1 Peter 5:7-9
We’ve all heard the saying, keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. I must admit, in my younger days, I was perplexed by this saying…partially out of nativity and partially because I liked to think that everyone was mostly good and there were only a few bad apples..plus…why would I have enemies? I’m nice to EVERYONE. Yeah, that phase wore off soon.
Spiritual warfare is very real and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll be able to move forward with things in life that you have always seemed to be “stuck” in. Rather those things are financial, relationships, family issues, emotional, drinking, smoking, negative thoughts, negative behavior, etc. Sometimes we find ourselves fighting what seems to be an uphill battle, no matter how hard we try, how hard to study, we pray, we seek, we wish, we hope, and we keep the faith. Why does it have to be THIS difficult you ask? You will soon see.
A few years ago, I kept having dreams regarding me fighting things. I would battle it with my hands, with other objects, even attempting to use euthanasia solution— I was fighting with ALL MY MIGHT and all my know how. In these dreams, often, whatever the thing was that was trying to attack me or destroy something that belonged to me–-it would die from my attacks but only briefly. It would come back to life and I’d find myself confused but fighting it again with all my might. What did this dream mean?
The dream was meant to tell me that I can not fight spiritual things physically; I can only win a fight that is spiritual in nature…spiritually. Yahweh gave me this dream 3-4 times and I finally understood it. It was never the same thing I was fighting but the underlying concept was the same. It was time that I learned how to fight spiritually against those things that looked to be “physically” holding me back—because it actually wasn’t physical at all.
Emma Stark said it best in her book “Prophetic Warrior”: if you are in a battle, the aim is not to try and shoot the bullets flying at you, sure…you may have to dodge some so that you do not get hit…but the aim is to target/defeat/kill the one who is actually firing the arrows/bullets at you; you go directly for the source.
Know your enemy– know exactly what you are up against so that when it comes to you, in the many forms that it inevitably will, there will be no doubt of the source and no doubt on what you must do. The following are the tactics of the devil:
- Fear– this is probably one of the his biggest strategies. If you fear him, fear for your life, fear you will be harmed, you’ll not stand against him. You’ll just cower and be paranoid. He doesn’t have to use any of the other 6 listed if you are paralyzed by fear because you’ve simply given up already; you’ve surrendered. You may cry out for Jesus or for God to help you if you’re a believer, which by all means if that’s all you know to do…DO IT…but never give in.
- My Example: There was a time right before I was waking up, I heard sinister voices mocking and laughing at me, foot steps coming toward me and I was in that sleep paralysis state so I could not move well; these demons laughed at me and mocked me when I cried out for help; I cried in Jesus’ name and although I felt as if I was talking very loudly, may voice was SO small and—they replied ?WHO is that you are calling for? and they laughed more. I resisted them still and once I woke, I was so upset. I prayed to Holy High Heaven and rebuked them once I was awake but it bothered me WHY me calling for Jesus did not work. If something similar has ever happened to you, internalize Ephesians 6:10-18| 2 Timothy 1:7. This leads me to number 2.
- Using your lack of understanding/knowledge against you to render you powerless against him or at least feeling as if you are– See Acts 19: 8-17 Not knowing your authority against the devil and his minions leaves you vulnerable to his attacks. Hosea 4:1|Proverbs 4:7 It is SUPER IMPORTANT TO DIVE DEEP INTO THE WORD AND UNDERSTAND THAT God has given us ALL the authority to trample of the heads of demons. Luke 10: 19. Do not just read or memorize the words of any scripture when engaging in spiritual warfare–ITS IMPORTANT TO INTERNALIZE|CONCEPTUALIZE what is written–INTERNALIZE this truth and remind yourself of IT often, so that it is to you what your family tree would be, your name, your birth date—it’s not just arbitrary names and dates| you’ve not just merely memorized it but internalized it because of the deeper implications that it has for you and your family–internalize the Word of God like anything that is true and would be like second nature and very personal to you.
- My Example: once I graduated from high school and went to college. I immediately had to change the way in which I studied. Wrote memorization just wouldn’t do it anymore. My first big test in college , although I studied for weeks and felt like I had a good understanding of things, I nearly failed. I was crushed emotionally, but I did not give up. I had to understand that concepts were key. If I understood a concept fully, no matter HOW it was thrown at me or worded, I would always know the wrong answers from the right answers—and not only that— I would know why the wrong answers were wrong and what type of questions would make those particular choices the correct answer. If you approach things in this way, you will always win the battle.
- Distractions/Stumbling blocks– when you sit down to read the Word, to internalize aspects of it that you never have before by devoting some time each day or certain days of the week—it seems like EVERYTHING and EVERYONE needs your attention at that time. Last week, nothing was out of the ordinary, now everything demands your attention. Make it happen anyway; defy the devil and his tactics every single time. I do not care how tired you are, how sleepy, how frustrated. Cut everything off and find that peace and that time to have with God. Those distractions are there for a reason–to discourage you, to set you back, to set you up, to make sure that you do not find the glory and promise that God has for your life any time soon.
- Planting seeds of doubt– look no further than Genesis and the fall of Adam and Eve– although I am sure there are plenty of instances in your own life where seeds of doubt have been dropped in your good and fertile soil by people, situations, and/or seasons. Seeds of doubt, seem to take root much easier than seeds of faith; be careful of your thoughts and when they are not your thoughts—rebuke them immediately with your mouth, not just in your mind, and send them to where they came. Matthew 16:19| See the “Parable of the Sower” in Mark
- Confusion– 1 John 4:1|1 Corinthians 14-16. If you find yourself at a crossroads, pray and fast for 7 days. When you pray, pray with all of your heart and spirit, as if you were sitting or kneeling in front of God (forget absolutely everything else except what comes bubbling up in your spirit and your request/need from Him and be open with your prayer. I did this for the first time 4 years ago, and the dreams that I dreamt were extremely vivid 6 days of the 7. Some I’m still in the process seeing them come to fruition, while others happened within weeks- to months of them having them.
- There is no spiritually correct way to pray. The point of it is deep authenticity, a cry from the spirit/soul spoken outwardly- full with the breath of life and acknowledgment of God as our full life and light source. The only way to pray is simply with a open mind, heart, and spirit and in truth/honesty with repentance of sins known and unknown to you.
- Temptation– See Number 4 + Matthew 4:1-11
- Lies and deception– see number 2 and number 4 and Number 6. Resist the devil and stand firm on the Word of God EVERY SINGLE TIME. Do not fail, do not flaughter.
BLUEBERRY | MOON 