Battle Stations – How to win spiritual warfare?

Fatigue, anxiety, stress, worry, hopelessness, fear, hatred, self-doubt, jealousy, gossip, revenge, betrayal - the devil’s weaponry. The devil keeps his arsenal at his disposal at all times, ready to strike at the sight of the slightest opportunity. Setting up a battlefield in our mind so to grow his army is the devil’s specialty. Scripture warns us to be watchful and vigilant, because we have a watchful and vigilant adversary watching and waiting to destroy everyone and anything he can. 1 Peter 5:8-9 reads: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...”

Welcome back to my weekly blog. I pray to the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, a deep and intimate knowledge of Him, that the eyes of your heart be enlightened, so you may come to know and understand the life to which you have been called. May He fill you with joy and peace, so that you may overflow with hope. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

We are all under constant attack, but how do we stop the negative voices in our head? How do we get away and shield ourselves from the constant feeling of not enough, from the bitterness that eats away at the heart, and from the people and places that bombard us with the same, that harbor and ignite these feelings of despair within us? We must remain watchful of who we call a friend in this world because misery tends to love its own company, doesn’t it? The famous proverb “misery loves company” is born from, “The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlow in the 16th century, spoken by the demon Mephastophilis, in answer to the question, ‘Why does Satan seeks to enlarge his kingdom?’ In short, it suggests to mean that those who are unhappy seek to make others unhappy too.

Psychologists suggest that the two causes of misery are: (1) Excessive desire for what you don’t have; and (2) Lack of appreciation for what you already have. I am going to add two more: (3) One’s own perception of life; and (4) Our choices. This leaves us with the question, how do we trade misery for happiness and appreciation? Last week I provided a few tips on how to do this in my weekly blog entitled, ‘Where Did My Happiness Go?’ Let’s dig deeper this week and assess our own armor and arsenal, the enemy has one but so does the Lord’s church [His people]. I pray I can open the eye of your heart to it and teach you how to use it because we all fight these battles daily, but we don’t all win them.

This week at church I was fighting my own battle, I was drained, no energy to praise. I was emotionally and spiritually exhausted. I have been dealing with someone that has been abrupt. Have you ever had those days where you just don’t feel like it, you just can’t deal with one more person? Like when you are working out and are exhausted but you just can’t do another rep? What does the trainer or perhaps the friend you are with usually say? They may say something like, ‘work through the pain, the burn”, I heard the Holy Spirit telling me to do just that in the battlefield of my mind and so I did. I lifted my arms and I praised, I sang the worship songs and let it burn through my lack of desire, I shouted, “Hallelujah” knocking the devil right out of the ring of my mind. Let me let you in on a secret, people are not your problem, the devil is. Jesus taught us awareness of evil in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:13) “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy and he uses people to do it, but the good news is that you are equipped to win the war so get up and get dressed. God’s got your back!

Every morning when I get dressed, “I put on the full armor of God so to take the stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” ~Ephesians 6:11-17

Did you know that Jesus was also tempted by the devil? The enemy is powerful, he knows scripture, he cited Psalm 91:11–12 to entice Jesus to jump off the roof of the temple to test God’s love for his Son. Jesus answered Satan right back with scripture, “Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” We too must be equipped with God’s word like Jesus was so we can also stand strong against the enemy’s attacks. After the devil’s first two failed attempts to get Jesus to obey him rather than God, Satan tempts Jesus to choose worldly power over obedience to his Father. He does the same to each one of us every day but we have the power to defeat it. Jesus left behind an empty tomb, an open door, an invitation. Jesus also promises an advocate, John 14: 15-31 reads, “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate [the Holy Spirit] to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. Our Heavenly Father has equipped us with everything we need to proclaim victory over the attacks of the enemy. So when I was tempted to argue this past Sunday and give in, not go to church, I turned to my helper [the Holy Spirit] and He helped me stretch and worship when I thought I had nothing left. My friends, God gives us power and authority over the enemy. It is our choice to decide which arsenal we pull from. If you are going through a season of attacks, turn to God and pray. Seek Him, build community in His name but, “…do not let the sun go down on your anger, give no opportunity to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27.) “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) In the coming weeks we will talk about your spiritual toolkit, the arsenal God left you and what is in it. We will also breakdown the armor of God and what it means. We will fill our armory and sharpen our weaponry to prepare us for the attacks from the enemy.

In the interim, I am here to guide you on your path to find breakthrough. Whether you are struggling at home, in your relationships and/or at work, we can defeat the enemy and proclaim victory. Remember, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion]. Click HERE to book your life coaching session(s) today.  

Blessings from your life coach and friend,  

Isabel Plasencia