Tag: Be Aware of Spiritual Warfare

1 Peter 3:8-12,

[8] Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. [9] Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. [10] For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; [11] let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. [12] For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Today we remember the day the Earth stood still. The day thousands lost their lives. A day that horrified the world and forever changed life as we know it. Yesterday, Wednesday the 10^th, Charlie Kirk was shot and pronounced dead. Another tragedy. Another heartache. Another light seemingly snuffed out.

I watched as people commented on social media cheering his death. As they laughed and mocked. I even read one that said it should be on pornhub because it’s good stuff. He’d even screenshot the moment the bullet hit Charlie Kirk’s neck and made it his profile picture. Others laughed and said he’s now burning in Hell. Thousands upon thousands rejoiced as they saw a great man of God fall yesterday.

When I saw the video, it didn’t even look real. The body just went limp. I’ve never seen horror like this before. This was what they were rejoicing for? A young husband and father of two young children is no longer with us and we rejoice because we don’t like his opinion. We don’t like what he says. I felt rage and anger try to overtake me as I watched it did so many others. So many people commented back death on those mocking Charlie Kirk’s death. They responded with anger, rage, wrath, and hate. They spoke death over them and their families. I could feel my blood begin to boil as well but something caught my spirit first. We are called to more.

We are called to turn the other cheek, yet be violent in the spirit. We are called to bless those who curse us and pray for those who persecute us. We are never called to bring a curse upon anyone’s head no matter how justified it may seem. Why? Because God is our avenger. Vengeance is the LORD’s. And the LORD will not be mocked.

Just as the world has not forgotten 9/11 but has memorialized it forever, so will we never forget the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025. May it go down as a day that changed the entire world just as 9/11 did, but this time for the better.

Dear LORD, forgive us for returning railing with railing, wrath for wrath, evil for evil, curses for curses, and hate for hate. Please break every curse, death, harm, sickness, and disease spoken over anyone yesterday and today. Let Your Light shine through us. Let the world see that we are different from them. That we act in love and not hate. That we for life and not death. That we desire peace and not war. LORD our country is broken. It’s divided on every angle. Hate fuels both sides. Oh, LORD, come into our midst. Bring peace. Bring healing. Bring revival. Let Charlie Kirk’s death not be for nothing. Let it lead to revival. Let it lead to a great Holy Spirit awakening like we’ve never seen but only heard of in the early Church. Heal our land oh God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

²⁷ Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD. ²⁸ Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged by the LORD, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

The physical manifests in the spiritual. Now, let us consider the significance of what Paul just said. Two words jump out at us as we read what Paul said:

1. Unworthy
   1. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD.
2. Discerning
   1. ²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

This is the only time that those two particular words are used in the New Testament. However, the lemma for discerning is used several times.

But as it is, Paul is saying that this is a very solemn time. It’s not a time for fun and games, and playing pattycake. It’s a time to inspect yourself and ask the hard questions that require honest answers:

• Am I living a Christian life?
• Am I sexually pure?
  • Meaning I’m not sleeping with someone who is not my spouse
  • I’m not engaged in pornography or illicit behavior
• Am I mixing the occult with the things of God?
• Am I walking in love, righteousness, and holiness?
• Is there any unconfessed sin in my life?
  • A sin that nobody knows about— but me
  • Hatred
  • Lust
  • Any ungodliness at all

Our physical actions manifest in the spiritual. For every physical action there is a spiritual reaction. So, as we go throughout our take notice of your actions. Is there an area of your life that you are giving into the flesh and making excuses for? Have you asked the LORD to search your heart and show you anything you have missed? Each day is a gift, don’t allow a temporary pleasure of this world to separate you from the love and covering of God. For what would be a blessing can quickly turn to a curse, if taken outside of that covering of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch Each Action.

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened ~ Luke 11:9-10

Jesus had just finished telling “The Parable of the Persistent Friend.” In the parable, a man goes to his friend’s house at midnight and bangs on his door. When no one comes to the door, he yells, “Friend, lend me three loaves.” But the friend, probably a little annoyed at the late-night interruption of his sleep, yells back, “Go away, I’m sleeping, my children are sleeping, my family is sleeping, I’m not opening my door for you!”

