Category: Be Aware of Spiritual Warfare

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! ²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! ~ Psalms 139:23-24

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same LORD; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

David was the prophesied king who was a man after God’s own heart. A man who was to lead Israel in the ways of righteousness, but he fell over and over again. He looked out at Israel and sinned by numbering them. He didn’t go to war with his men, as their king and leader, and ended up not only impregnating one of his men’s wives, but having that same man carry his own death note. David had a gift of leadership. A gift of worship. A gift of knowing how to come in and how to go out, but the enemy tried to corrupt that. He tried to take that away from him.

See, each of us is given a gift from God. A gift that will propel you into your God-given call. Because of that, your gift can often be the inspiration for Satan’s attacks. Here’s what I mean. I know someone who has a gift of encouragement, but every now and then, words just fall out of their mouth that tear others down. I know another who can see the spiritual battle we’re in with their own eyes but struggled so badly with fear that they didn’t sleep at night well into adulthood. See, if the enemy can keep you from using your gift, then He can keep you from fulfilling your God-given call.

So, what do we do? Identify, then guard. First, identify your gift, then guard it with all your heart. See, your enemy knows you better than you even know yourself. He will try to corrupt, distort, and stop all of the good the LORD has in store for you to do by attacking who you are. Your gifts help make up who you are. Who you are in Christ and who you are to the world. Your testimony is precious; it’s a weapon to fight darkness. Don’t ever allow the enemy to take it away from you.

¹¹ And they have conquered [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Revelation 12:11

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Identify Then Guard.

¹¹ so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:11

⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8

Every good legend or even every good lie has some kind of truth to it, but just because there is a little truth in something doesn’t make it truth or reliable. See, when Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he didn’t fully lie to her. He told her truth mixed with deception. He said, ‘You won’t die but become like God knowing Good and Evil.’ That wasn’t a lie with no truth in it.

Satan was telling the truth; Eve wasn’t going to die in the natural sense, but in the spiritual sense. She didn’t understand that she was being deceived. That she only knew part of the truth. This is how the enemy still works today. He’ll give you some truth. Partial truth. Half truth, but not the full truth. Not all that it entails. Jesus loves you. God loves you. True statements. But there’s more to it. It’s not just a full-stop. It’s not just a do-whatever-you-want free pass. We must remain in His love. But Satan doesn’t push that part of the truth.

When He tempted Jesus in the wilderness, used Judas, used Peter, etc. all the same MO. The same pattern of behavior. Paul told the Corinthians that we are not unaware of Satan’s schemes. Peter says we have to be watchful because Satan is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. We have to know the Word in order to combat half the Word being spoken to us. If we don’t pay attention to the past and implement it into our present, it’ll become our future.

One of my favorite verses that I think really sums this up well is God’s judgment in Hosea.

⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

Hosea 4:6

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Learn The Full Truth.

³⁴ Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ~ Matthew 10:34-39

I recently heard someone say that a well-known celebrity had explained how she continuously puts her son’s faith to the test. The comment section said how much they supported her and were proud of her for doing that because it’s not really his faith, but his father’s faith. If he believes in his father’s religion, then it’s his father’s faith, not his. Now, if he then renounces his faith and turns to his mother’s faithlessness, is that now his beliefs or his mother’s beliefs? My other question would be, if the beliefs were reversed, and it was a Christian mother putting her son’s faithlessness to the test, would they still be supportive and proud of her? Probably not. That’d most likely be seen as a mother trying to bully her son into following her religion.

The world loves to put our faith to the test. They love to try to quiet us and break down our faith. You’re not really a Christian because your parents or a parent is a believer. They will try to take away any realness or authenticity you have in your walk with God and in your faith. The only thing you can do is walk the walk, not just talk the talk. In other words, we have to live our lives as a light to others and let God shine through us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Authentic.

²⁰ For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. ~ 1 Corinthians 4:20

¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. ²⁰ I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ~ John 17:11, 20-23

Have you ever watched a tornado form? The tornado doesn’t just come down in one solid wind, wreaking havoc on anything in its path, but instead, two distinct winds (one above and one on the earth) come together and form one powerhouse. One tornado. This is how the Church should be. We should come together as one tornado. One force of nature, ready to spiritually tear down anything in its path.

