Living Changed: Spiritual Warfareنموونە

Warfare is Active There is a spiritual battle raging around us, every day of our lives. Satan is constantly attacking us, hurling lies, and trying to distract us from the plans God has for us. He doesn’t want us to be who God made us to be, to step into our calling, or stand up for what’s right. He knows if he can keep us down—thinking we’re incapable, inadequate, unattractive, unworthy, and unwanted—he wins. But we are not helpless or hopeless. God has given us the authority to say we won’t take it. Not for ourselves, and not for our spouses, children, families, or friends. In the book of James, God promises us that when we resist the devil, he must flee. But too often, we might just think about resisting while actually staying passive. In this passage, God is telling us to act. Calling us to fight. Think about it this way: If someone were to sneak up behind you and attack, you wouldn’t stay quiet and let them hurt you. You would fight back by yelling, kicking, hitting, screaming—doing anything you could do to get away safely. Fighting a spiritual battle isn’t any different. You must do everything you can to resist the attack. God has given us multiple weapons to fight the enemy. Taking our thoughts captive, worship, prayer, and staying involved in Christian community are all weapons in our arsenal, and the best weapon God gave us is the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God, and it’s described in Ephesians as our Sword of the Spirit. As we become more familiar with Scripture, we are sharpening our sword for battle. We can deflect the lies of the enemy by speaking God’s truth and promises over ourselves, our situation, and our families. The enemy knows if he can keep us fearful, hopeless, and isolated, then he can steal from us the opportunity to win more people to Christ. Satan is desperate to convince us we’re not enough and we can’t make a difference because his future is already written, and he loses. Take a moment to acknowledge that you’re in a spiritual battle and the eternities of your loved ones are at stake. Let it strengthen your resolve and give you something to fight for. Stand confident on God’s promise that He’s already won the war, and ask Him to show you how to fight.