But instead of taking no for an answer, he continues banging and asking, probably even begging, because he is a desperate man in need. He needs his three loaves. Jesus concludes His parable by saying that the friend of the man will not get up and open his door and give him what he needs or asks for, just because he is his friend, but because of his persistent, continuous banging on the door, and his relentless asking to borrow the three loaves. He will not leave until he gets what he came for.

Here is the thing. Far too often, we Christians miss out on a blessing or on an answered prayer because there is no answer, and we drop our heads, turn around, and walk away, leaving the answer behind.

Now, I want you to notice that the man had a friend but asked for three loaves. If it is one friend, why not one loaf? But he asks for three loaves. Why? It’s a parable about our consistency in prayer and our doggedness in asking. We are offered a three-strand cord according to Isaiah 53:5.

⁵            But He was pierced for our transgressions;

He was crushed for our iniquities;

                         upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with His wounds we are healed.

Here we see that because of His redemptive and atoning work, Jesus offers us Salvation, Peace of Mind, and Healing for our bodies.

This is Jesus’ three-strand sacrifice that we can have; all we have to do is ask. We don’t need to be sick and harassed in our minds. We don’t need to be condemned to eternal punishment. We have salvation, peace, and healing.

Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us, and then raising Him from the dead as a sign. Thank You, LORD Jesus, for being willing to suffer and die so that we might have life and life more abundantly. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

Revelation 3:15-22,

[15]  “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! [16] So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. [17] For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [18] I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. [19] Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. [21] The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. [22] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

I’ve been doing a little early Church research and in my research I found that the first theological sound use of the term Trinity was by a man named Tertullian. In c. 213 AD he wrote:

“The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and each is God. But there is one God, by unity of substance, not number of persons. They are **three**, not in status, but in relation; not in substance, but in form; not in power, but in manifestation. They are **one** in essence, but distinguished as **Trinity** by their roles.”

**”Trinitas unius Divinitatis”** — “a Trinity of one Divinity”

Tertullian was arguing against Praxeas, who taught modalism— the idea that God is one person who merely appears in different “modes” (Father, Son, Spirit). Tertullian strongly opposed this, emphasizing that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons, yet one in essence.

This word Trinity gave us a way to easier express our God. For our God is three, yet one. Three distinct persons yet one God. As I continued my research, I found that Tertullian came from North Africa, specifically, Carthage, modern-day Tunisia. This very much so caught my attention.

Out of Tunisia came the explanation of the foundational and fundamental belief for Christianity, The Trinity. Today, Tunisia is an Islamic nation. The national religion of Tunisia is Islam. The belief that is taught throughout the country is that there is no Trinity. That the teachings of the Trinity are either false teachings and that Allah is god and Allah has no son.

Imagine, the nation that gave us the word Trinity to explain the intrinsic identity of God recorded throughout Scripture, has now become a nation where you will be persecuted if you proclaim that you believe in the Trinity. In the 7^th century Tunisia went from a Christian nation to a Islamic nation. How? The Islamic Conquests.

Throughout Scripture, we are told that under persecution we grow. In tribulation our endurance is strengthened. So, what happened? I believe that when we take our religion, our faith, and our freedoms for granted they are taken from us. Tunisia gave us great early Church leaders in the faith, and yet today, that history is often forgotten. When we allow the flame to die, it gives way to enemy to take control.

The enemy can conquer our physical bodies but our spirits, our souls, our eternal beings he cannot. We have to give it to him. We do that not by saying a spell, performing a ritual, or signing our name in blood, but by becoming lukewarm. By becoming comfortable in our walk with God.

When we stop fanning the flame, the fire dies and the coals begin to cool. And what’s left? A lukewarm pile of ash. We are called by God to be on fire for Him. His Word, His call on our lives should be like a fire shut up in our bones that we cannot do anything but follow Him. We should be clinging to our Bible that aren’t illegal. Excited for church in Sundays that we don’t have to fear being arrested for attending.

When we have an abundance of freedoms, we begin to take them for granted and when we do we begin to drift into a heavy slumber. It’s when we slumber that the enemy makes his move. He isn’t an impatient enemy. He’ll wait us out, just as he’s done for millennias. The question is, are you going to allow him the opportunity or are you going to fight for your soul, your faith, and your nation?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fan The Flame.

 

1 Samuel 4:10-11 NIV

[10] So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. [11] The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

During this time, Israel had no king. Israel was ruled by a judge. Eli judged the nation of Israel for forty years. During his time, his sons openly lived in sin (which he did not put a stop to) and Israel did not hear from God. Now towards the end of his life when he hears that the LORD has had enough of his lukewarmness and his sons’ evil acts, Israel goes to battle.

