Spiritual warfare. Do you believe it? Over these past few years, there has been an increasing amount of spiritual warfare. Many walk around completely oblivious to spiritual warfare. They think they just have bad luck, a bad day, or that nothing good happens to them. STOP! Get a handle on what’s happening around you and change the course of your day immediately! Learn what it is and how to fight spiritual warfare with these 7 steps. Claim your life back today!
I wanted the truth.
Back in April of 2020, I started to seek truth in the only book that has truth, the Bible. And goodness, what a transformation it has done on me. I want that for you. People have even said to me, “Christy you sound so good,” “Christy, I can tell a weight has been lifted.” I owe it all the Jesus. Seriously, this guy changes things and makes things happen!
What is Spiritual Warfare?
Spiritual warfare is the invisible war between good and evil. Wikipedia defines it as, “…the Christian concept of fighting against the work of preternatural evil forces.” So how do we fight spiritual warfare? How do we know we’re being affected by it? Is it really true? These are all great questions, let’s get started on answering them.
Is this real?
The book of Truth (Bible) says in 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.” This is only one of the references in the Bible where it talks of evil, Satan, demons, and fowl spirits. There are hundreds of times in which the Bible talks of evil.
The Gospels are FULL of instances where Jesus and his twelve disciples drive out demons. You can find these books in the New Testament, the second half of the Bible. The Gospels include Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This is really an interesting read with a wealth of knowledge that will help you get to know Jesus better. So good! In fact, the series “The Chosen” does a great job reflecting these books.
Yes, spiritual warfare is real. Even through Jesus defeated Satan by Jesus himself raising from the dead, Satan is still pissed off about it. So what does Satan do? He messes with us (God’s children) to throw us off course. To move forward, to do God’s will, we need to stand firm in Christ to fight.
And yes, there is a heaven and a hell. Satan exists along with other fallen angels. And no, I’m not a crazy person. The depth of the spiritual realm is beyond my comprehension, let alone being able to explain it in simple terms.
My wake-up call.
Many things led-up me to look further into spiritual warfare. Was I indeed a battlefield? Sure enough, I was. In fact, we all are. The Bible says we must be alert, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Not only did I have a physical ailment with no explanation, but I suffered for five years. Let me tell you, it was a royal pain in my rear…literally. It’s not fun to talk about, but I know someone needs to hear this.
My story of spiritual warfare and how I fight.
Somehow in some way, I hurt my left hip which radiated pain not only down my leg at first, but then moved to my groin and compressed some delicate nerves. Sitting for long periods of time was NOT happening. Even walking was rough. Just the fact that I don’t know how I hurt myself is a huge clue as to who might be behind this.
The x-ray showed nothing, four MRIs were unmarkable…nothing was wrong. No one could give me an answer as to why I was experiencing this horrible, crazy pain. I saw 8 physical therapists, 4 chiropractors, went through 30 acoustic compression appointments and saw 5 doctors, not to mention hours and hours of researching online for an answer.
There were nights when I cried myself to sleep. Prayers desperately went up for relief and healing. I dug into the Word even more. It just so happens that in Psalms 91 it occurred to me that the Enemy probably had something to do with this pain. I dug deeper into the Word, and even read books on spiritual warfare. My eyes were opened to a whole new way of going about this injury.
The game-changer.
For the record, the PT helped, but it didn’t do all the healing. What helped me even more was putting on my armor and fighting back. My prayers got more specific, my physical therapist even prayed for me, AND she understood spiritual warfare. In fact, she shared with me how she fought and still fights back. And you know what happened? My body started to feel better, my hope returned, my faith got stronger, I wasn’t complaining as much, I had spunk in my step, and I felt stronger in more ways than one.
It was time to claim my life back.
Goodness, this seems more like a journal entry for me than a blog post. But listen up, I learned some more super important game-changers that I want to pass along to you to help you in this area.
I’m not writing this post to teach you everything I learned, there is a lot of information, so much so that I don’t even know how to explain it! This post is to give you quick tips and a taste of what you can do to claim your life back.
