How does one fight a spiritual battle?

[Trinitynamer]

On 8/26/2022 at 10:59 PM, Michael37 said:

Summoned? 

Yeah like you call it out then it responds to your will, two individual swords ready to fight. But I'm not skeptical cause not many of us had been through a spiritual battle with Satan as I have.

[Michael37]

41 minutes ago, Holytrinity said:

Yeah like you call it out then it responds to your will, two individual swords ready to fight. But I'm not skeptical cause not many of us had been through a spiritual battle with Satan as I have.

Let me know when you're ready to be delivered from this delusion you have. So far what you believe amounts to counterfeit manifestations and demonic, occultic deception.

2Ti 4:3-4  For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.  (4)  So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

 

[Selah7]

On 3/1/2021 at 10:40 PM, Whyme said:

How does one fight spiritual warfare and is spiritual warfare the same as fighting the good fight of faith? 

Only those who have the Seal of God in their foreheads, who understand the Word of God and who have the gospel armor tightly fastened will be able to engage in spiritual warfare and the good fight of faith. God has foretold us all things in advance so that we won't be deceived in these latter days.  

Selah 

[com7fy8]

 

On 3/22/2021 at 4:50 PM, Whyme said:

I think of David who had such love for the Lord's Spirit. I feel drawn to a deeper relationship with the Lord. I'm seeking joy and peace. Seek and you will find.

About how David fought spiritual warfare > I think of 1 Samuel chapter 30 >

David and his men went back to discover that the Amalekites had raided their home city of Ziklag. And the Amalekites had taken their wives and children. 

The background for this is that David and his men were in Philistia because King Saul was trying to hunt down and kill David. So, they had left the land of Israel and were taking refuge in Philistia which was an enemy of Israel. And in the chapter before this we see that David and his men had been spending time with the Philistine army while they were preparing for war with King Saul and his men. It seemed David was going to join them to fight King Saul. But the Philistine military leaders suspected that David could change sides in the midst of the battle and help King Saul. So, they sent David and his men away. 

Then was when David and his men went back to their home city, Ziklag, which was in Philistia, and they discovered that the Amalekites had taken their wives and children, plus had burned the city. And the men "wept, until they had no more power to weep", we have in 1 Samuel 30:4.

Well, all that weeping did not solve their problem. And, of all things, the men somehow managed to have enough energy to talk about stoning David. They could weep until they ran out of strength to weep, yet had energy and ambition to kill David. 

This is how worldly people can process things. They might run out of energy to mourn, but still have venom and energy enough to blame someone and seek revenge.

And, of course, ones can be blaming while they themselves helped to cause the problem . . . somehow contributing.

But all that weeping and blaming and hating did not bring their families back. They needed good spiritual warfare, in order to just get started in doing what would work. But their anger and weeping and David's worrying about it and being troubled was not what would work. 

By the way . . . why would they stone David? Well, David led them to cohort with the enemy army, right? That could mean he was misguiding his men to depend on less than God and even getting into league with the enemy. So, it was possible that God would not honor David's efforts to get their wives and children back. The raid by the Amalekites might be a God-controlled consequence of David's misguided activities. And it looks like they did not leave anyone to guard their families! Of all things!! So, even practically, David might have been taking the men the wrong way.

So, it is possible David could see he was in a major fix and nothing he tried could work, especially if God was having all that come as a consequence of his unwise activities. But there was what could work. There was the spiritual warfare of admitting he had been wrong, then getting with the LORD and simply trusting and obeying the LORD, from that point, though he had done things wrong before then.

Start fresh with God. Leave behind the sins and failures. Simply do now what God has you doing with Him in His peace. 

I would say this is what David did do: at that point > 

"David strengthened himself in the LORD his God," we have in 1 Samuel 30:6.

And then David called for the high priest and arranged to have a session with the LORD. And the LORD told David to go get their wives and children back. God guaranteed success!!!

I note, here, how when David did things as God decided and guided, then was when David's military action was swift and successful and efficient. But nowadays, it seems to me how countries are fighting and their conflicts go on and on with no real resolution. And in the United States there appears to be an endless political civil war; and so ones are even talking about holding another revolution. 

But what if there is sin in both camps? We see how things worked against the Jews because they had sin in their camp while they tried to fight with Ai > Joshua chapter seven. And now we have church culture people who have helped produce the children who are sinning. They have not been brought up with example at home, of how to love; so now ones are desperate for pleasure to try to make themselves feel alive and happy. This possibly started with the help of parents arguing and complaining, at home, being such a bad example of how to relate so their children don't know how to share in a close relationship. So, if ones do not like how things are now, we need to correct however we ourselves with bad example have helped to produce our present problems.

