Spiritual Warfare: Fight to Win!

www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org

Wake up call! If you are going to do anything for the Lord, you better believe that you are going to experience spiritual warfare. This is a reality. With brand new possibilities and victories, there will be a war waged against you first to accomplish your God-given potential. I know from experience. But don’t just take my word for it. Look back at the Old Testament history. Now, with that being said, it’s time to get ready to prepare for battle my friend. So put on your war clothes and get ready to fight to win!

Again, as you are preparing or operating in the things that God is calling you to do, you have to know that you will face opposition and resistance from our great enemy Satan. There is no doubt about it. He does not want you to win souls for the Lord in any capacity. So he will try to pull out his entire arsenal to try to stop you. But don’t let him. You and I have the power of God through Jesus Christ, the Word, prayer warriors, the saints of God, and angels here to help us. Yet, we have to actively utilize these great weapons.

We are fighting unseen enemies. We can’t see them, but we can sense their very presence. Think about it. When you or I are under an immense amount of pressure, undue stress, or extreme fatigue, this is when we really have to be on guard and watch out for our enemy. We’re at a weak point in the fight and he’ll try to strike us to get us to mess things up for ourselves and act out of character, which could in return kill our witness. Not good!

I know that when my emotions are out of whack, I have to pause for a moment and figure out what’s going on inside of me. I usually say, “Okay, Lord. Where am I? What’s going on with me?” I do a self-check. I ask questions like, “Am I getting ready to embark upon a new project? Am I upset about something? Did someone do or say something that has upset me? Or is it my cycle coming (ladies, you know what I’m talking about)?” I have to ask, “What’s going on, because I feel edgy God? Or is this just plain old spiritual warfare?”  I have to ask these types of questions to examine where I am, so I can know how to fight back spiritually. And once God reveals what it is, I then begin to renew my mind to get my attitude in check before I make a big mess of things unnecessarily. Try it sometime.

Furthermore, this is exactly why we have to put on the full armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-11 tells us, “…Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil.” (NLT) We have to put on the belt of truth (honesty and integrity), breastplate of righteousness (holy and right living, guarding our hearts), shoes of peace (being a peacemaker, not one of strife), shield of faith (believing and trusting God no matter what so we can stop the fiery arrows aimed at us by Satan), helmet of salvation (guarding and protecting our minds against his negative and evil thoughts), sword of the Spirit (the Word of God which has GREAT power!), and prayer. We can’t ever stop praying!

Listen, wherever you are in life, recognize today that as long as you are doing anything for Christ, you will experience spiritual warfare, but don’t count it strange. First Peter 4:12-13 says, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad-because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world.” Amen!

Hold onto these golden nuggets from God’s treasured Word and keep fighting sis! The race is not given to the swift, but to those who endure unto the end (Ecclesiastes 9:11). And remember, we’re not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world…so put on your full armor (see Ephesians 6:12).” I encourage you as I encourage myself…Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever quit no matter how tired you become or how hard it gets. Don’t hold onto grudges or hold onto offenses. Instead, work it out with God in prayer and if God leads you to deal with it, do it. The point here is to keep running this race no matter the opposition! Fight to WIN!

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s get ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

*Thanks for reading! I hope and pray that you’ve been enlightened from this post. Feel absolutely free to leave a comment or for questions you can email me directly at insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com, and I will respond promptly. Also, tune in every Monday at 7:30am for new posts! Don’t forget to “Like” my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutWCourtnaye) and share this blog with friends, family, co-workers, or your women’s group or ministry. I’d love to stay connected and help more women grow in the Lord! Thanks again and may God be with you!