This Means War

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Spiritual warfare.  A topic many are uncomfortable with; it means that we have to acknowledge there are forces of evil at work in the universe.  We want to believe in God, yet we refuse to believe in the possibility of evil existing in the world.  Don't believe me?  Think about terrorism, wars, the Holocaust, cancer...But we don't even have to go to those extremes.  Think about your own daily life.  There is a spiritual warfare that exists.   Good cannot exist without evil.  There is light to shine on darkness.  We have the tools; it's called the Bible.

Take me, for instance.  I am working hard to get a ministry off the ground; to fulfill God's calling for my life.  Yet, at times, I am filled with discouragement and self-doubt.  I find myself stressing and worse yet, allowing food to become a stronghold.  There are days when I just want to say, "Never mind.  Thanks God but it's time to live in the 'real' world."  Folks, it doesn't get anymore real than that; THAT is the Enemy at play.  He is having a GREAT time with me.  And I am falling...no church due to my fiancé being ill, short on time for study in the Word -- because of Periscope, Twitter and writing.  All things I hope will help me live out His will for my life, yet seem to pose a distraction. 

The Bible is quite clear that there are spiritual forces at work in the world.  Ephesians talks in great detail about it.  Read it.  Especially, Chapter 6 verses 10-20.  It talks in great detail about the Armor of God and how to fight evil.

1 Peter 5:8 says "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. "  That paints a very real picture for me.  I can totally imagine that in my mind's eye. 

James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  Now granted, I am full of faith but that doesn't mean I'm not a target.  On the contrary, Satan will target you if you are working to further God's kingdom or even, your own self-knowledge.  If you don't believe me, enroll in a Bible study and watch the arrows fly.

2 Corinthians 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."  Here it talks about strongholds in our lives.  My personal stronghold is food.  It is our weaknesses or addictions in life.  If we are not careful, Satan will allow something we enjoy become one.  Have you ever heard the expression, "too much of a good thing"?  That would be the making of a stronghold.  Enjoy the occasional glass of wine?  Be careful...Satan can turn that into a stronghold and before you know it, you are now an alcoholic.

This is why Christians talk about reading the Bible.  If you read the Bible, God will shine a light on the darkness.  He will show you "Hey, this is good -- and this is not good."  Of course, being human, we don't want our weaknesses pointed out.  We don't want to stop "having fun". 

Being a Christian is not about having fun or not having fun.  It is about serving God.  It's not about you - it's about Him.  And yes, as a Christian, you can still have fun; lots of it!  I am proof of that.  I enjoy life, although I do have my moments.  It is in those times that I realize, God and God alone has the power to lift me up.  He does so by the verses in the Bible, putting other Christians in my life and giving me the understanding that we are not alone.  He is there.  He is faithful.  He is God.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I AM God."