So, it is wise, when we have gone the wrong way and caused trouble for ourselves, to first get with God, then make sure with God about what to do. 

And does God want to personally guide us? Or, should we say, does God want to guide us at every moment? Well, I offer > 

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

I get from this how our Father does desire to personally rule every one of us; we are "called in one body" to be personally ruled by God in His own peace. And in this ruling in His peace we have God's own personal guiding with His creativity and this is in His coordination of us with all which God knows is going on all around us and in all eternity. So, yes, this leading and guiding in the ruling of our Father's peace in our hearts is very reliable, indeed.

And isn't ruling all the time? So, yes I would offer God wants to so share with us, all the time in His own peace, with His guiding wisdom.

And when we somehow get into what is not the ruling of God's peace in us . . . our spiritual warfare action needs to be how first God has us realize we are getting away, then trust God to restore us to sharing with Him in His peace, and enjoy discovering what He pleases to have us doing . . . perhaps what we were already doing, but now doing it better with Him.

We could be getting away, right while doing ministering that God wants. In such a case, we need to stop getting ourselves into anger and stress and depression, and trust God to correct us into His peace with His leading and guiding in Jesus Christ's "rest for your souls" which we are guaranteed while we truly are doing God's will > 

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

So, from this I get how it is never our Father's will for us to do things to serve Him while we are still in trouble of nasty anger and arguing and frustration and bitterness and unforgiveness and stress and fear and worry and depression. Or cup can run over with whatever is really in our cup, and can spread to make others the same way . . . including making our children become like whatever is really in us. So, part of love's spiritual warfare is making sure we are doing things in God's love, so this is spreading all around us . . . like how salt dissolving in a stew will spread its saltiness to effect everything in the stew. 

And Jesus does say we are "the salt of the earth," right (Matthew 5:13)? Whatever we do in God's love can spread the effect of His own love all around us. Because this love is all-loving. 

"'In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.'" (Genesis 22:18)

Abraham simply obeyed God who is all-loving, and therefore he has gotten all-loving results > of "all the nations of the earth" being "blessed".

So, while we are obeying God in His own love, already we are having His love's effect in this world ! ! !

This is part of spiritual warfare, then, how we do not get ourselves isolated with our own problems or get tangled and mangled in dealing with the troubles of each one's own country. But we stay with loving any and all other people and countries as ourselves. 

"if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" Jesus says in Matthew 5:46.

So, included in effective spiritual warfare is how we care about any and all others as well as we care about our own selves.  

And while we go through things . . . I think of how Jesus on the cross went through all that as "a sweet-smelling aroma" > Ephesians 5:2 >

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)

So, Jesus was sweet about it ! ! ! First, then, seek God through it all, be sweet with Him 

And we see how things worked out for David, once he made sure with God about what to do. They creamed those Amalekites and got back all their wives and children unharmed and all their possessions plus then some, reaping all the stuff the Amalekites had gotten from other raiding. 

But among David's fighting men there were "all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David" > 1 Samuel 30:22. And those guys were making a stink, by saying only the fighters should get stuff of what was plundered, and the guys too weak to fight should get only their own wives and children back. 

But David said no way was he going to listen to that. But even if certain men had stayed behind with their own supplies, they too would share the goods which they got from the Amalekites. 

So, I get from this, how David made it clear that they would do things in God's family caring and sharing way. All would be equal, even if certain ones did more than others. 

And this is part of Christian spiritual warfare. We stay as family with one another. We do not try to isolate ourselves with our own rewards or status, and we do not let ourselves get isolated with our own problems, but we share together with one another in all things.

Therefore, you can not be a good soldier unless first you become a good citizen  . . . of family caring and sharing love.

So, it is good to be with each other to help one another out. And so God, then, is committed to making our prayer work.

"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

Yes > I think this means > we can pray for each other to be "healed" of whatever in us is making us able to keep on sinning and then suffer in the weakness of sinning. There are a lot of spiritual and emotional things which can get the better of us because of how our character makes us weak enough to give in to such cruel and dominating stuff in us. It is not really a genetic or physical biochemical problem; but deeper, in our spiritual personalities, is where we can have various mean and cruel emotions and ways of reacting that get us hurt and keep us suffering. But God is almighty with peace almighty to get us clear of such evil and anti-love stuff and have us sharing with God and one another, instead, in His love's prayer >

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

So, yes trouble in our "minds" can be stopped easily by God. He is almighty and His peace is almighty to guard our "minds". So, the spiritual warfare cure for anti-love mental stuff is God's correction with His perfection of His peace almighty >

"You will keep him in perfect peace,

  Whose mind is stayed on You,

  Because he trusts in You."

