Fighting Spiritual Battles

Psalm 118:5-14

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.

Good Morning, My Beloved!!!

I hope you are having a good week. You know, we can have a good week, even in the hard times. This week, I've been feeling a lot like the weather has been lately - gray, gloomy, rainy. Last week, we had an amazing time at the kids camp - the Spirit was so powerful, and we came back to one spiritual attack after another. The enemy was sent to steal, kill, and destroy. We know this, but why do we oftentimes allow the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy us - almost willingly. As I've been fighting this spiritual battle, I've noticed how easy it would be to give up - giving into the enemy's plan. No one said that this walk of faith would be easy. I've had some really good friends praying for me during this time, and one of them brought an amazing word of encouragement to me last night. She said, “The battle is not ours to fight, but the Lord's.” My human nature is to solve problems, but this is a spiritual battle. What makes us think we can fight spiritual battles in the physical realm? How do we try to fight spiritual battles in the physical realm? We blame people, we get upset with people, we try to throw money at our problems, we go to doctors or lawyers, take medication, take advice from any person that will offer it, search the internet, we will do everything we can in the natural to fight a spiritual battle. We are left exhausted, tired, and weak, and it is at that point the enemy is able to sweep in and steal, kill, and destroy.

Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So, how do we fight a spiritual battle? We don't - we allow God to fight our Battle. Moses, Joshua, Gideon, King Jehoshaphat, and King David are all men who victoriously fought battles, and won, because they recognized these were more than physical battles, they allowed God to fight the spiritual battle.

I think Psalm 118 shows us, what to do when we find ourselves caught in a spiritual battle. When you get to the point you just feel beaten down, that you can't go any longer, cry out to the Lord. Give the Lord your burdens; He does not want you to carry it on your own:

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Also, you have nothing to be afraid of - we should not fear. The righteous do not fear:

Psalm 112:6-8

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

One of the most important things to remember is to take refuge in the Lord. It is amazing when you take refuge in the Lord, that you don't feel the attacks. People will say you seem so peaceful and calm - how can you smile during this time? It is because when you take refuge in the Lord, you do not feel the pains, you only feel His love. You may remember when you were little when you would get frightened, you would run to your parent’s arms. God is our daddy, let us run to His arms.

Psalm 37:40

The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Call on the name of the Lord, the name that is above every name, the name in which demons flee, and the name in which one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess.

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Lord is our strength, He is our defense, and He is our Salvation. While we fight this battle know that it is only through the Lord that we can gain victory. I'm not sure what you are going though right now, but I know that we all will go through spiritual battles. It's a part of the faith, but be encouraged, sisters, that with God all things are possible. We do not have to fear. While we may not know what the outcome may be in the physical realm, we know that God has a plan. Isn't it comforting to know that God has a plan? And remember there will be a day in which we will no longer feel pain.

Revelation 21:4

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

No matter what we are going through, we cannot allow it to interfere with our worship to the King of Kings. In fact, that is the very thing that will get you through a time of trouble.