“Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle.” (Psalm 24:8 NLT)
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome [the agents of evil],
because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
(1 John 4:4 NKJV)
As I write this I am realizing how much spiritual battle I have been in for the last several weeks. More than just a “busy season,” or “not enough self-care,” or “hard circumstances,” it’s been a battle. When the war is in your thoughts and the effects are in your body, you are under attack.
In Ephesians 6:12 (NLT), the Apostle Paul tells us, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” I was definitely in a spiritual fight. If you have lived any time at all in a relationship with God, you know that you will go through seasons of real struggle. In those times you can know that Emmanuel is with you, but the struggle is real. You can know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that the battle will eventually be over, that this too shall pass. Yet when the end is not in sight and the battle is fierce, it can be hard to remember that the Holy Spirit living within us is greater than he who is in the world – he who is attacking you.
The enemy of our souls tries to plant things in our thoughts and then torment us with them. If left alone, those bad seeds can grow into horrible jungles of lies, distrust, pain, disbelief, and even wickedness and evil. Unfortunately, I was emotionally drained, had let several of my spiritual disciplines slip, wasn’t physically exercising my body, and found myself seemingly alone – unable to realize and recognize these bad seeds for what they were and unable to cry out for help. Outwardly I looked “fine,” but inwardly I was tormented by crushing thoughts. I won’t share all those with you, but I expect that you’ve probably had a few of your own tormenting thoughts, at least here and there. To paraphrase, God does not give us tormenting thoughts, but instead gives us Holy Spirit’s power, love, sound judgement, and a well-balanced mind. All we have to do is recognize what’s going on and then cry out to God for help.
For me, that’s where this battle didn’t go well.
I missed the clues that I needed to cry out to God and friends for help. I was upset with God and didn’t immediately turn to him for help. I didn’t call battle-ready friends because the tormenting thoughts told me they were too busy or I wasn’t important enough to them. In the moment (or weeks, in this case), I basically forgot all that I have learned about how to war in the spirit. I should have been more aware of my thoughts. I know that if thoughts do not have the hope, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness of God, they are not of God. If I would have been aware, I would have then been able to realize I have to – not “should” but HAVE TO – take authority over those thoughts.
We do not have to live surrounded, battered, demoralized, terrorized lives because we have authority over ALL the enemy’s actions against us. Jesus was given ALL authority by the Father (Matthew 28:18) and he has given that same authority to us (Luke 10:18) as Believers whose names are registered in heaven and who are empowered by Holy Spirit. If I would have realized what was going on, I would have remembered the authority and power I have because of Holy Spirit within me. And I would have been able to more clearly see the power of battle-ready friends who love me and are willing to intercede for me and help rebuke the lies of the enemy. In the last few days I have finally reached out in vulnerability to a few of my trustworthy warrior-friends, asking for prayer and help in calling out to God. And God has answered – graciously, gloriously, and completely. I celebrate that even before I was able to call out for help, God was ready to answer. This battle of the lifelong war has ended in my triumph over those torments.
Lest you think that this post is designed to condemn myself because of my choices to allow the seeds in and then let them grow, I’m actually trying to learn from the experience of the last few weeks. I want to be stronger next time — because there will be a next time. As the darkness upon the earth increases, so will the battle. As evil and wickedness move forward in the war to kill, steal, and destroy, God’s children must be ready to battle in the spirit and under the leadership of Holy Spirit. We must realize who we are, Whose we are, what authority we have in Jesus’s name, the power we have in prayer and in community with other believers, and the reality that the enemy of our souls IS a defeated foe. So, if sharing my experience can help someone else avoid or fight battles, then thanks be to God!
Yahweh Sabaoth, Lord of Hosts,
You are the King of glory, strong and mighty, invincible in battle. You are our strength and defense; our God we praise and exalt. You are a warrior and the LORD is your name. Thank you that your love and faithfulness are all around us, that you place loving and prayerful people in our lives to encourage and lift us up, and that the enemy of our souls is already defeated because of Jesus. Forgive us when we allow the seeds of tormenting thoughts to take root in our minds, hearts, and spirits. Help us recognize them, confess them to you, and be freed from them, in Jesus’s name. Help us recognize our identity as your children, the authority we have in Jesus’s name, and the power we have in prayer. God, help us never forget the spiritually mature warriors you have placed in our lives that can help us call out to you for deliverance and healing. Give us more of the fruits of the Spirit, not cowardice or fear, and more of your power, sound judgment, and personal disciplines so we can walk in faith, hope, love, and peace. When our battles seem dark, remind us to call out to you and anticipate the victory you will have within us. We ask all this in the powerful name of Jesus, AMEN.
“Before they call, I will answer. While they’re still speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24 GW)
“We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives!” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 MSG)
“‘Yes,’ he told them, ‘I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.'” (Luke 10:18-20 NLT)
“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT)
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].” (1 Timothy 1:7 AMP)
““The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.” (Exodus 15:2-3 NIV)
“But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.” (Jeremiah 20:11a, NIV)
“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.” (Galatians 5:1 MSG)