Happy New Year!
I apologize for my absence; honestly I wasn't even sure
what exactly to talk about or how to talk about it. Life can be very
interesting to say the least. It brings about situations that can pull your
attention away from where it needs to be and truthfully, I failed that test.
But by God's grace I’ll be able to post more often. Today, I want to talk about
prayer, specifically spiritual warfare, and why it is necessary in these days.
Hold on! Please don't count this post as not relevant to
you because the words "spiritual and warfare" used in the same
sentence scare you. To some it might sound all scary or appear as though only
certain "elect" people of God have to deal with this, but I’m sorry
to burst that bubble of comfortability. And I say that because I thought the
same way until I the Lord corrected me.
"For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12, KJV)
The term "we" used in the
passage above implies that the wrestling applies to all of us. One thing we must understand is
that whether or not we choose to fight the battle will go on. And this isn’t
the case for everyone, maybe you’re fighting but that doesn’t mean you’re
fighting right. Often we engage in the wrong battle, a physical strategy rather
than a spiritual one. We can't win against principalities and powers by
throwing physical punches rather spiritual ones. Now someone might ask, so do I
just pray and ignore the physical aspect?
No, there are some physical strategies
that should be put in order as directed by the Holy Spirit. For example, you
have an issue with fornication and you see that it runs in the family. The way
to handle this would be pray against the spirit of fornication, and ask the
Holy Spirit to give you an understanding about what factors draw you into that
sin. It could be a place or particular person you hang out with, now you can
employ a strategy of avoiding certain places or people to help with the issue.
What’s amazing about God is that He does
not leave us helpless, in the next verse we are given the tactic on how to
fight and what weapon to use.
“Therefore, put on every piece of
God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then
after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand
your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s
righteousness. For
shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully
prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the
fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and
take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in
the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in
your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:13-18, NLT)
Our weapons are not carnal. God has given us the tools we need, so
don’t be afraid of the battle as He that is in you is much greater than he that
is in the world. We can draw from the verse above that our heavenly armor comprises
of the following:
·
The belt of truth
·
Body armor of God’s righteousness
·
Shoes of peace
·
Shield of faith
·
Helmet of Salvation
·
Sword of the Spirit (word of God)
So not only is prayer crucial but also
living a Holy life. Unfortunately we live in days were people are criticized
for being “too holy”; when God calls us to be holy as He is holy. But in order
to make it to the end, we must put on the whole
armor of God because if
we don't then we leave ourselves vulnerable to attacks. The bible has told us
how crazy these last days will be and even the elect will be deceived, so we
must suit up!
The devil doesn’t give second chances, his
motive has always been to steal, kill and destroy. Now, let’s break it
down further so that we can understand better.
Take for example when one goes to war in
the natural, you cannot get distracted on a battle field as you’d run the
chances of being subdued by the opponent. It’s the same for this battle of
life; if we don't pay adequate attention our enemy will sneak up on us and
destroy us.
It’s sad that sometimes
we actually aid and abet the enemy to destroy us by the way
we live. The reason why God hates sin so much is because it takes us away
from Him. It creates an avenue and gives the enemy legal grounds to operate in
our lives. We cannot have the armor of God on if our life shows (by continuous
sin) that the commander in chief from whom we take orders from is the enemy.
A kingdom divided against itself
cannot stand, meaning that if your life shows you live for the other side then
you can’t defeat the team you fight for.
That’s why prayer is so crucial because
the adversary is sly! Only through prayer, which is communication with God, can
He reveal the tactics of the enemy. It is my desire that God will help us to
see things not in our carnal mind, but though our spiritual lenses. May He
grant us the strength to put on the whole armor so that we might stand till He
returns for us in Jesus name, Amen!
