What Do you Do When You Find Yourself in the Midst of Spiritual Warfare?
You will probably never forget the big ways God has intervened in your life. Those life altering times when God stepped in in such a way that it is unforgettable. For me, that time came in a small, simple whisper.
Growing up, things that gave entry to the occult were normal in our home. We played with Ouija boards (as a child I carried it around as my “friend”), had books on palm reading, and my mother and her friend lay out rolls of astrology charts and maps on our kitchen table. It wasn’t just reading a horoscope, there was a lot more involved than that. My mother was deeply into psychics, and when I grew up and spoke of the Holy Spirit, she spoke of her spiritual guide.
So, as a young adult, it was no surprise that I got into reading tarot cards. Now, I had heard of Jesus, even accepted him into my heart as a child, but our family did not attend church and I never grew in the knowledge of God.
God’s Intervention
So, there I sat on the floor one night, alone, with my tarot cards, when I heard a whisper, Turn on the TV.
I’m not even sure what I thought at that point, but I reached over and turned that TV on. Seconds later, I sat mesmerized as a Christian woman spoke of the very thing I held in my hands, “Tarot cards and Ouija boards will steal your soul.” She said.
She went on to talk of the dangers of the things of the occult and what doors could be opened to the enemy because of those things.
A Changed Life
That night, I took those tarot cards outside and threw them in the trash. And that next Sunday, I walked to a nearby church and attended services. I have never looked back.
The Lord has been faithful, for the many doors that were opened to the enemy, the Lord led me to the right people and places that had the tools and the knowledge to be able to set me free, people who were not put off by the spiritual warfare that ensued but walked with me into freedom and renouncing the things of the enemy that had been opened in my life.
That is only one of the places where the Lord has intervened in such a big, life altering way. I could write a book about this very subject, and I believe I probably will be called to do that someday.
What Do You Do When…..
But for now, I want to talk about the ways God has intervened in your life. There are the things you will never forget. But what about the things that you walk away from and are thankful for, but then you don’t write them down, and later you forget.
Then, when something happens, or something from your past haunts you, you may find yourself in tears, wondering where God was or if he even cares.
The enemy loves this! He loves for you to forget the things your Heavenly Father has done to show His love for you, and then, when you’re down, the enemy whispers his lies:
Where was God when that happened?
How can God love you if ______________?
Does God even care?
All of these are carefully placed, strategic lies to get you to give up and not move forward. You see, you are a child of God most high, and the enemy hates that! You have entered into a form of spiritual warfare.
But, there are tools for spiritual warfare that you can use to defeat the enemy’s lies.
Plead the Blood of Jesus
The first tool of spiritual warfare is to Plead the blood of Jesus over your heart and mind. It is a simple prayer, but a powerful one! Just as the Israelites placed the blood over their houses in Exodus 12, you also can plead the blood of Jesus over your mind.
In the name of Jesus, I plead the blood of Jesus over my mind, over my heart and over my emotions now. I plead the blood of Jesus over my home and my vehicle, and over every situation that is not aligned with God. I declare that Jesus is Lord over my mind, my heart and my emotions now in Jesus name!
Put on Your Armor
The second tool when you are in the midst of spiritual warfare is putting on your armor. As Ephesians 6 talks about, you can put on your armor every day. This is a spiritual weapon and prayer that you can do every day to protect yourself spiritually. When my husband and I served in a deliverance ministry, we were taught to put on our armor through prayer every single day, and especially before working with anyone for spiritual freedom.
You can put on your armor with a simple prayer:
In the name of Jesus, I put on my helmet of salvation, my breastplate of righteousness, and my belt of truth. I put on my shoes of the gospel of peace, my shield of faith and my sword of the spirit in Jesus name.
The Word
It’s easy for someone to say, “Just read the word!”
But, if you have ever opened the door to the occult or had spiritual resistance to you reading the word, let me tell you, it is not easy! You may find yourself in the midst of spiritual warfare just trying to read the word. I remember wanting to read the word, and I would open it, but I couldn’t focus, and it would be spiritual warfare just to read one sentence.
I now know this is because the enemy is so afraid of the word of God! He doesn’t want people to be in it, and if he thinks he has any legal right to you he will try his hardest to keep you from it!
If you struggle with this, I strongly urge you to go someplace where you can get some strong prayer over your mind. I suggest The Healing Rooms, Cleansing Stream Ministries, or a pastor or ministry that is not afraid of nor dismisses the work of the enemy.
These ministries can give you tools and prayers to be able to overcome spiritual warfare over your mind, and along with pleading the blood of Jesus, and putting on your armor daily, you can find freedom in Christ and break the power of the hold the enemy thinks he has on your life.
And last, but not least,
Remember
There is a picture of a double rainbow in my hallway. It is a time I said a prayer, and right afterwards, a double rainbow appeared over my house. It was an amazing encouragement to me, and I didn’t want to forget, so I took that picture and hung it up on my wall.
As the years went by, I could have easily forgotten that gesture from God, but I haven’t. When people ask about that picture on the wall, I am all too happy to share with them the story of how God answered my prayer and encouraged me.
When God does something to encourage you, to answer a prayer, or sends someone or something to you at just the right time, do something to remember it. Take a picture, write it down in a book you keep just for that, post it on your wall.
And when you are discouraged, when the enemy tries to lie to you, saying God doesn’t care or where was he, pick up those things that help you to remember, and say, “My God was with me then, and He is with me now. My God will never leave me nor forsake me, and He has a plan for my restoration.”
God Bless you and Keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you, and give you peace.
Copyright Carolyn Rice 2019