Seven steps to peace
Step 1
The first step I took was to physically clean out my home of any objects that may have been subjected to evil doing. I know this sounds silly, but if objects can be blessed like a prayer shawl, objects certainly can be cursed too. Yikes! Be careful about the things you collect, including books; some of you might not like what I’m going to say, but it’s time to get rid of the Harry Potter books and Pokemon stuff…both are dealing with witchcraft. Sorry. I’ve heard it more than once people.
Also, be watchful of gifts you receive or have already received. Most things are probably fine, but if you question anything that may have been cursed or made with the hands of witchcraft or a religion that goes against Jesus, get rid of it. I know this sounds whacky, but remember who you’re dealing with…don’t entertain the enemy or test him.
Step 2
The next step I took went beyond knickknacks. I went deep…into my old journals. Digging out my journals from high school, college, and my twenties was an eye-opener for me. First off, journaling is super healthy. It’s great to journal lessons you have learned, to write down prayers, to journal about great things and dreams, and to write about positive memories.
It’s also great to vent on paper, it’s better to beat up a pencil and notebook than to take it out on a person. Write it out. Don’t hang on to anger. Vent. But then pitch it. Physically throw the journal entry away or burn it. When we keep our old journals, the ones filled with darkness and distress, in some way or form our mind is still hanging on to them. Do you know what I mean? Destroy those entries full of complaining, anger, bitterness, and foul language. Who are you saving those journals for? Why would you ever want to reread those things, ever? Get rid of that darkness. It’s done. All over. It’s behind you.
What motivated me to destroy these entries was that I personally didn’t want my family to ever read them or for me to read them again. Toxic. I have no idea why I hung on to them for so long! So…I ripped out the bad stuff and burned them. Yep! I burned them in our portable fire pit; kind of like breaking up with a boyfriend and burning his things. I broke up with my old self. It was so liberating! I didn’t want to remember that junk, so again, why was I hanging on to it?
Step 3
The third step was to repent my sins. I wanted all negative ties broken. Asking for forgiveness for all my wrongs was humbling. You may think it’s no big deal, but to have a fresh start this needs to happen. In the past, I had asked God for forgiveness, but this time I was more thorough and I continue to this day to ask the Lord if there is something I missed to bring to my attention. I don’t want any sin holding me back from what God wants to do in my life. This is a daily practice for me, I sin all the time without even knowing it!
In Psalm 139:23-24, David asks, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” This is a GREAT verse to add to your prayers.
Check out Psalm 51 too. This is when David is asking God for forgiveness after the whole Bathsheba deal. However, this isn’t just about adultery, you can use this passage for your own sins big and small.
Step 4
The fourth step was to forgive anyone who had wronged me, including me! I didn’t say forget. I am not a Bible scholar, nor am I trying to be one, but I do know that you must forgive those who hurt you…yes, this includes everyone. Most of our offenders didn’t know what they were doing because the Enemy had such a big hold of them they had no way of telling what was right from wrong. Yet, some people DID know what they were doing…
The verse that comes to my mind is Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Step 5
The fifth step was to renounce, refuse, and reject any lies, or fears that were/are holding me back. The Enemy is sneaky and he only wants to hurt you. When you hear a lie like, “You’ll never succeed at this.” Get on top of it immediately and say, “That’s a lie Satan. I am complete in Christ!” It’s also a super good idea to slam him with scripture you’ve memorized. In Ephesians 6 we are given the armor of God, and one vital piece of that battle gear is the Sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Memorizing has been a powerful experience for me. Granted I only know a handful right now, but when I use them, I can feel it. Fighting off the Enemy is a daily thing along with repenting my sins and forgiving others. Just remember that in John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Here is a site that is full of scriptures to memorize and use to fight spiritual warfare: hopefaithprayer.com
As for putting a layer of protection over your home, read aloud Psalm 91. Read it aloud in every room if you want. Anoint the frame of your front door with oil (olive oil or oil of choice) in Jesus’ Name and invite the Holy Spirit to come into your home and thank Him for His protection. You can do this on every door frame if you want.
