Recognizing Spiritual Warfare

It is so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life. It can blind us from the real spiritual war going on all around and often within us. There are times when it is very obvious to me, and times when it is not so obvious. What is spiritual warfare?

According to our new online Wikipedia definition, Spiritual Warfare is "the concept that demons or fallen spirits attempt to thwart goodness and the will of God. Some believe this "warfare" to be manifested in multiple ways, including by demonic possession, demonic harassment, by attacks on a person's thoughts, relationships, or life with God."

Our mind is the battlefield of spiritual warfare. The overall objective of spiritual warfare is to "have the mind of Christ". The power of the Holy Spirit enables us to take on the mind of Christ. Keeping the mind of Christ is the good fight of faith. Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is only the first step of spiritual warfare. It is now a battle of endurance to keep the mind of Christ. Spiritual warfare does not focus on the destruction of the devil, the flesh, enemies, the world, or death. These things are already defeated. Therefore, we are to take on the mind of Christ! The beautiful thing is the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to do so.

The devil wants us to be stressed out, full of anxiety and confusion, without peace, full of worry, doubt, and fear. It we give into these thoughts, the flesh will follow! Not only that, but once that door of anxiety is opened, the devil will throw all kinds of other things in there as well. Therefore, our peace goes out the window, we are unable to hear the whispers of the holy spirit, and we are led astray, going against God's will. It is not a place I like to be. It does happen, because I am not a perfect Christian. Do you know one? I didn't think so. This means, we are ALL prone to fall into the traps the devil sets before us if we do not constantly seek God in everything. Entering the "rest" of God is entering into spiritual warfare.

A brilliant book, written by Joyce Meyer, is Battlefield of The Mind. She has also written numerous articles on the subject of spiritual warfare within her Battlefield of The Mind resources. Her six-part YouTube video series on Doing Spiritual Warfare God's Way is excellent, and will bless you.

The Bible summarizes Christian Spiritual Warfare very clearly:

Cast Down Every Imagination - "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5

The Objective of Christian Spiritual Warfare Is Our Mind -
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

"The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:7-8

Christian Spiritual Warfare Is a Fight of Faith - "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." - 1 Timothy 6:12

A Battle of Endurance - Christian spiritual warfare does not end when someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is only the beginning of spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare then becomes a battle of endurance. Yes, we have the assurance of salvation, but we will now have to endure a great fight of afflictions. "Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering." - Hebrews 10:32

Focuses On Christ and Not The Destruction of the Enemy -
Christian spiritual warfare focuses totally on conquering the human mind in order for us to take on and keep the mind of Christ. Spiritual warfare does not focus on the destruction of the devil, the flesh, enemies, the world, or death. These things are already defeated.

"He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." - 1 John 3:8

"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Colossians 2:15

The Psalmist advises us to rely on God to fight our spiritual battles. "Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love." - Psalm 6:4

The Devil Is Not a Worthy Opponent - The devil has no capability to do us direct harm. He can only do us harm by trickery. The Bible tells us that the devil is the father of lies. "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." - John 8:44

We must resist these lies and seek God's truth. Victory in spiritual warfare comes from us submitting to God. By us putting on the whole armor of God, we can persevere through any lie, temptation, and deceit that the devil may throw at us.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." - James 4:7

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." - Ephesians 6:10-18

When fatigued, we are not as alert to the devil's schemes. This is why it is crucial for us Christians to remain alert by getting the rest we need. Call it renewal, or whatever you want to call it. It is imperative to remain strong in the Lord. If we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted, what good can we be to do the work the Lord has called us to? I, myself, am at that point. This weekend launched my vacation week. I've recognized how depleted I feel in all of these areas and am taking this week to get some alone time with Jesus; to get rejuvenated, renewed in mind, body, and spirit. When my mind is weak, I am vulnerable.

This first weekend of my vacation is a prime example of what I am talking about here.

We already know anything good is of God, right? So, those things which are not good, which go against God's plans, are NOT of God. When the holy spirit speaks God's will for a particular assignment, we must obey. So, is it really that difficult to recognize when we are in the midst of a war taking place in our mind? I am not necessarily talking solely about in our own minds, but also what is taking place in the minds of others around us.

My fatigue caused me to not discern spiritual warfare taking place all around me, and I reacted with my flesh, rather than turning to God for discernment in the situation. If I had, I would have known to pray and the weekend probably would have ended up a bit differently. I know it would. My mind was not at peace, or at rest in the Lord. There was conflict and I lacked wisdom because of my fatigue.

However, the Lord is always faithful. The holy spirit immediately revealed the lies of the enemy in a dream, which led me to scripture, and to writing this post. There has been tremendous spiritual growth as a result. As a child of God, we can always rest assured, our Father will come to us, speak to us, comfort us, and correct us ever so gently. He meets all our needs, including our spiritual protection.

Psalm 3 ~ A Morning Prayer For Protection
Scriptures To Strengthen Your Faith