Spiritual Warfare
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
Ephesians 6:10
I believe every Christian is struggling with a sinful temptation because they are tired of losing. So how do we fight this spiritual war and what weapons do we use? Every Christian is in a spiritual war and our eternal soul hangs in the balance.
Since we have inherited a sinful nature from Adam, we can never be perfect this side of heaven. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1) Christians cannot be perfect, and this is why Christ took our sins to the cross. Although we know we cannot be perfect, we learn to hate sin and overcome sin, and when we lose a battle we have Godly sorrow and seek forgiveness. The Lord will forgive us and gives us the power to overcome. The Holy Spirit convicts us when we sin, with the purpose of bringing us closer to the Lord. Satan wants us to condemn ourselves because it moves us away from God and destroys our confidence to overcome through the power of Christ.
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. (Ephesians 6:12) The spiritual battle is in the mind, and Satan attacks us primarily through our emotions, often originating from euphoric memories. Spiritual warfare requires we learn to control our emotions through the power of the Holy Spirit. Freedom in Christ becomes a blessing to us when our thoughts, words, and actions are controlled by the Spirit and not by our emotions. Our emotions are from God and they are essential, but Satan will use our emotions against us. Over time the Spirit will turn our sinful emotions to good Godly emotions.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21). This verse is the key to overcoming evil and renewing the mind. The technique for spiritual warfare is the technique for renewing the mind. If we are doing something good, then we are not doing something bad, and to renew the mind we replace sinful thoughts with Godly thoughts. The mind will slowly unwire sinful thoughts, only if we stop thinking about them. We experience more victory in spiritual warfare over time as the mind renews, deleting old sinful habits and wiring good pleasing Godly habits. It can months and years to rewire the mind, especially if we are trying to overcome as long term addiction.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) The best time to have victory over our sinful temptations is to capture the thought immediately when it occurs, and replace it with Godly thoughts. Sometimes replacing a thought with another thought can be difficult, but if we speak scriptures, write scriptures, or talk to someone, this can kill the original thought. Prepare your attack for the next time you are tempted, and seek the rewards of victory.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) Fellowship with Christians helps us to keep our thoughts toward God and away from sin. If you want be a Godly person then spent time with Godly people. We have victory over our sinful temptations through the power of God, and this includes power from God’s love and caring heart through other Christians. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (Deuteronomy 20:4)
Today be aware of Satan’s attacks and know you have the power to overcome the evil forces. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) Live today with the power God has given you to overcome the world. Let every victory over temptation give you confidence to overcome the world, and celebrate your victory with praise and thankfulness.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me victory over sin. Help me to capture every thought and every emotion and respond with Godly wisdom. Help me to focus on showing Christ-like behavior today. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that enables me to experience the joy of victory in Christ. In Jesus name, Amen