Pray something like:
Dear God, You are a mighty God of love and protection. Please bless this entryway in Jesus’ name. I ask that you please guard all those who enter and leave this home. Do not allow anything to enter this home that is not of you in Jesus’ name. I forbid any sin, warfare, or corruption to enter this home. And I now command any unclean spirit to leave immediately in the name of Jesus and I send them to the foot of the cross. May this home be blessed by you, Lord, and honor you. Thank you for this home God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Step 6
The sixth step was to look at what I’m putting into my mind daily. Am I listening to gossip? Depressing music? Lies on the news? Am I watching trashy TV? What are my conversations full of? What am I watching on YouTube or what video games are I playing? How are these shows helping me?
I’m not perfect, I have temptations, but I do have a mind. And if I want to live a life of joy and peace, I am going to try my best to control the things I put in my mind. Did you hear that? “What we put in our minds is in our control.” We have a choice here. No one is forcing you to watch Silence of the Lambs. The Bible teaches us what to put in our minds Philippians 4:8 gives us an idea, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, what is noble, whatever right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”(NIV)
Play praise music in the background all day long, put the Bible on and have it speaking, or listen to things that are pleasing to Him. Be careful of what you listen you. My son recently went through his playlist and deleted all songs that didn’t align with God. He said he even looked up some of the artists and found out that they worship something else… be careful!
Step 7
The seventh step is to pray. I’m not just talking about prayers of “God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food.” Prayers for protection, love, and to do His will have power behind them. The Lord wants to hear from you, He wants to talk with you, and He wants to bless you. But the first step is to pray.
Prayer is the MOST important part of your life! Let me reiterate, prayer is SO incredibly important. The more you know God personally, the better your prayer life will be.
Pray before a crisis happens, pray in the morning before your day starts, and pray at night before your body, heart, and mind rest. Stand firm in Christ.
When you pray, know that it is a weapon against the Enemy. Find a place that is your secret place to pray, where there are NO distractions. A place where you can be your total and true self. Your prayer place is a place where you can cry, sob, yell, and sing without the world looking at you and judging you.
Play instrumental music in the background. Invite the Holy Spirit to come and guide your prayer.
To close your eyes or keep them open? It doesn’t matter. I do both. The Bible doesn’t say you have to close your eyes.
Memorize scripture and recite it back to God in your prayer.
When I pray I like to go in this kind of order:
- Praising God and telling Him how great He is.
- Thanking Him for everything big and small that comes to mind.
- Confessing my sin and asking for forgiveness, getting right with God.
- Asking for the Holy Spirit to come into my heart.
- Asking for protection over the Enemy, and using God’s amour to stand firm next to Christ.
- Other prayer requests, praying for people, situations, and myself according to His will.
- Asking all in Jesus’ name. Sealing the prayer in and through Jesus. For instance, I end the prayer something like this… “thank you Jesus, I ask all this in your name, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Sometimes, on challenging days, I simply talk to Him, I lament, cry, and get it all out. He is full of truth, love, mercy, and hope. He is the only One. Pour into Him, trust Him. Ask Him. Love Him.
In Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus teaches us how to pray. He uses the Lord’s Prayer as a guide in what you should include in your prayers. Some pastors follow an acronym for prayer: ACTS.
Resources
Along with reading the Bible (Ephesians 6:10-18 is a good start), I also recommend these books.
Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer
The Invisible War, Chip Ingram
Moving Mountains, John Eldredge
I HIGHLY recommend the Wild At Heart App. It has many powerful prayers that help fight the Enemy.
To round up how to fight spiritual warfare
Whether you are dealing with physical pain, relationships, weird moods, nightmares, or just feeling off, I hope that you’ll take a step back and see WHO is really at fault here. By all means, don’t discount your doctor, just add some spiritual fighting power. I recommend going through these seven steps so you can get clarity in your everyday life and fight spiritual warfare like you mean it! This isn’t a one-shot deal, it should be done as often as you need.
The Enemy wants to distract us and interrupt the line of communication between us and God. Let’s remain diligent and focus on God. My hope is that you’ll understand more about this spiritual warfare stuff so you know how to recognize it and fight it off! Blessings to you.
Before you go, check out these other great posts:
How to Have a Happy Family: 3 Revolutionary Steps
Benefits of a Garden: One Huge Reason to Take Up Gardening
5 Valuable Ways to Manage Mental Health in You & Your Kids
How to Get Unstuck In Life: 5 Essential Tools to Break Free
By CT Copyright © 2020 Simplify Firefly. All Rights Reserved.
