situation arises. It’s not that you are living in a state of
heightened alert, but it is important to be watchful
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit
is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41 NIV);
3. What
do we use?
a.
Our primary weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God. In this war, we face
many battles, some of which are related to health, finances, relationships,
marriage, singleness, death, employment, business ownership, depression, , and
a variety of other challenges that we face.
We use scriptures that relate to our current circumstances to combat
those challenges, pray the Word back to God knowing that God is the Word and
the Word (God) will not deny himself. We
also use the Word as a defense against the enemy to combat any negative words
he may try to plant in our minds. For
example: I lost my job and need to pay
my bills – My God shall supply all of my
needs according to his richness in glory.
Philippians 4:13 (NLT). I’m
feeling anxious about a situation – Cast
all your cares on Him for he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT); I’m feeling afraid – For God has not given us a spirit of fear and
timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
b.
Our faith filled words:
The words you speak over your life the most will manifest themselves in
your life. Your words determine your
future: He who guards his mouth and
his tongue keeps himself from troubles.
(Proverbs 21:23 NLT) When the enemy throws a distraction you have to
be able to recognize it and hold your tongue.
Before you respond, consider the outcome.
c.
Our faith filled shouts of praise. They break up the atmosphere, the enemy’s
domain, to bring about peace, joy, etc. and we encourage ourselves.
Victory Nugget: Even Jesus used the word to fight the
enemy. Jesus
responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your
God.’[Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to
you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here,
Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord
your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and
took care of Jesus. Matthew 4:7-11 (NLT)
4. How
long do we fight? In his kindness God
called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you
have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and
he will place you on a firm foundation. 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT) While this text
does not speak directly to the subject of “fighting”, it does speak to the
subject indirectly. Any time you are in
battle, especially a pro-longed battle, there will be frustration, depravation,
suffering, etc. God promises to restore,
strengthen, support us which is amazing, but he also promises to “place us on a
firm foundation”. What does that
mean? To establish us
Establish (Webster): to found, institute, build,
or bring into being on a firm or stable basis; to install or settle in a
position, place; to show to be valid or true; prove; to cause to be accepted or
recognized; to bring about permanently.
What it really boils down to is that we are in a battle
of words. It started with words Genesis
(3:1) when the serpent deceived Eve into
disobeying God with his words). The enemy
continues to use the words to try and seduce us into believing the lies he
tells. But he has no power over us. We can resist him, submit ourselves to God
and he will run away from us.
In His Humble Excellence,
Tania
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