Paul says that the Kingdom of God isn’t about talk, but instead, power. Nowadays, power in the Church is frowned upon. Success in the Church is judged. No longer are we coming together as one body in Christ Jesus to tear down strongholds and break down spiritual blockages in our way. Instead of coming together as one, we fight one another. Jesus said they would know we are Christians by our love for one another. Instead of loving one another. Instead of encouraging one another. Instead of building one another up. Instead of becoming one with one another, we tear each other down. We capitalize on each other’s flaws and failures. We do whatever it takes to tear down our fellow Christian. That isn’t our call.

Yes, our call is to expose darkness. Yes, our call is to separate ourselves from the world. But our call is also to come together as one Church and build the Kingdom of God. We are to preach the Gospel, teach and disciple, heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, tear down strongholds, and break down spiritual blockages in our paths. We are to become one with each other. Different winds coming together to form one unstoppable force. That is how the Church should be.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Form The Tornado.

¹ Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire ² and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. ³ And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. ⁷ And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” ⁹ So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. ¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. ~ 1 Samuel 30:1-10

One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Avatar: The Last Airbender. Each character has a unique and deep storyline that involves some form of growth. One of my favorite episodes is when Zuko and Sokka go to find Sokka’s father in a Fire Nation prison. Sokka feels like giving up because he can’t find his father, and if he stays, he’s risking everyone’s (him, Zuko, Suki) safety and freedom for something that may not happen (finding his father).

In hopes of encouraging Sokka to not give up, Zuko tells him this:

Zuko: Look, you’re going to fail a lot before things work out…
Sokka: This is supposed to make me feel better?!?!
Zuko: Even though you’ll probably fail over and over again…
Sokka: Seriously, you’re not helping!
Zuko: You have to try every time. You can’t quit because you’re afraid you might fail.

In the end, Sokka decides to stay, free his father from the Fire Nation prison, and lead everyone to freedom. If he had left, he would never have been reunited with his father or freed him. It looked impossible. It was dangerous, but in the end, it was worth it. Our lives are much like this.

We are each called to do things that scare us. Things that we can’t ignore. Things that we can’t just let go. Usually, these things are to take us to the next level. They’re to get back something that the enemy has taken from us. So, go in the confidence of the LORD. Sokka had his friends to help him, but you have the LORD God Almighty. You have the Great I Am.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go In The Confidence of The LORD.

⁹ If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet. ~ Proverbs 29:9

Instigating when you are losing a debate, I believe, is exactly what Solomon was referring to in these verses. If you argue with someone who cannot defend their stance, they attack you. They gaslight you. They will accuse you of being loud, aggressive, and in need of calming down because they have only one true option when it comes down to it: they have to admit that their stance is wrong, which a fool will never do. Why? Because according to Proverbs 1:7, they despise wisdom and instruction.

Throughout the book of Proverbs, they are characterized as quarrelsome, aggressive, and making their own path to destruction, ignoring any instruction of the wise. These people are self-destructive. Haters of wisdom. Mockers. Unable to ever find truth. Not because no one has told them. Not because no one has taken the time to explain it, but because they hate instruction. They hate Truth. They are wise in their own eyes, and therefore unable to ever come to the knowledge or understanding of Truth.

So, what can we do? We can plant the seed by showing them the Truth and the folly of their ways or beliefs, and then we place them in the hands of God. You can’t argue the Truth into them. You can’t even beat the Truth into them. Solomon says:

Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
yet his folly will not depart from him.

Proverbs 27:22

In other words, no matter what you do to a fool, you will never get them to see the Truth. This one you can only put into the hands of God. Into the hands of Him who can melt stone hearts, open deaf ears, and remove scales from blind eyes. It is only the mercy of God that will save a fool. Therefore, show them the Truth, but do not let them anger you. Don’t let them get to you. Hold your peace, and when it’s all said and done, place them in the hands of the Almighty. Not every soul is the same. There is not a one-size-fits-all for leading people to Christ. Some you can show the Truth, and they will accept on the spot, while others will need prayer, and still others will need prayer and fasting.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know With Whom You Deal.