                    (Isaiah 26:3)                              

This world has tried a lot of things to solve personality and mental trouble. And so many ways and approaches have not worked, because physical methods and medicines can not cure a spiritual problem > therefore, those ways and methods are not what works!!

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

(James 1:19-20)

But now we have a number of "type-A" make-things-happen people operating in ministry and church leadership. They can use pressure and charm, ignorance and intelligence, money and honey, controlling and lying. They can conquer and accomplish. But, meanwhile, they can be breaking down in depression and anger problems and immoral stuff and stress and burn-out.

So, such ones are not leading by example as it is written > 

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)

What does work is God's word "which also works effectively in you who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). God's word in us produces all which God Himself means by His word > Isaiah 55:11.

This includes how our Father Himself corrects us in our character > Hebrews 12:4-14.

And God is committed to using our prayer, and example >

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)

And we see how Abraham accomplished so much by simply obeying God > he obeyed God who is all-loving; so he got all-loving results > Genesis 22:18.

We see how Jesus in His obedience on the cross has gotten many people blessed > 

"by the obedience of one Man many will be made righteous," we have in Romans 5:19 >

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)

This is working already. God is now succeeding > right while so many are bleeding >

"those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing." (in Psalm 34:10)

Right now, we can have all the good which our Father pleases to share with us, plus we can spread this to others, by ministering His own grace >

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (1 Peter 4:10)

Right now, we have people who are talking about taking down rogue political leaders so America can be Christian. Ones want to use voting to do this, and some number of people are preparing to use military force if voting does not work. 

Well, I have been my own main problem. Still, I can give in to immoral stuff in my imagination, instead of loving and caring for women. And I still can self-righteously condemn and criticize people and curse people with my paranoid suspicion and angry imagining of how to control wrong people. But this does not work.

Instead > love "hopes all things," we have in 1 Corinthians 13:7. I need to pray with love and hope for each and every person.

We need how God wins in us, then, and discover how He spreads this to others 

Edited October 7, 2022 by com7fy8

[Space_Karen]

Spiritual warfare 101.

Imagine that you're walking a path that leads to God and Heaven.

Spiritual warfare waged against you will try to alter your direction a small fraction at a time. Until you're walking towards Hell and the Devil.

In your mind, you'll still believe you're travelling towards God. You won't notice the change. That's the seduction side of it.

One defense is a strong commitment to the truth that is God. And accumulating enough knowledge to not easily be fooled by false words and inaccurate ideas. Believing in the smallest lie can be dangerous in a way that in underrated. The devil is called the father of lies for a reason that is very relevant when it comes to spiritual warfare.

Taking steps to improve resistance to lies and inaccurate claims can be important in regard to the topic. 

Edited October 10, 2022 by Space_Karen

[com7fy8]

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

The way to fight spiritual warfare is to first get with God. And do what God has us doing, while He is making Satan flee. 

"For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29)

God our "consuming fire" can make Satan flee from us, burned from us.

And pray the way God's word means > 

"and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

Our God is almighty; so God's peace is almighty to guard our "minds". And this peace in our minds also has us submissive in our thinking, to God, and in His light so we see things the way God's love has us seeing things.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment." (Philippians 1:9)

So, our Apostle Paul has already prayed this for us. Our warfare, then, includes how already God has had our Apostle Paul pray this for us. And we help one another.

Edited October 28, 2022 by com7fy8

[Mr. M]

2 Corinthians 10:

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God 

for pulling down strongholds,

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself

against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity

to the obedience of Christ.

Victorious spiritual warfare must be accomplished in our own minds first,

with our motivation to serve the elect.

Matthew 7:

3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 

4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?

 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Only then can we apply ourselves to the verse that follows in

2 Corinthians 10:

6 And having a readiness to avenge all disobedience,

when your obedience is fulfilled.

Philippians 2:

 

 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

[warrior12]

On 3/2/2021 at 12:11 AM, Marilyn C said:

We need to become strong in our spirits - by the word, (truth) and speaking in tongues, (building up the spirit).

This topic is necessary, even as believers are faced with ever more evil that is bearing up the world and as it manifest in the physical world , so it does exist in the spiritual world, one that is invisible, but nevertheless just as real as to the testimonies given. I can personally testify to that also.

My question though, is it necessary to speak in tongues, as it is a gift that some clearly don't have and also there are some who are skeptical about its use today.