Spiritual Warfare is Real, and 5 things you can do about it

Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

God wants what’s best for us, even when we think that what’s best for us is not what God wants. He provides pathways for us to walk safely, He gives us the strength to tackle the hard things, and He encourages us when we’re up against immeasurable odds. God challenges us, no doubt. He expects us to grow, and live according to His boundaries; boundaries that we may not always agree with.

And this is where the enemy slips in.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

There it is, more crafty, and more ready than ever.

Eve had it easy, she could see the serpent right there in front of her, and she talked directly to him. We’re not so lucky much of the time. Most of the time, we must decipher when evil comes to lure us in.

Here are the ways you can fight Spiritual Warfare using what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:13

“[13] Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. [14]Let all that you do be done in love.”

Be watchful

There are pretty obvious ways the devil tries to snag us. Pornography, gambling, drugs and alcohol, and other blatant sinful things. A good Christian should be able to point out when these are in our ways and know to avoid them. But that’s just the beginning of the game for The Deceiver.

He likes to play a more subtle game with us instead. He likes to slip into our thoughts, feed us lies about ourselves and others, or get us to believe that we can justify our sinful behavior, or make our sinful behavior so slight on the surface that we don’t even notice it.

C.S. Lewis puts it well in The Screwtape Letters.

“It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

Be honest with yourself, check in regularly, and surround yourself with other strong Christians that will be willing to help correct you if you start veering off the narrow path.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:28, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

1. Where are you sinning in your heart?
2. Where have you been giving yourself excuses?
3. Where have you been justifying yourself because of your circumstances?

Stop doing that. While a mustard seed of faith can move mountains, the same amount of sin can tear them down.

Go to Jesus with these small sins, and recognize that His love will help you stay close to Him while He has eternal grace for you.

Stand firm in the faith

The first thing the serpent did was cause The Woman to doubt. He called into doubt God’s love and provision. He called into doubt God’s wisdom and encouraged The Woman to disobey; to become her own goddess, determining for herself right from wrong, and setting her own boundaries, apart from His.

The enemy is always ready to get you to question the love and wisdom of God. The enemy will give you all sorts of reasons not to believe in what God has said, and will conveniently slide in his own suggestions for what to believe. The devil doesn’t care about what you stand for; whether it’s Satanism, politics, or your favorite sports team, he cares about you being drawn away from your Father.

Deconstructionism and Progressive Christianity are good places to start looking for the workings of the devil, but even more prevalent could be your own church, or even your dusty Bible.

“So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16

Praying the salvation prayer and going to church once a week may seem like good armor, and looks good to your friends, but it does nothing to guard you against the enemy.

Now we are not saved by our works and don’t think I’m saying that you’re more saved by going to church more than on Sunday and praying more. That won’t earn you a higher spot in heaven. But by diving deeper into The Word, by surrounding yourself with other believers, and by taking your spiritual path seriously and not just as a lifestyle improvement, you’ll be better able to fight the attacks of the enemy, and stay faithful to our Lord.

A few questions to ask yourself:

1. Where do I have doubt? In myself, in my church, in my family, in my marriage, in God?
2. Where do I need to ask Jesus to help me in my faith, pray to Jesus as the man did in Mark 9:14 “[24] Immediately the father of the child cried out[a] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
3. What questions about God do I have for God? Ask Him, take them to Him as Job did. Go to the author to learn about the story.

Act like men

Yes, act like men. We can read this both as a charge for men directly, as well as a charge for both genders.

1. Men, act like men. Men are leaders, Men are the head, and Men must act as such. For far too long we men have failed at this. Look at Adam to see how long we’ve failed. We must lead, and lead well. What does that look like? Men provide. Men protect. Men serve as the spiritual head of the household, so they must read The Bible and go to church. Men are not tyrants, but leaders, so they must also listen and love. Men have a God-given responsibility, and we’ve seen what happens when they step aside and let others do that for them.
2. For Men and Women. Read this as act like a Man (if you’re a man) and act like a Woman (if you’re a woman). This looks like being responsible, it looks like being active in your home and in your church. It looks like standing in your faith, even when it is scary. It looks like growing and maturing and trusting in God.
3. Bonus: ACT like men. Even if you don’t feel like a Man or a Woman, show up as if you are one. Put into practice the habits of responsibility and ownership, and those will become your principles. Don’t expect perfection, just take action.

