The Spiritual Battle Part I
Recognize your enemy and learn how to thwart his plans!
Have you ever felt an unexplained arrival of a feeling of dread or anger or generalized negativity? But when you examine the emotion further to uncover the thought behind it, you cannot easily find it? In other words, you were not thinking about anything particularly dark or hurtful, and you are not under any kind of emotional duress, but you sense something is wrong. It’s more like a presence in or near your person. Folks, it’s very possible the cause is not of this world. “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). Sound scary? It can be, but as a redeemed child of God, it needn’t be. As baptized Christians, we can claim authority over any evil spirit and cast it out of our presence by the power of the blood shed for us on the cross by Jesus Christ.
Thus far I have discussed how we battle with our own thoughts and emotions. Although ideas and feelings are not tangible like flesh and blood, they are born out of the physical world. I feel the need to discuss the spiritual realm because it seems many, even seasoned Christians, shy away from the topic. Not understanding your enemy, Satan, and his tactics is like prancing into smoke and gunfire naked sipping on a cocktail surprised . You MUST be ready to fight the schemes of the devil because he has studied you and has made it his job to find creative ways to destroy you. Not a Christian and don’t really buy into Satan and that crazy stuff? Just think about the last time you tried to do something decent, unselfish, and good for humanity, and for some strange reason, you were thwarted at every turn. Coincidence? Possibly. But in my experience the closer I get to holiness, the best version of myself, the more of a threat I become to the enemy of all that is Good, and the more my joy becomes the devil’s target!
In what ways does the devil seek to destroy me or you? Easy. He uses whatever is readily available. Usually, when we are feeling vulnerable, insecure, or hurt, the enemy will magnify certain half-truths that will increase these emotional states causing you to respond in self-destructive ways. However he can use these “half-truths” also when you are at peace or most happy, threatening to allow the other shoe to drop. What are these “half-truths”? They are beliefs that we have acquired in response to memorable negative or traumatic events that we were either a victim of or the perpetrator. Another way to describe it—a belief acquired as a consequence of sin. These events or sins don’t have to be monumental, just enough to have disrupted your peace, shaken your self confidence and possibly changed the way you see yourself. When I was growing up, I was a bit of a tomboy with an attitude. Anyone surprised? And although I loved my barbie dolls and dresses that would twirl when I spun, I enjoyed getting dirty, playing with the boys, and causing mischief when I wasn’t struggling with asthma. My mom cut my unruly hair short because I couldn’t tolerate a brush touching my tangled nest of hair without screaming. My sister, by comparison was long-haired, fairer skinned, feminine, quiet, yet made good grades and friends easily. There I was, a tiny brown girl, with short hair, buck teeth, eager to play but last to get picked. Somewhere along the way, outsiders commented about my lack of femininity and how that might exclude me from motherhood. People have this awful habit of making predictions about who children will become based on apparent personality traits. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong. I believe, the enemy used those words and assumptions made about me and weaponized them against me, to magnify this false identity. So eventually, I came into agreement with the false assumptions and assertions of others, instigated by the devil—who else would come up with this evil nonsense—and believed them to be true, instead of taking hold of what my heart was saying—I am a girl and want to be a wife and mother. Much later, when I had trouble conceiving due to uterine polyps and inflammation of unknown origin, these false beliefs flooded my consciousness. You see you aren’t maternal. You were never made to have children. The disconnect between what my brain said and what my heart longed and felt was enough to send me into a total tailspin!
Maybe you’re thinking: what is so spiritually evil about a difficult childhood? Doesn’t everyone have trouble overcoming problematic words and the actions of others in the past? That’s exactly what makes spiritual attack so clever. It’s subtle and surgical as it injects itself into the wounded crevices of your mind. Satan works in the space between thought and belief, inserting and reinserting his opinion, disguised by the words or actions of others, until his false opinion becomes your own belief. Furthermore, he takes advantage of what already exists—a word or a wound that damaged your identity or self-image and takes it to the next level, exaggerating and perverting the thought into an impossible vow. Just think of a time when you were little and you promised yourself you would never cry again, yell again or allow anyone to ever hurt you again. Sound familiar? We make these promises that we cannot possibly keep and be human at the same time. In the meantime, the devil and his minions, take the opportunity to use this vow to taunt you, confuse you and throw back in your face! In my case, my fear of not being maternal enough led me to believe I actually wasn’t and should never try. Thankfully, my mind was changed through unconventional means.
Perhaps there is nothing eerie or supernatural about what I have written thus far, but the remedy most certainly is. And that is prayer! Next the focus will be on how to pray through your spiritual battles. Until then, God bless you with great joy and protect you from all evil.