How to win a spiritual battle.
“Take up the full armour of God so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” Ephesians 6:13
Have you ever felt like you are in a spiritual battle?
We all face spiritual battles in our lives and sometimes we are completely unaware of it.
Sometimes this can be a temptation to sin, unexplained or long periods of sickness, hardship, emotional burdens, financial lack or feeling alone.
First of all, you need to know that you are on the winning side! When Jesus died on the cross, he defeated the enemy and won the battle for us. Whatever we face, we already have victory, because we have the power of Christ in us.
Jesus also faced a spiritual battle after he was baptized, he went into the wilderness for 40 days on his own, and fasted, and was tempted by Satan. Jesus faced wilderness experience and won this battle by speaking the word of God when the enemy tempted him. After he came out of the wilderness, with new power and authority, and returned to his ministry.
“Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything.” Romans 8:37
If you are in a spiritual battle, it is a good sign that God has something for us to learn, or to gain from it. Its can be a new level in your faith, a breakthrough in a stronghold, a closer relationship with God, a healing from sickness or a revelation of your Identity in Christ.
If we understand that God is with us in the battle and we have everything we need to face it and win it, we won’t be afraid of what the enemy is trying to do.
How to do we face and win spiritual battles?
We have many spiritual tools and weapons that God has given us to fight and win.
Our spiritual tools are:
The Word of God.
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" Hebrews 4:12
Just like Jesus used the Word of God in the wilderness to win against the enemy, we can use Scriptures when we are faced with a spiritual battle.
When we declare God’s word, it is his truth for us, and completely demolished any lies, temptations or thoughts from the enemy.
God’s word is living and active and when we declare it, it has to power to break the power of the enemy’s schemes. Begin praying those scriptures over your situation and praising God for his promises.
God's word also brings us comfort, gives us guidance and wisdom.
The word of God has the power to revive, refresh, restore, heal, save and renew us.
How do we use the word of God effectively in our lives? By taking action! We need to study it, apply it to our lives and speak it aloud. When we take action with God's word, it activates its power in our lives.
When you fill your mind with God's word, you are reminding yourself of his promises and truth and this is a so powerful when we are facing spiritual battles.
Find a few scriptures that apply to what you are facing, and write them on pieces of paper, put the up on your wall. Every time you see them, say them aloud. When the enemy tempts you, use those Scriptures as your weapon.
Worship.
"Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exhaulted above all blessing and praise" Nehemiah 9:5
Singing worship and praise is a very powerful spiritual weapon. When we sing, it actually lifts our spirits and helps us focus our attention on God and how amazing he is. I don’t know about you, but I love to sing, and sometimes while I have been facing a spiritual battle, I have used worship as a way to bring peace, joy and hope to my soul.
Worship is a declaration that God is in the midst of all that is happening in our world. Its a powerful act of surrender.
“Worship becomes a weapon of war against the enemy when you step away from who you are and what you’re going through and step into the presence of God” - Alicia Purdy
When you worship, its giving praise to God for who he is and what he has done and when we fill our mind with praise, thanksgiving and gratefulness towards God, it helps to shift our thoughts towards how powerful God is.
This week I encourage you to start some new habits to incorporate worship in your every day life. Worship is not just singing songs on Sunday. God made us to worship him everyday, and so next time you are at home, put some worship music on and sing along. Next time you are in the car, put your favourite song on and sing, when you are cleaning the house or doing the dishes, start to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
The Armour of God.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full amour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:10-11
The armour of God represents the defence we must take in our spiritual lives. Every piece of armour has a purpose and it will serve its function when you put it on.
The full armour of God is:
The Helmet of Salvation
The Belt of Truth
The Shield of Faith
The Sword of the Spirit
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Feet fitted with the Gospel of Peace
God gives us this armour to protect us and keep us safe.
Every day, as you prepare yourself for the day, visualise yourself putting on the armour of God. Just like a soldier puts on his armour before he goes out to battle, we need to put on our spiritual protection.
Putting on the armour of God gives us strength, stability and encouragement.
Our Identity in Christ.
When we face spiritual battles, we need to know who we are in Christ. This gives us a firm foundation that will keep us secure and solid all throughout our lives. Our world is full of different ideas, opinions and lies that can sway us to believe the opposite of what God says about us.
Knowing our authority and dominion in Christ Jesus makes us aware of whom we are in Him. Our Identity in Christ is a function of our relationship with Him.
It is essential that you know your Identity in God, so when you face spiritual battles, you are certain of what God says about you. We can easily be tempted by the enemies lies during spiritual battles about our appearance, our past mistakes, our choices, and our faults and failings.
When we meditate on the truth of what God says about us, it fills us with hope and assurance.
When we are faced with a lie from the enemy, we can use our Identity in Christ as a weapon, because it its God’s truth for us.
When I was younger, I faced a spiritual battle and the enemy keep tempting me with lies about being unloved and that people didn’t like me. Every time I would feel unloved, I would use the verse from Jeremiah 31:3 that says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” as my weapon. As I kept meditating on verses about God’s love and acceptance, I had a revelation of God’s love for me, and I can honestly say that I overcame that battle and don’t face it anymore.
Here is a list of your Identity in Christ:
I am chosen: Colossians 3:12
I am a child of God: John 1:12
I am loved: 1 John 4:19
I have a purpose: Ephesians 2:10
I am wonderfully made: Psalm 139:14
I am never alone: Joshua 1:9
I am a new creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17
I want to encourage you today to write down a list of your Identity in Christ statement and put it somewhere you can see it everyday to remind yourself of who you are. As you memorise these statements, it will help you to become stronger in your faith and when the enemy tries to tempt you, you will have the weapon of Scripture to use.
If you are in a spiritual battle today, let me just remind you, that you are not alone. Many people have faced them and won and so will you.
Let me encourage you that God has already won the victory for you, and you have all the tools, weapons and strength you need to win.
I know when I have faced spiritual battles and won that I have experienced a new sense of closeness with God, more strength in my faith, a new anointing, more blessings, more peace, joy and hope.
Whatever it is your are facing, find a verse that applies to the spiritual battle and hold onto that.
So, how do we win a spiritual battle?
By using the weapons that God has given us.
Our weapons are: Declaring God’s Word, Praise and Worship, Putting on the Amour of God and knowing your Identity in Christ.
Your testimony of how your won the battle will be a encouragement to someone else who is facing the same thing.
You are not alone, God will be with you as you face the battle and win, he will give you the strength, endurance, perseverance and wisdom that you need.
Lastly, don’t forget that the purpose of a spiritual battle is grow and mature in our faith in Christ, build more strength in our faith and come to know God in a greater way.
Don’t give up and don’t give in.