But the LORD wasn’t with them in battle, so they tried to force God’s hand by getting the Ark of the Covenant (where the presence of God rested) and went back to battle. What happened? God’s presence did not remain with them and the Ark of the Covenant was taken by their enemies. Eli’s two sons were killed. And Eli himself died when he heard the Ark was taken.

I want you to notice something. Just because they had the Ark didn’t mean that the LORD was with them. When the leader of a nation does not have God with them, the nation does not have God with them either. Does that mean that God abandons individuals within those nations that have leaders like this? No. God was still with Samuel, but as a nation, God was not with them.

Now, get this, the Ark did not return to Israel until a leader came forth who the LORD was with. It wasn’t until Eli was dead and Samuel became the new leader that the presence of the LORD returned to Israel. This is why we are to pray for our leaders.

We may not agree with everything they say or do, but as a nation, they are our head. And if the head of the nation is corrupt, then the entire nation is corrupt. The LORD will only dwell where He is wanted and pursued. Therefore, pray for your leaders. Pray for their salvation. Pray that the LORD Himself will guide them, keep them, and lead them as He did Samuel, so that His presence may always remain in our nation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For Your Nation’s Leaders.

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness…

It’s really easy to feel genuine dislike or even hatred towards those who wrong you or mistreat you. It’s easy to hold a grudge. But this isn’t the love of God, this is the flesh of the world. See, your enemy isn’t a person. It’s not your boss, your ex, your critic, or even your circumstances. It’s darkness. Organized. Strategic. Relentless. Darkness.

We’re in a war. Not a physical one against other people. But a spiritual one. In this war, you’re either armed or the target. Awake or the victim. Your enemy? The Devil.

If we want to actually see a change in our lives we have to stop fighting people and start fighting darkness. How?  Through prayer. Standing for Truth, righteousness, and goodness. Putting on the full armor of God. And fasting. The armor is there—but you have to wear it. You have to put it on. You have to apply it. And you have to use.

Passive Christians lose ground. Armed Christians take it. Jesus has already won us the victory, all we have to do is fight in His name.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fight In His Name.

Acts of the Apostles 12:6-12 NLT

[6] The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. [7] Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. [8] Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. [9] So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. [10] They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. [11] Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” [12] When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.

Peter was in prison—chained between soldiers, guarded on every side. But while the church prayed, an angel of the Lord came to his aid. The chains fell off. The doors opened. Peter walked out—free.

Not by his own strength. Not by clever plans. But by the power of God.

That’s the freedom Jesus offers us—not just from prisons with bars, but from fear, sin, shame, and anything that keeps us stuck.

This Independence Day, celebrate the freedom Christ gives—a freedom no chain can hold and no prison can keep.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray To The Chain Breaking God.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV

[14] But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. [15] For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, [16] to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, equated the Church to an aroma or fragrance to others. To God, we are the aroma of Christ, among those who are being saved and perishing. Then Paul goes on to say to one a fragrance from life to life and to the other a fragrance of death to death. Did you notice that Paul changes the words he uses depending on who he’s speaking in regards to?

First, he starts with “aroma” (euōdia) to God, then when he talks about how we are to other people he changes to “fragrance” (osmē). Now, aroma (euōdia) means a sweet smell, appeasement, incense offering, or offering, but fragrance (osmē) only means smell, scent, odor, fragrance, or perfume. Why does it matter?

To God, we give the aroma of an appeasing, sweet-smelling incense offering. Throughout the Law of Moses, the Israelites were commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His wrath because of their sin. When Jesus died He took the sin of the world upon him and killed sin in Himself. Then He took that sin far far away to Hell and when He rose on the third day, He gave us the hope of our resurrection to come.

When we are baptized, we are baptized into His death and given the aroma of Jesus’ sacrifice to the LORD God. And just as some perfumes are sweet to some and stink to others so are we who are in Christ. We carry that aroma with us wherever we go. So, to others who have that same aroma smell a sweet fragrance while others do not.

This is why the world hates us. This is why before we even meet people, some despise us. This smell dwells and communicates in the spiritual realm. Our spirit can sense and even communicate with other people’s spirit. Its not you, yourself, the world hates but the aroma of the one dwelling inside of you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sense The Aroma.