Spiritual Warfare and You

We are to be identified by the fruit of our lives: the way we act. The Holy Spirit has graciously given us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But all too often our fruit-the way we act-is anger, sorrow, conflict, impatience, harshness, rudeness. Anything and everything BUT self-control. No wonder people say things like "I don't have a problem with Christ, it's Christians that worry me. Why is that?

Now, we can't dump all our bad behavior onto Satan's lap, but we can't ignore his influence on us either. The Great Deceiver can use our wounds from the past, lies we've bought into, agreements we've made, fleshly weaknesses to help keep us locked in that cycle of sinful behavior. Secular counseling and healing prayer ministry can help. So can involvement in a larger Christian community. But for quick results over the short term, nothing beats prayer.

Satan uses a hierarchy of fallen angels for his purposes because he doesn't have the power, authority, and abilities of God. Satan cannot be omnipresent, for example. Saved Christians can't be possessed, but we can be harassed, oppressed, and even afflicted.

So what can we do when it's obvious that we're acting in ways that are not in our Christian character-when we're under attack? Drop to our knees and pray.

Should we rebuke the evil spirits directly, or pray to God? Most of us are interested in what works while maintaining scriptural support. (Just because something works, doesn't mean it's from God. Satan, the father of lies, is clever.) And there is strong scriptural support for praying directly to God, asking for His protection and asking for His intervention if necessary. Saying these prayers silently seems to be just as effective as saying them out loud.

What else can we do? Put on the complete armor of God. Shields, helmets, body armor, shoes and belts are defensive weapons. The Word of God is an offensive weapon. We need to stay close to the Word, to read and study the Bible on a daily basis. Our other offensive weapon is prayer. (verse 18) Cultivate an active prayer life that goes far beyond thanks for meals and the occasional request for help with spiritual warfare.

Those two things-the Bible and prayer-will do more to help show the true fruit of who we are than anything else we can do. We can ask God to help us cast aside the rotten fruit of Satan and enjoy the precious fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Don't bother looking in a mirror-you won't see the demons on your back. But you just may hear them whispering in your ear. Here's how to talk back.

There are only three sources for the voices in your head, that is, your thoughts. Learn to recognize the voice of Satan and his demons. Understand the three phases of his spiritual attacks so you know where you stand in the fight. And then apply three truths to that spiritual warfare to keep the evil forces at bay.

Your thoughts come from only three places: yourself, God, or Satan (or one of his demons). Your own thoughts form a string, a more or less logical progression, analytical in nature. If you recorded them and then looked back, you'd be able to see how each thought came from the one before it. Thoughts not in that line, thoughts that come out of "nowhere," spontaneous thoughts, are from God or Satan.

Both are equally easy to recognize. God's thoughts are loving, healing, nurturing, life-giving. They resonate in your heart. Satan's thoughts, on the other hand, demean, diminish, degrade, accuse. They grate on your spirit.

There are three phases in Satan's spiritual warfare arsenal. (Keep in mind, these are used by both Satan and his demons. Sorry if this bursts your bubble, but Satan himself doesn't take a personal interest in every one of us. He's not God, after all. That's why he has a hierarchy of evil spirits loyal to him. They do much of his bidding when it comes to you and me.) The first phase is when we are convinced he's not there, he doesn't exist, he's a myth, a metaphor. That's a viewpoint not uncommon in our modern, rationalistic world. And it easily accomplishes the purpose of blocking God's kingdom here on earth.

The second phase Satan uses is coercion. It can take the form of simple harassment, move on to oppression, advance to affliction, even become bondage. Complete and total possession is rare, but bondage to drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, pride, etc. is all too common.

The third phase Satan can use is complacency. If his existence isn't denied, if his coercion is resisted, he'll cultivate complacency in our faith. Attacks will diminish and may disappear entirely. Things will go well in the world-our relationships, work, finances, etc. We relax, let down our guard. We may even begin to congratulate ourselves. Which begins to move us away from God. This is an insidious strategy because the people who fall into the trap are often prominent church leaders. At least until the rug i