When reading about or thinking about spiritual warfare, it is easy to be in either of the two extreme camps. We can ignore the battle or make too much of it. Either way, we can become trapped in the schemes of the evil one and not be focused on the plans and purposes of God. In this blog, I have given a number of references at the end of the blog and encourage you to do some exploration and reading. The most important thing is not to be ignorant of Satan's schemes, but to be fully aware of God's plans and how to bring them into being. Do not be satisfied till they come to pass.
11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. 2 Corinthians 2:11
The Battle Is Won
For most battles, the outcomes are only known at the end of the battle. For Christians, though, the Word says we have already won the battle. The battle was won on the cross. Through the authority we have been given through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can enter into His victory.
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:15.
Spiritual Warfare Definition
When reading an excellent article by Anna Szabo, I found this definition of spiritual warfare…
Spiritual warfare is a battle against Satan, which takes place in the unseen, spiritual dimension and is fought with the weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds, all while you’re resisting Satan, standing firm in the faith, remaining strong in the Lord, and pursuing the ultimate victory of demolishing arguments against the knowledge of God and taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
How Do We Know We Are In A Battle
There are 12 key signs we are in a spiritual battle:-
Things change for the worse in our health, finances or relationships. These are often severe or come upon us suddenly. Not all sicknesses and things that happen to us are spiritual attacks, they are sometimes related to things like wrong choices etc..
We are tempted to sin beyond the normal. Satan can use situations and people around us to put extreme pressure on us suddenly.
There are patterns that re-occur. This could point to the fact there is a curse operating.
There is an atmosphere of pressure or oppression. When we do not have righteousness, joy or peace in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:7) then there may be a spiritual attack happening.
We are experiencing severe discouragement. Both discouragement and confusion are red flags that something is happening. Satan works to discourage, confuse, bring depression, bring a loss of vision, disorient us leading to withdrawal, despair and finally defeat.
The condemnation that cripples. God brings conviction through the Holy Spirit, but this condemnation brings cloudiness in our thinking.
Intimidation and fear. When fear stops you from moving in the direction of God's revealed will, then it could be a spiritual attack.
Confusion is a key sign of the evil one is working. Satan thrives in confusion. It happens in our relationships and mind where things become misrepresented, perverted and distorted.
Anything that works against God's revealed will for your life.
We have pressure that is not normal in important relationships.
A battle in our mind - We dwell on feelings such as fear, failure, condemnation, hurt and most commonly the attack and accusation of others.
There is often a distinct start time. If you have an ongoing history of an issue in your life it may be baggage that you already have had that needs to be dealt with.
How to Fight Spiritual Attacks
1. The Most Important Weapon - The Word of God
We must understand and believe the Bible is the Word of God which is living and powerful. Through the Word, we understand who we are, how we are to live and the hope we have through the Gospel. In the Word, we have solutions to our problems and we have the promises of God to stand on. This Word is our sword for defence and offence.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; Ephesians 6:17
2. The Blood of Jesus
There is great power when we acknowledge the blood of Jesus, the sacrifice He made for you personally. Through His sacrifice, you are made righteous and all sins are cleansed. The blood of Jesus HAS destroyed the work of and kingdom of Satan. Through the blood, you can resist sin and cause Satan to flee. Accept and declare the victory that has already been won on the cross.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57
3. The Name of Jesus
When the name of Jesus is proclaimed, then it is important to be a disciple of Jesus and share this with the world. In the name of Jesus, you can heal sickness and cast out demons.
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; Mark 16:17
4. Your testimony as a believer
Sharing your testimony of how God has changed your life through His grace is powerful. See testimonies of other believers and witness the power Jesus has over Satan. Lead people to Christ as a sign that His power is more powerful than Satan.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelations 12:10-11.
5. The Promises of God are Powerful
If God sad it then He will do it. There are over 3500 promises in the Bible. See what promises He has given you and then trust He will be faithful to continue to fulfil all promises He has given you.
6. Live a life of thanksgiving
Live a life where you are constantly thanking God for His blessings and be grateful every day for who He is and what He has done in your life.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1.
7. Pray Constantly
Everywhere you go and whatever you do, there are opportunities for constant prayer. Have a life where you are talking to God, listening to the Holy Spirit and able to be directed at every step. This will cause you to live a life of adventure and be excited about the opportunities God gives you every day. Thank Him, ask for help and wisdom, seek divine opportunities to share about Him.