²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ~ Matthew 16:26

I recently saw a video of a young woman who had been on X-Factor and had a recording contract in her teens, open up about what it was like behind the scenes. She said that as a young teen, the label told her they weren’t giving her any money for promoting this new album. Instead, she needed to go to the clubs and try to seduce Bieber. To basically leech off of his success by throwing herself at him. This was their advice to a young teenage girl.

Now, I actually remember listening to her music as a young teen myself and wondering what ever happened to her. Why her career never blew up. I now know why. She didn’t play Hollywood’s game. She didn’t want to, essentially, prostitute herself for fame or gain of any kind. She was talented. Her music was catchy, but her soul wasn’t for sale, so her music didn’t go anywhere.

Jesus asks a very deep question: “What will you give in return for your soul?” We often read Jesus’ first question and think about someone selling their soul, but what happens once it’s sold and you want it back? What can you give in order to acquire it? In order to retrieve it? More times than not, when a person who has been in Hollywood a long time or has a lot of fame begins really seeking Jesus, they have some kind of mental breakdown. Some kind of mental meltdown that is often very public. Very intense. Very off. I don’t think this is a coincidence. I believe this is spiritual.

Make no mistake, your soul can be sold. You don’t need to sign your name in blood on a mystical contract with the Devil himself to do it either. Who you align with. Actions you take. Things you promote. Your soul has a for-sale sign on it. And what is all of that profit and gain and fame worth if your soul has been lost to an eternity of darkness because of it? Then Jesus asks the scariest question. What will you do to get it back? So many think that saying a prayer of repentance will save their souls from the consequences of contracts and open doors they themselves have signed and opened. I don’t believe so.

I believe there’s more to it than just the sinner’s prayer, which is why you see the meltdowns, the breakdowns, the mental instability. The Scripture paints the spiritual war as a war, but also a courtroom. A place of legal law. A place where we have a lawyer and an accuser. We have to spiritually take the enemy to court. We have to spiritually cancel contracts, close doors, and take back our soul.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Your Soul.

¹¹ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:11

In the animated Western comedy, Rango—a sheltered chameleon—accidentally ends up in the desert town of Dirt, where he invents a tough gunslinger persona. He quickly becomes the town’s sheriff after accidentally killing their arch-nemesis—a hawk. But things take a turn for the worse when he uncovers a dark and sinister plot against the citizens of Dirt… He discovers that the water shortage is no accident but part of a scheme by the corrupt mayor.

We too have what we can consider a corrupt mayor; his name is Satan—the devil. The Bible states that he stalks around seeking someone to devour. But Paul says that we are not unaware of his schemes. Meaning, we know what he is up to, because the Word of God tells us what he is up to: He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If your things are being stolen- your time, your finances, your relationships, and what have you- it is most likely the devil. You are working really hard, but something that should take you an hour takes you two, and you can’t figure out why—there’s an enemy stalking around, seeking someone to devour.

In the movie Rango, it was their corrupt mayor. Behind his polite, grandfatherly smile, he was deliberately starving the entire town of precious water by secretly shutting off the emergency valve on the water pipeline and thereby creating an artificial drought that turned fertile land into worthless wasteland, and the citizens of Dirt had no clue.

It’s the same with us. The devil masquerades as an angel of light, but he brings darkness wherever he goes. He turns green, lush pastures into barren wastelands that soon become worthless. He comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He presents himself as benign, but all the time he is scheming and plotting. Paul said we are not unaware, but to be unaware, we must first acknowledge that there is a devil and he is alive and active. Second, we must not be intimidated to attribute to him what is his—theft, death, and destruction. But we have a steady and faithful promise from our God: when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit will raise up a standard for us, and will fight on our behalf when the enemy is too strong for us. So, let us believe, and let us seek the face of our God and turn to Him with all our hearts.

Father, we ask you to bring us relief. We are battered by life’s storms; we are harassed by spiritual forces, and we are unaware of the enemy’s schemes. Please open our spiritual eyes to see clearly, so that our prayers may be more specific. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.