Enduring Spiritual WarfareSample

DON'T CALL EVERYTHING SPIRITUAL WARFARE We will all face hardship in this life. Even as believers, we will face hardships—sometimes even because of our faith! Jesus promised this, and the Church has always experienced this reality. Not every hardship in life is spiritual warfare. As they say, "don't look for a demon under every rock." Hardship is often just a normal reality of life. Sometimes we bring hardship on ourself through our own sin or failure. Sometimes God may be disciplining or testing us. These being said, we should also recognize that sometimes there's a spiritual reality behind what we are facing. How do you recognize spiritual warfare? Here is what it often looks like: • Spiritual warfare most often happens right before or after God uses us for powerful ministry impact, or right before or after God moves in our own spiritual lives in a significant way. • Spiritual warfare often comes in an attempt to steal our happiness in God and His work in our lives. Don’t call everything spiritual warfare, but recognize that sometimes there might be a spiritual battle behind what you are going through.