Moving In The Opposite Spirit
God is calling us to no longer be caught up in the world doing what the world does, but to live totally different from the world. Jesus has defeated the evil one and brought in a new kingdom for us to live in. This Kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13) means we are citizens of a new place where things operate totally differently from the world. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we operate in the nature of our Heavenly Father as we are filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
As we are citizens of the Kingdom of God, we must know our identity and who God is. Our actions are then based on who we know and not what we feel. We operate in a totally opposite spirit to the world. As citizens of this Kingdom, we represent to the world who God is, so how we speak, act, respond etc.. should represent God's nature, not our own. There are some great scriptures that represent this idea.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
In Galatians 5 we read about the two different kingdom ways of living. Living in the Spirit is an essential way of defeating the evil one.
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: [d]adultery, [e]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [f]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [g]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:16-26
There are six reasons why moving in the opposite spirit is important.
ONE: When you are filled with the Holy Spirit you have the resources to overcome
When people are unkind or harsh it is often hard to be kind or speak well. Having grace when the environment is toxic is not our natural response. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control. As we are filled with His Spirit, we know that Jesus has overcome the spirit you are against. Allow God's tremendous power to be released in and through you.
TWO: Our role as God's children is to express the nature of our Heavenly Father
God is revealed in and through us when we operate in the opposite spirit. They discover the nature of God in us. When we speak God's words and act as He acts then we express that we are members of the family of God and our Father's likeness is seen in us.
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Ephesians 5:1
THREE: We disarm the enemy when we operate in the opposite spirit
It is against our nature to respond well when we are criticised. We often reply with criticism and defensiveness. We easily become frustrated and our stress leaks over to others. The demonic tactics try to cause you to act in your old nature, but when you move in the opposite spirit through the power of the Holy Spirit the demonic spirits are disarmed and confounded.
FOUR: When you operate in the opposite spirit, God's Kingdom manifests through you
This is a key for spiritual warfare. By operating in the opposite spirit, God's Kingdom manifests itself in your situation. Jesus is King of the situation and by operating in the opposite spirit, He remains in control. God can love, speak pray and declare through you and bring light into the situation and overcome the works of the evil one. Walk-in faith and expect God to break the work of the evil one when you act, speak and behave in the opposite spirit. Release the atmosphere of Heaven wherever you go!
FIVE: Operating in the opposite spirit clears the atmosphere
Our attitude changes when we operate in the opposite spirit. We bring in blessings where there is negativity and hope where there is fear. We are not helpless but we come into each situation with the power of God. Bringing in God's Kingdom allows righteousness, peace and joy to operate.
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17.
SIX: Operating in the opposite spirit breaks open your destiny
Satan is having an all-out attack on you and is doing everything he can to destroy your influence, purpose and destiny. We need to ask ourselves what is the aim of the evil one and what prize is he after? When we defeat him by operating in the opposite spirit then we come against the works of Satan and choose to walk in the destiny God has for us. By defeating Him we release abundant life and our destiny that Satan is trying to block.
It is time to recognize the battle is fierce and what you are seeing in the physical is greatly impacted by the spiritual. Know that you are in a huge battle but through Jesus we have victory over Satan and his works. Do an audit of what is happening in your life and be aware of both when Satan is attacking and use all God has given you to defeat him. Fight every attack with spiritual authority and see what God does and breakthroughs happen. Learn to fight in the opposite spirit and watch as the Kingdom of God starts invading every relationship, situation so have the breakthroughs that release you into the destiny God has made you for. The battle has been won but victory is only won through warfare!
You were born for such a time as this.
Resources
Spiritual Warfare - https://www.wikihow.com/Do-Spiritual-Warfare
39 Bible Verses about Spiritual Warfare - https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Spiritual-Warfare
Spiritual Warfare: What is it and How do I know if I’m in a Spiritual Battle?https://www.curtlandry.com/pillar-page-spiritual-warfare-what-is-it-and-how-do-i-know- https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Spiritual-Warfare if-im-in-a-spiritual-battle/
Spiritual Warfare - https://onlinediscipleshipforwomen.com/spiritual-warfare/
12 Signs Of Spiritual Warfare https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/2010/03/11/12-signs-of-spiritual-warfare/
7 Signs You Are Dealing With a Spiritual Attack https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/7-signs-you-are-dealing-with-a-spiritual-attack/
6 Reasons Why Moving In The Opposite Spirit is Powerful https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/2019/05/09/move-in-the-opposite-spirit/
The Prophetic Power of Spoken Blessing https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/2015/06/02/the-prophetic-power-of-spoken-blessing/