Be Strong

We’re Christians. We’re going to be persecuted, it’s in the contract.

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” 2 Timothy 3:12

and

“[19] If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. [20] Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. [21] But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me.” John 15:19–21

We’re going to be persecuted, hated even. And here I thought God was all about love and will save me and help me in all my things. Doesn’t Paul even say that God will work out for good those who believe in Him? (Romans 8:28)

This is a great opportunity for a Yes, And.

Yes, God is working out for good for those who believe, AND it’s not necessarily in the way we expect, or even during our time on earth. Yes, God is blessing us, AND those who hate God, and His word will try to take us down. It’s part of the deal, and in someways, it’s how we know it’s working. The enemy plays dirtier the close we get to winning.

But do you know what else is in the contract? God’s strength, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life in Christ Jesus.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Now, this may get you fired up, and inspire you. I hope it does, that’s what it’s meant for. But being strong, just because someone told you to, even if it is God, doesn’t automatically make it so. Trust God, lean on Him, and stay strong. Strong can be saying “God Bless” to the cashier, or wearing that t-shirt with a bible verse on it in Target. Being strong can be saying no to saying you believe in something you don’t, even if that can cost you dirty looks, or your job. Being strong looks like learning Peter’s lesson the easy way. It can also mean helping those who are in need, even when it’s inconvenient, and praying for our enemies.

1. Where is one area where you can start being more strong, lifting light weights first to build up that strength?
2. What is an area you’ve been avoiding strength? Pray and ask for Jesus to be your strength in this area. Ask Him to guide you and place opportunities to grow in front of you, and the wisdom to know they’re there.
3. What are some Bible verses that you can draw from to inspire strength within you when you find it harder to be strong?

Let all that you do be done in love

This is so important. Paul says elsewhere that he could have all the spiritual gifts and powers in the world, but without love, he has nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

We learn later in the chapter about what love is, and what it does (non-italics are my additions):

“Love is patient (but still holds boundaries) and kind (but not always what you want to hear); love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant [5] or rude. It does not insist on its own way (but listens and engages in dialogue); it is not irritable or resentful (but takes a posture of curiosity, care, and compassion); [6] it does not rejoice at wrongdoing (even if that wrongdoing happens to your enemy) but rejoices with the truth (and helps others see that truth and why it’s something to rejoice in).”

Through love, we can truly guide our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as be an example to non-believers. Because when we approach our commission with love for the people we are to make into disciples, and truly care for their souls, we can trust when verse 7 comes into play:

“[7] Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

We can be sure that when these things are stressed, and love is harder to feel in our hearts, that the devil is working overtime, and attempting to capture our hearts.

It is through love, that the enemy can get to our pride, and through our pride, we begin to dissociate ourselves from our fellow image-bearers.

Thankfully, Jesus came to save Jews and Gentiles alike and then told us to disciple all nations. He didn’t set apart specific people that were to be righteous and for us to hate others. No, He told us to love our enemies, pray for them, and bring all people to Him.

Now to love is not to make others happy. Often, true love means making people uncomfortable and telling them something hard to hear if they need to hear it. It’s loving to not allow an alcoholic to have that next drink, even if it feels like torture to them. It’s loving to tell someone they’re in the wrong when they are. It’s loving to go out of our way to help someone in need, even if it means we’ll be inconvenienced. It’s loving to listen to someone’s story and try to understand them before bludgeoning them with The Bible. “but have not love, I am nothing…but have not love, I gain nothing.”

1. Where have you been unloving in the way you interact with others?
2. Where have you said or done things that are unloving?
3. Where have you NOT said or done things that need to be said or done in love?
4. What is the example of love Jesus gave us? What does God’s love look like throughout the Bible?
5. How can I use The Bible to help me better understand God’s definition and intention for love?

By following what Paul has set out for us, we can be better at noticing the attacks of the enemy. Do not be fooled, there is an enemy, and he is literally hell-bent on bringing you down to him. We are in the protection of Christ, and the devil’s tactics can be completely shot down in the name of Jesus if we are watchful enough to see them and faithful enough to call on His name.

Psalm 18:30–36

30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except for our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.