Deciding to fight back~Day 16
Your freedom from pain is often hard-earned. Going through pain (as we’ve done in the last seven weeks) is hard work. And if the enemy of our souls is whispering in our ear, it can seem like an impossible task.
The Bible tells us he hunts us like a lion hunts game. He attacks us when we are most vulnerable. He wants to keep us in that place of pain. He especially wants us to hang onto bitterness and a victim mindset. Or maybe we feel insecure and unloved and he piles on with thoughts of rejection. Or we may live in fear of being discovered for the fraud that we feel ourselves to be, so then our enemy attacks with fear.
when it comes to confronting the forces of evil, I have determined to not back down from a righteous fight. I have learned to say to myself, “OK, we’re not going to just sit here and take this. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win this battle”. The first place I find to go into battle is on my knees, where we immediately gain the upper hand. Bowing before our Heavenly Father and asking Him to come into battle with us, is key in fighting off evil.
Under attack and unaware
Truth be told, most of us are under attack in some way, though we may be unaware. The Bible tells us, “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.” (Eph. 6:12)
In the realm of our family, someone close to us is likely experiencing significant pain and possibly trauma right now. It may be that they are under attack. Yet we may be too busy with our own issues to really help them.
In the realm of our community or church, all we have to do is look at the nightly news to understand the pain those around us are experiencing.
It can seem so overwhelming that we may feel like we have no emotional reserves to help those outside our sphere of influence. What are we to do?
How do we respond?
Just to survive, many of us deny the reality of or the severity of the attack.
Or maybe we ourselves are OK – what then is our responsibility to our family or neighbor?
Over and over God encourages us to love one another in tangible ways. In Isaiah 58 he tells us to “loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke.” Jesus’ ministry was organized around doing that.
that implies a fight. We know we have an enemy who wants to keep us oppressed in dark places. God calls us to freedom. And he calls us to be freedom fighters. When we disciple, we turn people into freedom fighters.
Your enemy wants to rob you of your inheritance. He wants to steal what is rightfully yours. You must fight him or he’ll execute on his plan to do so.
Have you decided to fight? That’s the first step in living the life God has planned for you. Your passivity does not serve you well. We’re told, “resist the devil, and he will flee.” (James 4:7)
If you are under attack or care about someone who is, then deciding to resist evil and to seek God for his strategy is a righteous response. It starts with Scripture. Reading Scripture and praying Scripture is a great way to defend yourself.
Or singing praise music.
Or praying in the spirit.
Or getting a friend to pray with you.
Or more fasting.
Or reading a book on spiritual warfare.
Or watch this video (and I can send you others).
Or ask the Lord to show you how else to fight the enemy.
Whatever God gives you to do, decide to fight back today.
Application
1. Where are you under attack? What would it look like to not sit there and take it, but to fight back?
2. Who could you talk to and ask to help you fight back? How could they help you?
3. Read Ephesians 6 and look at the comments about spiritual warfare on this blog post. As you read the armor of God passage, pray on the armor like this, “I take up the shield of faith. I choose to see the world through eyes of faith.”
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